Dr. Tan is currently Executive Director of CropLife Asia, the Asian operation of an international trade association with a presence in more than 90 countries.

At CropLife Asia, Dr. Tan is responsible for directing regulatory, crop protection, seeds, intellectual property, biotechnology as well as communications and outreach programs in 15 Asian countries. His other professional experience includes: establishing the University of Putra Malaysia’s (UPM) Genome Centre; management of two startup ventures developing bioinformatics software and prenatal genetic testing; and establishing the biotechnology section for the Sime Darby Technology Centre among other roles. Dr. Tan holds a bachelor of science in plant pathology from the Universiti Pertanian Malaysia, a masters of science in genetic engineering from Universiti Putra Malaysia and a doctorate in molecular biology specializing in plant viruses from Okayama University in Japan. Professional recognition includes a Silver Award at the 2005 Geneva International Exhibitions & Inventions of New Techniques and Products, a U.S. Government Cochran Fellowship for biological research at Case Western Reserve University in Ohio, and UPM awards for Research and Development.