Seah Kian Peng (Singapore Politician)

Seah Kian Peng (born 1961) is a Singaporean politician and the Chief Executive Officer of NTUC Fairprice and NTUC Enterprise as of May 2020. He has also been serving as a Member of Parliament (MP) since the 2006 general elections, representing the Marine Parade Group Representative Constituency (GRC).[1] Seah Kian Peng is also the first Singaporean to be elected to the Global Board of the International Co-operative Alliance, which is a movement encouraging businesses to prioritise ethics.[2][3]

Seah Kian Peng
Seah Kian Peng PAP.jpg
Born1961
EducationBachelor of Construction Management and Property (Building)
Alma materUniversity of New South Wales (Sydney)

Background

Early life & family

Seah Kian Peng was born in 1961 to a father who was an employee at a printing company and a mother who worked as a home-based seamstress.[4] He grew up alongside two older sisters and one younger brother. In an interview with The Straits Times, Seah credited his two older sisters for supplementing the family income while he furthered his studies overseas.[5] As a teenager, Seah spent his school holidays working as a painter, stocktaker and a kitchen helper to support his sporting endeavours at school.[6]

Education

Seah Kian Peng was a top student at Mattar East Primary School,[7][8] having qualified for a place at Raffles Institution (RI) which he attended from 1974 to 1979.[9] In RI, he was a part of the squash team.[10] Seah performed well academically and received the Colombo Plan Scholarship to pursue his undergraduate studies.[11] He completed his tertiary education at the University of New South Wales in Sydney, Australia where he graduated with a degree in Building.[12]

Marriage

Seah Kian Peng is married to Jean Yap, who was previously an accountant before becoming a housewife.[13] The couple has two children who were born in 1991 and 1995.[14]

Professional career

 
Seah Kian Peng started his decorated career at NTUC in June 1996. Retrieved from Human Resources.

Early career

Seah, who was then on a government bond, worked at Indeco Engineers Pte Ltd after completing his National Service.[15] He then worked in the Singapore Administrative Service, before progressing into the finance department of the Ministry of Defence. Seah left the public sector in 1994 for a career in the corporate world.[16]

Sum Cheong Corporation Pte. Ltd. (1994 - 1996)

From 1994 to 1996, Seah was employed in the Corporate Planning and Affairs Department at Sum Cheong Corporation Pte Ltd, a listed company in Hong Kong.[17] He resigned after two years, following an invitation to be the chief of both the Healthcare and Media divisions at the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC).[18][19]

NTUC Fairprice & NTUC Enterprise - Chief Executive Officer (2016 - present day)

In 2001, Seah was appointed as the Chief Operating Officer at NTUC FairPrice Co-operative Ltd.[20] After nine years, he became the Chief Executive Officer of NTUC Fairprice.[21] In 2016, Seah was appointed as the Group Chief Executive Officer of the NTUC Enterprise Co-operative Limited.[22] As of May 2020, he holds those two positions concurrently. Seah believes in servant leadership and is often seen working on the grounds to better understand his employees.[23]

Politics

Seah began his political career under the People’s Action Party (PAP) in 2006 where he was a part of the team that won the Marine Parade Group Representative Constituency (GRC).[24] He has since been re-elected twice in the 2011 and 2015 elections.[25] From October 2011 to January 2016, Seah was also the Deputy Speaker of Parliament.[26]

 
Seah (second from right) pictured with the PAP team for Marine Parade GRC in 2015. Photo credit to Lim Yaohui/ The Straits Times.

2020 General Elections

In the 2020 General Elections, the Marine Parade GRC PAP team consisted of Tan Chuan-Jin, Seah Kian Peng, Fahmi Aliman, Edwin Tong and Tan See Leng. The PAP team won Marine Parade GRC with 57.76 per cent of the votes.[27]

2015 General Elections

In the 2015 General Elections, the Marine Parade GRC team consisted of ESM Goh Chok Tong, Tan Chuan-Jin, Fatimah Lateef and Seah Kian Peng.[28] Their competition was the Worker’s Party.[29] Seah’s team won 64.1 per cent of the total votes.[30]

2011 General Elections

Seah was a PAP representative in the 2011 General Elections alongside ESM Goh Chok Tong, Tan Chuan-Jin, Fatimah Lateef and Tin Pei Ling.[31] During this election, their opponent was the National Solidarity Party (NSP).[32] The PAP team won with 56.7 per cent of the votes.[33]

2006 General Elections

The Marine Parade team of representatives was the first to be confirmed among the other PAP teams.[34] Other than Seah, the team included Emeritus Senior Minister (ESM) Goh Chok Tong, Muhammad Faishal Ibrahim, Fatimah Lateef and Lim Biow Chuan.[35] The Marine Parade GRC was uncontested during this election and thus automatically won the constituency.

Other appointments

Apart from being a Member of Parliament and the Chief Executive Officers of the two NTUC groups, Seah has held numerous positions in a bevy of organisations. The following table shows some of the titles that he is currently holding or has held in the past.

Position Organisation Refs.
Chairman Harvard Business School [36]
Co-Chairman National Family Celebrations [37]
Co-Chairman Social Enterprise Association [38]
Vice-President Singapore Compact for Corporate Social Responsibility [39]
Adviser South East Community Development Council [40]
Fellow Singapore Institute of Directors [41]
Fellow Chartered Institute of Marketing [42]
Board Member International Co-operative Alliance [43]
Board Member The Consumer Goods Forum [44]
Board Member Centre for Fathering Ltd [45]
Board Member National Parks Board [46]
Member Singapore Olympics Foundation [47]

References / Citations

  1. Mr Seah Kian Peng • 谢健平 • சியா கியான் பெங்”. Parliament of Singapore. Accessed on 8 May 2020.
  2. INTERVIEW WITH MR SEAH KIAN PENG”. Singapore National Co-operative Foundation. Accessed on 8 May 2020.
  3. What is a cooperative?”. International Co-operative Alliance. Accessed on 8 May 2020.
  4. Long, Susan. “Save, give, value all”. The Straits Times. April 28, 2013. Accessed on 30 April 2020.
  5. Long, Susan. “Save, give, value all”. The Straits Times. April 28, 2013. Accessed on 30 April 2020.
  6. Long, Susan. “Save, give, value all”. The Straits Times. April 28, 2013. Accessed on 30 April 2020.
  7. Fabrications About The PAP. “Save, give, value all - FairPrice CEO Seah Kian Peng tells Susan Long…”. Facebook. April 26, 2013. Accessed on 30 April 2020.
  8. Mattar East Primary School at Mattar Road, 1982”. BookSG. Accessed on 6 May 2020.  
  9. Seah, Kian Peng. “Kian Peng Seah”. LinkedIn. Accessed on 29 April 2020.
  10. Long, Susan. “Save, give, value all”. The Straits Times. April 28, 2013. Accessed on 30 April 2020.
  11. Endeavours of Excellence Book Launch – 8 February 2011”. Australian High Commission Singapore. Accessed on 30 April 2020.
  12. "Kian Peng Seah". LinkedIn. Accessed on 8 July 2020.
  13. Long, Susan. “Save, give, value all”. The Straits Times. April 28, 2013. Accessed on 30 April 2020.
  14. Short Takes”. The Straits Times. Accessed on 30 April 2020. Retrieved from NewspaperSG.
  15. Grassroots Adviser Mr Seah Kian Peng”. Braddell Heights. Accessed on 6 May 2020.
  16. Long, Susan. “Save, give, value all”. The Straits Times. April 28, 2013. Accessed on 30 April 2020.
  17. IDENTIFY PAP'S WEAKEST LINK IN MARINE PARADE GRC - VOTE NOW!”. The Number One Online Game for the 2011 Singapore Elections. Accessed on 29 April 2020.
  18. Long, Susan. “Save, give, value all”. The Straits Times. April 28, 2013. Accessed on 30 April 2020.
  19. NTUC Enterprise names Seah Kian Peng group CEO as executive director exits”. Marketing Interactive. September 10, 2019. Accessed on 30 April 2020.
  20. CEO INSIGHTS”. Leadership Advisory Inc. Accessed on 30 April 2020.
  21. NTUC Enterprise names Seah Kian Peng group CEO as executive director exits”. Marketing Interactive. September 10, 2019. Accessed on 30 April 2020.
  22. FairPrice chief executive Seah Kian Peng appointed NTUC Enterprise Group CEO”. Today. September 9, 2019. Accessed on 29 April 2020.
  23. CEO INSIGHTS”. Leadership Advisory Inc. Accessed on 30 April 2020.
  24. Mr Seah Kian Peng • 谢健平 • சியா கியான் பெங்”. Parliament of Singapore. Accessed on 8 May 2020.
  25. Mr Seah Kian Peng is a Member of Parliament. First elected in…”. Parliament of Singapore. Accessed on 8 May 2020.
  26. Yong, Charissa. “'Either deputy could take over as Speaker'”. The Straits Times. August 8, 2017. Accessed on 30 April 2020.
  27. "2020 PARLIAMENTARY GENERAL ELECTION RESULTS". Elections Department Singapore. Accessed on 13 July 2020.
  28. Jalelah, Abu Baker. “GE2015: PAP unveils its slate for Marine Parade GRC”. The Straits Times. August 26, 2015. Accessed on 30 April 2020.
  29. MARINE PARADE GRC”. Parliamentary General Election 2015. Accessed on 30 April 2020.
  30. Lee, Min Kok. “GE2015: PAP wins Marine Parade GRC with 64.1 per cent of votes”. The Straits Times. September 12, 2015. Accessed on 30 April 2020.
  31. PAP wins Marine Parade GRC”. AsiaOne. May 8, 2011. Accessed on 30 April 2020.
  32. PAP wins General Election, loses Aljunied GRC”. AsiaOne. May 7, 2011. Accessed on 30 April 2020.
  33. Lee, Min Kok. “GE2015: PAP wins Marine Parade GRC with 64.1 per cent of votes”. The Straits Times. September 12, 2015. Accessed on 30 April 2020.
  34. Lim, Cristian. “74-Year-Old Goh Chok Tong Still Wants To Stand For The Coming General Election”. MustShare News. August 4, 2015. Accessed on 30 April 2020.
  35. Goh let down by Opposition’s lack of interest in taking up challenge”. The Star. April 20, 2006. Accessed on 8 May 2020.
  36. Seah Kian Peng. “As Chairman of the Harvard Business School Club of Singapore (HBSCS)...”. Facebook. November 3, 2015. Accessed on 8 May 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/SeahKianPeng/photos/as-chairman-of-the-harvard-business-school-club-of-singapore-hbscs-i-am-delighte/894465720631723/
  37. Families for Life. “25TH NATIONAL FAMILY CELEBRATIONS DRAWS TO A CLOSE WITH RECORD NUMBER OF FAMILY ACTIVITIES, EVENTS AND PARTICIPANTS”. Facebook. June 26, 2010. Accessed on 8 May 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.facebook.com/notes/families-for-life/25th-national-family-celebrations-draws-to-a-close-with-record-number-of-family-/407087528249/
  38. Grassroots Adviser Mr Seah Kian Peng”. Braddell Heights. Accessed on 8 May 2020.
  39. More Companies Embrace CSR in Singapore”. Green Future. September 10, 2010. Accessed on 8 May 2020.
  40. Who We Are”. Southeast Community Development Council. Accessed on 8 May 2020.
  41. NTUC Enterprise Announces Leadership Change”. NTUC Enterprise. October 1, 2017. Accessed on 8 May 2020.
  42. Mr Seah Kian Peng is the Chief Executive Officer of NTUC FairPrice Co-operative…”. Singapore Healthcare Management. Accessed on 8 May 2020.
  43.  Khew, Carolyn. “Seah Kian Peng re-elected to global Board of International Co-operative Alliance”. The Straits Times. November 6, 2013. Accessed on 8 May 2020.
  44. NTUC FairPrice CEO appointed to the Global Board of The Consumer Goods Forum”. Fairprice. June 16, 2016. Accessed on 29 April 2020.
  45. Board”. Centre for Fathering. Accessed on 8 May 2020.
  46. New Appointments to NParks Board”. National Parks. July 30, 2010. Accessed on 8 May 2020.
  47. Seah Kian Peng”. Singapore Tatler. Accessed on 29 April 2020.