Tharman Shanmugaratnam is a Singaporean economist and statesman of Indian descent. |
He attended an Anglo-Chinese School in Singapore for his formal education. |
Tharman's father, Kanagaratnam, was a prominent figure in Singaporean pathology and research. |
In 1978, Tharman co-authored a poetry collection during his time in the Young Writers’ Circle. |
Tharman started as a student activist in the UK during the 1970s. |
He met his future wife, Jane Ittogi, while studying at the London School of Economics. |
Tharman received the Lucius N. Littauer Fellows Award during his studies at Harvard. |
He began working as an economist at the Monetary Authority of Singapore in 1982. |
Tharman held various roles at MAS before becoming the Managing Director in 2001. |
He transitioned to the Education Ministry in April 1995. |
Tharman entered politics in 2001 and won his first election with a large majority. |
He successfully defended his seat in the Jurong GRC in five consecutive elections. |
Tharman has received multiple honorary fellowships from prestigious institutions. |
In 2011, he became the first Asian to lead the IMFC. |
Tharman was chosen as the most preferred successor to the Prime Minister in a 2016 poll. |
He chaired the Group of Thirty from 2017 to 2023. |
Tharman led the Eminent Persons Group on Global Financial Governance in 2017. |
In 2019, he joined the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum. |
Tharman has been involved in various UN and G20 initiatives. |
He qualified for the 2023 Presidential Election in Singapore. |
Tharman's campaign symbol for the 2023 election is a pineapple. |
He spearheads the National Skills Future initiative in Singapore. |
Tharman is involved in several leadership roles in Singaporean organizations. |
He is the first non-Chinese president of Singapore to win an election. |
Tharman is fluent in English, Tamil, Malay, and Mandarin. |
He has been awarded the Pingat Bakti Masyarakat public service medal. |
Tharman has been practicing Chinese calligraphy since 2002. |