Chan Soon Seng, the CEO of Teach For Malaysia, is an advocate for education equality who has been dedicated in bridging the gap to access to education between students from low-income communities and their more affluent peers. He was driven to the cause after joining Teach For Malaysia in 2012, when he realised the real challenge preventing students from disadvantaged backgrounds from reaching their potential was education inequality.

Chan joined as a fellow and later served programme director for the organisation for over six years before taking over as CEO, just as the pandemic began. Students from B40 communities (those whose families are least well off) were worst hit by the stay-at-home orders, with little to no access to education due to limitations with internet connectivity and access to devices for online learning. Chan led the organisation to keep education going through various partnerships and initiatives, from providing laptops to students in need to offering free online lessons.

Chan holds a degree in Management and Marketing and a Postgraduate Diploma in Education, and envisions a holistic education system to best prepare students for the 21st century and enable them to thrive.