Our Patron

BG(Retired) George Yeo Yong-Boon, our Patron, received his primary school education at St. Stephen’s School. He studied at St. Patrick’s School as well as St. Joseph’s Institution and finished his GCE Ordinary Level at the top of the class in 1970.

In 1996, BG George Yeo became the Patron of The Patrician Society when there was a re-launch of the society, then under the leadership of Anthony Yee & amp; Dr Tan Min Seet. A President’s Scholar and Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) Scholar, he graduated from Christ’s College, University of Cambridge with a degree in engineering in 1976.

Upon returning from England, he served as an officer in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF). He served as a signals officer in the Singapore Army, before transferring to the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF), where he rose to the rank of Brigadier-General. He then attended Harvard Business School and earned a Master in Business Administration, graduating as a Baker Scholar in 1985.

Upon his returned to Singapore, he served as the Chief-of-Staff of the Air Staff from 1985 to 1986, and as the Director of Joint Operations and Planning at the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) from 1986 to 1988. He also led the team which conceptualised the SAFTI Military Institute.

In 1988, he resigned from the SAF to stand for Parliament. Following his election into Parliament, he served in the Cabinet from 1991 to 2011 as the Minister for Information and the Arts (1991–1999), Minister for Health (1994–1997), Minister for Trade and Industry (1999–2004) and Minister for Foreign Affairs (2004–2011).

He retired from politics on 10 May 2011.

BG George Yeo is currently a member of the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum, the Nicolas Berggruen Institute’s 21st Century Council and the International Advisory Board of IESE Business School. He was recently appointed as a non-official member of the newly established Hong Kong Economic Development Commission.

Because he was a Catholic politician with expertise on economics and finance, he was named by Pope Francis to serve as one of the Lay Members of the newly established Council for Economic Affairs, which will oversee the work of the new Secretariat for the Economy, which will have financial regulatory authority over all departments of the Roman Curia.