Certis today announced the appointment of Mr Allen Lew as Chairman of the Board with effect from 23 November 2023. Mr Lew is currently the Deputy Chairman and will succeed Mr Olivier Lim, who will end his tenure with the Board on 22 November 2023, after nine illustrious years.
Mr Olivier Lim was first appointed to the Board of Certis CISCO Security Pte Ltd in 2014, and subsequently appointed Chairman in 2015. Mr Lim played a pivotal role in facilitating the transformation of Certis in collaboration with the Board and shareholder, as well as the executive team.
Certis has transformed from a traditional security services provider, to a multi-national technology-led integrated services leader, offering class leading solutions such as Certis BPRO and Security+ to its clients. The transformation also saw Certis acquiring and bolstering its integrated facilities management capabilities. Certis’ transformation has materially expanded its addressable market beyond traditional manpower security.
Today, Certis is able to provide bespoke security and ops-tech solutions for a broad range of complex customer requirements. Certis is unique in being able to design and operate in-house end-to-end solutions encompassing design thinking, technology and device systems integration, technology augmented manpower operations as well as proprietary ops-tech software like Certis Mozart. With these capabilities, Certis has become a change agent and partner to numerous customers helping break down silos, integrating manpower and technology, and achieve higher efficiency, efficacy and situational awareness in their complex operations.
During his tenure as Chairman, the Board played a key role in re-configuring Certis’ internationalisation efforts. Today, Certis operates in select markets including Hong Kong, Australia and Qatar. In the latter two markets, it is a recognized leader in security and operations services including Airport security services.
In 2018, the company was rebranded as Certis and during Covid-19, Certis pivoted rapidly to providing support towards Singapore’s fight against the pandemic. Certis partnered local authorities to bolster efforts in managing quarantine and social distancing mandates, proving itself to be an invaluable security partner in times of national crisis. The Board also provided strong support and guidance to the Certis management team as it navigated the numerous challenges during the pandemic, including manpower shortages, as well as ensuring the team was prepared for the rapid return of travel at Changi airport.
Even as Certis met its Covid-19 obligations, the Board remained focused on Certis’ transformation journey, with strong support for management to adequately upskill and re-skill its people, as well as develop new capabilities and technologies in anticipation of the rebound. Certis continues to capture new market share, especially in the areas of ops-tech solutions and integrated facilities management.
Appointment of Mr Allen Lew as new Chairman
Mr Allen Lew is no stranger to Certis, having been appointed to the Board in January 2022, and subsequently appointed Deputy Chairman in May this year as part of smooth succession planning. Mr Lew has been a Senior Advisor at Singapore Telecommunications Limited (Singtel) from April 2021 to April 2023, having previously held several senior executive positions with Singtel, including Country Chief Executive Officer (Optus) of Singtel Thailand from April 2015 to April 2021.
Concurrent to his appointment with Certis, Allen is also a Board Member and Chairman of the Audit and Risk Committee of Raffles Medical Group and Citibank Singapore Limited. Mr Lew was formerly on the Boards of Advanced Info Service Public Company in Thailand, Globe Telecom in the Philippines, Sentosa Development Corporation, Energy Market Authority and the Singapore Institute of Technology.
Mr Paul Chong, President and Group CEO of Certis, said: “We are excited to have Allen lead us in charting a new era for Certis, as we continue in being the premier smart operations and security services provider in the region.
“We will also like to thank Olivier for his visionary leadership and passion for people, serving as an inspiration for me and my management team. The result of his guidance is what Certis is today: a modern, world-class data-powered smart operations leader, growing from our humble roots as a security force.
“We are deeply appreciative of Olivier and his dedication to Certis’ growth over the past years. His tenure as Chairman has been incredibly invaluable to me and my management and we wish him the very best for his future endeavours,” Mr Chong added.