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Rising from adversity: Grace Tan’s entrepreneurial journey
With characteristic determination, Master of Business Administration (MBA) graduate, Dr Grace Tan, has overcome significant obstacles on her path to entrepreneurial success.
“My life motto is: ‘Never give up; no pain, no gain’. You must believe in your abilities and overcome fear to make a difference in the world,” Grace says.
Grace completed her MBA in 2001 at HELP University in Malaysia and Charles Sturt’s Wagga Wagga campus. Throughout her diverse career, she has worked in banking, marketing, human resources, business consultancy, corporate training and translation. She built an impressive 23-year career as a professional trainer, delivering innovative training programs to over 20,000 employees across 38 countries and numerous industries.
“I love training; it enables me to inspire trainees to persist in chasing their career dreams.”
A certified translator, court interpreter and meeting and conference interpreter based in Malaysia, Grace founded Gemini Translation and Training Services in 2017. As CEO, she has led the professional translation, interpretation and training company to year-on-year growth with referrals from happy customers. Her ever-expanding team provides services in 22 languages, including interpreting at many United Nations and international conferences.
Grace has been included on Britishpedia’s Successful People in Malaysia list every year since 2018. But three years into her entrepreneurial success story, her life was forever changed when a fall in June 2020 rendered her bedridden for two years. Undergoing extensive physiotherapy, she slowly recovered her ability to walk. Despite being left with permanent injuries and enduring tinnitus, she returned to work at Gemini in June 2022.
“With determination and persistence, I believe I can overcome obstacles –and in doing so, inspire others and impact many lives.”
Grace, who recently added a PhD from the University of Malaya-Wales to her résumé, recalls her time in Australia and at Charles Sturt fondly.
“My Charles Sturt studies have shaped my career and achievements. I gained valuable knowledge and enhanced my soft skills like communication, teamwork and problem-solving – all essential for my career advancement and effective collaboration,” she says.
“The MBA helped me develop a strong work ethic and grow my network, opening doors for collaboration.”
