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Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Press Statements

Appointment of Non-Resident Ambassador to the Republic of Cuba and Non-Resident High Commissioner to the Republic of Kenya

Country

Cuba

Kenya

29 April 2025

The Government has appointed Dr Shashi Jayakumar as the next Singapore Non-Resident Ambassador to the Republic of Cuba and Dr Ernest Kan as the next Singapore Non-Resident High Commissioner to the Republic of Kenya.

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The Government has appointed Dr Shashi Jayakumar as the next Singapore Non-Resident Ambassador to the Republic of Cuba and Dr Ernest Kan as the next Singapore Non-Resident High Commissioner to the Republic of Kenya.

Dr Shashi Jayakumar is the Founder and Executive Director of SJK Geostrategic Advisory, a geopolitical risk consultancy. He has been a member of the National Museum Advisory Board and a member of the Academic Advisory Panel of Defence Collective Singapore since 2022 and 2024 respectively. He graduated with Undergraduate and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in history from Oxford University.

Dr Jayakumar has served in think tanks, including as Head of the Centre of Excellence for National Security at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies from 2015 to 2023. Prior to his career in academia, Dr Jayakumar was in the Administrative Service of the Government of Singapore, where he served in various Ministries, including the Ministry of Defence. He was Singapore’s Representative to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) from 2019 to 2024, and served as Singapore’s Alternate Representative to the AICHR from 2016 to 2018.

Dr Jayakumar is married to Mdm Miranda Nicolette Ng and they have three children.

Dr Kan Yaw Kiong, Ernest is the Founder and Chairman of Ernest Kan Financial Advisory and Business Consulting. He is also a member of the Board of Visiting Justices, and of the Reformative Training Centre Review Committee under the Ministry of Home Affairs. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Accountancy Studies from Huddersfield University in the United Kingdom.

Dr Kan has previously held various positions in private organisations in Singapore and the United Kingdom such as Chief Adviser of the Singapore Exchange, and Deputy Managing Partner of Deloitte Singapore. For his contributions to the public service, he was awarded the Public Service Medal in 2008 and the Public Service Star in 2017. 

Dr Kan is married to Ms Yapp Pui Li and they have three children.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

29 APRIL 2025

Two men in suits exchange a red folder bearing a crest. Window, plants, and rug are visible.

Singapore Non-Resident Ambassador to the Republic of Cuba, Dr Shashi Jayakumar. Credit: MDDI

Two men in suits exchange a red folder bearing a seal.

Singapore Non-Resident High Commissioner to the Republic of Kenya, Dr Ernest Kan. Credit: MDDI

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