Leo Yip

SENIOR FELLOW

2025 - PRESENT

Leo Yip joined the Singapore Public Service in 1982 as a police officer. He holds degrees from the University of Cambridge, the University of Warwick and Harvard University. In 2000, he was appointed Principal Private Secretary to Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew, serving until 2002 when he joined the Ministry of Manpower as Deputy Secretary. From 2003, he concurrently served as Chief Executive of the Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA).

Mr Yip was appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Manpower in July 2005. In 2008, he was concurrently appointed Deputy Chairman of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), before becoming its full-time Chairman from 2009 to 2014.

In December 2014, Mr Yip was appointed Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs. In 2016, he concurrently assumed the appointments of Permanent Secretary, Prime Minister's Office, and Permanent Secretary, National Security and Intelligence Coordination (NSIC). On 1 September 2017, he relinquished his Ministry of Home Affairs appointment to become Head of the Civil Service and Permanent Secretary, Prime Minister's Office (Strategy Group), while continuing to serve concurrently as Permanent Secretary (Prime Minister's Office) and Permanent Secretary (NSIC).

Mr Yip retired from the Administrative Service on 1 April 2026 after 43 years in the Singapore Public Service. He is currently serving as Deputy Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the National University of Singapore (NUS), and Senior Advisor, Public Service Division (PSD).