Neo Kian Hong is a Singaporean civil servant and former lieutenant-general 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 central executive officer (CEO), chief administrator officer (CAO) or just chief executive (CE), is one of a number of corporate executives charged with the management of an organization especial ...

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 (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 services of the Republic of Singapore, responsible for protecting and defending the security interests and the sovereignty of the country. A military component of the Ministry of Defence (MIND ...

(SAF).

Education

Neo received his secondary education in

Victoria School Victoria School (VS) is a government autonomous boys' secondary school in Siglap, Singapore. Established in 1876, it is Singapore's second oldest state secondary school. It offers a six-year Integrated Programme, which allows students to skip t ...

, where he was also a

National Cadet Corps National Cadet Corps may refer to: *Bangladesh National Cadet Corps * National Cadet Corps (Ghana) *National Cadet Corps (India) * National Cadet Corps (Pakistan) *National Cadet Corps (Singapore) *National Cadet Corps (Sri Lanka) The Nation ...

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. In recent years, Nanyang Junior College has witness ...

, 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 academic undergraduate degree awarded to a student after three to five years of studying engineering at an accredited college or university. In the UK, a Ba ...

(Upper Second Class Honours) degree in electrical and electronic engineering from King's College London. He subsequently completed a

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast t ...

degree in management of technology from the

MIT Sloan School of Management The MIT Sloan School of Management (MIT Sloan or 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 programs, ...

. He attended Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School 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 (from Old French ''armee'', itself derived from the Latin verb ''armāre'', meaning "to arm", and related to the Latin noun ''arma'', meaning "arms" or "weapons"), ground force or land force is a fighting force that fights primarily on ...

(2007–2010). /sup> 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 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV or SARS-CoV-1), the first identified strain of the SARS coronavirus species, ''sev ...

(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 Major general (abbreviated MG, maj. gen. and similar) is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. The disappearance of the "sergeant" in the title explains the apparent confusion of a ...

to Lieutenant-General. Neo was succeeded by

Ng Chee Meng Ng Chee Meng ( zh, s=黄志明, p=Huáng Zhìmíng; 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 since 2018. A memb ...

in 2013 when he retired that year. /sup>

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 Ministry of Defence 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. * Pingat Pentadbiran Awam (Emas) (Tentera)

Public Administration Medal, (Gold) (Military) - PPA(E), in 2007. * Pingat Pentadbiran Awam (Perak) (Bar) (Tentera)

Public Administration Medal, (Silver) (Bar) (Military) - PPA(P)(L) *

Long Service Medal (Military) ribbon (from 2006)

Long Service Medal (Military), in 2008. *

Singapore Armed Forces Long Service and Good Conduct (10 Years) Medal ribbon with clasp

Singapore Armed Forces Long Service and Good Conduct (10 Years) Medal The Singapore Armed Forces Long Service and Good Conduct (10 Years) Medal is a decoration awarded to a member of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) who has completed 10 years of continuous service. For NSmen, reservists qualify for the equivalen ...

with 15 year clasp *

Singapore Armed Forces Good Service Medal *

Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Service Medal ribbon (from 1999)

Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Service Medal * INTERFET Medal ribbon

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 * Order of the White Elephant - 1st Class (Thailand) ribbon

Knight Grand Cross of the

Order of the White Elephant __NOTOC__ The Most Exalted Order of the White Elephant ( th, เครื่องราชอิสริยาภรณ์อันเป็นที่เชิดชูยิ่งช้างเผือก; ) is an order of Thailand. It wa ...

, Thailand * Order of the Crown of Thailand - 1st Class (Thailand) ribbon