Cheong is a Colombo Plan scholar with a first class degree in architecture.[1] Cheong is a graduate of University College London and the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School.[2] She received her doctorate of architecture from the University of Newcastle in 2010.[3] Cheong started working as a public servant in 1984.[4] Cheong was the CEO of the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) between 2004 and 2010 where she was in charge of various areas, such as conservation of historic buildings and real estate. The Straits Times wrote that her work as CEO of URA played "a key role in developing Singapore into a distinctive global city."She also was the first woman to head the URA. Since 2010, she has been the CEO of the Housing and Development Board in Singapore. Cheong received a Gold Public Administration medal in 2005 and a silver Public Administration medal in 1997 In 2010, Cheong was awarded the Her World Woman of the Year award. In 2014, Cheong was inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame.