The Honourable
Henry Kwek
郭献川
Member of Parliament
for Kebun Baru SMC
Assumed office
10 July 2020
Preceded byConstituency established
Majority13,284 (62.97%)
Member of Parliament
for Kebun Baru SMC
In office
11 September 2015 – 23 June 2020
Preceded byInderjit Singh
Succeeded byConstituency abolished
Personal details
Born
Kwek Hian Chuan, Henry

(1976-04-20) 20 April 1976
Singapore
Political partyPeople's Action Party
EducationThe Chinese High School
Victoria Junior College
Alma materStanford University
Occupation
  • Politician
  • Entrepreneur

Henry Kwek Hian Chuan (Chinese: 郭献川; pinyin: Guō Xiànchuān; born 20 April 1976)[1] is a Singaporean politician and entrepreneur. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing Kebun Baru SMC since 2020. He was previously the Member of Parliament (MP) representing Kebun Baru division of Nee Soon GRC between 2015 and 2020.[2]

Education

Kwek was educated at The Chinese High School and Victoria Junior College before graduating from Stanford University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics.[3]

Kwek subsequently continued his studies at Stanford University and completed a Master of Science degree in Management Science.[3][4]

Career

Kwek started his career at the Economic Development Board (EDB), working on economic development from 2001 to 2004 before joining McKinsey & Company as a management consultant in 2006.[3]

In 2008, Kwek was appointed the executive director of Foodtraco Supplies, a Singapore-based trading, investment and consulting company.[5]

In 2013, Kwek co-founded boutique investment firm Cerulean Capital and serves as chief executive officer till today.[5] Beyond developing investment models, Kwek specialises in macro-economics and geopolitical analysis. He is also a frequent speaker at economic forums, such as the World Bank-Asia-Competitiveness Institute forums.

Voluntary career

Kwek was an active volunteer in various fields. He served as a volunteer teacher for the Kaki Bukit Prison School.[3]

Political career

Kwek was also active as a grassroots volunteer in Chong Pang under Nee Soon GRC.[3]

Kwek made his political debut in the 2015 general election as part of a five-member People's Action Party (PAP) team contesting in Nee Soon GRC.[6] Kwek went on to be in charge of the Kebun Baru ward under Nee Soon GRC. In the 2020 general elections, Kwek was fielded as a single PAP candidate for the Kebun Baru ward which returned as a single seat after 30 years against Kumaran Pillai from the Progress Singapore Party (PSP), where he won with 62.97 per cent of votes.[7]

In Parliament, Kwek has advocated for the transformation of a Singapore that enables seniors to age with dignity and purpose. This includes more dementia-friendly communities to help seniors age-in-place as well as support their caregivers' well-being. He has also pledged to expand opportunities for employment and networking for individuals, Singapore-based companies and start-ups to help residents cope with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.[8][9][10]

Kwek is currently appointed as vice-chairman of the PAP's senior wing. In his capacity, he has coordinated 2 private members motion on seniors policy, both major parliamentary debates involving fellow MPs and the government, to move forward the agenda for seniors. Kwek also co-authored a PAP SG Paper on Seniors.[11] Kwek is also an advocate about healthy longevity and frequently attends and speaks at Singapore-based healthy longevity conferences, such as Singapore’s first international conference on longevity research as well as NUHS’ Center for Healthy Longevity (CLH) Talent Incubator.[12]

Kwek has also embarked on the transformation of the Kebun Baru ward, by inviting top Singaporean artists such as Henri Chen and urban planners like Chen Ming to help oversee the aesthetics, greenery and built environment of Kebun Baru. When he took over Kebun Baru in 2015, the seniors formed a significant majority of the population, and hence his focus was on senior-related and social work initiatives.

Kwek is also a member of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) for the Singapore Parliament.[13] Kwek currently serves in two Government Parliamentary Committees (GPC), namely the Defence and Foreign Affairs GPC as well as the National Development GPC.[14] He previously served on the Finance, Trade and Industry GPC and the Community, Culture and Youth GPC. Kwek is also appointed as the vice-chairman for Ang Mo Kio Town Council.[15]

Personal life

Kwek is the advisor to both the Nanyang Confucius Association and the Singapore Sicheng Calligraphy Society. He is currently the Vice-Chairman of the Singapore Wushu Association.

References

  1. ↑ "Kwek Hian Chuan Henry". www.parliament.gov.sg. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  2. ↑ Choudhury, Amit Roy (12 September 2015). "GE2015: PAP retains Nee Soon GRC". The Business Times. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 "A Singapore at crossroads prompted him to join politics". TODAY. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
  4. ↑ "Henry Kwek bio" (PDF). Parliament of Singapore. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 March 2017. Retrieved 13 October 2016.
  5. 1 2 "New faces Louis Ng, Henry Kwek join PAP team for Nee Soon GRC". TODAY. 26 August 2015. Retrieved 14 November 2015.
  6. ↑ Lee, Min Kok (26 August 2015). "GE2015: PAP introduces 2 new faces in Nee Soon GRC" – via The Straits Times.
  7. ↑ "GE2020 official results: PAP's Henry Kwek claims Kebun Baru SMC, gets 62.97% of the votes".
  8. ↑ Toh, Yong Chuan (7 February 2018). "Govt 'prepared to study' eldercare leave". The Straits Times. Retrieved 14 December 2018.
  9. ↑ Lim, Adrian (14 February 2019). "Suggestions from MPs to help seniors, caregivers". Straits Times. Singapore Press Holdings. Retrieved 19 February 2019.
  10. ↑ Saad, Imelda. "MPs debate help for SMEs and low-wage workers". TODAY. Retrieved 3 October 2016.
  11. ↑ "PAP.SG lays foundation for present and future senior citizens". People's Action Party. 30 January 2019.
  12. ↑ Correspondent, Joyce TeoSenior Health (7 September 2022). "New longevity centre looks at how to reverse ageing and prolong disease-free years" – via The Straits Times.
  13. ↑ "PARL | Public Accounts Committee". www.parliament.gov.sg.
  14. ↑ "GPC". People's Action Party.
  15. ↑ https://www.amktc.org.sg/pdf/Town-Councillors-details.pdf
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