Appointment of Chairman, Members and Alternate Member of the Council of Presidential Advisers

The Appointment and Swearing-In Ceremony of Mr Tan Chong Meng, Chairman, Council of Presidential Advisers, 1 June 2026

APPOINTMENT OF CHAIRMAN, MEMBERS AND ALTERNATE MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL OF PRESIDENTIAL ADVISERS

1. The President has appointed the following persons to the Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA) with effect from 2 June 2026:

2. Mr Eddie Teo and Mr Lim Chee Onn have retired as Chairman and Member of the CPA respectively upon completion of their current terms on 1 June 2026.

Mr Eddie Teo

3. Mr Eddie Teo has served on the CPA since 15 August 2018, and chaired the Council since 2 January 2019. He is concurrently Pro-Chancellor of Singapore Management University (SMU) and Distinguished Fellow at its School of Social Sciences. He also serves as a Director of the Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship. 

4. Mr Teo served in the Singapore Public Service for 35 years prior to his retirement in 2005. He began his career in 1970 in the Security and Intelligence Division (SID) of the Ministry of Defence. He became Director of the SID in 1979 and held the post until 1994. From 1982 to 1986, he concurrently served as Director of the Internal Security Department in the Ministry of Home Affairs. He was Permanent Secretary (Defence) from 1994 to 2000 and Permanent Secretary (Prime Minister’s Office) from 1998 to 2005, serving concurrently in both roles from 1998 to 2000.

5. He was Singapore's High Commissioner to Australia from 2006 to 2008. He served two terms as Chairman of the Public Service Commission, from August 2008 to July 2018. He was Chairman of the Presidential Council for Religious Harmony from 15 September 2017 to 2 January 2019, and Senior Advisor of Temasek International Advisors Pte Ltd from 1 April 2019 to 13 April 2020.

6. During his time on the Council, Mr Teo contributed to its deliberations on key matters relating to the safeguarding of the national reserves and the integrity of the public service. He engaged government agencies and Fifth Schedule entities on key proposals.        

7. For his contributions to Singapore, Mr Teo was awarded the Order of Nila Utama (First Class) in 2017.

Mr Lim Chee Onn

8. Mr Lim had served on the CPA since January 2008, first as an Alternate Member until March 2017, and then as a Member from April 2017. Over his exceptional 18 years of service on the Council, Mr Lim supported successive Presidents in discharging their constitutional responsibilities, particularly in safeguarding Singapore’s past reserves and upholding the integrity of key public service appointments. His tenure spanned a number of critical periods, including when the Council deliberated on the first-ever draw on past reserves in 2009 during the Global Financial Crisis and the subsequent draws during the COVID-19 pandemic.

9. With these changes, the composition of the Council of Presidential Advisers is as follows:

Mr Tan Chong Meng

Mr Tan Chong Meng was appointed as a member of the CPA on 2 June 2024.

Mr Tan is currently Chairman of National University Health System (NUHS), Deputy Chairman of Temasek Holdings, and a Board Director of MOH Holdings (MOHH), Temasek Capital (China) Holdings, and DSV A/S. He is also a member of the National University of Singapore (NUS) Board of Trustees. From 2022 to 2024, he served as Governor Chair of The World Economic Forum’s Supply Chain and Transport Industry Community. He was Co-Chair of the Emerging Stronger Task Force from 2020 to 2021, which was set up to guide Singapore’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, and previously served as a Board Member of IE Singapore.

In May 2023, Mr Tan received the Officer of the Order of the Star of Italy — one of Italy’s highest civil honours, recognising individuals who have made outstanding contributions to promoting friendly relations and cooperation between Italy and other countries – and the National Trades Union Congress Medal of Commendation (Gold) for his contributions towards promoting and supporting Labour Movement initiatives. He was also awarded the Meritorious Service Medal (COVID-19) in December 2022 for his roles in the nation’s fight against COVID-19.

For his contributions to Singapore’s maritime economy, industrial development, and healthcare system, Mr Tan was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal in 2025.

Ms Chua Sock Koong

Ms Chua Sock Koong is Senior Advisor at Singapore Telecommunications Limited, Asia’s leading communications technology group, having served as its Group Chief Executive Officer for 13 years until 31 December 2020.

Sock Koong sits on the Boards of Bharti Airtel Limited, Bharti Telecom Limited, Prudential plc, Ayala Corporation and the Dubai Financial Services Authority, as well as the Supervisory Board of Royal Philips.

She is Deputy Chairman of the Public Service Commission and a member of the Council of Presidential Advisers and the Securities Industry Council.

Sock Koong was conferred the Medal of Commendation (Gold) at NTUC May Day Awards 2016 and the Public Service Star (BBM).

Sock Koong holds a Bachelor of Accountancy (First Class Honours) from the University of Singapore. She is a Fellow Member of the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants and a CFA charterholder.

Mr Gan Seow Kee

Mr Gan is the Chairman of Singapore LNG Corporation Pte Ltd. Prior to this he was Vice-Chairman and Honorary Treasurer of the Singapore Business Federation (SBF) as well as Chairman of GlobalConnect@SBF. He currently serves on the Council of Presidential Advisers, and co-chairs the Council for Board Diversity. He is a board member of SG Enable, the focal agency for disability and inclusion in Singapore, after co-chairing the Singapore Enabling Master Plan 2030. He is also a member of the Advisory Council of Deloitte South East Asia.

Mr Gan has served on numerous boards and councils in the private and public sectors. He was formerly Chairman and Managing Director of ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd. He was also President and Director of ExxonMobil China Petroleum and Petrochemical Company Ltd., and served as Board Director in ExxonMobil’s joint ventures in China. 

He was conferred the Singapore Public Service Medal (PBM) in 2023, the Distinguished Engineering Alumni Award by the National University of Singapore in 2018 and the Medal of Commendation (Gold) by the National Trades Union Congress in 2017. 

Mr Gan obtained his bachelor’s degree in engineering (with honours) from the National University of Singapore and is a Fellow with the United Kingdom Chartered Institute of Management Accountants. He is also a Fellow with the Academy of Engineering, Singapore. 

Mr Piyush Gupta

Piyush Gupta was Chief Executive Officer and Director of DBS Group from 2009 to 2025. Under his leadership, DBS underwent a significant and successful transformation, being named Best Bank and Best Digital Bank in the world on several occasions, as well as one of the top ten transformative organizations of the 2010 - 2020 decade by Harvard Business Review.

Prior to joining DBS, Piyush had a 27 year career at Citigroup, where his last position was Chief Executive Officer for Southeast Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

He currently serves as Chairman of Keppel Ltd, Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Singapore Management University, and Chairman of the Mandai Wildlife Group Board. In addition, he is a member of the Council of Presidential Advisers to the President of Singapore and serves in an advisory capacity at Temasek as Chairman, India.  He sits on the board of Singapore’s National Research Foundation and is a term trustee of the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA). Previously, he has been a member of the Singapore Emerging Stronger Taskforce, aimed at defining Singapore’s future in a post-Covid world, the UN Secretary General’s Task Force on Digital Financing of the Sustainable Development Goals, the Board of Institute of International Finance, and the McKinsey Advisory Council.

Piyush has a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Degree in Economics from St. Stephen's College, Delhi University, India and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from IIM, Ahmedabad.

Piyush was awarded the Public Service Star by the President of Singapore for his meritorious services to the nation in 2020. He is a recipient of the 2023 Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award, the highest honour conferred by the Indian Government on the country’s diaspora.

Piyush was named one of the world’s top 100 best-performing chief executives in Harvard Business Review - 2019 edition of "The CEO 100".  He was named Global Indian of the Year by the Economic Times in 2021, Singapore Business Awards' Outstanding Chief Executive of the Year in 2016, and Singapore Business Leader of the Year by CNBC in 2014.

In his personal capacity, Piyush takes a keen interest in nature, and is a Co-Chairman of the BirdLife International Advisory Group and a member of the Global Steering Committee of the Campaign for Nature.

Mrs Tan Ching Yee

Mrs Tan Ching Yee currently serves as Chairman of the Energy Market Authority, Chairman of the Management Board of the Institute of Policy Studies, and an independent director at OCBC, a Singapore bank. She continues to share her expertise and experience with Public Officers in Singapore.

Prior to her retirement, Mrs Tan spent over 38 years in the Singapore Public Service, holding Permanent Secretary positions for over 20 years. She served in the Ministries of Trade and Industry; Education; then-Information, Communications and the Arts; Health; Finance; and the Prime Minister’s Office.

During her Public Service career, she chaired the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore, the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, MOH Holdings, and the National Institute of Education. She also served on the boards of the Changi Airport Group, the National Research Foundation, public universities, polytechnics, and the public healthcare institutions.

Mrs Tan represented Singapore as G20 Finance Deputy and Sherpa for nine years, advancing Singapore’s interests at international and regional forums.

In her various leadership roles, she has consistently emphasised people and leadership development, and the nurturing of a culture of excellence and teamwork.

She holds a BA (Hons) in Economics from Cambridge University and a MS in Management from the Graduate School of Business, Stanford University.

PRESIDENT’S OFFICE
2 June 2026

Additional Information on the Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA)

Under the Constitution of Singapore, the Elected President has custodial powers over the past reserves of the Government and 5th Schedule Statutory Boards and Government Companies (5^th Schedule SBGCs^[1]), and the appointments of key personnel in the public service and 5th Schedule SBGCs.  These custodial powers are exercised by the President in his discretion.

The Constitution also provides for a Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA) to advise the President in the exercise of his custodial powers. It is mandatory for the President to consult the CPA when exercising his custodial powers.

The CPA comprises 8 members and 2 alternate members. 3 members are appointed by the President at his discretion; 3 members are appointed on the advice of the Prime Minister; one member is appointed on the advice of the Chief Justice; and one member is appointed on the advice of the Chairman of the Public Service Commission. One alternate member is appointed by the President at his discretion while the other is appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister, in consultation with the Chief Justice and PSC Chairman.

The CPA is divided into 3 divisions. Each division has one member appointed by the President in his discretion and one member appointed on the Prime Minister’s advice. In addition, the first division has a member appointed on the Chief Justice’s advice, and the second division has a member appointed on the PSC Chairman’s advice. The terms of CPA members are staggered; every 2 years, the terms of all the members in one of the 3 divisions will expire. Alternate members are appointed for a 4-year term. 

^[1]_{The 5th Schedule SBGCs are: Central Provident Fund Board, Housing and Development Board, JTC Corporation, Monetary Authority of Singapore, GIC Pte Ltd and Temasek Holdings Pte Ltd.}