Madam Halimah Yacob was elected Member of Parliament for Jurong Group Representation Constituency (GRC) since 2001. She had previously served as the Minister of State in the Ministry of Social and Family Development.. She was elected as Speaker of Parliament in January 2013.
Mdm Halimah graduated from the National University of Singapore (NUS) with a Bachelor of Laws (Honours). She was called to the Singapore Bar in 1981. In 2001, she attained a Master of Laws from NUS.
In 1978, Madam Halimah started her career with the National Trades Union Congress and held various positions, such as Deputy Secretary General, Director of the Women’s Development Secretariat, Director of the Legal Services Department and Executive Secretary of the United Workers of Electronics and Electrical Industries.
She also sat on various Boards including the Geneva-based International Labour Organisation, Tripartite Alliance on Fair Employment Practices, Young Women’s Muslim Association, Malay Teachers’ Co-operative, Comcare Supervisory Committee and Mendaki Sense.
In recognition of her effort in promoting better opportunities for women in the workforce, Madam Halimah was conferred the Berita Harian/McDonalds “Achiever of the Year” in 2001, the Her World Magazine’s “Women of the Year” in 2004 and the AWARE Heroine Awards in 2011.
Madam Halimah is married with five children.