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https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/prive-group-ceo-pleads-guilty-punching-13-year-old-boy-and-asking-him-obscene-questions Prive Group CEO pleads guilty to punching 13-year-old boy and asking him obscene questions about his genitals The chief executive officer of hospitality and food and beverage firm, The Prive Group, admitted on Thursday (Oct 21) to asking a 13-year-old boy obscene questions about his private parts before punching the teenager on the head while they were inside a lift at a shopping centre. Vu Han Jean-Luc Kha, a 44-year-old French national, pleaded guilty in a district court to a charge each of voluntarily causing hurt and intentionally causing alarm to the boy. The court heard that the incident happened on Nov 22, 2019 at around 8.15pm at the Parklane Shopping Mall along Selegie Road. Deputy Public Prosecutor (DPP) Goh Yong Ngee said Vu Han was intoxicated when he entered the mall’s lift together with another man, Mr Lai Wing Chiew, 41. Both the victim and his 12-year-old brother were in the lift when the two men entered. Neither of the boys can be named as a gag order has been imposed by the courts to protect their identities. The court heard that Vu Han asked the victim whether he had hair on his private parts. When the victim replied “no”, Vu Han asked the boy if he wanted to see his private parts. When the boy again said “no”, Vu Han responded by saying he could arrange for a sexual act to be performed on the boy. DPP Goh said the victim was “alarmed by the insults” and said no to Vu Han yet again, which prompted the man to punch the boy on the head. The impact from the blow caused the boy to fall backwards and hit his arm against a handrail in the lift. Vu Han then proceeded to hurl a string of vulgarities at the boy. “Fearing for his safety, the victim grabbed the accused’s hands to prevent him from hitting him again,” said DPP Goh. “The accused then said, ‘You want to challenge me? You have no hair on your (private parts) why do you want to challenge me?’” Mr Lai tried to hold Vu Han back and pushed him out of the lift when it reached the ground floor. The court heard that Vu Han refused to leave and used his foot to stop the lift doors from closing so he could slap the 13-year-old’s face. A 36-year-old man, Mr Daryl Lai, witnessed the assault while he was sitting at a cafe nearby and went forward to find out what was happening before he detained Vu Han and called the police. While the attack had only left bruises on the boy’s temple and arm, DPP Goh noted that it had caused significant psychological harm, so much so that the boy still fears being in a lift. Vu Han’s defence lawyer, Ms Ee-von Teh of Infinitus Law Corporation, said her client had been “facing a series of unique circumstances in his personal and professional life”. Aside from having separated from his common-law wife, Ms Teh said he also had to cope with the pressure of his business and being a single parent. Ms Teh said Vu Han was also experiencing “uncharacteristic changes in the way his body functions”. While she did not elaborate further on this point, she said he had also been worried and irritable on the day of the incident. She added that the attack on the boy was prompted by something “irksome” the teenager had said, though Vu Han could not recall what it was. Ms Teh said Vu Han had been talking to Mr Lai about vice-related activities at the mall at the time. In response, DPP Goh clarified the attack was unprovoked and the boy had not said anything to Vu Han. Ms Teh reiterated her client’s position that he heard the victim say something. In any case, Ms Teh said the incident had “precipitated reflection” on the part of her client. She added that the accused had subsequently sought psychiatric help and was initially diagnosed with adjustment disorder. He later sought treatment at the Institute of Mental Health where he was found to be suffering from bipolar disorder. Ms Teh said her client was likely experiencing a manic episode at the time of the offences. DPP Goh later said that the medical report that Ms Teh was relying on did not show how Vu Han’s mental condition had contributed to the offence. In response to TODAY’s queries, The Prive Group said Vu Han remains its CEO, and is currently actively taking care of the group and helping it stay afloat amidst the ongoing Covid-19 restrictions. “Mr Vu Han Jean-Luc Kha remains a valuable member of our management team and has our full and unwavering support. The case is still ongoing and we have been advised not to comment on the case,” it said. Vu Han will return to court for mitigation and sentencing in December. Anyone found guilty of causing alarm under the Protection from Harassment Act is liable to be punished with a fine of up to S$5,000 or jailed up to six months, or both. The punishment for voluntarily causing hurt is jail term of up to two years, or a fine of up to S$5,000 or both.

DK stepping down. SMRT's Desmond Kuek stepping down, expected to be replaced by former chief of defence force Neo Kian Hong SINGAPORE - SMRT chief executive Desmond Kuek is stepping down after 5½ years at the helm, and his successor is expected to be former chief of defence force Neo Kian Hong, according to reliable sources. Mr Neo, 54, is currently permanent secretary for defence development. He had succeeded Mr Kuek, 55, as Chief of Defence Force in 2010.

Lazada appoints its 3rd CEO in 3 years source: https://www.asiaone.com/digital/lazada-appoints-its-3rd-ceo-3-years SINGAPORE - Southeast Asian e-commerce firm Lazada, a unit of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, on Friday named its third chief executive in three years - a move that comes after it lost ground last year to rival Shopee. Chun Li, Lazada co-president and head of its Indonesia operations, will take the helm from July, replacing co-founder Pierre Poignant. The change was made after a middling performance from the e-commerce firm, two sources with knowledge of the matter told Reuters, declining to be identified as they were not authorised to speak to media. A Lazada spokesman said there was "no truth to this statement" and the company rejected what it called an unsubstantiated assessment of its performance. Singapore-based Shopee, which is backed by Tencent Holdings, was the most downloaded e-commerce app and the most used in Southeast Asia as of end-2019, knocking Lazada to second place, according to research firm iPrice. Shopee's website also attracts more visitors than Lazada's, iPrice said. Lazada has disputed those findings without providing details. Li will work to improve Lazada's performance through data technology application and business localisation, the company said. "We introduce change to strengthen our leadership in support of our business strategy", the spokesman said. Alibaba has had struggles in managing Lazada and sources have highlighted a long-running culture clash with management from China and heavy executive turnover in recent years. Poignant himself replaced Lucy Peng who stepped down as CEO after nine months in 2018 although she remains executive chairwoman. Lazada said Poignant will now become special assistant to Alibaba Group CEO Daniel Zhang. Three sources also told Reuters Lazada is examining whether to rebrand or shut down LazMall, its take on Alibaba's Tmall marketplace where companies set up virtual shops. The Lazada spokesman said this was incorrect and LazMall was an important business for the company. E-commerce in Southeast Asia was worth $38 billion last year and is expected to grow rapidly, according to a study by Google, Temasek and Bain & Company.

https://www.motor1.com/news/427097/oliver-blume-volkswagen-boss-rumor/ Skoda's boss could replace Oliver Blume at the helm of Porsche. The Volkswagen core brand is facing some major problems with two key products – the ID.3 and the Golf 8. Software issues are the culprit in both cases, and while deliveries of the electric hatchback haven’t technically been delayed (yet), the already built cars are in need of a software update before being shipped to customers this summer. As for the Golf, the situation is worse as customer deliveries have actually been halted, with Skoda doing the same with its mechanically related Octavia. In this context, Auto Motor und Sport is reporting some major personnel changes are set to take place at the top of the VW hierarchy. It appears Porsche's CEO Oliver Blume will move to lead VW and help the brand deal with the issues that have plagued the ID.3 and Golf 8. If the rumor is accurate, it means Herbert Diess will step down from his current role as head of VW, but will remain chairman of the VW Group. Oliver Blume’s role at the helm of the Stuttgart brand will allegedly be taken by Bernhard Maier, currently the man in charge at Skoda. It wouldn’t be his first job at Porsche as he joined the sports car marque in June 2001 to manage the sales division in Germany before being appointed in April 2010 as the boss of sales and marketing. In November 2015, Bernhard Maier was appointed as Skoda’s CEO. This management reshuffle within the Group could also impact Jochen Sengpiehl, Chief Marketing Officer of the VW brand. AMS reports he could lose his job in the wake of a racist ad for the Golf 8 published on social media. VW took down the controversial video and apologized for the unfortunate ad, vowing to investigate what went wrong. Reuters got in touch with VW to confirm or deny the report published by AMS, but the company refused to comment.

Renault to name VW manager Luca De Meo as CEO Former Seat boss will be tapped to lead French automaker PARIS — Renault's board is set to meet later on Tuesday to approve the nomination of Luca de Meo, the former head of Volkswagen's Seat brand, as its next chief executive, two sources familiar with the matter said. The Italian-born executive, who stepped down from Seat earlier this month, is not due to take up his post at the French carmaker until towards July, due to negotiations around his contract, according to one of the sources. Renault declined to comment. De Meo is not expected to face any last minute hurdles in his nomination, and has already won tacit backing from parties including the French government, a Renault shareholder. His appointment fills one of the major gaps left at the firm as it tries to move past a year of turmoil following the 2018 arrest in Tokyo of former boss-turned-fugitive Carlos Ghosn, and reset its strained alliance with Japan's Nissan. Ghosn, who forged and oversaw the Renault-Nissan partnership for almost two decades, has since fled Japan and resettled in Lebanon, from where he has contested the financial misconduct charges against him and said the alliance was at risk of collapse. De Meo, along with Renault Chairman Jean-Dominique Senard, brought in last January from tire maker Michelin, will have his work cut out to turn around the firm. Like rivals, Renault is grappling with a downturn in demand, and has said it expects a slight decline in the car market in Europe, Russia and China this year. The firm has also presented 2020 as a make-or-break year for the alliance with Nissan and is under pressure to deliver on cost savings and joint projects. Automakers face pressure to meet stringent new emissions targets with less polluting models, and are also competing to produce innovations such as self-driving cars, which require large investments. De Meo, who speaks French, will be one of a growing handful of outsiders in senior company jobs in France. The 52-year-old started his career at Renault and has worked at Fiat and Audi among other brands. He is credited with revitalizing sales at Barcelona-based Seat, imbuing it with a more sporty image, though his portfolio will be markedly larger at Renault, whose brands include Dacia and Lada. Renault's finance chief Clotilde Delbos has been CEO on an interim basis since last October, when Thierry Bollore, a former Ghosn ally, was ousted by the board.

Born with 'gasoline in his blood,' GM's Reuss adds president to long list of duties https://www.cnbc.com/2019/01/03/gms-reuss-adds-president-keeps-other-assignments.html General Motors named company insider Mark Reuss as president Thursday. The 55-year-old's father also served as GM president nearly three decades ago. Reuss was once seen as a contender for CEO before Mary Barra got the job. Mark Reuss, the global head of General Motors' product development operations, will add "president" to his already expansive list of duties — the latest in a series of management tweaks under CEO Mary Barra. The 55-year-old Reuss – whose father also served as GM president nearly three decades ago – replaces Dan Ammann. Ammann moved over to the company's autonomous vehicle subsidiary, Cruise Automation, last November. But Reuss will assume only some of Ammann's former duties in a paired down role as president, allowing him to retain his current focus on product. Saying that Reuss has played a "critical role" at GM in his current assignment, GM Chairman and CEO Barra added, "Mark's global operational experience, deep product knowledge and strong leadership will serve us well as we continue to strengthen our current business, take advantage of growth opportunities and further define the future of personal mobility." Gasoline in his veins Reuss is wont to say he has "gasoline in his blood." Having trained as an engineer, his duties as product development chief have been as much passion as avocation. It is a job that frequently lets him shed his suit and tie for a helmet and fireproof racing suit while testing new products at the General Motors Proving Grounds in Milford, Michigan, an hour northwest of its corporate headquarters along the Detroit riverfront. He joined the automaker in 1983 as a student intern. It was a period of massive change under then-Chairman and CEO Jack Smith. In 1990, as the controversial chairman retired, Mark Reuss's father Lloyd was named GM president, but he held that post only two years before being ousted in the first in a series of activist investor-led revolts. The younger Reuss remained with GM and, over the next two decades served in a broad mix of posts testing his business acumen as well as his engineering skills. That included a run as head of the automaker's long-struggling Australian subsidiary, Holden, which recently shuttered its manufacturing operations. Big break Reuss got his big break in 2001 when he was tasked with creating a new performance division where he got the chance to oversee development of a variety of vehicles, including the Chevrolet Corvette, as well as the reborn Chevy Camaro. While never generating significant volume, those products helped shine GM's star, tarnished by some of the poorly reviewed products it had produced during the 1980s and 1990s, an era when it was sometimes dismissed as "Malaise Motors." But things continued to go from bad to worse for the company saddled with debt and facing ever tougher competition from European and Asian imports. By 2010, GM was forced to enter a carefully managed bankruptcy, surviving only with the help of a massive federal bailout. Most of its top management team, starting with then-Chairman and CEO Rick Wagoner, were unceremoniously booted, much as Lloyd Reuss had been nearly two decades earlier. Son Mark was, however, one of the survivors. Plum assignment And he landed a plum assignment that would test both the business and product side of his skills as the new head of North American Operations. By mid-decade, Reuss was seen as a potential contender for CEO. But as Dan Akerson, an industry outsider who joined GM post-bankruptcy, announced his retirement, the job instead went to another top lieutenant. Like Reuss, Mary Barra had also started at GM as a college co-op student and also came from a GM family – though her father was a factory "shop rat." For his part, Reuss got a major consolation prize, heading global product development – a job that frequently leds him shed his suit and tie for a helmet and fireproof racing suit. Last June, he was also named head of Cadillac and has been heavily involved in the development of a stream of new vehicles expected to roll out of the luxury brand every six months through 2021. Too many hats Under his new assignment as president, Reuss will retain those roles, a decision that analyst Joe Phillippi, head of AutoTrends Consulting, questions. Though Reuss is "very talented," Phillippi said, "he had too many hats to start with. There should be someone running product development and that's all they do all day." Whether Reuss might eventually shed some of his duties remains to be seen, but observers say that GM's upper management ranks appear to be in a bit of a flux. If anything, the company had indicated it wasn't going to name a new president when Ammann moved over to Cruise Automation as CEO of the San Francisco-based autonomous vehicle development company last November. For those worried that Reuss may find his time spread thin, a GM spokesman told CNBC that the company's new president won't take over all of the duties that had been on Ammann's plate. Full speed When the former president was reassigned, CEO Barra took over responsibility for managing both the automaker's global regions, as well as its "captive" finance subsidiary, GM Financial. Chief Financial Officer Dhivya Suryadevara, meanwhile, assumed control over GM's corporate development operations. Reuss will take on one new role, overseeing GM's quality control operations which, the automaker noted, dovetails well with his product development duties. Long faulted for reliability issues, GM has, in recent years, made rapid gains, particularly with its Buick and Chevrolet brands, according to studies by outside arbiters such as J.D. Power and Associates. "I am very proud to have spent my entire career at General Motors, and to now take on this new role is truly a great honor," Reuss said in a statement Thursday. "With our current lineup of outstanding cars, trucks and crossovers around the world, I'm looking forward to keeping our momentum going at full speed."

what a way to go ... and as usual, the question on everyone's mind is : what phone ? Mobile phone explosion kills Malaysian venture capital firm's CEO KUALA LUMPUR: A mobile phone explosion led to the death of 45-year-old Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd CEO Nazrin Hassan, according to a statement released by the company on Friday (Jun 15). The company confirmed that the post-mortem report concluded the cause of death on Thursday as complications from blast injuries attributable to an exploding handphone that was being charged next to him. A message from the family that has been circulating on social media quoted Nazrin’s brother-in-law as claiming that at some point the phone had overheated and exploded, causing a blunt trauma at the back of Nazrin’s head and caused his death. The mattress too had caught fire but Nazrin was already lifeless by then, said the brother-in-law whose name was not mentioned in the message. Police had earlier said Nazrin was trapped in a bedroom fire at his double-storey terrace house in Mutiara Damansara yesterday and probably died of smoke inhalation. He had also suffered burns on his body. Nazrin leaves behind his wife and four children, according to the Star.

RIP https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-07-25/sergio-marchionne-ceo-who-steered-fiat-chrysler-dead-at-66 Sergio Marchionne, the former chief executive officer of Fiat Chrysler and architect of the automaker’s dramatic turnaround, has died. He was 66. His death was confirmed Wednesday by Exor NV, the holding company of Fiat’s founding Agnelli family, just days after Marchionne was replaced as CEO. His health had declined suddenly following complications from a shoulder operation at a Zurich hospital, according to people familiar with the situation. The company wasn’t specific about the cause of his death. "Sergio Marchionne, man and friend, is gone,” Fiat Chairman John Elkann said in a statement. "My family and I will be forever grateful for what he has done,” said Elkann, who also is chairman and CEO of Exor. Selected as CEO of Fiat SpA in June 2004, Marchionne took the Italian manufacturer from the brink of bankruptcy to the New York Stock Exchange, where he rang the bell on Oct. 13, 2014, to mark the debut of Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV, the London company created when Fiat bought the Detroit carmaker. Marchionne, who described himself as a corporate fixer, was Fiat’s fifth CEO in less than two years when he took over. He replaced Giuseppe Morchio, who quit after the billionaire Agnelli family refused to give him the joint title of chairman and CEO when then-Chairman Umberto Agnellidied of cancer. Fiat Rebounds Marchionne was handed an automaker that lost more than 6 billion euros ($7 billion) in 2003. By 2005, he had returned the company to a profit by wringing some $2 billion from an alliance with General Motors Co., laying off thousands of workers, introducing new models, and slashing the time it took to get a new car to market to just 18 months, from four years.In 2009, U.S. President Barack Obama’s administration announced that Fiat would take control of Chrysler LLC, rescuing the American company from bankruptcy. “I don’t care what a tough guy he was to work for, he saved our company,” said Cass Burch, a Chrysler and Jeep dealer in Georgia. “He deserves a bronze statue.” The deal gave Marchionne “a huge sense of responsibility,” he said in a 2011 interview. His office on the fourth floor of Fiat’s Turin headquarters was adorned with a black-and-white poster of the word “competition” and a Picasso print bearing the motto, “Every act of creation is first of all an act of destruction.” During his tenure at Fiat, Marchionne boosted the company’s value more than 10-fold by restructuring the auto business and separating assets. Among the biggest spinoffs was the 2015 listing of supercar-maker Ferrari NV, where Marchionne also served as CEO and chairman. Thrill Ride Marchionne’s direct manner and frumpy demeanor -- he was rarely seen wearing anything but jeans and a black pullover sweater -- made him stand out in buttoned-down Italy. He knew how to move fast and enjoyed driving his half-dozen Ferraris. “When you’re pissed off, there’s nothing better than this,” he said, stomping on the accelerator of his black Enzo at the company’s test track in 2014 and pushing the car from a comfortable 120 miles per hour to something over 200. Fueled by a dozen espressos a day and packs of Muratti cigarettes, he stormed into Fiat and fired most of the top management, then did the same at Chrysler in 2009, installing a dozen newcomers on his second day. He also knew speed can be dangerous. In 2007, he wrecked a $350,000 Ferrari on a highway in Switzerland. “In the car business, sometimes you crash,” he said. Yet even as he garnered criticism from politicians and unions for slashing jobs and cutting costs, Marchionne argued that moving slowly could be even more risky. When he took over both Fiat and Chrysler, he always maintained, the companies needed radical change in order to survive. Consolidation PushThe Chrysler deal was part of a long-standing campaign Marchionne had waged to spur consolidation in the auto industry, which he claimed had far too much capacity for all players to survive. To that end, he publicly campaigned for a merger with General Motors Co. in 2015 but was rebuffed by the U.S. carmaker. “Sergio created a remarkable legacy in the automotive industry,” Mary Barra, chairman and CEO of General Motors said in a statement. “We at General Motors offer our condolences to Sergio Marchionne’s family and friends.” Ford Motor Co. Chairman Bill Ford also praised Marchionne “as one of the most respected leaders in the industry whose creativity and bold determination helped to restore Chrysler to financial health and grow Fiat Chrysler into a profitable global automaker.” Marchionne had planned to leave Fiat in 2019, but with his health deteriorating, on July 21 he was replaced as CEO of Fiat Chrysler by Mike Manley, head of the Jeep and Ram brands. Louis C. Camilleri took over at Ferrari, and Suzanne Heywood succeeded Marchionne as chairman of truck and farm-equipment maker CNH Industrial NV. Some Italian media reports said Marchionne had cancer. People close to Marchionne told Bloomberg News that he died of cardiac arrest and didn’t have cancer. Marchionne was born on June 17, 1952, in Chieti, a hilltop town near the Adriatic sea in central Italy. His father was a local policeman, and when Marchionne was 14 the family moved to Toronto. A chartered accountant and attorney with dual Canadian and Italian citizenship, Marchionne began his career in Canada at Deloitte & Touche, then moved on to packaging producer Lawson Group. In 1994, Marchionne joined Alusuisse Lonza Group Ltd. after the Swiss chemical and pharmaceutical company acquired Lawson. Three years later, as Alusuisse CEO, he spun off the drug business to createLonza Group AG, where he tripled profit in three years. He later consolidated his reputation as a turnaround specialist at SGS SA, a Geneva-based product-testing company at the time controlled by the Agnelli family. Marchionne and his estranged wife, Orlandina, had two children, Alessio and Tyler. His partner, Manuela Battezzato, works in Fiat Chrysler’s press office.

Wah, this emissions test cheating scandal is more power than I thought. Even during the sibei jialat financial crisis there was never this level of arrest made at any of the banks that screwed the economy over. Also quite suay, I am sure there are others cheating, but only they kena jialat jialat. Scapegoat for the industry. https://www.straitstimes.com/world/europe/audi-ceo-arrested

Agree or disagree? In January 2000, after running Microsoft for 25 years, Bill Gates handed the reins of CEO to Steve Ballmer. Ballmer went on to run Microsoft for the next 14 years. If you think the job of a CEO is to increase sales, then Ballmer did a spectacular job; he tripled Microsoft’s sales to $78 billion and doubled profits from $9 billion to $22 billion. The launch of the Xbox and Kinect, and the acquisitions of Skype and Yammer happened on his shift. If the Microsoft board was eager only for quarter-to-quarter revenue growth, Ballmer was as good as it gets as a CEO. But if the purpose of a CEO is long-term company survival, then one could make a much better argument that Ballmer was a failure as a CEO the moment he optimized short-term gains by squandering long-term opportunities. Read more... https://qz.com/819739/why-tim-cook-is-steve-ballmer-and-why-he-still-has-his-job-at-apple/

SPH??? "Mr Alan Chan Heng Loon, Chief Executive Officer of Singapore Press Holdings (SPH), will be appointed as the Chairman of the Land Transport Authority of Singapore (LTA) with effect from 1 April 2016. Mr Chan succeeds Mr Michael Lim Choo San, who steps down as Chairman of LTA after 14 years, on 31 March 2016. Under the guidance and support of Mr Lim, LTA has implemented several key rail and bus projects such as the Circle Line (CCL), Jurong East Modification Programme (JEMP), North-South Line Extension (NSLe) and Downtown Line (DTL), and the Bus Service Enhancement Programme (BSEP). These have significantly increased our rail network as well as bus capacity and service levels. The Land Transport Authority would like to extend our appreciation to Mr Lim for his many years of dedicated and distinguished service to the LTA"

FROM JAN 2015 Commissioner of Police Ng Joo Hee has been appointed as PUB's new Chief Executive. Mr Hoong Wee Teck, who is the Depity Commissioner (Investigations and Intelligence) will take over from Mr Ng. http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/singapore/new-commissioner-of/1416414.html SINGAPORE: After nearly three decades serving in the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Police Commissioner Ng Joo Hee is making a move to head National Water Agency PUB as Chief Executive with effect from Jan 6, 2015. The Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (MEWR) announced this in a media release on Wednesday (Oct 15). His predecessor, Mr Chew Men Leong took over as Chief Executive of the Land Transport Authority earlier this month. The 48-year-old Mr Ng will hold the concurrent appointment of Deputy Secretary (Special Duties) in the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources, the release said. He was appointed the Commissioner of Police in 2010 and was Director of the Singapore Prisons Service from 2007 to 2009. MHA said during Mr Ng's term as police chief, the crime rate in Singapore reached a 30-year low in 2013. In a statement, Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean who is also Coordinating Minister for National Security and Minister for Home Affairs also praised Mr Ng for his "dedication and commitment to keeping Singapore safe and secure in his 29 years with the Singapore Police Force". "During his tour of duty as Commissioner of Police, he has made significant improvements to reduce crime and bring unlicensed money lending under control. He has also introduced various initiatives to increase the effectiveness of the force and to provide our Officers with more capabilities to carry out their duties, such as in Community Policing and the deployment of police cameras in our HDB estates to fight crime," he said. "Joo Hee has also played an active role to further strengthen the Singapore Police Force's partnership and collaboration with regional and international law enforcement agencies through joint operations and sharing of information to combat transnational crime," DPM Teo added. NEW COMMISSIONER OF POLICE APPOINTED Mr Hoong Wee Teck will succeed Mr Ng on Jan 6, 2015. He is currently the Deputy Commissioner (Investigations and Intelligence) and Director of the Criminal Investigation Department.The 51-year-old Mr Hoong has served 27 years in the police force holding various key appointments, including Commander of Bedok Police Division and Director of Police Intelligence. MEN AND WOMEN IN BLUE 'A REAL TREASURE': COMMISSIONER NG Mr Ng released a statement taking stock of his time in the force so far. He also revealed that when he became a police officer 29 years ago, it was simply to get a scholarship to attend Oxford University. "It was never my youthful ambition to become a cop. But I turned out to be a fairly decent policeman and am tremendously privileged and honoured to have been the police commissioner these past five years," he said. "My only motivation for coming to work every morning is the grave responsibility that I have for the 12,000 or so hardworking policemen and women in the SPF, and our collective mission for safeguarding public safety in Singapore. Our men and women in blue are a real treasure. Their daily toil often goes unappreciated, but is the stuff that produces the almost miraculous safety-from-crime that we enjoy every day. I only hope that my leadership has been worthy of their hard work and sacrifice."

Jacqueline Woo The Straits Times Wednesday, Oct 15, 2014 When Mr Jeff Cheong set foot into the working world as a junior investment broker in 2003, he found himself living on just a monthly salary of $1,000 and a daily diet of bread. A few years on, as an associate director in another banking firm, Mr Cheong stood out as one of the top-performing sales staff. But he was refused a promotion due to his tender age - he was 23 then. Still, Mr Cheong built on his early success to zoom up the corporate ladder, armed simply with a desire to "do well" in his career. Now 32, he holds the position of chief executive of Singapore-listed property and clean energy firm Sinjia Land, a company that logged an annual revenue of $17.3 million last year. His position propels him into the ranks of only a handful of CEOs of listed companies here - and around the world - who are under 35 years old. Other members of this exclusive club include 34-year-old Daniel Schwartz, who was recently named to head Burger King after its merger with Canadian food and beverage chain Tim Hortons. Among the companies in Standard & Poor's 500-stock index, the average age of an incoming chief executive last year was 53. In Singapore, the majority of chief executives - four in 10 - are between 40 and 60 years old. The eldest is 80 and the youngest is 31, according to data from the Centre for Governance, Institutions and Organisations under the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School. Only 7 per cent of local corporate chiefs are between the ages of 30 and 40. "These young chief executives are often the younger generation running family firms, where it is not uncommon for the elder generation to hold on to the position of chairman or places on the board," said Dr Marleen Dieleman, associate director at the NUS centre. On the whole, she noted that the leadership of Singapore-listed firms seems to be ageing. The average age of bosses last year was 54, up from 52 in 2010. For unlisted firms, however, it is "not surprising" to see younger chief executives who have founded their own companies and now run them, said Associate Professor Mak Yuen Teen. But he added that such situations can have some drawbacks. "There are some very young people who may be brilliant entrepreneurs but lack the broader leadership and management skills as well as the experience required of a chief executive," he added. Being one of the youngest bosses of a listed firm does come with a unique set of challenges, noted Mr Cheong, who was invited to join Sinjia Land's board in 2011. "At first, it wasn't easy to tell staff who were in senior positions what to do," he recalled. "And even when I did, it was hard to convince them that it was the right way to go." He added: "It's probably human nature for people to question your ability and whether your success is the result of a stroke of luck, but that's where I have to work hard to prove myself and earn their respect." Mr Adrian Lee, 34, who is managing director of Singapore-listed oil and gas company Loyz Energy, also noted that a young management team may be a roadblock to attracting industry veterans or potential business partners to the company. "But there are no short cuts to success. It's important to persevere and work hard, even though we may be rebuffed and snubbed," he said. Mr Lee was named Loyz's executive director in 2011. The firm, set up in 2010 via the reverse takeover of sanitary-ware maker Sim Siang Choon, made $8.6 million in revenue for the quarter ended June 30. All the same, being a young CEO has its merits as well, noted Ms Wong Su-Yen, a member of the governing council at Singapore Institute of Directors. "While it is difficult to generalise, younger CEOs are less likely to be saddled by history and more attuned to emerging technologies and innovations," she said. "They also tend to have contemporary perspectives on the workplace. Leveraging social media, for example, would typically be second nature, as would openness to flexible working arrangements." Corporate boards, for their part, should take responsibility in ensuring that the CEO is "suitably qualified for the role", regardless of age, added Ms Wong. This article was first published on Oct 13, 2014. Get a copy of The Straits Times or go to straitstimes.com for more stories http://business.asiaone.com/news/joining-the-exclusive-club-ceos-aged-under-35 i lagging behind, no wonder so many young richie .

Mr Edward Lee, CEO of Hyundai Motor Company Australia (HMCA), has been promoted to head of International Sales Division. He will resume the position back in South Korea. Mr Lee's promotion is well deserved. During his tenure in HMCA which began in May 2009, Hyundai's sales in Australia grew from 45,409 vehicles in 2008 to 91,536 vehicles in 2012, which is slightly more than doubled. In addition, dealerships in the country has increased from 142 to 155. "Working in Australia has been the most rewarding and enjoyable time of my professional career," said Mr Lee. "I would like to thank the fantastic team who have supported me, both our Hyundai staff around Australia and in our dealerships - we really do have world class people working for Hyundai and that is reflected in our results. I would also like to thank our associates across the country, everyone with whom I've worked in my capacity as CEO. I've made some lifelong friends here and it is very sad to be leaving this great country." For his effort in improving exports to Australia, Mr Lee has previously received a government award from the President of Korea.

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German automaker Volkswagen AG has extended CEO Martin Winterkorn's contract for another five years. Winterkorn's current contract is to be ended on December 31st, 2011 but it is now extended until the end of 2016. The fact that the announcement has been made so early signals a vote of confidence in Winterkorn's leadership of the VW Group. Winterkorn, 63, is tasked with executing Volkswagen's strategic plan to become the world's top automaker in volume sales by 2018, and knocking off Toyota from it