Mariam Jaafar

Mariam Jaafar
مريم بنت جعفر
Mariam in 2021
Member of Parliament
for Sembawang GRC
(Woodlands)
Assumed office
10 July 2020
Preceded byAmrin Amin (PAP)
Majority48,341 (34.58%)
Personal details
Born1977 (age 46–47)[1]
Singapore
Political partyPeople's Action Party
SpouseHeng Teck Thai
Alma materStanford University (BS, MS)
Harvard University (MBA)

Mariam binte Jaafar (Jawi: مريم بنت جعفر; born 1977)[1] is a Singaporean politician. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), she has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Woodlands division of Sembawang GRC since 2020.

Early life and education

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Mariam grew up in a 1-room HDB flat with her parents and siblings.[2] Her father was a Malay language teacher while her mother was a nurse.[2]

She attended Raffles Girls' Primary School for three years before transferring to Bukit View Primary School.[2] When she was 13 years old, Mariam received the MENDAKI Scholarship from then-Deputy Prime Minister Goh Chok Tong.[3]

Mariam attended Raffles Girls' School and Raffles Junior College before graduating from Stanford University in 2000 with a Bachelor of Science degree and a Master of Science degree in electrical and electronics engineering.[2]

She subsequently went on to complete a Master of Business Administration degree at Harvard Business School in 2006.[4]

Career

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Following her graduation from Harvard Business School, she worked at Boston Consulting Group.[2][5] She is currently a Managing Director and Partner at the BCG office in Singapore and is a core member of the firm's Technology, Media & Telecommunications and Financial Institutions practices.[6]

In 2016, Mariam was chosen to be a member of the Committee on the Future Economy, chaired by Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat.[7] Mariam serves on the board of directors at the Government Technology Agency and at the Sentosa Development Corporation.[8][9][10] She is also on the board of governors at her alma mater, Raffles Girls' School.[11]

Political career

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In the 2020 election, Mariam was nominated as a candidate of the ruling People's Action Party (PAP) for Sembawang GRC.[12] On 10 July, she was elected to the Parliament, defeating the opposition candidates from the National Solidarity Party (NSP).[13]

Mariam is appointed as Vice-Chairperson of Sembawang Town Council (SBTC) since 2020.

Personal life

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Mariam is married to Heng Teck Thai.[14][15]

References

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  1. ^ a b "PARL | MP". www.parliament.gov.sg.
  2. ^ a b c d e Nazren, Fasiha (7 July 2020). "From a 1-room flat to Harvard University, PAP candidate Mariam Jaafar shares why she has the heart to serve". Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  3. ^ "Miss Mariam Jaafar with her parents after receiving Scholarship Award by MENDAKI, 19 February 1990 - BookSG - National Library Board, Singapore". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  4. ^ Lim, Kimberly Anne (1 April 2020). "Is this Harvard Business School grad taking over Woodlands ward?". AsiaOne. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  5. ^ "Will we see more women in the upcoming Singapore GE than in 2015?". 15 June 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  6. ^ "Mariam Jaafar". The Boston Consulting Group.
  7. ^ Chia, Yan Min (21 December 2015). "30-member committee assembled to plot the future of Singapore's economy". The Straits Times. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  8. ^ Chew, Hui Min (30 September 2016). "New boards appointed for restructured technology, info-communications and media government agencies". The Straits Times. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  9. ^ "Our Team". Government Technology Agency. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  10. ^ "Board changes at the Sentosa Development Corporation" (PDF). Ministry of Trade and Industry. 1 April 2020.
  11. ^ "Our People". Raffles Girls' School. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  12. ^ Yuen, Sin (29 June 2020). "Singapore GE2020: Two new faces in Ong Ye Kung's PAP Sembawang team". Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  13. ^ "GE2020 results: PAP wins Sembawang GRC with 67.29% of the votes over NSP". 11 July 2020. Retrieved 13 July 2020.
  14. ^ "Mariam Jaafar". People's Action Party. Retrieved 30 July 2020.
  15. ^ Seow, Kai Lun (6 July 2020). "It's all about family: GE2020 candidates share heartwarming stories of family support during this campaign period". AsiaOne. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
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Parliament of Singapore
Preceded by Member of Parliament for
Sembawang GRC (Woodlands)

2020 – present
Incumbent