EXECUTIVE PROFILE:
Kenneth Tan
Title: President – Asia Pacific & Japan
Industry: Medical Device Location: Singapore
Science has been integral to Kenneth Tan’s life from a very young age. Biology and Chemistry
captured his curiosity because of their relevance to daily life, and at the age of 19 he graduated
with a Diploma in Biotechnology, served two and a half years of full-time National Service in the
Singapore Police Force, and then went on to complete a degree in Business Administration.
He describes healthcare as his “calling”. “Few people are blessed to be in careers that allow them
to apply their academic knowledge in what they do daily; I have not looked back since I started
my first job as a Pharmaceutical Sales Representative selling cardiovascular drugs,” he says.
After this he moved into MedTech, joining Boston Scientific just when Drug-Eluting Stents were
about to revolutionize cardiology. Following this, he joined Covidien, who was a leader in
surgical instruments; their technology drove the widespread adoption of minimally-invasive
laparoscopic surgery. Covidien was acquired by Medtronic in 2014, and Kenneth served as the
Managing Director of their Thailand and Indochina business before joining Varian
in January 2017.
“In my 20-year career, I have lived and worked in many countries and I have learnt
that ethical, fair, kind and transparent leadership transcends boundaries; be it
language or culture.” he says. “The power of diverse teams is undisputed; we
unlock this power when everyone is made to feel included as an equal.”
At Varian, he encourages teams to go out and inspire all cancer care-providers to
treat as many patients as possible with the best quality care possible. “I call this
‘Inspiring Customer Success’. We are only successful when our care-providers
are successful at delivering the best possible care to the cancer patients they
serve in their communities.”
“Everything we do at Varian is driven by our vision, mission and culture, which
includes a strong belief in people coming together and taking care of each
other to achieve the company’s objectives. We put the patient at the centre
of everything we do, and we measure our success by the number of cancer
patients’ lives touched annually.”
259technologymagazine.com