12th Singapore Women's Hall of Fame Induction
Each year, the Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame honours women whose leadership, service, and achievements have shaped Singapore’s development and inspired generations.
The 12th Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony, held as part of the SCWO Gala, recognises women whose contributions span diverse fields and whose impact continues to resonate across society.
About the Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame
Established in 2014 by the Singapore Council of Women’s Organisations, the Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame celebrates women who have made significant and lasting contributions to Singapore.
Inductees are recognised not only for professional excellence, but for the courage, values, and leadership that have expanded possibilities for others.
The 2026 Honourees
The Singapore Women’s Hall of Fame 2026 inductees represent extraordinary contributions across health, arts and culture, business, and national service. Spanning generations, their work has shaped institutions, advanced professional fields, and strengthened Singapore’s social fabric. Through quiet perseverance, bold leadership, and a deep commitment to service, these women have not only excelled in their own paths but have paved the way for others to follow.
Maud Ethel Perera
Public Health Pioneer
In 1929, Maud Ethel Perera made history when she joined the Health Branch in Singapore as a staff nurse. It was a first for an Asian. Maud supervised other nurses, and soon became a nursing sister. Then she had to work with Health Sister Ida Mabel Murray Simmons, from Scotland. Together, the two women transformed infant and maternal health care. Over 20 years, the team led by them brought the infant mortality rate in Singapore down from 263 to 57 deaths per 1,000 babies. When Ida retired in 1948, Maud was promoted to act as the Public Health Matron, another first for an Asian locally. She ran more than 20 maternity and child welfare centres in rural Singapore that had to rebuild the public health service after World War II. In 1958, Maud was awarded the Member of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of her public health work in Singapore.
Read Maud Perera's full profile
Meira Chand
Acclaimed Writer
Meira Chand was born to a Swiss mother and Indian father in England during World War II. Later, she married and moved with her husband to Japan and raised two children. She spent some years in India before she moved to Singapore and made it home. She began writing to connect with the culture and society she was living in and in that time became an internationally acclaimed author. Three of her nine books, The Bonsai Tree and The Painted Cage, longlisted for the Booker Prize. A Different Sky, a historical novel set in Singapore, was published in 2010 and made it to the Oprah Winfrey recommended reading list and longlisted for the 2012 International IMPAC Dublin Literary Award. Her novel House of the Sun was adapted in 1990 for the stage in London, and a story by Meira was turned into LKY The Musical, staged in Singapore in 2015 and 2022. In 2023, Meira was conferred the Cultural Medallion. She continues to serve on literary committees and mentors emerging writers.
Pauline Tan
Nursing Trailblazer
After 36 years of rising the ranks as a frontline nurse, Pauline Tan knew she was ready to take the leap to chief executive of the Yishun Community Hospital in 2015. She is the first nurse to head a hospital here, having spent seven years as the Health Ministry's chief nursing officer. She has also served as Director of Nursing at the Institute of Mental Health and Director of Operations in Thomson Medical Centre. In 2006, she received the President’s Award for Nurses and the National Healthcare Group Outstanding Citizenship Award. In 2011, she received an honorary doctorate from her alma mater in Australia. In 2012, she received the National Day Public Administration Medal (Silver). In 2018, she became CEO of an Orthopedic Hospital in Shanghai, and in 2023 joined Sheares Healthcare International Holdings here as Director of Clinical Quality & Services, before retiring in 2025. Pauline served on several international nursing committees and workgroups and was a regular speaker here and abroad on nursing.
Angelene Chan
Visionary Architect
Executive chairman of DP Architects Angelene Chan has led major projects in Singapore and overseas for almost 40 years. Her designs led to winning the President's Design Award in 2009, 2015 and 2018, and she was also conferred Designer of the Year in 2018, a first for a woman. Keen on design and building from young, Angelene, then a Malaysian, topped her architecture class at the University of Adelaide, moved to Singapore and joined DP. She is now a strong advocate for sustainability in design and building and has been on several boards in the industry. In 2022, she was awarded the MND Medallion for her contributions as a board member on Singapore’s Board of Architects and the Professional Engineers Board. Beyond architecture, Angelene has been a member of the Board of Trustees at the National University of Singapore and the Vice-Chairperson of the Dover Park Hospice governing council.
Shalini Arulanandam
Military Doctor That Took On The Pandemic
In 1997, Shalini Arulanandam became the first woman to receive the Singapore Armed Forces scholarship to study medicine. After graduating from NUS, she joined the navy as a medical officer, and after 23 years in the military, she became the first woman to be appointed commander of the SAF Medical Corps' Military Medicine Institute in charge of all medical centres run by the Singapore Army. She completed her specialty training as an ear, nose and throat surgeon in 2015. In 2021, Shalini was promoted to the rank of Colonel and was later appointed Commanding Officer of the Medical Classification Centre in MINDEF. In 2018, she was seconded to the SCDF for three years as its Chief Medical Officer. Shalini then had to lead operations in the Covid-19 pandemic, from deploying personal protective equipment to swabbing operations. In 2020, Shalini and seven other women were named Her World magazine’s woman of the year for their contributions during the pandemic. She is now Chief Medical Officer of the Home Team and a Senior Consultant ENT Surgeon at Singapore General Hospital.