Lee Boon Yang

Lee Boon Yang
李文献
Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts
In office
12 May 2003 – 31 March 2009
Prime MinisterGoh Chok Tong
Lee Hsien Loong
Second MinisterVivian Balakrishnan
(2006–2008)
Preceded byDavid Lim Tik En
Succeeded byLui Tuck Yew
Minister for Defence
In office
2 July 1994 – 31 July 1995
2nd Minister: 7 September 1991-1 July 1994
Prime MinisterGoh Chok Tong
Preceded byYeo Ning Hong
Succeeded byTony Tan
Minister for Manpower
In office
2 January 1992 – 12 May 2003
Prime MinisterGoh Chok Tong
Preceded byLee Yock Suan
Succeeded byNg Eng Hen
Minister in the Prime Minister's Office
In office
1 July 1991 – 1 January 1992
Prime MinisterGoh Chok Tong
Party Whip of the People's Action Party
In office
13 September 1988 – 31 March 2007
Preceded byLee Yiok Seng
Succeeded byLim Swee Say
Member of the Singapore Parliament
for Jalan Besar GRC
(Jalan Besar)
In office
3 September 1988 – 18 April 2011
Preceded byHimself (Jalan Besar)
Succeeded byEdwin Tong (Moulmein-Kallang GRC - Jalan Besar)
Member of the Singapore Parliament
for Jalan Besar
In office
22 December 1984 – 17 August 1988
Preceded byChan Chee Seng
Succeeded byHimself (Jalan Besar GRC - Jalan Besar)
Personal details
Born (1947-10-01) 1 October 1947 (age 77)
Colony of Singapore
Political partyPeople's Action Party
(1984–2011)
SpouseYap Mee Mee
Children1
RelativesLee Boon Wang (brother)
Chua Mia Tee (brother-in-law)
Alma materUniversity of Queensland (BVSc)
In this Chinese name, the family name is Lee.

Lee Boon Yang (Chinese: 李文献; pinyin: Lǐ Wénxiàn; born 1 October 1947) is a Singaporean former politician who served as Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts between 2003 and 2009, Minister for Manpower between 1992 and 2003, and Minister for Defence between 1994 and 1995. A former member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he was the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Jalan Besar ward of Jalan Besar GRC between 1984 and 2011.

Lee retired from politics in 2011, and served as Chairman of Singapore Press Holdings between 2011 and 2022.

Education

Lee was awarded a Colombo Plan scholarship to study veterinary science at the University of Queensland, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Veterinary Science degree in 1971.[1]

In 2015, Lee was conferred an honorary doctorate by the University of Queensland.[1]

Career

Lee began his career as a veterinary surgeon and worked as a research and development officer in the Singapore Government's Primary Production Department between 1972 and 1981.

Lee subsequently worked at the US Feed Grains Council as Assistant Regional Director and later Senior Project Manager for Primary Industries Enterprise between 1981 and 1984.[2]

Political career

Lee was first elected into Parliament in 1984.

He was subsequently appointed Parliamentary Secretary in 1985, and went on to hold positions in the Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of Communications and Information, Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Lee was appointed Minister in the Prime Minister's Office in 1991. He served as Minister for Labour between 1992 and 2003. He also served as Minister for Defence between 1994 and 1995 concurrently. He was subsequently appointed Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts in 2003, where he served until 2009.

Lee resigned from the Cabinet in 2009 but remained as a Member of Parliament on the backbenches until his retirement from politics in 2011.[citation needed]

Post-political career

Lee was appointed Chairman of the Board of Keppel Corporation in 2009, after resigning from the Cabinet, where he served until 2021.[3][4][5]

He also served as Chairman of Singapore Press Holdings between 2011 and 2022, before he was succeeded by Christopher Lim.[6][7]

Personal life

Lee has an elder brother Lee Boon Wang, a landscape painter and a sister Lee Boon Ngan.[8]

Lee is married to Yap Mee Mee and they have a daughter.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b "UQ alumnus awarded honorary doctorate". alumni.uq.edu.au. 1 January 2015. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  2. ^ "Dr Lee Boon Yang to helm SPH Board".
  3. ^ "Keppel Corporation - Dr Lee Boon Yang". Keppel Corporation. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  4. ^ Choo, Yun Ting (24 February 2021). "Keppel Corp chairman Lee Boon Yang to retire in April, handing over to Danny Teoh". The Straits Times. Retrieved 25 February 2021.
  5. ^ Auto, Hermes (2 August 2021). "SPH chairman Lee Boon Yang recused himself from talks on Keppel's privatisation offer | The Straits Times". www.straitstimes.com. Retrieved 15 July 2022.
  6. ^ "About SPH - SPH Corporate Profile". SPH. Archived from the original on 18 May 2013. Retrieved 6 January 2012.
  7. ^ "Singapore Press Holdings officially delisted, Gerald Yong to take over as CEO from Ng Yat Chung". The Straits Times. 14 May 2022. Retrieved 15 May 2022.
  8. ^ hermes (10 May 2016). "Cancer-stricken artist Lee Boon Wang misses show opening". The Straits Times. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  9. ^ "Lim Chee Oon to step down as non-executive Chairman" (PDF).
Political offices
Preceded byas Minister for Labour Minister for Labour
2 January 1992 – 31 March 1998 		Succeeded byas Acting Minister for Manpower
Minister for Manpower
1 April 1998 – 12 May 2003
Preceded by Minister for Defence
2 July 1994 – 1 August 1995 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts
12 May 2003 – 1 April 2009 		Succeeded by