The Ministry of Manpower (MOM) has announced the appointment of the inaugural board for the Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA), a new statutory board that will officially begin operations on 1 July 2026 following the merger of SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) and Workforce Singapore (WSG).
The newly formed agency is intended to strengthen the alignment between skills development and workforce transformation efforts, supporting Singapore’s evolving labour market needs. The inaugural board will serve a two-year term from 1 July 2026 to 30 June 2028.
At the helm of the new board will be Lim Sim Seng, who has been appointed Chairman. Currently Deputy Chairman of SIA Engineering, Lim brings extensive leadership experience from both the private and public sectors. He previously served as Group Head of Consumer Banking and Wealth Management at DBS Bank and was Singapore country head for the bank.
Lim also serves on the board of Raffles Medical Group and as an Independent Non-Executive Director of IOI Properties Group. His public sector experience includes chairing the Singapore Land Authority from 2014 to 2020 and the Building and Construction Authority from 2020 to 2025.
According to MOM, Lim will guide SWDA’s strategic direction, strengthen coordination with key stakeholders, oversee governance, and help build organisational capabilities as the agency transitions into operation.
The chairman will be supported by 11 board members drawn from government, business, labour unions and industry. MOM said the diverse composition of the board is designed to ensure that SWDA remains responsive to the changing needs of workers and employers while advancing workforce transformation initiatives.
The inaugural board members include Bikramjit Singh Bhangu, Operating Partner at Temasek International and council member of the Singapore National Employers Federation; Cham Hui Fong, Deputy Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress; and Chong Yiun Lin, Deputy Secretary (Higher Education and Skills) at Singapore’s Ministry of Education.
Other members include Dilys Boey, incoming Chief Executive of SWDA; Eleanor Seet, President and Head of Asia ex-Japan at Amova Asset Management; and Kenny Tan, Deputy Secretary (Workforce) at MOM.
The board also includes Low Soon Teck, Managing Director and CEO of Kuok Maritime Group; Rachel Lim, co-founder of Love Bonito; Shariq Barmaky, Country Managing Partner of Deloitte Singapore; Wong Wai Meng, CEO of Data Centres within Keppel; and Zhang Weijie, Senior Director of the Digital Economy Office and Director of Industry for the National AI Group at Singapore’s Ministry of Digital Development and Information.
The Ministry also expressed appreciation to outgoing board leadership, including Chew Hock Yong, Chairman of Workforce Singapore, and Tan Kai Hoe, Chairman of SkillsFuture Singapore, as well as the board members of both agencies for their contributions in guiding the organisations through their respective terms.