Chief Operating Officer Appointed at the APEC Secretariat
APEC's ongoing reform efforts took another step forward this week with the APEC Secretariat's first Chief Operating Officer taking up his position in Singapore.
Mr. Tan Ee Khoon, a Singapore national, will work to help strengthen the corporate management functions of the Secretariat.
The position of Chief Operating Officer is for a three-year period and was approved by APEC Ministers in Ha Noi last November.
Formerly the Head of Finance and Corporate Affairs in the Office of the Secretary-General of ASEAN, Mr. Tan brings to the position several years of multilateral cooperation forum experience.
The APEC Secretariat's Executive Director, Ambassador Colin Heseltine, said that from a long list of candidates, Mr. Tan had the experience and track record to be appointed to the position.
"Tan Ee Khoon has strong qualifications and relevant recent experience working in a regional multilateral forum," Ambassador Heseltine said.
"He has a strong reputation through his work with ASEAN, which is also an official observer to APEC."
In his role at ASEAN Mr. Tan led efforts to reorganise the ASEAN Secretariat's financial and corporate management operations to best practice standards and managed institutional and corporate affairs at the ASEAN Secretariat, covering the areas of finance, administration, personnel and training, and information technology.
Mr. Tan coordinated, serviced and facilitated ASEAN's negotiations on trade liberalisation, and economic integration and cooperation with ASEAN's Dialogue Partners and multinational organisations such as APEC and the UNDP.
Mr. Tan has also held other positions with the Singapore Confederation of Industries, the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Monetary Authority of Singapore.
In Ha Noi last November APEC leaders endorsed a package of reform measures aimed at making APEC more efficient and results-oriented. The creation of the Chief Operating Officer position is one in a range of ongoing APEC reforms aimed at improving operational efficiency, promoting operational linkages between APEC stakeholders and enhancing operational dynamism. APEC Senior Officials will continue discussion on implementing further measures during this year.
At a broader level reforms include efforts to rationalize the number and scope of APEC fora, prioritize project proposals and develop better coordination among sub-fora, working groups and task forces.