Wonders Of The Ocean

As a scuba diver, Kathlyn Tan has relished the wonders of the ocean. Now, she’s investing in its conservation

- Jennifer Chen

Kathlyn Tan could finally see clearly in 2016—and not just metaphorically. Plagued with debilitating myopia, she had lens implants that gave her clear vision for the first time since she was a child. “It’s like having a new set of eyes. It was life‑changing,” she tells me over a morning coffee. Excited by her ability to see without contact lenses, she ratcheted up her scuba diving activities to train as a divemaster. “Suddenly, I could demonstrate all these things [to students] with my mask flooded and my eyes open.”

We are ensconced in a cafe in her neighbourhood, where I’m following up on her email responses to my preliminary questions. As an introvert, she feels more comfortable writing out her thoughts, she says. Her considered replies fill five printed pages, written in bursts over a week. In-person, she is the embodiment of the “!” and “:)” that peep out from her sober responses. We speak about her days at boarding school, her passion for scuba diving and freediving, her influences and joys; and a story begins to emerge.

Kathlyn Tan the marine conservation champion came into being the year after her eye operation, when her love of the sea, the plenitude of life she has seen in it, and its increasing degradation crystallised into a cause and set the direction of her life. She was then 29 years old, and not without resources and connections. She introduced an environmental portfolio into her family’s investment vehicle, which was renamed Rumah Group in 2019. Meaning “home” in Malay, it was inspired by family to contribute to a better world through sustainable investments. And like a staghorn coral sprouting limbs, Tan branched out into impact investments, philanthropy, and on‑the‑ground initiatives.