Poh Li San

{{Infobox officeholder

| honorific_prefix = The Honourable

| honorific_suffix =

| name = Poh Li San

| native_name = {{nobold|傅丽珊}}

| image = File:Poh Li San.jpg

| caption = Official portrait, 2021

| parliament1 = Singapore

| constituency_MP1 = Sembawang West SMC

| term_start1 = 3 May 2025

| predecessor1 = Constituency established

| successor1 =

| majority1 = 1,435 (6.36%)

| parliament2 = Singapore

| constituency_MP2 = Sembawang GRC

| term_start2 = 10 July 2020

| term_end2 = 15 April 2025

| predecessor2 = PAP held

| successor2 = PAP held

| majority2 = 48,341 (34.58%)

| party = People's Action Party

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1975|11|19|df=y}}

| birth_place = Singapore

| alma_mater = University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign (BS, BA)

| occupation = Politician

| allegiance =

| branch = Republic of Singapore Air Force

| serviceyears = 1994–2010

| rank = Major

| unit = 125 Squadron

}}

Poh Li San ({{lang-zh|s=傅丽珊|p=Fù Lìshān}}; born 19 November 1975){{Cite web |url=https://www.parliament.gov.sg/mps/list-of-current-mps/mp/details/poh-li-san |title=MP | Parliament of Singapore |access-date=17 July 2020 |archive-date=25 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210425023414/https://www.parliament.gov.sg/mps/list-of-current-mps/mp/details/poh-li-san |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web |url=https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=962238965723229&id=100058114027681&_rdr |title=Grateful to all for your kind birthday wishes and your friendship... |date=19 November 2024|access-date=1 January 2025 |website=Facebook }} is a Singaporean politician. A member of the governing People's Action Party (PAP), she has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sembawang West SMC since 2025, and previously the Sembawang West division of Sembawang GRC between 2020 and 2025. {{Cite web |title=ELD {{!}} 2020 Parliamentary General Election Results |url=https://www.eld.gov.sg/finalresults2020.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200710211514/https://www.eld.gov.sg/finalresults2020.html |archive-date=10 July 2020 |access-date=10 July 2020 |website=www.eld.gov.sg}}{{Cite web |date=24 March 2019 |title=I'm willing to enter politics if offered the chance, says Changi Airport Group vice-president Poh Li San |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/politics/too-soon-to-tell-if-i-will-be-a-pap-candidate-says-changi-vp-poh-li-san |access-date=15 April 2020 |website=The Straits Times |language=en}}

A recipient of the Singapore Armed Forces Merit Scholarship (Women), Poh was a helicopter pilot in the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) and the first female aide-de-camp to President S. R. Nathan.{{Cite web |title=Government And Society {{!}} Singapore Book Of Records |url=https://singaporerecords.com/government-and-society/ |access-date=15 April 2020 |website=Singaporerecords.com |language=en-US}} After leaving the RSAF in 2010, she joined the Changi Airport Group and rose to the position of Senior Vice President.{{Cite web |date=September 2013 |title=Changi Connection Issue 21 |url=https://www.changiairport.com/content/dam/cacorp/publications/Changi%20Connections/2013/CAG-issue21_final_view.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190714132131/https://www.changiairport.com/content/dam/cacorp/publications/Changi%20Connections/2013/CAG-issue21_final_view.pdf |archive-date=14 July 2019 |website=Changi Airport |publisher=Changi Airport Group |pages=4}}

Education

Poh attended Dunman High School and Temasek Junior College{{Cite web |date=2001 |title=Life cannot be examined in a routine office job. |url=http://core.com.sg/collaterals/imgs/saf.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200415114932/http://core.com.sg/collaterals/imgs/saf.pdf |archive-date=15 April 2020}} before graduating from the University of Illinois Urbana–Champaign in 1998 with a Bachelor of Science with highest honours degree in engineering and a Bachelor of Arts with summa cum laude and highest distinction degree in economics.{{Cite web |title=Poh Li San's Profile |url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/li-san-poh-9243741/ |website=Poh's LinkedIn Profile}} She was awarded the Bronze Tablet for graduating top 3% in her cohort.{{Cite web |date=1998 |title=1998 University Honors |url=https://digital.library.illinois.edu/items/af9a5300-13c4-0134-1d5f-0050569601ca-8 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191107154745/https://digital.library.illinois.edu/items/af9a5300-13c4-0134-1d5f-0050569601ca-8 |archive-date=7 November 2019 |access-date=20 April 2021 |website=University of Illinois Library}}

Career

=Military career=

Poh was awarded the Singapore Armed Forces Merit Scholarship (Women) in 1994 and began her military career with the Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) as a helicopter pilot after completing her education.{{Cite web |title=Mainstream media speculates that SAF scholar and ex-pilot could be fielded as PAP candidate in next GE |url=https://headtopics.com/sg/mainstream-media-speculates-that-saf-scholar-and-ex-pilot-could-be-fielded-as-pap-candidate-in-next-4667781 |access-date=15 April 2020 |website=Head Topics |language=en}} She flew the Super Puma helicopter in 125 Squadron, Sembawang Airbase. Poh was a Search and Rescue pilot and was part of the SAF Humanitarian and Relief mission to Aceh following the Boxing Day Tsunami.{{Cite web |date=2 April 2014 |title=Air force veteran in pilot's seat of T4 project |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/air-force-veteran-in-pilots-seat-of-t4-project |access-date=15 April 2020 |website=The Straits Times |language=en}}

In 2003, Poh assumed the role of Assistant Director of the Future Systems Technology Directorate under the Ministry of Defence (MINDEF) and led the development of the technologies and formulated long term force development strategies and new war-fighting concepts for the SAF.{{Cite journal |date=2007 |title=Effective Leadership: Contextual and Invariant Dimensions |journal=Journal of the Singapore Armed Forces |pages=26 |citeseerx=10.1.1.471.8043}}{{Cite web |title=MINDEF Singapore |url=https://www.mindef.gov.sg/web/portal/mindef/about-us/organisation/organisation-profile/future-systems-technology-directorate/!ut/p/z1/jZDNDoIwEISfiHSpIHJENIjhT0XFXkyjBZsAJVBM9OltjIkHI7q3Tb6Z3RlEUIZITa-8oJKLmpZqP5Dx0Ypn7gIMHMVmqoOzS9PAnEbYd0do_wTileHpBuAgDtemAmx7kkKCwbMQ-UcPX8aB__QDABm2X_46oBrAbeiGBSINlReN17lAWd7LvmVad-skqzpNstOlFqUobtqZt-wkRUslU8-RIXsPrBfw7m_nWQpI_PHS3ugwxx_AZ8G_IjbVdpvdg3zjc-cBWJUwoA!!/dz/d5/L2dBISEvZ0FBIS9nQSEh/ |access-date=15 April 2020 |website=www.mindef.gov.sg |language=en}} In 2005, Poh was made Flight Commander of 125 Squadron, Sembawang Airbase.

In July 2006, Poh was appointed to be the first female aide-de-camp to then President S. R. Nathan. She was responsible for planning and organising state-level visits, meetings, ceremonies, and events.

In May 2010, Poh left the RSAF and attained the rank Major and joined Changi Airport Group.

= Post-military career =

Poh started her career in Changi Airport Group as Head, Budget Terminal in May 2010. She was in charge of the operations of the Changi Airport Budget Terminal. From 2012 to 2017, Poh led the planning and development of the new Terminal 4 where many new innovations and technologies were implemented to improve passenger experience and productivity. She is the Senior Vice-President of Terminal 5 Systems and is responsible for the planning of specialised airport engineering systems for the new terminal.{{Cite web |date=15 May 2018 |title=Interview: Changi Airport's VP of Terminal 5 Planning on offering excellent airport experience |url=http://asia.blog.terrapinn.com/aviation/2018/05/15/interview-changi-airports-vp-terminal-5-planning-offering-excellent-airport-experience/ |access-date=15 April 2020 |website=Aviation Festival Asia |language=en-GB}}

= Political career =

Poh joined the governing People's Action Party (PAP) as an activist in 2018. She is a grassroots leader in Sembawang GRC, where she helped Member of Parliament (MP) and Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung in his Meet-the-People Sessions every Monday in his Gambas Ward. She is currently the chairman of the PAP Sembawang West Branch of Sembawang GRC and the Grassroots Advisor of Sembawang West Grassroots Organisations.

She was then appointed Deputy Chairperson of Sustainability and Environment, as well as member of the Transport Government Parliament Committees (GPCs) in the 14th Parliament of Singapore.

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

Prior to the 2025 Singaporean election, Poh's ward of Sembawang West was carved out of Sembawang GRC.{{Cite web |title=GE2025: Six new SMCs created as the EBRC lays out changes to constituencies |url=https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/ge2025-six-new-smc-general-election-boundary-changes-4992541 |access-date=12 March 2025 |website=CNA |language=en}} As a result, Poh left the GRC team to contest the Sembawang West Single Member Constituency.{{Cite news |last=Begum |first=Shabana |date=22 April 2025 |title=GE2025: Poh Li San to contest new Sembawang West SMC, against SDP’s Chee Soon Juan |url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/ge2025-poh-li-san-to-contest-new-sembawang-west-smc-against-sdps-chee-soon-juan |access-date=22 April 2025 |work=The Straits Times |language=en |issn=0585-3923}} She won against the Singapore Democratic Party Secretary-General Chee Soon Juan with 53.18% of the vote.{{Cite web|url=https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/politics/ge2025-poh-li-san-edges-out-chee-soon-juan-in-sembawang-west-smc-with-53-19-of-the-vote|title=GE2025: Poh Li San edges out Chee Soon Juan in Sembawang West SMC with 53.19% of the vote|date=4 May 2025|via=The Straits Times}}