Two veteran public servants to retire; new permanent secretary for finance from May 1

Two senior public servants are set to retire in the next two months, and changes in the appointments of three permanent secretaries will take effect on May 1.

- Ian Cheng

Mrs Tan Ching Yee will step down as permanent secretary for finance and retire on May 1, after 38 years in the public service, the Public Service Division (PSD) said in a statement on March 25.

Mr Jeffrey Siow, second permanent secretary at the Ministry of Trade and Industry and Ministry of Manpower, will retire on April 2 after 24 years in public service, and is set to enter politics.

Mrs Tan, 60, has held appointments across several ministries since she started her public service career in 1986.

Among other notable contributions, she worked on enhancements to pre-school and special needs education during her stint as permanent secretary for education, and led efforts to improve the quality, access and affordability of the healthcare system as permanent secretary for health. This included the implementation of MediShield Life.