Ho Ching, wife of Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong was ranked #30 on Forbes Power Women in 2020. Actually, she made it to the reputable list every year since its inception in 2004! This 63-year-old has so much going on in her life and she has so many admirable qualities which make her a good role model for mums or females of any age. Here we list the reasons why.
Ho Ching and her husband, Lee Hsieng Loong in Gyeongju. | Image source: Facebook / HO Ching
#1 She has excelled academically
Ho studied in National Junior College where she was one of the top students of her cohort during the ‘A’ Level Examinations. That same year, she was also named the Student of The Year. She then graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering with First Class Honours in 1976 at the National University of Singapore. In 1982, Ho graduated with a Master in Engineering degree at the Stanford University.
#2 She’s competent in her career
in 1976, when she was 23, Ho started her career as an engineer with the Ministry of Defence of Singapore. 7 years later, she became the Director of Defence Material Organisation, which is the defence procurement agency of the Ministry. At the same time, she was also the Deputy Director of Defence Science Organisation.
in 1987, Ho was the Deputy Director of Engineering for Singapore Technologies where she eventually became the President and Chief Executive Officer in 10 years later. In 2002, Ho joined Temasek Holdings as a Director and became the Executive Director in May that same year.
#3 She was a risk-taker
Ho becoming a risk-taker led to many of her academic and career achievements in her life. S. Dhanabalan, Former cabinet minister of Singapore said that Ho was a person with “a willingness on her part to take calculated risks” She was credited for transforming Temasek Holdings from a Singapore-focused firm into an active investor in Asia and the world.
#4 She’s a working mum
Ho Ching is a mother of 4 kids, with two of the eldest being from her husband, Lee Hsien Loong’s first marriage. Despite her busy schedules and hectic workload, Ho Ching still manages to be a perfect mum and role model to her kids and never let them be exposed to the media of the public too much.
#5 She’s recognised by many notable companies
Image source: Forbes Screengrab
Other than being on the list of Forbes The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women every year since the list’s inception, Ho was also picked as one of the “100 most influential men and women” who shaped the world by TIME Magazine in 2007. That same year, she was ranked #3 in Forbes The World’s 100 Most Powerful Women, behind German Chancellor Angela Merkel and China’s Vice-Premier Wu Yi.
In 2011, she was ranked in the ‘50 Most Influential’ ranking by Bloomberg Markets magazine and was #9 on the Public Investor 100 ranking compiled by the Sovereign Wealth Fund Institute in 2013.
She was also awarded the Asian Business Leaders Award in 2014. That same year, she was included into the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations’ Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame.
#6 She has a big heart
Despite excelling in both her academics and career, Ho Ching took the time to support various charitable organisations and also took part in community service. She is the Patron of Assisi Hospice, and the founding Chairman of Trailblazer Foundation Ltd, which is a charity organisation providing funding for education, health, sports and community welfare.
#7 She dresses as she likes
Although there were many nasty comments on the internet regarding her ‘drab’ outfits, with the recent ones being those relating to her outfits that she wore during her visit to the White House, Ho Ching never let the remarks and criticism affect her and still wore whatever she wanted.
Mummies, isn’t Ho Ching just admirable? Share your thoughts with us!
