Helen Chen

Helen is a certified Architect, Project Director and Educator. Helen has more than 30 years of experience working in the private sector, public sector and academia. She specializes in architecture and urban design, project leadership and contract management, strategic planning and public policy.

In the first part of her career, Helen was the Senior Vice-President of a large architectural  firm in Singapore. Her projects had won many international and national awards including the Fiabci Prix d’Excellence and President’s Design Award. In the public sector, Helen was Senior Director/Deputy Secretary at the Ministry of Law steering major land policy and legislative reviews as well as the development of Singapore’s first International Arbitration Centre. As the Founding Executive Director of the Centre for Public Project Management (CP2M) at the Ministry of Finance, Helen implemented the Gateway Process to evaluate the business case and recommend funding for large-scale Government projects. She led her team in CP2M to develop and deliver training programmes for public sector project leaders as well as facilitate value management workshops for project stakeholders.

Helen is currently advising various government agencies including the Ministry of Finance, Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore and the People’s Association on the planning, design and development of building and infrastructure projects.  As a member of the Strata Titles Board, Helen mediates in disputes concerning strata-titled property and hears applications for collective (en-bloc) sales.

She is an adjunct Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore, Business School. She teaches Real Estate Development and Investment Law, Public Policy and Urban Challenges, Design and Construction, Professional Practice and Ethics. Helen has also attained the Advanced Certificate in Learning and Performance (ACLP) accredited by the Skills Future, Singapore.

In professional practice, Helen is a Fellow Member and Assessor for the Society of Project Managers Accreditation Scheme. Helen holds a Bachelor of Science in Engineering (Hons) degree from Princeton University, USA, with a double major in Architecture and Civil Engineering. She also has a Masters in Architecture degree from Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design. At mid-career, Helen completed the Advanced Management Program at the Harvard Business School.