Dr Tan Kheng Lian is the daughter of the late banker and philanthropist Tan Sri (Dr) Tan Chin Tuan, a captain of industry and the man behind one of Singapore’s largest banks, the Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation. As chairman of her family’s Tan Chin Tuan Foundation, Dr Tan oversees the non-profit organisation’s efforts in providing assistance to the less fortunate and channelling funds for the good of society.

An eye surgeon in private practice, Dr Tan graduated from the University of Malaya in 1958. She furthered her medical studies at the Royal College of Physicians in London, the Royal College of Surgeons of England and the Academy of Medicine, Singapore. She often goes on charity eye-care missions around Asia as a volunteer.

Among its many charitable initiatives, an ongoing priority for the foundation is to help needy undergraduates fulfil their educational aspirations. From 2017, new undergraduate Tan Sri (Dr) Tan Chin Tuan scholarships were made available at the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT), for deserving students pursuing a full-time, SIT-conferred degree programme—including joint degree programmes—at the educational institution.