History

Founder of the Tecity Group and The Tan Chin Tuan Foundation in Singapore; Singapore's first and only Deputy President of the Legislative Council; Chairman and subsequently Honorary Life President of several blue-chip companies including OCBC Bank; a man widely credited with nurturing OCBC Bank into one of the world's soundest banks in the 1980s.

Tecity Group Founder

Tan Sri (Dr) Tan Chin Tuan

Biographies

Lee Su Yin. Rock Solid – The Corporate Career of Tan Chin Tuan

Grace Loh, Goh Chor Boon and Tan Teng Lang. Building Bridges Carving Niches – An Enduring Legacy: Marshall Cavendish Academic, 2005

Mike Macbeth. Quiet Achiever – The Life and Times of Tan Sri Dr. Tan Chin Tuan: Times Edition, 2003

Tecity Group's Milestones

The defining points

1925

Beginnings

Three years after Mr. Tan Cheng Siong, the father of the late Tan Sri (Dr) Tan Chin Tuan (Tan Sri), passed away, Tan Sri started overseeing the rubber estate that was left behind by his late father.

Mid 1950s

An Opportune Moment

Tan Sri recognised the British’s departure after the Second World War as an extraordinary opportunity to secure viable businesses at attractive prices.

Tan Sri did this by accumulating shares of British-owned companies that were financially sound, held intrinsic value and had growth potential.  Some of these companies included Raffles Hotel, Great Eastern Life Assurance Company Ltd, Fraser and Neave Ltd, Malayan Breweries Ltd, Robinson & Company Ltd, Wearne Brothers Ltd. and Straits Trading Company Limited.  These companies later formed the cornerstone of The Tecity Group family office’s portfolio.

1980s – 1990s

A New Generation

Grandchildren of Tan Sri, Ms. Chew Gek Khim, Ms. Chew Gek Hiang and

Mr. Chew Kwee San joined the Group in 1987, 1991 and 1996, respectively.

1988

Structuring for the Future

Tan Sri started on the corporatisation and institutionalisation of the TCT’s group of companies.

Tan Sri recruited our first CIO and an analyst in 1997. Advisors and consultants were engaged to provide advisory services for the investments of the Group.

2007

A New Identity

The corporatisation and institutionalisation of the group of companies led to the emergence of the identity, ‘The Tecity Group of Companies’.

The rebuilding of Tan Chin Tuan Mansion was also completed in the same year. The Conservation House, which is part of the Tan Chin Tuan Mansion, is used as a hub for business and social events for Tan Chin Tuan Foundation and Tecity Group.

2008

Growing Shares

In April 2008, Tecity Group became the major shareholder of Straits Trading Company Limited with a shareholding of 88.98%.

Present

Tecity Group owns 70.1% of Straits Trading Company Limited which has stakes in real estate, hospitality, resources and investments that span the Asia Pacific region.