Career and Education
Occupation
- Member of Parliament, Legal Counsel
Education
- MA (Cantab) – Corpus Christi College, University of Cambridge
Background
- Ru graduated with an undergraduate degree in Natural Sciences from Cambridge before reading law in London
- Trained and qualified as a solicitor of England & Wales with a Magic Circle firm, working in London and Frankfurt, before working as a derivatives lawyer in a European financial institution in Singapore, and as Head of Legal with global oversight of legal and communications at a MNC listed in Singapore
- She has also obtained a Professional Development Certificate in Parliamentary Governance with McGill University (2024) and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Positive Psychology (2025)
- Ru has also been the Chair of Sengkang Town Council since its formation in 2020
- As an MP, Ru has spoken up regularly on various matters affecting residents and Singaporeans, and was amongst the most active Parliamentarians during her term
- Ru tabled a full Parliamentary Motion in 2021 on “Empowering Women” and supported WP Chair’s Parliamentary Motion in 2020 on “Justice For All”, and also raised an Adjournment Motion to call for better infrastructural and social adaptations to improve Singapore’s heat resilience given rising temperatures, and filed amendments to the Foreign Interference (Countermeasures) Bill when it was up for second reading
- Other key highlights in Parliament include seeking greater accountability for the NTUC Income-Allianz deal and the rushed passage of laws to block the transaction, calling repeatedly for measures of developmental and social outcomes beyond GDP, and pushing for mental health approaches to go beyond poor mental health to allow our society to thrive
Involvement with the Workers’ Party
Ru is a Member of Parliament for Buangkok Division, Sengkang GRC (2020-Present) and also WP’s Treasurer, and Member of its Central Executive Committee.
Vision for Singapore
Ru started volunteering with WP in 2011 after returning home after almost a decade away, and realising that the large imbalance in Singapore’s political system meant that there was a real risk that only a dominant view shaped by ‘natural aristocrats’ would take hold, thus drowning out or sweeping aside the voices of ordinary Singaporeans.
Philosophy and Passions
Ru believes that Singaporeans should meaningfully accept and respect alternative viewpoints, and recognise that anyone has the potential to contribute to a system in Singapore that is best set up for our people to flourish. Particularly because the world around us is uncertain, we have to ensure that we entrench a balanced Parliament, that will ultimately enhance accountability and transparency in government decision-making, with institutional safeguards in place to uphold these principles.
Ru has three young sons who keep her on her toes, ensuring that she puts the theory of ‘active listening’ to practice daily, and she trains regularly with them in Aikido, currently working towards obtaining her fourth kyu grade.
