S'pore's 4th Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon to retire, Sushil Nair to be next Chief Justice

Singapore's Chief Justice Sundaresh Menon will be retiring on Feb. 26, 2027, after more than 14 years of service.

The Prime Minister's Office (PMO) said in a media release on Jul. 17 that Justice Sushil Sukumaran Nair, Justice of the Court of Appeal of the Supreme Court, has been appointed as the 5th Chief Justice of Singapore with effect from Feb. 26, 2027.

Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said: “Chief Justice Menon has served Singapore with distinction over the past 14 years. Under his leadership, our Judiciary has earned the confidence of Singaporeans and the respect of the international legal community.

PM Wong also thanked the justice for his "exceptional service" and said that he is confident Justice Sushil Nair will build on these strong foundations and continue to uphold the excellence, integrity and independence of the judiciary.

The chief justice of Singapore presides over the judiciary – a system of courts that upholds the law and ensures justice is accessible to all.

Led Singapore through period of significant transformation

Chief Justice Menon was appointed to his role on Nov. 6, 2012.

Since then, he has led the Singapore Judiciary through a "period of significant transformation", PMO said.

"The Judiciary strengthened its institutional foundations, modernised the administration of justice, improved access to justice, and reinforced public confidence in the rule of law," it said.

He oversaw major reforms to strengthen the Courts’ capabilities, including leading its digital transformation and establishing the Appellate Division of the High Court.

He also said to have played a key role in developing the Singapore International Commercial Court and its International Committee.

In addition, the Family Justice Courts and the Youth Courts embraced a "therapeutic justice approach" under Chief Justice Menon’s leadership, which transformed the way family and youth cases are heard and resolved, PMO stated.

Justice Sushil Nair

Justice Sushil Nair joined the Bench as Judicial Commissioner on Apr. 1, 2025.

He was subsequently appointed a High Court Judge, and later a Justice of the Court of Appeal on Jun. 15, 2026.

Before joining the Judiciary, he had served as Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Drew & Napier LLC, and Head of its Corporate Restructuring and Workouts practice group, with a legal career spanning 35 years.

Justice Nair has also made significant contributions in public service, PMO said, highlighting the Friends of Ministry of Culture, Community & Youth (MCCY) Award he received in 2022 for his role in the team that negotiated the takeover of the Singapore Sports Hub by Sport Singapore.

In 2023, he was also awarded Singapore’s Public Service Star (Covid-19) for his contributions to the conceptualisation of Singapore's COVID-19 (Temporary Measures) Bill.