Kenneth Er Boon Hwee

Kenneth Er Boon Hwee graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Forestry), first class honours, from the Australian National University in 1996. He was awarded the University Medal and the Schlich Memorial Trust Prize. He pursued a postgraduate programme at the University of British Columbia and graduated with a Master of Science in 2002.

He began his career with the National Parks Board Singapore (NParks) where he spent his formative years managing Singapore’s parks and streetscapes. After a secondment to the Ministry of National Development’s Infrastructure Division as a Deputy Director, he returned to NParks as Assistant CEO to oversee the agency’s corporate functions, while concurrently serving as General Manager for Gardens by the Bay.

Assuming the position of Chief Operating Officer in June 2012 he was instrumental in establishing the Gardens by the Bay which has been distinguished as an iconic achievement winning many accolades and awards from international bodies.

A forest ecologist by discipline, Mr Er has deep interests in conservation biology, with emphasis on the design and management of nature reserves within an urban landscape. In addition to working on avian ecology, wildlife survey methodology and criteria for conservation, Mr Er has also published papers in several international journals and also presented at various conferences over the years.

For his contributions, Mr Er was awarded the Singapore Public Service Medal (Bronze) in 2007.