Indonesian ride-hailing unicorn Go-Jek has appointed Lien Choong Luen as the new general manager of Go-Jek Singapore. Lien will oversee commercial operations and other business activities in Singapore.

Go-Jek’s President Andre Soelistyo said Singapore is a challenging market for Go-Jek. Lien’s appointment can be seen as a response to this as well as a reflection of the firm’s overall strategy to adapt to local needs.

Lien has worked at Singapore’s National Research Foundation under the Prime Minister’s Office where he helped design long-term strategies to enhance innovation at companies in Singapore’s research and development ecosystem. Before that role, Lien was the head of McKinsey Centre for Government, Southeast Asia. Lien has lived and worked in China and Southeast Asia.

Go-Jek is committed to Singapore for the long term, says Lien. The ride-hailing unicorn first launched its beta service in Singapore late 2018 and only extended its service coverage to the whole of Singapore in January 2019.

As a newcomer, Go-Jek is still trying to find its place in this market, with the main sources of user dissatisfaction being its inefficient matching system and long waiting time.

Editor: Nadine Freischlad