Humanitarian aid organisation Mercy Relief today announced the resignation of its chief executive, Mr Hassan Ahmad, and the appointment of his successor, Mr Goh Chin Siang.
Said Mercy Relief’s chairman Mr Michael Tay of the change in chief executive: “We’re sorry to see someone with Hassan’s passion and calibre leave the organisation – he’s done a lot for Mercy Relief and the many people in Asia who have been touched by the work we do. We support his decision and thank him for his contributions.
“I am confident that Mercy Relief will continue doing good for the humanitarian cause and do it well. Chin Siang brings with him three decades of operational military experience having held key appointments within the army. He will receive the continued support of the board, management and team at Mercy Relief.”
Mr Hassan is leaving Mercy Relief to focus on his health and recovery from surgery following a serious back injury.
The appointment of Mr Goh, a former Lieutenant Colonel with the Singapore Army, takes effect from 1 November 2013.
About Hassan Ahmad
Mr Hassan, who headed the organisation twice – from 2003 to 2006, and again from 2008 to October 2013 – is credited with building Mercy Relief into a lean, fast-response organisation that has successfully maintained a 72-hour emergency response time.
He is also credited with expanding Mercy Relief’s scope of activities from emergency relief to sustainable community development and disaster risk reduction programmes for disadvantaged and vulnerable rural communities.
About Goh Chin Siang
Mr Goh has held several key appointments in the Army including Commanding Officer of a Singapore Combat Engineers Battalion, Commander of the Training Facility, as well as Branch Head of the Operations and Training Branch at Army Headquarters at the Singapore Ministry of Defence.
His time in the military has provided him with extensive exposure and the relevant experience in coordinating and executing humanitarian assistance and community service projects in the region, while his overseas deployments have allowed him to establish a sound regional network – appropriate for the co-ordination of relief operations and collaborations; all which serve to enhance Mercy Relief’s disaster response capacity.
About Mercy Relief
Mercy Relief is a Singaporean humanitarian organisation which engages in both disaster relief and sustainable development programmes. It was established in 2003 as an independent non-governmental humanitarian charity responding to the human tragedies in Asia. Mercy Relief’s aid programme focuses on providing timely and effective assistance to disaster-stricken communities and has maintained the delivery of emergency aid within 72 hours from the point of appeal for assistance.
In the past 12 years, Mercy Relief has disbursed over S$32 million in aid across 40 disaster relief and 53 sustainable development initiatives. Mercy Relief has impacted an aggregate of 2 million lives in 24 countries and areas, namely Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, DPR Korea, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Japan, Laos, Lebanon, Malaysia, the Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, Palestine, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, Vietnam and Yemen.
For more information, you may call us at 6514 6322 or email corporateaffairs@mercyrelief.org
