Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) announced that Mr Ravinder Singh has been appointed the new Chairman of NYP Board of Governors with effect from 01 Apr 2025. Mr Singh succeeds Mr Tan Tong Hai, who has served as Chairman since 2013. 

• A recipient of the Public Service Star, Mr Tan’s term as Chairman was defined by his unwavering drive for innovation and sustainability, alongside his passion for education and enhancing our students’ learning experience through real-world practices. Under Mr Tan’s leadership, NYP had achieved many firsts. These include: 
  Appointment as Singapore’s first National Centre of Excellence for Workplace Learning; 
• Rollout of Singapore’s first competency-based teaching model at the polytechnic level – the Professional Competency Model; 
• Appointment as the Jobs-Skills Integrator (JSIT) for the Precision Engineering sector, to develop skilled talent for the sector; 
• Launch of the Alliance for Sustainability Innovation, to empower forward-thinking enterprises on their sustainability journey; and 
• Opening of Singapore’s first virtual production studio – the BeyondReality Studio – the only studio in Singapore that features motion capture, green screen and LED volume virtual production, all under one roof. 

Minister for Education, Mr Chan Chun Sing, expressed his appreciation for Mr Tan Tong Hai’s many years of contributions: “I thank Tong Hai for his service as Chairman of the NYP Board over the last 12 years and his strong support for the higher education sector. Under his guidance, NYP has championed lifelong learning and sustainability, and strengthened ties with industry. His leadership and passion for education have been instrumental in guiding these initiatives. I also warmly welcome Ravinder as the new NYP Board Chairman. I look forward to working with him to further NYP’s growth.”

Mr Russell Chan, Principal & Chief Executive Officer of NYP, said: “We extend our sincere gratitude to Mr Tan Tong Hai for his outstanding stewardship of Nanyang Polytechnic during his tenure as Board Chairman. Under his guidance, NYP thrived, with a strong focus on the wellbeing of student and staff, while expanding into new areas of growth and excellence. Mr Tan championed innovation and sustainability within the NYP family, while ensuring that students benefit from the access to a wide range of learning opportunities within and beyond the campus. We warmly welcome Mr Ravinder Singh to the board and look forward to the wealth of expertise and fresh perspective he brings.” 

Mr Singh has more than 40 years of experience in both the public and private sector, including service as the Chief of Singapore Army and Deputy Secretary of Technology, MINDEF. Mr Singh is Group Chief Operating Officer (Technology & Innovation) and President of Defence & Public Security, ST Engineering. He was previously President of ST Kinetics and President of ST Electronics. He is also a Member of Executive Committee & Board of the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), Board member of DSO National Laboratories, the Independent Review Panel of Ministry of Home Affairs and the Data Protection Appeal Panel for Ministry of Digital Development and Information Singapore. He is Chairman of Experia, the organiser of the Singapore Airshow. Mr Singh holds a Master of Arts in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford and a Master of Science in Management from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He also attended the Advanced Management programme in Wharton Business School.

“Since inception in 1992, Nanyang Polytechnic has played a pivotal role in equipping learners with the most in-demand skills and knowledge for their continued success in their tertiary education and the workforce. I would like to thank Mr Tan Tong Hai and the NYP team for their leadership and contributions that brought NYP to greater heights over the last decade. I look forward to engaging the senior management team to chart NYP’s strategic direction for the next bound ahead,” said Mr Singh.