High-powered tech executive born in Johor

Mr Tan Lip-Bu may be one of the most powerful technology executives you have never heard of as he steps into one of the highest-profile jobs on the planet, chief executive of troubled, storied chip-maker Intel. Here is more about him:

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FROM MUAR TO SINGAPORE

He was born in 1959 in Muar, Johor, raised in Singapore, and is now a naturalised American citizen.

Mr Tan's father was the chief editor of Malaysian Chinese-language daily Nanyang Siang Pau, while his mother was a teacher.

He later grew up in Singapore, where he attended Nanyang University (NU) and studied physics. NU later merged with the University of Singapore to form the National University of Singapore.

Mr Tan, who skipped a couple of years in secondary school on academic excellence, graduated from NU in 1978 when he was just 19.

From 2006 to 2011, Mr Tan was a trustee of Nanyang Technological University, which occupies the site of the old NU.

OFF TO AMERICA