Former NUS law dean Thio Su Mien dies at 86
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Dr Thio Su Mien was the first woman dean of the NUS law faculty, holding the post from 1968 to 1971.
PHOTO: THE NEW PAPER FILE
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SINGAPORE – Former National University of Singapore (NUS) law dean Thio Su Mien died at the age of 86 on the morning of June 30.
Dr Thio died from acute myeloid leukaemia, which she was diagnosed with in early May.
She was the first woman dean of the NUS law faculty, holding the post from 1968 to 1971. At the age of 30, she was also the youngest person to assume the role.
Paying tribute to Dr Thio, Law Minister Edwin Tong called her a “trailblazer” who set the highest standard for excellence, integrity and dedication to the legal profession throughout her career.
Dr Thio influenced and impacted Singapore’s legal landscape with her work, both as an academic and as a practitioner, Mr Tong said in a Facebook post on June 30.
“She led by example, with an impeccable work ethic, leaving a legacy and a sterling example for many female lawyers after her, proving that both women and men can excel and contribute immensely and on equal terms in the legal field and to the society at large and beyond,” he said.
Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam also paid tribute to Dr Thio.
“When I joined practice, she was a senior partner at Drew & Napier. A highly accomplished, highly regarded corporate lawyer,” said Mr Shanmugam, who worked at the law firm from 1986 to 1991, in a Facebook post.
“Dr Thio’s passing is a sad day for the profession,” he added.
NUS Law dean Andrew Simester told The Straits Times that Dr Thio was the first NUS Law graduate to join its teaching staff, and she had left an indelible mark on the faculty and generations of students that she inspired.
Her strong leadership and unwavering commitment to Singapore law helped lay the foundation for NUS Law’s achievements over the years and continues to inspire its academic faculty, Professor Simester said.
Dr Thio’s son, Senior Counsel Thio Shen Yi of TSMP Law Corp, said his mother was a legal luminary to many. “But more importantly to me, mum taught me to value fairness and justice, and to speak up for what I believed was right. I hope I’ve done a bit of that,” said the 58-year-old, who was the president of the Law Society of Singapore from 2015 to 2016.
Dr Thio influenced and impacted Singapore’s legal landscape with her work, both as an academic and as a practitioner.
PHOTO: ST FILE
Former Nominated Member of Parliament Thio Li-ann, Dr Thio’s elder daughter, said her mother was a woman of great courage, integrity and justice “who loved her family, church and country”.
“A committed Christian, she devoted hours teaching and counselling many, earnest that they be whole and find their call and destiny, as she most indubitably did,” the 57-year-old said.
After leaving academia, Dr Thio established herself as a corporate lawyer and became the managing partner at Drew & Napier.
She then co-founded Singapore-based TSMP Law Corp with Ms Tan Bee Lian in 1998.
As one of the foremost constitutional law experts in Singapore, she served as a judge on the World Bank Administrative Tribunal and the Asian Development Bank Administrative Tribunal.
Dr Thio also played a key role in the 2009 takeover of the Association of Women for Action and Research’s (Aware) leadership by a Christian faction.
She was the self-proclaimed “feminist mentor” of a group of nine newcomers, mostly members of the Church of Our Saviour, who had won positions on Aware’s executive committee. They were ousted by a no-confidence motion shortly after.
Dr Thio was married to Olympian and real estate tycoon Thio Gim Hock, who died at the age of 82 in 2020
The couple had three children. Their youngest child Thio Chi-ann, 52, is a housewife living in Britain.
Correction note: In a previous version of the story, it was reported that Dr Thio Su Mien was dean of the NUS law faculty from 1969 to 1971. NUS has since clarified that she was dean from 1968 to 1971.
