Former civil servant
Over a nearly 40-year career, Iswaran had held positions in the Education Ministry and Temasek Holdings before his appointment in 2015 as Minister of Trade and Industry (Industry).
Iswaran met his wife Kay Mary Taylor during his time in Australia. He had studied economics at the University of Adelaide after receiving the Colombo Plan Scholarship in 1982.
He went on to receive a master’s degree in public administration from Harvard University in 1995.
He began his career with the Singapore Administrative Service in 1987, before being seconded to the National Trade Union Congress.
Born in Madras, India, he served as the first chief executive officer of the Singapore Indian Development Association in 1991.
Iswaran later went into the private sector, working as a director for strategic development at Singapore Technologies, before becoming managing director at Temasek Holdings.
He had concurrently served as an MP since 1997, and was appointed to the Cabinet in 2006.
It was around this time that Iswaran, in his position as then Minister of State for Trade and Industry, worked with property tycoon Ong Beng Seng to convince then Formula One Group chief executive Bernie Ecclestone to make Singapore the venue for the sport’s first night race.
Ong and Iswaran became firm friends, but it was allegedly not without agenda.
On Sept 24, Iswaran pleaded guilty to five charges.
Four were over obtaining valuable items as a public servant from Ong and Mr David Lum Kok Seng, managing director of construction company Lum Chang Holdings.
The fifth charge was over obstructing the course of justice, by making payment of $5,700 for a business-class flight he had taken from Doha to Singapore in 2022 at Ong’s expense.
Ong, 78, was charged on Oct 4 with abetting a public servant in obtaining gifts, and with abetting obstruction of justice.