Neo Kian Hong

Neo Kian Hong is a Singaporean civil servant who is currently Chief Executive Officer of SMRT Corporation Ltd. Previously, he was Permanent Secretary (Defence Development) for the Ministry of Defence. He joined the civil service and became Permanent Secretary (Education Development) for the Ministry of Education in 2013, after retiring from the Singapore Armed Forces as its seventh Chief of Defence Force.

Neo received his secondary education in Victoria School, where he was also a National Cadet Corps cadet, After his pre-university education in Nanyang Junior College, he was awarded the Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship in 1985 and graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Upper Second Class Honours) degree in electrical and electronic engineering from King's College London. He subsequently completed a Master of Science degree in management of technology from the MIT Sloan School of Management. He attended Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 2013.

Neo joined the Singapore Armed Forces (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 (2007–2010). He served as the SAF's contingent commander for the International Force for East Timor (INTERFET) in 1999 and as the Director of Operations, Ministry of Health, during the 2003 severe acute respiratory syndrome (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.

He was succeeded by Ng Chee Meng in 2013 when he retired that year.

After leaving the SAF, Neo joined the civil service and was appointed as the Permanent Secretary (Education Development) in the Ministry of Education (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 Ministry of Defence in 2017. In this role, his portfolio covers defence research and technology, capability development and acquisitions, and defence administration.

On 1 August 2018, Neo joined SMRT as the Group Chief Executive Officer.

• Thailand Airborne Badge

• Thailand Ranger Badge