Edward Chia

Summary

Edward Chia Bing Hui (Chinese: 谢秉辉; pinyin: Xiè Bǐnghuī; born 1984)[1] is a Singaporean politician and businessman. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), he has been the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the Zhenghua division of Holland–Bukit Timah GRC since 2020.

Edward Chia
谢秉辉
Chia in 2021
Member of Parliament
for Holland–Bukit Timah GRC
(Zhenghua)
Assumed office
10 July 2020
Preceded byLiang Eng Hwa
Majority34,991 (32.72%)
Personal details
Born (1984-02-17) February 17, 1984 (age 40)[1]
Singapore
Political partyPeople's Action Party
Children1
EducationNational University of Singapore (BA)
Occupation
  • Politician
  • businessman

Chia was the co-founder of Timbre Group, but had stepped down from directorship in June 2021 and is no longer a shareholder. He has been serving as Managing Director of PlaceM and Director of Feed the World since.

Chia has been known to support and develop Singaporean musicians and culinary talents since 2005.[2]

Education edit

Chia attended National Junior College before graduating from the National University of Singapore in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and political science.[3]

Business career edit

While studying at National Junior College, Chia founded Arts For Us All (AFUA), a defunct non-profit organisation which engage youths in arts-based community work and events.[4][3]

Chia co-founded Timbre with Danny Loong in 2005, a few months before starting on his undergraduate studies at the National University of Singapore.[5][6] While studying in NUS, he was actively managing the business.[4]

Chia has been serving as a council member of the Ngee Ann Polytechnic,[7] National Youth Achievement Award Council,[3] a board member of SMU Enterprise and NP Enterprise Pte Ltd[citation needed] and the co-chair of the National Environment Agency (NEA) work group, which focuses on sustaining the hawker trade.[citation needed]

Political career edit

Chia was fielded in the 2020 general election to contest in Holland–Bukit Timah GRC on the People's Action Party's ticket against the Singapore Democratic Party.[8] Chia's running mates were Vivian Balakrishnan, Sim Ann, and Christopher de Souza.[8] On 11 July 2020, Chia and the PAP team were declared elected Members of Parliament representing Holland–Bukit Timah GRC in the 14th Parliament after garnering 66.36% of the valid votes.[9]

Chia was then appointed as the Deputy Chairperson of Manpower Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) in the 14th Parliament.[10] He also sat on the Finance and Trade and Industry GPC.[11][12]

Since his appointment as a Member of Parliament for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, Chia has spoken up several times in Parliament, such as the need for businesses to find ways to be sustainable and expand to provide more jobs for Singaporeans.[citation needed] He emphasised the importance of helping companies upskill their employers and helping businesses grow their business.[13]

In the Zhenghua ward, Chia worked with Vivian Balakrishnan and Liang Eng Hwa to launch a Bukit Panjang Town Jobs and Skills Support Taskforce which supplemented national efforts to help jobseekers secure employment.[14] He also reached out to Food Bank Singapore to install vending machines to ease food insecurity for households and seniors who live in rental blocks or one-to two-room studio apartments.[15]

Personal life edit

Chia is the eldest of three children born to a businessman and a home-maker.[6] He is married, and has a son.[16][3]

Awards edit

2010: Chia, together with Timbre's other co-founder Danny Loong, was conferred the Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year award under the Singapore Tourism Board’s Singapore Experience Awards.[17]

2014:

  • Singapore Youth Award[18]
  • Junior Chamber International (JCI) Singapore, Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World - Business, Economic and/or Entrepreneurial Accomplishment[19]

2016: ASEAN Youth Award[20]

References edit

  1. ^ a b "MP | Parliament of Singapore". Archived from the original on 2020-07-18. Retrieved 2020-07-17.
  2. ^ "Social missions and new technology — is Timbre+ the future of hawker centres?". The Edge Singapore. 19 September 2016. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d "Profile of EDWARD CHIA BING HUI" (PDF).
  4. ^ a b "Only 27, but this S'porean runs 11 businesses". sg.news.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  5. ^ "NLB Music SG - Universal Blues Band". NLB Music SG. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  6. ^ a b Lui, John (23 May 2016). "The Life Interview with Timbre Group's Edward Chia: Changing Singaporeans, one tray at a time". The Straits Times. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  7. ^ "Council Members". Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP). Retrieved 2023-02-08.
  8. ^ a b hermesauto (30 June 2020). "Singapore GE2020: Tan Jee Say returns to SDP to contest Holland-Bukit Timah GRC". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 6 July 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  9. ^ Gabriel, Anita (11 July 2020). "GE2020: PAP retains Holland-Bukit Timah GRC with 66.36% of votes". The Business Times. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
  10. ^ "4 first-term PAP MPs appointed as deputy chairmen in Government Parliamentary Committees". TODAYonline. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  11. ^ "GPC". People's Action Party. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  12. ^ "Changes made to Government Parliamentary Committees after Cabinet reshuffle". CNA. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  13. ^ "Parliament stirred up over minimum wage debate again as WP defends its proposal". TODAYonline. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  14. ^ Wong, Lester (19 August 2020). "New grassroots initiative to help job seekers living in Bukit Panjang". The Straits Times. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  15. ^ Liew, Ai Xin (22 December 2020). "Food bank vending machines for needy in Zhenghua". The Straits Times. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  16. ^ "People's Action Party introduces first 4 candidates for GE on June 24 morning". mothership.sg. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
  17. ^ "Singapore's Tourism Stars The Toast Of The Town | STB". www.stb.gov.sg. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  18. ^ "A visionary entrepreneur". Youth.SG. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  19. ^ "Past Winners | JCI Singapore". jcisingapore.cc. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
  20. ^ "ASEAN presents award to ten ASEAN youth leaders". ASEAN | ONE VISION ONE IDENTITY ONE COMMUNITY. 31 August 2016. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.

External links edit

Parliament of Singapore
Preceded by Member of Parliament for
Holland–Bukit Timah GRC (Zhenghua)

2020 – present
Incumbent