After 20 years at the helm of integrated fish service provider Qian Hu, Kenny Yap will be stepping down as Group CEO at the end of the year.
He will be succeeded by his nephew Yap Kok Cheng who will commence his duties as CEO on Jan 1 2021. The older Yap will then serve Qian Hu as executive chairman.
42-year-old Kok Cheng was appointed as the next leader after “several rigorous rounds of assessments”.
He first joined the company over 15 years ago in January 2005 as a management trainee. Under this, he was posted to Beijing to manage the Group’s operations and business development initiatives in China.
He was subsequently promoted to General Manager of Qian Hu’s China Operations in 2016. This role saw him working on projects such as the development of the company’s Aquaculture offerings in Hainan.
“Kok Cheng is not new to challenges, having been thrown into the deep end when he first joined the Group, managing and leading Qian Hu’s expansion into China,” says the older Yap.
“I believe wholeheartedly that I am passing the baton to someone who has the drive and determination to lead Qian Hu into the future,” he adds.
The older Yap is said to have played an “instrumental role in transforming Qian Hu into an integrated regional ornamental fish group" which ventured into Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and China.
He also pushed for Qian Hu’s investments in features such as Dragon Fish genomic research as well as proprietary filtration technology which support its product development, notes Lead Independent Director, Tan Tow Ee.
He adds, “as Executive Chairman, Kenny continues to play a pivotal role in enhancing the Group’s ESG framework, ensuring the diversity of the Board, and providing strategic leadership in the Group’s post-pandemic recovery and transformation efforts.”
