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The big picture
Mr Tan wants to play a part in realising Singapore’s ambition to be a regional financial hub.
PHOTO: CHONG JUN LIANG
A PASSION for economics and finance combined with a desire to contribute to Singapore led Mr Andrew Tan to accept a scholarship from the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS).
"By joining the civil service, I knew I would be giving up the private route, at least in the earlier part of my career. But I felt it would offer me more in terms of my ability to contribute and make a difference to Singapore," says the 26-year-old.
He says that the MAS was a perfect option because he has always been interested in economics and finance.
Mr Tan pursued his undergraduate studies in economics at the University of Chicago in the United States and a masters degree in management science and engineering from Stanford University.
He is now an associate in the corporate finance division of the capital markets department at MAS. He works with a team of four to come up with a set of regulations governing investment funds in Singapore.
"We need to balance the needs of the financial industry while making sure that investors are sufficiently protected. That's why I think that in the civil service, the implications of what we do affect a much broader scale. The decisions that we make have an impact on the investor and how the industry operates."
"I think it's these responsibilities that allow me to see the 'big picture.' If I had joined the private sector, I'm not sure I would have had the luxury of this macro perspective."
Just six months into the job, Mr Tan is only beginning to get used to his working life, but he is settling in nicely.
He says: "My colleagues were all extremely welcoming. They were all very enthusiastic in helping me learn the ropes along the way."
For him, the transition from school to the corporate world was also made easier with an eightweek internship, which helped to familiarise him with the structure of the organisation and his future work responsibilities.
Mr Tan says MAS had been extremely supportive of his development. As MAS welcomes diversity and encourages its scholarship holders to pursue a wide range of disciplines, it accepted his decision when he changed his mind about getting a master's degree in public policy and opted for management science and engineering.
Right now, Mr Tan is eager to give something back.
"I look forward to contributing by coming up with balanced policies that keep the players in the financial industry happy while keeping in mind the rights and needs of the individual. And I do want to play my part in continuing Singapore's vision of being a regional financial hub," he says.