Lawrence Wong

The Honourable Lawrence Wong
黄循财
Wong in 2023
4th Prime Minister of Singapore
Incumbent
Assumed office 15 May 2024
President	Tharman Shanmugaratnam
Deputy	Gan Kim Yong Heng Swee Keat
Preceded by	Lee Hsien Loong
Minister for Finance
Incumbent
Assumed office 15 May 2021
Prime Minister	Lee Hsien Loong Himself
Preceded by	Heng Swee Keat
Ministerial offices 2012–⁠2024 Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore In office 13 June 2022 – 15 May 2024 Serving with Heng Swee Keat Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Preceded by Tharman Shanmugaratnam Teo Chee Hean Succeeded by Gan Kim Yong Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore In office 8 July 2023 – 15 May 2024 Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Preceded by Tharman Shanmugaratnam Succeeded by Gan Kim Yong Minister for Education In office 27 July 2020 – 14 May 2021 Preceded by Ong Ye Kung Succeeded by Chan Chun Sing Second Minister for Finance In office 22 August 2016 – 14 May 2021 Serving with Indranee Rajah (2018–2021) Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Preceded by Lim Hwee Hua Minister for National Development In office 1 October 2015 – 26 July 2020 Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Preceded by Khaw Boon Wan Succeeded by Desmond Lee Second Minister for Communications and Information In office 1 May 2014 – 30 September 2015 Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Minister for Culture, Community and Youth In office 1 May 2014 – 30 September 2015 Acting: 1 November 2012 – 30 April 2014 Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong Preceded by Chan Chun Sing (Acting Minister of Community Development, Youth and Sports) Succeeded by Grace Fu
Member of the Singapore Parliament for Marsiling-Yew Tee GRC Limbang Division
Incumbent
Assumed office 11 September 2015
Preceded by	Constituency established
Member of the Singapore Parliament for West Coast GRC Boon Lay Division
In office 7 May 2011 – 24 August 2015
Preceded by	Ho Geok Choo
Succeeded by	Patrick Tay
Personal details
Born	Lawrence Wong Shyun Tsai (1972-12-18) 18 December 1972 (age 51) Singapore
Political party	People's Action Party
Spouse	Loo Tze Lui
Education	University of Wisconsin, Madison (BS) University of Michigan (MA) Harvard University (MPA)
Occupation	Civil servant, politician
Profession	Economist
Signature
Chinese name
Simplified Chinese	黄循财
Traditional Chinese	黃循財
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Huáng Xúncái Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Wòhng Chèuhnchòih Jyutping Wong⁴ Ceon⁴-coi⁴ IPA [wɔːŋ˩ tsʰɵn˩.tsʰɔːi˩]

Lawrence Wong Shyun Tsai^[a] (born 18 December 1972) is a Singaporean politician, economist and former civil servant who has been serving as the Prime Minister of Singapore since 2024, and Minister for Finance since 2021. A member of the governing People's Action Party, he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Limbang division of Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC since 2015, and previously the Boon Lay division of West Coast GRC between 2011 and 2015. He is the first prime minister born after Singapore’s independence in 1965.^[1]

Prior to entering politics, Wong worked at the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI), the Ministry of Finance (MOF) and the Ministry of Health (MOH). He was Principal Private Secretary to Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong between 2005 and 2008. He also served as the chief executive officer (CEO) of the Energy Market Authority (EMA) between 2009 and 2011.^[2] Wong made his political debut in the 2011 general election where he contested in West Coast GRC as part of a five-member PAP team and won. Wong subsequently contested in Marsiling–Yew Tee GRC in the 2015 general election, and retained his parliamentary seat in the 2020 general election. Prior to his appointment as Minister of Finance, Wong served as Minister for Culture, Community and Youth between 2012 and 2015, Second Minister of Communications and Information between 2014 and 2015, Minister for National Development between 2015 and 2020,^[3] Second Minister of Finance between 2016 and 2021, and Minister for Education between 2020 and 2021.

Wong was also co-chair of a multi-ministerial committee set up by the government in January 2020 to manage the COVID-19 pandemic in Singapore.^[4] As Minister for Finance, he has overseen the gradual increase in Goods and Services Tax (GST) which Lee's government has advocated for – 8% in 2023 and 9% in 2024, up from 7% which had been set since 2007. In April 2022, he was chosen as the leader of the PAP's fourth generation team, placing him in line as Lee's apparent successor.^[5] Wong assumed the office of Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore on 13 June 2022, serving alongside Heng Swee Keat.^[6] On 26 November 2022, Wong was appointed to the newly created position of Deputy Secretary-General of the PAP.^[7]

On 3 July 2023, it was announced that Wong will be appointed Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) on 8 July 2023. Wong had served as Deputy Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore between 2021 and 2023. He was also appointed Chairman of the Investment Strategies Committee of GIC, and Chairman of the International Advisory Council (IAC) of the Economic Development Board (EDB) on 7 July 2023, and 8 July 2023, respectively. Wong was subsequently appointed Deputy Chairman of GIC's Board of Directors on 1 October 2023. On 15 May 2024, Wong was sworn in as the fourth prime minister of Singapore.

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