Melissa Tan
CEO OF GETHA
While most of us had no clue about what the future may hold while still in secondary school, Melissa Tan found her calling at that time in her life. “I was intrigued when I learnt about the simple theory of supply and demand, and ever since then, I have been curious about economics,” shares this poised lady. But that doesn’t mean that things came easily. At the age of 12, her parents sent her to Singapore to further her studies. Having been educated in a Chinese government school in KL, her low proficiency in English prevented her from fitting in with her Singaporean classmates at first. “Even though that was many years ago, I still remember the struggle. I had to work harder than everyone else and succeeded to be in the top tier of my class, with the help of many tutors. On the social front, I quickly learnt to be approachable and flexible to build new connections and friendships,” she says. Melissa eventually continued her studies in Oxford University, where she graduated with a master’s degree in economic development.
Knowing that she is expected to contribute to the family’s bedding products company, Melissa dived right in upon graduation, eager to get her hands dirty and learn the ropes. For the first few years, she rotated among different departments within the company before finally settling in the Export Sales Department. “This job rotation was useful for me to know everyone in Getha better, which proved helpful in my role. It allowed me to understand the problems each department faced so I can be more thoughtful in my decision making,” she relates.
This year, Getha celebrates its 50th anniversary—a huge milestone for any entity. In case you did not know, Getha’s brand name is derived from the Malay word for rubber, ‘getah.’ “The first highlight of my career was when my team and I successfully delivered 50 per cent growth within the first year of my coming on board,” she shares. Melissa relishes the challenge that comes in leading the brand, as it enters its next phase through aggressive regional expansion and the digitisation of business. “We are living in a world of ‘growth or death’. We cannot afford to be complacent,” she says.
At the same time, she believes innovation should never interfere with tradition. “I strongly believe that ideas to improve our business should make the work more efficient, but it should never remove the human touch that is irreplaceable,” opines this farsighted young CEO, who is now slowly assuming more responsibilities from her parents, Vincent Tan and Yong Mei Tsin.
While Melissa admires her father’s foresight and compassionate nature, she admits she is a chip off the old block when it comes to her mother. “Mum has always been the ‘bad cop’. As I grew older, I realise that this is not her true nature. But her strong character toughened me up. Her refusal to accept nonsense from others inspired me to work hard towards excellence, and this gives me a strong foundation to be who I am today.”