Although Jessica Tan is now co-leading Ping An, one of the largest financial services companies in the world, her success has not been handed to her on a silver platter. Despite her humble roots, her determination and hard work have led to her being listed among the most powerful women at the international level.
Born in 1977, she first attended a neighbourhood school in Singapore before joining the prestigious Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). She financed her overseas studies with three different jobs and the university’s financial aid, eventually graduating with two Bachelor of Sciences in electrical engineering and economics and Master’s degrees in electrical engineering and computer science.
After graduating in 2000, she stayed in the United States and got a job at leading consulting firm McKinsey. Starting as a consultant, she worked in more than 10 countries around the world and climbed the ladder to become a partner.
She first encountered Chinese financial insurance giant Ping An while working at McKinsey in Singapore to help the company develop a major new campus in China.
Tan then joined Ping An in 2013 as group chief information officer and chief operating officer, navigating the firm’s dive into tech before becoming its Co-Chief Executive Officer in 2018 and, one year later, Group Executive Director.
She steered the firm through digital transformation, diversifying its interests into fintech and artificial intelligence as well as helping the group earn record profits.
By taking over these roles, she became one of a very few female executives among Asian and Hong Kong companies. Tan said, “It is to the credit of our group that we have an open, diversified working environment that allows talent to blossom irrespective of the gender or background. There is no glass ceiling at Ping An. It (Ping An) provides one of the best career development and employee training programmes that I have seen in my professional career.”
Tan’s outstanding business achievements and career path clearly explain why she deserved and earned her spot as the second most powerful woman outside of the United States on Fortune’s 2020 list.