Tony Tan Biography

Tony Tan Keng Yam is the seventh president of Singapore. He was a bright student and attended the University of Singapore, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and University of Adelaide, ultimately earning his doctorate in applied mathematics. While he is best known for his political career, he started off teaching physics and mathematics at the University of Singapore and a few years later took a position as a banking manager at Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation. Ten years later, he was elected to serve in Singapore's Parliament. He also joined the Singapore Cabinet and served in several different roles during his tenure including Minister for Finance, Minister for Education, among others. Outside of his Cabinet posts, he continued his work with the University of Singapore as Vice Chancellor. His emphasis on education and reform is a common theme throughout his career with many achievements in standardizing Singapore's educational system as the country reached greater economic heights. In 2010, he decided to run for the presidency and won in 2011. He has championed investments in society and encouraged fundraising and volunteerism among his constituents. His achievements and leadership have been celebrated with awards on many occasions by several institutions.