SINGAPORE - Mr Poon Hong Yuen, currently the deputy secretary with the Ministry of Law (MinLaw), has been appointed chief executive of Spring Singapore with effect from Nov 1.

He takes over from Mr Tan Kai Hoe who left at end-July for the private sector.

In his current post, Mr Poon led inter-agency engagement efforts for Family Justice and the Community Disputes Resolution Tribunals, the Ministry of Trade and Industry said in its statement on Friday (Oct 2). Mr Poon also helped lay the foundation for starting the Singapore International Mediation Centre

and Singapore International Mediation Institute, it said.

Mr Poon was also previously the chief executive officer of the National Parks Board (NParks) from August 2010 to February 2014. Under his leadership, NParks embarked on key initiatives such as "Destination Parks" and "Round Island Route" to rejuvenate Singapore's urban parks and enliven the city's streetscape.

Mr Poon graduated with a Bachelor in Electronic Engineering (First Class Honours) from the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, UK, in 1993.

He was conferred the Public Administrative Medal (Silver) in 2008.