Swearing-in and Appointment of Alternate Member of the Council of Presidential Advisers

SWEARING-IN AND APPOINTMENT OF ALTERNATE MEMBER OF THE COUNCIL OF PRESIDENTIAL ADVISERS

The President, acting on the advice of the Prime Minister after the Prime Minister’s consultation with the Chief Justice and the Chairman of the Public Service Commission, has appointed Mr Piyush Gupta as an Alternate Member of the Council of Presidential Advisers under Article 37C(2)(b) of the Constitution for a period of 4 years.

The composition of the Council of Presidential Advisers is as follows:  

Chairman           

Mr Eddie Teo

Members 

Mr Lim Chee Onn

Mr Bahren Shaari

Ms Chua Sock Koong

Mr Peter Seah Lim Huat

Mrs Mildred Tan-Sim Beng Mei

Mr Chao Hick Tin

Mr Tan Chong Meng

Alternate Members

Mr Gan Seow Kee

Mr Piyush Gupta

Mr Piyush Gupta

Piyush Gupta was Chief Executive Officer and Director of DBS Group from November 2009 to March 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 South East Asia, Australia and New Zealand.

He is currently the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Singapore Management University, Chairman of the Mandai Park Holdings Board, and Deputy Chairman of the Board of Keppel Ltd. In addition, he sits on the board of Singapore’s National Research Foundation and is a member of the Ministry of Trade and Industry Singapore - Future Economy Advisory Panel. Piyush 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

PRESIDENT’S OFFICE

28 AUGUST 2025

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 SBGCs¹), 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.