Known as a prolific user of social media, where she shares up to several hundred stories a day on Facebook, Ho Ching has defended Singapore's sovereign wealth fund Temasek as a long-term investor and community leader in many of her posts. Now she will resign from her role as its CEO.

Ho Ching – the wife of Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong – will step down as a chief executive officer of the republic's S$300 billion sovereign wealth fund by the end of September 2021, after nearly two decades at the helm. 

Ho began her career as an engineer and worked for Singapore Technologies Group, where she became its president and CEO, before joining the state investor in 2002. The 67-year-old was appointed CEO in 2004, and her salary has never been disclosed.

Dilhan Pillay Sandrasegara, current chief executive of Temasek International (TI), the group's commercial arm, is set to replace her, as finews.asia reported on Tuesday. Ho did not disclose any reasons for her resignation nor her future plans. 

Prompted Shift

Set up in 1974 to support Singapore's nation-building efforts, the state investor has evolved from an initial portfolio of 35 government-linked companies to a long-term, return-seeking investor with both wealth-management and development mandates. Its commitment to domestic investments in companies that owned or provided critical resources or services changed with the appointment of Ho as executive director of Temasek's board in 2002.

During Ho's tenure as chief executive, Temasek's portfolio grew from S$90 billion to over S$300 billion. «We have evolved from a relatively passive owner of the shares in former Government-owned companies in Singapore to a globally-recognized and respected investor, a forward-looking institution and trusted steward,» Temasek said in a statement on her departure.

Social Media Maverick 

Ho is also as a prolific user of social media, where she airs her views on all manner of subjects. 

Among her posts, Ho has defended Temasek’s role as a long-term investor and community leader, and called out her critics, while sharing stories on China’s expanding naval capabilities, bricklaying robots, and the temperature of Uranus, among other topics.