Simon SC Tay LLM (Harvard) LLB Hons (NUS) is a public intellectual focusing on international and public affairs. He is an associate professor in the National University of Singapore at the Faculty of Law and an Editor in Chief for the Asian Journal of International Law. He concurrently chairs the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, a leading independent think tank that was ranked no 1 in ASEAN. Simon has taught at Harvard Law School, Yale University and the Fletcher School.
In 2010, his book, Asia Alone: The Dangerous Post-Crisis Divide from America, was published by John Wiley & Sons, about Asia’s relations with the USA. The book was favorably reviewed in the Economist and Financial Times as well as by regional media. CNN’s Fareed Zakaria endorsed the book and called Simon “one of the most intelligent and reliable guides to the region”. Martin Wolf, The Financial Times’ Chief Economics Commentator, said he “found Asia Alone to be thought-provoking.” In 2009, he was based at the Asia Society in New York City as the Schwartz Fellow and continues as the Society’s Global Council co-chair. He has previously written or edited five books on international law and public policy.
Simon regularly appears on CNN, BBC, CNBC, Bloomberg and CNA, and publishes comments in leading newspapers and academic journals. He has spoken at many international meetings, including the World Economic Forum (Davos) and the APEC CEO Summit. Simon has served as a Member of Parliament in Singapore and initiated the Singapore Volunteers Overseas, the country’s equivalent of the Peace Corps. From 2002-08, he chaired the government’s National Environment Agency and represented the country at major international negotiations for the environment, sustainable development and trade. In 2006, he received a National Day Award and continues to serve on a number of government committees, including to represent the country as an Expert and Eminent Person in the ASEAN Regional Forum.
Simon is concurrently Chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs and Senior Consultant at WongPartnership, a leading law firm with regional practices in ASEAN, China and the Middle East. He is also a prize winning author of fiction and received the Singapore Literature Prize in 2010.
