Philanthropy Asia Summit 2023
15 – 18 April 2024
Marina Bay Sands, Singapore | Sands Expo & Convention Centre
Executive Chairman of the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change and Former Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
Former Prime Minister of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, Mr Tony Blair founded the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change (TBI) on the belief that a country’s success and ability to enact transformational change is dependent on the effectiveness of its leadership and governance.
Under Mr Blair’s direction, TBI works with political leaders around the world to create real change for their people by advising on strategy, policy and delivery – with technology as an enabler of all three.
During his tenure as prime minister, Mr Blair implemented a major domestic-policy agenda. Through record investment and reforms, the performance of the UK’s education and health-care sectors was radically improved; crime was reduced by a third; a major programme of social liberalism and constitutional change was introduced; the Department for International Development was created and the UK’s foreign aid to Africa trebled; and landmark legislation to tackle climate change was introduced. All of this was done in the context of record economic growth and employment levels. Mr Blair also helped bring peace to Northern Ireland by securing the historic Good Friday Agreement in 1998, and he was a passionate advocate of interventionist foreign policy. He is the only Labour leader in the party’s 100-year history to win three consecutive elections.
After leaving office, he continued his deep commitment to Africa and remained engaged with the Middle East, where he has long advocated for and worked towards the normalisation of relations between Israel and Arab states, contributing to the signing of the historic Abraham Accords in 2020.
Mr Blair dedicates the majority of his time pro bono to TBI, a not-for-profit organisation.
Founder-CEO, The Convergence Foundation
Board of Trustee, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Mr Ashish Dhawan is the Founder-CEO of The Convergence Foundation (TCF) which is focused on accelerating India’s economic growth and development. TCF incubates non-profits focused on creating system-wide impact in the areas of economic growth, equality of opportunity and sustainability. Its current portfolio includes organizations working on jobs and investment, rule of law, governance and state capacity, economic empowerment of women, science and technology, air pollution, unlocking philanthropic capital, and improving the effectiveness of nonprofits.
Mr Dhawan is also the Founding Chairperson of Ashoka University and Central Square Foundation. Ashoka University was established as a university in 2014 and is already recognized as a leading teaching and research institute across the humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and data & computer science. Central Square Foundation has been a leading voice for foundational literacy and numeracy in India and currently supports several state governments in improving learning outcomes in the early grades.
Mr Dhawan also serves on the governing board of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF).
Before his second career as a philanthropist, Mr Dhawan was among India’s most successful private equity investors. He founded and ran ChrysCapital, the country’s leading private equity firm. Mr Dhawan graduated from Yale University and received his MBA from Harvard Business School.
President, World Economic Forum;
Board Member, Philanthropy Asia Alliance
Mr Børge Brende is president of the World Economic Forum (2017). Previously he was the Norwegian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Trade and Industry, and Minister of Climate and the Environment. He served as Deputy Chairman of the Norwegian Conservative Party as well as MP. He was also full-time city counsellor in his hometown of Trondheim. He was Chairman of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development and Secretary-General of the Norwegian Red Cross. He was Board Member of Statoil and the Norwegian School of Economics. He was the Chair of Mesta, Norway’s largest contracting group in the area of road and highway maintenance and is currently a Director of the Philanthropy Asia Alliance. He is a Member of the Advisory Council, Harvard International Negotiation Program, the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), the Strategic Committee of Sciences Po, and is currently on the Board of the Bilderberg Meetings.
Chief Sustainability Officer, Ant International and
Senior Vice President, Ant Group
Mr Chen Leiming has been Senior Vice President of Ant Group since 2016, responsible for International Public Policy and Government Affairs. He also leads the ESG initiatives and the implementation of the sustainable development strategy of Ant Group’s international businesses. Mr Chen served as Ant Group’s General Counsel from March 2016 to May 2020. In his day-to-day responsibilities, Mr Chen undertakes a broad range of regulatory engagement in connection with the Group's international business activities. Prior to joining Ant, Mr Chen was a partner and head of China practice at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP, a New York-based international law firm, where he worked on a variety of equity and debt offerings and mergers and acquisitions involving primarily PRC companies, including his lead role in advising Alibaba in its initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange in 2014. Mr Chen has extensive experience in corporate governance and regulatory matters. Mr Chen is qualified to practice law in the State of New York and is a solicitor of the High Court of Hong Kong. Mr Chen obtained a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from Osgoode Hall Law School, York University in Toronto, Canada.
Executive Vice President Program Strategy,
The Rockefeller Foundation
Ms Elizabeth Yee is the Executive Vice President of Programs. She oversees The Foundation’s portfolio of global programs, regional offices and learning and impact team, and leads the advancement of the Foundation’s strategic priorities. She is the former Chief of Staff and joined The Foundation in 2019 as the Managing Director of Climate and Resilience.
From 2015-2019, Ms Yee held various executive leadership roles at 100 Resilient Cities, a sponsored project of The Foundation, where she led the development of strategic partnerships and collaborated with member cities and investors to develop and mobilize financial solutions.
Before joining 100 Resilient Cities, Ms Yee co-led the Public Power and Utilities practice at Barclays Capital. During her seventeen years in financial services at Morgan Stanley, Lehman Brothers and Barclays Capital, Ms Yee originated, developed, structured and executed over $30 billion of infrastructure, energy, commodities and derivative transactions. She and her team were two time “Bond Buyer Deal of the Year” recipients for their innovative approaches to renewable energy finance.
She was appointed to SEforALL’s Board, which aims to accelerate and deliver the solutions needed to achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 7 – access to affordable and clean energy by 2030, serves on the Investment Committee for the Global Energy Alliance for People and Planet as well as the Advisory Boards for Co-Impact’s Foundational Fund and Gender Advisory Boards. She co-chairs the Climate Coalition for Lower Manhattan and is a Life Member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Ms Yee is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.
Global Executive Director,
The Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab
Mr Iqbal Dhaliwal is the Global Executive Director of MIT’s Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) since 2018. He leads the development of the organization’s strategic vision and worldwide operations in research, policy outreach and training in over a dozen countries. He is the co-Director with Nobel Laureates Esther Duflo of J-PAL’s South Asia regional office, and Abhijit Banerjee of the Innovation in Government Initiative (IGI). He is a board member of J-PAL and of award winning social enterprises Noora Health and Rocket Learning.
Before joining J-PAL, Mr Iqbal worked in the private sector, first in strategy consulting and later in economic consulting. He began his career in public service as a member of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS), where he helped formulate state policy as a Deputy Secretary, was the CEO of a public-sector company, and head of one of the state’s largest administrative divisions that implemented numerous development programs in the field.
Mr Iqbal stood first in the nationwide Civil Services examination. He received the Director's Gold Medal at India's National Academy of Administration. Government of Punjab, India awarded him the Guru Nanak Devji Achievers Award for his "contributions to the field of economics and poverty alleviation." He received the Dean's Fellowship at Princeton University and the gold medal for standing first in the college in his undergraduate program.
Mr Iqbal has an MA in economics from the Delhi School of Economics, and an MPA in international development from Princeton University.
Chair Professor, Tsinghua University
Dean of Institute for AI Industry Research (AIR),Tsinghua University,
Board Member, Philanthropy Asia Alliance
Dr Zhang Ya-Qin is Chair Professor of AI Science at Tsinghua University, and Dean of Institute for AI Industry Research of Tsinghua University (AIR). He was the President of Baidu Inc. from 2014 to 2019. Prior to Baidu, Dr Zhang was a Microsoft executive for 16 years with different key positions, including Managing Director of Microsoft Research Asia, Chairman of Microsoft China, and Corporate Vice President and Chairman of Microsoft Asia R&D.
Dr Zhang is world-renowned scientist, technologist, and business leader. He was elected to the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAA&S), the Australian Academy of Engineering (ATSE), the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), and the Euro-Asia Academy of Sciences. He is a Fellow of IEEE and CAAI. He has made seminal contributions to multimedia and AI, with over 500 papers, 60 granted US patents, and 11 books. His original research has become the basis for start-up ventures, new products, and international standards in digital video, cloud computing, and autonomous driving.
He serves on the Board of Directors of four public companies. He is on the industry board of United Nation Development Program (UNDP), and AI global council of the Davos World Economic Forum. He is the Chairman of world’s largest open autonomous driving platform “Apollo” alliance with over 200 global partners. He has been an active speaker in global forums including APEC, Davos, United Nations, and Bo’Ao Asia Forum.
Chairman, Philanthropy Asia Alliance
Chairman, Temasek Holdings
Mr Lim Boon Heng is the Chairman of the Philanthropy Asia Alliance.
Mr Lim was appointed Chairman of Temasek Holdings on 1 August 2013, after having served as its Director since 1 June 2012.
Mr Lim is the Chairman of NTUC Enterprise Co-operative Ltd. He was previously a Cabinet Minister within the Prime Minister's Office. Mr Lim’s career spans the private and public sectors, having led Singapore’s National Trade Union Congress, and having served as a Member of Parliament (1980 to 2011) and Cabinet Minister for Trade and Industry. Before entering the public sector, Mr Lim spent a decade at NOL (Neptune Orient Lines).
Mr Lim holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Naval Architecture from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK.
Chief Executive Officer
Philanthropy Asia Alliance
Ms Lim Seok Hui is Chief Executive Officer of the Philanthropy Asia Alliance.
Prior to joining Temasek Trust, Ms Lim was Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC). During her tenure at SIAC, Ms Lim was for several years concurrently the first Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore International Mediation Centre (SIMC). She now serves as a Board member of SIMC.
Over the years, Ms Lim has worked in Singapore and Hong Kong with local and international law firms as a corporate, mergers and acquisitions and securities lawyer; and has also served as General Counsel at multinational corporations.
She is a graduate of the London School of Economics, qualified as a barrister and is admitted as a solicitor in Singapore, Hong Kong and England and Wales.
Managing Director
RGE
Anderson Tanoto is Managing Director at RGE and a member of the Executive Management Board. RGE is a group of world-class companies in resource-based manufacturing industries, operating in Indonesia, China, Brazil, Spain and Canada, with over US$35 billion in assets and a workforce of over 70,000 people. Anderson is also a member of the executive committee of Asia Pacific Resources International Limited (APRIL), one of the largest pulp and paper producers in the world.
Mr Tanoto drives RGE’s strategic growth initiatives and is closely involved in the group’s fibre operations and business transformation activities, specifically on sustainability and conservation efforts. Some of these efforts include the Riau Ecosystem Restoration (RER) initiative and the Fire-Free Village Programme undertaken by APRIL.
A young emerging business leader, he serves as Chairman for the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s (KADIN) Brazil Committee, and has been KADIN’s representative to Canada since 2018. Mr Tanoto is also a Champion for Nature at the World Economic Forum (WEF). He has held memberships in the Tropical Forest Alliance 2020’s Southeast Asia Regional Committee, Wharton Executive Board for Asia, and WEF’s Global Agenda Council on Forests (2015 to 2016).
As member of the Board of Trustees of the Tanoto Foundation, Anderson drives programmes focused on forging international partnerships with reputable universities, and developing leaders of the next generation. He co-founded Asia’s first SDG Academy in 2019 with Indonesia’s Ministry of Development Planning and the UN Development Programme. He has also been recognised by Forbes as one of Asia’s Heroes of Philanthropy.
Mr Tanoto previously served as a consultant at Bain & Company, and holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
President & CEO of Wellcome Leap Inc.
Regina is an internationally recognized business executive, producer, engineer-artist, taskmaster, and product developer. She has led world-class, global teams, and hundred-million to multi-billion dollar efforts to deliver breakthrough products at Facebook, Google, Motorola, as the 19th Director, and first woman to lead, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). FORTUNE described Dugan as one of the world’s leading experts on product innovation, “the kind that unhinges old ways of operating, juices competition and creates new growth.” She has been named to the Verge 50 list, Fast Company’s ‘Most Creative People in Business 1000,’ CNN’s ‘Top 10 Thinkers’, and CNBC’s ‘NEXT LIST’. As executive producer, she has 4 Annie Awards, 1 Emmy, and 1 OSCAR nomination.
She holds her PhD from Caltech, where she is a Distinguished Alumnus (one of 256 historical honorees including Carver Mead and Gordon Moore) and her BS/MS from VaTech, where she was inducted to Academy of Engineering Excellence, and later received the 2022 University Distinguished Achievement Award. Dugan is co-author of Harvard Business Review cover article, ‘Special Forces Innovation,’ the 2013 HBR McKinsey Award finalist; she has spoken at events ranging from the Code Conferences D9 and D11 to Washington Post summit on U.S. Competitiveness to TED where her 2012 talk was one of the top 10 trending Twitter topics worldwide.
Editor
The Straits Times
Jaime Ho is the Editor of The Straits Times, where he is responsible for all aspects of the newsroom's operations and growth.
Before joining SPH Media Group in October 2022, Mr Ho’s career had spanned more than 25 years across journalism and the Singapore civil service. He served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs between 1997 to 2013, overseeing issues such as bilateral relations with Europe and climate change, while also serving in Washington, D.C. and Geneva.
Mr Ho joined Mediacorp in 2013 as Associate Editor before becoming Deputy Chief Editor. He was appointed Chief Editor of CNA Digital in January 2016, a role he held until April 2022. Under his leadership, the team successfully navigated a period of significant audience growth, and the platform won several accolades. Mr Ho also wrote extensively at Mediacorp and fronted several broadcast events for CNA.
From June to October 2022, Mr Ho was also a Partner at FGS Global, a global strategic advisory, where he led its Singapore office and its operations locally and regionally.
Mr Ho graduated from the National University of Singapore with a BA (Hons) in 1997, and also holds a Master in Public Management from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in 2006.
Co-Founder of Horizons Ventures
Founder of H.S. Chau Foundation
Director of Li Ka Shing Foundation
Solina co-founded Horizons Ventures in 2005 and is a passionate advocate of the role of technology in solving the planet’s biggest problems and reframing the future. Horizons is known for backing era-defining companies making a positive impact in the world and their being truly long-term investing approach. Amongst its string of notable early stage investments include Zoom, Impossible Foods , Perfect Day , Spotify, Siri and DeepMind . Since 1996, through her own independent H.S. Chau Foundation, more than HK$1.5 billion were put to work in support of education and women’s causes around the world.
Winning attitudes: #Be more seem less #Keep a Grateful heart #Be the positive difference #1 Corinthians 13
Chief Impact Officer
Asia Philanthropy Circle
Sue Toomey has more than 20 years of experience in Asia, running businesses and championing global causes. She is passionate about addressing social issues through collaboration and stakeholder engagement. As Executive Director for HandsOn Hong Kong, and Chairperson for the Points of Light global network of 177 affiliates, she led the mission-driven strategy, partnering with nonprofits to create impactful service programs and developing community engagement plans for companies. In her previous role as Vice President, Global Events for The Economist, Sue developed award-winning events and initiatives tackling economic development, diversity and inclusion, food security, ocean sustainability, and more. She ran her own social enterprise and headed a marketing agency while living in Mumbai and led the event marketing team for Saatchi and Saatchi Los Angeles before moving to Asia. Sue has an M.A. in International Affairs from George Washington University and a B.A. in Journalism from the University of Southern California.
Deputy Regional Director
UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office
Myo Myo-Zin Nyunt became UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office’s Deputy Regional Director in 2021. Myo has more than 26 years’ experience with UNICEF in the areas of development programmes and humanitarian support in South Asia, Eastern and Southern Africa, and East Asia and the Pacific, with progressive programme management and leadership responsibilities.
Before joining UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office, Myo served as UNICEF Representative to DPR Korea from 2019 to 2021. He also worked with UNICEF country offices in Lao PDR, Namibia, Tanzania, Myanmar and UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia in Kathmandu, Nepal. Before joining UNICEF, Myo worked with international NGOs such as Save the Children and Médecins du Monde, focusing on health and HIV programmes.
A national of Myanmar, Myo holds a Master's Degree in Public Health from the Nuffield Institute of Leeds University, United Kingdom, and a Bachelor of Medicine and Surgery from the Institute of Medicine 1 in Yangon, Myanmar.
Regional Education Adviser
UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office
Mitsue Uemura joined UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office in June 2022. She is based in Bangkok, Thailand. Mitsue has over 20 years of experience in education in international development and humanitarian programming in Asia, Pacific, Africa, Middle East, and South America. Prior to her current appointment, Mitsue served as the Chief of Education with UNICEF Myanmar. She has worked with UNICEF in East and Southern Africa (based in Kenya), Papua New Guinea, Viet Nam, Bhutan and Ecuador. Prior to joining UNICEF, Mitsue worked with other international organizations such as the World Bank in Iraq.
A Japanese national, Mitsue holds a Master’s Degree in Sociology from the American University in Washington, United States, and a BA in Psychology from Nihon University, Tokyo, Japan.
Private Fundraising and Partnerships Director
UNICEF
Carla Haddad Mardini became Director of UNICEF’s Private Fundraising and Partnerships Division in Geneva in January 2021. Here she leads the organization's global strategy to leverage the private sector to generate sustainable income for UNICEF and drive partnerships for children worldwide. This includes engaging with the general public (UNICEF’s supporters and donors), philanthropists, foundations, and business to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals for children. She also oversees the coordination, strategic planning and governance with UNICEF’s 33 National Committees that actively engage in child rights advocacy, communication, fundraising and brand positioning.
From 2018 to 2021, Carla served as UNICEF’s Director of the Public Partnerships Division in New York, leading the organization's resource mobilization from the public sector and overseeing its engagement with permanent missions and governments on multilateral affairs in the inter-governmental space. Prior to joining UNICEF, Ms. Haddad Mardini had worked with the International Committee of the Red Cross over a period spanning 17 years. Until the end of 2017, she was the Head of the Resource Mobilization Division, leading donor relations, fundraising and government affairs. She previously held the position of Chief Spokesperson and Head of the Public Communication Division. She spent the early years of her career in the field, covering protection and family links programmes in the Middle East and Africa, serving in Kurdistan and Baghdad in Iraq, in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and in Ethiopia.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy and Political Science from the American University of Beirut, Lebanon; a Master's Degree in Comparative Literature from Dartmouth College in the United States, and a Master's Degree in International Relations with a focus on international negotiation, mediation and conflict resolution from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, in the United States.
Born and raised in Lebanon, she is a Lebanese and Swiss national.
Chair and Executive Director
Yayasan Bakti Barito
Fifi Pangestu is a Jakarta-born businesswoman with a passion for sustainability and education. She earned her Bachelor’s degree from Boston College in the United States, and started her career as an auditor at Arthur Andersen LLP in New York. She eventually joined Barito Pacific Group, one of Indonesia’s largest diversified conglomerates.
As a senior executive at Barito Pacific, Fifi Pangestu has played an important role in the company’s success, particularly in the areas of human resources and business development. She is known for her ability to develop and implement innovative strategies that drive growth and increase profitability. Fifi is also a devoted mother of three, and a strong advocate for high-quality education and sustainable environmental practices. She has taken a lead role in the corporate foundation, Bakti Barito, which was established to serve as a platform for all sustainability initiatives as well as to enhance Indonesia’s education quality to serve all.
In addition to her work at Barito Pacific, Fifi serves on the Board of Governors of the British School Jakarta, a leading international school in Indonesia. She also serves on the Board of Regents of Boston College in the United States, her alma mater.
Director
Prudence Foundation
Prudenece Foundation is the Community Investment arm of Prudential plc, responsible for the strategy development and implementation of programmes to build community resilience against life’s risks, in the focus areas of Financial Education, Health & Safety Protection and Climate Adaption.
Nicole joined Prudence Foundation since August 2015 and have been working closely with NGOs partners, governments, communities and private sector to deliver positive impacts to the communities through several flagships initiatives including the Cha-Ching Money Smart Kids programme, a financial literacy education programme for children 7 – 12 years old that are being implemented in schools across Asia and Africa; Comprehensive School Safety Programme, a disaster risk reduction programme to build education resilience against all risks both at global as well as country level; Early Childhood Development focusing on Nurturing Care Framework, and Climate and Health programme that includes research, adaptation and anticipatory actions to build health resilience for vulnerable communities.
Prior to her role with the Prudence Foundation, Nicole has been involved in regional business transformation projects and sales support functions under Prudential plc.
Nicole graduated from the University of New South Wales, Australia, with a BA in Economics. Nicole is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
CEO
Octava Foundation
Raman Sidhu , CEO of Octava Foundation, a grantmaker based in Singapore supporting social purpose organsiations working on enabling equitable outcomes for young learners. Raman steward the foundation’s philanthropic investments and partnerships in Singapore and across SE Asia supporting social innovation in Education, Student Finance and Education Technology.
Chairman and Co-Founder, Asia Philanthropy Circle
Co-Founder and Board Member, Asia Community Foundation
Laurence Lien is an established Asian philanthropist and involved in a number of organisations. Laurence has chaired the Lien Foundation since 2009, and has been a board member since 2002. Lien Foundation is the third largest philanthropic organisation in Singapore (by grant size), and which is well-regarded for its forward-thinking and innovation-driven approach in the fields of education, eldercare and the environment. Under his oversight, Lien Foundation has disbursed over S$250 million in grants. Laurence is also the Chairman of the Asia Philanthropy Circle, which has more than 50 leading Asian philanthropist members who come together to exchange, learn and collaborate.
Laurence was the CEO of the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre in Singapore from 2008-2014, when he started up the Community Foundation of Singapore (CFS) in 2009, and became its Chairman from 2013-2019. CFS is the fifth largest philanthropic organisation in Singapore.
Prior to his work in the non-profit sector, Laurence served in the Singapore Government.
Laurence holds degrees from Oxford University, the National University of Singapore, and Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. He was also a Nominated Member of Parliament in Singapore from 2012-2014.
Polar Explorer & Founder
2041 Foundation
Robert Swan is the first person to have walked to both the North and South Poles. He is an explorer, a leader in energy innovation, and founder of the 2041 Foundation, a non-profit dedicated to preserve Antarctica as a natural reserve, land for science and peace.
On January 11, 1986, Robert and a team of three, ‘In the Footsteps of Scott’ arrived at the South Pole. Their 900-mile journey was the longest unassisted march in history.
Three years later, in 1989, Robert led, ‘Icewalk’, with a team of eight to the North Pole. By the age of 33, Robert had achieved his dream to walk to both the Poles.
During these two historic expeditions, Robert experienced firsthand the effects of climate change and environmental degradation. At the South Pole, his eyes changed color through damage due to the prolonged exposure of ultra-violet rays as he walked under the hole in the ozone layer. At the North Pole, his team nearly drowned because of the premature melting of the ocean ice. These two hard-hitting and unexpected incidents galvanised him to launch the mission, ‘2041’.
Robert received the Polar Medal and the title of the Officer of the British Empire (O.B.E) from Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. His contributions to education, energy innovation and environmental action have been recognised by the United Nations through his appointment as UNEP Goodwill Ambassador for Youth, Special Envoy to the Director General of UNESCO and as a recipient of the UN Humanitarian Innovation Award. He is the co-author of four books and was a keynote speaker at all of the UN World Summits for Sustainable Development, the World Economic Forum and the Corporate Eco Forum.
In January of 2023, Robert completed his 37-year goal of crossing the Antarctic landmass on foot.
Co-Founder & Director
Extra•Ordinary People
Wee Boo Kuan is a businessman with more than 30 years of experience in Health and Wellness. He has a strong interest and expertise in ecological Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability initiatives (LOHAS).
Mr Wee was instrumental in establishing Singapore’s first certified organic farms under Biological Farmers of Australia (BFA) in the late 1990s and was involved in the wholesale and retail of organic products (Brown Rice Paradise) in Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan and Australia. He initiated the development of a range of Australian-certified organic personal care lines and obtained organic certification for a hotel in Western Australia.
In commemorating his father Wee Cho Bian’s 25th year of passing, Mr Wee committed to co-founding Extraordinary People. In close collaboration with the business community and other charities, Extraordinary People will focus on Singapore’s special needs community to shape a more inclusive and vibrant community.
Lorinet Foundation;
Non-Executive Director, Trafigura Group
Pierre is a French national who has spent most of his life and career abroad. After a 20 year career in banking and commodity trading he decided to take a step back from his executive career in 2015 to spend more time with his family and focus on other interests. One of them is expanding the work of Lorinet Foundation with his wife and children.
Beyond Lorinet Foundation, Pierre remains active as a Non-Executive Director for various businesses, agencies, and philanthropic organizations such as Olam Agri Holdings, Trafigura Group, Trafigura Foundation, Pioneer Facility Pte Ltd, Tri-Sector Associates and a number of technology Start-ups. Pierre is a graduate of ESCP Europe, a French business school, and has an MSc in Finance from Lancaster University. He lives in Singapore with Bolor and their 3 children.
CEO
EQT Foundation
EQT foundation is the philanthropic arm of the global investment organization EQT. The foundation combines catalytic capital with EQT’s investment expertise to push the frontiers of impact through entrepreneurship, supporting founders bringing breakthrough science from lab to market.
Cilia started her career at the UN in New York assisting in the negotiations of the SDGs and holds a double master in sustainable development and international business from NHH and HEC Paris. In 2017, she co-founded S-HUB, a non-profit aimed at accelerating the field of sustainable business. Prior to joining EQT, Indahl led the early-stage impact investing organization Katapult, and worked as Sustainability Director for Aker Biomarine, where she also established a foundation to safeguard the wildlife in the Antarctic.
Indahl sits on the board of Amedia, a stewardship-owned media group protecting independent journalism, represents Norway on the Nordic Council’s Environmental Prize Committee, and served as Expert Advisor to the G7 taskforce on impact investing under UK’s presidency.
Director
Philanthropic Partnerships, The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation
Robert Rosen is the director of Philanthropic Partnerships. In this role, he leads a team that oversees the foundation’s relationship with philanthropists and charitable organizations across the globe. Previously, Robert served as director of the foundation’s Executive Office and in various roles in Communications. Before joining the foundation in 2007, Robert served as senior director of the Corporate Finance Practice of the Corporate Executive Board, the international business strategy and research firm. Previously, he served as political director for Senator Edward M. Kennedy, and in the White House as assistant to the President and director of Advance for President Clinton. Robert received a Juris Doctorate from Cornell Law School and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Vermont.
Co-Founder & Partner
Dasra India
Dasra India is a strategic philanthropic organization established in 1999. Neera’s primary objective is to empower social entrepreneurs and funders by providing the necessary support to achieve ambitious goals in areas such as gender equality, urban resilience, climate action, sanitation, emphasizing system change and collaborative philanthropy. Neera leads ecosystem-building initiatives and fosters key partnerships with renowned institutions like Harvard University, Stanford University, and USAID to drive social impact acceleration. In addition to her strategic role, Neera actively contributes to bringing capacity building, knowledge, funding, and networks to the sector.
A Harvard Business School MBA graduate, she is a fellow of the third class of the Kamalnayan Bajaj Fellowship of the Ananta Aspen Center and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. Neera's steadfast efforts, coupled with Dasra's two decades of consistent work, have manifested in the form of GivingPi, India’s First Family Philanthropy Network. This initiative underscores her commitment to shaping the strategic philanthropy movement and fortifying the family philanthropy infrastructure in India.
Apart from her professional achievements, Neera is an active board member of LGT Venture Philanthropy, The Hunger Project, American School of Bombay, and Aangan Trust.
CEO
The Earthshot Prize
The Earthshot Prize is a prize and a platform founded by HRH The Prince of Wales and the Royal Foundation in 2020 to search, spotlight and scale solutions that can help repair and regenerate the planet in this decade.
Hannah is a social and environmental advocate believing in the power of entrepreneurism, innovation and collaboration to affect systems change. She started her career in radio, at the BBC, before working as a social entrepreneur in a British Charity, founding and leading pan-European AIDS/HIV prevention and anti-racism campaigns across 100's of Radio stations. She then worked on the founding team of Microsoft’s philanthropy program in EMEA before joining Nike to help start their first Corporate Responsibility team in EMEA.
For 16 years, as Nike’s first Chief Sustainability Officer, working to the CEO and the Nike Board of Directors, Hannah helped lead the transformation of Nike’s labour rights and sustainability efforts, turning both functions into engines of business model innovation and industry change. Following that, Hannah founded Nike Valiant Labs, a venture to bring a culture of lean start-up, human centred design & entrepreneurialism to Nike, housing a vibrant diverse culture of entrepreneurs delivering a growing portfolio of new disruptive digital businesses and offerings with purpose at their core.
Named twice to Fast Company’s top 100 Creative People list, a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, and winner of the C.K Prahalad 2013 award for leadership in Sustainability, Hannah has served on the board of the Method Soap & Ecover brands, was the co-chair and co-founder of We Mean Business, a coalition of progressive businesses working to influence climate policy, and has served on the boards and councils of Mercy Corps, the UNHCR Business Advisory Council and the Purpose Climate Lab. Today, Hannah is a non-executive director on the board of Oatly, a sustainability advisor to UCB, a global Biotech company, an advisor to the Queens Gambit, an all-female SPAC, a mentor with the Unreasonable Group, and a mentor to as many talented diverse future leaders as she can fit in.
Executive Director, Programmes and Strategic Development
Wealth Management Institute
Brian San serves as the Executive Director, Programmes and Strategic Development at the Wealth Management Institute. He co-leads the Global-Asia Family Office Circle (GFO Circle) at WMI, a network platform for the family office ecosystem in Singapore and Asia. Supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board and the Monetary Authority of Singapore, the GFO Circle fosters a trusted environment based on peer learning, collaboration and competency building.
Brian is also the Program Development Director for the Dalio Market Principles Program, a landmark initiative at WMI supported by Dalio Philanthropies, which aims to teach universal principles of market behaviour to both private and public sector leaders and investors. Brian further helms WMI's programmes in philanthropy and sustainable investing, and leads marketing and communications.
Prior to his role at WMI, Brian was on the senior leadership team at NTUC LearningHub, where he led the division focused on re-training low-income and unemployed workers, and also helmed the LHUB GO digital learning platform with over 100,000 users. He previously led M&A and partnerships for an Asia-focused education investment group, and helped to launch new colleges in Myanmar, Indonesia and Vietnam. Brian started his career as a strategy consultant with Bain & Company where he led projects in private equity, financial services and retail.
He holds a BA (Hons) in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from the University of Oxford, and an MBA from Harvard Business School.
Brian has lived and worked in several countries including UK, USA, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Vietnam, Myanmar and Australia.
Lead, Programme
Philanthropy Asia Alliance
Donald is the Programme Lead of PAA. Prior to this, he was the Managing Director, Asia Pacific for CDP, a non-profit which manages the global disclosure system on environmental matters. In this role, he led the region’s business and operations in its six offices across Japan, China, India, Southeast Asia and Oceania.
Previously, Donald had a diverse career in investments and governments. In addition, he has been part of founding management teams of an infrastructure finance company and a digital telecommunications technology start-up.
Donald holds an MBA from Macquarie University and a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce from University of Sydney.
Vice President of Caixin Media
Managing Editor and Managing Director of Caixin Global
Li Xin is Vice President of Caixin Media, Managing Editor and Managing Director of Caixin Global, leading the company’s global new as well as Caixin’s international branding and global events.
Before Caixin, she was Managing Editor of the Chinese Wall Street Journal and Chinese Dow Jones newswire.
This is her second stint at Caixin, where she was formerly the Managing Editor of Caixin: China Economics & Finance, an English-language magazine.
In 2006, she founded Caijing Magazine’s first bureau in the United States, as a correspondent of politics and economics. Li was a documentary producer at China Central Television between 2001 and 2004.
Li holds a bachelor degree on English language from Tsinghua University, a master degree from the journalism school of University of Missouri-Columbia and an Executive MBA degree from Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business.
She is an Aspen China Fellow and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network, as well as a member of the International Media Council at the World Economic Forum. She is the co-chair of China Council for World Economic Forum Future Councils.
Managing Partner
Apricot Capital
During her stint at Super Group Ltd, Elaine helmed the Group’s branding, marketing and product development team. She spearheaded the rebranding exercise for the Company and played a pivotal role in building and establishing a stronger and more appealing brand for the Company. This has strengthened the Group’s brand presence in key markets and enabled the Company to launch and penetrate into new markets.
In her current role as Managing Partner in Apricot Capital, Elaine is responsible for its financial planning, strategic fund deployment and management of the Company’s investment portfolios. She has successfully led financial planning and analysis efforts and executed investment strategies to maximize returns for the family office.
With a passion for creativity and brand storytelling, Elaine has directed the growth of numerous consumer brands. Drawing upon her years of experience, she plays an active role in direct investments made by Apricot Capital by sharing her knowledge and helping partners elevate their brands and connect with target audiences. Elaine ensures that marketing strategies align with business objectives and deliver tangible results in revenue growth.
More recently, Elaine spearheaded the launch of Oatbedient. Newly founded in 2022, Oatbedient is our very own brand of oat milk. This product development is driven by our desire for authentically healthy products with clean labelling.
Outside of work, Elaine believes in giving back to the community by supporting philanthropic initiatives relating to humanitarian projects with a focus on addressing social issues, education and healthcare access for the marginalized populations of Singapore.
Managing Director, World Economic Forum
Head, Centre for Nature and Climate
Ms Neo Gim Huay is Managing Director at the World Economic Forum and also Head of the Centre for Nature and Climate.
Before joining the Forum, she held various Managing Director roles in Temasek, including Climate Change Strategy, Sustainability and Enterprise Development.
Gim Huay was formerly a Management Consultant at McKinsey & Co and served in the Singapore Public Service.
Gim Huay holds a Masters in Business Administration (Arjay Miller Scholar) from Stanford University and a Masters of Engineering (Distinction) and Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honors) from Cambridge University.
She was selected as an Eisenhower Fellow in 2015 and as a TIME100 Climate Leader in 2023.
All times shown are in Singapore time (GMT +8). You may convert the time here.
(Information is correct as at 15 March 2024)
15 April
Featuring Action and Thought leaders showcasing solutions and systems thinking in philanthropy and climate, health & education.
16 April
Deep dive sessions led by partners to advance thinking on curation of programmes to move the needle and catalyse collective action.
17 April
Deep dive sessions led by partners to advance thinking on curation of programmes to move the needle and catalyse collective action.
18 April
Experiential journeys for impact-in-action site visits: Sembcorp Tengeh Floating Solar Farm and OceanXplorer.
Launched in 2021, the annual Philanthropy Asia Summit serves as a collaborative platform to convene and connect global and regional philanthropists to catalyse partnerships. It aims to activate multi-sector stakeholders and design Calls to Action to collectively address societal challenges in achieving greater impact and common good.
Philanthropy Asia Summit 2024 features thought leaders showcasing systems thinking in philanthropy centred around three mandates – Climate & Nature, Holistic & Inclusive Education, and Global & Public Health. Attendance is by invitation only.
Philanthropy Asia Summit is organised by Philanthropy Asia Alliance.
Philanthropy Asia Summit 2023
Philanthropy Asia Summit 2023 featured Showcase Calls to Action that aim to address issues centred around three mandates – Climate & Nature, Holistic & Inclusive Education, and Global & Public Health.
Philanthropy Asia Summit 2022
Philanthropy Asia Summit 2022 featured Calls to Action that aim to address issues centred around three focus areas – Climate Action & Sustainable Communities, Inclusive Education and Resilient Healthcare.
Philanthropy Asia Summit 2021
In 2021, the Philanthropy Asia Summit convened about 200 global and regional philanthropists for its inaugural event. Themed “Advancing Human Security and Community Resilience”, the Summit featured three focus areas of Climate Action & Sustainable Communities, Inclusive Education and Pandemic Security.