The CAG Board has appointed Yam Kum Weng to become CEO of CAG. Yam will also be appointed a director of the CAG Board and as chairman of the CAI Board, with effect from July 1, 2024. Yam is currently CAG’s executive vice president of airport development, leading the Changi East project including Terminal 5 (T5).
Lee Seow Hiang steps down
Weng succeeds Lee Seow Hiang, who served the airport company for 15 years. Lee was appointed the founding CEO of CAG when Changi Airport was corporatized on July 1, 2009. In the 15 years that followed, CAG became “the most internationally connected in Southeast Asia”, the airport says, with links to more than 150 destinations worldwide. During this time, CAG also marked major milestones such as the launch of Terminal 4, the upgrading and expansion of Terminals 1 and 2 and the development of the entertainment and retail complex Jewel Changi Airport, which opened its doors in 2019. These infrastructure projects increased Changi Airport’s handling capacity by 23% to 90 million passenger movements per annum.
The many enhancements at Changi Airport also contributed to the winning of numerous global awards for airports since July 2009. Over the last 10 years, Lee also laid the foundations of the future Changi East development including T5. Following a two-year pandemic-related pause, work on the development has resumed and is making progress with groundbreaking to take place in 2025.
Lee received the Bintang Bakti Masyarakat (The Public Service Star Medal) in 2022 for his leadership in the airport-wide efforts during Covid-19. He was accorded the Medal of Commendation (Gold) in the 2023 May Day Awards for his contributions to promoting and supporting labor movement initiatives. In 2018, Lee was named Outstanding Chief Executive of the Year in the Singapore Business Awards for leading the continued development of Changi Airport.
Paying tribute to Lee’s many years of dedicated service, Tan Gee Paw, chairman of CAG, said, “The board directors and I thank Seow Hiang for his immense contributions to CAG and Changi Airport. In the last decade and a half, Seow Hiang’s vision transformed Changi into the airport it is today – a strong air hub with an extensive network of city links, providing an extraordinary experience and supporting Singapore’s economy.
“As CEO, Seow Hiang kept CAG financially strong and stable during the pandemic years. We are especially appreciative of his management during the Covid-19 period which saw travel demand plummet and CAG’s business fundamentals severely impacted. Despite the many challenges, Seow Hiang, with the support of his colleagues and airport partners, steered the company through the crisis and we have emerged in better shape. It is to the credit of CAG’s management team led by Seow Hiang that Changi Airport’s passenger traffic has already surpassed 2019’s pre-pandemic levels in February and March 2024.”
Lee said, “It has been a gift of grace and a privilege of a lifetime to be a member of this special Changi community for these incredible years. The last 15 years have been an exhilarating journey of building the best air hub for Singapore. We worked hard to double the size and vibrancy of our air hub to almost 70 million passengers a year but lost it all during the Covid years. Yet, we kept our fundamentals strong and today, we are emerging stronger on our full recovery.
“Through it all, we endeavored to build CAG as a company that grows all the people who walk through her corridors, putting fun into our hub fundamentals, and bringing joy, wonder and delight to all whom we serve. We have given every ounce of energy to this task and the journey continues. This is a journey to be built, not just traveled, and I am leaving with the deepest confidence that, under Kum Weng’s leadership, the best days for the Changi air hub are yet to be. And as they say: sometimes reality exceeds even our biggest dreams.”
Weng’s CAG board appointment
Tan added, “In considering a replacement for Seow Hiang, the board carefully reviewed its options, recognizing that Changi Airport is a critical infrastructure, and leadership continuity is vital to take forward CAG’s plans. A key undertaking for CAG is the mega-development of Changi East and T5 which is entering a critical phase in the coming years. At the same time, CAG faces the challenge of ensuring smooth airport operations as passenger traffic at Changi Airport continues to recover post-Covid.
“The board is confident that Kum Weng, as a senior executive with many years of experience leading Singapore’s air hub development and airport management in both the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and CAG, is best suited to anchor the twin challenges of running an operationally intensive airport while ensuring the success of the Changi East/ T5 program. He has a deep appreciation of the interests of the Singapore air hub and Changi Airport’s strategic role, and strong operational experience to ensure Changi Airport continues to run smoothly. With his strong ties with aviation partners, Kum Weng is well-placed to work synergistically with them to grow Changi Airport as a key air hub and a leading international airport.”
In related news, Changi Airports International (CAI) recently signed a contract with Cam Ranh International Joint Stock Company (CRTC) for the management of the airport’s non-aeronautical businesses and to support the growth of its international route development. Click here to read the full story.