Tan Beng Tee, once nicknamed Singapore’s First Lady of Shipping, is relishing her new role as executive director of the Singapore Maritime Foundation (SMF).

She sees it as a way to nurture the next generation of shipping industry professionals.

Best known for many years as the shipping industry’s go-to person at the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore, where she retired as assistant chief executive of development at the end of December, Tan told TradeWinds that shipping is far too exciting an industry to walk away from.