How Long and in What Capacity Have You Known the Applicant

To Whom It May Concern:

Recommendation Letter for Marcus Kee Woon Tan

My replies:

a. How long and in what capacity have you known the applicant?

Marcus is my cousin and we have maintained regular contact.

b. How does the applicant stand out from others in a similar capacity?

Marcus is brilliant, articulate, and a born leader. I put him under “star” category for his ability to solve problems and to inspire others. I rate him as one of the top three young adults I know in his cohort.

c. Please provide an example of the applicant’s impact on a person, group or organization.

In NUS, Marcus was placed in the Accelerated Masters Programme, a highly selective program that is only offered to the most outstanding undergraduate students. Marcus produced a thesis that was truly first-rate. His research inmicrowave technology involved complex mathematical analysis of novelmicrowave transmission lines. Using the conformal mapping technique, he wasable to derive simple mathematical equations of key characteristics of theasymmetric coplanar waveguide. Previously, the asymmetric coplanarwaveguide can only be analysed by using long polynomial equations (developedby Prof Yamashita) that have to be solved by a computer.

Marcus’s research had significant application in real-world microwave circuit analysis. In December 1998, he was the only Singapore research student to do an oral presentation of his Masterresearch work in Asia Pacific Microwave Conference (APMC) 98, Yokohama, Japan. Subsequently, his Master research paper was accepted for publication by IEICETransactions.

d. Please provide a representative example of how the applicant interacts with other people.

Marcus has the rare gift of inspiring others. He is a team-player and an asset in any group task. He knows how to “get” people going without making them feel “pushed”.

e. Which of the applicant’s personal or professional characteristics would you change?

I see his major weakness as lack of patience. When Marcus was younger, his impatience could come across as arrogance. Marcus was aware of this problem and has been making good progress towards correcting this. He is now very sensitive towards others’ needs.

f. Please tell us anything else you think we should know about this applicant.

Marcus wants to be a high-tech entrepreneur. This purpose fuels his drive, passion, and motivation for work. He is so well-read in high-tech businesses that I sometimes consult him about happenings in the industry (when preparing for my MBA classes). I believe his determination will make his dream come true.

Marcus is a great leader and communicator. I have no doubt he will assume a senior management position in the years to come.

Yours truly,

Teck-Hua Ho

William Halford, Jr. Family Professor of Marketing

University of California, Berkeley, HaasSchool of Business