Former CapitaLand Boss Lim Ming Yan to Lead Singapore’s Changi Airport

With Singapore set to expand its international airport by more than half, the country’s Ministry of Finance has named a former chief executive of CapitaLand Ltd to lead Changi Airport Group, according to an announcement on Friday.

Lim Ming Yan, who served as president and group chief executive of CapitaLand from 2013 until retiring in 2018, has been appointed deputy chairman of Changi Airport from 1 January, and will take over as chairman of the Singapore government body from 1 April.

“Given his extensive experience in large-scale project development and strong leadership track record, Mr Lim is well positioned to lead CAG as it embarks on the next phase of growth of Changi Airport, with the construction of Terminal 5,” the Ministry of Finance said in the statement.

The appointment comes just under four months after Prime Minister Lawrence Wong revealed plans to add a fifth terminal to Changi Airport, with construction on the new addition set to start in the first half of the coming year.

The new terminal, which is planned for completion in the mid-2030s, is expected to have an annual capacity of 50 million passengers, which would add to the 90 million passenger capability of Changi Airport’s existing four terminals by nearly 55 percent.

Busy Retirement

Now 61, Lim will be taking over the top spot at Changi Airport from Tan Gee Paw, who has served as chairman of the organisation since October 2020, after first joining its board in 2017. Tan will remain on the airport’s board to provide continuity as LIm prepares to become the organisation’s third chairman.

Since retiring from CapitaLand seven years ago, Lim has led a number of government and state-linked organisations including serving as chairman of the Singapore Business Federation and of Workforce Singapore, an agency under the Ministry of Manpower established to promote full and equitable employment in the country.

The University of Birmingham graduate is also on the top leadership bodies of Temasek Holdings-backed engineering firm Sembcorp and of Singapore’s Housing Development Board, which develops and manages the country’s public housing.

Lim also serves on the boards of Business China, a Singapore organisation set up to promote commercial ties with mainland China; government media organisation Singapore Press Holdings; mainland developers China Vanke and Central China Real Estate and Indian business park builder DLF Cyber City Developers Ltd.

Also serving as Singapore’s High Commissioner to the Republic of Mauritius, Lim had served as chief executive of CapitaLand’s Ascott Group rental residential unit from 2009 through 2012 and had been CEO of the group’s China unit from 2000 through 2009.

Reaching 200 Cities

Prime Minister Wong announced the Terminal 5 commencement at the the 40th anniversary of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore in early September, with the expansion touted as part of an effort to connect Changi Airport to more than 200 cities, from around 160 currently.

In its statement last week, the Ministry of Finance noted that passenger traffic at Changi Airport had recently recovered to pre-pandemic levels. In his September speech, Wong pointed to the Terminal 5 development as a step to ensure Changi’s competitiveness as other countries in the region improve their airports and airlines invest in longer range aircraft which may no longer require stopovers in Singapore.