Lawrence Wong (simplified Chinese: 黄循财; traditional Chinese; 黃循財; born 18 December 1972) is currently a Member of Parliament for West Coast Group Representation Constituency in Singapore. He also serves in the Cabinet as a Minister of State for Defence and Education.
Lawrence Wong attended Tanjong Katong Secondary School and Victoria Junior College.
He was the Chief Executive of the Energy Market Authority (EMA) prior to his resignation from the Administrative Service. At EMA, Wong initiated efforts towards more competitive and sustainable energy options. He led the implementation of the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) project to secure new gas contracts for Singapore, and to build the country’s first LNG terminal facility.
Prior to his appointment in EMA, he was the Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister from 2005 to 2008.
Before that, Wong was the Director of Healthcare Finance at the Ministry of Health, where he was responsible for implementing the MediShield reforms, which gave Singaporeans better protection against large hospital bills, as well as more competitively-priced medical insurance options to choose from.
An economist by training, Wong started his career at the Ministry of Trade & Industry, before moving to the Ministry of Finance where he implemented the Economic Restructuring Shares scheme to help Singaporeans adapt to structural changes in the economy. Over the years, he has supported the work of several high-level committees to develop and grow the economy, including the Committee on Singapore’s Competitiveness, the Economic Review Committee and the Economic Strategies Committee.
Political Career
Wong was first elected to Parliament as a candidate from the governing People's Action Party (PAP) in May 2011. On 21 July 2011, he was appointed a Minister of State in the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Education. He is currently the Chairman of Publicity and Publication Sub-Committee for PAP HQ Executive Committee.
Other Appointments
Wong was also appointed to the Board of Directors of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) on 10 June 2011 and as the President of SAFRA National Service Association Management Committee on 7 June 2011.