Khaw Boon Wan to step down as SPH Media Trust chairman

Khaw Boon Wan was appointed chairman of SMT following a restructuring of publicly-listed Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) in May 2021.

ST PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG

Published Sep 10, 2026, 05:00 AM

Updated Sep 10, 2026, 05:00 AM

Khaw Boon Wan will step down as SPH Media Trust chairman on Oct 1, handing over to CEO Chan Yeng Kit, who will take on dual roles as chairman and CEO.

As SPH's operations have stabilised, Khaw said it was a good time for him to wind down his involvement with the media organisation.

Under Khaw's leadership of five years, SPH Media improved digital reach, won international awards, and is now undergoing leadership renewal.

SINGAPORE – SPH Media Trust chairman Khaw Boon Wan will step down after five years at the helm, handing the role to chief executive officer Chan Yeng Kit.

Chan will continue as CEO, while taking on the additional responsibilities as chairman of SPH Media Trust (SMT).

The changes, agreed after consultation with SMT’s institutional members and board directors, are subject to regulatory approval, and expected to take effect from Oct 1, 2026.

SMT publishes The Straits Times, among other titles.

In a statement on the leadership transition, Khaw, 73, said: “As the SPH operations have stabilised, I think it is a good time for me, a retiree, to wind down my involvement in this project.”

Khaw was coordinating minister for infrastructure and minister for transport when he retired from politics in 2020.

In May 2021, the former Cabinet minister was appointed chairman of SMT following a restructuring of publicly-listed Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) that hived off its media operations into a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee (CLG).

At that time, SPH’s traditional advertising-funded business model was under strain from digital disruption.

With advertising earnings expected to continue on a downward trajectory, SPH shareholders were not likely to tolerate the continued negative impact that the media business would have on the company’s financial prospects, and over time the business would become whittled down, then SPH chairman Lee Boon Yang said in 2021.

Khaw said on Sept 4 – in a written interview – that the change in business model meant the CLG’s accountability shifted to SMT’s institutional members, which has enabled SPH to more effectively continue its public mission of providing quality and trustworthy news in Singapore.

When the media business was carved out, 16 institutional members – including key local institutions such as banks and universities – replaced commercial shareholders as the custodians of the business.

This has helped relieve the short-term profit and dividend pressures that the previous listed company faced.

Progress on revenue, reach and reputation

The CLG has not wasted the last five years, said Khaw.

SPH Media today reaches nearly nine in 10 digital and print readers across Singapore on a weekly basis through its multi-channel, multi-platform, multi format and multi-tonal portfolio strategy, he noted.

This comprehensive approach proved effective during major national moments. In particular, SPH Media’s coverage of the 2025 General Elections and year-long SG60 celebrations received extensive digital and social media viewership, said Khaw.

The CLG also enhanced its digital products, such as the redesign of The Straits Times app, and refresh of the Lianhe Zaobao, Berita Harian and Tamil Murasu apps. Regular community initiatives have also been started to engage the youth, senior and vernacular audience segments.

“Fellow publishers around the world have noted SPH’s achievements. The many awards that our news titles picked up are reassuring evidence,” he said.

“This included coveted awards in very competitive fields given out by news industry associations like the International News Media Association (INMA) and the World Association of News Publishers (WAN-IFRA).”

Khaw said he was especially pleased with the achievements of the management team led by Chan, which has sharpened SPH Media’s mission, updated its strategy and achieved significant digital transformation within the organisation.

“While the media landscape remains fragmented, the CLG has made good progress,” he said. “Credit must go to the SPH colleagues, as well as the Government which supports us meaningfully in both capacity and capability development.”

Renewal and succession

Noting that he would be over 78 at the next General Election, Khaw said it was not wise for him to still be at the helm of an important institution then.

“With Mr Chan Yeng Kit and his team firmly established, this is the right time to move aside,” he said in a written interview.

“They will then have enough time to further consolidate the trust and credibility with the audience, the newsrooms and our stakeholders. Then we can be confident of a strong team to take SPH through the next GE cycle and other national events.”

Some board directors have also asked to step aside so that fresh expertise and experience could be tapped, though some will stay on to help his successor, said Khaw.

He expressed his gratitude to his fellow board directors who stepped forward to help with the restructure and transformation of SPH’s media business.

The process of leadership refresh and renewal is also ongoing at both the newsrooms and executive level, with senior executives being groomed to take on larger roles, including as chief executive eventually, noted Khaw. More details will be shared in due course.

Chan will be the first SPH Media chairman who was not a former Cabinet minister.

Asked if this might affect SPH Media’s engagement with the Government, Khaw said it was useful but not necessary for the chairman to be a former minister.

The key is to have someone with a good track record and who is well trusted by the Government, and Chan fits the bill well, he added.

Prior to joining SPH Media, Chan’s roles included permanent secretary of the former Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts, and founding chairman of the Infocomm Media Development Authority.

Khaw said: “His background in new media and technology, in fact, puts him ahead of me. He has an edge over me. I am confident he and his team will do well.”

Chin Soo Fang is senior correspondent at The Straits Times, covering a wide range of topics including community, politics, social issues, consumer, culture and heritage.

2021 年 5 月，新加坡报业控股 (SPH) 进行重组后，许文远被任命为 SMT 主席。

《海峡时报》照片：梁崇俊

发布于 2026 年 9 月 10 日上午 5:00

更新于2026年9月10日上午5:00

许文远将于10月1日卸任新加坡报业控股媒体信托主席一职，将职位移交给首席执行官陈永杰，陈永杰将同时担任主席和首席执行官的双重职务。

随着新加坡报业控股（SPH）的运营趋于稳定，许文远表示，现在是他逐步退出该媒体机构的好时机。

在许文远领导的五年间，新加坡报业控股媒体提升了数字影响力，赢得了国际奖项，目前正在进行领导层更新。

新加坡——新加坡报业控股媒体信托主席许文远将在执掌该职位五年后卸任，并将该职位移交给首席执行官陈永杰。

陈将继续担任首席执行官，同时兼任新加坡报业控股媒体信托（SMT）主席。

这些变更已与 SMT 的机构成员和董事会成员协商后达成一致，但需获得监管部门的批准，预计将于 2026 年 10 月 1 日起生效。

SMT旗下拥有《海峡时报》等多家报刊。

73岁的许文远在一份关于领导层过渡的声明中表示：“随着新加坡报业控股的运营趋于稳定，我认为对于我这个退休人员来说，现在是逐步退出这个项目的好时机。”

许文远在 2020 年退出政坛时，曾任基础设施统筹部长和交通部长。

2021 年 5 月，前内阁部长被任命为 SMT 主席。此前，上市的新加坡报业控股 (SPH) 进行了重组，将其媒体业务剥离到一家非营利担保有限公司 (CLG) 中。

当时，新加坡报业控股传统的广告收入模式正受到数字化变革的冲击。

由于广告收入预计将继续下滑，新加坡报业控股（SPH）的股东不太可能容忍媒体业务对公司财务前景的持续负面影响，随着时间的推移，该业务将会逐渐萎缩。时任新加坡报业控股董事长李文扬在 2021 年表示。

许文远在 9 月 4 日的一次书面采访中表示，商业模式的改变意味着 CLG 的问责制转移到了 SMT 的机构成员，这使得 SPH 能够更有效地继续履行其在新加坡提供高质量、值得信赖的新闻的公共使命。

媒体业务分拆出来后，包括银行和大学等重要地方机构在内的 16 个机构成员取代了商业股东，成为该业务的托管人。

这有助于缓解这家前上市公司面临的短期利润和股息压力。

在收入、覆盖范围和声誉方面取得进展

许文远表示，CLG过去五年并没有白费。

他指出，新加坡报业控股媒体如今通过其多渠道、多平台、多格式和多色调的组合策略，每周覆盖新加坡近九成的数字和印刷读者。

许文远表示，这种综合性的方法在国家重大事件中都取得了成效。特别是，新加坡报业控股媒体对2025年大选和为期一年的新加坡建国60周年庆典的报道，在数字媒体和社交媒体上获得了广泛的关注。

CLG还提升了其数字产品，例如重新设计了《海峡时报》应用程序，并更新了《联合早报》、《每日新闻》和《泰米尔语日报》应用程序。此外，CLG还启动了多项社区活动，以吸引青年、老年人和本地语言受众群体。

“世界各地的同行出版商都注意到了新加坡报业控股（SPH）的成就。我们旗下新闻刊物获得的众多奖项就是最好的证明，”他说道。

“这其中包括由国际新闻媒体协会 (INMA) 和世界新闻出版商协会 (WAN-IFRA) 等新闻行业协会颁发的、竞争非常激烈的领域的令人垂涎的奖项。”

许文远表示，他对陈先生领导的管理团队取得的成就感到特别满意，该团队明确了新加坡报业控股媒体的使命，更新了其战略，并在公司内部实现了重大的数字化转型。

“尽管媒体格局依然分散，但CLG已经取得了显著进展，”他说道。“这要归功于新加坡报业控股的同事们，以及在能力建设方面给予我们切实支持的政府。”

更新与传承

许文远指出，到下次大选时他将年过78岁，因此他当时继续掌管一个重要机构并不明智。

“陈永杰先生及其团队已经站稳脚跟，现在是我让位的合适时机，”他在一份书面采访中说道。

“届时他们将有足够的时间进一步巩固与受众、新闻编辑室和利益相关者之间的信任和信誉。之后，我们就能有信心拥有一支强大的团队，带领新加坡报业控股（SPH）度过下一届大选周期和其他国家级活动。”

许文远表示，一些董事也要求卸任，以便引入新的专业知识和经验，不过也有一些董事会留下来帮助他的继任者。

他向挺身而出帮助新加坡报业控股媒体业务进行重组和转型的其他董事表示感谢。

许文远指出，新闻编辑室和高管层都在进行领导层更新换代，资深高管正在接受培养，以承担更重要的职责，包括最终担任首席执行官。更多细节将在适当时候公布。

陈将成为新加坡报业控股（SPH）媒体集团首位非前内阁部长出身的主席。

当被问及这是否会影响新加坡报业控股媒体与政府的合作时，许文远表示，董事长是前部长固然有益，但并非必要条件。

他补充说，关键是要找到一位业绩卓著、深受政府信任的人，而陈先生完全符合这个条件。

在加入新加坡报业控股媒体集团之前，陈先生曾担任前新闻、通讯及艺术部常任秘书和新加坡资讯通信媒体发展局创始主席等职务。

许文远表示：“事实上，他在新媒体和技术领域的背景让他比我更有优势。我相信他和他的团队会做得很好。”

Chin Soo Fang 是《海峡时报》的资深记者，报道范围广泛，包括社区、政治、社会问题、消费者、文化和遗产等话题。