Ryan Tan

RYAN TAN brings more than a decade of experience in national security, government policy, and international law. He advises governments, financial institutions, and the Asia-Pacific operations of international businesses on global geopolitical considerations, and provides strategic counsel on cross-border disputes, internal investigations and day-to-day contentious matters in the financial, technology, energy and cybersecurity sectors, among others.

Ryan has significant experience with commercial and investor-state arbitrations under various institutional rules, including the ICC, SIAC, LCIA, UNCITRAL, ICSID and SCMA, as well as litigation and enforcement proceedings before the Supreme Courts of New York and Singapore. Ryan has been a key member of several trial teams in various fora, and is comfortable in advocacy having examined key witnesses and corporate representatives.

Prior to legal practice, Ryan was a senior policy officer in the Singapore government, where his portfolio included advising the executive leadership on international defense policy and national security, with a focus on the U.S.-China geostrategic relationship. He also served in the military as a commando officer.

Ryan earned his B.A. in law from Trinity College, University of Cambridge, in 2015 on a scholarship awarded by the Public Service Commission of Singapore. During that time, he served as the President of the College Law Society.

Ryan is trilingual in English, Mandarin, and Malay.

Examples of Ryan’s significant experience include*:

• A Southeast Asian financial institution in litigation before the New York Supreme Court concerning claims of fraud, theft, and conversion stemming from a cyber-heist at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.
• Counsel for a sovereign state in recognition and enforcement proceedings relating to an investor-state arbitration with over US$300 million in dispute.
• An international offshore LNG service provider in concurrent Singapore seated commercial maritime arbitrations and related enforcement proceedings.
• A global investment firm in a dispute with one of its portfolio companies arising out of the share purchase agreement and associated warrant instruments between the parties.
• A global medical device and healthcare company in a distribution agreement dispute in Southeast Asia and associated settlement negotiations.
• A Beijing-based media company in a HKIAC arbitration governed by New York law.
• An Asian private investor in a dispute with a U.S. headquartered venture capital firm.

* Some of the above matters were handled prior to joining Sidley.