DCS Card Centre nabs Tin Pei Ling following Grab exit

Member of Parliament Tin Pei Ling has joined DCS Card Centre, which used to be known as Diners Club Singapore, as its new managing director, strategic partnership and business development, according to DCS Card Centre when MARKETING-INTERACTIVE reached out. 

"Tin's focus will be on establishing and nurturing strategic partnerships to solidify our position as a leading and innovative player in the payments industry. Her extensive experience and expertise from both the public and private sectors make her a valuable addition to our team," said  Karen Low, CEO of DCS Card Centre. 

"Tin's presence at DCS Card Centre reinforces our commitment to advancing payment solutions through innovation. We are looking forward to her continued contribution to the tech and payments innovation space in Singapore, and we share her enthusiasm for the opportunities that lie ahead," added Low.

"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," wrote Tin in a LinkedIn update.

"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," she added

Don't miss: Tin Pei Ling steps down from Grab

The news comes shortly after Tin stepped down as director of corporate development at Grab after just eight months in the role. She explained at the time that she would be moving on to a more external-facing and commercial role in the tech sector in October. 

"I will take on a leadership role in strategic partnerships and business development. I am excited that this new role will give me the opportunity to support the company’s product innovation efforts and expansion into key Asia-Pacific markets," she said in August.

Tin's move out of Grab came months after public outcry regarding her appointment at Grab. In February this year, Tin joined Grab Singapore as its director of Public Affairs and Policy. A Grab spokesperson confirmed the news to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE.

The spokesperson added at the time that Tin has deep on-ground understanding of digital economy and smart nation policy, and close ties with the local community. “She will build partnerships and programmes to harness the positive potential of technology to create impact in Singapore,” he said.

However, shortly after, she was moved to a corporate development role within the tech giant following debates on social media about her appointment as the company’s director of public affairs and policy. The news was announced by Tin on her social media accounts as well as in a statement by Grab that Tin posted on her page. Tin wrote on her LinkedIn page that following the recent public attention, she discussed the issue with Grab and agreed that it would be best for her to move into a role that did not involve any government relations in Singapore.

Prior to joining Grab, Tin, who is the MP for MacPherson, served as the chief executive officer at Business China, a local non-profit organisation that aims to foster Singapore-China relationships. She was in this role since 2018. In a LinkedIn post at the time, Tin announced that she was leaving Business China but that she would be serving on its board and continuing to walk alongside the organisation in the years to come.

Tin also served as the keynote speaker during MARKETING-INTERACTIVE's Digital Marketing Asia 2022 conference. During the conference, she noted that the upheavals in the tech scene can be somewhat unsettling. She said that although the world is experiencing "very painful times of deep crisis at this moment", there is always hope and tech industries and firms should take heart.

Tin joins DCS Card Centre shortly after it underwent its biggest rebrand since being founded in 1973. 

Under its new tagline “A fintech with heritage”, DCS aims to transform itself into a fintech company with innovative payment solutions while leveraging its network and the experience it has built.

Previously set up as a franchise of Diners Club International as its sole issuer and acquirer in Singapore, the rebrand goes beyond cosmetic factors as the name change is required to support product expansion with other global card schemes including Mastercard, UnionPay and Visa.

The rebrand in August also saw the launch of a new mobile app that allows its merchants to access valuable transaction data in real-time, as well as new-to-market services such as instant settlement and loans.

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