SINGAPORE: The National Council of Social Service (NCSS) will get a new chief executive officer next year as Mr Lim Shung Yar, who has been working in the Public Service Division (PSD), succeeds Ms Tan Li San.
Mr Lim, 45, will be appointed CEO (Designate) with effect from Nov 1 and will fully assume the CEO role on Feb 1, 2026, said the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) on Tuesday (Oct 14).
The NCSS is a statutory board under MSF that serves to develop the social service sector in Singapore.
Mr Lim currently serves in the PSD as senior director of leadership development and strategy, and has held other leadership positions in the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), as well as in the Ministry of Education, said MSF.
At PSD, he led the development of human resource policies, including initiatives to enhance talent attraction and retention in the Public Service, as well as leadership development efforts.
In MCCY, he developed partnerships with religious and community organisations to strengthen social cohesion and trust across communities, in his role as senior director of community relations and engagement.
He also worked closely with the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre and other stakeholders to develop Giving.sg, a one-stop portal for people to support non-profits in Singapore, as well as promote corporate giving, added MSF.
The outgoing CEO, Ms Tan, 50, joined NCSS in the top job in January 2020.
“During her tenure, she led NCSS through a period of transformation and rapid responses to community needs arising from the COVID-19 pandemic,” said MSF.
She spearheaded initiatives such as the Courage Fund (COVID) and Invictus Fund, which provided financial and social support to Singaporeans in need, as well as to social service agencies (SSAs).
She also drove digital transformation across the social service sector, said MSF. One such initiative is the Social Service Digital Plan, which is a roadmap for SSAs to accelerate digital adoption.
“Under her leadership, the Community Chest, NCSS’ philanthropic arm, introduced new ways of fundraising and worked closely with community partners and corporates to advance Sustainable Philanthropy,” added MSF.
“Ms Tan strengthened NCSS’ role as a Sector Developer, ensuring that the social service sector continues to deliver quality services, and builds capabilities to meet emerging needs.
“She also initiated the development of the Sector Evaluation Framework to standardise outcome metrics for social service programmes, transformed NCSS’ efforts to better support communities in need, and refreshed its brand identity,” said MSF.
“We wish to express our deepest appreciation to Li San for her leadership and dedication to NCSS. Under her stewardship, NCSS has strengthened its role as a sector developer and advanced partnerships to uplift lives and communities,” said NCSS president Anita Fam.
“As we welcome Shung Yar, we are confident that with his experience and commitment, he will steer NCSS to another exciting new chapter with continued growth and innovation.”
