S'porean Tiktok CEO Chew Shou Zi visits alma mater Hwa Chong Institution

TikTok chief executive officer (CEO) Chew Shou Zi recently dropped by his alma mater Hwa Chong Institution.

In a short video posted on TikTok on Oct. 9, he gave viewers a glimpse into the Bukit Timah campus he attended some 30 years ago, including a former classroom and the school's courtyard.

The video caption read: "Back down memory lane - visited my alma mater from my teenage years. Loads of nostalgia!"

@shou.time Back down memory lane - visited my alma mater from my teenage years. Loads of nostalgia! #hwachonginstitution ♬ sonido original - Vibes by Ley

Singapore boy

Chew, 42, a Singaporean, is based in Singapore, but he reportedly frequently travels to TikTok's global offices around the world including New York, London and Tokyo, according to Wall Street Journal.

Born and raised in Singapore, he attended Hwa Chong Institution during his schooling years, before leaving for London for his undergraduate studies.

He later attended Harvard Business School in the U.S. for a master of business administration (MBA) and briefly interned at Facebook while it was still a start-up.

Chew joined TikTok's Beijing-based parent company ByteDance in 2021, becoming its first chief financial officer (CFO).

He became its CEO later that same year.

Senator, I'm Singaporean

In 2023, Chew was summoned to appear before U.S. lawmakers over fears that user data was being handed to the Chinese government.

There were calls in Washington for TikTok to be U.S.-owned or be banned in the country.

He testified in Congress in 2023 and again in 2024, where his attempts to defend his nationality went viral.

"No Senator, again, I’m Singaporean," he told U.S. Senator Tom Cotton repeatedly when it was absurdly suggested that he was somehow affiliated to China and the Chinese Communist Party.

Top images via shou.time/TikTok