Lim Siong Guan

Lim Siong Guan was born in 1947 and was educated at the Anglo-Chinese School, Singapore. He is considered as being one of the most influential non-political office holder in the Singapore Government. He was awarded the President’s Scholarship to study at the University of Adelaide, Australia, where he graduated with First Class Honours in Mechanical Engineering in 1969. He attained a Postgraduate Diploma in Business Administration from the National University of Singapore in 1975. He currently the Chairman of the Economic Development Board, Singapore. Lim was appointed Chairman of the Economic Development Board on 1 October 2006, and Group Managing Director of Government of Singapore Investment Corporation on 22 September 2007. He is an Adjunct Professor in the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore since March 2005. He is also a member of the International Advisory Panel of the Asian Competitiveness Institute.

Lim was the Head of the Singapore Civil Service from September 1999 to March 2005. He was the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defence from July 1981 to May 1994, Permanent Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office from June 1994 to July 1998, (concurrently) Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Education from April 1997 to June 1999, and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance (June 1999 to September 2006). He was the first Principal Private Secretary to former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew from May 1978 to June 1981.

Lim was the Chairman of the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority and the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore from 2004 to 2006. Previously he had been the Chairman of the Central Provident Fund Board from 1986 to 1994 and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Commissioners of Currency (now absorbed into the Monetary Authority of Singapore)from 1999 to 2002. He was a Board Member of the Monetary Authority of Singapore from 1999 to 2006.

Lim is an adjunct Professor of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and has been a Member of the Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship from 2005 to 2006. He has been a Director of Temasek Holdings Pte. Ltd., a Director of DBS Bank Ltd, a Director of Neptune Orient Lines Ltd, and variously Chairman or Director of a number of companies which are now part of the Singapore Technologies Engineering group of companies.

He was awarded the Order of Nila Utama (First Class) in 2006, the Meritorious Service Medal in 1991 and the Public Administration Medal (Gold) in 1982.