The restless engineer

As the Chief Executive (CE) of HTX, Chan Tsan is responsible for steering the agency in its endeavours to force multiply the Home Team with science and technology.

What many don’t know is that the man could’ve very well been steering something completely different – a fighter jet.

Inspired by the Apollo space programme, an adolescent Tsan aspired to become a pilot and was fortuitously given the chance to undergo the Flight Experience Programme by the Republic of Singapore Air Force.

He was about to put pen to paper to become an RSAF pilot trainee when his father intervened and expressed his objection to the career move, citing how dangerous such an occupation would be. Reluctant to go against his father’s wishes, Tsan cast his eyes on the three scholarship offers he received instead.

The scholarship from the Public Service Commission stood out the most and offered two plausible routes – study physics at the renowned Cambridge University or pursue aeronautical engineering in France.

“Cambridge was and still is incredibly prestigious. I also knew that there were many Singaporeans studying there.” he said.

“Going to France, on the other hand, required me to learn a new language because all lessons were conducted in French. It was the much harder route to take.”

“To me, the decision was simple,” he added.

“I chose to study in France.”

Restless by nature

The decision to pick the road less travelled was likely due to his restless nature, Tsan mused.

“Growing up, I never had just one passion. Every few years, I seemed to discover something new that fascinated me. I liked playing table tennis in primary school. I also really liked football, but because of my small build I found it difficult to play that sport well. I ended up picking up Subbuteo instead!” he laughed.

He later developed a love for basketball in secondary school and played the sport almost religiously but ended up picking the Boy Scouts for his ECA instead because he was interested in outdoor activities. He later switched to join the Military Band and learnt to play the drums.

In France, Tsan spent a year learning French and another two years doing a preparatory school in Lyon just so he could take the examinations required to enroll into the highly prestigious and competitive engineering schools (Grande Ecoles) in France. But while the learning experience was invigorating, he didn’t always wear a smile.

“It was a highly stressful environment and lecturers would verbally abuse students. The dreary winter conditions didn’t help either,” he recalled.

When he thought that things couldn’t get any worse, a spate of terror attacks took place in Paris and Lyon in 1995. These incidents, he noted, showed him how important national security is and made him more appreciative of his homeland.

Ever the restless individual, he later decided against studying aeronautical engineering after graduating from preparatory school and opted to study telecommunications engineering at Télécom Paris instead.

“The Internet era was just starting in the 1990s and many exciting things were happening. Just a few years before, I was still sending written letters that would take weeks to arrive in Singapore. Seeing how email allowed me to communicate with my family almost instantaneously, I knew that the Internet and mobile telecommunications would be a gamechanger. I just knew I had to learn more about this field,” he explained.

Driven by his curiosity for this new field, Tsan thoroughly enjoyed learning about this new emerging field, though he never forgot to set aside time for play.

Besides touring much of Europe, Tsan also signed up as a volunteer for the 1998 World Cup, during which he got to witness the legendary French footballer Zinedine Zidane get sent off in the match against Saudi Arabia.

Making his mark

After returning to Singapore in 1999, Tsan served out the remainder of his National Service at the Defence Technology Group, which later became known as the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), where he worked as a communications engineer. Following this stint, he joined the Ministry of Home Affairs and spent the next 18 years in tech-related roles.

Given his rich experience in the tech field, he was asked in 2018 to drive the formation and helm HTX, a new science and tech agency dedicated to the Home Team.

This assignment, he admitted, was extremely daunting.

“To set up and run a Statutory Board from scratch was honestly a little unnerving,” he said.

“At the time, I was really enjoying the work that I was doing. I was leading a high impact team, delivering significant outcomes in a mission critical space. I was on top of my game. But public service isn’t about staying where you are comfortable. It’s about serving where you are needed.”

One of the first things Tsan set out to do at HTX was to forge a distinct culture.

“There’s this rather well-known quote that goes: ‘culture eats strategy for breakfast’, and I’m a firm believer of it. You can have the best laid out plans and strategies, but if there isn’t a strong company culture, you won’t have people who are motivated to make these plans and strategies work,” he explained.

His vision? A people-first agency that exemplifies exuberance.

“I don’t think any other agency out there has ‘exuberance’ listed as a value. It’s a rather odd term to have but I think it’s a very powerful and meaningful word that says a lot,” he noted. 

Since its inception, HTX has on many occasions shown that exuberance is indeed a core part of its culture. When the agency made the move from New Phoenix Park to the Mediacorp building in One-North, employees rallied to participate in the 10,000 Steps Walk, which involved Xponents travelling from New Phoenix Park to the new office on foot – a symbolic and celebratory journey together towards the future.

Those who have attended HTX’s townhall sessions, which are called eXpresso, would also immediately get a sense of this fun-loving nature. Unlike conventional townhalls, eXpresso sessions feature games, songs and copious amounts of cheers and laughter.

But don’t be mistaken. Exuberance is not merely about having fun, Tsan clarified.

“Exuberance to me isn’t just about working hard and playing hard, but also about having a sense of optimism, energy and curiosity. All these elements are key to innovation,” he said.

One might argue that his brand of restlessness has inadvertently rubbed off on the agency. Since its establishment in 2019, HTX has constantly embraced new ways to empower the Home Team.

Prime examples include Hatch, HTX’s very own innovation centre, which works with startups from around the world to develop tech for public safety use cases. And then there’s the ambitious HTxAI Movement, which aims to augment Home Team operations with artificial intelligence (AI).

Forever young

Looking back at the past years, there’s much for Tsan to be proud of. Efforts to make HTX a people-first agency have paid off, seeing how the agency has for four consecutive years been named among Singapore’s Best Employers. The man himself even won the Most People-Focused CEO Award at the HR Excellence Awards 2024 and the Digital CEO of the Year Award at the Asia Digital Leaders Awards in Sep 2025.

Now into his third term as the CE of HTX, Tsan said he is excited to what HTX 3.0 – the third phase of growth that is focused on amplifying the impact the agency has on Home Team operations – would bring.

Though HTX is quickly maturing and growing in stature in the public safety space, the man is nevertheless hopeful that the agency will never lose sight of its identity and character.

“I think it’s no secret that organisations tend to get more conservative as they mature. But we cannot be like that – we need to continue to have the kind of youthful, restless energy we have now,” he said.

“We cannot afford to be set in our ways. After all, technology is evolving at such a rapid pace. We must stay agile and nimble and be able to pivot at a moment’s notice to keep up with what’s happening in the world.”

No rest for the restless

Speaking of keeping up, he admits that having to juggle personal life and his duties as the CE of HTX and Deputy Secretary (Development) at MHA can be challenging. This explains why he has nary a chance to pick up new hobbies.

“If I ever have the time, I would like to learn how to cook. Because I love to eat,” he laughed.

As much as he considers himself a foodie, Tsan doesn’t have a list of favourite hawker stalls or restaurants, claiming that being the restless person he is, he prefers to be adventurous and try all kinds of foods.

Braving long queues for the sake of gastronomical gratification, however, is something he will never do, because he firmly believes that time is much more valuable than any dining experience.

The principle, he added, spawned from his “workaholic days” when he realised that he had missed many of his second daughter’s first milestones because of work.

These days, the way he views life is very much aligned with HTX’s people-centric culture.

“Family comes first. Always,” he opined.

“You can find another job, but you can never replace your family!”