Appointment of New Chairman to the Infocomm Media Development Authority Board

1. The Minister for Communications and Information has appointed Mr Russell Tham, Head, Emerging Technologies, Temasek Holdings Pte Ltd, as Chairman of the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) Board. His appointment will take effect from 15 March 2024. Mr Tham succeeds Mr Chan Yeng Kit, who steps down as Chairman of the IMDA Board after nine years.

Mr Russell Tham

2. Mr Chan, who is also Permanent Secretary (Health), was the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) from January 2005 to November 2007 and Permanent Secretary (Information, Communications and the Arts) from January 2008 to November 2012. He took over as Chairman of the IDA Board in November 2015. Mr Chan oversaw the merger of IDA and the Media Development Authority (MDA) to form IMDA in 2016, and continued to steward IMDA as Chairman of the IMDA Board thereafter. Mr Chan led the development of the Intelligent Nation 2015 (iN2015) Masterplan during his tenure as CEO and Permanent Secretary, including the roll-out of Singapore’s fibre-to-the-home Nationwide Broadband Network (NBN). These provided the foundation to help Singapore realise its Smart Nation vision. IDA launched the Infocomm Media 2025 (ICM 2025) Masterplan in 2015, which IMDA has implemented under Mr Chan’s chairmanship.

Mr Chan Yeng Kit

3. With Mr Chan’s guidance, IMDA has continued to architect Singapore’s Digital Future. It has been rolling out future-ready digital infrastructure from 5G standalone wireless networks to upgrading the wired NBN for seamless 10Gbps access on broadband, digitalising enterprises at scale through SMEs Go Digital and CTO-as-a-Service, and anchoring a local core of globally competitive digital workforce with in-demand industry- relevant skills, such as via TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA). Mr Chan also led IMDA to punch above its weight on the global stage, in both the tech and media realms. Asia Tech x Singapore (ATxSG) has been convening policy makers and thought leaders for frank discussions on the challenges and opportunities of the latest tech trends. The Singapore Media Festival showcases Made-with-Singapore creations to the world; many of these are the result of IMDA’s development of local media enterprises and talent. On the domestic front, Mr Chan guided IMDA to build a safe and inclusive Digital Society, growing from direct outreach to seniors to bringing on board people and private sector partners with the Digital for Life national movement.

4. The incoming Chairman Mr Russell Tham is not new to IMDA, having served as a Member of the IMDA Board since 1 October 2020. He has also served as the Chairperson of IMDA's Technology Sub-Committee since 1 April 2023. With Mr Tham’s experience and expertise, he has been instrumental in advising IMDA on new and emerging digital technologies, the translation of these technologies for business adoption, as well as potential policy implications.

5. The Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) and IMDA are deeply appreciative of Mr Chan’s unwavering commitment and leadership of IMDA over the past two decades. We look forward to Mr Tham’s continued guidance and leadership of IMDA in the coming years.