Leadership Transition at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS)

SINGAPORE (GMT+8) – Ambassador Barry Desker, Dean of RSIS at the Nanyang Technological University (NTU), will step down after 14 years at the helm of one of Asia’s leading professional graduate schools and international affairs think tanks. He will be succeeded by Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, who is currently Singapore’s High Commissioner to Malaysia.

Ambassador Ong will take up the position of Executive Deputy Chairman (EDC), a position created under a new RSIS management structure that also retains a Deanship for the School. As EDC, Ambassador Ong will be the executive and administrative head of RSIS, and be responsible for providing overall leadership and strategic directions in professional, academic and administrative matters. He will also manage policy research under RSIS’ role as a think tank.

Concurrent with Ambassador Ong’s assumption of leadership at RSIS, Professor Joseph Liow, the current Associate Dean, will be re-designated as the Dean, and will have revised responsibilities. Professor Liow will be the Chief Academic Officer of RSIS, with responsibilities for the conduct, coordination and quality of the School’s academic programmes. He will also lead in the School’s academic development and assist the EDC in the overall management of RSIS.

Ambassador Barry Desker will be re-designated as Distinguished Fellow at RSIS after stepping down.