By Conrad Tan

(SINGAPORE) Michael Dee, a senior managing director at Temasek Holdings, will step down from his post on April 30 after less than two years on the job, but will retain an advisory role until the end of the year, BT has learnt.

Two sources told BT that Mr Dee, a seasoned former Morgan Stanley investment banker, was leaving the Singapore investment firm, but one of them said that his exit would be gradual, not sudden.

When contacted, Temasek confirmed that Mr Dee would give up his position as senior MD, international.

'Michael Dee's decision to relinquish the role of senior managing director is part of executive movements,' said Temasek spokesman Myrna Thomas. 'Michael will continue to contribute to Temasek as advisory senior director till the end of the year.'

BT understands that he will officially step down from his senior MD post on April 30. No replacement has been named.

Of Temasek's 11 senior MDs, Mr Dee is one of the newest, having joined the firm less than two years ago.

Jimmy Phoon, who is senior MD of strategy, is the newest senior MD, but unlike Mr Dee, he had a prior long stint at Temasek from 1999 to 2007, when he left to pursue his own interests before rejoining the firm in November 2008.

Mr Dee was an investment banker at Morgan Stanley for 25 years until he was hired by Temasek as senior managing director, international, in August 2008 - when he was head of the bank's Houston office in the United States, a position he had held since 2004.

Before that, he was chief executive officer for South-east Asia at Morgan Stanley in Singapore, from 2001 to 2004.

Mr Dee's departure from his post follows other recent high-level changes at Temasek.

On Feb 1, Temasek appointed former Singapore Exchange chief executive Hsieh Fu Hua as a non-executive director. Shortly after, on Feb 17, Temasek said that Mr Hsieh would also take on the job of special adviser to chief executive Ho Ching, prompting speculation that he is being groomed to succeed Ms Ho as CEO.

And in January, Michael Lien, grandson of the late Overseas Union Bank founder Lien Ying Chow, joined the Temasek board, also as non-executive director.

Since Temasek's abortive attempt last year to hire Charles Goodyear, the former CEO of mining giant BHP Billiton, as Ms Ho's successor, it has not named any other potential new CEO.

This article was first published in The Business Times.