Tharman Shanmugaratnam

About

Embossed politician, economist, and statesman who began serving as the 9th president of Singapore in 2023. Although he was previously affiliated with the People's Action Party, he later joined the Independent Party. A lifelong civil servant, he has previously held roles in the Singapore government including Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore, Minister for Finance, and Senior Minister of Singapore. He has also upheld leading positions with international foundations including the United Nations and the International Monetary Fund. Throughout his career, he became widely beloved by the citizens of Singapore and has long been considered one of the nation's best-liked politicians.

Before Fame

After completing his primary education at the Anglo-Chinese School, he went on to attend the London School of Economics, from which he graduated with a bachelor's degree in economics. He later enrolled with the University of Cambridge's Wolfson College to earn his master's degree in economics. He also earned an additional master's degree in public administration from Harvard University's Harvard Kennedy School. He commenced his career working at the Monetary Authority of Singapore, where he eventually became its chief economist.

Trivia

He has been the recipient of countless honors, both nationally and internationally. Some of these accolades include the Singapore Public Service Medal and Public Administration Medal, as well as the Distinguished Leadership and Service Award from the Institute of International Finance of England.

Family Life

A fourth-generation Singaporean of Sri Lankan Tamil ancestry, he is the son of Professor Emeritus K. Shanmugaratnam, who is widely referred to as "the father of pathology in Singapore" due to his work in medical science and foundation of the Singapore Cancer Registry. He married Singaporean Chinese Japanese lawyer Jane Yumiko Ittogi, with whom he has 4 children - 3 sons and 1 daughter.

Associated With

He has co-chaired the Global Commision on the Economics of Water with Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala and Johan Rockström. As president of Singapore, he was succeeded by former leader Halimah Yacob.