Iswaran, S

Subramaniam Iswaran (b. 1962), known as S. Iswaran, is a former Singaporean minister who had served in several ministries and was a Member of Parliament (MP) for 27 years. Born in Chennai, India, Iswaran later moved to Singapore. He attended Saint Andrew's School and the National Junior College before graduating with a degree in economics from the University of Adelaide under a Colombo Plan scholarship. He also holds a Master of Public Administration from Harvard University. Before entering politics, Iswaran held significant positions, including Senior Vice President and Managing Director at Temasek Holdings, as well as Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA).

As the first CEO of SINDA in 1991, he laid the foundation for its administrative structure and service mission under the chairmanship of J Y Pillay. Iswaran entered politics in 1997. He participated in the general election that year as part of a four-member People's Action Party (PAP) team contesting in the West Coast Group Representation Constituency (GRC), which won with 70% of the vote. From 2004 to 2006, he was Deputy Speaker of Parliament. In 2006, he became Minister of State at the Ministry of Trade and Industry and was promoted in 2008 to Senior Minister of State in the same ministry. In 2009, he assumed an additional role as Senior Minister of State at the Ministry of Education. After the 2011 general election, Iswaran became a full Minister, holding positions such as Minister in the Prime Minister's Office, Second Minister for Home Affairs, and Second Minister for Trade and Industry. Following the 2015 general election, he relinquished these roles to become Minister for Trade and Industry (Industry), working alongside Lim Hng Kiang, who oversaw trade at that time. In 2018, he was appointed Minister for Communications and Information while continuing as Minister-in-charge of Trade Relations. In 2021, after a Cabinet reshuffle, he became Minister for Transport while retaining his trade portfolio. Regarding the Tamil community, Iswaran served in several capacities. He chaired the Tamil Language Learning and Promotion Committee (TLLPC) from 2006 to 2016 and also delivered the Prime Minister’s National Day message in Tamil for several years. 

In 2018, Iswaran launched the Little India transformation project to enhance visitor experiences by leveraging technology, with a focus on e-commerce and e-payment systems. The initiative supported SMEs in Little India by enabling them to adopt digital solutions and boost competitiveness in the digital economy. In January 2024, Iswaran resigned from the PAP, his ministerial positions, and his parliamentary seat, two days before pleading not guilty to 27 charges of corruption. However, in September, he pleaded guilty after the charges were reduced. In October, he was sentenced to 12 months in jail for obtaining gifts worth approximately S$403,000 over a seven-year period from two businessmen he considered friends. He had earlier made a voluntary disgorgement of about $380,000. He completed his jail term in June 2025. 

For more information
Lin, Kareyst. “Little India merchants in Singapore thrive with digitalisation support.” Connected to India, 8 October 2019. https://www.connectedtoindia.com/little-india-merchants-in-singapore-thrive-with-digitalisation-support/ 
Wong, Shiying and Wong, Andrew. “Iswaran arrives at State Courts for start of 12-month jail term after deciding not to appeal.” The Straits Times, 7 October 2024. https://str.sg/qbyV 
“S. Iswaran.” Wikipedia. Accessed 1 August 2025. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S._Iswaran 

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The information in this article is valid as of August 2025 and correct as far as we are able to ascertain from our sources. It is not intended to be an exhaustive or complete history of the subject. If you have any feedback on this article, please submit here.