Pearl Tan is the Discipline Lead in Directing at the Australian Film Television and Radio School (AFTRS). She is the Vice President of New Media on the Australian Directors Guild (ADG) Board and was previously the NSW Chapter Head for the ADG.

In 2020, Pearl was listed in the 40 Under 40 Most Influential Asian-Australian Awards and was named the most influential in the Arts and Culture category. In 2017, Pearl was invited to deliver a TEDx talk entitled Reimagining Diversity. In 2016, Pearl was named a Woman of Influence by the Australian Financial Review and Westpac. She has been on the AFTRS Council and the Screen Australia Gender Matters Taskforce. She was Co-Founder and Co-Chair of the Equity Diversity Committee within the Media Entertainment and Arts Alliance (MEAA) and held positions on the MEAA Board and the National Performers Committee (NPC) for Actors Equity.

Pearl is a graduate from the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA) with a Bachelor of Dramatic Art (Acting). She also holds a Bachelor of Communications (Media Studies) from Edith Cowan University and a Master of Commerce (Strategy, Innovation, & Entrepreneurship), which she completed on a Business Leader Postgraduate Scholarship from the University of Sydney.

Pearl is currently completing her PhD in Creative Practice at the University of New South Wales, where her research focus is on the experience of diverse creatives in the screen industry. As part of her PhD, she will release a fictional podcast entitled Diversity Work in 2023.