The heartland boy made good
Raised in a three-room flat in Bukit Ho Swee, Mr Desmond Tan’s journey from the SAF to NTUC and the Prime Minister’s Office is driven by resilience and purpose. As a 2025 Alumni Achievement Award recipient, he shares the values that guide him.
Whether in uniform, in public service or in Parliament, Mr Tan’s career and leadership in public service is built on the conviction that everyone deserves a fair chance to succeed.
Mr Desmond Tan receiving the Nanyang Alumni Achievement Award at the 2025 Nanyang Alumni Awards. What does education mean to you?
You’ve led in the military, public service and now at NTUC, Singapore’s national trade union body advocating for workers and social welfare. What leadership qualities have stayed with you across these roles?
To me, service is at the heart of leadership. Serving effectively boils down to three key principles – having a clear sense of purpose, staying committed to my core values, and prioritising the wellbeing and development of the people I serve. To put it simply, I stay anchored to three main things: mission, values and people.
How did your Nanyang Business School (NBS) experience influence your career and leadership philosophy?
Grit and empathy have been central to your journey. How do you nurture these traits in others, and how can leaders create opportunities for social mobility in Singapore?
To me, social mobility starts with the belief that everyone deserves a fair opportunity, no matter where they begin, and ensuring that everyone has a chance to succeed.
Overseeing workforce training and future-readiness at NTUC, what do you see as the key skills for Singaporeans in the evolving economy, particularly with artificial intelligence (AI) on the rise?
Be curious, stay humble, and don’t be afraid to try new things. You also need to be courageous in failing and trying again. It’s all about your mindset. While it is important to understand how to use AI tools, soft skills are equally important. The ability to ask the right questions, connect the dots and work well with others are human skills that will let us thrive in this new space.
Coming from an engineering background, Mr Tan (last row, second from left) found the economics and finance modules in NTU’s Nanyang Fellows MBA programme particularly engaging and insightful.
