Leon Perera, 44

Occupation: CEO of a business research and consulting agency

Family: Married to a freelance writer, 41. They have a son, seven, and a daughter, nine.

Education: Bachelor of Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University

Hobbies: Reading and watching movies

Why politics?

I believe that it is important to take citizenship seriously. We are more than just residents... We are citizens. We can and should take an interest in the political and social system of our country and try to shape it to reflect what we want the country to be... I joined politics to settle my responsibility as a citizen.

Why you?

I was raised in a household where the value of citizenship was instilled in me... I inherited this world view from my parents who embodied the ideals of citizenship and embodied the ideal of caring about social and political issues, and I'm very grateful for that.

What issues will you focus on?

I would like to speak about retirement adequacy issues; ageing actively and with dignity is a subject that is very close to my heart. I would also like to talk about issues relating to our economy - we should look at economic development in a more holistic way, as being not only about GDP but being also fundamentally about quality of life.

Favourite spot in Singapore?

The Singapore Science Centre. I like to take my children there; they bring science to life in a very enjoyable way.