Politics
Halimah Yacob
President of Singapore 2017–2023
Born 1954
Photo: ROBINSON NIÑAL JR./PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO · Public domain
Halimah Yacob was Singapore's first female president and, before that, the first woman to serve as Speaker of its parliament. She worked for many years in the trade union movement on workplace conditions and training.
Key achievements
- First woman President of Singapore, 2017–2023
- First woman Speaker of Singapore's Parliament, 2013
- Spent two decades as a trade union lawyer and leader
Universities
Singapore, Kent Ridge
Took her law degree in 1978 and a master's in law in 2001, both at NUS.
Facts
- Her father died when she was eight and she helped her mother sell food from a street stall before school.
- She was almost expelled from school for poor attendance caused by the hours she worked.
- She returned to NUS for a master's degree in law while already a member of parliament.
Photographs
Photographs come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences; the author and licence are shown on each image.