MFA Press Statement: Appointment of Ambassador to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and Non-Resident High Commissioner to the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 29 Nov 2017

The Government has appointed Ms Vanessa Elisabeth Chan Yuen Ying as Singapore’s Ambassador to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar, and Mr Lim Sim Seng as Singapore’s Non-Resident High Commissioner to the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Ms Vanessa Chan will take up post as Ambassador to the Republic of the Union of Myanmar on 18 December 2017.  Ms Chan joined the Singapore Foreign Service in 1995 and served as Director-General of the International Organisations Directorate in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from January 2012 to June 2017.  She was posted to the Singapore Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York from January 1999 to August 2002 and to the Singapore Embassy in Yangon from October 2007 to January 2011.  While at the Ministry’s Headquarters, she also covered the North America and Southeast Asia portfolios.

Ms Chan graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Law (Honours) from the University of Cambridge, England in 1988.  A year later, she was called to the Bar of England and Wales as a member of the Middle Temple.  Ms Chan obtained a Professional Qualification from the Board of Legal Education, Singapore in 1990, and practiced law in Singapore from 1991 to 1995. 

Mr Lim Sim Seng is currently a Group Executive and Country Head of DBS Singapore.  He is concurrently Chairman of DBS Vickers Securities Holdings Pte Ltd. 

Mr Lim has more than 30 years of banking experience in Asia, North America and the Middle East.  Prior to joining DBS, he held senior appointments in Citigroup from June 2008 to December 2009 including as President and CEO of Nikko Citigroup Limited.  Mr Lim also serves in various public organisations and was appointed Chairman of the Singapore Land Authority in August 2014.  He has been a member of the Board of Governors of Nanyang Polytechnic since 2013, served as Chairman of Singapore Technologies (ST) Aerospace Limited since October 2015 and sits on the Board of Governors of ST Engineering.

Mr Lim graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration from Yokohama National University, Japan in 1983.

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MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS

SINGAPORE

29 NOVEMBER 2017

BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY

                        Ms Vanessa Elisabeth Chan Yuen Ying was the Director-General of the International Organisations Directorate in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from January 2012 to June 2017.

                        Born in 1966, Ms Chan graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Law, (Honours) from the University of Cambridge, England in 1988.  She was called to the Bar of England and Wales as a member of the Middle Temple in 1989.  She obtained a Professional Qualification from the Board of Legal Education, Singapore in 1990 and practiced law in Singapore from 1991 to 1995. 

Ms Chan joined the Singapore Foreign Service in 1995.  Her portfolios have covered North America, Southeast Asia and International Organisations.  She was posted to the Singapore Permanent Mission to the United Nations in New York (January 1999 to August 2002) and to the Singapore Embassy in Yangon (October 2007 to January 2011).  She was the Co-Chair of the Steering Committee of the United Nations Development Programme Global Centre for Public Service Excellence in Singapore from 2013 to June 2017.

Ms Chan was a Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asia Studies, Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre in 2011.  She is the author of “Sarsikyo: Woven Dedicatory Ribbons of Myanmar”, Nalanda-Sriwijaya Centre Working Paper Series (accepted for publication).

Ms Chan was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Bronze) in 2009.

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June 2017

BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY

Mr Lim Sim Seng is currently a Group Executive and the Country Head of DBS Singapore.  He is also concurrently Chairman of DBS Vickers Securities Holdings Pte Ltd. 

Mr Lim was born in 12 October 1958.  He was a Japanese government Monbusho scholar and graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from Yokohama National University, Japan in 1983.

Mr Lim has more than 30 years of banking experience, which he spent in Asia, North America and the Middle East.  Prior to joining DBS in September 2010, Mr Lim was the President and CEO of Nikko Citigroup Limited (June 2008 to December 2009).  He also held various other senior appointments in Citigroup between 1999 and 2008 including as Country Corporate Officer and Chairman for Citigroup Hong Kong (April 2007 to June 2008), Regional Head of Emerging Markets Sales and Trading for the Asia-Pacific for Citigroup Singapore and concurrently Non-Executive Chairman of Citibank Berhad Malaysia (October 2003 to March 2007). 

Mr Lim also held senior appointments with various public organisations and private companies.  He was appointed Chairman of the Singapore Land Authority in August 2014, and Chairman of Singapore Technologies Aerospace Limited in October 2015.  He is a member of the Nanyang Polytechnic Board of Governors and Chairman of its Business Management School Advisory Committee.  Mr Lim is also the Vice Chairman of the ASEAN Business Group of the Singapore Business Federation.