APPOINTMENT OF INTERIM CEO FOR HEALTH PROMOTION BOARD

     Mr Zee Yoong Kang, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the Health Promotion Board (HPB) will be stepping down on 1 April 2022 after completing three terms as CEO, the last day of which is 31 March 2022. The HPB board is currently finalising the appointment of his successor, and this will be announced in due course. In the meantime, Mr Koh Peng Keng, who is currently the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of HPB, will be appointed as Interim CEO until the new CEO comes onboard.

2.   During his nine years as CEO of HPB, Mr Zee has accomplished several breakthroughs across the promotional, regulatory and technology domains for HPB. Under his leadership, HPB increased the share of Healthier Choice Symbol products among packaged foods purchased by consumers. The uptake of HPB’s Screen for Life programme for disease prevention and follow-up rate increased significantly over the years. During his tenure, HPB also forged numerous partnerships with agencies in both the public and private sectors, which have contributed to the increase in the overall physical activity level for Singaporeans.

3.   Mr Zee also drove and advocated the use of technology and new capabilities to further HPB’s work. An example is the National Steps Challenge™, which is into its sixth season. Across the past five seasons, since 2015, the Challenge has attracted over 1.7 million participants, encouraging Singaporeans to walk more and keep active.  In the fight against COVID-19, Mr Zee led HPB to help build and scale up national testing operations to support Singapore’s testing strategy.

4.   As COO, Mr Koh plays a key role in driving the integration and end-to-end planning and execution of HPB’s health promotion and disease prevention programmes. He was also the Group Director of the Testing Operations Task Group in HPB prior to his appointment as COO, where he led the national swab and testing operations for COVID-19. Mr Koh joined the Civil Service in 1985 and held various key positions in the Singapore Armed Forces and Ministries such as the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth and Ministry of Health.

5.   Mr Philip Lee, Chairman of HPB said, “Yoong Kang has been a focal point in promoting health initiatives in Singapore.  He steered HPB in the use of technologies, data analytics as well as behavioural insights in designing programmes for government healthcare initiatives such as, the National Steps Challenge^TM programme, Live Healthy SG initiative and LumiHealth mobile application.  He also led HPB in driving initiatives for mental well-being campaigns like ‘Hi #JustCheckingIn’ and ‘It’s OKAY to Reach Out’  to normalise talking about mental health issues and to equip Singaporeans with the skills needed to support their families and friends. His dedication and leadership will be missed. We wish him all the best in his new role.

6.   The Ministry of Health and HPB wish to express their deep appreciation to Mr Zee Yoong Kang for his contributions.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH
HEALTH PROMOTION BOARD
17 MARCH 2022