New HDB chief's goals: Affordability, quality
ST FILE PHOTO
THE Housing Board will find innovative ways of keeping flats affordable while improving the quality and catering to the wide range of aspirations of its home buyers, said its new chief executive officer (CEO) Cheong Koon Hean.
Speaking on Wednesday at the first press conference in her new role, she said HDB 'has been doing a very good job... but there will always be challenges'.
'HDB deals with a very big customer base... with very different income levels and aspirations. One of the challenges is how we can do our best to meet these expectations as realistically as possible,' she said.
Mrs Cheong took over as CEO on Aug 1, replacing Mr Tay Kim Poh, who is now at the Ministry of National Development as its deputy secretary of development.
The move for Mrs Cheong, 53, comes at a time when housing has gained increasing importance for a public concerned with the affordability of homes.
She is a real estate industry veteran, having been CEO at the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) for the past six years.
In her time at URA, she led the development of Marina Bay and new areas such as Jurong Lake District, Kallang Riverside and Paya Lebar Central.
The former Colombo Plan scholarship holder has a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Architecture from Australia's Newcastle University, and a Master's of Science in Urban Development Planning from University College London.
Mrs Cheong said yesterday that beyond building the 'hardware' or physical homes, HDB also needs to think about the 'software', or how to make homes endearing for its people, 'to preserve hopes and memories'.
'That's a difficult challenge... but we want to build a vibrant community,' she said.
When asked to comment on HDB's role in the upcoming general election (GE), Mrs Cheong said: 'HDB always does its best, GE or no GE.
'We'll always monitor (the market) and we do our best to put housing within the reach of Singaporeans.'
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