SIA SAY SAF REGULAR NO GOOD FOR CEO

SIA's No. 2 man resigns
By Karamjit Kaur, Aviation Correspondent
Mr Bey (right) with Mr Chew (left) and Mr Goh at a press conference earlier this month. Mr Bey, whose last day with SIA is Feb 28, did not say what his plans for the future are. -- ST PHOTO: NEO XIAOBIN

http://www.straitstimes.com/PrimeNews/Story/STIStory_604014.html

THE No. 2 man at Singapore Airlines (SIA), Mr Bey Soo Khiang, has quit - two months after the carrier named his subordinate as the next chief executive.

He was the highest-ranking executive among four SIA officials widely believed to be in the running to succeed outgoing CEO Chew Choon Seng.

In the end, Mr Goh Choon Phong, 47, one of the four, was selected for the top post, which he will assume on Jan 1.

At the time of the announcement, he was reporting to Mr Bey, who is senior executive vice-president for marketing and corporate services.

Announcing Mr Bey's impending departure, SIA said in a statement yesterday that no decisions had been made on who would take over his duties.

He joined the airline a decade ago, after 26 years in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). He was Chief of Defence Force when he left the SAF in 2000.

Mr Bey said in the statement: 'The time is right for me to move on. I will be leaving knowing that the airline remains in good hands.'

Mr Bey, 55, whose last day with SIA is Feb 28, did not elaborate on his plans for the future but said he decided to move on to explore new opportunities and challenges. Mr Shukor Yusof of Standard & Poor's Equity Research said that the day SIA announced that Mr Goh would be the next chief executive, 'the writing was on the wall'.

He added: 'It does not come as a big surprise that someone of his calibre would want to move on, given that he did not get the nod (from the board) for the CEO job.'

There should be no shortage of jobs for Mr Bey when he leaves, Mr Shukor said, adding that he could easily move to a government-linked or private company, given his management experience.

SIA chairman Stephen Lee said it was with 'great regret' that the airline was announcing Mr Bey's resignation.

'He has served with great dedication and loyalty. He has made significant contributions towards the development of the company,' he said.

Mr Bey could not be contacted for further comments.

He joined SIA as executive vice-president (technical) in July 2000 and was promoted to senior executive vice-president two years later.