Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon, former CPA chairman Eddie Teo receive Singapore’s highest civilian honour
The two are among 7,491 people recognised in this year’s National Day Awards, including 6,624 civilian recipients and 867 military personnel.
Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and former chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers Eddie Teo. (Photos: Singapore Courts, Mr Eddie Teo)
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SINGAPORE: Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon and former chairman of the Council of Presidential Advisers (CPA) Eddie Teo were conferred Singapore’s highest civilian honour on Sunday (Aug 9).
The two men head this year’s list of National Day Awards recipients after receiving the Order of Temasek (With Distinction), or Darjah Utama Temasek.
The honour, instituted in 1962, is conferred by the president on the advice of the prime minister.
Chief Justice Menon and Mr Teo are among 7,491 recipients recognised for their contributions to Singapore this year, including 6,624 civilian recipients and 867 military personnel.
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After being called to the Singapore Bar, Chief Justice Menon practised as an advocate before serving as a Judicial Commissioner of the Supreme Court from 2006 to 2007.
He was appointed Senior Counsel in 2008, Singapore’s sixth Attorney-General in 2010 and the fourth Chief Justice of the Supreme Court on Nov 6, 2012.
He will retire on Feb 26, 2027, after more than 14 years of service.
Chief Justice Menon oversaw major reforms to strengthen the courts’ capabilities, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said when announcing his retirement. These included leading the courts’ digital transformation and establishing the Appellate Division of the High Court, enabling appeals to be heard and resolved more efficiently.
The Family Justice Courts and the Youth Courts also “embraced a therapeutic justice approach, transforming the way family and youth cases are heard and resolved”, PMO added.
“Chief Justice Menon has served Singapore with distinction over the past 14 years,” Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said.
“Under his leadership, our Judiciary has earned the confidence of Singaporeans and the respect of the international legal community.”
Mr Teo served in the Singapore Public Service for 35 years before retiring in 2005. He joined the Security and Intelligence Division of the Ministry of Defence in 1970, became its director in 1979 and held the post until 1994.
He concurrently served as director of the Internal Security Department in the Ministry of Home Affairs from 1982 to 1986.
Mr Teo was Singapore’s High Commissioner to Australia from 2006 to 2008 and then served two terms as chairman of the Public Service Commission, from August 2008 to July 2018.
He most recently served as CPA chairman, a position he held from 2019 until his retirement on Jun 1, 2026. He was first appointed a member of the CPA in 2018.
Mr Teo is currently Pro-Chancellor of Singapore Management University and a Distinguished Fellow at its School of Social Sciences. He also serves as a director of the Lee Kuan Yew Exchange Fellowship.
For his contributions to Singapore, Mr Teo was awarded the Order of Nila Utama (First Class) in 2017.
DISTINGUISHED SERVICE ORDER
Five individuals will be conferred the Distinguished Service Order, or Darjah Utama Bakti Cemerlang, in this year’s National Day Awards.
The recipients are Land Transport Authority (LTA) Board chairman Alan Chan, former Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore (CAAS) Board chairman Edmund Cheng, artist Dr Iskandar Jalil, Ustaz Mohamad Hasbi Bin Hassan and former Sentosa Development Corporation chairman Bob Tan.
Mr Chan served as CEO of Singapore Press Holdings from 2003 to 2017. He was appointed chairman of the LTA Board in 2016 and continues to serve in the role. Mr Chan was also a recipient of the Meritorious Service Medal in 2012.
Mr Cheng served on the CAAS Board for more than nine years, first as deputy chairman from 2016 before becoming chairman in 2018. He stepped down on Aug 1, 2026.
He was chairman of ground-handling company SATS from 2003 to 2016, as well as chairman of the Singapore Tourism Board from 1993 to 2001.
Mr Cheng received the Meritorious Service Medal in 2015, the Public Service Star (Bar) in 2010 and the Public Service Star in 1999.
Dr Iskandar is a potter and eminent local ceramist who was conferred the Cultural Medallion – Singapore’s highest arts accolade – in 1988.
He received the Public Service Star in 2012 and the Meritorious Service Medal in 2015. That year, he was also conferred the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette by the Japanese government.
In recognition of his work as a ceramist and educator, Dr Iskandar was conferred an honorary Doctor of Letters (honoris causa) from the Nanyang Technological University in 2016.
Ustaz Hasbi is co-founder and co-chairman of the Religious Rehabilitation Group, a voluntary group of Islamic scholars and teachers that rehabilitate radicalised individuals in Singapore.
He has been president of the Singapore Islamic Scholars and Religious Teachers Association (PERGAS) since 2003. He is also a member of the Islamic Religious Council of Singapore (MUIS), its Fatwa Committee and the Asatizah Recognition Board.
Mr Tan is the former chairman of the Sentosa Development Corporation, where he served for seven years before stepping down on Apr 1, 2026. He is currently the chairman of the boards of SBS Transit, SBS Transit Rail and Jurong Engineering.
He received the Friend of Labour Award in 2000, the Public Service Star in 2010, the NTUC Meritorious Service Award in 2013, the Meritorious Service Medal in 2017, the Distinguished Service Award in 2018 and the Distinguished Service Star Award in 2022.
A full list of the 2026 National Day Award recipients is available on the PMO website.
Source: CNA/rk
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