By SGN | 4 Aug 2026
When someone asks Grace Tan where she is from, the answer is rarely a simple one-liner.
Born in Singapore to a Singaporean father and an Indonesian mother, Grace moved to China at the age of five. She spent nearly fifteen years navigating the bustling metropolis of Shanghai as a Third Culture Kid (TCK) at an international school, before crossing the Atlantic to study at Stanford University.
Today, she is based in San Francisco, working in private equity for GIC, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund. Yet, despite a life spent almost entirely on the move, Grace’s anchor remains unmistakably homegrown.
Lessons from growing up in one of the world's fastest-changing cities
Grace grew up in Shanghai, 2005 and 2019. In this time, she was witness to some of the most technologically explosive growth phases in modern Chinese history. Living through this compressed, hyper-accelerated timeline lent her an intuitive understanding of what business success could look like, on a grand scale.
What stood out to her was the stark contrast in people’s attitudes toward change, compared to Singapore and Indonesia. In China, a unique and widespread willingness to embrace new things allowed the country to benefit immensely.
“People were rushing to try the latest technology: be it a new application, device, or gadget,” she recalls. “They were genuinely willing to give new brands a chance.”
Now based in San Francisco, the entrepreneurial heart of the US, Grace feels an intense familiarity with the Bay Area’s fast-paced, forward-looking mindset – especially when analysing market timelines.
Staying rooted in Singapore while growing up overseas
For most Singaporeans, national identity is passively formed by growing up on the island. For Grace, it was intentionally curated. Because she was miles away from the Little Red Dot during her childhood, her connection to her roots was meticulously safeguarded by her parents.
Grace’s mother had painstakingly replicated the rigorous Singaporean curriculum at home, and her parents also plugged the family deeply into Shanghai’s vibrant overseas Singaporean community, attending massive National Day carnivals at Century Park that drew thousands of Singaporeans together for a taste of home.
“My parents made the effort to bring me to these events and social gatherings, to ensure that I felt integrated with my culture,” she reflects.
Attending school alongside peers from diverse expat and nomadic backgrounds influenced her to adopt a global, unbiased perspective on her own heritage.
Because her interactions with Singapore were via a filtered, academic, or professional framework rather than everyday lived experience, she developed an objective appreciation for her homeland.
“I’m not particularly tied to any preconceived or immutable viewpoints on Singapore,” she shares. “But what I do have is a genuine respect and admiration for this culture, which I am very proud to call my own.”Grace’s international upbringing ultimately became her greatest asset in global finance, especially in a private equity role that requires constant socialisation with fund managers, founders, and fellow investors.
“When you grow up in a third-culture environment like I did, you get good at talking to people from different backgrounds and perspectives,” she reflects.
From childhood role models to global corporate realities
Growing up in Asia, the corporate finance world of the United States had always seemed like an abstract concept to Grace: something reserved only for international news and financial papers.
Yet, her initial interest in the field stemmed from an unlikely childhood intersection of corporate ambition and pop culture: K-pop.
As a teenager in China, she attended a financial talk featuring the notable investor Kathy Xu, known as the “queen of venture capital.” Rather than being drawn strictly to the corporate metrics, a young Grace was captivated by a photograph of Xu in a meeting room alongside Lu Han, a member of the celebrated Korean-Chinese boy group EXO.
At the time, Grace was a massive K-pop fan.
“I was shocked to see two of my role models being photographed together,” she recalls. “I had no idea that a career in finance could intersect with the world of K-pop. I began to look up to these investors as role models, and it deeply inspired my own interest in the industry.”
That journey began at Stanford University in the Bay Area, before taking her through major global financial hubs: Singapore, New York, and the Bay Area.
Carrying pieces of Singapore into international boardrooms
The first leg of Grace’s post-graduation rotation brought her back to her roots, where she would start her GIC journey as an Associate.
Arriving in Singapore as a young adult without a built-in school network initially felt daunting, as her existing connections were mostly her parents’ friends. However, establishing her own peer group proved to be a seamless experience.
“Singaporean culture is a mix of East and West, I did not experience that much of a culture shock, because they did not view me as a foreigner,” she reflects. “It felt similar to my time at international school in Shanghai.”
Ultimately, that rotation offered her a vital opportunity to live in Singapore as an adult and build an independent personal and professional network from scratch.
Fast forward to the present, and Grace’s deployments in GIC’s private equity across New York and San Francisco regularly place her across the table from the very industry titans she used to read about in books.
She recalls board meeting where she sat mere feet away from the company’s co-founder, whom she had read about extensively.
“As much as I would have liked to ask for a photo, I figured it would be best to keep things professional,” she smiles. “It felt surreal, like my worlds were colliding, because these people who once felt very far away when I was living in China are now the same people I’m in meetings with.”
Now operating on the global stage, and working in a global firm like GIC meant being surrounded by talented non-Singaporean. And as one of the few Singaporeans in the room, especially when overseas, Grace experienced a heightened sense of responsibility.
“You quickly realize that the investment decisions you make carry real weight, and that you are actively making an impact on the future of your country,” she mentions.
This weight is something she carries with her into every high-stakes meeting. “Being in rooms like these, I was constantly reminded of GIC’s mission; I was reminded by our bosses about why we do what we do,” she shares.
“It reinforced my understanding of what it meant to be representing Singapore on the global stage.”
Building community in San Francisco
Outside the intense world of private equity, Grace channels her multicultural background into a unique passion project: hosting Chinese tea tasting parties for her friends in San Francisco.
Sourcing teas directly from China, she designs multi-course tasting menus to teach people the art of tea appreciation.
“The younger generation is becoming increasingly healthy, and they don’t want to drink or party until 2 AM,” she says. “With tea, people get to slow down, and have meaningful discussions.”
Tea culture has also brought her closer to her colleagues, many of whom she considers close friends. “At GIC, people are naturally curious, and love to entertain intellectual conversations, so I enjoy getting to know them outside of work,” she notes. “I feel greatly inspired by them.”
Still, she emphasizes that a strong expat anchor is vital. When faced with major hurdles, she finds comfort in a familiar network comprising of fellow Singaporeans.
“It can be hard to do things alone, especially as a foreigner in America,” she says. “So when things go wrong, the first people I call are my fellow Singaporeans, who are similar to me, and can relate to my experiences and struggles.”
Finding your own place in the world
Having navigated transitions across Shanghai, New York, and San Francisco, Grace’s primary advice to young Singaporeans looking to head overseas is to leave preconceived notions behind.
“Be open-minded about the culture around you,” she says. “Life is always more nuanced than whatever narrative you may have built up in your mind.”
Living abroad has also changed how Grace thinks about community.
Rather than looking for one place or one group to belong to, she’s learnt to build connections across different circles and cultures, while staying grounded in her own identity.
“When I was younger, I attached a lot of meaning to my friendships and depended on them for community,” she reflects. “But as I started working, and saw how some relationships grew apart while others blossomed, I realised I had to cultivate my own sense of identity.”
Today, Grace sees that diversity as one of her greatest strengths.
“When you have friends from different communities, that diversity ends up defining who you are.”
