All of us at Temasek mourn Mr Kua Hong Pak, our non-Executive Board Director, who passed away peacefully last night.

Mr Kua has served on the Temasek Board since 18 November 1996, and served as Chairman of the Audit Committee since 23 July 2002. During his entire tenure, he has given his unwavering dedication and commitment. As Board Member and Audit Chairman, we have benefited from his discerning, thoughtful and balanced guidance and insights.

Mr Kua was Managing Director and Group Chief Executive Officer of Comfort DelGro Corp from 2003 until his retirement in April 2017. Since then, he continued to serve as Senior Advisor to the Group. As a veteran leader in Singapore’s transport sector, he made significant contributions to the shaping of the local public transport landscape.

Mr Kua was also a Director on the Board of PSA International since May 2002 where he was Chairman of Audit Committee and of the Southeast Asian Supervisory Committee. He had served as a Director on the Board of StarHub Ltd from November 2001 to September 2015, and was Chairman of its Audit Committee from August 2004 to September 2015.

Besides appointments in the corporate sector, Mr Kua was also active in public service. Some of his recent public appointments included Chairman of People’s Association Investment Advisory Committee; Justice of Peace with the Prime Minister’s Office; Patron of Teck Ghee’s Citizens Consultative Committee; and Honorary Treasurer of Singapore National Olympic Council.

Chairman of Temasek, Mr Lim Boon Heng, said:

Mr Kua Hong Pak was a man who gave his full dedication to every enterprise that he had been engaged in. He would be remembered for his commitment and tenacity in building up Comfort DelGro into a public transport company with global reach, from the UK to Australia.

He has served on the Temasek Board for 22 years, and chaired the Audit Committee for 16 years. He had discharged his duties with his characteristic commitment and tenacity. We are sad that he has passed on, a fighter to the end.

Deputy Chairman, Mr Cheng Wai Keung fondly remembers him as “one of the first Singaporeans I knew when I arrived in Singapore in 1974 and my go-to person to understand the socio-political landscape of Singapore”.

Temasek Board Director, Mr Goh Yew Lin, describes him to be “always very kind and considerate, a real gentleman with strong principles and a sharp mind”.

Fellow Board Director, Mr Teo Ming Kian, admires his spirit as a fighter: “Hong Pak fought a good fight in his long battle with cancer. Not many would have known how he was coping from his stoic appearance. It was a clear manifestation of his character - not one to shrink from any challenge, or to show the burden of the challenge. It was a characteristic I have known since I met him some forty years ago. It is an example we can all learn from.”

To many of us in Temasek, he was a great colleague, a mentor, a friend and a confidant.  He will be deeply missed.  Our prayers and thoughts are with his family at this time.