Prime Minister of Singapore
About The Speaker
Mr Lee Hsien Loong has been Singapore’s Prime Minister since 2004. Mr Lee was first elected as a Member of Parliament in 1984, and has since been re-elected six times, most recently in 2011. He was elected to the Central Executive Committee of the People’s Action Party in 1986, and became its Secretary-General in 2004. Earlier, Mr Lee served in the Ministries of Trade and Industry and of Defence, and was Minister for Finance, Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore, and Deputy Prime Minister.
As Prime Minister, Mr Lee is focusing on building a competitive economy and an inclusive society. Mr Lee’s Government is also strengthening Singapore’s social safety nets through measures such as MediShield-Life, Workfare and ComCare. Mr Lee also chairs GIC, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, and the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council, an international panel to oversee Singapore’s major efforts in promoting R&D.
Mr Lee was born on 10 February 1952. He studied at the University of Cambridge, graduating with a B.A. in Mathematics and a Diploma in Computer Science. He also obtained a Master in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.
The speaker for the inaugural Ho Rih Hwa Leadership in Asia Public Lecture Series in 2002 was Singapore’s first Prime Minister Mr Lee Kuan Yew, who spoke about the importance of an innovative and entrepreneurial culture in Singapore and called for a change in values and mindset towards encouraging that for continued economic growth.
As we celebrate Singapore’s 50th year of independence, Singapore is now at an exciting turning point with major transitions in economics and society. In the last 50 short years, we have established our presence on the world map and it is against this backdrop of solid foundation laid forth by our pioneers that we have to examine the transformations needed to maintain this competitive edge in an ever-changing and dynamic global landscape.