Chirag Desai, 38

Occupation: Risk manager at an international bank

Family: Single

Education: Master of Science in financial engineering from Columbia University; Bachelor of Science (Honours) in chemical engineering from the National University of Singapore

Hobbies: Volunteering and reading up on government policies in finance, social work and education

Why politics?

I joined SingFirst because I want to advocate their policies for a fair society, strong families and esteemed people. This will definitely make Singapore a much better place for all of us to live in.

Why you?

I hope to bring to the team my finance background in risk management and risk governance. For example, I want to examine accounting policies in town councils.

What issues will you focus on?

I want to create a more robust framework for town councils which includes more efficient accounting procedures. Town councils right now do not have a standardised governance framework, so I hope to come up with a format that will help Singaporeans understand town councils' money matters.

Favourite spot in Singapore?

East Coast Park. I'm a strong advocate of family time on weekends. All Singaporeans work long hours, trying to make ends meet, and I feel we have little time for our families. So I enjoy going to East Coast Park to see happy people spending time, picnicking and exercising with their families and friends.