Ms Tan Yen Yen has a particular weakness for chocolate lava cake, but she was not content to simply savour the confection — so she took up baking courses.

“Almost every other week now, I’m in the kitchen … baking oreo cupcakes, tiramisu, chocolate cake. I figured since I like (eating) them so much, I might as well learn to do it myself … and now I can,” she says spiritedly.

No one can accuse the 47-year-old of being a stereotypical tech-and-science geek — albeit the rare woman chief in a male-dominated field.

She has dabbled in pottery, floral arrangement, learning French and, for two years, horseback riding. She is also an avid scuba-diver and a triathlete who competes yearly in Ironman events.

These “hobbies” she indulges in while wearing multiple hats: She is Senior Vice-President of Applications for global software company Oracle’s Asia Pacific branch; an independent director on the board of global digital security firm Gemalto; a member on the advisory boards for two tertiary institutions; and, as of last year, Chairman of the Science Centre Singapore.

But the jocular Ms Tan is self-effacing when talking about her many achievements and constant desire to push past boundaries.

“I was always trying to learn so many things — my younger days were so crazy, my mum would always say, ‘You’re a jack of all trades, but master of none’,” she remarks with a laugh. “But that’s me. I want to experience everything. I like to experiment, to live life to the fullest.”

Even family holidays are jam-packed with activities, so much so that “by the time we get back, we’re exhausted, and need another holiday”, she laughs. “Good thing my kids are also quite active.”

NEVER ASK ‘WHAT IF’

Asked how she manages to juggle multiple roles, her first reaction is a wry disclaimer: “Yes, I do sleep.”

“That’s always the first thing people ask me. But I suppose I’m a very good multitasker,” she adds. That, and her knack for seamlessly incorporating the things that matter into her daily schedule.

Ms Tan’s day starts at the crack of dawn, when she plays chauffeur by driving her daughter to school, before hitting the gym for a 10km run and then heading to the office, where she invariably is the one to switch on the lights because “I’m so early”.

“I have a good one-and-a-half hours of exercise before I start my day. I’ve built it into my lifestyle, so I don’t feel that it’s a chore to go to the gym — in fact, I feel good after exercising, so that’s one trick,” she says.

Evenings are reserved for family, so Ms Tan plans for contact meetings over breakfast or lunch instead of dinner. She is quick to credit her “strong support network” for pitching in to raise the kids. “My husband is very supportive of what I do. I also have my in-laws, my sister and mother. So I’m very blessed in that sense.”

One mantra she adheres to is to immerse herself 100 per cent in what she does, be it work or play.

“It’s a choice. I have friends who choose to be a stay-home mother. But whatever your decision is, whether to be a full-time mum or working mum, don’t beat yourself down by asking the ‘what-if’ question. I’ve seen people go back to work and say that, actually, they wish to be back at home.

“When you’re in it, you got to be 100 per cent in it to make a difference.”

TRIATHLONS WITH THE KIDS

That pretty much seems to describe her family life as well.

Her four children — the girl, 16, is eldest, followed by three sons aged 10, 12 and 14 — have been taking part in triathlons with their mother every year for the past five years.

Weekends are spent outdoors, for instance, cycling with mum or golfing with dad, who runs a family business. “The boys, especially, are into all sorts of sports. That’s how we bond — through training,” says Ms Tan.

The proud mum is effusive about her children’s accomplishments — be it her daughter following in her footsteps with her interest in science and mathematics, or her 14-year-old clocking 9min 30sec on his 2.4km run (and he wasn’t going all out).

The family also makes scuba-diving trips to locations such as Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, Sipadan in Malaysia and Christmas Island every year during the June holidays. “One of the best dives was in Phuket. It was my kids’ first trip, and we saw a 3m-long manta ray swimming over our heads. They were so lucky — I have dived for 17 years and never had that experience!”

This year, with one child doing O-levels and another his PSLE, the annual pilgrimage is on hiatus. On whether she is nervous for them, Ms Tan laughs. “In fact, this year, I’m doing fewer races to spend more time with my boy doing PSLE. But I try to remember not to stress them too much.”

FIRST female Chairman

The third of four children herself, Ms Tan favoured science and maths subjects from Secondary School on, while technology fascinated her.

“I find subjects like physics, for example, and technology so applicable in our daily lives,” she says. The streak runs in her family — Ms Tan’s brother is an engineer, while one sister works in IT in a bank.

As a pure science and maths student in junior college, she found it natural to pursue a degree in computer science (a popular course because of the dot-com boom at the time) at the National University of Singapore. After graduation, she started out writing code before moving on to a sales job with an Australian software company.

In 1993, she joined tech giant HP and rose through the ranks, and was eventually appointed the company’s first female managing director in 2005. This became a trend when she was chosen as Chairman of the Singapore Infocomm Technology Federation Council in 2008, and of the Science Centre Singapore last year — achievements she downplays with a shrug and a smile.

“I’d like to think I’m there because of my merits. The funny thing is, I’d never thought about it ... until one day my colleague said, “Hey, do you know you’re the first lady to be appointed Chairman?” She concedes: “I feel special, but other than that, there’s still the similar corporate expectations of you to do a good job.”

“I think women bring the added capability of empathy, sensitivity and the ability to multitask to the role,” she adds. “It doesn’t mean that men are any less capable in any of these areas, but in some ways, I feel it’s an innate part of us as mothers to be nurturing, and this translates into our roles as managers.”

But can gender be a disadvantage? Ms Tan says: “Frankly, it’s a glass ceiling, and I’ve never let that hinder me. When I chose my paths, I didn’t base it on whether there’ll be too few females in class or in the industry. You should always pursue your interests — then you will enjoy it.”

Characteristically, she shares the credit for her success with the people she works with. “I always say that I’m lucky to be surrounded by good people ... They are the ones who really make the difference.”

SCIENCE AND THE CHILD IN US

One of the worrying signs she has noticed, in her capacity as board member of the NUS School of Computing, for instance, is that fewer Singaporean youth are choosing to specialise in the hard sciences.

“We do see a trend in the intake. Many are going into business, banking and finance or mass communications. Hopefully, the Science Centre Singapore can play a role in rejuvenating science as a subject of many possibilities in terms of career choices.”

Ms Tan has served on the board of the Science Centre since 2011, when she was invited by the Ministry of Education, which oversees the statutory board. “I call it my ‘national duty’,” she says.

As Chairman, she plays a pivotal role in steering the centre’s development as it positions itself as a site for edu-tainment and an alternative classroom for schools.

“I believe that there is a child-like curiosity in every one of us. That’s why we use the term edu-tainment — we not only educate but also entertain. That’s why we constantly look at new ideas, develop new programmes and initiatives to spark the child in everyone of us.

“In this digital age where our kids are so wired up, how do you get them off their iPads and iPhones and out there exploring?”

To reach out to them, the Centre will be rolling out several new attractions, one of which is the Children Science Centre — targeted at those under eight — slated to open in the first quarter of next year.

“I have got four children, and I find they learn best through play ... it leaves a much deeper impression than rote learning. So, our plan is to create a space, about 1,500 sqm, where young children can play, explore and discover.”

SECRET TREASURES

Another upcoming attraction which Ms Tan reveals she is particularly interested in is the Virtual Interactive Aquarium, which allows visitors to view and interact with aquatic creatures in a three-dimensional virtual aquarium.

“I think kids will enjoy this very much. Basically, it will have the whole 3D experience in sight, sound and interaction. Using hand gestures and movements, the aquarium creatures will respond to them.”

Ms Tan is evidently proud of the centre and its achievements. As she eagerly shares, at the Asia Pacific Science Centre Network Conference hosted in Korea this week, Science Centre Singapore was the only institution to win two awards — for its Alchemist Show as well as Fire Tornado Exhibit.

“The more I get involved, the more I realise that the Science Centre has many good secrets that we don’t talk enough about, such as the awards we’ve won.

“I feel that we can create more visibility for such things because currently, it doesn’t do justice to the many good things we’ve been doing.”