Chew holds a Bachelor of Engineering from the Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, United Kingdom, as well as a Master of Science (Management) from Stanford University. In 1985, he graduated from Raffles Junior College and joined the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) in December 1985. In 1987, he was awarded the SAF Overseas Scholarship. Chew has since become the Chief Executive Officer of the Public Utilities Board (PUB), Singapore's national water agency.