e2i Leadership Transition: Honouring Caryn Lim and Welcoming Jean Tan as Chief Executive Officer
Singapore, 21 May 2026 – NTUC’s e2i (Employment and Employability Institute) today announced the appointment of Ms Jean Tan as its new Chief Executive Officer, with effect from 2 June 2026. She will succeed Ms Caryn Lim, after five years of dedicated service.
The leadership transition marks a new chapter for e2i, while ensuring continuity in its mission to empower workers through job- matching, career guidance and skills upgrading advisory services, and to support businesses through workforce transformation and job redesign solutions. With Ms Tan’s experience across workforce policy, business engagement and social impact, her appointment reflects e2i’s continued commitment to supporting workers and businesses amid workforce and industry transformation.
Ms Caryn Lim will continue in her roles as Assistant Secretary-General and Chief Job Security at NTUC, where she drives efforts to improve workers’ wages and work prospects. This includes supporting companies in their business and workforce transformation, and advancing strategies to help workers access end-to-end support, from training to job placement.
“It has been a privilege to serve as Chief Executive Officer of e2i and to work alongside a dedicated team committed to supporting workers and employers in their career and transformation journeys. I am proud of how we have expanded e2i’s reach and strengthened impact over the past few years. As e2i enters its next chapter, I am confident that under Jean’s leadership, the organisation will continue to build on this strong foundation and further deepen its support for Singaporeans as they navigate an evolving world of work,” said Ms Caryn Lim, current Chief Executive Officer of e2i.
Under Ms Caryn Lim’s Leadership, e2i Expanded Its Reach and Impact
During her tenure as Chief Executive Officer, Ms Caryn Lim strengthened e2i’s role in Singapore’s employment ecosystem and significantly expanded its reach and impact. Between 2022 and 2025, e2i facilitated about 113,000 job placements. In 2025 alone, e2i supported about 40,000 jobseekers into jobs, representing an increase of close to 30% compared to 2024.
Under her leadership, Ms Lim oversaw efforts to expand e2i’s network to 28 career touchpoints islandwide. This marked a significant step in bringing career services closer to workers and communities across Singapore, complemented by the opening of key career centres in Ang Mo Kio Hub, One Marina Boulevard, Our Tampines Hub, and Woodlands Civic Centre.
Ms Lim led efforts to enhance e2i’s digital and technology capabilities, including the rollout of AI‐enabled career support tools such as the AI Career Coach (AICC) and Virtual Career Coach (VCC), to complement e2i’s physical network of career centres and strengthen e2i’s career advisory services.
In addition, she oversaw initiatives supporting diverse groups of jobseekers, including youths, PMETs (professionals, managers, executives and technicians), mature workers, persons with disabilities, women returnees, and ex-offenders.
Ms Lim also played a key role in supporting the development and implementation of the NTUC Company Training Committee (CTC) Grant, set up in 2022 to help companies drive transformation and business growth while upskilling their workforce and supporting workers’ career progression. To date, close to 14,000 workers will stand to benefit from over 900 CTC Grant projects.
Three Decades of Cross-Sector Leadership In Workforce, Business and Social Transformation
“Ms Jean Tan brings three decades of leadership experience spanning workforce development, business transformation, public policy, international relations, philanthropy and social impact. Throughout her career, she has built strategic partnerships across government, business, and community sectors to strengthen workforce employability and resilience, advance social mobility, and foster more inclusive and sustainable growth.
Most recently, Ms Tan served as Chief Executive Officer of the SBF Foundation, concurrently holding the role of Chief Social Sustainability Officer at the Singapore Business Federation (SBF). In these capacities, she worked closely with businesses to embed purpose and sustainability into corporate strategies. She also partnered businesses, government and community agencies to strengthen employability pathways and support vulnerable workers.
Prior to SBF, Ms Tan served as Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore International Foundation (SIF) for over 15 years, where she shaped the organisation’s strategic direction and expanded its global engagement footprint. Under her leadership, SIF strengthened governance and institutional capabilities, fostered cross-border collaborations, and delivered impactful programmes in healthcare, education, arts and culture, and good business across multiple countries.
Ms Tan spent two decades in public service, including at the Ministry of Manpower and the Workforce Development Agency, where she was involved in national communications and workforce policy programmes. She also held stints in the foreign service and information and arts ministry.
Her experience across government, business and social sectors gives her a strong understanding of Singapore’s manpower landscape and policy environment, enabling her to effectively align e2i’s programmes with national workforce priorities and evolving industry needs.
Beyond her executive roles, Jean has served on the Boards of several non-profit and international development organisations, reflecting her commitment to building inclusive societies and strengthening community wellbeing.
“I am excited to join e2i at a time of rapid workforce and business transformation, driven by technology and changing industry demands. Having worked closely with business communities across sectors, I have seen first-hand the importance of aligning business transformation and job redesign solutions with workers’ needs and skills.
As we enter the next chapter, I look forward to continuing e2i’s mission to deepen partnerships with businesses and strengthen our support for workers, from job matching to career guidance, as they navigate today’s fast-evolving economy,” shared Ms Jean Tan, incoming Chief Executive Officer of e2i.”
