Ho Ching

Singapore Airshow 2010: Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong (left) and Ho Ching (right).

This is a Chinese name; the family name is Ho.

Ho Ching (Chinese: 何晶; pinyin: Hé Jīng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Hô Ching) is the Chief Executive Officer of Temasek Holdings (over US$100 billion in assets and owned by Singapore's Ministry of Finance) and the wife of the Prime Minister of Singapore, Lee Hsien Loong (son of former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew). As a Chinese Singaporean, Ho hails from the Cantonese language group.

Ho graduated from the National University of Singapore in 1976 with a Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical, First Class Honours) after completing her pre-university education at National Junior College where she emerged as a Student of the Year and was a President's Scholar. She graduated from Crescent Girls' School. She also holds a Master of Science (Electrical) from Stanford University, USA. In 1995, Ho was conferred the Distinguished Engineering Alumnus Award. She is also an Honorary Fellow of the Institution of Engineers, Singapore.

She is the eldest child of four children of retired businessman Ho Eng Hong and Chan Chiew Ping. In 17 December 1985, she married Lee Hsien Loong, who later became Singapore's third Prime Minister in August 2004.

She began her career as an engineer with the Ministry of Defence. In 1987, she joined the Singapore Technologies group as Deputy Director of Engineering, and became its President and Chief Executive Officer before retiring in 2001. She later joined Temasek Holdings in May 2002.

Business press coverage

In 2006, Fortune magazine remarked that Ho had made "a spectacular misjudgment" in the purchase of Shin Corp shares. Since then, "Shin shares have fallen 43% since the deal was signed, and Temasek will now endure a potentially embarrassing probe by the new regime into Thaksin's finances that threatens asset seizures, deal cancellation, and large fines."

In 2007, the same magazine ranked her third in the list of most powerful women in business (outside the United States).

In 2007, she was picked as one of the "100 most influential men and women" who shaped the world by TIME Magazine.

Similarly in 2007, business magazine Forbes ranked her third in its annual list of the world's most powerful women, leap-frogging a rank ahead of United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and falling short behind German Chancellor Angela Merkel and China's Vice-Premier Wu Yi. Ho Ching was ranked 36th in the same list the previous year. In 2008 she was ranked 8th. In 2009, she was ranked 5th.

On 6 February 2009, Temasek Holdings announced that Ho Ching will be stepping down as CEO and Charles W. Goodyear will replace Ho as Chief Executive Officer on 1 October 2009. Goodyear, 51, an American, joined the Temasek Board on 1 February. He assumes the position of CEO-Designate on 1 March. Ho has expressed "no regrets" for her time as CEO. Temasek Chairman S Dhanabalan also mentioned that Ho's resignation has nothing to do with her performance.

On 21 July 2009, Ho Ching will remain chief executive of Singapore government investment company Temasek after her replacement mining industry executive Goodyear couldn't resolve differences with the board, state media reported.

As a result of the above events, press sources outside Singapore have often queried nepotism amongst high ranking Singapore officials including Ho Ching's husband Lee Hsien Loong