SURBANA Jurong Group has appointed Sean Chiao as its group chief executive officer (CEO) with effect from Apr 1, 2023.

The position has been vacant since Wong Heang Fine retired on Sep 30, 2022. At the time, Surbana Jurong said its board was assessing both internal and external candidates in its search for a successor.

Its interim covering arrangements saw the group’s chairman, Chaly Mah, working more directly with the company’s senior directors. This ensured that its teams continued to fulfil their client commitments and deliver robust business results, the company told The Business Times on Thursday (Mar 9).

In a press statement on the same day, Mah said he is confident the group has found “the right leader” in Chiao, after undertaking “a rigorous global search for a group CEO… to grow Surbana Jurong into a global platform and drive lasting positive change”.

Chiao brings more than 35 years of experience in design and engineering consulting for the built environment, as well as global business leadership.

He is a fellow at New York-listed infrastructure consulting company Aecom, where he worked for over a decade, Chiao’s profile on LinkedIn indicated.

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He previously led the group’s Asia-Pacific operations as president up until 2020 before he was appointed global business line CEO of Aecom’s global business line, Buildings + Places.

With Chiao’s appointment, Surbana Jurong said it is “well-positioned to accelerate its transformation into a global consulting leader in urban, infrastructure and managed services”.

“The climate emergency continues to be the greatest challenge of our time. One of my first priorities will be to ensure that Surbana Jurong’s teams forge a collective approach for innovative, effective action to build a better future for generations to come,” said Chiao.

Chiao holds a degree in architecture and a Master of Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Architecture in Urban Design from the Graduate School of Design of Harvard University.