Elizabeth Chelliah is a veteran trade policymaker with over three decades of experience shaping Singapore’s multilateral and regional trade strategy. She retired as Principal Trade Specialist at Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) on 31 December 2025, concluding a distinguished 30-year career in the Singapore Civil Service.

She began as a Legal Officer at the former Trade Development Board before transitioning to trade policy during her posting to Singapore’s Mission to the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1998. Over the years, she developed deep expertise in WTO negotiations, dispute settlement, and accessions, and has served as a panellist in WTO dispute settlement cases.

Ms Chelliah has played a central role in Singapore’s free trade agreement (FTA) negotiations since 2002. She served as Chief Negotiator for the Singapore–Peru FTA, led multiple chapters during the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, and most recently chaired the RCEP Intellectual Property Working Group, concluding negotiations in 2019. She also served as Chair of APEC’s Committee on Trade and Investment from 2008 to 2010 during Singapore’s hosting year.

Her work spans emerging trade issues including digital trade, the green economy, and trade and climate change. She has participated in OECD discussions on ISDS reform and contributed to expert groups convened by UNCTAD, ESCAP, and APEC.

Beyond negotiations, she has provided strategic guidance on WTO and FTA implementation, trade facilitation, and internationalisation strategies, and has been deeply involved in training and outreach for both public officers and businesses.

Since 2020, she has served as Trade Consultant to the Singapore Business Federation and will continue as Principal Trade Consultant from March 2026. She is also Adjunct Senior Fellow at the Centre for Multilateralism Studies, RSIS.