Simon Tay

Simon Tay Seong Chee (born 4 January 1961) is a Singaporean lawyer and legal academic who served as a Nominated Member of Parliament between 1997 and 2003.

Early life and education Tay was born on 4 January 1961 in Singapore. His father, Tay Seow Huah, was a senior civil servant.

Tay graduated from the National University of Singapore in 1986 with a Bachelor of Laws with honours degree. During his time as an undergraduate, Tay served as the president of the NUS Students' Union for three terms.

In 1993, Tay went on to pursue a Master of Laws degree at Harvard University as a Fulbright Scholar. There, he won the Laylin Prize in 1994 for the best graduate paper in Public International Law.

Career 1986–1995 From 1986 to 1991, Tay began his career as a lawyer with Shook Lin & Bok, Advocates & Solicitors. There, he specialised in corporate litigation, advising corporate clients, including major banks and property companies.

In 1989, Tay was also a columnist for The Sunday Times newspaper for two years.

In 1995, Tay was on the board of directors of the non-governmental, Singapore Environment Council. He remained on the board for eight years. During his time as a Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP), Tay focused on issues relating to civil society, environment and human rights. Tay continued to serve as a NMP until 2003, for a record three terms. In 1998, Tay was appointed by the prime minister to lead a public consultation, known as the Singapore 21, on the future needs and aspirations of Singapore in the future. He was part of the Main Committee of 11 Members of Parliament and was also the co-chair of the committee on "Consultation and Consensus vs Decisiveness and Quick Action".

2000–present Tay was named a "global leader of tomorrow" during the 2000 World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland in addition to being featured in the Far Eastern Economic Review as one of 'Ten People to Watch in Asia'.

From 2002 to 2008, Tay chaired the National Environment Agency of Singapore, the country's main agency for environmental protection and public health. In 2006, he received the Public Service Medal (Pingat Bakti Masyarakat, PBM) from the Singapore government, a National Day Award. In 2009, Tay spent a year in New York as a Bernard Schwartz Fellow. Tay formerly taught at Harvard Law School, Yale and the Fletcher School of Tufts University as a visiting professor. Appointed by the Singapore Government, Tay currently serves as an Eminent Person for the ASEAN Regional Forum, Eminent Expert To the International Advisory Panel on Transboundary Pollution, and on the National Climate Change Network. Tay writes fortnightly commentaries in TODAY, a Singaporean newspaper, and monthly columns in The Peak Singapore, a lifestyle magazine title. His columns are also featured in other Asian newspapers such as Hong Kong's South China Morning Post, Thailand's Nation and Indonesia's Jakarta Post. He appears regularly in American and international media, including BBC, CNN, and Bloomberg.

Apart from his academic and political interests Tay is a poet and author. His 2009 non-fiction book Asia Alone: The Dangerous Post-Crisis Divide from America was reviewed by The Economist and The Financial Times. His novel City of Small Blessings won the 2010 Singapore Literature Prize. His collection of short stories, Stand Alone, was awarded the Highly Commended prize from the National Book Development Council of Singapore Awards.

Personal life Tay is married and has a son.

Selected writings

Non-fiction

Simon Tay, Jesus P. Estanislao & Hadi Soesastro (eds.), Reinventing ASEAN, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 2001 Simon Tay, Alien Asian: A Singaporean in America, Singapore, 1997,

Fiction Simon Tay, City of Small Blessings, Landmark Books, Singapore, 2009, Simon Tay, Stand Alone, Singapore, 1991, Simon Tay, 5, National University of Singapore Press, Singapore, 1985