Appointment of new Commissioner of Charities and Executive Director of Registry of Co-operative Societies

1. Ms Sim Hui Ting will be appointed as Commissioner of Charities (Designate) and Executive Director (Designate) of the Registry of Co-operative Societies from 1 October 2026. She will take over as Commissioner of Charities (COC) and Executive Director (ED) of the Registry of Co-operative Societies (RCS) from 1 April 2027. She succeeds Mr Desmond Chin, who will relinquish his appointments on 1 April 2027 after 39 years of service in the Public Service.

Mr Desmond Chin

2. Mr Chin was appointed Commissioner of Charities and Executive Director of the Registry of Co-operative Societies in November 2020, bringing with him 30 years of experience from the Singapore Prison Service. He has provided steady leadership to both sectors during the COVID-19 pandemic. Mr Chin and his team worked to support charities and co-operatives through relief measures, digitalisation, and capability-building efforts, ensuring organisations could continue serving their communities when it mattered most.

3. Working closely with the Charity Council, sector partners, and stakeholders, Mr Chin and his team also strengthened capabilities, governance and accountability across the charities sector by simplifying the Code of Governance, reviewing the Charity Transparency Framework, and developing practical resources, codes, guidelines, toolkits and funding support for charities to tap on. On the co-operative front, Mr Chin and his team collaborated closely with the Central Co-operative Fund Committee and the Singapore National Co-operative Federation to develop the 10-year Transformation Roadmap for Co-operatives. The roadmap charts a bold vision to strengthen leadership and governance, build sector capabilities, and deepen the social impact of co-operatives in Singapore.

4. These initiatives reflect the collective efforts and dedication of Mr Chin's team and the many partners and stakeholders who have worked together to build stronger and more resilient charities and co-operatives. They lay a strong foundation for both sectors to continue serving Singaporeans effectively in the years ahead.

Ms Sim Hui Ting

5. Ms Sim Hui Ting is currently Group Director, Corporate Group / Chief Financial Officer at the Skills and Workforce Development Agency (SWDA), where she oversees corporate and finance functions. She began her Public Service career in 2012 as Assistant Commissioner of Charities and was promoted to Deputy Commissioner of Charities in 2016. In her role, she was instrumental in driving key policy, legislative and digital transformation initiatives to strengthen governance and resilience in the charity sector. She also played a notable part in supporting charities through the COVID-19 pandemic.

6. Ms Sim also brings experience spanning the social service and workforce development sectors. Through her secondments to the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) and then-Workforce Singapore (WSG), she contributed to national initiatives, including the National Mental Health and Well-being Strategy, the Beyond The Label Collective and the Workfare Skills Support schemes. She had also served on the National Youth Fund Advisory Committee (Jan 2023–Dec 2024) and on the Board of Visitors under the Mental Health (Care & Treatment) Act (Aug 2022–Jul 2024). More recently, as part of the formation of SWDA, she led the integration of its finance and corporate functions.

Registration of Appreciation

7. Mr David Neo, Minister for Culture, Community and Youth & Second Minister for Education said: “Desmond has made significant contributions to our charities and co-operative sectors. Under his leadership, both sectors have strengthened their governance and resilience to better serve the needs of our society. I thank Desmond for his many years of dedicated service to the Public Service and his contributions to the charities and co-operative community, and wish him well. I also warmly welcome Hui Ting to the MCCY family. Her experience across the Public Service, including in the charities sector, will serve her well in this role. I look forward to working with her to support the continued growth and development of our charities and co-operative sectors.”

8. The Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY) would like to thank Mr Chin for his dedicated service and contributions to the MCCY family and the charities and co-operative sectors, and welcomes Ms Sim to her new appointments.