Mariam Jaafar

In this Malay name, there is no surname or family name. The name Jaafar is a patronymic, and the person should be referred to by their given name, Mariam.
The Honourable
Mariam Jaafar
مريم بنت جعفر
Mariam in 2021
Member of Parliament
for Sembawang GRC
(Woodlands)
Incumbent
Assumed office
10 July 2020
Preceded byAmrin Amin (PAP)
Majority48,341 (34.58%)
Personal details
Born1977 (age 46–47)[1]
Singapore
Political partyPeople's Action Party
SpouseHeng Teck Thai
Alma materStanford University (BS, MS)
Harvard University (MBA)

Mariam binte Jaafar (Jawi: مريم بنت جعفر; born 1977)[1] is a Singaporean politician. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), she has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Woodlands division of Sembawang GRC since 2020.

Early life and education

Mariam grew up in a 1-room HDB flat with her parents and siblings.[2] Her father was a Malay language teacher while her mother was a nurse.[2]

She attended Raffles Girls' Primary School for three years before transferring to Bukit View Primary School.[2] When she was 13 years old, Mariam received the MENDAKI Scholarship from then-Deputy Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong.[3]

Mariam attended Raffles Girls' School and Raffles Junior College before graduating from Stanford University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Science degree in electrical and electronics engineering.[2]

She subsequently went on to complete a Master of Business Administration degree at Harvard Business School in 2006.[4]

Career

Following her graduation from Harvard Business School, she worked at Boston Consulting Group.[2][5] She is currently a Managing Director and Partner at the BCG office in Singapore and is a core member of the firm's Technology, Media & Telecommunications and Financial Institutions practices.[6]

In 2016, Mariam was chosen to be a member of the Committee on the Future Economy, chaired by Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat.[7] Mariam serves on the board of directors at the Government Technology Agency and at the Sentosa Development Corporation.[8][9][10] She is also on the board of governors at her alma mater, Raffles Girls' School.[11]

Political career

In the 2020 election, Mariam was nominated as a candidate of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) for Sembawang GRC.[12] On 10 July, she was elected to the Parliament, defeating the opposition candidates from the National Solidarity Party (NSP).[13]

Mariam is appointed as Vice-Chairperson of Sembawang Town Council (SBTC) since 2020.

Personal life

Mariam is married to Heng Teck Thai.[14][15]

References

  1. ^ a b "PARL | MP". www.parliament.gov.sg.
  2. ^ a b c d e Nazren, Fasiha (7 July 2020). "From a 1-room flat to Harvard University, PAP candidate Mariam Jaafar shares why she has the heart to serve". Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  3. ^ "Miss Mariam Jaafar with her parents after receiving Scholarship Award by MENDAKI, 19 February 1990 - BookSG - National Library Board, Singapore". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  4. ^ Lim, Kimberly Anne (1 April 2020). "Is this Harvard Business School grad taking over Woodlands ward?". AsiaOne. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  5. ^ "Will we see more women in the upcoming Singapore GE than in 2015?". 15 June 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  6. ^ "Mariam Jaafar". The Boston Consulting Group.
  7. ^ Chia, Yan Min (21 December 2015). "30-member committee assembled to plot the future of Singapore's economy". The Straits Times. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  8. ^ Chew, Hui Min (30 September 2016). "New boards appointed for restructured technology, info-communications and media government agencies". The Straits Times. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  9. ^ "Our Team". Government Technology Agency. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  10. ^ "Board changes at the Sentosa Development Corporation" (PDF). Ministry of Trade and Industry. 1 April 2020.
  11. ^ "Our People". Raffles Girls' School. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  12. ^ Yuen, Sin (29 June 2020). "Singapore GE2020: Two new faces in Ong Ye Kung's PAP Sembawang team". Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  13. ^ "GE2020 results: PAP wins Sembawang GRC with 67.29% of the votes over NSP". 11 July 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  14. ^ "Mariam Jaafar". People's Action Party. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  15. ^ Seow, Kai Lun (6 July 2020). "It's all about family: GE2020 candidates share heartwarming stories of family support during this campaign period". AsiaOne. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
Parliament of Singapore
Preceded by Member of Parliament for
Sembawang GRC (Woodlands)
2020 – present 		Incumbent