Tan Sri Tan Chin Tuan was born on the 21st November 1908 and he passed away on the 13th November 2005
Tan Chin Tuan, (Ah Kong) married Helene Wee, (Ah Mak) in Singapore on 18 September 1926, a record of their marriage, which was reported as "Fashionable Chinese Wedding - banker's Son Marries banker's Daughter" attended by the who's who of the time.
As children when we regularly went to visit our grandparents and have breakfast with them, Ah Kong would usually be found deeply engrossed and doing paperwork in his study, off his bedroom, if not doing his daily stretching exercise, something he did religiously for 10 to 15 minutes each morning...
If he was at his desk, my sister Helene would crawl into his study, around his desk, and once under it would tickle his feet, despite having seen her, Kong would pretend not to have done so, and always acted surprised and shocked, which greatly pleased Helene to no end... after which warm hugs and kisses were again exchanged, whilst always quite busy Kong did make time for us grandchildren and was an affectionate man.
Much is written about Ah Kong's business success, the empire he built, and his legacy via the Tan Foundation, but very little is written about Ah Kong the man...
He rose through the ranks from junior bank clerk to chairman at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC). Under his stewardship, OCBC rose from its humble beginnings to become one of the top banks in the world. He donated £350,000 to the Needham Research Institute (NRI) in Cambridge, United Kingdom and committed S$250,000 annually towards the Nanyang Technological University's exchange programme in engineering, the Tan Chin Tuan Exchange Fellowship.
Ah Kong served as the managing director of OCBC from 1942 to 1972 and as chairman from 1966 to 1983 and upon his retirement, he was made the bank's honorary life President, the only person ever thus honoured, having established his reputation as a sharp corporate banker with a keen eye for spotting opportunities to create value for the bank and its shareholders. His ideas and thinking were instrumental in the building of OCBC bank.
Between the mid-1950s to the mid-1970s, he was chairman of ten blue-chip companies, and upon his retirement from these companies, Tan was made their Honorary Life President.
PARENTS - Ah Kong was adopted by Tan Cheng Siong and his second wife Lee Guay Eng
EDUCATION - Anglo-Chinese School
CHAIRMANSHIPS & AFFILIATIONS during his career
Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC)
Malayan Breweries Ltd
The Overseas Assurance Corporation Ltd
Wearne Brothers Ltd
Fraser and Neave
Great Eastern Life
Robinson & Co.
The Straits Trading Co. Ltd.
Sime Darby
Founder and chairman of the Tan Foundation, Singapore, and the Tan Sri Tan Foundation, Malaysia.
Chairman of the Singapore Turf Club 1983 - 1986 and the Bukit Turf Club until 1988
Patron of organisations such as the Orchid Society of Southeast Asia, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (SPCA), and the Singapore Badminton Association.
CHILDREN
Tan Keng Siong
Tan Kheng Choo
Tan Kheng Lian aka Chew Kheng Lian
Tan, Tony Keng Yam a former politician and the 7th President of the Republic of Singapore (2011-2017) was his nephew
