Cover Photo: Facebook/Temasek
Photo: Facebook/Temasek
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Did you know that Ho Ching was ranked 30th in Forbes’ 2020 list of the World’s Most Powerful Women?
This week, Temasek Trust announced that it has officially appointed Ho Ching to its board of directors. Ho’s appointment is set to take effect from October 1, 2021, which is also the same day she will be retiring as Temasek Holdings’ chief executive officer (CEO).
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She will also be succeeding S Dhanabalan as Chairman of Temasek Trust from April 1 next year.
“Ho Ching has a deep and passionate commitment to so many community causes, and has been instrumental in Temasek’s own stewardship journey over the past two decades,” said Dhanabalan.
Ho said that she is honoured to be invited to join the Board of Temasek Trust.
She added that there is “clearly a huge opportunity to inculcate philanthropy more widely in businesses in Asia, to work together for the common good.”
Indeed, with her expertise and skill, Ho is clearly the perfect person for the job. However, besides being married to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, many people don’t know much about Ho’s personal achievements.
Keep reading to find out five things you did not know about her.
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1. She studied in some high profile schools
Ms Ho was born in 1953 and was an incredibly bright student. She attended Crescent Girls’ School and then went on to study at National Junior College where she emerged as one of the top A level students in her cohort.
She later received her Bachelor of Engineering degree from what was then known as Singapore University. She went on to get a Master of Science degree in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University.
2. She started her career in the Ministry of Defence
In 1976, Ho began her career as an engineer in the Ministry of Defence. She worked hard and in 1983, she was given the title of Director of Defence Material Organization and Deputy Director of Defence Science Organization simultaneously.
By 1987, she had worked her way up to become the Deputy Director of Engineering in Singapore Technologies. She later became the CEO and president in 1997.
3. She has been the CEO of Temasek Holdings since 2004
Ho joined Temasek Holdings as its Director in early 2002. Within months, she became the Executive Director.
In 2004, she took on the role of CEO which she has continued to hold till October 1, 2021.
4. She helped Temasek Holdings to move its focus from just Singapore to the world
During her years at Temasek Holdings, Ho made incredible waves as she got the company to shift its focus from Singapore to Asia and then to the rest of the world.
In 2018, Ho started an office in San Francisco where she then invested Temasek’s money into sectors such as life sciences, tech and agribusiness.
Today, Temasek Holdings has grown to have a net portfolio in the billions and it is all thanks to Ho.
5. She is heavily involved in charity work
Besides her incredible career, Ho has always remained humble and is heavily involved in charity work. She is particularly invested in special needs education, healthcare and the welfare and development of children.
She is currently the founding chairman of Trailblazer Foundation which is a charity that provides funding for education, health, sports and community welfare. She is also a patron at Assisi Hospice.
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Camillia Dass is the digital writer for Tatler Singapore.
