ST Engineering group COO Ravinder Singh to retire; Vertex Holdings’ managing director Mervyn Tan to take his place

After 11 years at ST Engineering, Ravinder Singh, group chief operating officer (technology and innovation) and president for defence and public security (DPS), will retire on May 31.

Mervyn Tan, managing director, investment, at venture capital firm Vertex Holdings, will join the group to assume the roles, effective Jun 1.

Singh, 61, will take on an advisory role from Jun 1, ST Engineering said in a statement on Thursday (Apr 17).

As group COO for technology and innovation, Singh “champions innovation initiatives and drives the application of technology and innovation across the group”, the statement said.

Since ST Engineering’s reorganisation in 2021, he has also been instrumental in shaping the DPS segment, it added.

From 2021 to 2024, revenue for both the DPS segment and the group’s defence business grew more than 20 per cent. The DPS segment expanded its digital business, which achieved its 2026 revenue target two years early.

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The group also reinforced its position as a strategic partner to the Ministry of Defence (Mindef) and the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Internationally, ST Engineering has secured over S$2.2 billion worth of new orders since 2021 and expanded into new markets, particularly in Europe and the Middle East.

Tan, 53, was responsible for the investment in startups with innovative technologies in deep-tech domains, such as artificial intelligence, quantum technology and new materials, at Vertex Holdings.

Before that, he was chief executive of Singapore’s Defence Science and Technology Agency, and held positions at Mindef, the Republic of Singapore Air Force and Singapore Armed Forces.

Shares of ST Engineering closed at S$7.13 on Thursday, up S$0.10 or 1.4 per cent.