Foo Mee Har ( zh, s=胡美霞, p=Hú Měixiá; born 10 January 1966)
is a Malaysian-born
Singaporean
Singaporeans are the citizens and nationals of the sovereign island city-state of Singapore. Singapore is home to a people of a variety of ethno-racial-religious origins, with the city-state itself being a multi-racial, multi-cultural, m ...
businesswoman and retired politician. She is a member of the governing
People's Action Party
The People's Action Party (PAP) is a major Conservatism, conservative political party in Singapore and is the governing contemporary political party represented in the Parliament of Singapore, followed by the opposition Workers' Party of Singap ...
(PAP). Foo has served as the
Member of Parliament (MP) for the Ayer Rajah division from 2011 to 2020. Since 2020, she has represented the Ayer Rajah-Gek Poh division in the
West Coast GRC
The West Coast Group Representation Constituency was a five-member Group Representation Constituency (GRC) located in the western and central areas of Singapore. The five divisions consisted of: Ayer Rajah-Gek Poh, West Coast, Boon Lay, Nanyang ...
.
Foo entered electoral politics during the
2011 general election as a part of a five-member PAP team, contesting in the
West Coast Group Representation Constituency (GRC) securing 66.6% of the vote. In the
2015 general election, She retained her parliamentary seat in the West Coast GRC, with the PAP team receiving 78.6% of the vote against the
Reform Party. In the
2020 general election, Foo continued to hold her seat in West Coast GRC after obtaining 51.68% of the vote.
Foo was appointed as the CEO of the Wealth Management Institute, Asia's Centre of Excellence for wealth and asset management education and research, in 2015. She was also appointed as a Council Member of the
Singapore Business Federation in 2018.
Education
Foo attended Ave Maria Convent School (1973 – 1982) in
Ipoh
Ipoh (, ) is the capital city of the Malaysian States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Perak. Located on the Kinta River, it is nearly north of Kuala Lumpur and southeast of George Town, Penang, George Town in neighbouring Penang ...
, in the state of
Perak
Perak (; Perak Malay: ''Peghok'') is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula. Perak has land borders with the Malaysian states of Kedah to the north, Penang to the northwest, Kel ...
,
Malaysia
Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
and later
Loreto Normanhurst
Loreto Normanhurst is an independent Catholic, primary and secondary day and boarding school for girls, located in Normanhurst, a suburb on the upper North Shore of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.
Established in 1897, Loreto has a curre ...
(1983–1985) in
Sydney
Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country comprising mainland Australia, the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania and list of islands of Australia, numerous smaller isl ...
from 1983 to 1985. She graduated in 1989 from the
University of New South Wales
The University of New South Wales (UNSW) is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It was established in 1949.
The university comprises seven faculties, through which it offers bachelor's, master's and docto ...
with a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
degree, earning first-class honours in
psychology
Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...
.
Career
Foo started her career in 1990 as a Management Consultant with Coopers and Lybrand Management Consultants (now
PricewaterhouseCoopers
PricewaterhouseCoopers, also known as PwC, is a multinational professional services network based in London, United Kingdom.
It is the second-largest professional services network in the world and is one of the Big Four accounting firms, alon ...
) and PA Consulting Group. She later joined
Jardine Matheson
Jardine Matheson Holdings Limited (also known as Jardines) is a Hong Kong–based, Bermuda-domiciled British multinational conglomerate. It has a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange and secondary listings on the Singapore Exchange ...
's shipping group as the Head of HR.
Foo was with
Standard Chartered
Standard Chartered PLC is a British multinational bank with operations in wealth management, corporate and investment banking, and treasury services. Despite being headquartered in the United Kingdom, it does not conduct retail banking in th ...
Bank from 1994 to 2012. From 2003 to 2005, Foo was appointed Country Head of Consumer Banking in
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
, spearheading the growth of the Consumer Banking franchise in the country.
From 2006 to 2008, she served as President and CEO of
Standard Chartered Bank (Thai) PSL, with overall responsibility for the Bank in Thailand.
In 2008, Foo was appointed Global Head for Priority & International Banking business with overall responsibility for banking, financing and wealth management of affluent and international banking client segments, a business that spanned over 30 countries in
Asia
Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...
,
Africa
Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent after Asia. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 20% of Earth's land area and 6% of its total surfac ...
and the
Middle East
The Middle East (term originally coined in English language) is a geopolitical region encompassing the Arabian Peninsula, the Levant, Turkey, Egypt, Iran, and Iraq.
The term came into widespread usage by the United Kingdom and western Eur ...
.
Foo was involved with a range of corporate community programs, including advocacy, outreach and fund-raising for causes such as avoidable blindness,
HIV/AIDs
The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...
and healthy living. She started the inaugural Standard Chartered Bangkok Marathon, which has become one of the largest sporting events.
In March 2011, Foo was featured in the ''Sunday Times ''Women at the Top'' series, an eight-part weekly series on successful women in
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
.
In July 2015, Foo was appointed Chief Executive Officer of the Wealth Management Institute in
Singapore
Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
.
Political career
Foo joined the
PAP in 2010 and was unveiled as PAP's candidate for the
2011 Singapore general election
General elections were held in Singapore on 7 May 2011. President of Singapore, President S. R. Nathan dissolved parliament on 19 April 2011 on the advice of Prime Minister of Singapore, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong. Voting is mandatory in Si ...
. During her introduction, Foo said that living abroad allowed her to reflect on Singapore and appreciate its unique strengths.
After being elected, she was then appointed Deputy Chairperson of the Finance, Trade and Industry Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) in the
14th Parliament of Singapore
The 14th Parliament of Singapore was a meeting of the Parliament of Singapore. It opened on 24 August 2020 and dissolved on 15 April 2025. The membership was set by the 2020 Singapore General Election on 10 July 2020. The final sitting for the ...
.
PAP Women's Wing
Foo is the Treasurer of the PAP Women's Wing Executive Committee. She is also a member of the Advocacy Subcommittee. She led a position paper urging the government to adopt flexible-work legislation.
In an interview with ''
Channel NewsAsia
CNA (an initialism of Channel NewsAsia) is a Singapore-based multinational news channel owned by Mediacorp, the country's state-owned media conglomerate. The network is broadcast in Singapore on free-to-air terrestrial television and Mediacorp ...
'', she said, "As a professional woman, I'm hoping that I can contribute to the women's agenda in Singapore. I'm a banker by profession, so hopefully this network can help me reach out to women, especially professional women, and understand their issues."
Based on her experience in the financial sector and as a working mother, Foo has advocated for the following causes:
Fiscal sustainability
As Chairman of the Estimates Committee of the Singapore Parliament, Foo urged the government to ensure spending remained sustainable and prudent, without placing excessive tax burdens on future generations of Singaporeans.
She also emphasized the importance of establishing KPIs, monitoring mechanisms, and ensuring transparency and accountability in government initiatives. Foo advised the government against relying too heavily on outsourced vendors and consultants for technological knowledge, instead advocating for the development of a strong Singaporean core of public sector officers with expertise in areas such as data science and cybersecurity.
Business transformation
Foo advocated for government support to help
small and medium-sized enterprises
Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) or small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) are businesses whose personnel and revenue numbers fall below certain limits. The abbreviation "SME" is used by many national agencies and international organiza ...
transform. She urged the government to take a more targeted approach, providing tailored solutions to address the specific operational challenges faced by these companies. At the same time, she highlighted the importance for the private sector to play an active role in driving transformation for it to be successful. Foo also called for the development of strong local capabilities and ecosystems that foster innovation, encourage the adoption of technology, and support research and development (R&D) for successful business transformation.
She highlighted the importance of the government creating a framework that facilitates the transfer of capabilities and expertise from multinational corporations (MNCs) to the local ecosystem, while also generating quality jobs within the local economy.
Jobs and training
Foo has called for improvements in skills development amongst Singaporeans, via national policy to prepare Singaporeans for employment.
She also pushed for stronger connections between training programmes and employability, stating in Parliament that "There must be clear linkages from training courses to skills, to jobs". She has also spoken out for improved industry competency standards, improved work-study programmes and greater involvement of employers and trade organizations in the effort. In particular, Foo has called for the development of a strong "Singaporean Core" in all major sectors
and more job opportunities for ‘Professionals, Managers, Executives and Technicians’ through place-and-train programmes, as well as the re-employment of older workers who wish to work. When Singapore’s economy faced challenging economic times, she consistently advocated for support for Singaporeans affected by economic restructuring.
Foo has called on the government to develop effective strategies to help workers transition to new kinds of work, as machine learning and robotics replace specific tasks performed by humans.
Retirement adequacy
Foo has asked the government to help Singaporeans better understand their assets in the Central Provident Fund (CPF) and the "risk-return" comparisons with other financial products, as well as access to their funds. She has also pushed for improved retirement adequacy, particularly for women and financial security for seniors. Since 2013, she has championed options that allowed Singaporeans to monetise their HDB flats to supplement their retirement needs, if they wished to. She also called for a review of CPF payout durations, a revamp of the CPF Investment Scheme and the launch of the Lifetime Retirement Investment Scheme (LRIS), all towards benefiting CPF members.
Education
Foo pushed for changes in the education system to position future generations of Singaporeans for ‘
Industry 4.0’. In 2018, she said in Parliament that, "The successful reinvention of our educational system depends on transforming pedagogy and redesigning learning tasks." She called on the government to blend work and study into degree programmes to improve job readiness in graduates.
Foo also called on the government to review school curriculum to enable students to develop a deeper understanding of ASEAN, China and India, and expand their regional language capabilities. She has been a strong advocate of
lifelong learning
Lifelong learning is the "ongoing, voluntary, and self-motivated" pursuit of learning for either personal or professional reasons.
Lifelong learning is important for an individual's competitiveness and employability, but also enhances social in ...
.
Work-life balance
Since the start of her parliamentary career, Foo has championed the cause for more flexible work arrangements (
flexi-work and
work-from-home), especially for women and older workers, as well as other pro-family employment practices. She has also pushed for the Employment Act to extend better protection to ‘Professional, Managerial and Executive’ (PME) employees, as well as contract workers. She said, "Flexi-work should be our response to the modern economy, where workforce agility can generate significant economic benefits and a means to attract and retain talent and get the workforce engaged to boost the competitiveness of companies."
Personal life
Upon her graduation in 1989, Foo moved to Singapore as a permanent resident and married a Singaporean. The couple have two sons.
Foo obtained Singapore citizenship in January 2008 after her overseas postings from 2003 to 2008, when she was eligible to apply for citizenship. Foo spoke about Singapore being home for the last 30 years and that she wanted to make a difference in the lives of Singaporeans.
In an interview with ''
The Straits Times
''The Straits Times'' (also known informally by its abbreviation ''ST'') is a Singaporean daily English-language newspaper owned by the SPH Media Trust. Established on 15 July 1845, it is the most-widely circulated newspaper in the country and ...
'' on 8 September 2008, Foo mentioned that taking up overseas job postings was "always a family decision." In 2003, when Foo was offered a position in China, her husband, then a general manager at a multinational company, left his job to take up a post with another company in China so that the family could relocate together.
When Foo was offered a CEO post in
Thailand
Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...
, her family rallied behind her again.
References
External links
Foo Mee Haron
Parliament of Singapore
The Parliament of Singapore is the unicameralism, unicameral legislature of the Singapore, Republic of Singapore, which governs the country alongside the President of Singapore. Largely based upon the Westminster system, the Parliament is made ...
MP-Elect Profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foo, Mee Har
1966 births
Living people
Members of the Parliament of Singapore
People's Action Party politicians
University of New South Wales alumni
Singaporean women in politics
Singaporean people of Hakka descent
Malaysian emigrants to Singapore
People who lost Malaysian citizenship
Naturalised citizens of Singapore
Singapore Business Federation