Desmond Kuek

Desmond Kuek is chief executive officer of Temasek Trust, advancing philanthropy and impact investing across Asia. Under his leadership, its ecosystem continues to grow, from ABC Impact to the Philanthropy Asia Alliance. He also chairs Temasek Shophouse, an expanded social impact hub reopening in January 2026.

Before joining Temasek Trust, the philanthropic arm of Temasek Holdings, Kuek held senior leadership roles across the public, private and non-profit sectors. From 2019 to 2022, he was divisional vice chairman of Global Wealth Management and global head of Sustainable Finance at UBS. He previously served as president and group CEO of SMRT Corporation (2012–2018), and as permanent secretary at Singapore’s Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources (2010–2012). Earlier, Kuek spent over two decades in the Singapore Armed Forces, where he was chief of Defence Force, chief of Army and director of Joint Intelligence.

He has served on various public boards, including the Housing & Development Board, Jurong Town Corporation, International Enterprise Singapore and Singapore Technologies Engineering, and held advisory roles with SAP, Toyota Tsusho, the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities, Nanyang Technological University and the Singapore Centre for Green Finance.

Kuek holds a Master of Arts in Engineering Science from the University of Oxford and a Master in Public Administration from Harvard University, and is an alumnus of IMD Switzerland.