Appointment of new chairpersons for the Esplanade and Board for School of the Arts

Mr Lee Tzu Yang will be appointed as the Chairman of The Esplanade Co Ltd (TECL) from 1 January 2015. Mr Lee succeeds Mrs Theresa Foo, who will be stepping down end December 2014 after 17 years of serving TECL*, first as a Board Member since 1997 and as its Chairman from 2005. 

Mr Lee will step down as Chairman of the Board for School of the Arts (SOTA), Singapore on 31 January 2015. Succeeding Mr Lee is Mr Philip Jeyaretnam, the Managing Partner of law firm Rodyk & Davidson LLP, and an eminent Senior Counsel and acclaimed writer. 

“I would like to thank Theresa for her immense contributions in shaping the Esplanade into the arts centre that it is today – a true cultural and national icon. I also welcome Tzu Yang and Philip on board as they assume their respective chairmanships of the Esplanade and SOTA. I am confident that Tzu Yang will continue to leave his mark on our arts landscape in his new role at the Esplanade. Philip’s vast experience in various leading cultural initiatives will put him in a good position to lead the Board in charting SOTA’s next stage of development. I look forward to the Esplanade’s and SOTA’s continued contributions towards making Singapore a leading city for the arts,” said Mr Lawrence Wong, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth.

Since its opening in October 2002, Esplanade has attracted more than 20 million arts goers, and has presented over 28,000 shows at the arts centre under the stewardship of Mrs Foo. She has been involved in Esplanade’s development and progress as an arts centre that is instrumental in championing the arts scene in Singapore. For her immense contributions to the arts and Esplanade, Mrs Foo was recently awarded the Meritorious Service Medal at the 2014 National Day Awards.

Mr Lee, also a recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal at the 2014 National Day Awards, is the founding Chairman of SOTA and Board Member of Esplanade since 2003. He has led the SOTA Board since inception in 2006. He chaired the Committee on Specialised Arts School which was formed in August 2003, and was a member of the steering committee for the implementation and setting up of SOTA, Singapore’s first pre-tertiary specialised arts school. Under Mr Lee’s leadership, SOTA’s first two batches of graduates who, on top of excelling academically and artistically, possess the strong desire to contribute to society. 

Mr Jeyaretnam, SC, who takes over from Mr Lee, is an award-winning local writer as well as a leading senior counsel. Mr Jeyaretnam was a member of the National Arts Council from 2000 to 2008, and has chaired the steering committee for the Singapore Writers Festival since 2007. He is also a member of the Public Service Commission and the Presidential Council for Minority Rights.

Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth
5 December 2014