It was certainly a very special National Day for Mr Peter Seah, the chairman of DBS Group Holdings and DBS and Singapore Airlines, who received top honours at the National Day Awards this year. 

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Mr Seah, who is also the chairman of Lasalle College of the Arts and the National Wages Council, was awarded the Order of Nila Utama (with Distinction) on August 9.

Mr Seah spent much of his career as a banker. In fact, he spent 33 years in the profession before retiring as the vice-chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the former Overseas Union Bank in 2001. His service earned him the Public Service Star in 1999 and the Distinguished Service Order in 2012.

Most recently, Mr Seah was appointed as a member of the Council of Presidential Advisers early this year. The council gives advice to President Halimah Yacob before she exercises discretionary powers on matters related to Singapore’s past reserves as well as the appointment of key public officer holders.

Mr Seah was one of over 5,700 individuals who received National Day Honours this year. Some of the other recipients include Mr Benny Lim Siang Hoe, the chairman of the National Parks Board (NParks) and Mr Richard Magnus, the chairman of the Public Transport Council. They were both given Distinguished Service Order awards.

Mr Lim has spent over three decades of his life in public service. He has worked as the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, National Security Coordination Secretariat, Prime Minister’s Office and Ministry of National Development.

Mr Magnus on the other hand was Singapore’s first representative to the ASEAN Inter-Governmental Commission on Human Rights. He also used to be the board director of the Land Transport Authority. He was given the Public Administration Medal (Gold Bar) in 2003, the Meritorious Service Medal in 2009 and the Public Service Star Medal in 2015 for his work.

To find out more about this year’s 2021 National Day Award recipients, click here.

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