Grace Fu Hai Yien

Grace Fu Hai Yien ( zh, s=傅海燕, p=Fù Hǎiyàn; born 29 March 1964) is a Singaporean accountant and politician who has been serving as Minister for Sustainability and the Environment since 2020, and Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations since 2024. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), she had, as part of a PAP team, represented Jurong Group Representation Constituency (GRC) between 2006 and 2011, Yuhua Single Member Constituency (SMC) between 2011 and 2025 and now, as part of a PAP team, represent Jurong East–Bukit Batok GRC since 2025.

An accountant by profession, Fu had worked at Overseas Union Bank, Haw Par Group, and PSA Corporation before entering politics. She made her political debut in the 2006 general election as part of the five-member PAP team contesting in Jurong GRC and won. She then contested in Yuhua SMC since the 2011 general election. Following the redrawing of electoral boundaries in the 2025 general election, Yuhua SMC was absorbed into Jurong East–Bukit Batok GRC which she contested with a team from PAP and was elected.

Before her appointment as the Minister of Sustainability and the Environment, Fu served as Senior Minister of State for National Development and Education between 2008 and 2011, for the Environment and Water Resources and for the Information, Communications and the Arts between 2011 and 2012, Second Minister for Foreign Affairs between 2012 and 2015, Leader of the House and Minister for Culture, Community and Youth between 2015 and 2020.

Early life and education

Fu was born on 29 March 1964 in Singapore. She was educated at Nanyang Girls' High School and Hwa Chong Junior College before graduating from the National University of Singapore in 1985 with a Bachelor of Accountancy with honours degree in 1985. She subsequently completed a Master of Business Administration degree at the NUS Business School in 1991.

Career

Fu started her career at the 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 Assistant Director (Finance). She took on additional responsibility 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 CEO of Singapore Terminals. In 2004, she became CEO 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.

In addition, she was also elected as the President of the Singapore National Olympic Council on 5 January, following the resignation of Tan Chuan Jin due to his extramarital affair with fellow Member of Parliament Cheng Li Hui

Political career

Fu made her political debut in the 2006 general election as part of the five-member PAP team contesting in Jurong GRC and won. Fu was subsequently elected as the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Yuhua division of Jurong GRC in June 2006. She was one of 24 new PAP candidates introduced ahead of the general election.

On 1 August 2006, Fu was appointed Minister of State for National Development.

On 1 April 2008, Fu was promoted to Senior Minister of State for National Development, and appointed Senior Minister of State for Education concurrently.

At the 2011 general election, Fu contested in the newly created Yuhua SMC and won with 66.9% of the vote. Following the election, Fu was appointed Senior Minister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts, and Senior Minister of State for the Environment and Water Resources concurrently.

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 netizens 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 made full minister, becoming the second woman in Singapore's history, after Lim Hwee Hua, to become a full minister in the Cabinet. She served as 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 2014, as the Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Fu was in charge of the Municipal Services Office.

In 2015, Fu was appointed Minister for Culture, Community and Youth, becoming the first female minister in Singapore to head a ministry.

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

Fu served as Leader of the House from 2015 to 2020, before being appointed Minister for Sustainability and the Environment in 2020.

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

On 14 January 2024, following the resignation of S. Iswaran as Minister for Transport and Minister In-Charge of Trade Relations, a cabinet reshuffle was conducted and Chee Hong Tat was promoted to Minister for Transport while Fu took over the portfolio of Minister In-charge of Trade Relations from Iswaran.

Personal life

Fu's father, James Fu, was a former leftist journalist who became press secretary to Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew. Her mother was a nurse. Her grandmother, Liew Yuen Sien, was formerly the principal of Nanyang Girls' High School from 1927 to 1966.

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 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