MP Tin Pei Ling announces new role at payment firm DCS Card Centre after leaving Grab

SINGAPORE: Member of Parliament Tin Pei Ling on Monday (Oct 2) announced that she has joined DCS Card Centre, formerly known as Diners Club Singapore.

She said she will lead strategic partnerships and business development at the company.

“Today’s my first day at work and it’s been great! In this role, I will focus on establishing strategic partnerships to reinforce our position as a leading and innovative player in the payment landscape and driving future market expansion,” Ms Tin said in a LinkedIn post.

“This is exciting as I can now play a more active role in the commercial and strategic side of business and in an industry sector that I have been watching with interest.”

The 39-year-old MacPherson MP said in August that she was leaving Grab to take on a “more external-facing and commercial” position at a financial technology firm.

This came seven months after she was hired for a role at Grab that sparked public scrutiny and questions over a possible conflict of interest.

Ms Tin was initially appointed as Grab’s director of public affairs and policy in January. After this was announced, she stated that her role as a parliamentarian would be distinct from her role at Grab, adding that she would be “transparent and above board” as to which capacity she was representing at any one time.

But nine days later, she was moved to a corporate development role, with her employer admitting to “significant discourse” around her earlier appointment. Grab noted that going forward, she would not represent the company in public policy discussions with the Singapore government.

Ms Tin’s People’s Action Party also released a statement at the time, acknowledging “challenges” in carrying out her dual responsibilities as a lawmaker and private sector employee required to engage with the government.