Ng Ser Miang

Ng Ser Miang, BBM PJG (simplified Chinese: 黄思绵; traditional Chinese: 黃思綿; pinyin: Huáng Sīmián; born 6 April 1949) is a Singaporean entrepreneur, diplomat, and retired sailor. He founded Trans-Island Bus Services (now known as SMRT Buses) in 1982 and more recently is the non-executive chairman of the NTUC FairPrice supermarket chain and board member of Singapore Press Holdings. Since 1990 he has been the vice-president of the Singapore National Olympic Council, and since 2009 has served as a vice-president of the International Olympic Committee. In 2013, he was a candidate for the presidency of the International Olympic Committee, but eventually lost to Thomas Bach.

Ng Ser Miang
黄思绵
Born	6 April 1949 Swatow, China (currently Shantou)
Citizenship	Singapore
Alma mater	University of Singapore (now the National University of Singapore)
Known for	Vice-President of the International Olympic Committee
Children	3

Early life

Ng Ser Miang was born in 1949 in Shantou, China;[1] His family moved to Singapore the same year.[2] He studied at the Serangoon Garden Government High School (now Serangoon Garden Secondary School and Dunman Government High School (now Dunman High School). While in high school, Ng was a Boy Scout troop leader and head prefect.[2][3] During this time he also travelled to the United States for nine months with an American Field Service scholarship.[1] While in the US Ng first developed an interest in sailing and learned the sport.[1][4]

After high school, Ng studied business administration at the University of Singapore (now the National University of Singapore) and graduated in 1971 with honours.[2][5] While at university, in 1969, Ng won a silver medal at the Southeast Asian Peninsular Games as a part of the Singapore sailing team.[6] Following his graduation, he completed his national service.[2]

Career

In 1973, Ng entered the business world, working as a bank officer at the Chung Khiaw Bank.[2] Three years later, he became the managing director of Singapore Shuttle Bus, a City Shuttle Service operator.[2][7] To create competition for the Singapore Bus Service, the only bus service in Singapore at the time,[8] Ng started the Trans-Island Bus Services (TIBS) in 1982 and acted as the company's managing director.[2][7] As a result of his work with TIBS and Singapore Shuttle Bus, Ng was named Singapore's Outstanding Manager of the Year in 1993.[6][7] In 2001, TIBS was purchased by SMRT Corporation and later rebranded SMRT Buses. Ng retired from the company after overseeing the sale.[8]

In 2005, Ng took over as non-executive chairman of NTUC FairPrice, Singapore's largest supermarket chain, which is known for its philanthropy work within Singapore.[6][9] In addition to these roles, Ng has been a board member of Singapore Press Holdings since 2007 and of WBL Corporation from 2005 to 2012.[4][5][6]

Throughout his career, Ng has held a number of leadership and advisory roles in Singapore's business community. He served as President of the Automobile Association of Singapore from 1988 to 1996. In 1992, he became a faculty fellow of Business Administration in the School of Postgraduate Management Studies at the National University of Singapore. The next year, he became a member of the Trade Development Board of the China Business Information Advisory Group as well as a member of the Advisory Board of the Entrepreneurship Development Center at Nanyang Technological University.[2]

Sports and Olympics roles

Through his interest in sailing, Ng became involved with several sailing and sports councils, including acting as President of the Singapore Yachting Association in the early 1990s[4] and later being elected as vice-president of the International Sailing Federation in 1994, a role he held for four years.[10][11]

From 1991 to 2002, he was chairman of the Singapore Sports Council (SSC).[12] While serving as the SSC chairman, Ng helped launch the Sports for Life programme to promote sports for Singaporeans of all ages, and the Sports Excellence programme which directed national resources to supporting athletes in competitive sports.[6] During Ng's tenure, the Singaporean government spent Singapore $500 million in supporting the different programmes.[1]

Ng's involvement with the Olympic Movement began with roles in the local Olympic council. He was elected as vice-president of the Singapore National Olympic Council in 1990.[2] In 1993, Ng became chairman of the Singapore Olympic Academy.[2] He initiated and acted as chairman of Project 0812,[1] an organisation that provided Singaporean athletes with high-level training and preparation to win medals in the Beijing and London Olympics.[6][13][14] Through his efforts with Project 0812, Singapore received its first Olympic medal in 48 years at the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.[1]

In 2005, after being the first Asian elected to the International Olympic Committee Executive Board, Ng served as President of the 117th IOC Session Organising Committee which took place in Singapore.[15][16] He has also held a seat on the IOC audit and finance commissions, and was on the Coordination Commissions for the 2008 Beijing and the 2012 London Olympics.[17][18]

In 2009, Ng was elected a vice-president of the IOC, a position which he still held as of May 2013.[19][20] That same year, Ng also served as chairman of the inaugural Asian Youth Games Steering Committee. In 2010, Ng served chairman of the inaugural Singapore Youth Olympic Games Organising Committee.[6] Two years later, he helped organise the Singapore Youth Olympic Festival, an annual event that exposes youth to the Olympic spirit.[21] He also currently serves as chairman of the Singapore Olympic Foundation.[22] Ng declared his candidacy to become the next president of the International Olympic Committee in May 2013 at the Sorbonne in Paris.[23]

In 2014 Ng was named president of the Fundación Valencia CF.[24]

Public service

In 1995, Ng and other former members of The Singapore Scout Association formed the Singapore Scout Guild. The organisation was established to serve as role models to current scouts and to demonstrate that former scouts go on to lead successful lives.[25]

From its inception in 2001, Ng became chairman of Network China, an organisation created to assist companies in Singapore to network and find business opportunities in China.[26] Also beginning in 2001, Ng served on the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Advisory Council. He held this position until 2008.[5]

Ng has represented Singapore as a non-resident Ambassador to Norway since 2001[27] and was also a non-resident Ambassador to Hungary from 2000 to 2012.[3][28] He has served as a Justice of the Peace in Singapore since 2005.[5] Previously, he served as a Nominated Member of Parliament from 2002 to 2005.[5][6]

Awards and recognition

In 1993, Ng was named Singapore's Outstanding Manager of the Year for his work with the Trans-Island Bus Service.[7] In 2012 he was awarded the Order of Merit of the Republic of Hungary after his time as Singapore's non-resident Ambassador to Hungary.[28] He has also received a Distinguished Service Award from the United States Sports Academy.[29] From the IOC Ng has received the Centennial Olympic Games Trophy in 1996 and the Sports and the Community Trophy in 2006.[5] The Singaporean government awarded Ng with the Public Service Star in 1999 and the Meritorious Service Medal in 2005.[5][28]

Personal life

Ng has two daughters and a son with late wife Ko Ai Choo.[30] Elder daughter Xuan Hui is a former national sailor, three-time Singapore National Olympic Council Sportsgirl of the Year, and gold medalist at the 1991 and 1993 Southeast Asian Games.[31][32][33][34]

References

1. "An official and a gentleman…". Sailing.org. 18 October 2009. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
2. Leong Chan Teik (20 November 1994). "Little things matter to this $90-million man". The Straits Times. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
3. Irene Ng (22 March 2001). "Singapore, Hungary forge deeper ties". The Straits Times. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
4. Shirlynn Ho (20 December 1992). "In love with the sea". The Straits Times. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
5. "Bloomberg BusinessWeek Profile". Bloomberg BusinessWeek. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
6. Chuang Peck Ming (13 December 2008). "A man with his finger in many pies, Ng Ser Miang talks about what his motivations are and his plans for the upcoming Youth Olympics". Business Times (Singapore). Retrieved 20 May 2013.
7. Dexter Lee (9 January 1993). "Credit must go to the group". Business Times (Singapore). Retrieved 20 May 2013.
8. Christopher Tan (13 July 2004). "Ng Ser Miang leaves public transport arena after 20-year drive". The Straits Times. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
9. M. Nirmala (24 August 2005). "Ex-NMP Ng Ser Miang to take over from Chandra Das as non-exec chairman". The Straits Times. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
10. "Singapore's Ng Ser Miang joins IOC presidential race". Deutsche Presse-Agentur. 16 May 2013.
11. Stephen Wilson (16 May 2013). "Singapore's Ng Ser Miang cites 'global' credentials in IOC presidential bid". Associated Press. Retrieved 15 July 2013.
12. "New chairman, members for Singapore Sports Council in October". Channel NewsAsia. 23 September 2002. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
13. "189 scholarships awarded to young athletes". Channel NewsAsia. 16 September 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
14. Marc Lim (21 June 2008). "S'pore ready; Republic's chances of medal in Beijing Games boosted by Project 0812". The Straits Times. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
15. "117th IOC Session opens in Singapore". Channel NewsAsia. 5 July 2005. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
16. May Chen (17 May 2013). "Ng Ser Miang joins race to be IOC chief". The Straits Times. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
17. Ed Hula (22 December 2011). "Golden 25 – YOG Chief, Singapore Sports Leader No. 19, 20". Around The Rings. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
18. "IOC Commissions for 2007". Sail-World.com. 28 February 2008. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
19. Lin Xinyi; Jonathan Wong (10 October 2009). "Ng Ser Miang is IOC vice-president". The Straits Times. Retrieved 6 June 2013.
20. Karolos Grohmann (14 May 2013). "Singapore's Ng Ser Miang to make IOC presidency bid". Reuters. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
21. "Singapore sports festival celebrates YOG legacy". Chinese Olympic Committee. 16 August 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
22. "About Us". sof.sg. Archived from the original on 16 June 2013. Retrieved 17 July 2013.
23. Tan Yo Hinn (16 May 2013). "Ng Ser Miang declares candidacy to succeed IOC president Rogge". Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
24. Alarcón, Juan Carlos. "Ser Miang Ng, nuevo presidente de la Fundación Valencia CF". plazadeportiva.com (in Spanish).
25. Yvonne Chew (9 May 1995). "Prominent ex-scouts for new guild". The Straits Times. Retrieved 26 June 2013.
26. Sonia Kolesnikov (20 November 2001). "New Singapore steps to tap Chinese market". United Press International. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
27. "Report: Ng Ser Miang for IOC chief". Associated Press. 14 May 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2013.
28. "New envoys to Germany, Vietnam and Hungary". The Straits Times. 20 July 2012. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
29. "SEA Games: Singapore set to bid for 2015 Games". Channel NewsAsia. 26 September 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2013.
30. Tan, Yo-Hinn (10 September 2013). "Ng Ser Miang: No anxiety, no stress, just a sense of calm". Today. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
31. Chen, May (1 May 2013). "Grappling with his biggest move". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 11 November 2014. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
32. "Sportsgirl of the Year". Singapore National Olympic Council. Archived from the original on 14 November 2013. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
33. "SEA Games past winners, 1977–1991" (PDF). Singapore National Olympic Council. Retrieved 10 November 2014.
34. "SEA Games past winners, 1993–2005" (PDF). Singapore National Olympic Council. Retrieved 10 November 2014.

External links

• "Mr Ser Miang NG". International Olympic Committee.