Dr William
Tan

Speaker Profile

Dr William Tan is an outstanding inspirational and motivational speaker. He personifies both passion and compassion. Born in 1957, he contracted polio at the age of two and was paralysed from the waist down. Notwithstanding his disability, he has shown outstanding strength in overcoming adversities. From a kindergarten drop-out, he topped Selegie Primary and went to Raffles Institution on a Ministry of Education Scholarship for his secondary and Pre-University education. The NUS Alumnus who majored in Biology and Psychology joined the Civil Service after graduation in 1980. In pursuit of his dream to become a scientist and medical doctor, he ventured abroad for postgraduate studies in 1989. Holder of a First Class Honours in Physiology, this Harvard University's Fulbright Scholar and Oxford University's Raffles Scholar has also trained at the world-renowned Mayo Clinic in USA.

Dr Tan is also an accomplished sportsman. A Singapore wheelchair marathon champion, he has competed in many international games including the 1988 Seoul Paralympics, the Commonwealth Games as well as the Asia-Pacific Games. Last April, he competed in both the London Marathon and Boston Marathon within a week, which is a rare accomplishment. In 1987, he realized that, 'winning medals, trophies or prize money should not be an end to itself. It should be a means to further goodness and to help people.' Since then, he has devoted to championing as well as fundraising for needy causes in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia, Australia, New Zealand, the United States and the United Kingdom. He has skydived, water-skied, sailed and even climbed a 14-storey building to raise money. Some of his ultramarathon endeavours included wheelchair pushes across the length of New Zealand, Singapore to Penang, Thailand to Singapore, Boston to New York to Washington DC. He has helped raised more than $14 million for charities locally and internationally, over the last 18 years.

He had also received widespread international recognition including the Outstanding Young Persons of the World Award (Humanitarian/ Voluntary Leadership) given by the Junior Chamber International, USA in 1997; the Commonwealth Youth Award for Excellence in Youth Work in 1998 and the ASEAN Youth Award in 2000. In 2003, he was honoured with the Reader's Digest Inspiring Asian Award which “recognize deserving individuals who must be able to demonstrate that they have made a difference or are making a difference and are encouraging others to do so”.

On 26th February 2005, Dr Tan became the first person in the world to undertake a wheelchair push in Antarctica. He has also completed 10 marathons in 7 continents in 70 days. The current Guinness World Record is 7 marathons in 7 continents in 99 days held by Mr Tim Rogers from UK in 1999. His amazing and inspirational race took him to Antarctica, Argentina, Egypt, Thailand, South Africa, Netherlands, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and USA between February and May 2005.

In early 2008, Dr William Tan was recognised at the Annual Sports Superstar Awards, held by the Singapore Disability Sports Council, winning the Sportsman of the Year Award for 2007.

In October 2009, Dr Tan was diagnosed with cancer, undergoing a bone marrow transplant for stage four leukemia. Successfully battling the disease in its end stages, he was advised against racing by his oncologist, deciding instead to reinvent himself and take up the sport of para table tennis in 2011, where he has climbed the standings from 123rd in the world at the beginning of the year to 48th just six months later with an aim to qualify for the London Paralympics in 2012.

Travels from Singapore