Lieutenant General Bey Soo Khiang was the 3rd Chief of Defence Force of the Singapore Armed Forces from 1995 - 1 April 2000 and the first Republic of Singapore Air Force officer to reach three-star rank. Prior to becoming the Chief of Defence Force, Lieutenant General Bey served as the Chief of Air Force from 1992 until 1995.
Since his enlistment in 1973, Lieutenant-General Bey Soo Khiang has served the SAF with distinction.
He was awarded the SAF Overseas Scholarship in 1974. He holds a Masters Degree (Honours) in Engineering from Cambridge University and a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University. He made significant contributions in developing the RSAF into a modern and advanced air force as Chief of Air Force, before he was appointed the Chief of Defence Force on 1 July 1995.
During his appointment, LG Bey has positioned the SAF well to meet the challenges in the twenty-first century. He has significantly improved the SAF's operational readiness and strengthened its ability to harness leading-edge technology to develop its capability. He played an important role in defence diplomacy, strengthening and expanding ties between the SAF and other armed forces around the world. He also played an important role in developing the SAF's human resources, and creating challenging and satisfying careers for SAF personnel.
LG Bey Soo Khiang relinquished his Chief of Defence Force appointment and was succeeded by Major-General (MG) Lim Chuan Poh on 1 April 2000.
He subsequently joined Singapore Airlines as its Senior Executive Vice President Technical in July 2000. He was later promoted to Senior Executive Vice President Technical and Human Resources in 2002. In 2004, he took over the oversight of Operations and Planning areas. In early 2010, Bey assumed the newly-created post of Senior Executive Vice President for Marketing and Corporate Services.
In July 2010, Singapore Airlines announced that CEO Chew Choon Seng was going to step down at the age of 64. Bey was the highest-ranking executive among four SIA officials widely believed to be in the running to succeed the outgoing CEO. In the end, Goh Choon Phong, one of the four, was selected by the Board of Directors for the post, which he assumed on 1 January 2011.
In November 2010, Bey announced that he was quitting Singapore Airlines which he did on the 28th of February 2011.[1]
| Military offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Lt. Gen Ng Jui Ping |
3rd Chief of Defence Force 1995 - 1 April 2000 |
Succeeded by Lt. Gen Lim Chuan Poh |