Tharman Shanmugaratnam (Singaporean Politician) Age, Biography, Fam.

Quick Info

Profession	Politician
Nationality	Singaporean
Date of Birth	25/02/1957
Age	69 years
Birthplace	Singapore

Latest News about Tharman Shanmugaratnam

18/03/2026

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam approved Singapore's Budget for the 2026 fiscal year. He warned that the world is facing a 'long storm' of instability amid ongoing geopolitical tensions, economic uncertainties, and potential wars. Tharman emphasized the need for resilience and strategic planning in response to these global challenges.

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Bio/Wiki

Famous for	Ninth President of Singapore and third of Indian origin

Physical Stats & More

Height	180 cm
Eye Color	Black
Hair Color	Salt and Pepper

Educational Qualification(s)

Education	Bachelor of Science degree in Economics Master of Philosophy degree in Economics Master’s degree in Public Administration
Universities	London School of Economics Cambridge University Harvard University

Personal Life

School	Anglo-Chinese School Singapore

Relationships & More

Marital Status	Married
Affairs/Girlfriends	Jane Yumiko Ittogi
Marriage Year	1990
Spouse Name	Jane Yumiko Ittogi

Family

Father	Kanagaratnam Shanmugaratnam (Pathologist and Cancer Researcher)
Mother	(Homemaker)
Siblings	He has 2 siblings
Spouse	Jane Yumiko Ittogi (Ex-Lawyer and Social Worker)
Children	Maya Akash, Krishan, Arjun Akash Krishan Arjun

Career

Political Party	People's Action Party (PAP)
Political Journey	2001: Became the Member of Parliament from the Taman Jurong division of the Jurong GRC constituency of Singapore 2001: Appointed Senior Minister of State for Trade and Industry and Senior Minister of State for Education December 2002: Elected to the Central Executive Committee of the People’s Action Party 2003: Joined the cabinet as the Minister for Education, a position he held until 2008 2006: Won the Taman Jurong division of the Jurong GRC constituency of Singapore second time 1 December 2007: Became the Minister for Finance 2011: Won the Taman Jurong division of the Jurong GRC constituency of Singapore third time 2011: Appointed as the Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore while continuing his duties as the Minister for Finance May 2011: Designated as the second Assistant Secretary-General of the People’s Action Party (PAP) 2011-2012: Served as the Minister for Manpower 2015: Won the Taman Jurong division of the Jurong GRC constituency of Singapore fourth time October 2015: Assigned the role of Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies while serving as the Deputy Prime Minister 1 May 2019: During the reshuffle of the cabinet, he became the Senior Minister 2019: Gave up his role as Deputy Prime Minister. He was appointed as the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and provided advice to the prime minister on economic policies 6 July 2023: Resigned from all official and political positions he held within the government to run in the 2023 Singaporean presidential election 2 September 2023: Won the presidential election of Singapore and elected as the ninth president of the State 14 September 2023: Took oath as the President of Singapore 2020: Retained parliamentary seat in Jurong GRC with 74.62% of the vote 1982: Began career as an economist at the Monetary Authority of Singapore 2001: Became Member of Parliament from Taman Jurong division of Jurong GRC 2003-2008: Served as Minister for Education 2006: Won Taman Jurong division of Jurong GRC second time 1 December 2007: Became Minister for Finance 2011: Won Taman Jurong division of Jurong GRC third time 2011: Appointed Deputy Prime Minister while continuing as Minister for Finance May 2011: Designated as second Assistant Secretary-General of the People's Action Party 2011-2012: Served as Minister for Manpower 2011-2023: Served as Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore 2015: Won Taman Jurong division of Jurong GRC fourth time October 2015: Assigned role of Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies 1 May 2019: Became Senior Minister during cabinet reshuffle 2019: Gave up role as Deputy Prime Minister 2019-2023: Served as Deputy Chairman of GIC and Chairman of its Investment Strategies Committee 2020-2022: Chaired National Jobs Council 6 July 2023: Resigned from all official and political positions to run in presidential election 14 September 2023: Took oath as the ninth President of Singapore
Current Position	President of Singapore (since 14 September 2023)
International Leadership Roles	Chair, IMFC (International Monetary Fund policy forum) 2011-2014 Chair, G20 Eminent Persons Group on Global Financial Governance 2017-2018 Chair, Group of Thirty 2017-2022 Chair, Board of Trustees, Group of Thirty (since 2023) Co-Chair, Global Commission on the Economics of Water 2022-2025 Co-Chair, World Bank Group High-Level Advisory Council on Jobs (since 2024) Co-Chair, Advisory Board for UN Human Development Reports 2019-2023 Co-Chair, Global Education Forum 2019-2023 Member, Board of Trustees, World Economic Forum (since 2019)

Favourites

Food	Chai Tow Kway, Ikan Tenggiri Tapang fish
Actor	P. Ramlee

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Tharman Shanmugaratnam is a Singaporean economist and statesman of Indian descent.
2. He attended an Anglo-Chinese School in Singapore for his formal education.
3. Tharman's father, Kanagaratnam, was a prominent figure in Singaporean pathology and research.
4. In 1978, Tharman co-authored a poetry collection during his time in the Young Writers’ Circle.
5. Tharman started as a student activist in the UK during the 1970s.
6. He met his future wife, Jane Ittogi, while studying at the London School of Economics.
7. Tharman received the Lucius N. Littauer Fellows Award during his studies at Harvard.
8. He began working as an economist at the Monetary Authority of Singapore in 1982.
9. Tharman held various roles at MAS before becoming the Managing Director in 2001.
10. He transitioned to the Education Ministry in April 1995.
11. Tharman entered politics in 2001 and won his first election with a large majority.
12. He successfully defended his seat in the Jurong GRC in five consecutive elections.
13. Tharman has received multiple honorary fellowships from prestigious institutions.
14. In 2011, he became the first Asian to lead the IMFC.
15. Tharman was chosen as the most preferred successor to the Prime Minister in a 2016 poll.
16. He chaired the Group of Thirty from 2017 to 2023.
17. Tharman led the Eminent Persons Group on Global Financial Governance in 2017.
18. In 2019, he joined the Board of Trustees of the World Economic Forum.
19. Tharman has been involved in various UN and G20 initiatives.
20. He qualified for the 2023 Presidential Election in Singapore.
21. Tharman's campaign symbol for the 2023 election is a pineapple.
22. He spearheads the National Skills Future initiative in Singapore.
23. Tharman is involved in several leadership roles in Singaporean organizations.
24. He is the first non-Chinese president of Singapore to win an election.
25. Tharman is fluent in English, Tamil, Malay, and Mandarin.
26. He has been awarded the Pingat Bakti Masyarakat public service medal.
27. Tharman has been practicing Chinese calligraphy since 2002.
28. He served as Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) from 2011 to 2023.
29. He was Deputy Chairman of GIC from 2019 to 2023 and Chairman of its Investment Strategies Committee from 2011 to 2023.
30. He chaired the National Jobs Council from 2020 to 2022 to rebuild jobs post-COVID-19.
31. He attended Anglo-Chinese School in Singapore for his formal education.
32. Tharman held various roles at MAS before becoming Managing Director in 2001.
33. He successfully defended his seat in Jurong GRC in five consecutive elections.

Tharman Shanmugaratnam Politician Singaporean Singapore