Neo Kian Hong is a Singaporean civil servant and former

lieutenant-general Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...

who served as Chief of Defence Force between 2010 and 2013. Neo served as the

chief executive officer A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

SMRT Corporation SMRT Corporation is a multi-modal public transport operator in Singapore operating bus and rail services. A subsidiary of the Government of Singapore's Temasek Holdings, it was established on 6 August 1987 and listed on the Singapore Exchange ...

between 2018 and 2022. Prior to that, he had served as Permanent Secretary (Defence Development) in the

Ministry of Defence A ministry of defence or defense (see American and British English spelling differences#-ce.2C -se, spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is the part of a government responsible for matters of defence and Mi ...

(MINDEF) and Permanent Secretary (Education Development) in the

Ministry of Education An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...

(MOE) after leaving the

Singapore Armed Forces The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) are the military of the Republic of Singapore, responsible for protecting and defending the security interests and the sovereignty of the country. A component of the Ministry of Defence (Singapore), Ministry of D ...

(SAF).

Education

Neo received his secondary education in

Victoria School Victoria School (VS) is a government autonomous boys' secondary school in Siglap, Singapore. The school has a hostel. Established in 1876, it is Singapore's second oldest state secondary school. It offers a six-year Integrated Programme. This a ...

, where he was also a National Cadet Corps cadet, After his pre-university education in

Nanyang Junior College Nanyang Junior College (NYJC) () is a junior college in Singapore next to Lorong Chuan MRT station, offering two-year pre-university courses leading up to the GCE Advanced Level examinations. Nanyang Junior College is known for its strong acad ...

, he was awarded the

Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship The SAF Scholarship, formerly known as the SAF Overseas Scholarship (SAFOS), is a scholarship conferred by the Public Service Commission (PSC). The scholarship is second in prestige to the President's Scholarship. Scholars are groomed for the h ...

in 1985 and graduated with a

Bachelor of Engineering A Bachelor of Engineering (BEng) or a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded to a college graduate majoring in an engineering discipline at a higher education institution. In the United Kingdom, a Ba ...

(Upper Second Class Honours) degree in electrical and electronic engineering from

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...

. He subsequently completed a

Master of Science A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...

degree in management of technology from the

MIT Sloan School of Management The MIT Sloan School of Management (branded as MIT Sloan) is the business school of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, a private university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT Sloan offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree progra ...

. He attended Advanced Management Program at

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate school, graduate business school of Harvard University, a Private university, private Ivy League research university. Located in Allston, Massachusetts, HBS owns Harvard Business Publishing, which p ...

in 2013.

Military career

Neo joined the

(SAF) in 1983. Throughout his 30-year service in the SAF, he held various appointments, including: Commanding Officer, 1st Battalion Singapore Guards; Commander, Army Training and Doctrine Command, Assistant Chief of the General Staff (Operations); Chief of Staff, Joint Staff; Chief of

Army An army, ground force or land force is an armed force that fights primarily on land. In the broadest sense, it is the land-based military branch, service branch or armed service of a nation or country. It may also include aviation assets by ...

(2007–2010). He served as the SAF's contingent commander for the

International Force for East Timor The International Force East Timor (INTERFET) was a multinational non-United Nations peacemaking task force, organised and led by Australia in accordance with United Nations resolutions to address the humanitarian and security crisis that took ...

(INTERFET) in 1999 and as the Director of Operations, Ministry of Health, during the 2003

severe acute respiratory syndrome Severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) is a viral respiratory disease of zoonotic origin caused by the virus SARS-CoV-1, the first identified strain of the SARS-related coronavirus. The first known cases occurred in November 2002, and the sy ...

(SARS) outbreak, he was involved in establishing the national contact and tracing system in Singapore. In 2010, Neo was appointed as the SAF's Chief of Defence Force (CDF) and was promoted from the rank of Major-General to

Lieutenant-General Lieutenant general (Lt Gen, LTG and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. The rank traces its origins to the Middle Ages, where the title of lieutenant general was held by the second-in-command on the battlefield, who was normall ...

. Neo was succeeded by

Ng Chee Meng } (born 8 August 1968) is a Singaporean politician, union leader and former lieutenant-general who has been serving as Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) since 2018 and as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Jalan Kayu ...

in 2013 when he retired that year.

Civil career

After leaving the SAF, Neo joined the civil service and was appointed as the Permanent Secretary (Education Development) in the

(MOE) on 1 July 2013. In MOE, he was part of senior management who helped to formulate and implement education policies, and to oversee the development and management of schools. In particular, he contributed to the development of MOE's Outdoor Education Masterplan and Digital Plan to build resilient mind, body and cohesion amongst students. It includes the building and upgrading of outdoor adventure centres for MOE to accommodate cohort camps at three levels: P5, S1 and S3. The Digital Plan improves the way students learn by using technology and further develops communication between parents and schools. Neo was appointed as Permanent Secretary (Defence Development) in the

in 2017. In this role, his portfolio covers defence research and technology, capability development and acquisitions, and defence administration.

Business career

On 1 August 2018, Neo joined SMRT as the Group Chief Executive Officer (CEO). On 1 July 2022, he resigned from his position and will stay on as an advisor till 31 October 2022. On 1 August 2022, Ngien Hoon Ping will succeed him as the next Group CEO.

Awards and decorations

* Meritorious Service Medal (Military) - PJG, in 2012. * Public Administration Medal, (Gold) (Military) - PPA(E), in 2007. * Public Administration Medal, (Silver) (Bar) (Military) - PPA(P)(L) * Long Service Medal (Military), in 2008. * Singapore Armed Forces Long Service and Good Conduct (10 Years) Medal with 15 year clasp * Singapore Armed Forces Good Service Medal * Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Service Medal * International Force East Timor Medal *

Order of the Cloud and Banner The Order of the Cloud and Banner () also known as the Order of the Resplendent Banner is a military award of the Republic of China. It was instituted on June 15, 1935 and is awarded in nine grades for contributions to national security. The insig ...

(雲麾勳章) with Yellow Grand Cordon (黃色大綬) * The Most Exalted Order of Paduka Keberanian Laila Terbilang (1st Class) * Bintang Kartika Eka Paksi Utama (1st Class), Indonesia (2009) * Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant (; ) is an order (decoration), order of Thailand. It was established in 1861 by King Mongkut, Rama IV of the Thailand, Kingdom of Siam. Along with the Order of the Crown of Thailand, it is r ...

, Thailand * Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Crown, Thailand * Darjah Panglima Gagah Angkatan Tentera (Honorary Malaysian Armed Forces Order for Valour (First Degree), in October 2011. * Yudha Dharma Utama Rib

Bintang Yudha Dharma Utama (1st Class) * US Legion of Merit Commander ribbon

Legion Of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a Awards and decorations of the United States military, military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievemen ...

(Commander) * Master Parachutist Badge * Basic Diving Badge * Combat Skills Badge (CSB) * Thailand Airborne Badge * Thailand Ranger Badge * SAF Ranger Tab

Ranger Tab * SAF Guards Tab

Guards Tab

References

, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Neo, Kian Hong Living people Singaporean people of Chinese descent Singaporean chief executives Chiefs of Defence Force (Singapore) Chiefs of the Singapore Army Permanent secretaries of Singapore Foreign recipients of the Legion of Merit Alumni of King's College London MIT Sloan School of Management alumni Harvard Business School alumni Victoria School, Singapore alumni Nanyang Junior College alumni Recipients of the Long Service Medal (Military) (Singapore) 1965 births Recipients of the Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Tentera)