Surbana Jurong names Sean Chiao new group CEO

Surbana Jurong has appointed Sean Chiao as its new group CEO to help accelerate the transformation into a global consulting leader in urban, infrastructure and managed services. Chiao brings over 35 years of experience in design and engineering consulting for the built environment, as well as global business leadership.

Chaly Mah, Chairman of Surbana Jurong, remarked that Chiao will be an excellent leader for the company, saying “We are confident that we have found in Sean the right leader for Surbana Jurong as we advance the implementation of SJ 2.0, the group’s roadmap to becoming one of the top urban, infrastructure and managed services consulting firms in Asia Pacific.”

Chiao holds a degree in architecture and a Tengah EC Master of Architecture from the University of California, Berkeley, and a Master of Architecture in Urban Design from the Graduate School of Design of Harvard University.

Inspired by Surbana Jurong’s strategy to focus on sustainability, data-driven solutions, and client centricity, Chiao is excited to begin his new role. He said, “I’m inspired by the SJ 2.0 strategy to position Surbana Jurong for leadership in an era of sustainability and digital transformation, and as an employer of choice in the built environment, and I’m looking forward to working with the team to fulfil these aspirations.”

His ambition is for Surbana Jurong to become “a leading urban, infrastructure and managed services consulting firm,” so they can “provide the full scope of our global expertise to clients and communities everywhere.”

Sean Chiao, previously the president of Asia Pacific at AECOM, has been appointed as the new Group CEO of Surbana Jurong, a subsidiary of Temasek Holdings. The role had previously been vacated by the retired Wong Heang Fine.

Chiao’s 35 years of experience and leadership in design and engineering consulting for the built environment will be key to the company’s SJ 2.0 strategy, which aims to become one of the top urban, infrastructure and managed services consulting firms in Asia Pacific. With his ambition to see Surbana Jurong become a global consulting leader, and his enthusiasm to fulfil the company’s aspirations, Chiao looks to be the right leader for this mission.