Mr Abu Bakar bin Mohd Nor to be appointed as New Chairman of the Workplace Safety and Health Council

01 Apr 2023 Press Releases

The Workplace Safety and Health (WSH) Council announced changes in its member composition. With effect from 1 April 2023, the Council will appoint a new Chairman and Deputy Chairman, as part of its annual Council member renewal. Please refer to Annex A for their brief biographies. 

New Chairman and Deputy Chairman
2.   Mr Abu Bakar bin Mohd Nor will be appointed as Chairman. He was appointed to the Council in April 2018 and has served as its Deputy Chairman since. Mr Abu Bakar will also continue to helm the National Work at Heights Taskforce. He is currently the Group Chairman of M Kapital Holdings Pte Ltd and also sits on various boards of both private and public companies such as the PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency; SMRT Corporation Ltd; Islamic Religious Council of Singapore; Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore; Malaysia-Singapore Railway Transport Operations Pte Ltd; Workstation Pte Ltd, as well as the Board of Trustees of the Singapore Institute of Technology.
 
3.   "This is a crucial period for the WSH landscape in Singapore and it is a significant responsibility and privilege to lead the Council. I will build on Chairman John’s good work over the last six years and look forward to work closely with the rest of the Council members, stakeholders and industry partners as we head towards our WSH2028 goals." says Mr Abu Bakar.

4.   Mr John Ng will retire as Chairman after a six-year stint. Among the many initiatives implemented under his leadership was the adoption of the Vision Zero movement which aims for zero workplace injuries in multiple industries, including the chemicals, logistics and transport, manufacturing, and healthcare industries. He also introduced a new category to the national WSH Awards, the Culture of Acceptance, Respect and Empathy Awards, to recognise companies with exemplary practices on workplace mental well-being. In addition, Mr Ng launched the Council’s inaugural Workplace Mental Well-being Campaign, where an easy-to-use playbook was developed to provide practical step-by-step guides and templates on implementing mental well-being initiatives at the workplace. 

5.  Mr Ng said, "It has been a very enriching and fulfilling time for me. Workplace safety and health is a collective responsibility, and I am confident that under Mr Abu Bakar’s leadership, the Council can better work with the industry to build a healthy workforce and safe workplace." 

6.   With Mr Abu Bakar’s appointment as Chairman, Mr Vincent Phang will be appointed as Deputy Chairman. Mr Phang is the Group Chief Executive Officer at Singapore Post Limited and has been on the Council since April 2020. He is also a member of the Council’s Executive Committee.