why Tan ventured into the retail
industry, as a way to diversify the
parent company’s interests, especially
in an age when the only constant in
business is consistent upheaval.
One of the forward-thinking schemes
he put in place was a management
trainee programme that trained and
nurtured young people with potential
so that they would be able to serve the
retail arm of the Group, either from
operational or strategic positions, with
distinction and accelerate its growth.
Now, his flagship project is perhaps
one of the most-talked-about family
lifestyle destinations in Singapore,
with many of its tenants such as
PasarBella being regularly featured in
the newspapers and magazines, and
the subject of many people’s social
media posts and images. Take a walk
through The Grandstand on a weekend
and you’ll see children running around
with their parents in tow, teenagers
dressed in their best gear getting a
leisurely bite at the painfully hip eating
joints, and a vibrant explosion of sound
and colour.
Soon enough, Tan too will be joining the
throng, pushing a stroller as he basks
in the family-friendly atmosphere
with his beautiful wife. Tan joined
the parenthood club 16 months back
with the arrival of his son, Ethan. He
admits that being a father has been
a challenging experience. “It’s tough,
let me tell you that. I spend a huge
amount of time at work on weekdays
and fortunately, my wife, Vivian, is
extremely understanding and takes
care of Ethan without complaint when
I’m in the office. Interestingly, although
Vivian spends a lot of time with Ethan,
his first word to us was ‘Papa’, and
so far, it’s still the only word in his
vocabulary!” Tan says, laughing
triumphantly as he shares the story.
Weekends are when Tan spends quality
time with his family, which could mean
either taking a leisurely stroll around
Sentosa Cove, where he stays, or
putting on his imaginary eye-patch and
becoming a pirate at the Port of Lost
Wonder, a marine-themed kids’ club by
the beach that’s just down the road.
RAISING THE ROOF
Having Ethan has made Tan rethink
life’s priorities. Not that he didn’t
think of these before, but rather, Tan
has realised the immense sacrifices
that most parents make while raising
children. He has become more
appreciative of his parents’ unstinting
efforts in the past in grooming him.
He is also more understanding
of his employees who are young
parents themselves. “If someone
asks for more flexible working hours
or requests for urgent leave, I am
more than happy to accede to these
requests on a case-by-case basis.”
Ethan’s birth has also solidified Tan’s
purpose in life. Now, instead of just
thinking about his own welfare, Tan is
thinking about how best to nurture
Ethan to become an upstanding
individual with a strong moral
compass, especially in a world that
prizes greed and instant gratification
over forgotten ideals of compassion
and selflessness. You see, despite
growing up in a position of relative
wealth, Tan has never let the money
cloud the lenses he uses to look at life.
“Money cannot be the value of your
worth; it should not be the only purpose
to drive you in life. If you are only driven
by the pursuit of having more money,
then I guarantee that you will burn
out sooner than you think. You must
develop other purposes in life, and for
me, when you have money, you must
use it to help others,” says Tan.
It’s not something that he likes to shout
from the rooftops or publicise to the
world. In fact, I had to coax it out of
him. It’s as though the act of sharing
the good deeds he does with others
destroys the sanctity of the idea, and
it’s refreshing to see this noble turn
from someone who would actually
greatly benefit from the exposure.
Often, many large companies think of
their one-off annual charity drive or its
equivalent as a vehicle to generate as
much goodwill as possible among the
general public.
Tan doesn’t subscribe to this concept.
“At The Grandstand, we have this
monthly event called ‘WALK (We All
Love Kids) at The Grandstand’ for the
children from the Melrose Home, a
place that provides a safe haven for
children who need it. We help to plan
day-long activities for these kids and
eat with them on one Saturday every
month. My hope is that these troubled
children, many of whom don’t have a
steady parental figure in their lives, to
develop a bond and trust with the staf