Tin Pei Ling resigns from Grab to join fintech firm; 6 months after concerns from Singaporeans over conflict of interest

SINGAPORE: Six months after taking on a role at Grab, PAP Member of Parliament for MacPherson SMC Tin Pei Ling says she’s leaving the super-app tech firm and is moving on to a fintech company.

In an Aug 17 (Thursday) post on LinkedIn, Ms Tin wrote that she was bidding “farewell to the wonderful people and time” at Grab and was looking forward “to embarking on a new exciting journey in my career, and take on a more external-facing and commercial role in the tech sector.”

Grab Singapore announced on Feb 1 of this year that the MP had been appointed as Director of Public Affairs and Policy.

News of her appointment did not go over well with some Singaporeans, who raised questions regarding conflict of interest, given that Ms Tin’s role involved running Grab’s government relations department.

“She should be blocked from taking up this role as she is actively involved in how policy is shaped and discussed in parliament. She might also have access to sensitive data that she can use in her commercial role. Very disappointing that something like that can happen,” wrote one Reddit user.

Read related: Tin Pei Ling: Interests of MacPherson constituents must come first

She also shared some information about her new job, which begins on Oct 1.

“Looking ahead, I will be joining an aspiring FinTech company that aims to pioneer innovative advancements in the payment industry. I will take on a leadership role in strategic partnerships & business development. I am excited that this new role will give me the opportunity to support the company’s product innovation efforts and expansion into key Asia-Pacific markets.”

Ms Tin, 39, who began volunteering with Dr Vivian Balakrishnan’s Meet-the-People’s sessions in her second year in university, was the People’s Action Party’s youngest candidate during the 2011 general election when she joined the PAP slate at Marine Parade.

A businesswoman by profession, she has worked at Ernst & Young, the Jing King Tech Group and Business China. /TISG

The Tin Pei Ling fiasco and the question of morality