Jessica Tan (Singapore Businesswoman)

Jessica Tan Sin-yin (born 1977) is the executive director and co-chief executive officer of the Chinese finance and technology conglomerate, Ping An Group.[1] In 2020, she was the only other Singaporean to appear on Fortune’s ‘Most Powerful Women International’ list, apart from Temasek Holdings' Ho Ching.[2][3] The ‘Most Powerful Women International’ list is a compilation of the most influential women outside of the United States. In 2019, Jessica Tan appeared on Forbes’ ‘Power Women’ list for her contributions in the FinTech industry.[4]

Jessica Tan
Jessica Tan Sin Yin.jpg
EducationBachelor in Electrical Engineering, Bachelor in Economics, Masters in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science
Alma materMassachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
Spouse(s)Chong Dawen

Background

Education

Jessica Tan attended Kebun Baru Primary School and subsequently, CHIJ St Nicholas Girls' School.[5] She then enrolled in Hwa Chong Institution before furthering her studies in the United States of America. Jessica Tan graduated from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) with a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, and two Bachelor degrees in Electrical Engineering and Economics.[6] According to a 2020 report by The Straits Times, she reportedly attained a full 5.0-grade point average (GPA) for her Master's degree.[3]

Career

 
Jessica Tan pictured in July 2019. Photo from source.

As of November 2020, Jessica Tan is the executive director and co-CEO of global conglomerate Ping An Group. She previously held roles in the global consulting firm, McKinsey & Company for over a decade before joining Ping An Group in 2013.[6] When asked about her working style in a 2019 interview with CNBC, Jessica Tan shared the following:

“I remember when I was made partner in McKinsey, they gave me presents. One was a sword, one was a cute teddy bear. So, it was really two polar opposites... So with work, I am ruthless; zealous if you will. With work, I have very high standards and quality and therefore, I give very tough feedback. People know there is a certain bar to work with me. If you’re not performing well, I tell you straight in the face. On the other hand, by nature, I’m a person who actually likes people. I am very caring to myself and to my folks. So, individuals who have worked with me - be it at McKinsey or Ping An - I care about them deeply.”[7]

Ping An Group (2013 - current)

 
Jessica Tan with other senior executives from Ping An Group at a press conference in 2019. Photo credit to Nora Tam/ SCMP.

Between January 2013 to December 2019, Jessica Tan held three senior executive roles as Ping An Group’s executive vice-president (EVP), chief information officer (CIO) and chief operations officer (COO).[2][6] In December 2018, Jessica Tan was appointed as Ping An Group’s co-CEO, taking charge of the firm’s technology and innovation divisions such as the online wealth management platform, Lufax, the mobile healthcare platform, Good Doctor and the group's financial technology subsidiary, OneConnect.[8][9][10][11] Speaking at the MIT China Summit in January 2019, Jessica Tan elaborated more on her tasks at Ping An. She said:

“I have one of the dream jobs that I worked hard for. I look after our entire group’s technology, operations but also a portfolio of new businesses. I run about 108 projects on my personal list. I oversee 11 of our 32 companies.”[12]

In her capacity as a senior-level executive, she leads Ping An Group in its goal to be a technology leader in the global FinTech landscape.[13][14][15] In December 2019, Jessica took up the role of executive director.[6]

McKinsey & Company (2000 - 2012)

Jessica Tan worked at the management consulting firm, McKinsey & Company for over 10 years where she was based in Singapore and the United States.[16] After working as a consultant for both public and private sector clients from 2000 to 2007, Jessica Tan then became a partner at the firm in January 2008. She left the company in December 2012.[6]

Public speaking

Over the years, Jessica Tan has appeared at numerous events where she shared her insights and expertise in technology and business.[15][17] The following are some of the more recent forums and summits that she has spoken at.

World Economic Forum (July 2019)

In July 2019, Jessica Tan appeared at the World Economic Forum’s session on digital healthcare.[18] She spoke about Ping An Group’s foray into digital healthcare with Good Doctor, a virtual healthcare platform that provides services such as one-to-one online consultations with private doctors and offline hospital registration for outpatients.[19] She was also in a dialogue session with Charles Li, the chief executive of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing, where they spoke about industrial leadership.[20]

MIT China Summit (January 2019)

In January 2019, Jessica Tan was a speaker at the MIT China Summit, where she spoke about financial innovation and drew from her experiences working in Ping An.[12]

References/ Citations

  1. "Management Team". Ping An. Accessed on 5 November 2020.
  2. 2.0 2.1 Most Powerful Women International”. Fortune. n.d. Accessed on 2 November 2020.
  3. 3.0 3.1 Singaporean businesswomen in No. 2 spot on Fortune power list”. The Straits Times. November 2, 2020. Accessed on 3 November 2020. Retrieved from The Star.
  4. #22 Jessica Tan”. Forbes. n.d. Accessed on 2 November 2020.
  5. Ho, Grace. “Singaporean in No. 2 spot on Fortune power list: 'I came from a neighbourhood school that no longer exists'”. The Straits Times. November 1, 2020. Accessed on 3 November 2020.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Jessica Tan. LinkedIn. n.d. Accessed on 2 November 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessica-tan-077b84b/
  7. Tan, Christine. “CNBC Transcript: Jessica Tan, Co-CEO, Ping An Group”. CNBC. September 20, 2019. Accessed on 2 November 2020.
  8. Ms Jessica Tan”. Integrated Economy Summit. n.d. Accessed on 3 November 2020.
  9. Ren, Daniel. “Ping An Insurance’s Peter Ma Mingzhe steps down as he hands over the reins to three co-CEOs”. South China Morning Post. July 1, 2020. Accessed on 3 November 2020.
  10. Building a tech-enabled ecosystem: An interview with Ping An’s Jessica Tan”. McKinsey & Company. December 4, 2018. Accessed on 3 November 2020.
  11. Yiu, Enoch. "Ping An’s Hong Kong virtual bank to showcase tech prowess as it harbours ambition to go global". South China Morning Post. August 18, 2019. Accessed on 5 November 2020.
  12. 12.0 12.1 Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). “MIT China Summit: Jessica Tan”. YouTube. January 18, 2020. Accessed on 3 November 2020.
  13. "Ping An Group to complete tech transformation within five years". China Daily. April 18, 2019. Accessed on 5 November 2020.
  14. Yiu, Enoch. "Ping An’s Hong Kong virtual bank to showcase tech prowess as it harbours ambition to go global". South China Morning Post. August 18, 2019. Accessed on 5 November 2020.
  15. 15.0 15.1 Singapore FinTech Festival. "Innovating with AI - The Future of Financial Services". YouTube. November 26, 2018. Accessed on 5 November 2020.
  16. About Us”. McKinsey & Company. n.d. Accessed on 2 November 2020.
  17. Toh, Billy. "Tech: Financial services in need of change amid tech disruption". The Edge Markets. November 2, 2018. Accessed on 5 November 2020.
  18. World Economic Forum. “China 2019 - Digital Health at a Tipping Point”. YouTube. July 3, 2019. Accessed on 3 November 2020.
  19. Ping An Good Doctor launches "Ping An Doctor Home" for Strategy + Product Dual Upgrade”. PR Newswire. September 23, 2020. Accessed on 3 November 2020.
  20. World Economic Forum. "Conversations on Leadership 4.0 - Charles Li & Jessica Tan". YouTube. Accessed on 5 November 2020.