Lim Hwee Hua (née Tan; Chinese: 陈惠华; pinyin: Chén Huìhuá; born 26 February 1959) is a Singaporean former politician who served as Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister for Finance and Second Minister for Transport concurrently between 2009 and 2011.[1] A former member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), she was the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Serangoon division of Aljunied GRC between 2006 and 2011, and Marine Parade GRC between 1996 and 2006.
Lim Hwee Hua | |
|---|---|
陈惠华 | |
 | |
| Minister in the Prime Minister's Office | |
| In office 1 April 2009 – 20 May 2011 Serving with Lim Boon Heng and Lim Swee Say | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Succeeded by | S. Iswaran Grace Fu |
| Second Minister for Finance | |
| In office 1 April 2009 – 20 May 2011 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Minister | Tharman Shanmugaratnam |
| Succeeded by | Lawrence Wong |
| Second Minister for Transport | |
| In office 1 April 2009 – 20 May 2011 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Minister | Raymond Lim |
| Succeeded by | Ng Chee Meng |
| Senior Minister of State for Finance | |
| In office 1 April 2008 – 1 April 2009 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Minister | Tharman Shanmugaratnam |
| Senior Minister of State for Transport | |
| In office 1 April 2008 – 1 April 2009 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Minister | Raymond Lim |
| Minister of State for Finance | |
| In office 12 August 2004 – 1 April 2008 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Minister | Lee Hsien Loong Tharman Shanmugaratnam |
| Succeeded by | Josephine Teo |
| Minister of State for Transport | |
| In office 12 August 2004 – 1 April 2008 | |
| Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
| Minister | Yeo Cheow Tong |
| Succeeded by | Josephine Teo |
| Deputy Speaker of Parliament | |
| In office 1 April 2002 – 11 August 2004 | |
| Prime Minister | Goh Chok Tong |
| Preceded by | Eugene Yap Giau Cheng |
| Succeeded by | Chew Heng Chin |
| Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC (Serangoon) | |
| In office 6 May 2006 – 7 May 2011 | |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Sylvia Lim (WP) |
| Majority | 12,460 (12.2%) |
| Member of Parliament for Marine Parade GRC (Serangoon) | |
| In office 23 December 1996 – 6 May 2006 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Tan Hwee Hua 26 February 1959 Colony of Singapore |
| Political party | People's Action Party (1996–2011) |
| Spouse | Andy Lim |
| Children | 3 |
| Alma mater | Girton College, Cambridge University of California, Los Angeles |
Lim had served as Deputy Speaker of Parliament between 2002 and 2004, Senior Minister of State for Finance and Senior Minister of State for Transport concurrently between 2008 and 2009, and Minister of State for Finance and Minister of State for Transport concurrently between 2004 and 2008.
Early life and career
editLim was educated at Raffles Institution,[2] before graduating from Girton College at the University of Cambridge in 1981, majoring in mathematics and engineering, under the Overseas Merit Scholarship.
She subsequently went on to complete a Master of Business Administration degree in finance at Anderson School of Management at the University of California, Los Angeles in 1989.[3]
Lim began her career as an administrative officer in the Ministry of Finance (MOF), Ministry of Education (MOE) and the Ministry of Law (MinLaw).[2]
In 1989, she joined Swiss Bank Corporation as an investment analyst before moving on to Jardine Fleming in 1992, where she served as Head of Research and Director of Business Development.[4]
In 2000, she joined Temasek Holdings as Managing Director of Corporate Stewardship and later, Managing Director of Strategic Relations. While she was at Temasek Holdings, she sat on boards including Port of Singapore Authority, Keppel Corporation and Mapletree.[5]
Political career
editLim was elected as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Marine Parade GRC at both 1997 general election and the 2001 general election. From 1 April 2002 to 11 August 2004, she was the Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee. Lim was appointed the Minister of State for Finance and Transport on 12 August 2004.[6]
At the 2006 general election, Lim contested in Aljunied GRC and was elected along with George Yeo, Cynthia Phua, Yeo Guat Kwang and Zainul Abidin Bin Mohamed Rasheed.[7] She was promoted to Senior Minister of State for Finance and Transport on 1 April 2008.
On 1 April 2009, Lim become the first woman to serve in Singapore's Cabinet when she was made a Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister for Finance and Second Minister for Transport.[8]
Between 2002 and 2011, Lim was a member of the Central Executive Committee of the PAP, and the Chairman of the party's Women's Wing. She was inducted into the Singapore Council of Women's Organisation (SCWO) Hall of Fame on 31 March 2010, and she received the Her World Woman of the Year Award on 23 April 2010.[9]
Lim contested the 2011 general election in Aljunied GRC, but her team was defeated by the Workers' Party (WP) which consists Low Thia Kiang, Pritam Singh, Sylvia Lim, Muhamad Faisal Manap and Chen Show Mao. She subsequently stepped down from the Central Executive Committee of the PAP,[10] and announced that she was retiring from politics and would not be contesting the next general election, saying she was surprised by the depth of resentment felt by citizens towards the government.[11]
Post-political career
editFollowing her retirement from politics, Lim was appointed Non-Executive Director at Jardine Cycle & Carriage in July 2011.[12] In October 2011, Lim was appointed as a senior advisor at Kohlberg Kravis Roberts.[13][14] In November 2011, Lim was appointed Independent Non-Executive Director on the Global Advisory Council at Ernst & Young.[15]
She had also served as Honorary Chairman of the Securities Investors Association Singapore between 2013 and 2017.[16]
She published a book, Government In Business: Friend Or Foe?, with the Straits Times Press in 2013.[17]
Personal life
editLim grew up in family of nine children in Tiong Bahru.[18] Her father was a tea merchant.[18] Lim is married to Andy Lim, a partner and founder of Tembusu Partners, a private equity firm. They have a son and two daughters.[3]
References
edit- ^ "LIM Hwee Hua". Parliament of Singapore. 15 May 2021.
- ^ a b SWHF. "SINGAPORE WOMEN'S HALL OF FAME - Lim Hwee Hua". www.swhf.sg. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ a b "She was the only one in class with no tuition". AsiaOne. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
- ^ "Executive Profile - Hwee Hua Lim". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ "Lim Hwee Hua | Tembusupartners.com". www.tembusupartners.com. Archived from the original on 19 September 2017. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ "Iswaran elected Deputy Speaker". Today. 2 September 2004. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ "Lim Hwee Hua keen to join Aljunied contest". Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ "Lim Hwee Hua is first woman minister". Asiaone. 27 March 2009. Archived from the original on 30 March 2009. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
- ^ "Woman of the Year". The Straits Times. Retrieved 31 December 2010.
- ^ "Goh Chok Tong, George Yeo & LKY step down from PAP CEC". Archived from the original on 20 October 2011. Retrieved 12 November 2011.
- ^ Chan, Joanne (11 May 2011). "Lim Hwee Hua quits politics". Channel NewsAsia. Archived from the original on 14 August 2011. Retrieved 11 May 2011.
- ^ "Lim Hwee Hua joins Jardine Cycle & Carriage". Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved 30 July 2011.
- ^ "Lim Hwee Hua joins KKR". Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved 10 October 2011.
- ^ Tudor, Alison (10 October 2011). "KKR Names Lim Hwee Hua a Senior Adviser". Wall Street Journal. ISSN 0099-9660. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ "Ernst & Young Singapore - Ernst & Young appoints Lim Hwee Hua as a global independent... - Mynewsdesk". www.mynewsdesk.com. Archived from the original on 28 July 2013.
- ^ "SIAS appoints Magnus Bocker as honorary chairman". Channel NewsAsia. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ Chan, Robin (31 October 2013). "Former minister Lim Hwee Hua's new book discusses Govt's role in business". The Straits Times. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
- ^ a b "2009 Lim Hwee Hua – Her World Woman of The Year". womanoftheyear.herworldplus.com. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
