Dr Noeleen Heyzer, a social scientist, served as Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations (UN) from 2007 to 2015, and was the highest-ranking Singaporean in the UN system during her term. She is currently a member of the UN Secretary-General’s High Level Advisory Board on Mediation, which supports specific mediation efforts around the world.

She was the first woman to serve as the Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific since its founding in 1947. Under her leadership from August 2007 to January 2014, the commission focused on regional cooperation for a more resilient Asia-Pacific, founded on shared prosperity, social equity, and sustainable development. She was at the forefront of many innovations including for regional disaster preparedness, inclusive socio-economic policies, sustainable agriculture and urbanization, energy security and regional connectivity.

She was the Executive Director of the UN Development Fund for Women from 1994-2007 and played a pivotal role in the UN Security Council's adoption and implementation of the landmark Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security. From 2013-2015, she was also the UN Secretary General's Special Advisor for Timor-Leste, working to support peace-building, state-building, and sustainable development in fragile states.

She is a distinguished fellow at the Singapore Management University and the Nanyang Technological University's S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) and a member of the Governing Board of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.

She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Upper Honours) and a Master of Science from the University of Singapore, and a Doctorate in Social Sciences from Cambridge University.