Tharman Shanmugaratnam

Tharman Shanmugaratnam (b. 1957) is the ninth President of the Republic of Singapore. He is the second Tamil to hold the office. He is also widely admired for his previous roles in the Singapore Cabinet, as chair of several international commissions, and as central banker. He was committed through his years in government to building economic resilience and an inclusive society, with dignity and opportunity for all. 

Tharman grew up in Singapore in a family of Jaffna Tamil origins. He is the son of Professor K Shanmugaratnam, often known as Singapore's "Father of Pathology." 

Tharman attended the Anglo-Chinese School in Singapore and later graduated from the London School of Economics with a Bachelor of Science degree in economics. He went on to complete an MPhil degree in economics at the University of Cambridge. He later obtained a Master’s in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School at Harvard University, where he received the Lucius N. Littauer Fellows Award for outstanding academic performance and leadership potential. 

Tharman joined the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in 1982 as an economist, later becoming its Director of Economics. Apart from a three-year stint at the Ministry of Education between 1995 and 1997, he remained at MAS until 2001, eventually becoming its Managing Director. 

Tharman made his political debut in the 2001 General Election, contesting in Jurong GRC as part of a five-member People’s Action Party (PAP) team. He led the team in subsequent elections, winning with large majorities. 

Over 22 years, he held various ministerial portfolios, including Education and Finance. He served for several years as Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic and Social Policies, and was eventually appointed Senior Minister. In addition, he served as Chairman of MAS from 2011 to 2023. 

Tharman served as a member of the Action Committee on Indian Education (ACIE) in 1990. Its report led to the establishment of the Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) in 1991. Later, he chaired the Board of Trustees of SINDA from 2008 to 2023 and spearheaded many initiatives at the self-help group, including the Project Athena programme, which ensured that single Indian mothers were supported and empowered to lead independent lives. He also launched the Indian Business Leaders Roundtable in 2011, allowing senior business leaders and captains of industry to contribute meaningfully to community causes. In addition, while he was Minister for Education, he was instrumental in introducing a degree course in Tamil at UniSIM (now Singapore University of Social Sciences) in 2005, which led to more Tamil courses in universities. 

In July 2023, Tharman resigned as a member of the PAP and stepped down from Parliament and all his positions in the government to stand as a candidate in the 2023 Presidential Election. He campaigned on the platform of “Respect for All”, reflecting his long-held advocacy for recognising every skill and contribution, and deepening the practice of multiculturalism.  His choice of a pineapple as his campaign logo caught attention for its simplicity. 

On 1 September 2023, Tharman was elected President in a landslide victory, garnering more than 70% of the votes. Analysts attributed his success to the “Tharman effect,” citing his long-standing track record on the ground and in government, as well as his relatability.

Internationally, Tharman has led several high level councils focused on global financial reforms, preparedness for future pandemics, global water sustainability, and strengthening access to education and good jobs. In 2019, the Institute of International Finance awarded him its inaugural Distinguished Leadership and Service Award.

At the time he contested the Presidency, Tharman held four international appointments: as chair of the board of trustees of the Group of Thirty, co-chair of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, member of the World Economic Forum’s board of trustees, and co-chair of the Advisory Board for the United Nations Human Development Report. He continued to hold the first three appointments after becoming President, as Parliament had passed an amendment to the Constitution to allow for such international roles to be performed in one’s independent capacity, provided they align with national interests. In 2024, the World Bank Group appointed Tharman as co-chair of a High-Level Advisory Council on Jobs. 

Tharman spent his youth in sports, to which he has often attributed his subsequent run in life. He played hockey for Combined Schools and later for clubs in the Premier League. He also played for his school in football, athletics and cricket, and for his university in hockey and squash. He has been an advocate for a sporting culture, for its potential to build resilience, mutual respect and multiracialism.

Tharman Shanmugaratnam remarked in February 2024, “We can surely take a stronger interest in our own Singaporean cultures, strengthening the criss-crossing among cultures, and deepening our national identity as we do so. I am sure we can. It will be a continuous journey. But there’s no journey more worthwhile than strengthening the Singapore heartbeat.”



For more information
“President In Office,” Istana Singapore, accessed 10 July, 2025. https://www.istana.gov.sg/The-President/President-In-Office
“Highlights: Tharman elected Singapore's next President after landslide victory,” Channel NewsAsia (CNA), 2 September 2023. https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/singapore-presidential-election-live-tharman-elected-president-results-3729556
“President Tharman to co-chair World Bank’s new high-level advisory council on jobs,” The Straits Times, 12 August 2024. https://str.sg/pDrs
“Landslide win due to ‘Tharman effect’, voters did not treat election as referendum on PAP: Analysts,” The Straits Times, 14 November 2024. https://str.sg/iSV
“A schoolboy athlete with a love and respect for sport - President Tharman,” The Straits Times, 30 July 2024. https://str.sg/rRL8

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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.