It was her adventurous streak that took Pauline Tan out of her comfortable finance job and into the uncertain world of philanthropy research. She was 33 when she quit Acadian Asset Management to become a research associate at the former Asia Centre for Social Entrepreneurship and Philanthropy at the National University of Singapore (NUS).
The pay cut was deep but the career switch fed into a long-standing passion and Tan was determined to make it work. Three years on, in 2015, she made an even bolder move into the fledgling world of social-impact consulting in Singapore. She set up Soristic to support the philanthropic ecosystem in ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) with much-needed research and professional help.
Pauline Tan, Soristic
“It actually took a lot of courage because, you know, at the time I wasn’t sure,” said the petite, amiable 44-year-old, dressed casually in tee-shirt and jeans. “Should I wait until I had earned more money to retire? Or should I do it now when I'm young and energetic? It was a leap of faith. You go out of the comfort zone of having a job.”
Soristic refers to the “social characteristic” of inequality. While not everybody agree...
Share