30 Facts About George Yeo

1.

George Yeo Yong-Boon is a Singaporean former politician and brigadier-general who served as Minister for Foreign Affairs between 2004 and 2011.

2.

George Yeo served as Minister for Information and the Arts between 1990 and 1999, Minister for Health between 1994 and 1997, Minister for Trade and Industry between 1999 and 2004 and Minister for Foreign Affairs between 2004 and 2011.

3.

On 10 May 2011, George Yeo announced that he would be retiring from politics and had declined to participate in both 2011 presidential election and 2023 presidential election.

4.

George Yeo subsequently went on to complete a Master in Business Administration degree from Harvard Business School in 1985 as a Baker Scholar.

5.

George Yeo served as a signals officer in the Singapore Army, before transferring to the Republic of Singapore Air Force.

6.

George Yeo led the team which conceptualised the SAFTI Military Institute.

7.

George Yeo left the SAF in 1988 and attained the rank Brigadier-General, before entering politics.

8.

George Yeo made his political debut in the 1988 general election as part of a three-member PAP team contesting in the newly-created Aljunied GRC and won.

9.

George Yeo represented the Eurasian community in the Cabinet at their request.

10.

George Yeo was the chairman of the PAP's youth wing from 1991 to 2000, which saw a renaming to Young PAP in 1993.

11.

On 5 October 2011, George Yeo stepped down from the PAP's Central Executive Committee.

12.

George Yeo oversaw the design and construction of the Esplanade Theatres on the Bay and the new National Library.

13.

George Yeo said the government would focus on monitoring internet communications that broadcast material to millions of users rather than the "narrowcasting" of private communications between individuals.

14.

George Yeo proposed the idea of having Integrated Resorts in Singapore, which would include casinos, which was intensely debated for a year.

15.

George Yeo later shared with a group of university students during a dialogue that his late father had a problem with gambling and the decision to push for the gaming resorts was personally a very difficult one.

16.

George Yeo said that policy making often involved a choice between 'evils'.

17.

George Yeo has been a visiting scholar at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy since 2011.

18.

George Yeo was involved in reviving the ancient Buddhist university, Nalanda University, in Bihar, India.

19.

George Yeo was chancellor of Nalanda University and member of the University Governing Board, and the governing board's International Advisory Panel.

20.

George Yeo moved to the private sector in Hong Kong since leaving politics in 2011.

21.

George Yeo joined the Kuok Group as Senior Advisor, and vice chairman of its subsidiary Kerry Group Pte Ltd in January 2012.

22.

In 2013, George Yeo was appointed as a non-official member of the newly established Hong Kong Economic Development Commission.

23.

In 2014, George Yeo was named as a member of the Vatican's Council for the Economy.

24.

George Yeo was amongst the first lay Catholics appointed by the Vatican to oversee organisational and economic issues faced by the Holy See.

25.

At that time, George Yeo was the only Asian appointed to the commission.

26.

George Yeo is currently a member of the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum, the Nicolas Berggruen Institute's 21st Century Council and the International Advisory Board of IESE Business School.

27.

V3 Group announced on 23 August 2020 that George Yeo will join as Senior Advisor.

28.

In 2012, George Yeo was awarded the Padma Bhushan, by India, the Order of Sikatuna, with the rank of Datu, by the Philippines, and the Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia, by Australia.

29.

George Yeo has a niece named Gwendoline George Yeo, who was an actress and musician.

30.

George Yeo is a student of Taiji, an internal Chinese martial art, and describes himself as "a bit of a Taoist".