Teo Chee Hean

The Honourable Teo Chee Hean
张志贤
Teo in 2021
Senior Minister of Singapore
Incumbent
Assumed office 1 May 2019 Serving with Tharman Shanmugaratnam (2019–2023) Lee Hsien Loong (since 2024)
Prime Minister	Lee Hsien Loong Lawrence Wong
Preceded by	Vacant
Coordinating Minister for National Security
Incumbent
Assumed office 21 May 2011
Prime Minister	Lee Hsien Loong Lawrence Wong
Preceded by	Wong Kan Seng
Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore
In office 1 April 2009 – 30 April 2019 Serving with Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Prime Minister	Lee Hsien Loong
Preceded by	S. Jayakumar Wong Kan Seng
Succeeded by	Heng Swee Keat Lawrence Wong
Minister for Home Affairs
In office 21 May 2011 – 30 September 2015
Prime Minister	Lee Hsien Loong
Second Minister	S. Iswaran Masagos Zulkifli
Preceded by	K. Shanmugam
Succeeded by	K. Shanmugam
Minister for Defence
In office 1 August 2003 – 20 May 2011
Prime Minister	Goh Chok Tong Lee Hsien Loong
Second Minister	Ng Eng Hen
Preceded by	Tony Tan
Succeeded by	Ng Eng Hen
Minister for Education
In office 25 January 1997 – 31 July 2003
Prime Minister	Goh Chok Tong
Preceded by	Lee Yock Suan
Succeeded by	Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Minister for the Environment
In office 15 January 1996 – 24 January 1997 Acting: 17 April 1995 – 14 January 1996
Prime Minister	Goh Chok Tong
Preceded by	Mah Bow Tan
Succeeded by	Yeo Cheow Tong
Member of the Singapore Parliament for Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC (Pasir Ris West)
Incumbent
Assumed office 25 October 2001
Preceded by	Constituency established
Majority	44,466 (28.30%)
Member of the Singapore Parliament for Pasir Ris GRC (Pasir Ris Loyang)
In office 2 January 1997 – 18 October 2001
Preceded by	Charles Chong (PAP)
Succeeded by	Constituency abolished
Member of the Singapore Parliament for Marine Parade GRC (Joo Chiat)
In office 19 December 1992 – 15 December 1996
Preceded by	Lim Chee Onn (PAP)
Succeeded by	Chan Soo Sen (PAP)
Personal details
Born	(1954-12-27) 27 December 1954 (age 69)[1] Colony of Singapore
Political party	People's Action Party
Spouse	Chew Poh Yim (died. 2021)
Children	2
Education	University of Manchester (BS) Imperial College London (MS) Harvard University (MPA)
Signature
Military service
Branch/service	Republic of Singapore Navy
Years of service	1972–1992
Rank	Rear-Admiral

Teo Chee Hean (Chinese: 张志贤; pinyin: Zhāng Zhìxián; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tiuⁿ Chì-hiân; born 27 December 1954)^[1] is a Singaporean politician and former two-star rear-admiral who has been serving as Senior Minister of Singapore since 2019 and Coordinating Minister for National Security since 2015. A member of the governing People's Action Party, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Pasir Ris West division of Pasir Ris–Punggol GRC since 2001.

A recipient of the President's Scholarship and Singapore Armed Forces Overseas Scholarship, Teo served in the Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN) between 1972 and 1992, and attained the rank Rear-Admiral (Two-Star). He served as Chief of Navy between 1991 and 1992 before leaving the Navy and entering politics.

He made his political debut in the 1992 by-election in Marine Parade GRC as part of a four-member PAP team. He had served as 6th Deputy Prime Minister between 2009 and 2019, Minister for the Environment between 1995 and 1997, Minister for Education between 1997 and 2003, Minister for Defence between 2003 and 2011 and Minister for Home Affairs between 2011 and 2015. Teo was part of the ministerial committee of the Smart Nation and Digital Government Group (SNDGG). As Senior Minister, Teo had served as acting prime minister in several occasions, during Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong's absence.

Within the PAP, Teo was First Assistant Secretary-General in the party's Central Executive Committee (CEC) before he was succeeded by Heng Swee Keat in November 2018.^[2]