Surbana Jurong Group (SJ Group) group CEO Sean Chiao will retire and step down from the board of SJ Group, effective July 31.
Chiao has led SJ Group since April 2023. He had moved from his previous role as CEO for buildings and places, a global business line at infrastructure consulting firm Aecom.
SJ Group chairman Chaly Mah will take on the role of executive chairman and manage key operations. In the meantime, the board has “commenced a global search” for Chiao’s successor, according to a June 26 announcement by SJ Group.
Under Chiao’s leadership, SJ Group has made significant progress in its ambition of becoming a leading global architecture, engineering and construction (AEC) player. According to SJ Group, he steered the group's transformation agenda and anchored its enterprise approach through One SJ, unifying its businesses and brands around a shared vision and culture framework.
Chiao also strengthened and refreshed the senior leadership team, reshaped the group’s operating model into a globally integrated one, and sharpened its focus on operational excellence, says SJ Group.
Raised in Taiwan, 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.
See also: The city that knows itself, by Sean Chiao
“It has been a tremendous privilege to lead SJ through a transformative chapter in its history,” says Chiao. “Building One SJ and bringing our people together around our shared purpose is what I am most proud of. I am grateful to the chairman and the board, and all my colleagues for the trust and partnership these past three years, and retire from the role knowing that the group has the talent, the global platform and the ambition to go even further as it builds a resilient, regenerative future.”
Mah says: “We thank Sean for his leadership and his contributions in positioning the group for future success, and wish him the very best in his future endeavours.”
SJ Group’s board and management team are focused on ensuring a seamless transition, adds Mah, formerly CEO of Deloitte Southeast Asia and chairman of Deloitte Singapore.
See also: Former BCA CEO Kelvin Wong joins SJ Group as group CCO, Asia head
SJ Group’s former group CEO Wong Heang Fine retired in September 2022, and the position was vacant for six months before Chiao joined the group.
Earlier this month, SJ Group announced that former Building and Construction Authority (BCA) CEO Kelvin Wong will join the firm as group chief commercial officer and region head, Asia, effective July 1. Wong will report to the group CEO.
As region head for Asia, Wong will oversee more than half of SJ’s global workforce, and over 60% of its global revenue in 2025.
Wong led BCA in Singapore for six years before stepping down on May 1. Prior to joining BCA, Wong spent 24 years at Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB)
