Rear Admiral (RADM) Ronnie Tay (above, L) will be the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) .

He takes over from Mr Chan Yeng Kit (above, R), who has served as IDA CEO since January 2005, from Nov 19, IDA announced today.

RADM Ronnie Tay has had a long and illustrious career in the Singapore Armed Forces, holding various key command and staff appointments since 1981. He was most recently Chief of Navy, a position he has held since April 2003.

As Chief of Navy, he led the transformation of the Republic of Singapore Navy into a naval force characterised by cutting-edge technologies and new fighting doctrines, and capable of a broader spectrum of operations.

On his appointment to the IDA, RADM Tay said: "I look forward to joining IDA, and being involved in the exciting and fast-growing infocomm sector, as well as promoting the use of infocomm to make a positive impact for Singapore."

Mr Chan will return to the Administrative Service for another posting after attending the Advanced Management Programme at The Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania.

During his tenure at IDA, Mr Chan led the development of the Intelligent Nation 2015 or iN2015 masterplan, laying down the vision of transforming Singapore into an intelligent nation and global city powered by infocomm.

"During this time, the infocomm industry recorded an all-time high growth, with total revenue reaching S$45.4 billion in 2006. Under Mr Chan's leadership, IDA rolled out various initiatives to develop infrastructure and promote the local infocomm industry and greater infocomm adoption in sectors such as the Government, healthcare, education and tourism," said IDA.

"One notable initiative is Wireless@SG, where users can enjoy free internet access from some 5,000 hotspots throughout the island, thus making Singapore one of the first cities in the world to enjoy such pervasive public wireless access."

On his tenure in IDA, Mr Chan said: "It has been an exciting journey these last three years, continuing the pioneering efforts started in the 1980s to use infocomm technologies for Singapore's economic and social development. I am privileged to have led the team at IDA to champion the transforming power of infocomm. I am also grateful to have had the tremendous support from the industry and our partners, which contributed to our many achievements."