Formerly a professional ballerina, a pilates instructor, the boss of a media start-up, a deputy director at a medical firm and one of Singapore’s most prominent actresses, Wong Li Lin is now a public servant.
The 45-year-old is the new executive director of the Public Hygiene Council (PHC), after finding out about the job opening through her professional network earlier this year in January.
At that time, she was with the Thomson Medical group.
After meeting council members and going through several interviews, Ms Wong accepted the offer from PHC.
Established in 2011, the PHC aims to promote good hygiene practices and to improve personal and public hygiene standards in Singapore.
Ms Wong, a mother of two, has been learning the ropes and running the PHC secretariat at the National Environment Agency for five weeks.
She told The Straits Times in an Oct 19 interview: “I still get photographed, with people telling me ‘I remember you in Triple Nine’ or asking me ‘When are you going back to TV?'”
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Ms Wong, who said she has no academic or work experience in the area of public hygiene but does not see it as a problem, is also aware that many may continue to view her as an actress, despite her new position.
“People see the tip of the iceberg and not the large chunk beneath the water’s surface, which is my very rich work experience,” she added, pointing out that all her jobs, including her latest one, involve her three passions of educating, promoting wellness and media.
“But I’m the sort of person who likes to roll up my sleeves and work. So in the working world, people will then see what I deliver.”
