CQT congratulates Governing Board members on awards

Singapore celebrates its National Day on 9 August with a parade and recognition for its citizens' contributions to the country

Mr Lam Chuan Leong, Chairman of CQT's Governing Board (seated in blue shirt), has received the Meritorious Service Medal in the 2014 National Day Awards. Dr Tan Eng Chye, board member (standing, wearing tie), received the Public Administration Medal Gold). In this picture from 2012 members of CQT's Governing Board are meeting the members of CQT's Scientific Advisory Board.

Two members of CQT's Governing Board have been recognised with national awards. Mr Lam Chuan Leong, Chairman of CQT's Governing Board since the Centre's founding in 2007, was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal. Professor Tan Eng Chye, Provost of the National University of Singapore and member of CQT's Governing Board, received the Public Administration Medal (gold). The awards were announced during Singapore's National Day celebrations, with 9 August 2014 being the country's 49th birthday.

"We congratulate Chuan Leong and Eng Chye on this high honour. We are lucky to be among the beneficiaries of Chuan Leong's meritorious service and of Eng Chye's capable governance," says CQT's Director Artur Ekert. He notes that Mr Lam's wide-ranging experience and sound judgment have guided the centre well in establishing its policies and strategies. Professor Tan has been instrumental in shaping the strong relationship between the Centre and NUS, its host. CQT's Governing Board oversees the running of CQT as an autonomous research operation.

Mr Lam Chuan Leong

Mr Lam is chairman of the Competition Commission of Singapore and Ambassador-at-Large for Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. His past appointments include Principal Private Secretary to Singapore's Prime Minister. Before he entered politics, however, he began as a physicist.

Mr Lam graduated with a First Class BSc in physics from the National University of Singapore in 1970. In an interview for CQT's 2011 Annual Report, he commented on the transition into politics: "physics and maths are both very useful in that they train the mind to be critical and logical. This is most useful in Singapore where someone has described public management as a high form of rationality tempered by pragmatism".

The Meritorius Service Medal is presented by the Singapore Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to a "person who has performed within Singapore, service of conspicuous merit characterised by resource and devotion to duty, including long service marked by exceptional ability, merit and exemplary conduct".

The PMO also provides the following description: "The Medal is silver-gilt having, on the obverse side, a rhomboid artifice superimposed upon a multi-perforated base. In the centre of the artifice is a shield bearing a crescent and 5 stars and below it a scroll with the inscription "PINGAT JASA GEMILANG". The reverse side of the Medal bears the State Arms. The Medal is to be worn on the left side of the outer garment suspended by a ribbon. The ribbon is grey with a red centre band flanked on each side by a white stripe and a thin red stripe."

Professor Tan Eng Chye

Professor Tan Eng Chye is NUS Deputy President (Academic Affairs) and Provost. He acts as a voice of the University on CQT's Governing Board, alongside Professor Barry Halliwell who heads the Office of the Deputy President (Research & Technology). His extensive responsibilities in the University include strategic initiatives, oversight of the faculties, and new educational programmes. His academic background is mathematics, with research interests in Representation Theory of Lie Groups and Lie Algebras; and Invariant Theory and Algebraic Combinatorics.

The Public Administration Medal is awarded "for outstanding efficiency, competence and industry". It is described like this: "The Medal consists of 4 integrated and perforated pentagons having, on the obverse side, a four-pointed star upon which is a shield bearing a crescent and 5 stars. Below the shield is a scroll bearing the inscription "PINGAT PENTADBIRAN AWAM". The reverse side of the Medal bears the State Arms. The Medal is to be worn on the left side of the outer garment suspended by a ribbon. The ribbon consists of a red centre band flanked immediately on each side by a white stripe, followed by a grey stripe with a thin red stripe in the centre, then a white band, a thin grey stripe, a thin red stripe and finally, a grey band, in that order."