LAWRENCE WONG

MINISTER FOR FINANCE FINANCE MINISTER AND ONE OF THE GOVERNMENT’S FACES FRONTING SINGAPORE’S FIGHT AGAINST COVID-19

Lawrence Wong is Singapore’s minister for finance and one of the co-chairs of the country’s Covid-19 multi-ministry task force. Along with minister for trade and industry Gan Kim Yong and minister for health Ong Ye Kung, Wong represents the government’s efforts to battle the pandemic, deciding on national health-safety measures and communicating information to the public via televised press conferences and online videos. One such initiative involved Wong and Ong appearing in a Facebook video to address queries about topics such as booster shots and vaccinationdifferentiation measures.

Wong, who earned a master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School, oversees the country’s fiscal policies and the structure of its economy in his present role. He has previously held appointments at the ministries of Defence, Communications and Information, National Development, and Education, among others. Before he entered politics in 2011, he worked as a civil servant, occupying roles such as CEO of the Energy Market Authority.

Wong is also chairman of the Singapore Labour Foundation and the PAP Community Foundation, as well as a member of the National Research Foundation Board, the Future Economy Council, and the Research, Innovation and Enterprise Council, among others.

DID YOU KNOW?

Singapore’s Ministry of Finance was established in June 1959 and initially comprised two divisions: the economic development and the treasury (finance) arms.