ASEAN welcomes new Deputy Secretary-General for ASEAN Economic Community

JAKARTA, 26 March 2021 –  Today, Satvinder Singh took office as the new Deputy Secretary-General (DSG) for ASEAN Economic Community (AEC).

Guided by the ASEAN Charter, he will support the Secretary-General of ASEAN in the implementation of the AEC Blueprint 2025 and will lead the AEC Department of the ASEAN Secretariat. He will also provide strategic policy advice to advance ASEAN’s economic integration agenda. DSG Singh, who is from Singapore, succeeded Dr Aladdin D. Rillo from the Philippines.

Prior to assuming the position, DSG Singh was the Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Trade Connectivity & Business Services at Enterprise Singapore where he was instrumental in strengthening Singapore’s role as Asia’s trading hub, supporting the growth of 15,000 professionals, managers, executives and technicians jobs.

DSG Singh holds a Bachelor degree in social sciences from the National University of Singapore and completed the Harvard’s Business School Advanced Management Programme.

As stated in the ASEAN Charter, the Secretary-General of ASEAN shall be assisted by four Deputy Secretaries-General, of different nationalities from the Secretary-General and shall come from four different ASEAN Member States.

Two DSGs are nominated by Member States on a rotational basis for a non-renewable term of three years while two DSGs are openly-recruited based on merit for a three-year term which may be renewed for another three years. DSG Singh is one of the two openly-recruited DSGs and he will serve from 2021 to 2024.

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Source: ASEAN Secretariat