Lawrence Wong: Singapore's Finance Minister and new leader of the PAP's 4G team
SINGAPORE: Finance Minister Lawrence Wong had on Feb 18 delivered his first Budget speech, announcing measures to chart a new way forward for Singapore.
On Thursday (Apr 14), he was announced as leader of the People's Action Party's (PAP) fourth-generation (4G) team.
Cabinet ministers affirmed their choice after a process of consultation and the decision was endorsed by all government Members of Parliament, said Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong in a statement on Thursday.
Mr Wong, 49, was first elected as a Member of Parliament in May 2011 as part of a West Coast GRC team. He contested in the new Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC in the 2015 General Election and was elected again in 2020.
He has held positions in the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of Communications and Information, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, the Ministry of National Development and the Ministry of Education.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he has fronted key announcements as co-chair of the multi-ministry task force. Then the Minister for National Development when he was appointed co-chair, Mr Wong helped coordinate responses across different government agencies, working alongside fellow co-chair Gan Kim Yong, the Health Minister at the time.
According to the Prime Minister's Office, Mr Wong obtained his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor.
He is the deputy chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), having been appointed to the role in May last year.
He is also a member of the GIC Board, the Future Economy Council, the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council and the National Research Foundation Board. He co-chairs the Singapore-Shanghai Comprehensive Cooperation Council.
Beginning his career as a civil servant, Mr Wong was previously chief executive of the Energy Market Authority, as well as the Principal Private Secretary to Prime Minister Lee.
He chairs the PAP Community Foundation and contributes to the labour movement as chairman of the Singapore Labour Foundation, as well as an advisor to the Union of Power and Gas Employees.
