Sim Ann
Sim Ann (Chinese: 沈颖; pinyin: Shěn Yíng; born 1975)[1] is a Singaporean politician who has been serving as Senior Minister of State at the Ministries of National Development and Foreign Affairs since 2020 and 2021 respectively. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), she is a Member of the 14th Parliament and has been representing the Bukit Timah ward of Holland–Bukit Timah Group Representation Constituency (GRC) since 2011.
Sim Ann | |
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沈颖 | |
![]() Sim in 2021 | |
Senior Minister of State, Ministry for Foreign Affairs | |
Assumed office 15 May 2021 | |
Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
Minister | Vivian Balakrishnan |
Senior Minister of State, Ministry for National Development | |
Assumed office 27 July 2020 | |
Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
Minister | Desmond Lee |
Senior Minister of State, Ministry for Communications and Information | |
In office 1 May 2018 – 14 May 2021 | |
Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
Minister | S. Iswaran |
Senior Minister of State, Ministry for Culture, Community and Youth | |
In office 1 October 2015 – 26 July 2020 | |
Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
Minister | Grace Fu |
Senior Minister of State, Ministry for Trade and Industry | |
In office 22 August 2016 – 30 April 2018 | |
Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
Minister | Lim Hng Kiang (Trade) S. Iswaran (Industry) |
Senior Minister of State, Ministry for Finance | |
In office 1 October 2015 – 21 August 2016 | |
Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
Minister | Heng Swee Keat |
Minister of State, Ministry for Communications and Information | |
In office 1 September 2013 – 30 September 2015 | |
Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
Minister | Yaacob Ibrahim |
Minister of State, Ministry for Education | |
In office 1 September 2013 – 30 September 2015 | |
Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
Minister | Heng Swee Keat |
Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry for Communications and Information | |
In office 1 November 2012 – 31 August 2013 | |
Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
Minister | Yaacob Ibrahim |
Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry for Education | |
In office 21 May 2011 – 31 August 2013 | |
Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
Minister | Heng Swee Keat |
Senior Parliamentary Secretary, Ministry for Law | |
In office 21 May 2011 – 31 October 2012 | |
Prime Minister | Lee Hsien Loong |
Minister | K. Shanmugam |
Member of the Singapore Parliament for Holland–Bukit Timah GRC (Bukit Timah) | |
Assumed office 7 May 2011 | |
Preceded by | Yu-Foo Yee Shoon |
Majority | 34,991 (32.72%) |
Deputy Party Whip of the People's Action Party | |
Assumed office 6 June 2019 | |
Secretary-General | Lee Hsien Loong |
Party Whip | Janil Puthucheary |
Preceded by | Sam Tan |
Personal details | |
Born | 1975[1] Singapore |
Political party | People's Action Party |
Spouse(s) | Mok Ying Jang |
Children | 3 |
Alma mater | Exeter College, Oxford Stanford University |
A recipient of the President's Scholarship, Sim started her career in the Civil Service and worked at the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Trade and Industry, and Prime Minister's Office. She made her political debut in the 2011 general election as part of a four-member PAP team contesting in Holland–Bukit Timah GRC, and they won with 60.1% of the vote. Sim had since retained her parliamentary seat in the subsequent general elections, and had served as Senior Parliamentary Secretary in various Ministries before she was promoted to Minister of State in 2013 and later Senior Minister of State in 2015. She has also been the Deputy Government Whip since 1 October 2015.
Education
Sim was educated in Raffles Girls' School and Hwa Chong Junior College before she was awarded the President's Scholarship to study at Exeter College at the University of Oxford,[2] where she completed a degree in philosophy, politics and economics in 1997. In 1998, she completed a Master of Arts in political science at Stanford University. Sim also completed a postgraduate diploma in translation and interpretation at Nanyang Technological University in 2005.
Career
Civil career
Sim started her career in the Civil Service. From 1998 to 2000, she was Assistant Director for Finance Policy and Planning at the Ministry of Health. From 2000 to 2003, she was Assistant Director for Implementation Planning at the Ministry of Home Affairs. From 2003 to 2006, she became Deputy Director for Trade at the Ministry of Trade and Industry. From 2007 to 2009, Sim was seconded to International Enterprise Singapore as its Regional Director based in Shanghai, where she headed a team assisting Singapore-based companies with investment and sales in East China. From 2009 to 2011, she was the Director of the National Population Secretariat and she led efforts to restructure the secretariat into the National Population and Talent Division under the Prime Minister's Office.
Political career
Sim entered politics when she joined a four-member People's Action Party team to contest in Holland–Bukit Timah GRC during the 2011 general election. The PAP team won with 60.08% of the vote against the Singapore Democratic Party so Sim became a Member of Parliament representing the Bukit Timah ward of Holland–Bukit Timah GRC. On 21 May 2011, she was appointed Senior Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Law and Ministry of Education. On 1 November 2012, she relinquished her appointment at the Ministry of Law and became Senior Parliamentary Secretary at the Ministry of Communications and Information while continuing to hold her appointment at the Ministry of Education. On 1 September 2013, she was promoted to Minister of State and continued serving at the Ministries of Education, and Communications and Information.[1]
During the 2015 general election, Sim contested as part of a four-member PAP team in Holland–Bukit Timah GRC again and they won with 66.6% of the vote against the Singapore Democratic Party. Following the election, on 1 October 2015, Sim was promoted to Senior Minister of State and appointed to the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. She was also appointed Deputy Government Whip.[3] On 22 August 2016, she relinquished her appointment at the Ministry of Finance and switched to the Ministry of Trade and Industry while continuing to serve at the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.[4] On 1 May 2018, she switched from the Ministry of Trade and Industry to the Ministry of Communications and Information, while continuing to serve at the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth.[5][1]
At the 2020 general election, Sim joined the four-member PAP team contesting in Holland–Bukit Timah GRC again and they won with 66.36% of the vote against the Singapore Democratic Party. On 27 July 2020, Sim was appointed Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Communications and Information. On 15 May 2021, she relinquished her appointment at the Ministry of Communications and Information and became Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs while concurrently serving as Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of National Development.[1]
Personal life
Sim is married to Mok Ying Jang, a doctor who is the Deputy Chief Operating Officer of the National Healthcare Group Polyclinics. Mok was also a member of the first Singaporean team to climb Mount Everest in 1998.[6][7] Sim and Mok have two sons and one daughter.
References
- "MP | Parliament Of Singapore". www.parliament.gov.sg.
- "Exeter PPE graduate elected to Singaporean parliament". University of Oxford. 13 June 2011. Archived from the original on 23 January 2013.
- "Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong announces Singapore's new Cabinet". Channel NewsAsia. 28 September 2015. Archived from the original on 28 September 2015. Retrieved 28 September 2015.
- "Changes to Cabinet and other appointments". Prime Minister's Office. 22 August 2016. Archived from the original on 24 August 2016. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
- "Changes to Cabinet and other appointments". Prime Minister's Office. 24 April 2018. Archived from the original on 17 November 2018. Retrieved 24 April 2018.
- "gov.sg | OPS". www.sgdi.gov.sg.
- "Dr Vivian Balakrishnan rushes to help fallen woman". sg.news.yahoo.com.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Sim Ann. |
- Sim Ann on Facebook
- Sim Ann on Parliament of Singapore
- Sim Ann, PAP media release, 14 April 2011