Ho Ching

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This is a Chinese name; the family name is Ho.

Ho Ching (Chinese: 何晶; pinyin: Hé Jīng) is the Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Holdings (over US$100 billion in assets and owned by Singapore's Ministry of Finance) and the wife of the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong (son of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew). Temasek Holdings purchased Shin Corporation in 2006 from Thai Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra who was ousted by a military coup soon after allegations of corruption.

Ms Ho graduated from the University of Singapore in 1976 with a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical, First Class Honours) after completing her pre-university education at National Junior College where she emerged Student of the Year and President Scholar. She graduated from Crescent Girls' School. She also holds a Master of Science (Electrical) from Stanford University, USA.^[1] In 1995, Ms Ho was conferred the Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award. She is also an Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Singapore.

She is the eldest child of four children of retired businessman Ho Eng Hong and Chan Chiew Ping. In 17 December 1985, she married Lee Hsien Loong,^[1] who later became Singapore's third Prime Minister in August 2004.

Ms Ho is Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Holdings.

She began her career as an engineer with the Ministry of Defence.^[1] In 1987, she joined the Singapore Technologies group as Deputy Director of Engineering, and became its President and Chief Executive Officer before retiring in 2001. She later joined Temasek Holdings in May 2002.

[edit] Business achievements

In 2007, Forbes magazine ranked her third in the list of most powerful women in business (outside the United States).^[2] Her previous rankings were 11^th in 2005, 5^th in 2004, and 10^th in 2003.^{[citation needed]}

In 2006, the same magazine remarked that Ho had made "a spectacular misjudgment" in the purchase of Shin Corp shares. Since then, "Shin shares have fallen 43% since the deal was signed, and Temasek will now endure a potentially embarrassing probe by the new regime into Thaksin's finances that threatens asset seizures, deal cancellation, and large fines." ^[3]

In 2007, she was picked as one of the "100 most influential men and women" who shaped the world by TIME Magazine.^[4]

Similarly in 2007, business magazine Forbes ranked her third in its annual list of the world's most powerful women, leap-frogging a rank ahead of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and falling short behind German Chancellor Angela Merkel and China's Vice-Premier Wu Yi. Ho Ching was ranked 36th in the same list last year.