Introduction
Lee Bee Wah (Chinese: 李美花; pinyin: Lǐ Měi Huā; born 6 October 1960) is a Malaysian-born Singaporean politician. A member of the country's governing People's Action Party (PAP), she currently serves as a Member of Parliament (MP) for Nee Soon Group Representation Constituency (GRC) for the ward of Nee Soon South since 2011. She previously served as MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC (Nee Soon South) from 2006 until her ward was carved out from the GRC for the formation of Nee Soon GRC in 2011.
Early life
Lee was born 6 October 1960, in Johor, Malaysia. Her family was of "humble background", and both her parents were rubber planters.
Education
Lee received her primary education at Kiow Min Chinese Primary School and subsequently studied at Sekolah Dato' Dol Said, Notre Dame Convent, and Gajah Berang. Lee attended the National University of Singapore in 1981-1982 before attending the Nanyang Technological University (NTU) where she completed a B.Eng. degree in Civil Engineering in 1985. She then attended the University of Liverpool in 1989–1990 where she attained a M.Sc. degree in Engineering.
Described by her university as a "passionate" alumna, Lee started the Class of 1985 Pioneer Fund, a fundraising scheme which generated a few million dollars for academic incentives. In 1997, she became the NTU School of Civil & Environmental Engineering Alumni Association (NTU CEEAA)'s President, until 2008. She was the recipient of the 2000 Nanyang Technological University Alumni Service Award by NTU. In 2006, Lee received the Nanyang Alumni Achievement Award from NTU. The same year, the Cambodian Government presented to her the Royal Government Gold Medal.
In 2011, the University of Liverpool presented to her an Honorary Doctorate. She was awarded the Nanyang Distinguished Alumni Award from NTU in 2012.
Professional career
An engineer by training, in 1996, Lee established LBW Consultants LLP. Her firm was acquired by global engineering consultancy Meinhardt Group in 2014 where she is currently Joint Managing Director for their Singapore office. Prior to joining politics, Lee was also a senior engineer at ST Construction and an assistant project manager at Wing Tai. She served as president of the Institution of Engineers Singapore from 2008-2010. She serves on the Board of Directors of TEE International Ltd, an engineering firm.
Politics
A current member of parliament (MP) in Singapore and the People's Action Party, Lee served as MP for Ang Mo Kio GRC from 2006 till 2011, and has been serving as MP for Nee Soon GRC since 2011. She is currently the Chairman of the Government Parliamentary Committee for National Development as well as for the Environment and Water Resources. Lee was the president of the Singapore Table Tennis Association (STTA) from 2008 till 2014.
Personal life
Lee is married with two children. She is a Buddhist.