Chan Yeng Kit: The ‘serial job hopper’ who’s now SPH Media’s new executive chairman

[SINGAPORE] Take a look at Chan Yeng Kit’s curriculum vitae, which lists how he spent more than 36 years in the public service with 11 different organisations, and even he knows that many would consider him, in his own words, a “serial job hopper”.

At the start of this month, the 61-year-old former senior civil servant – who was the CEO of SPH Media since July 2024 – embarked on his latest role as executive chairman of both SPH Media Trust and SPH Media Holdings.

Chan, whose last stop in the civil service was as permanent secretary at the Ministry of Health, said he was asked to continue with executive responsibilities even as he became chairman, “in order to ensure there is some continuity and stability”.

“You can’t have a new strategy every year or every two years, and you can’t transform unless there is some stability and some continuity in the direction,” he said in an interview just before he started work in the new job on Thursday (Oct 1).

He noted how SPH Media, since it became a company limited by guarantee in 2021, has had three CEOs in these last five years.

Even so, he stressed that the intention is for him to eventually relinquish his executive roles and become a non-executive chairman – probably within the next two or three years, but “hopefully earlier”.

“I would say that, if (we are already in) 2030 and I still have executive roles, then I’ve not done my job,” he added.

“But as long as the board and our institutional members feel I can continue playing a role as non-executive chairman, I will be happy to do so. That would help to provide continuity.”

Chan made the point that the experiences gained at each of the organisations he has worked at – the defence, education as well as the then information, communications and the arts ministries, among others – have been different.

“Even within SPH, the newsrooms have a different culture from, say, the corporate or commercial side. The individual newsrooms themselves have their own culture. But what I find in all the places I’ve been to, is that we are all there because of what we feel is a mission. And I am very proud of the newsrooms.”

Collective leadership

Chan’s expanded role as executive chairman, which incorporates his current responsibilities, comes as SPH Media recently announced key leadership and board changes that took effect on Thursday.

He succeeded Khaw Boon Wan, who retired on the same day after five years as chairman of both SPH Media Trust and SPH Media Holdings. 

Kuek Yu Chuang was promoted from deputy CEO to managing director. Tan Pei Jun has been promoted to chief operating officer, and will also continue in her role as chief financial officer. Four new directors joined the board of SPH Media Holdings, replacing four who retired.

In the group interview with all of SPH Media’s flagship publications, Chan spoke about the importance of “collective leadership” – something he has emphasised regularly ever since he took the helm more than two years ago.

“Every decision we make, it’s a collective decision by the whole executive committee,” he said.

“I don’t believe in one person dictating things and saying we will do this without ownership and internalisation. I don’t think that will be for the best. Once there is collective leadership, whether you have a change of CEO, as long as the team still believes in (the change), I think that will continue.”

Impact of AI

Unsurprisingly, the topic of artificial intelligence came up several times during the interview.

When asked if he felt some jobs in the media industry would be gone due to the impact of AI, Chan said it was not about these roles disappearing, but rather about them being “redefined” due to these technological advancements.

“In the old days, when computerisation first began, we had a typing pool and copy typists. But when word processors were introduced, these copy typists didn’t have a job anymore. The same happened with stenographers,” he said.

“We will have a similar impact with AI, and some jobs will be affected. In the past, we didn’t have a big retrenchment, but these people were retrained. They went on to do other things, and in many cases they did something of higher value.

“My main point is that when we look at AI, it gives us an opportunity to really do a lot more with what we have.”

What is key for a national news company such as SPH Media, he added, is to produce high-quality and original content, which “is not something that AI can generate”.

“One job which I hope will never go away is reporting. You still need a reporter to go out and get this original news. It will be a while before robots are empathetic enough to interview someone and have that person pour out all the stories to (it),” noted Chan.

“The other area where AI is not quite there yet – and maybe one day it will be – is (having) that editorial judgment and insights that a human can bring. So we need to make sure this becomes an indispensable part of any AI platform in the future.”

Winning over the audience

Beyond extending the reach to SPH Media’s audience and staying relevant, Chan also spoke of building trust in journalism itself, which he said remains the “core ingredient” for the company.

“If there’s one thing about trust, it cannot be legislated and it cannot be bestowed on someone. It needs to be earned. And once that trust is lost, it is very hard to regain.”

The Straits Times – the flagship English daily publication – has been around for 181 years, and that longevity has helped SPH Media to build up this level of trust, he added.

Chan pointed to a 2025 Reuters survey that revealed that 75 per cent of audiences trust ST, making it the most trusted brand in Singapore.

“I value that. If you ask if I’m happy with that, I am. But am I content? I will say ‘no’, because there’s another 25 per cent out there (to win over). I want to win over every Singaporean, and like I’ve said earlier, this trust needs to be earned. I want to aim higher and I think we can.”