Senior Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam has joined the board of trustees of the World Economic Forum (WEF), the organisation said yesterday.
The Swiss-based not-for-profit organisation said in a statement that his lifelong career in public service, in which he has occupied senior positions in government, provides it with valuable insight and experience at the highest level of governance.
The WEF was founded in 1971, and engages political, business and other leaders of society, to shape global, regional and industry agendas.
Its annual meeting takes place in January in Davos, a town in the Swiss Alps, and includes a who's who in government, business and civil society.
Mr Tharman, 62, will be part of the 25-member board of trustees, which oversees the organisation's mission and values.
Other board members include Ms Christine Lagarde, managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), former United States vice-president Al Gore and Alibaba group executive chairman Jack Ma.
"The World Economic Forum, as the international organisation for public-private cooperation, is delighted to welcome Senior Minister Tharman to its board of trustees, further strengthening our political, economic and societal governance," said Mr Klaus Schwab, WEF's founder and executive chairman.
Mr Tharman was appointed senior minister on May 1. Apart from his role as coordinating minister for social policies, he also advises Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on economic policies.
He is also chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore and deputy chairman of Singapore's sovereign wealth fund GIC, where he heads its Investment Strategies Committee.
He chairs the Economic Development Board's International Advisory Council, the International Academic Advisory Panel, which advises the Government on strategies for the university sector, as well as the Ong Teng Cheong Labour Leadership Institute.
On the world stage, Mr Tharman chairs the Group of 30, an independent global council of economic and financial leaders.
He headed the International Monetary and Financial Committee - the key policy forum of the IMF - from 2011 to 2014.
