In recognition of the major contribution he has made to marketing management and international education, the University of Glasgow has, on 18 October, awarded the Honorary Degree of Doctor of the University to Professor Tan Chin Tiong.

Professor Tan, who was Singapore Management University’s (SMU) founding Provost and Deputy President between 1999 and 2009, is presently Senior Advisor to the President of SMU and Professor of Marketing at the SMU Lee Kong Chian School of Business.  From 2009 to 2013, he was the founding President of Singapore Institute of Technology.  Prior to 1999, he had spent 20 years of his career at the National University of Singapore.

Professor Tan, who received his PhD in Business from the Pennsylvania State University, USA, has contributed significantly to the higher education sector in Singapore and globally – he was a member of the Steering Committee for the setting up of Singapore’s third university (SMU) and fourth university (Singapore University of Technology and Design).  He is active in management development and consulting, and has designed and taught in many executive programmes around the world.  He is also a regular speaker in the US, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, Asia and South Africa.

[Photo: Professor Tan (left) with Professor Anton Muscatelli, Principal and Vice-Chancellor, University of Glasgow.] (Photo courtesy of University of Glasgow)

Professor Anton Muscatelli, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Glasgow, said, "I am pleased to award Professor Tan the honorary degree of Doctor of the University of Glasgow in recognition of the work he has done to enrich the learning experience in areas that have supported Singapore's economic development and helped to shape the educational landscape of Singapore today."

Professor Tan said, “I am most honoured to be conferred the Honorary Degree of Doctor by the University of Glasgow, a top university in the world.  When I was on the campus of University of Glasgow for the very first time several years ago, I was completely awed by its heritage and history. Now, I am so proud to be permanently affiliated with the University.”

[Photo: Founded in 1451, the University of Glasgow is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world.]  (Photo courtesy of University of Glasgow)

Professor Tan is on the Board of Citibank Singapore Ltd, and was the non-executive chairman of Superior Multi-Packaging Ltd and is an independent director of several publicly listed companies. He is the Past President of the Marketing Institute of Singapore.

He has also co-authored 10 books on marketing management and strategy, including several with Professor Philip Kotler, such as Marketing Management: An Asian Perspective, and Principles of Marketing: An Asian Perspective.  Both books had been translated into several languages and widely adopted by universities around the world.  Other books he co-authored include New Asian Emperors: The Business Strategies of the Overseas Chinese; The Chinese Tao of Business: The Logic of Successful Business Strategy; and several marketing case books.

About the University of Glasgow

Founded in 1451, the University of Glasgow (UOG) is the fourth-oldest university in the English-speaking world and is in the top 1% of universities in the world.  UOG is a member of the distinguished Russell Group, comprising the United Kingdom’s 20 leading research-intensive universities, and is also a founding member of Universitas 21– a network of universities established as an international reference point and resource for strategic thinking on issues of global significance.  The university is associated with seven Nobel Laureates and boasting alumni like Adam Smith, Lord Kelvin and James Watt.