SINGAPORE – Civil service head Leo Yip, 62, who led the public service’s response during the Covid-19 pandemic, will retire from the Administrative Service after 43 years in the public sector.
Mr Yip, who is also Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and heads its strategy group, will be succeeded by Mr Chan Heng Kee.
Mr Chan, 57, will take over Mr Yip’s portfolios and relinquish his current posts as Permanent Secretary (Defence) and Permanent Secretary (Special Duties) in the PMO.
The changes will take effect on April 1, the Public Service Division (PSD) said in a statement on March 9.
Paying tribute to Mr Yip’s decades of service, the PSD said he played a key role in strengthening the public service’s ability to work in close alignment, and to build new capabilities.
Mr Yip also strengthened how the public service planned and implemented policies and strategies for cross-cutting and emerging issues, and built stronger ties with foreign civil services.
A Singapore Police Force overseas scholar who studied economics at Cambridge University, he started out in the force in 1982 as an investigation officer. He rose through the ranks to become commander of the Clementi Police Division and eventually director of operations.
Over the years, he served as chief executive of the then Singapore Workforce Development Agency, permanent secretary for manpower, chairman of the Economic Development Board and permanent secretary for home affairs. Mr Yip was also principal private secretary to Mr Lee Kuan Yew when Mr Lee was senior minister.
During the Covid-19 pandemic from 2020 to 2023, Mr Yip led the collective response of the public service, which included mobilising resources and implementing measures to navigate the crisis. These included leading the work to procure vaccines and ensuring that Singapore emerged stronger, said PSD.
In recognition of his contributions, Mr Yip was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal in 2018.
Defence Minister Chan Chun Sing, who is Minister-in-charge of the Public Service, thanked Mr Yip for his more than four decades of “exemplary leadership and extensive contributions to the public service and Singapore”.
