Council of Presidential Advisers
Meet the Council of Presidential Advisers and its members who support the President’s work.
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Role of the Council
The Constitution of Singapore was amended in 1991 to give the Elected President custodial powers to safeguard Singapore’s past reserves and the integrity of the public service. The Constitution provided for the Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA) to advise the President in the exercise of these custodial powers. It is obligatory for the President to consult the CPA when exercising the discretionary powers related to all fiscal and appointment-related matters.
8 members
3 appointed at the discretion of the President
3 appointed by the President, upon nomination by the Prime Minister
1 appointed by the President, upon nomination by the Chief Justice
1 appointed by the President, upon nomination by the Chairman, Public Service Commission (PSC)
2 alternate members
1 appointed at the discretion of the President
1 appointed by the President on nomination by the Prime Minister, in consultation with the Chief Justice and Chairman, PSC

Front row (from left to right): Mr Bahren Shaari, Mr Eddie Teo, President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Mr Lim Chee Onn and Ms Chua Sock Koong.
Second row (from left to right): Mr Tan Chong Meng, Mr Peter Seah Lim Huat, Mr Chao Hick Tin and Mr Gan Seow Kee.
Not in photo: Mrs Mildred Tan-Sim Beng Mei and Mr Piyush Gupta.
Appointing a CPA member
CPA membership is drawn into three divisions. Each member's appointment expires every sixth year.
The three divisions are staggered so that every two years, all seats in a division will expire at the same time. If a seat is prematurely vacated, the term of the replacement member will have the same expiry date as that of the member he replaces, so as to preserve the staggering.
1st Division
A member appointed at the discretion of the President
A member appointed on the Prime Minister's advice
A member appointed on the Chief Justice's advice
2nd Division
A member appointed at the discretion of the President
A member appointed on the Prime Minister's advice
A member appointed on the PSC Chairman's advice
3rd Division
A member appointed at the discretion of the President
A member appointed on the Prime Minister's advice
Current CPA members

The Chairman of the CPA is 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 and Mr Tan Chong Meng.
Alternate member: Mr Gan Seow Kee and Piyush Gupta.
The Chairman of the CPA also exercises the functions of the Office of the President in the absence of the President. If he is unavailable, this duty falls on the Speaker of Parliament.
Biographies of CPA members
Current CPA members and their terms of service
S/N | Member | Tenure in CPA | Tenure as Alternate Member* |
|---|---|---|---|
1. | Since Aug 2018 | - | |
2. | Since Apr 2017 | Jan 2008 to Mar 2017 | |
3. | Since Jan 2020 | Apr 2017 to Jan 2020 | |
4. | Since Jun 2020 | Jan 2019 to Jun 2020 | |
5. | Since Jun 2021 | Jan 2020 to Jun 2021 | |
6. | - | Since Jun 2020 | |
7. | Since Jan 2021 | - | |
8. | Since Jun 2022 | - | |
9. | Since Jun 2024 | - | |
10. | - | Since Aug 2025 |
*Alternate Members were introduced in 2008.
CPA proceedings are private. The CPA may ask public officers to furnish information. Should any public officer appear before the CPA, the officer is prohibited from disclosing the discussions.
Past CPA Members
Past CPA members and their terms of service
S/N | Name / Appointment | Tenure |
|---|---|---|
1. | Mr Lim Kim San / Chairman | Jan 1992 to Jan 2004 |
2. | Dr Michael Fam Yue Onn / Member | Jan 1992 to Jan 2004 |
3. | Dr Cheong Siew Keong / Member | Jan 1992 to Jan 2008 |
4. | Mr Ridzwan bin Haji Dzafir / Member | Jan 1992 to Jan 2007 |
5. | Mr Lee Seng Wee / Member | Jan 1992 to Jan 2001 |
6. | Dr Ee Peng Liang / Member | July 1992 to Aug 1994 |
7. | Mr Teo Cheng Guan / Member | Nov 1994 to May 2002 |
8. | Mr Sim Kee Boon | Sep 2005 to Jan 2007 (Member) |
9. | Prof Cham Tao Soon / Member | Jan 2004 to Jan 2010 |
10. | Mr Yong Pung How / Member | Jan 2007 to Jan 2013 |
11. | Mr Lee Tzu Yang / Member | Jan 2013 to Aug 2018 |
12. | Mr J Y Pillay | Sep 2005 to Jan 2019 (Chairman) |
13. | Mr Bobby Chin Yoke Choong/ Member | Jan 2010 to Jan 2020 |
14. | Mr Stephen Lee Ching Yen/ Member | Jan 2008 to Jun 2020 |
15. | Mr Po'ad Bin Shaik Abu Bakar Mattar / Member | Jan 2007 to Jan 2021 |
16. | Mr Goh Joon Seng / Member | Jan 2008 to Apr 2021 |
17. | Mr S Dhanabalan / Member | Jan 2004 to Jun 2022 |
18. | Dr Chua Thian Poh / Member | Apr 2017 to Jun 2024 |
19. | Dr Sudha Nair / Alternate Member | Jun 2021 to Jun 2025 |
