Our Leadership

Ron Tan is the Executive Chairman & Group CEO of neon Group and the CEO/President of Victory Hill Exhibitions, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Cityneon Holdings. As the key executive of neon, Ron managed to transform the company to become one of the fastest-growing companies in Singapore.

Ron spearheaded partnerships with international studios such as Disney, Marvel, Hasbro, Universal, Lionsgate, 20th Century and Warner Bros., and also successfully established partnerships with governments of the world for their Cultural IP – Machu Picchu from Peru, and Ramses the Great (Ramses II) from Egypt and more. These partnerships enable neon to constantly expand its global footprints and bring impactful experiences to visitors all around the world.

He has also brought neon to greater renown, bagging awards in Singapore and the region, with the most recent being the inaugural “Best Managed Company Singapore Award 2021” organised by Deloitte and individually for Ron, “EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award”, organised by Ernst & Young in the year 2019.

Ron led 3 rounds of fundraising for neon in the year 2019, 2021 and 2022, raising a total of approximately USD355 million for the company’s strategic expansion. neon welcomed CITIC Capital, EDBI, the investment arm of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and Pavilion Capital on board in 2019. The fundraising round in April 2021 saw Seatown Holdings International and Qatar’s Doha Venture Capital, joining the already strong stable of shareholders in neon. 65 Equity Partners, an independently managed wholly-owned investment platform of Temasek came on board in October 2022 with a fresh investment of USD105 million, fueling the global expansion plans of the Group.

An alumni from The Chinese High School and Hwa Chong Junior College, Ron was awarded a scholarship by the Singapore government to pursue his Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Hawaii at Manoa where he graduated with a perfect 4.0 GPA.

Ever the thought leader, Ron brings a dynamism that translates into a strong track record of performance and turnaround in high-paced organisations.

Welby’s exploits include a tenure as the overseeing Executive Creative Director of Creations at the iconic Cirque du Soleil where he spearheaded the creation of Luzia: A Waking Dream of Mexico. He was also the Creative Director for the world renowned Michael Jackson ONE show.

Today, he brings his creative vision and over 20 years of experience in the entertainment industry to craft new intellectual properties for neon that partner global studios and feature superbrands such as Marvel, Hasbro, and Disney. These take form as thematic and immersive experiential environments, architectural concepts, interior designs, special events; and exhibitions.

At neon, Welby leads design studios in Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Singapore, with the latter being an expansion of the current design studio team. He inspires and guides the growing pool of talents at neon and Victory Hill Exhibitions while expanding the network of world-class creators working with neon.

His latest works include the fully integrated and operated Hunger Games exhibition in Las Vegas – the largest entertainment capital of the world. Award-winning work include an archery experience which won a Guinness World Record.

Welby’s preferred approach to driving creative innovation is by blending cutting-edge storytelling tools and time-tested artistic approaches, leading to the creation of a new generation of globally impactful, memorable and meaningful experiential projects that provide guests with lasting memories.

A veteran of large-scale projects in Asia and beyond, Mark is the driving force behind neon’s corporate strategy and finance component.

He leverages over 20 years of experience in the Hospitality, Entertainment and Investment Management industry. With a keen nose for unlocking value, Mark was handed the reins of his family’s business before being headhunted by KPMG and taking on tenures such as Managing Partner and Head of Digital Assurance and Innovation at KPMG Netherlands from 2017 to 2018 and prior to that, Global Head of Leisure, Hospitality and Logistics for KPMG Hong Kong.

At neon, Mark implements business strategies by overseeing execution of business models, cash flow management and fund raising which involves loan syndication of up to US$100 million, and equity raising. He is also the proponent for greater efficiency via restructuring to consolidate resources. In addition, Mark is entrusted with relationship managing for movie studios and is in charge of mergers and acquisitions of new IPs.

With one eye on the bigger picture, Mark sees beyond the numbers and is known as a team and culture builder that is constantly improving operational excellence.

John Norman has been presenting iconic and priceless treasures to the public over the years by mounting some of the most popular museum and fine art traveling exhibitions of our time.

John has been a central part of many notable shows since the ‘90s, when he worked for Magicworks Entertainment in Cleveland, Ohio to oversee its touring shows, including The Magic of David Copperfield, Jesus Christ Superstar, and tours of Fleetwood Mac, Janet Jackson, NSYNC, Styx, and Pat Benatar.

Since then, John has further ventured and become heavily involved in the exhibitions space, producing numerous works, including Cleopatra: The Search for the Last Queen of Egypt, Victoria the T-Rex, Pompeii: The Exhibition, and Mummies of the World.

He has also produced multiple exhibitions of Tutankhamun (King Tut), namely, Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs and Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh. Most recently, the 100th-anniversary tour of Tutankhamun: Treasures of the Golden Pharaoh set a record for the highest attended touring exhibition in Paris, attracting over 1.4 million visitors in just six months.

John boasts a long history of producing blockbuster exhibitions containing authentic artifacts, leading multi-national teams in the design, production, marketing, and sales for museum and fine art traveling exhibitions, and governments and leaders worldwide have entrusted him to work with their priceless treasures.

John is also an established leader in the entertainment and exhibitions industry. He was the senior VP of SFX Entertainment, co-president, and COO of Clear Channel Exhibitions, President of Arts and Exhibitions International, President of Premier Exhibitions, and Managing Director of IMG Exhibitions. In 2013, Bizbash, the leading trade media company in the events industry, named John one of the top 50 most innovative people in event production.

Over the years, exhibitions under John’s leadership have traveled and spanned six continents, brought enjoyment and education to over 35 million people, making him one of the most influential touring exhibition producers in the world.

Darren Lim is a proven leader and executive with over 18 years of experience in the marketing industry. Over the years, he has worked with an impressive portfolio of fortune 500 brands in the Asia Pacific region. Diverse experiences also include mega program activations for brands and international participants in Beijing Olympics 2008, Shanghai World Exposition 2010, Astana Expo 2017 and most recently Dubai Expo 2020.

He has also previously held key executive roles with experiential marketing agencies such as George P. Johnson/ Project:Worldwide and Pico Group. In his previous role prior to joining Cityneon, Darren Lim was the Senior Vice President of Pico+, spearheading the growth of Pico+ in China as well as its rollout and expansion in other regions including Asia Pacific, the Middle East, the UK and the US. He was also the Head of the Pico Global Activation that is responsible for driving the growth of Pico group globally.

Darren also holds a 2^nd Upper Honors Degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and did his executive programs with both NUS and CEIBS.

Always in the thick of the action, Michael was Director of Theatrical Services and Entertainment Operations at SeaWorld® San Diego before joining Victory Hill Exhibitions in 2015. He led a team of 149, which included crew operations, electronic services, technical production supervisors, theatrical maintenance, and media studios, as well as costume shop, wardrobe, and theming services.

Prior to that, Michael held the position of Operations Production Manager of the Cirque du Soleil® show “Mystère” at the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas for seven years. Departments under his purview included wardrobe, rigging, audio, carpentry, automation, lighting, and props. His career in Las Vegas actually started off as Technical Director for the world premiere of the show “STORM” at Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino, which prepared him to transition to Cirque du Soleil Inc. for the creation and installation of the show “KÀ”.

The professional stage of his touring career began with the VEE Corporation in Minneapolis, MN, as part of the “Sesame Street Live” international touring show, where he held multiple positions, including Technical Director, Head Rigger, and Carpenter.

At neon, Michael worked on exhibitions for the Avengers, Hunger Games, Jurassic and Transformers. These were delivered across prominent locations such as Las Vegas, Singapore, Taipei, Beijing, Moscow and Norrköping.

Notable projects include launching a modified version of a Jurassic exhibition within the confined environment of the Lotte Mall in Seoul. In contrast, Michael also delivered the largest Jurassic exhibition in Madrid which spanned a 2,600 square meter space.

In addition to industry work, Michael also devoted four years to develop and instruct two undergraduate/graduate-level courses at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas for Entertainment Engineering and Theatre students. He holds a bachelor’s degree from West Virginia University and a master’s degree from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. In his free time he continues to mentor, coach, and motivate young adults in the entertainment industry, as well as support local and national organizations that serve the mentally and physically disabled community.