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Introduction
Grace considers herself a beneficiary of Singapore’s education and meritocratic system. After graduating from NUS with an Accountancy degree, she began her career in the private sector, with roles in Overseas Union Bank and Haw Par Group. She joined PSA Corporation, becoming its first female CFO and later first female CEO, helping PSA become 'The World's Port of Call'. The stint in PSA, which thrives in a highly competitive environment with cost-efficient operations, gave her a keen understanding of the challenges faced by Singapore and how little margin of error we can afford in public policies.
Grace took the plunge into politics in 2006 and has represented Yuhua since then. She held political office in several Ministries before becoming Minister of Community, Culture and Youth in 2015, the second woman full Minister in Singapore’s history, and the first woman Minister to helm her own Ministry.
Grace is a strong advocate for women, having herself grown up with strong female role models - her grandmother, Liew Yuen Sien, was principal of Nanyang Girls' High School, and her mother was a nurse and later Matron of Tan Tock Seng Hospital. She strongly believes in empowering young women to be all they can be, and is actively involved with women's groups such as the Young Women's Leadership Connection.
Grace is a champion of sustainable development and environment protection on the global stage, and has long pushed for a cleaner and greener Singapore, long before she took on her current role of Minister for Sustainability and the Environment. Her constituency, Yuhua, became Singapore's first green neighbourhood in 2017, implementing features such as energy conservation, waste management, greenery enhancement and community outreach programmes. Having grown up in a flood-prone area without proper sanitation, she is determined to leave behind a legacy of a green, liveable and sustainable Singapore.