Li Huanwu
The second son of Lee Hsien Yang, Li Huanwu is a business developer at the AI firm Afiniti.[1] After claiming a stellar academic record, Li Huanwu started out as an Investment Banking Analyst at Goldman Sachs. Following that, he held similar positions at L Capital and Värde Partners.[2] Li Huanwu is the older brother to Li Shaowu and younger brother to Li Shengwu. He is the nephew of Lee Wei Ling and a grandchild of the late Lee Kuan Yew.
Background
Education
Li Huanwu went to the Singapore American School (SAS) at the start of his education. In a 2007 interview with The New York Times, then-prime minister Lee Kuan Yew shared that his grandson (Li) was dyslexic.[3] Li Huanwu was then enrolled into SAS who then had teachers trained in helping dyslexic students.[4] Subsequently, Li entered Raffles Junior College (now Raffles Institution) for his post-secondary education.
After graduating from RJC, Li Huanwu was accepted into the University of Pennsylvania. During his time there, he was a part of the Jerome Fisher Program in Management and Technology. He also belonged to the societies Eta Kappa Nu and Beta Gamma Sigma.[5] In 2010, Li Huanwu received the Naren Udayagiri Scholarship Award from the University of Pennsylvania.[6][7]
Li Huanwu graduated summa cum laude in 2011 with two degrees - a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Applied Science. He received the Class of 1975 Management Award (from The Wharton School) for his outstanding results.[8]
Career
Fresh out of university, Li Huanwu worked at Goldman Sachs as an Investment Banker from July 2011 to July 2012. He then moved on to L Capital, working as a Senior Analyst from September 2012 to November 2014. In January 2015, he joined Värde Partners as an Investment Analyst before leaving the company in June 2016.[9] As of January 2020, Li is employed at Afiniti International Holdings Ltd. as a Vice President of Business Development in Southeast Asia.[10]
Personal life
Li Huanwu and Heng Yirui have been together since 2013.[11] The pair caught the public eye in 2018 with the release of the ‘Out In Singapore’ project. It was also revealed that Huanwu was 4 years older than Yirui.[12] Huanwu and Yirui’s studio portrait was exhibited at The Projector’s Intermission Bar as part of the photography campaign by Leslie Kee.[13]
Marriage
Li Huanwu and Heng Yirui got married in Cape Town, South Africa on 24 May 2019.[14] Before their wedding ceremony, the pair visited the Mana Pools National Park.[15] Their wedding was a small and private affair with only close friends and family in attendance.[16] The Singapore Airlines cabin crew also presented a cake and congratulatory note to the couple on their flight to South Africa.[17]
After tying the knot, the married couple released a statement to Pink Dot SG, who then published it on their social media platforms.[18]
Personal advocacy
Pink Dot SG
Li Huanwu is an avid supporter of the Pink Dot movement which encourages the integration of the LGBTQ community in Singapore.[19] He also believes in repealing 377A, a law which criminalises sex between consenting adult men in Singapore.[20][21]
In 2018, Li Huanwu attended Pink Dot with Heng Yirui and a group of friends.[22] The following year, he brought his parents along to the event.[23]
References / Citations
- ↑ “Huanwu Li’s Email”. Rocket Reach. Accessed on 8 January 2020.
- ↑ “Huanwu Li”. Apollo. Last updated January 5, 2020. Accessed on 8 January 2020.
- ↑ “Excerpts from an interview with Lee Kuan Yew”. The New York Times. August 29, 2007. Accessed 6 January 2020.
- ↑ SAS COMMUNICATIONS. “Lee Kuan Yew Speech at SAS's 50th Anniversary in 2006”. YouTube. March 23, 2015. Accessed 6 January 2020.
- ↑ Li, Huanwu. “Experience”. LinkedIn. Accessed 6 January 2020.
- ↑ “Student Awards”. Penn Engineering, Research and Academic Services. Accessed 6 January 2020.
- ↑ “Commencement Program 2010, University of Pennsylvania”. University of Pennsylvania. May 17, 2010. Accessed on 8 January 2020.
- ↑ "Commencement Program 2011, University of Pennsylvania". U Penn. Accessed on 14 February 2020.
- ↑ Li, Huanwu. “Experience”. LinkedIn. Accessed 6 January 2020.
- ↑ Li Huanwu. “About”. Facebook. Accessed on 8 January 2020.
- ↑ hengyirui. Instagram. April 1, 2019. Accessed on 7 January 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.instagram.com/p/BvtcgdeHFDW/
- ↑ “Huanwu Li & Yirui Heng”. Out In Singapore. July 1, 2018. Accessed on 7 January 2020.
- ↑ Oogachaga. “Li Huanwu & Heng Yirui”. July 16, 2018. Accessed on 7 January 2020.
- ↑ hengyirui. Instagram. May 24, 2019. Accessed on 7 January 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx10MESB7_1/
- ↑ Li Huanwu. “Safari before our big day”. Facebook. May 24, 2019. Accessed 8 January 2020.
- ↑ Sim, Dewey. “Li Huanwu, grandson of Singapore founding father Lee Kuan Yew, marries boyfriend Heng Yirui – and Chinese social media users cheer them on”. South China Morning Post. May 25, 2019. Accessed on 7 January 2020.
- ↑ Li Huanwu. “Thanks Singapore Airlines for making our flight just a little bit more special”. Facebook. May 17, 2019. Accessed 8 January 2020.
- ↑ Pink Dot SG. “Lee Kuan Yew’s grandson, also second son of Lee Hsien Yang, Li Huanwu, has married his partner Heng Yirui in South Africa”. Facebook. May 25, 2019. Accessed 8 January 2020.
- ↑ “Pink Dot 2019: Lee Hsien Yang's son Li Huanwu and other fabulous faces at Singapore's pride event”. Buro. June 30, 2019. Accessed on 8 January 2020.
- ↑ Li Huanwu. “Our hopes. Our dreams”. Facebook. September 9, 2018. Accessed on 7 January 2020.
- ↑ “Penal Code, 377A Outrages on decency”. Singapore Statutes Online. Accessed on 8 January 2020.
- ↑ Pink Dot. “Gerald IG @Geekywhale”. Facebook. July 22, 2018. Accessed on 8 January 2020.
- ↑ Xu, Terry. “Lee Hsien Yang turns up at Pink Dot with family while Lee Hsien Loong is missing despite open invitation”. The Online Citizen. June 30, 2019. Accessed on 8 January 2020.