Few institutions champion Southeast Asian art at the level that the National Gallery Singapore does. Established in 2005 and housed in Singapore’s former Supreme Court and City Hall, the National Gallery holds the world’s largest public collection of Southeast Asian modern art. At the helm of it all is CEO Chong Siak Ching, who is also the head of the Visual Arts Cluster Singapore (which encompasses the National Gallery as well as the Singapore Art Museum and the Singapore Tyler Print Institute) and chair of the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music. Through her leadership, the National Gallery has stood as the region’s most prominent visual arts institution, and a beacon for the Southeast Asian art scene.

Chong became CEO of the National Gallery in April 2013, over two years before it opened its doors to the public in 2015. Prior to heading the National Gallery, Chong was president and CEO of the real estate company Ascendas from 2001 to 2013. In that time she was recognised by the 2009 Singapore Business Awards as the Outstanding CEO of the Year. Prior to Ascendas, Chong was assistant chief executive officer and then deputy chief executive officer of JTC Corporation from 1999 to 2001.