Grace Fu Hai Yien

Grace Fu Hai Yien ( zh, s=傅海燕, p=Fù Hǎiyàn; born 1964) is a Singaporean politician who has been serving as Minister for Sustainability and the Environment since 2020. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), she has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing Yuhua SMC since 2011.

Before entering politics, Fu was an accountant and had worked at Overseas Union Bank, Haw Par Group and PSA Corporation. She stood for election in the 2006 general election as part of the PAP team contesting in Jurong GRC and was elected. Since the 2011 general election, she had been contesting as a solo candidate in Yuhua SMC and had won three elections since then. Throughout her political career, she held positions in various ministries and was Leader of the House between 2015 and 2020.

Background

Fu was educated in Nanyang Girls' High School and Hwa Chong Junior College before she went to the National University of Singapore, where she completed a Bachelor of Accountancy (Honours) in 1985 and a Master of Business Administration in 1991.

Fu began her career with Overseas Union Bank as an auditor from 1985 to 1988. She then joined the Haw Par Group, where she worked in corporate planning, financial control and business development from 1991 to 1995.

In October 1995, Fu joined PSA Corporation as an Assistant Director (Finance). She took on additional responsibilities as Vice-President (Marketing) and assumed the position of Financial Controller in October 1998. She was promoted to Executive Vice-President (Finance) in January 1999. In April 2003, Fu was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Singapore Terminals. In 2004, she became the Chief Executive Officer of PSA South East Asia and Japan, where she was responsible for the business performance of PSA's flagship terminals in Singapore, Thailand, Brunei and Japan.

Fu has been a non-practising member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Singapore since 1992.

Political career

Fu was one of 24 new People's Action Party (PAP) candidates introduced ahead of the 2006 general election. She was elected in June 2006 as a Member of Parliament representing the Yuhua ward in Jurong Group Representation Constituency (GRC). On 1 August 2006, she was appointed Minister of State at the Ministry of National Development

On 1 April 2008, Fu was promoted to Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Education.

At the 2011 general election, Fu was elected as the Member of Parliament representing the newly formed Yuhua Single Member Constituency (SMC). She defeated the Singapore Democratic Party candidate Teo Soh Lung by 14,093 votes (66.9%) to 6,986 (33.1%). Following the election, Fu was appointed Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts and Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources.

In January 2012, Fu expressed concerns over the planned 36–37% income cuts for ministers, saying that if ministerial pay was further reduced in the future, it would "make it harder for anyone considering political office". Her comments contributed to the ongoing public debate over compensation and motivation of public officials, and were subject to criticism from Internet users in Singapore. Others defended her remark as fair, supporting her position that loss of privacy and public scrutiny adds a large personal cost to public positions not found in the private sector.

On 31 July 2012, Fu was promoted to full Minister, becoming the second woman in Singaporean history after Lim Hwee Hua to become a full Minister in the Cabinet. She also held the positions of Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister for the Environment and Water Resources, and Second Minister for Foreign Affairs from 2012 to 2015. In 2015, she was appointed Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, becoming the first female minister in Singapore to helm a ministry.

In 2018, Fu appeared in the seventh episode of the television series ''Eat Already? 4'' to promote the ActiveSG programme launched by the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.

Following the 2020 general election, Fu became the PAP's Central Executive Committee Organising Secretary and an advisor of Yuhua SMC Grassroots Organisation.

Fu took up a new portfolio as Minister for Sustainability and the Environment on 27 July 2020. She was also Leader of the House from 1 October 2015 to 23 August 2020.

Since 2020, Fu has also been a member of the Global Leaders Group on Antimicrobial Resistance, co-chaired by Sheikh Hasina, Prime Minister of Bangladesh, and Mia Mottley, Prime Minister of Barbados.

Personal life

Fu's father, James Fu, was previously a leftist journalist who became press secretary to Lee Kuan Yew when he was the Prime Minister. Her mother was a nurse.

Fu is married to technopreneur Ivan Lee and they have three sons.A Chat with Grace Fu
, pap.org.sg, 10 June 2006.

References

External links

Grace Fu
on Prime Minister's Office

Grace Fu
on Parliament of Singapore
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Fu, Grace
1964 births
Living people
Culture ministers
Government ministers of Singapore
Hwa Chong Junior College alumni
Members of the Cabinet of Singapore
Members of the Parliament of Singapore
National University of Singapore alumni
People's Action Party politicians
Singaporean people of Hokkien descent
Women government ministers of Singapore
Honorary Dames Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
Singaporean women in politics
Environment ministers of Singapore