Edward Chia | |
|---|---|
| 谢秉辉 | |
 Official portrait, 2021 | |
| Member of Parliament for Holland–Bukit Timah GRC | |
| Assumed office 10 July 2020 | |
| Preceded by | Liang Eng Hwa |
| Majority |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | Edward Chia Bing Hui 17 February 1984 (age 42) |
| Party | People's Action Party |
| Children | 1 |
| Education | National University of Singapore (BA) |
| Occupation |
|
Edward Chia Bing Hui[a] (born 17 February 1984)[1] is a Singaporean politician and businessman. He has been a Member of Parliament for the People's Action Party, representing the Zhenghua division of Holland–Bukit Timah Group Representation Constituency, since 2020.
Chia co-founded the Timbre Group, but stepped down as a director and ceased being a shareholder in June 2021. Since then, Chia has been serving as the Managing Director of PlaceM and a Director at Feed the World.
Chia has been known to support and develop Singaporean musicians and culinary talents since 2005.[2]
Education
Chia attended National Junior College before graduating from the National University of Singapore in 2009 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in economics and political science.[3]
Business career
While studying at National Junior College, Chia founded Arts For Us All (AFUA), a defunct non-profit organization that engaged youths in arts-based community work and events.[4][3]
Chia co-founded Timbre with Danny Loong in 2005, shortly before starting his undergraduate studies at the National University of Singapore.[5][6] While studying in NUS, Chia was actively managing the business.[4] Chia also founded placeM, a placemaking consultancy that helps property owners deliver meaningful urban transformations[7]
Chia serves as a council member of the Ngee Ann Polytechnic,[8] National Youth Achievement Award Council,[3] a board member of SMU Enterprise and NP Enterprise Pte Ltd[9] and the co-chair of the National Environment Agency (NEA) work group, which focuses on sustaining the hawker trade.[citation needed]
Since stepping down as director of Timbre, Chia has founded Life Lab Resources.[10] There, Edward champions circular economy solutions by upcycling post-consumer food waste into nutritious, affordable, and sustainable aquaculture feed. This innovative model not only reduces carbon emissions but also supports farmers through circular supply chains.[11]
Political career
Chia was fielded in the 2020 general election to contest in the Holland–Bukit Timah GRC on the People's Action Party's ticket against the Singapore Democratic Party.[12] Chia's running mates were Vivian Balakrishnan, Sim Ann, and Christopher de Souza.[12] On 11 July 2020, Chia and the PAP team were declared elected Members of Parliament representing Holland–Bukit Timah GRC in the 14th Parliament after garnering 66.36% of the valid votes.[13]
Chia was then appointed as the Deputy Chairperson of Manpower Government Parliamentary Committee (GPC) in the 14th Parliament.[14] He also sat on the Finance and Trade and Industry GPC.[15][16]
Since his appointment as a Member of Parliament for Holland-Bukit Timah GRC, Chia has spoken in Parliament on the need for businesses to find ways to be sustainable and expand to provide more jobs for Singaporeans.[citation needed] As well as on the importance of helping companies upskill their employers and helping businesses grow their business.[17]
In the Zhenghua ward, Chia worked with Vivian Balakrishnan and Liang Eng Hwa to launch a Bukit Panjang Town Jobs and Skills Support Taskforce which helped jobseekers secure employment.[18] He also reached out to Food Bank Singapore to install vending machines to ease food insecurity for households and seniors who live in rental blocks or one- to two-room studio apartments.[19] Chia is part of the Government Parliamentary Committee under Finance, and Trade and Industry and Transport where he serves as deputy chairman since 2025.
Controversies
In April 2025, Chia faced criticism for a "fun fact" included in a campaign booklet in the lead up to the 2025 Singaporean general election. The booklet described him as someone who had bred and sold hamsters as a child, an activity that is illegal in Singapore under wildlife trafficking laws. He reportedly sold the hamsters to pet shops for S$3 each. The booklet framed this early venture as the beginning of a "lifelong passion for creating value" and the start of his entrepreneurial career. In response, Hamster Society Singapore criticised Chia's portrayal of his childhood activity, noting in an Instagram post that unlicensed breeding and selling of pets is illegal in Singapore.[20]
Personal life
Chia is the eldest of three children born to a businessman and a home-maker.[6] He is married, and has a son.[21][3]
Awards
2010: Chia, together with Timbre's other co-founder Danny Loong, was conferred the Tourism Entrepreneur of the Year award under the Singapore Tourism Board's Singapore Experience Awards.[22]
2014:
- Singapore Youth Award[23]
- Junior Chamber International (JCI) Singapore, Ten Outstanding Young Persons of the World - Business, Economic and/or Entrepreneurial Accomplishment[24]
2016: ASEAN Youth Award[25]
Notes
References
- ^ "MP | Parliament of Singapore". Archived from the original on 18 July 2020. Retrieved 17 July 2020.
- ^ "Social missions and new technology — is Timbre+ the future of hawker centres?". The Edge Singapore. 19 September 2016. Archived from the original on 20 September 2020. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Profile of EDWARD CHIA BING HUI" (PDF).
- ^ a b "Only 27, but this S'porean runs 11 businesses". sg.news.yahoo.com. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
- ^ "NLB Music SG - Universal Blues Band". NLB Music SG. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
- ^ a b Lui, John (23 May 2016). "The Life Interview with Timbre Group's Edward Chia: Changing Singaporeans, one tray at a time". The Straits Times. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
- ^ "Edward Chia – AT ONE IMPACT WEEK". Retrieved 1 September 2025.
- ^ "Council Members". Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP). Retrieved 8 February 2023.
- ^ "SMU Leadership". www.smu.edu.sg. Retrieved 10 February 2025.
- ^ Renald Yeo (15 October 2024). "Sustainable solutions for a circular future, Emerging Enterprise - THE BUSINESS TIMES". www.businesstimes.com.sg. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ Paige Lim (7 November 2024). "Breaking new ground at the 2024 Emerging Enterprise Awards, Emerging Enterprise - THE BUSINESS TIMES". www.businesstimes.com.sg. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
- ^ a b Fumiko Tay, Tiffany; Sue-Ann, Cheow (30 June 2020). "Singapore GE2020: Tan Jee Say returns to SDP to contest Holland-Bukit Timah GRC". The Straits Times. Archived from the original on 6 July 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
- ^ Gabriel, Anita (11 July 2020). "GE2020: PAP retains Holland-Bukit Timah GRC with 66.36% of votes". The Business Times. Archived from the original on 13 July 2020. Retrieved 12 July 2020.
- ^ "4 first-term PAP MPs appointed as deputy chairmen in Government Parliamentary Committees". TODAYonline. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
- ^ "GPC". People's Action Party. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
- ^ "Changes made to Government Parliamentary Committees after Cabinet reshuffle". CNA. Retrieved 23 February 2021.[permanent dead link]
- ^ "Parliament stirred up over minimum wage debate again as WP defends its proposal". TODAYonline. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
- ^ Wong, Lester (19 August 2020). "New grassroots initiative to help job seekers living in Bukit Panjang". The Straits Times. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
- ^ Liew, Ai Xin (22 December 2020). "Food bank vending machines for needy in Zhenghua". The Straits Times. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
- ^ "PAP's Edward Chia responds to accusations of breeding hamsters at age 10". AsiaOne. 27 April 2025. Retrieved 27 August 2025.
- ^ "People's Action Party introduces first 4 candidates for GE on June 24 morning". mothership.sg. Retrieved 23 February 2021.
- ^ "Singapore's Tourism Stars The Toast Of The Town". STB. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
- ^ "A visionary entrepreneur". Youth.SG. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
- ^ "Past Winners". JCI Singapore. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
- ^ "ASEAN presents award to ten ASEAN youth leaders". ASEAN. 31 August 2016. Archived from the original on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
External links
 Members of the 14th Parliament of Singapore (2020–2025) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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The party affiliation of each member is indicated right after the constituency/seat he or she represents. PAP: People's Action Party; WP: The Workers' Party; PSP: Progress Singapore Party All of the leaders of the respective GRCs are in underline. MP(s) who is go on a leave of absence is in italic. NMPs do not belong to any party. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
