Trailblazing female leaders who have shaped Singapore’s future in law, politics and business

Throughout Singapore’s history, a select group of trailblazing women have broken barriers and paved the way for future generations in law, politics, business, and activism. Their leadership and resilience have shaped policies, industries, and societal attitudes, leaving a lasting impact on the nation.

Get to know some of Singapore’s most influential female leaders who have redefined success and championed change in their respective fields.

Singapore’s doyenne of foreign diplomacy

Chan Heng Chee, ambassador-at-large

Chan Heng Chee is a woman of many firsts: the first woman to graduate with first-class honours degree in political science from the then University of Singapore in 1964, Singapore’s first full-fledged female ambassador and the first female permanent representative to the United Nations, and the first female head of NUS’ Political Science department. Fittingly, she was Her World’s first-ever Woman of the Year, in 1991.

Her illustrious career has seen her receive the inaugural Asia Society Outstanding Diplomatic Achievement Award, and the United States Navy Distinguished Public Service Award, and she currently serves as Ambassador-at-Large with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

An accomplished academic before she became a diplomat, she is an Honorary Professor at the Singapore University of Technology and Design.

Using her business acumen for good

Jennie Chua, co-founder of Beeworks, Inc, chairman of Temasek Foundation, and philanthropist

Teacher-turned-award-winning hotelier Jennie Chua is the grande dame of Singapore’s hospitality industry. She first paved the way for Singapore’s success as a conventions destination in her role as the head of the Singapore Convention Bureau, before becoming the first female general manager of Raffles Hotel.

Later, she helmed not one but two of Singapore’s most prominent hospitality groups: Raffles Holdings and the Ascott Group, and co-founded Beeworks, the company that brought Jollibee Foods to Singapore.

She accomplished all this while becoming the first woman to be elected to the board of the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce in its 172-year-history – and being named Her World’s Woman of the Year in 1999.

Equally prolific on the philanthropic front, Jennie has raised millions for charity, most recently with a charity gala marking her 80th birthday, which raised $3.5 million for the Community Chest and Woodlands Health Fund. She also served as Non-Resident Ambassador to Slovakia and the United Mexican States.

Most recently, in September 2024, Jennie was named chairman of Temasek Foundation.

Championing the grassroots to leading the nation

Halimah Yacob, Former President of Singapore, Chancellor of the Singapore University of Social Sciences

Throughout her political career, Her World’s 2003 Woman of the Year Halimah Yacob has blazed a trail in Singapore: from becoming the country’s first Malay female Member of Parliament (MP) to being named the republic’s first female President. A champion of labour rights, Halimah joined the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) in 1978, when she was 24 years old, as a legal officer.

She entered politics in 2001 when she was elected MP of Jurong GRC, and served her constituents while advocating for workers’ rights as NTUC’s deputy secretary-general. The first Singaporean to be elected to the governing body of the International Labour Organization, she was appointed Singapore’s first female Speaker of Parliament in 2013.

During her history-making term as President, Halimah weathered an unprecedented challenge – the Covid-19 pandemic, which saw her giving her assent to 11 Budgets and five drawdowns on Singapore’s past reserves, exercising her custodial powers more than any other president in Singapore’s history. She currently serves as Chancellor of the Singapore University of Social Sciences.

Breaking glass ceilings in the judiciary

Lai Siu Chiu, lawyer and judge

Twenty two years after retiring from the bench, Lai Siu Chiu returned to the judiciary as a Senior Judge in 2015 – the only woman among five former Supreme Court judges to do so. Though now fully retired, her legacy as the first woman appointed as a Judicial Commissioner and Supreme Court Judge in Singapore endures.

Siu Chiu was one of the few female litigators in the legal fraternity when she was called to the Bar in 1973. After a stint at M/s Sim Teow Gok & Co, she joined Allen & Gledhill, becoming a partner in 1980. In 1991, she left the firm to join the Supreme Court.

A strong advocate for community service, Siu Chiu has led organisations such as the Children’s Charities Association and the Singapore Academy of Law Membership & Social Committee since the 1980s. She has also served as a member of the Presidential Council for Religious Harmony.

Currently, she is a member of the executive board of the Yellow Ribbon Fund and serves as the chairperson of Changi Prison’s Review Board, overseeing cases of individuals sentenced to life imprisonment, long-term imprisonment, or detention at the President’s pleasure.

Defending the rights of vulnerable women

Constance Singam, activist and author

A widely respected figure in civic activism, Constance Singam is a tireless advocate for women’s rights, known for her efforts in campaigning against violence against women. Following her husband’s death, Constance found her calling in activism at the age of 42 when she joined the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) in 1986.

The following year, she became the organisation’s president. That same year, Aware, together with the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations (SCWO) and the National Crime Prevention Council, launched the “Stop Violence Against Women” campaign.

Later on, as SCWO’s president, Constance – together with Aware, the Singapore Association of Women Lawyers, and the Samaritans of Singapore – led discussions with the police on how to improve the authorities’ management of rape victims. It’s a topic that continues to make headlines today.

She not only served as president of Aware for three terms, but also led and co-founded various civic non-profits in Singapore: Society Against Family Violence (1991), The Working Committee (1998), and Transient Workers Count Too (2002).

These days, Constance finds joy in simple pleasures like reading and writing. She has published three children’s books and, in 2013, wrote a memoir titled Where I Was: A Memoir from the Margins. The book was later updated and re-released in 2022 as Where I Was: A Memoir About Forgetting and Remembering.

To learn more about the 60 women who have shaped Singapore as we know it today, click here.