Lionel Yeo, chief exe of the Singapore Tourism Board since 2012, will step down from the role as of May 31.
According to the Straits Times, in 2017 the tourism sector reached record highs in visitor arrivals and spending. Singapore also won a number of high-profile sporting events such as the BNP Paribas Women’s Tennis Association Finals, the Singapore Rugby Sevens and football’s International Champions Cup. And a long-standing contract with Formula One for the Singapore Grand Prix was extended until 2021.
Yeo’s list of notable events also include the Singapore: Inside Out showcase in 2015 and 2017, which showcased Singapore arts and design in major cities including Beijing, London, New York, Tokyo and Sydney.
Under his administration, STB made “significant moves to support the transformation of the tourism sector, notably in the area of data analytics, digitalization and technology adoption,” the Times reported. A new online platform providing a one-stop tourism resource for businesses, the Tourism Information and Service Hub was launched this year.
Yeo was also behind the popular tourism campaign, “Passion Made Possible,” developed with the Economic Development Board and Ministry of Communications and Information and launched in August 2017.
Yeo previously worked for the Public Service Division, the Civil Service College, the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Finance, the former Ministry of Information and the Arts and the former Ministry of Community Development. He also serves on the boards of the Sentosa Development Corp., Mandai Park Holdings and Raffles Institution.
“It has been my privilege these past six years to lead STB and work with tourism stakeholders here and abroad to achieve record tourism results for Singapore and position the sector on a sustainable growth trajectory,” said Yeo.
Loh Khum Yean, permanent secretary for MTI, said, “Under Lionel’s leadership, STB has worked closely with the tourism sector to strengthen our value proposition and product offerings which has helped Singapore achieve consistently strong tourism performance.”
Melissa Ow, currently STB’s deputy CEO, will serve as acting CEO effective June 1.
