New Chief Executive Officer for the National Parks Board
The leadership transition signals continuity in Singapore’s City in Nature and urban-innovation agenda, which may support sustained integration of greenery into future developments.
Dr Tan Puay Yok will become NParks CEO on 1 June 2026, succeeding Ms Hwang Yu-Ning, who will join MND as Chief (Urban Innovation & Excellence).
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The Ministry of National Development (MND) and National Parks Board (NParks) announced today the following senior appointment changes at MND and NParks:
• Ms Hwang Yu-Ning (黄攸寜), 57, will relinquish her current appointment as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NParks on 1 Jun 2026, and be appointed as Chief (Urban Innovation & Excellence) at MND; and
• Dr Tan Puay Yok (陈培育), 56, currently Executive Director of the National Parks & Gardens Cluster of NParks, Group Director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens and Chief Science and Technology Officer of NParks, will be appointed CEO of NParks (Designate) from 1 May 2026 before assuming the position on 1 Jun 2026.
Ms Hwang has built a distinguished career in the Singapore Civil Service, marked by strong leadership and a breadth of experience across policy and operational roles. Over the course of her service, she has held a series of senior appointments in ministries and statutory boards, from her role as Deputy CEO and Chief Planner at the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA), to her current posting as CEO of NParks.
As CEO of NParks, Ms Hwang integrated urban planning with the expertise of her team and drove partnerships with various stakeholders. She engaged people from all walks of life, and fostered greater collaboration with NParks’ diverse stakeholder groups. Under her leadership, NParks forged ahead with adoption of science, research and technology throughout the organisation to support the City in Nature vision.
Dr Tan brings over three decades of leadership across public service and academia, underpinned by deep institutional knowledge of NParks and expertise in urban greening and ecology. As the Executive Director of the National Parks & Gardens Cluster and Group Director of the Singapore Botanic Gardens, he enhanced the Gardens’ international standing as a leading centre for tropical botany and conservation, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a cultural institution, and a beloved National Garden.
Concurrently, as Chief Science and Technology Officer, Dr Tan provides strategic leadership over NParks’ Science and Technology agenda, supporting Singapore’s Research, Innovation and Enterprise priorities and strengthening translational research. An internationally recognised scholar practitioner in urban ecology, Dr Tan is on secondment from the National University of Singapore where he is a Professor at the Department of Architecture.
Detailed write-ups of Ms Hwang and Dr Tan are in the Annex.