MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL TRANSLATION COMMITTEE 1 MARCH 2018 TO 29 FEBRUARY 2020
Ms Sim Ann (Chairperson from 1 May 2018)
Ms Sim Ann is currently the Senior Minister of State for the Ministry of Communications and Information & the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. She is a Member of Parliament (MP) for the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC.
Sim Ann was educated at the Hwa Chong Junior College from 1992 to 1993. In 1997, she obtained a B.A (Honours) from Oxford University, where she had studied since 1994. She was awarded an M.A from Stanford University in 2009. Sim Ann also has a Post Graduate Diploma from the Nanyang Technological University. Sim Ann started her career in 1998 as an Assistant Director for Finance Policy and Planning at the Ministry of Health. From 2000 to 2003, she worked at the Ministry of Home Affairs as an Assistant Director for Implementation Planning, before moving to the Ministry of Trade and Industry, where she was Deputy Director for Trade until 2006. Between 2007 and 2009, she was the Regional Director (East China) for IE Singapore and in 2009, she became the Director for the National Population Secretariat until she left the Civil Service in 2011.
Sim Ann first stepped into the political arena in the 2011 General Elections when she contested in the Holland-Bukit Timah GRC as one of the four-member PAP team led by incumbent Minister for Foreign Affairs, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan. The other PAP members are Christopher de Souza and Liang Eng Hwa. She is currently the MP for the Holland- Bukit Timah GRC.
Page 1 of 15 MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL TRANSLATION COMMITTEE 1 MARCH 2018 TO 29 FEBRUARY 2020
Mr Arun Mahizhnan
Mr Arun Mahizhnan has a BA First Class Honours in Tamil language and literature, was a broadcaster in Tamil and has also worked in senior positions in English broadcasting and English academic fields over four decades. He is concurrently Special Research Advisor at the Institute of Policy Studies at the National University of Singapore and an Adjunct Professor at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information at Nanyang Technological University.
Dr Brenda Chan
Dr Chan was formerly an Assistant Professor at the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information, Nanyang Technological University (NTU), where she taught courses on popular culture as well as qualitative research methods. She currently teaches in National University of Singapore (NUS) and Singapore Management University (SMU) as adjunct faculty. As an independent scholar, her research interests include Chinese cinema, Asian television dramas and Chinese popular music. Besides Mass Communication, Dr Chan read Chinese Studies for her bachelor’s degree at National University of Singapore, during which she studied modules related to Translation for three years.
Page 2 of 15 MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL TRANSLATION COMMITTEE 1 MARCH 2018 TO 29 FEBRUARY 2020
Mr Chan Cheow Pong
Mr Chan is a bilingual media professional with more than 10 years of experience. From January 2017 to March 2018, he was the Managing Editor & Director (Projects) of online media Mothership.sg. Prior to that, he was Lianhe Zaobao's News Editor overseeing local and political news. He graduated from The London School of Economics and Political Science with a Bachelor's Degree in Economics. He also has a Masters Degree in International Development Economics from Yale University.
Mr Cheng Yong Tai Mr Cheng is currently the Deputy Chief Editor of Chinese News at MediaCorp Pte Ltd. He oversees news operations for MediaCorp’s Mandarin channels, Channels 8 and U, and their digital platforms. With over 20 over years in the TV industry, he has experienced the entire gamut of TV news production, as well as planning, coordinating and directing coverage for large-scale news events. He graduated with a Master of Arts in Applied Sociology and a Bachelor of Arts in Chinese Studies and Sociology from the National University of Singapore.
Page 3 of 15 MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL TRANSLATION COMMITTEE 1 MARCH 2018 TO 29 FEBRUARY 2020
Mr Daniel Ang Teck Heng
Mr Daniel Ang is the Deputy Director of the Language Services Department in the State Courts. He manages and provides the leadership to a pool of more than fifty local interpreters (including Chinese, Malay and Indian). He also works closely with the Foreign Interpreters Management Unit that manages a pool of one hundred and twenty freelance foreign interpreters. One of Daniel’s key responsibilities is to manage the resources effectively and efficiently as well as oversee the provision of interpretation and translation services in the State Courts. Daniel is also an Assistant Registrar of the Small Claims Tribunals and President of the Singapore Interpreters’ and Translators’ Union.
Mr Goh Sin Teck
Mr Goh started his journalism career as a crime reporter with Lianhe Zaobao after graduating from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology. He worked his way up to become the Editor of Lianhe Zaobao and Lianhe Wanbao. He also oversees zaobao.com, the online edition of Lianhe Zaobao, which has an average daily page view of 4 million and a monthly unique visitor count of 10 million.
Page 4 of 15 MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL TRANSLATION COMMITTEE 1 MARCH 2018 TO 29 FEBRUARY 2020
Mr Ibrahim Hassan
Mr Ibrahim is Head of Mediacorp Malay News and Current Affairs. He is also a member of the Malay Language Council. He received his Bachelor of Arts and Social Science from National University of Singapore in 1981.
Ms K. Kanagalatha
Ms K. Kanagalatha is a senior member of Tami Murasu's editorial staff. As the Associate Editor of Singapore's Tamil daily, she handles various responsibilities. Apart from writing and editing the news, she also oversees the student tabloid, the youth section, feature articles and special editions. She has been working at the newspaper since 1990 and has held various posts within the organisation, namely, Features Editor, News Editor, Sunday Editor and now, the Associate Editor. In addition, she is a Singapore Literature Award winning Tamil writer, who has published three Tamil books and one English book. She is also an avid follower of Tamil literary developments in the Tamil diaspora.
Page 5 of 15 MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL TRANSLATION COMMITTEE 1 MARCH 2018 TO 29 FEBRUARY 2020
Ms Karen Tan
Ms Karen Tan is the Deputy Chief of Government Communications (Development) and concurrently Senior Director (Transformation) at the Ministry of Communications and Information. As Deputy Chief of Government Communications (Development), she spearheads the building of new capabilities among all Government Communications officers. In her concurrent role as SD(Transformation), she is also responsible for overseeing the development of the Government Communications Transformation Roadmap effort and the strategies of the Information Planning Office.
Prior to her current appointment, Karen headed the Public Communications Division which planned and executed the Whole-of-Government public communications initiatives, including data-driven communications, content production and national marketing.
Karen also has vast experience in Ministry of Health for ten years as Director of Corporate Communications and Press Secretary to the Minister of Health. She has also been previously involved in managing mass communications during the SARS epidemic in 2003 and the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic in 2009.
Page 6 of 15 MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL TRANSLATION COMMITTEE 1 MARCH 2018 TO 29 FEBRUARY 2020
Mr Jimmy Toh
Mr Jimmy Toh is concurrently the Deputy Chief of Government Communications (Operations) and Senior Director of Public Communications, at the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI). He was previously the Senior Director of Engagement in MCI and a Senior Director of Communications Group in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). As SD (Engagement), he oversaw the Government’s public consultation agency, REACH, and transformed its business model with an intensified focus on direct, face-to-face engagement with the public on Government policies as well as greater use of technology to improve work efficiency and effectiveness. In 2018, he was also tasked to organise the International Media Centre for the historic Trump-Kim Summit in Singapore. Prior to joining PMO, he had also served in the Singapore Armed Forces for 23 years.
Ms Khadijah Seron
Ms Khadijah Seron is an adjunct lecturer for various international universities where she teaches media studies, journalism, globalisation and intercultural communication. She also provides freelance translation and simultaneous interpretation services for various occasions and in the Singapore Parliament, including national events such as the National Day Rally. With a deep interest in current affairs, she also produces info- educational and documentary series as a freelancer. She read Political Science and Philosophy for her bachelor’s degree at the National University of Singapore and has a Master of Arts in Journalism from Cardiff University. Previously, she was a journalist at Mediacorp.
Page 7 of 15 MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL TRANSLATION COMMITTEE 1 MARCH 2018 TO 29 FEBRUARY 2020
Ms Margaret Teo
Ms Margaret Teo is Vice President, Corporate Communications in SMRT Corporation Ltd where she oversees media relations, new media, community engagement, CSR and corporate marketing. Prior to this, Margaret was Senior Vice President at Singbridge International Pte Ltd, a developer and manager of integrated townships overseas. She also spent many years in the Singapore Tourism Board where she was closely involved in the planning and development of the two integrated resorts and led the crisis communications efforts during SARS outbreak in 2003.
Ms Mazlena Bte Ahmad Mazlan
Mazlena is the Director (Community Outreach), Media Division, Ministry of Communications and Information. Previously, she headed the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore’s Strategic Communications Unit. Prior to MUIS, Mazlena held several positions in MediaCorp such as Head of Research/Resources & Executive Producer at Caldecott Productions International, News Editor at MediaCorp Radio and Editor, Malay Current Affairs Unit. She was also a journalist with Berita Harian, Singapore Press Holdings (SPH).
Page 8 of 15 MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL TRANSLATION COMMITTEE 1 MARCH 2018 TO 29 FEBRUARY 2020
Mr Mohamed Noh Daipi
Mr Mohamed Noh Daipi is the Director of the Malay Language Centre of Singapore (MLCS), Ministry of Education. The MLCS was set up in 2010 to train Malay language teachers and it has been conducting courses, professional sharing sessions, seminars, immersion programmes and regional conference programmes ever since. Prior to this, Mr Mohamed Noh Daipi was an Assistant Director at the Curriculum Planning and Development Division, and a Vice Principal of a school.
Mr Mohd Saat Abdul Rahman
Mr Mohd Saat Abdul Rahman is Editor of Berita Harian (BH) and Berita Minggu (BM) at Singapore Press Holdings Ltd. Sa'at has been editor of BH and BM since November 2012. He has been in journalism with SPH since 1988. Before his appointment as editor, he was BH's deputy editor/news editor. He also serves on the Boards of HDB and LTA and on several committees including the Malay Language Council. Sa'at has a Master of Business Administration.
Page 9 of 15 MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL TRANSLATION COMMITTEE 1 MARCH 2018 TO 29 FEBRUARY 2020
Mr N Gunalan
Mr N Gunalan is Deputy Chief Editor of Tamil News & Current Affairs at Mediacorp. Gunalan has been in journalism for over two decades having held senior positions at several regional media organisations. His journalism expertise spans various platforms, including digital, television, radio and print. Gunalan has also spent considerable time in corporate communications as the Director of Marketing Communication for a regional hospitality chain and later, founded a boutique communications consultancy serving clients in the hospitality and tourism sectors. Gunalan has also served as an adjunct lecturer, teaching modules in journalism and public relations at local tertiary institutions. Gunalan is also a member of the Tamil Language Learning and Promotion Committee. He holds a BA from NUS and an MSC in International Politics of Asia & Africa from the School of Oriental and African Studies. He received the latter as a recipient of the British Government’s Chevening Scholarship.
Dr Neo Peng Fu
Dr Neo Peng Fu completed his undergraduate education at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and received his Ph.D. at the University of California, Santa Barbara. He taught at the respective departments of Chinese Studies at NUS and National Institute of Education. Dr Neo is now the Director of Confucius Institute, Nanyang Technological University. He also served as a two-term President of the Singapore Society for Asian Studies. As an academic, Dr Neo publishes in two main areas: Chinese Classical Learning and Language-in-Education Policy with special reference to Chinese language teaching and learning in Singapore.
Page 10 of 15 MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL TRANSLATION COMMITTEE 1 MARCH 2018 TO 29 FEBRUARY 2020
Mr R Rajaram
Mr R Rajaram is currently the Senior Director in the Office of Admissions at NUS. He is actively involved in the Indian community in various capacities and is currently the Chairman of the Tamil Language Council which, among other things, organises the annual Tamil Language Festival. The Festival is a national event that brings together more than 40 Indian community groups over one month to present various activities to promote Tamil language. Rajaram is also a member of the MOE Tamil Language Learning and Promotion Committee and the Lee Kuan Yew Fund for Bilingualism. He was also formerly the Vice Chairman of the Indian Programme Advisory Committee (MDA) Programmes and a member of the Executive Committee of SINDA.
Ms Rahayu Mahzam is the MP for Jurong GRC and Advisor for Jurong GRC Grassroots Organisations. She is a lawyer specialising in family law. She is currently an Associate Director with Heng, Leong & Srinivasan LLC and is also an accredited Associate Mediator with the Singapore Mediation Centre. Rahayu sits on the Malay Language Council, the National Youth Council, National Youth Fund Advisory Committee and member of the REACH Supervisory Panel, She previously sat on the Malay Youth Literary Association (4PM) Management Committee, the National Library Board and the Board of the Singapore Muslim Women’s Association (PPIS). She had also been involved in the Reach Supervisory Panel, Censorship Review Committee, the Malay-Muslim Community Leaders' Forum Forward Planning Exercise and the National Integration Working Group for Community.
Page 11 of 15 MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL TRANSLATION COMMITTEE 1 MARCH 2018 TO 29 FEBRUARY 2020
Mr Richard Tan Sin Ger
A natural polyglot, Mr Richard Tan is a freelance translator/interpreter with Eureka Translations Pte Ltd. Prior to this, he had a 10-year career with the SAF under a government bond before he joined SGX-listed multinational companies. The nature of work gave him opportunities to translate/interpret for Chinese and Japanese clients. He graduated with a Second Upper Honours in Electrical Engineering from Japan’s prestigious National Defence Academy (equivalent of US’ West Point) under the SAF Overseas Training Award. He also holds a Certificate (Translation and Interpretation) from Beijing Foreign Studies University and a MA (Translation and Interpretation) from NTU in 2016/2017.
Mr Sanjai Devmurari
Mr Sanjai Devmurari has more than two decades of experience in various communications roles in both the private and public sector. In his current role as Director, Public Communications at the People’s Association, Mr Devmurari focuses on public engagement and communications to garner public involvement in the PA’s community development efforts and promote grassroots volunteerism.
Page 12 of 15 MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL TRANSLATION COMMITTEE 1 MARCH 2018 TO 29 FEBRUARY 2020
Mr Sin Kim Ho
Mr Sin Kim Ho oversees the development and implementation of the curriculum for Mother Tongue Languages and Sciences as well as programmes for Gifted and Educational Support in the Ministry of Education. During his career with the ministry, he took on roles as a secondary school teacher, lecturer in Junior College, then as Vice- Principal of Pasir Ris Secondary school before taking the helm as principal of Greenview Secondary school in 2004. His prior experience also includes various postings to MOE headquarters in the areas of organisational development and educational technology.
Ms Trudy Loh
Ms Trudy Loh is the Director of Heritage Institutions and Language Division at the Heritage Board. She is responsible for NHB’s three Heritage Institutions (Sun Yat Sen Memorial Hall, Malay Heritage Centre and Indian Heritage Centre) and Singapore’s four language promotion secretariats – The Speak Good English Movement, The Promote Mandarin Council, The Tamil Language Council and The Malay Language Council Singapore. The division also looks after NHB’s language translation needs. Trudy is a veteran in the communications industry, having spent 18 years in advertising, branding and marketing communications with international agencies and MNCs. She has worked with the Language Councils Secretariat for 12 years.
Page 13 of 15 MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL TRANSLATION COMMITTEE 1 MARCH 2018 TO 29 FEBRUARY 2020
Ms Sun Xueling
Ms Sun Xueling was elected a Member of Parliament in September 2015. She currently holds the position of Senior Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of National Development. Ms Sun serves as a Board Member of the Chinese Development Assistance Council.
After the 2015 General Election, Ms Sun was appointed CEO of Business China, a non- profit organization which aims to form a cultural and economic bridge linking the world and China. Business China was launched in 2007 by Mr Lee Kuan Yew, late founding Prime Minister of Singapore and then Premier Wen Jiabao of the People’s Republic of China.
Whilst a back-bencher in politics, Ms Sun was Deputy Chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) for the Ministry of Communications and Information, GPC member for the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Ministry of Finance and GPC member for the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.
Before entering politics, Ms Sun spent more than a decade in the Private Sector in
Finance and Investments. She was Director, Investments Group, at Temasek International, focusing on investment opportunities in China and other developing countries in Latin America. She had also spent close to 8 years based in Hong Kong and China working for Deutsche Bank AG as a Director and also as Senior Vice-President in Macquarie Securities.
Ms Sun spent her early career at the Economic Development Board of Singapore and DBS Bank Ltd.
She received her Master of Science in International Political Economy from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and also holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences in Economics from the National University of Singapore.
Page 14 of 15 MEMBERS OF THE NATIONAL TRANSLATION COMMITTEE 1 MARCH 2018 TO 29 FEBRUARY 2020
Mr Yap Chin Beng
Mr Yap Chin Beng is HDB’s Senior Advisor (Estate & Corporate) since July 2017. Prior to this, he was the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Estate & Corporate) of HDB. In his current capacity, Mr Yap works in a key advisory role in housing policy, management of public housing market, estate rejuvenation and redevelopment, digital transformation strategies, knowledge management and other corporate functions. Mr Yap is a member of the Centre of Liveable Cities Expert Panel and co-Chair of the Public Housing Sub- committee in Sino-Singapore Tianjin Eco-city. He hosts visits by foreign delegations and delivers lectures for advanced courses. Mr Yap was conferred the Public Administration Medal (Silver)(Bar) in 2016.
(Information accurate as of 1 April 2019)
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