Singapore appointed Tan Kiat How as the new head of the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) starting from 1 January 2017.

Tan, currently deputy secretary of cyber and technology at the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI), succeeds Gabriel Lim who will continue to serve as second permanent secretary of communications and information at the MCI.

Prior to this appointment, Tan worked at the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA), the Ministry of Finance and the Pioneer Generation Office. At the IDA, the mandate of which was expanded into the renamed IMDA, Tan helped develop the Intelligent Nation 2015 plan and implement the Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network.

IMDA’s outgoing CEO, Lim, was named co-managing director of the IDA in May, in preparation for the formation of IMDA on 1 October 2016.

He was appointed to lead the former Media Development Authority of Singapore (MDA) in December 2014. MCI said in a statement he was instrumental in strengthening Singapore’s position as a media hub through three successful editions of the Singapore Media Festival since 2014.