Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Singapore
Tharman Shanmugaratnam has served as Deputy Prime Minister of Singapore since May 2011 and as Singapore’s Minister for Finance since December 2007. He is a member of the Group of Thirty and Chairman of the International Monetary Fund’s policy steering committee.
Shanmugaratnam spent much of his earlier professional career at the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Singapore’s central bank and integrated financial regulator, where he was Chief Executive. Since entering politics in 2001, he has served in numerous economic and education-related appointments, including a five year stint as Minister for Education. He is also Chairman of the MAS and Chairman of the International Academic Advisory Panel, which advises the government on strategies for the university sector.
Tharman studied economics at the London School of Economics and Cambridge University. He earned a master’s degree in public administration at Harvard University, where he received the Lucius N. Littauer Fellow award for outstanding performance and leadership potential.