A CIVIL SERVANT AND GUITAR LOVER
Prior to entering politics, Mr Wong was a civil servant for 14 years.
He began his career at the Ministry of Trade and Industry in 1997 before moving on to other roles in the finance and health ministries.
Mr Wong became principal private secretary to the Prime Minister in 2005.
In 2008, he joined the Energy Market Authority as deputy chief executive and was promoted to chief executive in 2009.
Two years later, he stepped down from the post to enter politics as the youngest of five candidates tipped to form the core of the PAP’s 4G leadership.
The Straits Times reported previously that Mr Wong had resigned from the public sector to enter politics, a year short before reaching 15 years of service. Administrative Service officers were eligible for pension after 15 years of service.
“It was a loss, but it was not something that factored into my consideration at the time,” he had said.
On the personal front, Mr Wong grew up in what he described as an “ordinary family” in the Marine Parade HDB estate.
His late father was born in China’s Hainan Island, went to Malaysia as a young boy before moving to Singapore to work in a sales job.
His mother was a teacher. Describing her as a disciplinarian both in school and at home, Mr Wong has spoken highly of his mother in several interviews and public speeches for managing to teach while caring for him and his brother.
Mr Wong is an alumnus of Haig Boys’ Primary where his mother taught. In his teens, he attended Tanjong Katong Secondary School, which he chose because it was near his home, and later on, Victoria Junior College.
He obtained his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor. He also holds a master’s in public administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.
