TERRY Moran has resigned as the nation's chief public servant

TERRY Moran has resigned as the nation's chief public servant and will be replaced by Defence secretary Ian Watt.

The new top Defence bureaucrat will be Duncan Lewis, who was an army officer for 30 years and former head of Special Forces before becoming a public servant and the first-ever national security adviser in 2008.

It is a rare move to make a former military person the civilian head of Defence.

Mr Moran, who was promoted to the top job by Kevin Rudd and stayed on under Julia Gillard, will stand down as head of the Prime Minister's Department on September 5.

He is a former head of the Victorian Premier's Department and has been a top-level public servant for 24 years. Ms Gillard said Mr Moran told her in January he wanted to retire.

Former bureaucrat looks to invest in retail business

Somchainuk Engtrakul, a former permanent secretary to the Finance Ministry, is planning more investments in the retail business, along with a Korean-style beauty treatment centre for Thai teenagers.

Sineenart Engtrakul and her father Somchainuk see more potential to offer the BBbrand to young women.Ms Sineenart said the market response to their BBClinic in Soi Thong Lo after its first year was better than expected. The company earned about60million baht with 15 million in profit. WISIT THAMNGERN

"I think community malls represent a very high-potential retail format to develop now," he said.
The retail project costing 60-80 million baht will take shape on a 10-rai plot on the superhighway between Lamphun Industrial Estate and Chiang Mai.
Mr Somchainuk is also an adviser to BB Beauty and Beyond Co, the operator of BB Clinic, which will be a tenant at the mall.
"We have a serious intention to expand our beauty business. There is a huge potential for the beauty business, particularly for Korean-style surgery. Thais are no longer shy about surgery to give them Korean-style beauty," he said.
Sineenart Engtrakul, Mr Somchainuk's daughter and the CEO of BB Beauty and Beyond, said the market response to BB Clinic in Soi Thong Lo after its first year was better than expected. The company earned about 60 million baht with 15 million in profit.
"The economic downturn last year did not affect the 11-billion-baht surgery business. Overall demand grew by 17-18% in 2010 while the segment for young customers aged between 18 and 25 years old did better with 100% growth," she said.
This prompted the company to launch a new brand, BB You by BB Clinic for teen customers in Soi Vacharapol, off Rarm Intra Road. If the new brand is successful, one more outlet will be opened in Bangkok this year. Mr Somchainuk expects total sales of 90 million baht this year from his beauty treatment business.

Administration prefers bureaucrat for museum dir post

With Chandigarh Housing Board (CHB) secretary MM Sabharwal taking over the charge of the additional charge of director, UT Museum and Art Gallery on Monday, UT administration has gone in for a bureaucrat rather than an expert for a technical post.

Former principal of Chandigarh College of Architecture, Rajnish Wattas, was tipped as one possible candidate for the post. His proposal to combine the post with that of Le Corbusier Centre's nodal officer has also been shot down by the authorities.


The UT administration had requested Wattas to take over the reins of the world famous Le Corbusier Centre as he was considered technically qualified. At that time, Wattas had submitted a written proposal suggesting that he can assume the charge only if both the posts of museum director and Corbusier Centre' nodal officer are offered to streamline the process.

Wattas had given the example of VN Singh who himself before taking up the assignment had held the post of museum director for years. "Singh had enough experience of handling both post as he had earlier been the principal of Government Arts College," Wattas said in his representation.

However, criticizing the move, former CCA principal SS Bhatti said, "It has been wrong on the part of the administration to continue giving additional charge to a bureaucrat after the retirement of earlier incumbent. The post of museum director must be given to a senior expert who can look after the place in a better way," insisted Bhatti.Though, Bhatti was not favour of combining the two posts of museum director and Le Corbusier Centre nodal officer, saying, "Both the posts have different responsibilities and ways so each post should be given only one individual so that justice can be done to both. I am also in favour of increasing the remunerations and perks of the nodal officer." A senior UT tourism official said, "We can not afford to provide more remunerations and other facilities. Though we have not been able to find a suitable nodal officer for the Corbusier Centre as yet. Efforts are on to advertise the post once again."