Delegates

Irid Farida Rachman Agoes is the Head of the American Studies Graduate Program at Universitas Indonesia and serves on the Board of The Indonesian International Education Foundation (IIEF). During the 1980s she worked for the AFS International Program, an international student exchange organization, as the National Director for Indonesia. She then co-founded Bina Antarbudaya (The Indonesian Foundation for Intercultural Learning), as the partner of AFS International.  In 1990 as Director of Bina Antarbudaya, she received an Award from the Japan Foundation, delivered by Emperor Akihito, for excellent relations between Japan and Indonesia. She then became Trustee of AFS International and is now a member of the Intercultural Work Group of AFS International. From the late 1990s until very recently she served as the Indonesian Director of the Institute of International Education (IIE) an international non-profit organization. Through its partner organization, IIEF, she cooperated with many international organizations and corporations to fund thousands of marginalized Indonesians to study overseas. After retiring from IIE in 2010, she now serves at the IIEF board. Presently she is also the President of the International Muslim Women Scholars – Indonesia, the International Commissioner of the Indonesian Scout Movement and the President of the Indonesian Chapter of International Society for Intercultural Education, Training and Research (SIETAR Indonesia). She recently received the First Class of Citation Medal Award delivered by the HR H Crown Prince as the Representative of H.M. King Bhumibol in her service as the International Commissioner. She holds MA degrees from the Faculty of Arts and Letters of the Universitas Indonesia and the State University of New York at Buffalo, where Irid faced a difficult adjustment to life in the United States. This experience began her lifelong interest in intercultural adaptation.  She later returned to UB to finish her Ph.D.

Selima Ahmad is the President and Founder of the Bangladesh Women Chamber of Commerce and Industry (BWCCI). Selima founded BWCCI because she was acutely aware of the need for a national body which represented the interests and supported the initiatives of women entrepreneurs. As a successful businesswomen herself with longstanding experience in the private sector, Ahmad took the initiative to form a Chamber of Commerce devoted exclusively to facilitating the advancement of women entrepreneurs. Drawing on her business experience and involvement with several trade organizations, including the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry, Bangladesh Automobile Assemblers anManufacturers Association, Bangladesh Handicraft Manufacturers and Exporters Association, and the Bangladesh Association of publicly listed Companies, Ahmad convinced and mobilized women entrepreneurs, the government, and development partners of the need for the creation of BWCCI. Ahmad feels that unleashing the power and potential of women entrepreneurs will have a profound effect on the national economy. BWCCI supports these initiatives by providing training, business counseling, loaning credit, acting as guarantor, and lobbying government and policy makers on behalf of business women across Bangladesh. Despite her many accolades, Ahmad’s proudest achievements are the changes that she recognizes in the lives of the members due to the support of BWCCI. Ahmad is also Vice Chairperson of the Nitol-Niloy Group, which has a strong, diversified profile that includes: a joint venture with TATA Motors of India to trade, assemble, and provide after sales support of vehicles, transport and aviation services, financial institutions, manufacturing of sugar, cement paper and luggage, real estate development, and sports promotion. Her accomplishments have earned her the title of best female entrepreneur in Bangladesh.

Sabina Alam is the Director of ABC Real Estates Ltd,, and has been with them since 2004. Before her time there she was the Managing Director of the Sky Room Restaurant Ltd. In addition she was the Senior Executive of Inter Speed Advertizing, and was a Radio Jockey for “Radio Bangladesh.” She has volunteered at the Zonta Club Dhaka, Bangladesh, the Dhaka Club, and the Bangladesh Kennel Club. Awards include the Priyo Dorshini Award from the Indian Women Entrepreneurs Association, the Begum Rokeya Personality Award from the Narikantha Foundation, and the International Award for Tourism, Hotel, and Catering Industry from the Trade Leaders Club. She received her BA in English Literature from Dhaka University.

Margaret Alva is Governor of the State of Uttarakhand, having been appointed in July 2009 for a five year term. Elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1974, Margaret Alva served four consecutive six-year terms before she was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1999. She served as Coordinator in the Congress President’s office for two years and was General Secretary of the Indian National Congress from 2004-2009. She was earlier National Convenor of the Mahila Congress (the Women’s wing of the Indian National Congress). She has during her 30 years in the Indian Parliament, served on some of Parliament’s most prestigious committees viz., the Committee on Public Undertakings (COPU), the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), the Standing Committees on Foreign Affairs, Tourism and Transport, Science & Technology and Environment & Forests, and all the four major Committees that involved women’s rights viz the Dowry Prohibition Act (Amendment) Committee, the Marriage Laws (Amendment) Committee, the Equal Remuneration Review Committee and the 84th Constitution Amendment bill Joint Select Committee for 33% reservation for women in local bodies. She served as Chairperson of the Parliamentary Committee on Empowerment of Women from 1999-2004. In recognition of her contribution to National Development, Margaret Alva was conferred the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Literature by the University of Mysore. She is also the recipient of the Rajiv Gandhi Excellence Award for her achievements in public life, and of the First Nelson Mandela Award for minority Empowerment awarded by the International Foundation for Minority Empowerment. Educational Qualifications: B.A., B.L., Hon. Doctorate Educated at Mt. Carmel College and Government Law College, Bengaluru. 

Fung Fung Ang is a Partner at KPMG, where her client portfolio comprises many multi-nationals in various industries and located in various geographies. Her country experience covers China/Hong Kong, Australia, United Kingdom, USA, the Philippines, Indonesia and Thailand. Besides audit, Fung Fung has considerable experience in mergers and acquisition, due diligence and public offering related work. She has been a guest presenter at an audit methodology lecture at the Nanyang Technological University, guest panelist at Tri-University Accountancy Conference 2010, and is a regular presenter at external and internal KPMG seminars. She is a practicing member of Certified Public Accountants of Singapore and a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia. She also serves as a Member of the School Management Committee of Nanyang Primary School and Nanyang Kindergarten and Director of Nanyang Girls’ High School Ltd’s Board of Directors. Fung Fung received her Bachelor of Accountancy with First Class Honors.

Alice Au is the Head of the Private Equity Practice, Asia Pacific at Spencer Stuart. Alice focuses on senior executive and board director assignments in Greater China and throughout Asia across industries with an emphasis on the private equity and financial services sectors. She brings more than 15 years of executive search experience based in Hong Kong to her role. Prior to joining Spencer Stuart, Alice was a partner with another leading international executive search firm. While there, she led the CEO and board services practice, as well as the private equity practice in Asia Pacific, guided the rebuilding and expansion of the Hong Kong office, and helped numerous Asian and multinational firms meet their senior leadership needs across Asia. Alice began her career as a semiconductor engineer at Digital Equipment Corporation in the U.S. She then joined McKinsey & Company as a management consultant in New York, where she advised Fortune 100 clients on strategic, organizational, and technology issues. Subsequently, as an executive in corporate development for International Paper Company, Alice led cross-functional teams in negotiating acquisitions in North America, Europe, and Asia. She returned to Hong Kong in 1993 to establish a China fund and advise midsize international companies on their China entry strategies, then joined the executive search industry in 1995. She took a one year leave from the business in 1999 to lead Strategic Planning and E-commerce at AsiaContenti.com, which successfully listed on NASDAQ in 2000. Alice has a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from Yale University and an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School. She was recently appointed as a part-time member of the Central Policy Unit of the Government of the Hong Kong SAR. Alice speaks English, Cantonese, and Mandarin.

Jessika Auerbach is a graduate of Oxford University, and the inaugural Master of Fine Arts class in dramatic writing at NYU/Tisch Asia’s Singapore campus. She was formerly Editorial Director of the Overlook Press in New York, Regional Asia Pacific Manager of Corporate Communications and Marketing with Colliers Jardine, and a Director of FairElite Public Relations, both in Hong Kong. She has also worked as a free-lance journalist and speechwriter, and is the author of ‘And Nanny Makes Three’ published in 2006 by St. Martin’s Press in NY. She’s currently working on her second book, a script for a feature film, and several short plays. She has four daughters and four sisters.

Shabana Azmi is an internationally acclaimed actress, Former Member of the Indian Parliament, and UN Goodwill Ambassador.  She made her film debut in 1974 and soon became one of the leading actresses of parallel cinema, an Indian New Wave movement known for its serious content and neo-realism. Regarded as one of the finest actresses in India, Azmi’s performances in films in a variety of genres have generally earned her praise and awards, which include a record of five wins of the National Film Award for Best Actress and several international honours. Azmi has appeared in over 120 Hindi films in both mainstream and independent cinema, and since 1988 she has acted in several foreign projects. Azmi is a prominent social and women’s rights activist, also promoting religious tolerance, fighting discrimination against HIV/AIDS victims, and supporting the rights of slum dwellers in Mumbai. She is noted for her consistent stand in defense of liberal values and the freedom of expression. She was also awarded the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award.

Alexandra Bach is the Head of Project Management, China Integration Office, for Novartis Vaccines & Diagnostics. A German native, she has worked on several continents and in a variety of positions and functions within the Pharmaceutical and Vaccines division since joining Novartis 16 years ago. She is also a Project Management Professional (PMP) with the Project Management Institute, and is currently based in Hangzhou, China. Ms. Bach has MBAs from Columbia Business School (USA) and London Business School (UK), Masters of Science in Nutritional Sciences from both the University of Wisconsin-Madison (USA) and the University of Giessen (Germany), and a Master’s Certificate in Project Management from the George Washington University (USA).

Anjali Bansal is Country Leader of Spencer Stuart’s Indian business, which she was instrumental in establishing. Based in Mumbai, she is a member of the firm’s global Board Services Practice and advises Indian and multinational companies on CEO and senior executive search, governance and succession. She is also a member of the Private Equity, Financial Services, Industry and Technology, Communications & Media practices, working in various geographies across the U.S., Europe, India and Southeast Asia. Anjali is a frequent commentator on board governance, CEO succession, entrepreneurship, and other executive leadership issues, and also convenes roundtable discussions on these topics with industry leaders. Before entering the executive search field, Anjali was with McKinsey & Company. Based in New York and Mumbai, she consulted on strategy and organizational issues with firms in financial services, private equity, industrial, technology, and media. She is a regular columnist with Mint, The Wall Street Journal, and other leading publications. She has a strong interest in development and entrepreneurship and chairs the board of FWWB (Friends of Women’s World Banking), a leading international microfinance institution. In addition, she serves on the board of Ananya Microfinance and is a charter member of The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE). Anjali received a Master’s degree with distinction in international affairs from Columbia University, and a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from Gujarat University in India.

Michele Batchelor, is Deputy Director of SingTel, Singapore.

Aigerim Bolat is a Program Executive with the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. She has ten years experience in public policy and economic and social development with the World Bank, EBRD, GTZ and UNESCAP. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in International Relations from the School of International Relations, National University of Mongolia and her Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore as an Asian Development Bank Scholar.  She also completed post-graduate studies in economics at the Institute of Economic Studies, Charles University & Economic University of Prague, Czech Republic as a Czech Government Scholar. She is fluent in Kazakh, Mongolian, Russian, English and Czech.

F

aith Brewitt is President of Have Faith and is a senior branding executive with 15 years international experience managing global public relations programs for leading brands in the United States, China and Asia Pacific. Faith has deep experience in developing creative, results-driven campaigns for emerging and mature markets through consumer and channel marketing, traditional and social media, experiential branding and executive thought leadership. Faith has held positions as general manager of Fleishman Hillard, regional technology practice director of Hill & Knowlton. Faith created the Dell Women’s Entrepreneur Network during her time as global communications director for Consumer, Small & Medium Business at Dell. Faith reads, writes and speaks Chinese.

Kerri Burgess joined Spencer Stuart in 2001 as a consultant and leads the Asia-Pacific financial services practice. She has over 18 years of local and international experience in financial services and has worked in senior executive roles in both line management and staff functions in Australia, Singapore, New York and London. Prior to joining Spencer Stuart, Kerri had a long career with Citigroup in Australia. From 1995 to 2001 she served as head of strategy and business development, financial institutions group head, and chief of staff for Citigroup’s corporate bank. During this time she served as a company appointed trustee for Citigroup’s Superannuation Fund in Australia. From 1992 to 1994, Kerri set up a structured products marketing group for Asia and Europe as part of Citibank’s investment banking activities in London. From 1989 to 1992, she was a director of Citibank’s Asia Pacific Banking Institute in Singapore, responsible for entry level training for nine Asia Pacific countries. Kerri’s earlier career was as derivatives head in Citibank Melbourne, various Citibank treasury sales and trading roles in Sydney, and a solicitor for 18 months with Clayton Utz, a large legal firm in Sydney. She has a Bachelor of Economics and a Bachelor of Law from the University of Sydney.

Minda Calaguian-Cruz is the Philippine Ambassador to Singapore. Before taking on this role she was the Chief Coordinator for the Office of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs.  Her diplomatic service enjoys a rich and prestigious history. From 2005 to 2007 she was the Secretary General for the Philippine Claims and Compensation Committee Secretariat, from 2000 to 2004 she was the Minister and Consul General at the Philippine Embassy in Singapore, and from 1997 to 2000 she was the Consul for the Philippine Consulate General in Hong Kong SAR, Macau. Prior to that, Ambassador Callaguian-Cruz served as Director of Foreign Affairs at the United Nations & Other International Organizations (UNIO) from 1993-1997. Minda has a BA in Political Science from the University of the East, and a MA in Political Science from Manuel L. Quezon University.

Mike Chambers is the Creative Director for Have Faith Pte. Ltd. He is a senior-level communications professional with 15 years’ experience in PR, journalism and marketing having worked with global and local organizations in the technology, travel, consumer retail, government and education sectors in the United States and Asia. Mike has helped develop and manage global networks of PR agencies and marketing executives while also providing strategic council and account management for agencies and clients alike. Primarily a writer, Mike has been published in magazines including CFO Asia, HR Magazine, Charged and Hong Kong Business; and served as chief copywriter for Newell PR in Hong Kong. He has written for brands including HP, Cisco, Symantec, LG, Dell, Oracle, IBM and Discovery Channel. Most recently, Mike was the communications and community affairs manager for Microsoft in Singapore. 

Carol Chan is a Managing Director of Credit Suisse in the Private Banking Operations Group, based in Singapore. She is currently Regional Head of Operations, Private Banking, Asia Pacific, a position she has held since June 2007. Prior to this appointment she was responsible for Investment Banking Operations primarily supporting the Fixed Income Division in Asia Pacific and played a critical role in building Singapore Operations into a global operations processing hub. Carol was instrumental in building Singapore as a Global and Regional Operations hub and is actively involved in Credit Suisse Global and Diversity Initiatives. She co-chairs the Work Life Employee Networks. In 2010, Carol was awarded the CEO Leadership award in Diversity. Carol joined Credit Suisse in March 1997 from Barclays Capital (then known as Barclays BZW) where she was Assistant Director, Regional Operations and prior to that Head of Global Custody Operations in Asia.  Carol has also held various key functional roles in Barclays Capital primarily Financial Control, Planning and Budgeting, and Trade Finance Operations and Marketing. Carol is an Operations practioner with more than 20 years of experience behind her.

Carolyn Chan is a Partner in the Consumer Markets Practice for Heidrick & Struggles Singapore Pte. Ltd., and she focuses on the Packaged Goods, Retail, & Hospitality sectors. She is also a key member of the firm’s Global Human Resources Practice. Previously, Carolyn held the position of Head of Recruitment and Training for Wal-Mart’s Global Procurement and Sourcing organization, based in Shenzhen, China. Prior to that, Carolyn was the Regional Director for Business Development, Strategic Partnerships and Alliances with the Center for Creative Leadership’s operations in Asia, based in Singapore. Her career includes 10 years in Executive Search with another global organization. She started her career in Sales, Product Development and Merchandising with Esprit De Corp. and Associated Merchandising Corp. (now Target) in Boston, New York and Hong Kong.  During her career in Executive Search in Asia, she worked with many global multinational corporations on leadership and functional management searches in fast moving consumer goods, retail, luxury, garment and apparel sourcing, entertainment and media.  Carolyn holds a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Massachusetts and an MBA from the University Of Chicago Booth School of Business. She has completed the Center for Creative Leadership’s Coaching Certification, Corporate Coach U’s Executive Coaching, and is accredited in MBTI, FiroB, and DISC assessment instruments. Carolyn is fluent in English, Cantonese and has working knowledge of Mandarin.

Edith Ngan Chan is Executive Director of the Asia Society Hong Kong Center. She graduated from Stanford University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Industrial Engineering and qualified at the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales with Price Waterhouse in London, Mrs. Chan is a highly regarded professional from the financial services industry. Having held Asia Pacific regional leadership positions in global organizations like ABN AMRO, Principal and Invesco, she brings with her more than 20 years of regional knowledge and global business management skills. Mrs. Chan is also an active member of the community, serving as Convener of the HKSAR Government Financial Reporting Review panel, Member of the Environmental & Conservation Fund Committee, Trustee of the International Christian School and formerly as Chairman of the Hong Kong Investment Funds Association.

Jannie Chan Siew Lee is the Executive Vice Chairman of The Hour Glass, a leading contemporary specialist watch retailer in the Asia Pacific region. From a one-boutique operation in 1979, The Hour Glass Group has developed a regional network of 24 boutiques strategically located in prime shopping belts in Australia, Hong Kong, Japan, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. Jannie was a member of the Women’s Leadership Initiative Board at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. In 2000, Jannie became a member of the first Business Advisory Council of the United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), and, since 2004, she has also served as a member of the Business Advisory Council of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). She was appointed as the first chairman for the Commonwealth Business Women Leaders Network. Jannie is also one of 50 leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World in Paris, and is the first woman president of the ASEAN Business Forum and the Singapore Retailers Association. In August 2009, she was the 1st Women to win the Enterprise Asia’s APEA Woman Entrepreneur of The Year Award. In 2003, she was conferred the Darjah Sultan Ahmad Shah Pahang (DSAP) which carries the title Dato’. In addition to Jannie’s many achievements, she established Save Our Planet Investments, a holding company with businesses in lifestyle, forestry, and bio-medical industries focused on Global Wellness. Born in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia, she holds a Bachelor of Science in Physiology and Masters of Science in Pharmacology from Monash University in Melbourne.

Bunty Chand is Executive Director of Asia Society India. Ms. Chand is overseeing the development of the newly established Asia Society India Centre and is responsible for fundraising, development of diverse programs and establishing relationships and building support for the Centre with a broad array of institutions in India. She has worked with the International Catholic Migration Commission at a refugee camp in the Philippines and spent ten years with AT&T in USA and Hong Kong in the areas of sales and marketing, Strategy and Business Development, Human resources and Training and Development. She holds a Masters in Business Administration from George Washington University, USA and the Asian Institute of Management, Philippines, and Masters in Special Education from Florida Atlantic University and a Bachelors degree in history from Delhi University. She has lived and worked in the US, Philippines, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury is the State Minister of the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs of the Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh. She is a Member of the 9th Parliament of Bangladesh. Enrolled with the Bangladesh Bar Council, Shirin was a practicing lawyer for sixteen years and has conducted many cases on violations of human rights involving constitutional issues. Shirin was a panel lawyer for the Honorable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in 2008-2009. Her practice tends to involve cases on Judicial Review by way of Writs, but she has also worked on sustainable development; Gender Issues; Pro bono Public Interest Litigation; and issues concerning Human Securities and Right to Life. Shirin has been involved in the preparatory sessions of finalizing the Law on Domestic Violence in Bangladesh, and was a Resource Person in the South Asian Alliance for Poverty Eradication (SAAPE), Bangladesh Chapter. She has teaching experience as Resource Person in BRAC University on Human Rights and also in the Dhaka International University on Human Rights and Public International Law. She developed dialogue/concept papers with various relevant NGOs and Human Rights organizations on human rights issues, and was Editor of the Bangladesh Legal Decisions (BLD), Law Report Series published by Bangladesh Bar Council (2003-2009 (July) Edition). Having obtained the Commonwealth Scholarship, Shirin completed her Doctor of Philosophy in Law in 2000 from the University of Essex, United Kingdom, and wrote her thesis on “The Right to Life.” Her area of specialization is Constitutional Law and Human Rights. Shirin completed LL.B (Honours) and LL.M. from the University of Dhaka, securing First Class, First Position. She secured first position in the Dhaka Board SSC (Humanities) Examination and second position in the Dhaka Board HSC (Humanities) Examination in the Combined Merit List.

Tania Chew is a Social Architect and co-founder of Word of Art, a boutique media and digital consultancy and has over 12 years’ experience in digital marketing and communications. Her last role was as head of Ogilvy Public Relations’ 360° Digital Influence practice where she was responsible for developing word-of-mouth programs and driving social media adoption across a large stable of Ogilvy clients including Intel, IBM, Canon and Seiko. Tania regularly conducts digital communications workshops around Southeast Asia and was most recently on the advisory board for the 2010 Social Media World Forum Asia. She tweets as @unfluff, with 1,485 followers and counting.

Su Yen Chia is Vice President of Public Policy, Credit Suisse Asia Pacific, based in Singapore. Su Yen manages the bank’s APAC Public Policy function, reporting to the Head of Public Policy for Asia Pacific. She is responsible for contributing industry perspectives through consultation and submission of policy papers to the government and policy makers. Su Yen also crafts the bank’s policy positions on developments in the financial markets in the region and acts as an internal consultant to the bank’s senior management on critical policy matters impacting the bank’s franchise. She began her career with Chase Manhattan Bank N.A. After completing a formalized banker’s training program, she managed a portfolio of middle market clients. She was later relocated to Singapore with Bankers Trust Company when it started a Marketing Services Department for the Investment Banking division. Three years later, Su Yen returned to New York City as a Project Leader with Greenwich Associates, a premier strategic consulting and financial research firm. Su Yen has also served with the United Nations Development Program at the UN Headquarters as a Program Analyst. She worked for the Regional Bureau for Asia and the Pacific where she was actively engaged in the Millennium Development Project and helped craft the APAC Gender Policy Report for 2005. Su Yen is a graduate of Columbia University School of International and Public Affairs. A Sasakawa Fellow and grant recipient of the Weatherhead East Asian Institute, Su Yen is also a member of the Asia Society’s Asia 21 Young Leaders Network. A published author on Southeast Asia geo-political issues, Su Yen is fluent in Bahasa (both Malaysian and Indonesian) and speaks fluent English and Chinese.

Annie Chin has been the Managing Director, MSD Singapore with responsibilities also for the Brunei market since July 2001. Annie began her career in Merck in 1994 as a Marketing Manager and has spent over a decade at the Human Health Division, holding several positions of increasing responsibility. In 1996, she joined the Finance Department as a Finance Manager and was later promoted to the Associate Finance Director in 1999. Prior to joining Merck, Annie started as a Medical Representative with Summit Company. In 1994, she was eventually promoted to the Marketing Manager responsible for the operations in the Marketing and Sales Functions. Annie Chin graduated from the National University of Singapore, with a Bachelor of Business Administration, majoring in Finance in 1986.

Chin Suit Fang is a Senior Executive Director and Markets Leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Malaysia. As Markets Leader her role encompasses Strategic Planning, Business Development, Marketing & Communications, Branding and Business Research & Knowledge Management. In her role, she works with the firm’s leaders in driving the firm’s strategic thrusts, targeting and proposal support and positioning the firm in its key Points of View. She also works with the partners and directors in developing thought leadership positions, branding and media management. A past member of the PwC Global Gender Advisory Council, Suit Fang also pioneered three Internal Firm Centres of Business Development, Training, and Human Resource. Suit Fang is a member of the Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants and member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants. The firms of the PwC network provide industry-focused assurance, tax and advisory services to enhance value for clients. More than 161,000 people in 154 countries in PwC firms across the PwC network share their thinking, experience and solutions to develop fresh perspectives and practical advice.

Grace Chng is the Editor of Digital Life at the Singapore Straits Times. She closely follows information and communications technology in Singapore, Silicon Valley and the world. Her interests are in the evolution of the tech industry, start-ups, web analytics, technopreneurs, business technologies and sexy gadgets. Her career in journalism began more than two decades ago and she has been following the movers and shakers of the industry such as Apple, HP, Cisco, Nokia, IBM, Creative Technologies and ST Electronics. Grace is a graduate of the University of Science, Penang, Malaysia and has an MBA from the National University of Singapore.

Chua Sock Koong is Group CEO of Singapore Telecommunications Limited (SingTel), a position she was appointed to on 1 April 2007. She oversees SingTel’s three key businesses – Singapore, Australia and International. Prior to this, she was the Deputy Group CEO from October 2006 to March 2007. Sock Koong joined SingTel in June 1989 as Treasurer. In April 1999, she was promoted to Chief Financial Officer (CFO), responsible for the Group’s financial functions, including treasury, tax, insurance, risk management and capital management. In addition, she managed a diverse range of portfolios – from corporate development, company secretariat and legal to corporate communications and investor relations. In February 2006, Sock Koong was appointed as Group CFO and CEO International, responsible for the key drivers of SingTel’s international business – Strategic Investments and NCS, the IT business arm. Besides overseeing the Group Information Systems and SingTel’s regional associates, she was responsible for driving strategic acquisitions and international business. Sock Koong is an Executive Director of SingTel and a Board member of Bharti Airtel Limited. She is also a member of the Singapore Management University (SMU) Board of Trustees, the Casino Regulatory Authority, the Public Service Commission and the Corporate Governance Council of the Monetary Authority of Singapore. Sock Koong holds a Bachelor of Accountancy (First Class Honours) from the University of Singapore and is a Certified Public Accountant and Chartered Financial Analyst.

Shelly Dee sits on the Board of the National Museum of Singapore and on the Executive Committee of the American Association of Singapore Board. In addition, she is a Board Member of the Hoglund Foundation in Dallas, TX and of Semester at Sea in Charlottesville, VA.  Outside of her Board commitments, she studies Mandarin full-time.  Before living in Singapore, she lived in London where she was on the development board of the Natural History Museum, in Hong Kong and in Houston where she was on the board of the Houston Museum of Natural Science and the junior board of MD Anderson. Shelly Dee is a graduate of both Harvard Business School and of the University of Virginia.  Shelly is an avid art collector and has her collections displayed at the Dallas Museum of Art, the Houston Museum of Fine Art and the Asian Civilizations Museum in Singapore.

Vishakha N. Desai is the sixth president of the Asia Society, assuming the position in July 2004. As chief executive officer, she is responsible for managing an international organization with offices throughout the U.S. and Asia. She sets the direction for the Society’s programs in the diverse fields of arts, culture, policy, business and education, overseeing a budget of $22 million. Since 1990, Dr. Desai has served the Asia Society in various leadership capacities, most recently as Senior Vice President and Director of the Museum and Cultural Programs. A scholar of classical Indian art, Dr. Desai has built an international reputation for introducing contemporary Asian art to a broad audience and using it to illuminate historical trends and their influence on the development of today’s society. She has been at the forefront of integrating Asian American issues into the Society’s public programs. A regular commentator in the news media, she frequently addresses business and foreign policy audiences on topics ranging from the evolution of U.S. engagement in Asia to the role of culture in changing Asian societies. The recipient of numerous grants and fellowships, Dr. Desai has published widely on traditional Indian art and on issues in contemporary Asian art. She has lectured extensively in the U.S. and in Asia, and has served as an advisor and juror for numerous international projects on contemporary art, including the Venice Biennale in 2003. Dr. Desai serves on the boards of The Brookings Institution, American Federation for Arts, Citizens for NYC, and the New York City Advisory Commission for Cultural Affairs.

Kerstin Duell is a research consultant for Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy’s new project, Pathways to Women’s Leadership in New Asia. She is a political scientist educated at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) London, and the National University of Singapore. Her PhD thesis applied frameworks of transnational activism, social movements, and non-traditional security to Burmese political, and armed ethnic groups exiled in Northeast India, and Thailand. In addition, she has undertaken extensive research on migration, refugees, HIV/AIDS, and engaged Buddhism in the region. Recent commissioned papers for think tanks analyze Burmese politics, and the consequences of non-traditional security threats to the region. In the capacity of a researcher or photographer she documents marginalized communities for NGOs, UN agencies, and foundations. Publications include several magazine covers, and the book cover for Somaly Mam’s autobiography (German edition). A forthcoming co-authored book portrays women in the floating communities on the Tonle Sap Lake. Kerstin’s photos on socio-economic issues, in particular female refugees, and the impact of HIV/AIDS on women were shown in a number of solo exhibitions across Asia. She was selected for the “Asia-Europe emerging photographers’ forum 2009”, and has been sponsored by Olympus Singapore since 2006. Some of her earlier work can be seen at www.kerstinduell.com.

Davaanyam Enkhchimeg is the Chief Executive Officer at Petrovis Limited Liability Company, which deals with the import, wholesale, and retail of petroleum products, and oversees the operations of 20 oil depots and 400 gas station networks in Mongolia. Petrovis LLC fully or jointly owns Petro Matad, Petrovis Tos, and LPG Distribution Company. Professional memberships include the Financial Management Association and International UCD Chapter Oil and Gas Association of Mongolia. Dayaanyam received an MBA and an MS from the University of Colorado, and a BA in Japanese Studies from the University of Foreign Languages.  She is an Asia Society Asia 21 Fellow.

Henrietta Holsman Fore is Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of Holsman International, an investment and management company. In addition, Henrietta provides advisory services to several international corporations, including the Coca-Cola Company. From 2007 to 2009, Henrietta served as the Administrator of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), and Director of United States Foreign Assistance, holding the equivalent rank as Deputy Secretary of State and was the first woman to serve in these roles. From 2005 to 2007, Henrietta served as Under Secretary of State for Management, the Chief Operating Officer for the Department of State. She served as the 37th Director of the United States Mint in the Department of Treasury from 2001 to 2005, and was elected President of the International Mint Directors. Henrietta received the Distinguished Service Award in 2009, the highest award the Secretary of State can bestow, and the Alexander Hamilton Award in 2005. Henrietta serves on the Board of Theravance, Inc. (THRX), and on the Boards of the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund, Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, International Youth Foundation, Women’s Foreign Policy Group, and Center for Global Development. She is also a Trustee of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Aspen Institute, and Asia Society, and serves on the Leadership Council of the Initiative for Global Development. She is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Poverty and Development Finance. She is co-Chair of Women Corporate Directors, and co-Chair of the Global Heritage Fund Diplomatic Council. Ms. Fore has a Bachelor of Arts degree in History from Wellesley College and a Master of Science degree in Public Administration from the University of Northern Colorado. She has also studied International Politics at Oxford University and studied at Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Melissa Goh is General Manager, Amore Pacific, Singapore.  With more than 10 years of beauty care industry experience, Melissa has been with Amore Pacific for over 3 years to head up and develop the Korean beauty business in the Singapore market.

Suman Gopalan is the Executive Director-HR at Dell Inc.  She leads the Organization Development and Talent Management function for Dell’s Consumer, Small and Medium Business (CSMB) organization. CSMB is one of the largest and fastest growing segments within Dell, with annual revenue over $25 billion, and over 20,000 employees worldwide. Suman is responsible for designing and developing high impact Talent Management processes and programs in support of the CSMB business strategy globally, as well as leading all aspects of Organization Development such as Organization Design, Org & Talent Assessments, Talent and Succession Planning, Leadership Development and Executive Coaching. Additionally, Suman supports the Global CSMB Marketing team as their HR Business Partner, driving their people agenda worldwide. Suman began her career with Dell nearly 10 years ago, as the HR leader for Dell India, and helped to start up Dell’s direct business in India. Since then she has assumed several HR leadership roles across multiple countries, regions and worldwide, and supported multiple businesses within Dell such as Home Small and Medium Business in China, Corporate Functions across Asia Pacific and Japan, Worldwide Product Group for Small and Medium Business. Suman joined Dell from Whirlpool Corporation in India, where she led the HR function for several regions, and was also instrumental in setting up their first Competency Development Function. Suman holds a Post Graduate Degree in Human Resources and Industrial Relations from Xavier Labor Relations Institute (XLRI) – Jamshedpur, India, and also a Bachelors degree in both Computer Science and Computer Applications from Avinashilingam Deemed University, Coimbatore, India.

Michelle Guthrie is JAPAC Director, Strategic Business Development for Google Asia Pacific, based in its Singapore office. Michelle has over a decade of experience in the media industry across Asia. Most recently, Michelle was a Managing Director of Providence Equity Partners based in Hong Kong. Providence Equity Partners is a private equity firm, focused on media, entertainment, communications and technology. Before joining Providence in 2007, Michelle was the CEO of STAR TV, wholly owned by NewsCorp. Michelle began her career at STAR in Hong Kong in 2000 as Head of Business Development and went on to run Regional Distribution and then became CEO. Michelle previously worked for NewsCorp at FOXTEL in Australia and BSkyB in the UK. Earlier in her career she was a lawyer at a large Australian law firm in Sydney and Singapore.

Alexandra Harney is a visiting scholar at the University of Hong Kong and the author of The China Price: The True Cost of Chinese Competitive Advantage (Penguin Press, 2008). She spent seven years as a correspondent and editor at The Financial Times, and has also written for the Atlantic Monthly, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Time, Slate, the China Economic Quarterly and Foreign Policy. A Mandarin and Japanese speaker, Alexandra is a contributing editor at Forbes and the Economist Intelligence Unit and a regular commentator on the BBC, NPR and Japanese television. Alexandra has testified before the U.S. Congress about China’s role in the global financial crisis. In the past, she worked as an aide to Japanese politician Nakatani Gen and studied Japanese security policy at Tokyo University’s graduate school on a Monbushio fellowship. Alexandra is a cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Princeton University with a degree from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Policy. She is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, and an Asia Society Asia 21 Fellow.

Ee Leen Heng is Human Resources Team Leader, Bloomberg L.P.  In this capacity  she manages the HR Relationship Management Team in Singapore, India, Southeast Asia and Australasia.

Deborah Ho is Chief Executive Officer of DBS Asset Management. Ho brings with her over 20 years of experience in Finance, Sales & Marketing and Management. Since 1985, she has worked in leading global financial institutions such as Citigroup, Credit Suisse, JP Morgan and UBS. She has a proven track record in building up and directing high performance teams. Prior to joining DBSAM, Ho was a consultant and lecturer at Temasek Holding’s Wealth Management Institute (WMI). Most recently, she has been directing the merger and integration of DBS Asset Management and Nikko Asset Management. She also sits on the board of Changsheng Asset Management, Hwang-DBS Investment Management Bhd, Aiiman (an Islamic Asset Management Company based in Malaysia), DBS Asset Management and ABLE (a Catholic Charity in aid of the physically challenged).

Alexandra Holcomb is the Group General Manager of Global Transactional Services & Asia at Westpac. She joined the WIB Executive Team in June 2009 as General Manager, Working Capital Solutions and Asia, and has led this team, formerly Working Capital and Trade Solutions, since June 2005. Her current responsibilities as Group General Manager of Global Transactional Services & Asia extend across Westpac’s Global Corporate & Institutional market leading sales and service teams and the Working Capital Solutions portfolio that spans the domestic and international market. Between 1996 and 2005 Alex worked for Westpac in a range of executive level roles. This included Group Executive, Group Strategy and Head of Westpac Institutional Bank Strategy. Prior to joining Westpac, Alex was a strategy consultant in Booz Allen’s financial services practice based in Singapore and Australia. In addition, Alex has worked on Financial Sector Reform in Bangladesh, in Project Finance for Barclays Bank in New York and Banque Indosuez in France. Alex also worked in a number of sales, credit and risk roles for Chase Manhattan Bank both in New York and offshore. She is a director of the Westpac Staff Superannuation (Pension) plan and the Westpac Foundation and is a fellow of the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Alex has an MBA in Finance and Multinational Management and a Master of Arts in International Studies and French from the Wharton School of Business and the University of Pennsylvania. She also holds a BA from Cornell University in English and Economics.

Joey Horn is a director of publicly-traded companies in Thailand, Singapore and Norway in the shipping and offshore industries. She is also a trustee of her alma mater, Williams College. Ms. Horn graduated with an MBA from Yale University in 1991 and a BA from Williams College in 1987.

Rosalind L. Hudnell is Chief Diversity Officer and Global Director of Education & External Relations for Intel Corporation. In this role, she oversees Intel’s strategic approach to the development of a diverse workforce worldwide, college relations and the global branding and marketing of Intel’s image as workplace of choice. A 14-year Intel veteran, Hudnell has held various management positions in community relations, government relations, charitable contributions, media outreach, employee volunteerism, and workforce development at the company. She is widely known for directing the implementation of the Intel Computer Clubhouse Network, a global award-winning program bringing leading-edge technology to underserved youth around the world. Hudnell has over 20 years of experience in similar positions in the publishing and cable television industries, where she was instrumental in implementing a variety of technology training programs funded through the California Employment Training Panel, United States Department of Labor & Education, and numerous private sector corporations. She is readily sought after to speak on a variety of topics related to workforce development, community development, and leadership. She serves on the board of directors for Center for Work-Life Policy, is the Board Executive Vice President of the National GEM Consortium and serves on key national committees including the Hidden Brain Drain Task Force Steering Committee and the Asia Pacific Leadership Forum. Hudnell has received numerous awards, including Black Engineer of the Year for Corporate Promotion of Education, Ruth Standish Baldwin Award, Martin Luther King Jr. Association Good Neighbor Award, and recognition from Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, 100 Black Women, the Sacramento Observer magazine and the Greater Sacramento Urban League’s President’s Award. Hudnell completed her undergraduate studies in management at St. Mary’s College and has done specific study at UCLA Anderson School of Management. She is a Senior Fellow through the American Leadership Forum.

Attiya Inayatullah is a Member of Parliament in Pakistan who serves on the Human Rights and Women’s Development Standing Committees and has a leadership role in steering legislation on women, children and reproductive health. She has a lifetime of service in her country and internationally in the fields of human rights, social & human development, and international relations. Attiya has much experience in interacting with parliamentarians around the world through the Inter Parliamentary Union (IPU). Through her current involvement she holistically contributes to human security and development. She is chairperson of the finance & programme committee of Kashf, a microfinance foundation established exclusively for women. Attiya is president of SPARC, the national human rights organization for children, director of Pakistan’s Centre of Philanthropy, a member of the Pakistan Muslim League, her political party, and is chairperson of the Foreign Relations Committee. Amongst her many accomplishments, she is instrumental in bringing about the decline in Pakistan’s population growth rate, in strengthening civil society through the empowerment of communities, and in advocating the human rights agenda. She has extensively contributed both in Pakistan and internationally to the understanding of the rights of women in Islam. Her initiatives are innumerable, ranging from organizing the first ever OIC Women’s Moot in Islamabad in the mid eighties to the Women in Islam Meeting in Tunis and ongoing consultation with the Council of Islamic Ideology and Islamic University in Pakistan. Attiya is the recipient of many global & national awards, amongst which is the UN Ceres Gold Medal given to distinguished women in recognition of their dedicated services in their area of specialization. She has a Doctorate in Social Demography and a Masters in Sociology and Anthropology.

Ziena Jalil is New Zealand Trade Commissioner to Singapore and is responsible for facilitating and promoting business opportunities and relationships for New Zealand in this market. An award-winning public affairs professional, Ziena has been recognized with several awards in Asia and New Zealand for her work. Prior to her current role, Ziena was based in Hong Kong as New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) regional head of marketing and communications for North Asia. She led national branding and strategic communications initiatives for NZTE offices across China, Japan, Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. These initiatives included the New Zealand-China Free Trade Agreement leveraging program, New Zealand’s presence at Shanghai Expo and the opening of business centers and new offices in Greater China. Ziena has also worked in public affairs roles both in-house and in consultancy for organizations in the education, energy and not-for-profit sectors in New Zealand. Her education is in international trade and strategic communications.

Sushma Jobanputra is the Partner in Charge of the Singapore office of the global law firm Jones Day. Previously, she was a partner at Osler in Toronto and Linklaters in London, before deciding to join Barclays Capital as a Managing Director heading a team in the Structured Transactions Group. Sushma leads an office of over 30 staff, including 17 lawyers. The Singapore office of Jones Day serves as a hub for the firm’s business in India, Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand and other ASEAN countries. Sushma is one of ten women who run an office or a region for Jones Day, as well as two practices and a quarter of the firm’s Advisory Committee. Consistently over the last several years women have made up over 50% of both Jones Day’s summer associate program and their newly qualified attorneys. Jones Day is a global law firm with more than 2,500 lawyers, including over 200 in Asia, located in 34 centers of business and finance throughout the world. Ranked among the world’s best and most integrated law firms, and perennially ranked among the best in client service, Jones Day acts as principal outside counsel to, or provides significant legal representation for more than half of the Fortune Global 500 companies. Jones Day’s “One Firm Worldwide” structure enables the Singapore office to collaborate with the firm’s offices across the Americas, Europe, Asia, and Australia.

Maria José Juanes is the Coordinator of the Spanish and Asian Women Network, with the collaboration of the Agencia Española de Cooperación Internacional (Spanish Agency for International Cooperation). She has 8 years of experience in the public sector, specializing in equality policy, and began her career in 2004 as an advisor to the Secretary of State responsible for Relationships with the Parliament, where she was in charge of communications. In 2008, she moved to the Equality ministry, where she served the Director for the Cabinet of the Secretary-General of Equality Policies until 2010. Since 2006, she has been a member of the organization of the International Meetings Spain – Africa, supported by the Spanish Government, and she has actively helped in designing and implementing the Network of Spanish-African Women called “Women for a Better World.” She studied Political Sciences at the Universidad Complutense de Madrid (Spain), then and also Journalism at the Universidad Carlos III de Madrid (Spain). She received a graduate diploma in Constitutional Law and Political Sciences in the Centro de Estudios Políticos y Constitucionales de Madrid (Political & Constitutional Studies Centre) in 2004.

Suzaina Kadir is Senior Lecturer at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS. Her research/teaching interests and areas of specialization include Religion and Politics, with special focus on Political Islam and Governance in Southeast Asia; State-Society Relations and Political Change in Asia, and Gender Politics and Public Policy. She is a recipient of the NUS Overseas Merit Scholarship and the Mendaki Award for Academic Excellence. She has served on various Singapore Government committees including the 2003 Remaking Singapore Committee (RSC), the Censorship Review Committee (CRC), the Feedback Unit Supervisory Panel and Preparatory Committee for the 2012 Singapore Green Plan. She recently served on the Board of Directors of the Media Development Authority (MDA) and the Board of Governors of the Institute of Technical Education (ITE). Suzaina is an active volunteer with community-based organizations such as the Association of Malay-Muslim Professionals. She has just set up a virtual women’s group, Women-In-Mind, focusing on creating a space for, and giving a voice to, professional Muslim women in Singapore. She obtained her B.Soc.Sc. (1st Class Honours), Political Science from the National University of Singapore; and her MA and PhD (Political Science) from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Naazneen Karmali is India Editor of Forbes Asia and Mumbai Bureau Manager, Forbes, based in Mumbai, India’s financial capital. A graduate of accountancy and management, Naazneen is a veteran business journalist who has been writing and reporting on India’s entrepreneurs since 1981. She began her career as a reFporter at Business India, the country’s pioneering business magazine and rose through the ranks to become managing editor. Fourteen years ago she started her association with Forbes, tracking the wealth of India’s richest who went on to become, cumulatively, Asia’s wealthiest of the wealthy. Naazneen sits on the India Advisory Board of the World Literacy of Canada, a non-profit voluntary organization that emphasizes adult literacy and non-formal education for both children and adults. She’s also a founding director of the Satyagyan Foundation, a non-profit that is committed to an integrated approach to education and community development for the impoverished. Naazneen has co-authored The Hit Parade which profiles India’s business tycoons.

Harjit Kaur is Marketing Consultant at the Membership Department of the National Trades Union Congress.

Hoon Eng Khoo is Deputy Director at the International Relations Office and Associate Professor in the Department of Biochemistry, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, National University of Singapore (NUS). In May 2010, she stepped down from her three-year appointment as the Provost and Acting Vice-Chancellor of the Asian University for Women (AUW) in Bangladesh. Prior to her joining AUW, Dr. Khoo was Vice-Dean of the Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Deputy Head of the Medical Education Unit and Associate Director of the Centre for Development of Teaching and Learning in NUS. Dr. Khoo graduated from Smith College with a major in biochemistry. She received her Ph.D. from St. Mary’s Medical School at the University of London and a Postgraduate Diploma in Medical Education from the University of Dundee. Apart from her research in biomedical sciences, her interests also lie in effective pedagogy, curriculum design, and university administration and governance.

So Eun Kim is Director, MSD, Singapore.

Aliza Knox is MD, Online Sales, Asia Pacific Google as of 2007. She is responsible for Google’s Women in Leadership programs for the region, and she worked with the EDB to help create a major presence for Google in Singapore. She has over two decades of financial services and international experience. Aliza is a Boston Consulting Group alumna, who was with the firm in Sydney and Singapore (1996-1999), leaving as a Partner, and Head of Financial Services in Asia. Subsequently, she worked as Senior Vice President, International at Charles Schwab, followed by running Commercial Solutions as Senior Vice President, Visa International, where she had direct responsibility for the strategy and development of Visa’s procurement and travel solutions used by governments and businesses worldwide. Aliza holds a BA in Applied Math and Economics, magna cum laude, phi beta kappa from Brown University and an MBA degree with distinction from New York University. She is on the board of a workforce development NGO in the US and is an advisor to Women in Media Networks (Asia).

Annie Koh is Associate Professor of Finance and Dean of the Office of Executive and Professional Education at the Singapore Management University. She also holds the position of Academic Director, International Trading Institute at SMU. A frequently sought after conference speaker, panel moderator and expert commentator, Annie’s research interests are in Family Office and Family Business Research, REITS, Investor Behavior, Alternative Investments, and Enterprise Risk Management. She has extensive experience in consulting and executive education for the corporate and public sectors, training professionals in leadership, management, directorship and private banking. Instrumental in bridging academia and the industry, Annie has spearheaded many major partnerships between SMU and the business world such as the Human Capital Leadership Institute in partnership with the Ministry of Manpower, the International Trading Institute for commodities research and training, the Financial Training Institute for competency training, the BNP Paribas Hedge Fund Centre and the UOB-SMU Entrepreneurship Alliance. Annie was also behind the successful Business Advisors Programme where retrenched professionals are matched with small local enterprises for short-term consultancy stints, as well as the Foundation Training Programme to prepare fresh graduates for career in local enterprises. Annie received the Public Administration Medal (Bronze), a prestigious National Day Award for 2010. Her paper, “An Analysis of Extreme Price Shocks and Illiquidity Among Systematic Trend Followers” (2010), co-written with Bernard Lee and Cheng Shih-Fen was published in the Review of Futures Markets and the Social Science Research Network. Her current projects include studies on REITS and Investor Behavior, cases on Family Business and a primer/casebook on Commodity Finance. Annie is also author for International Enterprise Singapore’s book on Financing Internationalisation – Growth Strategies for Successful Companies (2004) which has been translated into Chinese. She received her PhD in International Finance from New York University (Stern School of Business) in 1988 where she was a Fulbright scholar.

Karen Koh is currently Director Asia, Oxford Biodynamics UK, and Board member of A2Bioscience and OperaViva Singapore. She has also served on the Boards of the Economic Development Board Investment Fund, SGX-listed company CWT Logistics and Republic Polytechnic. Karen was the former Deputy CEO of Singhealth and Singapore General Hospital. Prior to this she was an Administrative Officer in the Ministry of Finance, and had postings to the Monetary Authority of Singapore and Inland Revenue Department. She retired from the public sector in 2008 in order to pursue her entrepreneurial interests. Karen has an MPA and International Tax Program (Certificate) from Harvard University and a BA Hons (Econs) from Cambridge University.

Deanna Kosaraju is the Vice President of Programs at the Anita Borg Institute for Women and Technology (ABI). Her role is to direct and manage the program team which is at the core of how ABI as a nonprofit meets its mission to recruit, retain and advance technical women while changing the culture of technology. For the past 5 years Deanna has been running the Grace Hopper Celebration for Women in Computing. Recently, Deanna embarked on a new program and is the conference founder for the Grace Hopper Celebration in India, launching ABI as an international NGO, which was held in Bangalore in December 2010. Deanna and the Program Team are also working on a project partnering with IIE and the U.S. State Department to bring 38 women from the MENA region to Silicon Valley for mentoring in the Spring/Summer 2011. TechWomen was created in response to President Obama’s Cairo speech in 2009 and IIE and ABI were hand selected by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to implement this program.

Yuko Kusaka is Second Secretary at the Embassy of Japan in Singapore.  She has previously served in the Secretariat of the House of Councillors, the National Diet of Japan, in a number of different capacities.  Yuko holds a Bachelor and Master of Law from Hitotsubashi University.

Susan Kwek heads the International Technology Organization (ITO) for Citibank’s Consumer Banking & Cards business. ITO provides application development and support services to the Consumer Banking & Cards business in more than 40 countries globally. Singapore is the global headquarters for ITO, with additional support centers in China, India, Philippines, Malaysia, and Hong Kong. ITO provides Business Analyst, Applications development, Production Support, Production assurance and Deployment, Service Centre and Training services to GCG International businesses. ITO delivers end-to-end technology solutions to GCG-I businesses, manages the consistent deployment of standard ITO application platforms, drives competitive cost structure by leveraging high-quality and low-cost development centers, and partners with Corporate O&T functions to ensure alignment with overall Citigroup priorities. ITO cultivates the culture of client-first, delivering on ITO commitments, strengthen out processes and executing with excellence, lastly maintain high VOE satisfaction rating and establish career development plan for staff. Our benchmarks, or guiding principles, are closely aligned with the Global Consumer Technology Charter as well as the Asia Pacific O&T Priorities.

Gauri Sikri Lakhanpal is the Head of Programs and Development of the Asia Society Hong Kong Center. Gauri has been with the Asia Society for close to 6 years during which period she has worked in two different centers, Hong Kong and Mumbai, and worked on both programming as well as membership. Prior to joining the Asia Society, Gauri was a management consultant focused on the media and telecom sector with Monitor Company in Hong Kong and with netdecisions, a UK-based technology consulting firm, in their Singapore offices. Gauri has also worked as a freelance consultant and journalist for several media companies including the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry, The Financial Express, Variety Magazine, and Star TV. Gauri has dual bachelor’s degrees from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Economics and Management Science, and a Master’s degree from the London School of Economics.

Gaëlle Patin Laloy is in charge of the Asian Communities Programme at the Barcelona headquarters of CASA ASIA, a Spanish cultural institution for public diplomacy. CASA ASIA was created in 2001 with a consortium made up of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation, through its Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development, the Government of Catalonia, and the Barcelona and Madrid City Councils. After 6 years of coordinating the East-West Dialogue and 3 years in charge of the China Strategy, she is now in charge of the Asian Communities Programme, which seeks to strengthen relations and collaboration with the members of the Asian Diaspora in Spain and to promote their participation and interaction with the people of Spain. This programme is a tool for building a plural, participatory and cohesive society. One outcome of the programme is the creation of a closed-door, informal gathering with women from around fifteen countries to discuss issues of common interest. Gaëlle holds a Bachelor of Arts in Art History and a Master’s Degree in Management from Boston University.  She also studied at the Center of Studies on Modern and Contemporary China at the EHESS in Paris, where her research focused on the transformation of the Chinese society. She then moved to China where she completed three years of university-level courses in Chinese Language and Civilization at the Shanghai’s China Normal University and Beijing’s Foreign Affairs University. Gaëlle speaks Mandarin, English, Spanish, Italian and French.

Bonny Landers is Head of a private family office in Hong Kong, which is active in wealth management, philanthropy, trust and estate planning and administration, accounting and family services. She is a senior banker with more than 25 years’ experience in international banking. Most of her career was spent with The Chase Manhattan Bank in New York, during which time she undertook assignments in Paris, London and Hong Kong, managing at the most senior levels the large corporate, government, and institutional relationships across Europe, Africa, and Asia. Ms. Landers has a particular interest in promoting sustainable and responsible investing. In addition to her professional activities, Ms. Landers actively supports various charitable programs such as initiatives to increase women’s access to education and livelihoods, to improve the capacities of adults with Downs’ Syndrome and to alleviate poverty. Ms. Landers is an honours graduate of Harvard University and a Rotary International Foundation Graduate Fellow in International Relations. She speaks English and French fluently and is a perpetual student of Cantonese and Mandarin.

Shelly Lazarus is the Chairman of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide. Shelly has held positions of increasing responsibility in the management of the company, including president of O&M Direct North America, Ogilvy & Mather New York, Ogilvy North America, Chief Operating Officer, and CEO of Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide. Advertising Women of New York selected Shelly as its Woman of the Year in 1994. She was honored by Women in Communications with their Matrix Award in 1995, was named Business Woman of the Year by the New York City Partnership in 1996, and Woman of the Year in 2002 by the Direct Marketing Association (DMA). She has appeared in Fortune magazine’s annual ranking of America’s 50 Most Powerful Women in Business for ten years following the list’s inception in 1998. Shelly was the first woman to receive Columbia Business School’s Distinguished Leader in Business Award as well as the first woman to receive the Advertising Educational Foundation’s (AEF) Lifetime Achievement Award. She is also a member of the Direct Marketing Association’s Hall of Fame. Shelly serves on the boards of General Electric, Merck, New York Presbyterian Hospital, American Museum of Natural History, Committee Encouraging Corporate Philanthropy, World Wildlife Fund, AEF, and the Board of Overseers of Columbia Business School. She served for five years as Chairman of the Board of Trustees of Smith College, her alma mater. She is a member of Advertising Women of New York, The Committee of 200, Council on Foreign Relations, The Business Council, Women’s Forum Inc., and Deloitte WIN External Advisory Council. She has also served as Chairman of the American Association of Advertising Agencies. She received her Masters from Columbia Business School in 1970.

Lee Yan Hong is Managing Director of Human Resources at Citi.  Ms. Lee has had more than 20 years of professional HR experience, 16 of which have been in Citi. She has worked in various businesses across the Citi franchise – country and regional roles.

Lien Siaou Sze is a member of the Board of Trustees at Nanyang Technological University. In 1978, she started her career at HP as a systems engineer and rose through the management ranks in Singapore, South East Asia, and then the entire Asia Pacific region. Along the way, she became the first woman in Asia to attain the title of Vice President and later was the first to be named a Senior Vice President. In the course of her management roles she has headed HP’s Technology Solutions Group Asia Pacific & Japan (APJ), HP Services APJ, and was Managing Director for HP Asia-Pacific during the acquisition and implementation of the merger with Compaq. Lien serves on the board of the Port of Singapore Authority and Republic Polytechnic. She has also served as Council Member of Nanyang Technological University since 2003 and as a member in the Board of Trustees upon the University’s autonomy in 2006. In September of 2010, after more than 28 years with the company, Ms Lien made the decision to retire from HP. She was ranked number five on Fortune magazine’s list of the “50 Most Powerful Women in Business Outside of the USA.” A vocal advocate of lifelong learning, she is now pursuing her PhD at Cambridge University. Ms Lien graduated in 1971 from Nanyang University with a Bachelor of Science in Physics. She then went on to receive her Masters degree in Computer Science from London University, Imperial College Science and Technology.

Christina Lim is Director of Brand & Marketing at NTUC FairPrice where she drives the branding and marketing strategies for its various retail banners – the main supermarket brand (FairPrice), gourmet banner (FairPrice Finest), hypermarket (FairPrice Xtra), convenience store (Cheers and FairPrice Xpress) and FairPrice Online. Christina is responsible for building brand distinction for each of the retail banners and establishing new customer engagement platforms that cultivate stronger customer following. Her other challenges lie in ensuring that the cooperative’s CSR initiatives and marketing sponsorships are optimized to drive maximum mileage for the FairPrice brand and resonance among its customers. She is instrumental in establishing fresh platforms for the retailer to effectively engage customers and the community through social media initiatives, interactive reality TV cooking show and customer online/mobile portal, etc. Prior to joining FairPrice, Christina spent 17 years in the advertising industry with various international advertising agencies. She is a trained marketing communication specialist in through-the-line strategies. Christina believes in challenging the conventions and finding new ways of looking at and doing things. She thinks it is important to build and leverage insights to spark interaction between a brand and its customers, in a meaningful and profitable way. About NTUC FairPrice NTUC FairPrice was founded in 1973 by the National Trades Union Congress to combat profiteering. Today, they are Singapore’s trusted supermarket with over 200 stores in diverse formats, serving the needs of customers from all walks of life – a major player with over 50% market share. They remain as a cooperative committed to their founding mission of moderating the cost of living in Singapore.

Corinna Lim is the Executive Director of the Association of Women for Action & Research (AWARE). Before her appointment, Corinna was an active member of AWARE, having served on two executive committees and several sub-committees. She led a number of research projects, including the Report on “Women Growing Older But Poorer” and the development of the Workplace Sexual Harassment Workshop. At AWARE, she has been involved in the areas of governance, fund raising, advocacy, research, community outreach, and event management. Corinna practised law for more than 10 years in Allen & Gledhill, Khattar Wong & Partners and Koh Ong & Partners. As a lawyer, she also provided free legal counseling at AWARE’s Legal Clinic and was the principal drafter of the Domestic Violence Bill that former AWARE president and Nominated Member of Parliament, Dr Kanwaljit Soin, tabled to Parliament. Together with Serena Lim, her twin sister, Corinna founded and was the CEO of Bizibody Technology Pte Ltd, a technology company which provides software solutions to the legal industry.

Penny Low is a Member of Parliament in Singapore.  In 2001, Penny was the youngest elected female Member of Parliament in Singapore. She chaired the Government Parliamentary Committees (GPC) for the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Arts, and currently serves on the GPC for Ministry of Finance, Trade and Industry, and the Ministry of Education. Penny has extensive experience in the wealth management industry, having founded the Planners-Hub Consultancy in 1998 and several related technology-based enterprises. She served on the Global Voice Editorial Advisory Board of Financial Planning Association (USA) and the ISO/TC222 Taskforce on Personal Financial Planning. She trains senior executives and has co-written syllabus for CFP, ChFC, CLU and an undergraduate module on Financial Management. She sits on the Governing Council of the Singapore Institute of Management. In 2006, she founded Social Innovation Park Ltd, a leading non-profit organisation that spans 6 countries. She is on the Board of JetLi One Foundation, Operation Hope (USA) and Larta (US-based leading “innovation hub” with global reach founding) founding Boards of Global Advisors, and is also a founding advocate of the Earth Love Movement. She is honoured as a founding member of the Forum of Young Global Leaders (2005) and New Asian Leaders (2004) by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum (WEF) and an official link between the YGL and the Schwab Foundation for Social Entrepreneurs. In 2007, Penny was honoured as a Yale World Fellow and a Yale Scholar by Yale University, USA. She recently completed the Global Leadership and Public Policy for 21st Century Leaders at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Penny is an Asia Society Asia 21 Young Leader.

Marina Mahathir is a writer, women’s rights and HIV/AIDS activist and TV producer. She served as the President of the Malaysian AIDS Council for 12 years from 1993-2005. In addition Marina has served on many regional and international HIV/AIDS bodies including the AIDS Society of Asia and the Pacific (ASAP), UNAIDS and the Asia Pacific Leadership Forum on HIV and Development (APLF). Currently she is a member of the Board of Sisters in Islam. Marina also writes a fortnightly column on social issues in a local English-language daily as well as online, produces a TV programme for young women and writes and speaks regularly on women’s issues particularly where it relates to Islam, gender and HIV/AIDS. She is an avid blogger with her own blog, www.rantingsbymm.blogspot.com, a Twitterer (@netraKL) and Facebooker.

Rohana Mahmood is Chairman and co-founder of Ethos Capital. She brings her extensive political and business networks in Malaysia and ASEAN to the Fund. Rohana is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Asia Society of New York. She is also the President and member-founder of the Kuala Lumpur Business Club, Board Member and Distinguished Fellow of ISIS Malaysia and has served with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She sits on the board of various government agencies and listed and private companies.

Gwynne Master is Head of Banks for Barclays Asia Global Financial Institutions. She joined Barclays in September 2008 to lead the expansion of the FI business across Asia, including India, Australia and New Zealand. Gwynne has 20 years of Asian, European, and North American banking experience, and she began her banking career in the U.S. with Philadelphia National Bank (CoreStates Bank, First Union, Wachovia, and now Wells Fargo) in 1986. In 1991, as Vice President, Gwynne moved to Europe to open the bank’s first Italy Office and build out the business across the Financial sector. She later assumed additional responsibility for Greece, Cyprus and Israel. Gwynne moved to Asia in 1997, to expand Wachovia Bank’s Singapore business and build a presence in Vietnam. From 2000-2008, as Managing Director, she built out a regional hub in Southeast Asia and led Wachovia’s financial institutional sales and service teams in Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam. Gwynne holds a BA degree in Political Science from the University of California and an MA degree in International Relations from the School of Public & International Affairs (The Elliott School) at George Washington University, Washington, D.C. She has also studied in Spain, Portugal and Argentina. Gwynne was born in New York and has lead businesses in the US, Europe and Asia. She has lived in Europe and Asia for the last 19 years and currently lives in Singapore.

Braema Mathiaparanam is President of MARUAH (Singapore Working Group for an ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism) and a researcher on women’s, migrants and civil society matters and a trainer on organizational development matters, crisis communications, media relations and leadership.  She has  worked as a teacher, a journalist for The Straits Times,  a researcher with the Institute of South East Asian Studies (ISEAS) and headed a corporate communications department in the healthcare industry. She was also a Nominated Member of Parliament. Ms Braema is currently is the Director(Hon.) of Research and Advocacy at AWARE, a women advocacy group, of which she was also a two-term President. She is the current focal point(Singapore) for the Women’s Caucus, a regional network of women’s groups .  She is also the Regional President ( Southeast Asia and Pacific) of the International Council of Social Welfare (Netherlands) and Vice-chair of the Institute of Women’s Empowerment ( Hong Kong).  She has also  founded and led Transient Workers Count Too, a migrant advocacy group; was is today the President of the regional group, MARUAH (Singapore Working Group for ASEAN Human Rights Mechanism).

Jamie F. Metzl is Executive Vice President of Asia Society. He is responsible for overseeing the Asia Society’s strategic direction and overall program activities globally. He also leads the process to oversee the Asia 21 Initiative. Dr. Metzl has extensive government experience including service in the White House, the Department of State and the U.S. Senate. In 2004, he ran unsuccessfully for the U.S. House of Representatives from Missouri’s Fifth Congressional District in Kansas City. Dr. Metzl’s government appointments have included Deputy Staff Director and Senior Counselor of the United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senior Coordinator for International Public Information at the Department of State, and Director for Multilateral and Humanitarian Affairs on the White House National Security Council during the Clinton Administration. At the White House, he coordinated U.S. government strategic communication campaigns for Iraq, Kosovo, and other crises. A Khmer speaker, he was a Human Rights Officer for the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) from 1991 to 1993, where he helped establish a nation-wide human rights investigation and monitoring unit for Cambodia. The author of a non-fiction book on human rights in Southeast Asia and the novel The Depths of the Sea (St. Martin’s Press), his writing on diplomacy, Asian affairs, virtual reality, human genetic engineering and other topics have appeared in The New York Times, Foreign Affairs and many other publications and he is a regular commentator in national and international media including the BBC, CNN, and Fox News. He is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, a founder and Board Co-Chair of the bipartisan national security organization Partnership for a Secure America, and a former White House Fellow and Aspen Institute Crown Fellow. He serves on numerous charitable boards and holds a Ph.D. in Southeast Asian history from Oxford University, a juris doctorate from Harvard Law School, and is a magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Brown University.  Dr. Metzl has completed eight ironman triathlons, 25 marathons, and one ultramarathon.

Jean T. Miao is the Director of Operations for the Robert H.N. Ho Family Foundation, a Hong Kong based philanthropic organization focused on the promotion of Chinese arts and culture and the strengthening of Buddhist studies. She oversees all programmatic activity that the Foundation sponsors and supports internationally. Prior to joining the Foundation, Jean was a program officer at The California Endowment, a private healthcare foundation that serves the state of California. She helped with the development of the Center for Healthy Communities, which provided grantees the opportunity to build relationships and gain exposure to new skills and strategies around improving the health status of Californians. Previously, she was the Program Manager for the Getty Foundation, managing funding in the area of arts leadership development, Los Angeles cultural organizations. Earlier, Jean worked in community economic development with social service organizations in California and New York. She has also taught in the MBA program at Tsinghua University in Beijing. She has a BA and an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

Audrey Mok is Head of the Corporate Communications team for Sony in the Asia Pacific region, covering the electronics entities in South East Asia, Taiwan, Korea, Oceania, Middle East and South Africa. Her key responsibilities cover both external and internal communications, including media relations, crisis communications, corporate social responsibility, external relations and employee communications. Audrey joined Sony in 1995 and was instrumental in establishing the regional corporate communications function for Sony, providing overall PR management and governance. Prior to Sony, she was part of the PR team of the Port of Singapore Authority handling overseas port promotions, media relations and CSR activities. Audrey is a member of the Institute of Public Relations of Singapore and the Singapore Press Club.

Ann Morfogen served as Sony’s chief communications officer in the United States from September 1994 through December 2010, reporting to the CEO. She retired in 2011 to form her own consulting business with Sony as a client. While at Sony she oversaw all U.S. corporate communications and public relations activities for the electronics, entertainment and new technology businesses, and managed global communications in collaboration with Sony’s Tokyo headquarters. She also served as President of the Sony USA Foundation, overseeing public affairs activities for the company’s U.S. businesses, and directing the operation of the popular Sony Wonder Technology Lab, a free interactive museum for children located in Manhattan. Before joining Sony, Ms. Morfogen served as Vice President of Media Relations for CBS Inc. from September 1988 through August 1994. As the senior communications officer for the company, she was responsible for all publicity and media relations activities for CBS Inc., CBS Entertainment, CBS News, and CBS Sports, as well as related network, affiliate, sales and corporate operations. Prior to that she worked for CBS News for more than 10 years, and held various positions in communications, public affairs and management at CBS Entertainment in Los Angeles, and the CBS Television Stations. She serves on the boards of numerous professional organizations, and was the recipient of a NY Women’s Agenda Star Award in 2005.

Shireen Ann Zaharah Muhiudeen is Managing Director/Principal Fund Manager at Corston-Smith Asset Management. Shireen Muhiudeen founded Corston-Smith Asset Management in 2004. Under her stewardship, Corston-Smith is now a partner of British Telecom Pension Scheme (BTPS), which today owns 30% of Corston-Smith Malaysia. Shireen brings to her extensive current ASEAN client portfolio more than 23 years of focused fund management experience, which she honed as chief executive of the Malaysian arm of insurance giant AIG Investment Corporation from 1991 till 2003. Of special interest to her are issues of good corporate governance and transparency and Corston-Smith nurtures and nudges all companies it invests in towards such best practices. Today, Corston-Smith is Malaysia’s only asset manager admitted as a signatory to the United Nations Principles of Responsible Investing (UNPRI) and Shireen has successfully drawn international investors to Malaysia by launching the ASEAN Corporate Governance Fund in 2008 and the ASEAN Shariah Corporate Governance Fund in 2009. To drum the importance of corporate social responsibility further, Shireen and her Corston-Smith colleagues have written and published a free handbook for young people entering the workforce on the nuts and bolts of personal finance. Titled ‘Learn to Make Sense of Your Money – What They Don’t Tell You When You First Start Work’, it is available in English and Bahasa Malaysia. Besides having her own monthly column, ‘Governance Matters’, in Malaysia’s biggest-selling daily – The Star, the avid advocate of equal gender representation in boardrooms is regularly sought after for her views by global broadcasters such as Bloomberg and CNBC. An equally avid sportswoman, Shireen represented Malaysia in the Junior Wimbledon tennis championships in 1981 and has served on the board of Tourism Malaysia, and Malaysia’s Sports Advisory Council.

Wieke Mulia is Director, Senior Private Banking at Citi.  Wieke joined Citi Private Bank as a Private Banker in 2001, initially based in Jakarta till December 2005 when she relocated to the Singapore office. Prior to joining Citigroup, Wieke spent 12 years with ABN AMRO & HSBC in Indonesia serving in capacity ranging from Private Banker, Head of Treasury Marketing, Trade Services, Corporate Lending & Cash Management. Wieke has a BSc in Accounting from Golden Gate University, San Francisco, USA.

Andrea Muller is Chief Executive, Asia and has regional responsibility for the Asia ex-Japan locations of Principal Global Investors, including the Singapore and Hong Kong offices. Andrea has oversight responsibilities for staff located in the regional joint ventures in China and Malaysia. She is also a member of the Principal Global Investors extended Operating Committee. Andrea joined the firm in 2010. She has over 23 years experience with large multinational firms. Most recently, Andrea served as Head of Fitch Ratings Asia Pacific. Prior to that, she spent ten years with UBS in Singapore and Paris, first as a managing director in the investment banking division before moving to the asset management division. She began her career as a corporate and securities lawyer with Shearman & Sterling in New York and Paris. Andrea received a juris doctorate from Georgetown Law Center, a Bachelor of Science degree from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service and a Master’s in European Union studies from the College d’Europe in Belgium. Andrea is a member of the Executive Committee for Investment Management Association (Singapore) and on the Board of Governors of the American Chamber of Commerce (Singapore). She has additional language skills in French.

Goki Muthusamy is Vice President and Head of Diversity & Inclusion, Asia Pacific at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. She is responsible for proactively evaluating the bank’s diversity and inclusion needs and driving the strategy and execution of critical D&I projects across the Asia Pacific platform. Goki joined Merrill Lynch in 2007. Prior to joining the bank, Goki worked with a non-profit organization that focused on Youth and Development. As such, she successfully completed projects in Indonesia and Botswana. Goki is involved in many civil society projects in Asia and Europe advocating the importance of cultural diversity and pluralism. Goki was trained on the concept of cultural diversity, youth and volunteerism in an organization based in UNESCO Paris. She graduated in 2005 and has a BA in Psychology from the National University of Singapore

Na Kyung Won is a Member of the 18^th National Assembly of the Republic of Korea, and serves on the supreme council of the Grand National Party. As an attorney-at-law and a member of the Korean Bar Association, she began her career as the judge of Busan, Incheon, and Seoul Administrative Court. In 2004, she joined the Candidate Screening Committee of the Grand National Party and was elected to the 17^th National Assembly. From 2008 to 2010 she served as the Chairperson of the 6^th Committee on Policy Planning and Coordination of the Grand National Party. She also served as a Coordination Ranking Member for the Party in its culture, sports, tourism, broadcasting and communications committees. In 2010, she served as Chairperson of the 2013 Special Olympics World Winter Games Organizing Committee, and she presently serves as Chairperson of the Special Committee on Public Nomination Reform of the Grand National Party. During her tenure in the National Assembly, she was selected as Distinguished Politician by the Regular session of the National Assembly, and Parliamentary inspection of the administration in 2004, 2005, and 2008. She also serves as Advisor to the Korea Down Syndrome Society, Advisor to Foundation ‘Smile’, Honorary Chairperson of Special Olympic Korea, Co-representative of Korean Parents Association for the Disabled, and Chairperson of Members’ Study Group, ‘We Can,’ on Physically and Mentally Challenged Children. She received her Bachelor’s Degree from the College of Law at the Seoul National University, her Master’s Degree from the Graduate School of Law at the Seoul National University, and a Doctoral Degree in International law at the Seoul National University.

Mallika Naguran is the Publisher of Gaia Publications. Concerned with the alarming rate of tourism development with little regard for the environment, Mallika founded the independent online publication Gaia Discovery in 2008 to promote sustainable tourism and living in Asia Pacific. Mallika takes pleasure in putting the spotlight on eco warriors through a mix of digital, traditional and audio-visual media. Based in Singapore, Mallika has worked for the private and public sectors in advertising, publishing, PR, marketing and branding. She was also the former editor of Asian Diver magazine and regular contributor of Discovery Channel Magazine.

Kaku Nakhate is Managing Director, President, and Country Head (India) at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Prior to this, she was Vice Chairman of JP Morgan India and held several senior positions in global markets and equities at DSP Merrill Lynch, where she worked for more than 18 years. Prior to her departure from Merrill Lynch, Ms. Nakhate was the Head of Global Markets.

Seok Yee Ng is Senior Vice President of Finance with Citi Private Bank Asia Pacific. Her projects include business streamlining and migration to offshore locations and participation in the rollout of Citigroup Global Best in Class Initiatives. She has previously served as a Wealth Management Associate with Citi Private Bank. Before joining Citi, she held various positions with DBS Bank Group finance, Kajima International, Natsteel Limited and Earnest & Young International. Her hobbies and interests include foreign languages, yoga and golf, and she enjoys volunteering with Volunteer with Minds at Jurong Garden School, which provides special education to children with mental disabilities. She received her MBA with a focus on Banking and Finance from Nanyang Business School. She received a Gold Award from the Associated Banks in Singapore for her MBA studies. She is a Business Scholarship Holder of Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce and is a certified non-practising accountant with ICPAS.

Ngo Thi Phuong Thien, commenced her teaching career at the University of Social Sciences and Humanities (USSH-HCMC), Vietnam National University in 1978. She held there a variety of posts, including Dean of the Department of English Literature & Linguistics, Head of The Talented Students Program, and Head of the Cultural Studies Section. Thanks to her initiative, the university launched new programs on British and American Studies and organised training courses and exchange student programs. Apart from publishing textbooks, Ms. Thien has also presented numerous papers on Vietnamese education, Vietnam reforms and cultural studies at international conferences in Hong Kong, Taiwan, the USA, Malaysia, Korea and Thailand. Subsequently, she was awarded Certificates of Merit by the Ministry of Education and the University for her contribution to student research supervision, as an ‘Excellent Lecturer’, and a medal for thirty years of outstanding achievements in Education. Ms.  Thien continues as a senior Lecturer at the USSH, but is also very involved in various social organizations, including ALOV Centre Founding Member for promoting the participation of overseas Vietnamese into Vietnam; and Secretary General of the Global Vietnamese Women’s Network (GVWN).

Cherie Nursalim is the Executive Director of GITI Group, a diversified group with real estate development, manufacturing and consumer lifestyle presence partnering with world-renowned brands throughout the Asia Pacific region. The tire manufacturing business is a leader in the Region, and their companies have variously won 2006 Best Employer of Asia award by Hewitt Survey, Best Managed Company in Indonesia by Euromoney, AIA and Heritage Awards in China and Singapore for developments. Cherie Nursalim earlier worked as a research associate at the Harvard Business School and was Director of East-West Bank in California. She published an award-winning book on an American-Chinese Architect, and was among the co-authors of a book ‘Indonesia Matters’ published by the World Economic Forum. She serves on the International and Asia Advisory Boards for Columbia University and MIT Sloan School of Management respectively, and on the Yale Center for Environmental Law & Policy. She also sits on China Disabled Persons Foundation Board, China’s largest foundation, the United in Diversity Forum in Indonesia, and is among the founding members of the Global Philanthropic Circle with Synergos Institute in New York. Ms Nursalim initiated initiatives for HIV AIDS awareness in Indonesia for GT organization which won awards from UNAIDS, International Labor Organization and the Indonesian government. She is also a frequent organizer of international and education forums including THREE Talk at THREE ON THE BUND. Cherie Nursalim is a recipient of Baiyulan Award from the Shanghai government and was awarded Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. She was listed among the 48 Heroes of Philanthropy by Forbes. She received her Bachelor in Engineering Science and Economics from Oxford University, and her Master in Business Administration from Columbia Business School.

Iesha O’Deneal leads Bank of America’s Global Diversity & Inclusion Client and Program Management Team with responsibility for facilitating the development and implementation of diversity and inclusion strategies within Bank of America’s twelve lines of business, regions (Asia Pac and Canada, Europe, Emerging Markets and Latin America) and Associate Affinity Groups. She is also responsible for the management, facilitation and support of Bank of America’s Global Diversity & Inclusion Council that is chaired by the bank’s President and Chief Executive Officer. O’Deneal joined Bank of America in November 2006 as the enterprise Corporate Diversity & Inclusion program manager responsible for management of enterprise diversity programs and providing business management and strategy planning to the company’s Global Diversity & Inclusion Council. Prior to joining Bank of America, O’Deneal worked for Pfizer from 1999 until 2006. During her tenure, she held several Human Resource assignments and later served as the Global Diversity leader for several of Pfizer’s business units as well as manager of the company’s global employee network groups. Her role also included driving Pfizer’s international diversity and inclusion efforts. O’Deneal also has worked for New York Academy of Sciences leading the women and minority scientific investigator networks. O’Deneal received her BA in psychology from Tougaloo College in Tougaloo, Mississippi, MA in human resources and industrial relations from the University of Minnesota and CCDP/AP (Certified Diversity Practitioner/Advanced Practitioner) certification from Cornell University. Addressing diversity and affirmative action issues, O’Deneal is a frequent speaker, presenter and panelist at Bank of America, Pfizer and external events. In her spare time, she is working to launch a non profit for young women, to be named “Inez’s Legacy” in honor of her late grandmother, Inez D. Bowman. The Inez’s Legacy organization will focus on mentoring; coaching and life skills development of young women ages 11-21.

Lisa Oake is a Financial News Anchor for CNBC Asia Pacific and Founder and CEO of www.PropertyFriends.com.  She has 12 years of experience as a financial news anchor and producer. Her career includes a number of “firsts.”  She was the first journalist to report live from the trading floor of the Singapore Exchange and she landed the first interview with the president of Indonesia after the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami.  She has interviewed business leaders, politicians and analysts from every level over the course of her career. Oake got her start in broadcasting with OZ FM radio in Newfoundland, Canada.   She later worked as a general assignment reporter for local Canadian channel NTV before starting with CNBC Asia as a Producer/Correspondent in 1998.   Lisa went on to anchor several programs for CNBC, including Wake-up Call, Market Watch and Asian Working Woman.   In 2006, she moved back to Toronto to co-host BNN’s Market Morning with Lisa Oake & Marty Cej.   She returned to Asia and to CNBC in 2008. She is a recipient of the Radio Television News Directors’ Foundation’s Eric Murray award for an investigative report exposing racism in London, Ontario. Oake has a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from Memorial University of Newfoundland and a Master’s degree in Journalism from the University of Western Ontario.

Paige Okun is the Director of Communications and Development for the Special Olympics, Asia Pacific. She is responsible for external and internal communications, awareness building, and fundraising activities for 23 National Programs in the Asia Pacific. Paige has more than 20 years of communications and fundraising experience, including the last four years as the Chief Operating Officer of Caring for Cambodia (CFC), a non-profit organization that builds schools and trains teachers in Siem Reap, Cambodia. During her tenure at CFC, Paige increased the organization’s operating budget to over 1.5M USD as the organization was expanding its services from one school to seven schools serving 5,500 students and 100 teachers. She was also responsible for internal and external communications, volunteer management, and the membership program. Prior to CFC, Paige was Vice President of Public Relations at Ruder Finn, Washington, DC, where she was responsible for new business development and strategic input on a variety of the agency’s accounts. Before joining Ruder Finn, she worked in a variety of communications, event planning, and fundraising positions in both the corporate and non-profit sectors.

Hutham S. Olayan is a Principal and Director of The Olayan Group. She has headed the Group’s US operations for more than 20 years, overseeing all investment activity originating in the Americas. She is president and CEO of Olayan America and other US-based affiliates of the Group. Ms. Olayan is a director of Morgan Stanley and Equity International as well as a former director of Thermo Electron Corporation. She is also a member of the International Advisory Board of The Blackstone Group. Olayan serves on the boards of a number of not-for-profit organizations, including the American University of Beirut, Georgetown University, Peter G. Peterson Institute for International Economics, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, and The MasterCard Foundation. She is also a member of international advisory bodies affiliated with The Brookings Institution, The Conference Board, Carnegie Middle East Center, and US-Middle East Project. She is a founding member of the Arab Bankers Association of North America. Ms. Olayan holds a BA from the American University of Beirut and MBA from Indiana University.

Soh Khim Ong is an Associate Professor in the Mechanical Engineering Department at the National University of Singapore. Her research interests are virtual and augmented reality applications in manufacturing and assistive technology and distributed digital manufacturing. She has published 2 books and over 170 international refereed journal and conference papers. She has received many accolades and is well known both internationally and nationally. Soh received the 2004 Outstanding Young Manufacturing Engineer Award from the US Society of Manufacturing Engineers, where she is the 1st ASEAN female to have received this award since the award was established. She is a recipient of the 2004 Singapore Youth Award for the Science and Technology Category. In 2005, she was the first woman in the Asia-Pacific region to be elected an Associate Member of CIRP, The International Academy for Production Engineering. In 2006, Soh was awarded The Outstanding Young Person of Singapore Award for the Science and Technology Category. She was awarded the 2009 Emerging Leaders Award in Academia by the US Society for Women Engineers and she is the first Singaporean to have received this award since the award was established. Soh served as Nominated Member of Parliament of the Singapore Parliament from January 2005 to April 2006.  She is an Asia Society Asia 21 Young Leader.

Rhodora Palomar-Fresnedi is Founder and Managing Director of Except One, Pte. Ltd, a management consultancy firm focusing on leadership development, global diversity, communications and corporate social responsibility. She works with Chairmen, CEOs and senior business leaders globally as consultant or executive coach. Rhodora has a unique perspective that comes from her work and life experience. She has lived and worked in Asia, Europe and North America. She has been a teacher, financial controller, a senior corporate executive, as well as an external consultant to global companies in different industries. She spent 15 years in Unilever, where she set several firsts as she steadily rose to regional and global leadership positions. Among others, she became the first and the most senior Asian woman to work with the Board and the Executive Committee as Global Vice President-Head of Diversity. For this work, she was recognized as one of the top Asian Women of Achievement in the UK in 2005. Post-Unilever, her contribution has expanded to other institutions, including governments. She has recently shared her experience in the Japan Women’s Innovation Network (J-WIN) and was a keynote speaker for Korea’s Ministry of Labor. She sits in Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower’s National Integration in the Workplace Group. She is a Board Member of UK-based BIOSS International, Senior Advisor to the New York-based Hidden Brain Drain Task Force, and advisor to Singapore-based Women Mean Business Network. Rhodora sees her own company as the combination of all her past experiences, skills and capabilities to help people and communities find their own voice, and thus create possibilities for themselves and others. Rhodora has a BA in Mass Communications, Magna Cum Laude, and a Master in Management Degree, with Distinction. She lives in Singapore with her husband, Jojo Fresnedi, and their three children.

Lenore Patel is a global leadership and diversity specialist who brings to Credit Suisse industry experience in financial services, internet/media, and international development across four continents. Lenore has worked with communities and companies in Central America, Africa, and Asia conducting needs assessments, facilitating focus groups, and delivering viable solutions. She has worked among diverse cultures and countries, as well as across diverse companies, including Goldman Sachs, Google, Wachovia Securities, and international NGOs, which has given her a solid foundation for creating best practices in the workplace. Lenore prides herself on developing individuals and teams to foster organizational success and inclusive work environments. She is a global consultant, thought leader, project manager, and coach providing leadership, talent, and organizational development strategies and solutions. With a strong financial background, Lenore approaches each client engagement with a focus on delivering data-driven and results-oriented solutions that positively impact the workplace and a company’s bottom line. Lenore’s consulting and coaching work has spanned leading Fortune 500 corporations, as well as start-ups and non-profits. Client companies include: Cisco, Mercer, Credit Suisse, New York Life, Northrop Grumman, Ketchum, Center for Indigenous Rights Mexico, Friends of Orphans Uganda, Ashoka, and Catchafire. Lenore holds an undergraduate degree in Finance from Boston College, Master of Arts in International Affairs from The Fletcher School at Tufts University, M.B.A. from Duke University, and a professional coaching certification from iCoach New York.

Hui Ching Phua is a Relationship Manager at Citibank.  She has been with Citi for last 15 years taking on various positions as a trader, institutional sales, business analyst and product advisor.

Elena Pisonero is Equity Partner at KPMG Europe, Senior Advisor to the Chairman in Spain, Chairperson of the Spain-India Dialogue, and member of the boards of several institutions and associations. She also works with ESADE, a leading business school, in its leadership programs. With 24 years of experience in both public and private sectors, she started her career in the private sector, at Siemens, Economic Studies Institute, then served in the Spanish Government between 1996 and 2004 as Head of the Vice-President Cabinet as Under Secretary, State Secretary for Trade, Tourism and SMEs, and Ambassador – Chief of Spain’s Permanent Representation to the OECD. Elena was also a member of the Spanish Parliament and spokesperson for the Economic and Social Council for the Community of Madrid.  She received her PhD in Economics from the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid (Spain). Elena attended the Executive Management Program at Stanford in 2007, and the Leadership Program at the Harvard Business School in 2009.

Nivruti Rai is Director-ASDG HIP India, Intel Technology India Pvt Ltd.  She is leading the Atom and SOC Development Group team in India where she is responsible for design, validation, and integration of circuit blocks and interconnections for System on Chips and new products. Prior to becoming the Director she was a principal engineer in 2003, a senior technologist driving process and design innovations for Microprocessor designs. Ms. Rai received her Masters in Industrial Engineering from Oregon State University in Corvallis, and her Bachelors and Masters in Applied Mathematics and Minor in Operations Research from Lucknow University, India.  Her team in India has adopted a village near Bangalore and is working to improve the quality of life there through education, awareness for cleanliness, and supporting old homes and hospitals through donations. She is an avid music fan with a Masters in Indian classical music and a Bachelors degree in the Indian Classical dance form of Kathak.

Anjali Raina is the Executive Director of the Harvard Business School India Research Centre. In this leadership role she focuses on building and maintaining relationships with senior business leaders in the region to facilitate the work of the center in research, educational programs, community building, and faculty development. Prior to joining HBS IRC, Anjali spent 15 years with Citigroup India, most recently as Country Director. Before her position at HBS IRC she worked for more than a decade with ANZ Grindlays Bank PLC. Anjali is Vice President of Mumbai Chapter of NHRDN and is also an Advisory Board Member on the National Committee. She is Director of HBP, India, and a board member of the FWWB, India. She is also an Advisor to the Akanksha Foundation, and is a Trustee to LIFE Trust. The HBS IRC seeks to understand and document the emerging trends that are shaping the future of India and the region. It seeks to play a proactive role in the social transformation of India. It engages HBS faculty, shares knowledge and best practices through research and case studies with leaders who are driving India’s growth and development. In short, the IRC works to bring the best of Harvard to India and take the best of India to Harvard. To this end, to date, it has facilitated the writing of over 80 case studies on Indian Business Practice, supported half a dozen research projects, and run executive education programs for business leaders on subjects ranging from Globalizing Indian enterprises to AgriBusiness. Anjali earned an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, a bachelor’s degree (Eng Hons) from Loreto College, and is an alumna of HBS having completed the Advanced Management Program.

Kalpana Raina is the managing partner of 252 Solutions, LLC. Formerly, Ms. Raina was an Executive Vice- President with The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation. During her 18 year career at the bank she held a variety of leadership positions in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. She has expertise in finance, creating alliances, and partnerships, extending operations globally and cross-cultural management. Ms. Raina currently serves on the board of directors of RealNetworks, Inc. (NASDAQ- RNWK), John Wiley & Sons (NYSE-JWA), Information Services Group (NASDAQ-III), and The World Policy Institute (WPI). She also serves on several Advisory Boards. She is a member of The National Association of Corporate Directors, a Co-Chair for Asia for Women Corporate Directors, and a past member of The US-India Business Council. She has graduate degrees from India and Canada and resides in New York.  Ms. Raina is a Member of the Women Leaders of New Asia Advisory Committee.

Vandna Ramchandani is Global Data Manager Asia Pacific and Middle East at Bloomberg LP.  She joined Bloomberg in 1997 in their sales support department in Jakarta, Indonesia. After 3 years Vadna moved to their Global Data division as an analyst to cover Equities and then Fixed Income. In 2002, she relocated with Bloomberg to Singapore to manage the company’s Global Data division for South East Asia and Australia. Promoted to Global Data Manager for Asia Pacific and Middle East in July 2010, Vadna currently manages a staff of 200 people across 5 main hubs and 7 regional offices.   She holds a Graduate Degree in Psychology Honours (First division) from Lady Shri Ram College, Delhi University and a Post Graduate Diploma in Marketing Management (Gold medalist) from The Times School of Management, Delhi.

Bandana Rana is the Executive President of Saathi, an NGO working on violence against women and children in Nepal. She is a leading player in the women’s movement in Nepal with more than two decades’ active engagement in promoting women’s rights and gender equality. She is also the regional coordinator of the South Asian Campaign for Gender Equality (SACGE) and led the campaign in the region since 2006. The campaign collected a million signatures from South Asia in 2006 demanding for a resourceful and powerful Gender Architecture in the UN. Ms Rana has experience in leading advocacy programs for women’s rights with a focus on media interventions and enhancing participatory communication at all levels – community, national and regional. She has led and been a part of many studies and research programs related to Gender Based Violence during the conflict and post conflict situation of Nepal. Since 2004 she has been strongly advocating for the implementation of UNSCR 1325. She worked with the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction as a lead consultant of the technical working group for developing the UNSCR 1325 & 1820 National Action Plan (NAP) of Nepal which was adopted on February 1, 2011. From October 2010 she is also a member of the Asia Pacific Advisory Group for Women Peace and Security for UN ESCAP. Ms Rana has in the past served as Chairperson of the National Women’s Commission of Nepal. She has worked as news editor/anchor for Nepal Television and also served in the board of directors of Radio Nepal and Press Council Nepal. She was the founder and first elected president of Sancharika Samuha (Forum of Women in Media) and has worked as gender and communications consultant at different times with UNDP, UNICEF and FAO.

Kathleen Reen is the Vice-President for Asia, New Media and Environment Programs with Internews. Reen leads media and information development programs across Asia, and a global Open Internet initiative with a team of 12 international and local partner organizations. She has worked for Internews on a variety of assignments first establishing media training and TV productions for Internews in Bosnia and Serbia, and founding Internews’ program in Indonesia in 1998 as well as projects in Thailand, Timor, Pakistan and China. As Country Director, she managed a project developing and implementing media legal reforms, training and productions, Internet access, and local media NGO-building efforts. In late 2004 she led Internews first humanitarian media efforts in Aceh after the devastating earthquake and tsunami. A journalist and documentary producer by background, Reen worked extensively in Eastern and Southern Europe and Southeast Asia before joining Internews. In 2005 she was a co-founder and first interim Director of the Global Forum for Media Development (GFMD). In 2006 she was honored to be selected as a fellow of the Asia Society’s “Asia 21″ program. In 2008 she became a fellow of the Flowfund, which supports the development of US domestic and global philanthropy with a focus on social entrepreneurs. She has helped establish several national and regional organizations in Asia that are devoted to media and information development and innovation. She represents Internews to the GNI – the Global Network Initiative, a multi-stakeholder initiative that seeks to improve freedom of expression and best practices for companies, NGOs and human rights organizations around the world.

Imma Riera i Reñé is a spokesperson and Member of the Spanish Parliament, where she is a member of the Committee on Science and Innovation and the Court of Auditors. She began her professional career in finance, working in different European Companies and in London and the US. She has also served as a professor in various institutions, including ESADE, a leading business school. She received the Franco Pssari Award in 1991. She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Law from the University of Barcelona and her Master’s Degree in International Politics and Economics from the University of Florence and the European Institute of Fiesole. She also received a diploma in Comparative Law from Strasbourg University. She also participated in the Senior Management Program (PADE ) by IESE.

Teresa M. Ressel is CEO of UBS Securities LLC, managing a broad array of supervisory control, regulatory, compliance, and logistics functions covering the United States and Canada. In addition, Ms. Ressel manages banking activities that intersect the Americas regulatory controls including Bank Holding companies, Branch Management and governance.  Prior to UBS, Teresa was confirmed by the United States Senate as Assistant Secretary for Management and Chief Financial Officer of the Department of Treasury. Teresa’s role as Chief Financial Officer included ownership for audit and controller functions, financial reporting, cost management, risk management, as well as budget formulation and budget execution. Prior to government service and banking, Teresa served as an executive at Kaiser Permanente as Chief Compliance Officer and then Chief Operating Officer deploying e-commerce solutions for key clients. Before joining Kaiser Permanente, Teresa worked as a corporate auditor across Asia-Pacific with Hewlett Packard. Overall, Teresa’s financial and leadership experience spans healthcare, defense, manufacturing and financial services covering 20+ years within the private sector in addition to her CFO role at the U.S. Treasury. Ms. Ressel graduated from the University of Delaware, College of Engineering. She completed her MBA from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Since 2005, Teresa serves on the Board of The Clearing House, the leading private-sector payment infrastructure for clearing and settling U.S. Dollar payments. Teresa is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations and was named by the Governor of Connecticut to serve on the Board of the University of Connecticut Medical Center.

Sara Roberts is Head of Asia Pacific Organization and Talent Development. She provides strategic leadership and direction on organization design, talent management and high potential development initiatives, resourcing and facilitating cross franchise mobility, working closely with global partners on the design of the Global Leadership Curriculum, VOE and graduate programs. Sara is a Leadership Program Facilitator, BLP and high potential development program Coach and mentor. Sara joined Citi in May 1997 in New York as Leadership Staffing and Development Manager for the North America Consumer Bank. In 1999 Sara moved back to Hong Kong as Leadership Staffing and Development Manager for Asia Pacific Corporate Bank. In 2003 Sara moved to Singapore as the Senior HR Generalist for Regional Operations & Technology, EMST, APCB and head of Singapore HR services. Prior to joining Citi, Sara started her career as an HR Management Associate with International Computers Limited, a subsidiary of the Fujitsu group. At ICL she held a number of HR generalist positions and was the Management Training and Development Head for the International Trade division. She then moved to Allied Domecq Spirits & Wine initially as HR Head for Europe then took an international move to Hong Kong in 1994 as the Asia Pacific HR Director. Sara has a BSc Hons Psychology degree from the University of Surrey (UK), she is married and lives in Singapore with her 3 children. In her spare time in addition to family activities she plays tennis and other sports.

Eren Rosenfeld is a Senior Vice President and Head of Leadership Development across Asia Pacific at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Eren joined the Asia Pacific Human Resources team in January 2010. In this role, Eren is responsible for all Leadership Development across the Asia Pacific including Talent Planning, Performance Management, Leadership and Management Development, Executive Onboarding and Coaching, and Succession Planning. Prior to moving into this role, Eren oversaw learning for all support functions including risk, compliance, CFO, CAO and transition. She was responsible for learning delivered to these lines of business including new hires, technical programs and soft skills training. She also oversaw the initiation and design of Bank of America’s mobile learning solution. Eren joined Bank of America as part of the Merrill Lynch acquisition in 2009. She joined Merrill Lynch in December of 2005 as the head of learning for investment banking globally. Prior to working at Merrill Lynch, she spent 13 years at Accenture delivering learning and change management work for global communications and high-tech clients. Eren was also the Head of Accenture’s global simulation practice, driving the vision and direction of offerings, sales, and delivery of client work globally. Eren is a recognized industry expert and has been published in and/or featured as a speaker for CLO Magazine, Masie Center, WSJ, London FT, Learning Innovation Network, and various books on Learning and Leadership Development. Eren holds 13 US patents in learning and simulation solutions and has a BA in Business Economics from Brown University. Eren recently moved from Brooklyn, NY and she now lives in Hong Kong. She is an Asia Society Asia 21 Young Leader.

Meri Rosich is the Director of Strategy and Business Development at American Express.  Originally from Spain, Meri has worked in NY, London, Hong Kong and Singapore. She is specialized on Strategy and Innovation for Financial Services. Meri holds an MA in Arts, an MBA and a PhD. She volunteers as Director of Gender Studies with the United Nations Association of Singapore and collaborates with women’s work life balance initiatives.

Divvyani A. Sarnaaik is the Chief Operating Officer and Executive Director of Glodyne Technoserve Limited. Dynamic, enthusiastic, gifted with strong business acumen, and having a vision to take the business to new heights of excellence, she has been instrumental in building Glodyne into a strong player in the IT Services space. Being the Chief Operating Officer at Glodyne, she oversees all the operating business units of the company. Divvyani is responsible for the overall account delivery management including people and operations management. At Glodyne, her focus is on increasing competitiveness, improving customer experience, improving employee engagement and increasing the depth of Glodyne’s Technology Infrastructure Management Services (Technology IMS) offerings. Divvyani strongly believes that Customers, the Talent force at Glodyne and business associates are the three pillars on which the edifice of any organization is based. Glodyne gives prime importance to these three factors. She also believes that in addition to the responsibility an organization owes to its stakeholders, it has also to cherish the social values and contribute to the growth of the society in which the organization grows. Divvyani has an overall experience of more than 18 years in the areas of Information Technology, Operations and Finance. She has an MBA in Finance from Mumbai University

Kumi Sato has served as president and CEO of Cosmo Public Relations Corporation (COSMO), a leading Japanese strategic business communications and marketing consulting firm, for the past 24 years. Prior to COSMO, Kumi founded and headed Cosmo International, a consulting firm based in New York and Arlington, Virginia, that assisted small-to-medium-sized Japanese companies enter the US market. She also worked at McKinsey and Company in New York from 1981 to 1983. In 2002, Kumi led her firm to PR Week Asia Pacific’s “Consultancy of the Year” Award. In July 2000, Business Week featured her as one of its “Stars of Asia – 50 Leaders at the Forefront of Change”. In April 2000, the Star Group selected Kumi as one of “50 Leading Women Entrepreneurs of the World.” Forbes selected her in 1999 as one of “50 Leading Women Entrepreneurs of Japan”. In 1998, the World Economic Forum in Davos elected her as one of the “Hundred Global Leaders for Tomorrow.” In 2010, Kumi became the first Japanese to be recognized as Asia-Pacific’s “Agency Head of the Year” at the prestigious PR Week Awards in Hong Kong. Kumi is an active member of several committees and boards in Japan. She is a Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan (ACCJ). She is also Co-Chairman of the New York-based Asia Society Global Council and a member of the Japan Advisory Council for the Asian University for Women (AUW). Kumi is also a member of the prestigious Keizai Doyukai (The Japan Association of Corporate Executives) and a member of Genron NPO. She is a member of the Business Leadership Council of Wellesley College and became one of the first Japanese women invited to join the World Chapter of the Young Presidents’ Organization. Kumi is a graduate of Wellesley College, with a B.A. in East Asian Studies.

Regina Seow is Managing Director, Corporate Affairs for Citi in the Asia Pacific and a key member of Citi’s regional Corporate Affairs team. In this role, Regina is responsible for driving and implementing Citi’s regional employee/internal communications including executive communications for the Asia Pacific CEOs. She is also responsible for managing communications for Citi’s Consumer business and Operations & Technology in Asia Pacific and supporting the countries on issues management. Regina joined Citi in 2005. Regina has over 20 years of communications and general management experience. Regina joined from Standard Chartered Bank where she was Head, Corporate Affairs, Singapore. She was primarily responsible for building the Standard Chartered brand in the community through a number of high profile corporate sponsorships, namely the marathon and rugby sevens. She also led the communications for their many internal re-engineering and staff engagement initiatives which helped improve the level of staff engagement as evidenced by their annual survey. Prior to Standard Chartered, she was Regional Corporate Affairs Head for Ciba Specialty Chemicals. Regina worked for leading public relations consultancy, Burson-Marsteller, for seven years in Singapore, heading the Corporate and Healthcare Practice.

Durreen Shahnaz is the Founder and Chairman of Impact Investment Exchange Asia, a social stock exchange which will allow Asian social enterprises to raise growth capital and Impact Investment Shujog, the capacity and awareness building affiliate organization of IIX. Durreen is also Adjunct Associate Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore. She has been a change maker throughout her career which has spanned both the social and private sector. As a successful social entrepreneur, Prof Shahnaz founded, ran and sold oneNest, a New York-based social purpose business. Prof. Shahnaz began her career in the social sector at Grameen Bank (Bangladesh) where she played a critical role in the bank’s first major capital raising exercise. She also had stints at the World Bank and at International Finance Corporation in Washington DC. In the private sector, Prof. Shahnaz worked as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley (New York) and Merrill Lynch (Hong Kong) before moving to the media sector. As the head of three regional media companies (Asia City Publishing Group, Hearst Magazines International and Reader’s Digest Asia), Prof. Shahnaz worked vigorously to incorporate social responsibility in these companies’ work. Prof. Shahnaz holds a BA from Smith College; and a joint graduate degree — MBA from Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and MA from School for Advanced International Studies at Johns Hopkins University. Prof. Shahnaz is a TED Fellow and an Asia Society Asia 21 Young Leader.

Yang Fong Sin is Director, Group Comms & IR, SingTel, Singapore.

Mona Sinha is a Board member and Director of Impact Investment Exchange (Shujog), Asia’s first social stock exchange being established in Singapore. She is a Trustee of Smith College, her alma mater. She is also an Advisory Director of Breakthrough, a human rights organization in the US and India. Mona began her professional career as an investment banker at Morgan Stanley, followed by a marketing career at P&G and Unilever, during which she restructured the operations of Elizabeth Arden. Most recently, she worked at Goldman, Sachs Asia on the development of Asian leadership. She has previously served as a Trustee to All Souls School, NY and Girls Learn International, NY. She is also a patron of the Science and Nature Program (serving NY’s inner city girls) at the American Museum of Natural History, NY and a founding committee member of the NY Family Benefit at the Asia Society. Mona holds an undergraduate degree Magna cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa in Economics (with a minor in Art History) from Smith College and an MBA Beta Gamma Sigma in Finance and Marketing from Columbia University. She is passionate about women’s leadership, education and social enterprise. She and her family currently reside in Hong Kong.

Charu Sippy is Director and Head of Operations at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, India. In this role, she is responsible for Global Market operations, India supporting the Equities and Fixed Income businesses and has local oversight for GWIM operations. She manages a team size of 82 associates. Charu joined the firm 15 years ago in 1996 in operations and she took over as Head of India Operations in May 2007. Following the merger, her responsibilities were expanded to include treasury operations of the merged entity. She has a total work experience of 19 years. Charu is a member of the Asia Diversity and Inclusion Council of BAML and has been actively involved in D&I since 2007.

Kulpatra Sirodom is a Professor of Commerce and Accountancy in the Department of Finance at Thammasat University. She is also the Independent Director and Chairman of the Risk Management Committee at Thai Wacoal Public Company Limited; an Advisor for the Sub-committee for the Risk Management Committee for the Government Pension Fund; and an Independent Director of the Audit Committee for The Siam Commercial Bank Plc. Prior to her current roles she also served as an Advisor for the Risk Management Committee at the Government Housing Bank; an Advisor with the Investment Banking Division at Thanachart Securities PCL; a member of the  Managerial Accounting Sub-Committee at the Federation of Accounting Profession; and a member of the Risk Evaluation Committee at the State Enterprise Policy Office at the Ministry of Finance. She has also been an Advisor of the committee to set up Exchange Traded Fund (ETF), Stock Exchange of Thailand; an Independent Director and Audit Committee Member for Magnecomp Precisions Technology, PCL; a member of the Agricultural Futures Exchange of Thailand Committee; and an Audit Committee Member for One Asset Management Company Ltd. She received a Ph.D. from the University of Pittsburgh, an M.B.A. from West Virginia University, and a BBA from Thammasat University.

Debra Soon is concurrently Chief Editor of Channel NewsAsia Singapore and Channel NewsAsia International. The role requires her to manage the business of operating regional English language news channel, Channel NewsAsia, and also oversee all of the production and editorial content of news and current affairs for the channel as well as in 4 languages for MediaCorp’s mass entertainment TV channels. Channel NewsAsia (International), launched in September 2000, as the international broadcasting arm of Channel NewsAsia Singapore. It is now viewed in 24 territories across Asia. The satellite footprint of the channel stretches across the Middle East, South Asia, Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and Australia. Ms Soon is responsible for the entire business operations of the channel. She started in broadcast journalism with the then Singapore Broadcasting Corporation. Her range of experience includes reporting on ‘live’ events in Singapore and from overseas; ‘live’ talk shows, leading general elections coverage and being Editor and presenter of “In Parliament”. Ms Soon obtained her BSc(Econs) and MSc in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science under scholarship from the Singapore Broadcasting Corporation.

Susan Schiffer Stautberg is the co-founder and co-chair for Women Corporate Directors, which is the only global membership organization and community of Women Corporate Directors. WCD now has over 675 women members who serve on over 850 boards in 27 chapters around the world. WCD can now arguably be described as one of the most powerful women’s business communities in the world, strengthened by our focus on leadership, diversity, education, and best practices in corporate governance. Ms. Stautberg is also president of PartnerCom Corporation, which assembles and manages Advisory Boards globally for businesses, governments, and non-profits. Ms. Stautberg is an innovative, multi-dimensional leader as well as a visionary community and strategic alliance builder in the public, private, and social sectors.  In her capacity as corporate and non-profit director, she has served on or created the Advisory Boards for Avon, Bank of America, Bayer Diabetes Care, Citibank, CIGNA, Council on Competitiveness, Deutsche Bank Private Wealth Management, Goldman Sachs, Investment New Zealand, Merrill Lynch, Microsoft, Northern Trust, Northwestern Mutual, Proctor and Gamble, and The United Nations Office for Project Services. She co-founded On Board Bootcamp, which provides an insider’s guide on how to be selected to be a Corporate, Private Company or Advisory Board Director.

Suh Minjeong is First Secretary at the Embassy of Republic of Korea, Singapore.

Jwee San Tan is Senior Director at Spencer Stuart Professional Consulting, and has more than 14 years of experience in the China and Southeast Asian markets. She joined the firm in 2000 and has successfully conducted key assignments across various disciplines in the industrial and consumer products industries. Before joining the firm, Jwee San was a Principal Consultant at PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting in East Asia and led in delivering business as well as operations strategies. Her key clients included the leading multinational players in the automotive, industrial and consumer products sectors. Jwee San has brought channel management, marketing as well as customer relationship management knowledge and expertise to the firm and its clients. She began her professional career at Mars Incorporated. She has worked in the China market from 1992, first as the sales training manager and later, as events and brand marketing manager. Jwee San comes from Singapore and holds a Bachelor of Science (Hons.) from the National University of Singapore. She resides in Beijing.

Nicole Tan is President of the Association of Women for Action & Research.  An AWARE member for 14 years, Nicole served on the last Executive Committee as the Assistant Secretary and Chair of the Legal Subcommittee. She was also a member of the Professionalisation Subcommittee and drafted the new bye-laws. Nicole Tan is a partner in the Corporate and Securities Law Department of KhattarWong and a member of its International China Practice. Nicole has garnered substantial breadth and depth in corporate and securities law over more than a decade. She assists companies from their inceptions, through their various acquisitions, fund raising activities, and other commercial transactions to their public offerings. She also assists her listed clients in their compliance matters and secondary fund-raisings. Nicole is one of the first batch of Registered Professionals qualified to undertake continuing sponsorship activities for companies listed on CataList. She was named one of AsiaLaw’s Leading Lawyers 2008 (Mergers & Acquisitions). As a mother, Nicole wants her nine-year-old daughter to grow up and have the capacity to be fully engaged in society. Apart from her passion to continue the good work that AWARE has done in the past on gender equality, Nicole treats the Presidency as a chance to teach her daughter by example. Her goals for 2009/2010 are to strengthen AWARE’s research and public education efforts as well as to reach out to non-English speakers.

Sharon Tan joined Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) in September 2010 as Communications Director, leading the company’s communications function in Asia Pacific. She has more than 20 years experience in the fields of public affairs and public relations; branding, advertising and marketing; and corporate social responsibility. As a seasoned communications professional, Sharon has helped Fortune 500 companies build their corporate reputation and brands to drive business, as well as attract and retain top talent as employers of choice. At MSD, Sharon provides communications leadership, planning and counsel to the company’s senior management in Asia Pacific, partnering with local teams of communications professionals in the region. Previously from Levi Strauss & Company’s Asia Pacific Division in Singapore, she held the concurrent portfolios of Director, Corporate Affairs for Levi Strauss Asia Pacific Division and Program Director for the Levi Strauss Foundation, Asia Pacific. From 1990 to 2001, Sharon worked in the ASEAN/Asia Pacific headquarters of global companies such as DuPont and MTV in Singapore. Sharon honed her advertising and public relations skills in international advertising agency Ogilvy & Mather in Singapore in the late 1980’s. Trained as a lawyer, she also worked with the Singapore Foreign Service from 1980 to 1987, where she served in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Singapore and as First Secretary in the Singapore Embassy in Washington, DC. Sharon served 2 terms as Vice President of the Business Coalition on AIDS in Singapore (BCAS). Launched in October 2002, the BCAS was a private network of companies and individuals in Singapore advocating a concerted business response to HIV/AIDS in the workplace through human resource policies, programs and employee education. Sharon graduated from the National University of Singapore with a LL.B (Hons) in 1979 and from the University of London with a LL.M in 1980, majoring in international law and human rights.

Jennifer Tay is Citi Private Bank’s Head of Managed Investments Product Sales for the Asia Pacific region, with Managed Investments Sales Teams and Investments Counselors based in Singapore and Hong Kong reporting to her. She and her team work closely with private bankers and CPB’s clients on a strategic approach to their portfolio investments in the area of managed investments, providing clients with holistic solutions. As a Senior Portfolio Counsellor for the Asia Pacific region, she also advises clients directly on asset allocation and portfolio structuring. Prior to this appointment, Jennifer served as Head of Investment Counseling for South Asia, with responsibility for both capital markets and Managed Investments. She was previously a Portfolio Counsellor focusing on the Indonesian market and prior to that was Head of Discretionary Products Management for the private bank in the Asia Pacific and Middle East region.  Her experience with the private bank’s Investments team includes product structuring of derivatives-linked yield enhancement products and product management for Alternative Investments. Jennifer has over two decades of banking experience. She has been with Citi Private Bank since 1997, and she joined Citi’s Global Corporate & Institutional Bank in 1994. Prior to joining Citi, Jennifer began her career in corporate banking & structured trade finance (commodities) at Standard Chartered Bank and the Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation in Singapore. Jennifer graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration (Second Upper Class Honours) from the National University of Singapore.

Barbara Taylor is the Global Banking Risk Management Senior Risk Executive for Asia at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, responsible for the primary approval of corporate credit exposure within the Asia region. Barbara joined Bank of America in 2000 as a Vice President in the EMEA Portfolio Management team, Telecoms & Media. She was promoted to Managing Director in 2001 and subsequently moved to Syndicated Capital Markets in 2002 and Special Assets Group in 2003. In January 2005, she became an Industry Portfolio Manager (IPM) in GCIB’s Global Portfolio Management unit for corporate clients in the consumer & retail, gaming, lodging, real estate and healthcare industry sectors in EMEA. She moved to Singapore in the role of GIB Risk Management SRE for Asia in May 2007. Before joining the bank, Barbara was a Director in the Credit Products Group at UBS in London for 8 years. In that capacity she was responsible for the origination, structuring and underwriting of a number of major acquisition financings in the UK and US utility sectors. Barbara graduated from Queen Mary College, University of London, in 1987 where she majored in French and earned a BA degree in European Studies.

Eileen Teo Hwa Ping is the Regional Finance Director, Asia for MSD Technology Pte Ltd (Merck Sharp & Dohme) based in Singapore. She has over 15 years experience, most of which was spent in the pharmaceutical industry. She is the Finance Business Partner for the Vice President Asia supporting 8 markets in the Asia region with an estimated revenue of US$ 0.7billion. She is highly passionate about the business with a strong focus for exploring opportunities for topline growth and driving operating costs down via adoption of technology and process efficiency. She is strong advocate for people development and talent management.

Geri Thomas is Senior Vice President, Global Diversity & Inclusion Executive, Consumer & Small Business Banking Staffing Executive and Atlanta Market and Georgia State President for Bank of America Merrill Lynch. She oversees corporate-wide diversity programs and serves as a diversity resource to business lines as a member of the bank’s Global Diversity & Inclusion Council. As Senior Staffing executive for Consumer & Small Business Banking, she is on point for recruiting planning and fulfillment for the bank’s largest line of business by employment. In her roles as Atlanta Market and Georgia State president, Thomas leads efforts to deliver the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility strategy locally, including overseeing philanthropic grants, community development lending and investing, and volunteerism activities. Thomas joined Bank of America in 1970 in Consumer Banking support and was named Human Resources Director for Georgia in 1986. She went on to take executive responsibilities for the MidSouth Banking Groups in 1992, adding the states of North Carolina and South Carolina in 2001. She was named senior Staffing executive that same year and became Global Diversity &Inclusion Executive in 2002. In 2008, Thomas testified on the bank’s global diversity and inclusion efforts to the U.S. House Financial Services Committee and in 2009 was inducted into the prestigious Executive Leadership Council. She is a member of the State of Georgia Personnel Board, a member of the Consortium of Chief Diversity Officers at Georgetown University and serves on the board of directors of the Woodruff Arts Center, the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce, where she is also on the Executive Committee and Atlanta Committee for Progress. She is also a member of the Board of Advisors for the Robinson School of Business at Georgia State University. An Atlanta native, Thomas received a B.S. in Human Resources from Georgia State University.

Kirsten Trott is the Senior Manager (Strategy and Impact) for the Research Support Unit of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. She is currently assisting in developing the School’s new research project: Pathways to Women’s Leadership in New Asia in conjunction with the Asia Society. Kirsten is a lawyer with a broad background in policy, regulation and governance. Previously she held positions as Chief Executive Officer at the Code Compliance Monitoring Committee in Australia and Deputy Director of the whistle blowing charity, Public Concern at Work, in London, England. She has advised and trained international business and governmental organizations on how to promote open, accountable and ethical work places, investigated compliance breaches and contributed to policy debates on whistle blowing, bribery and corruption, and transparency.

Sophie Tsai is Head of the Branding & Communications Division at Sony Taiwan and established the company’s communication platform from ground zero in 2001. With 20 years of experience, Sophie has worked in the fields of sales and marketing, communications, and management in Taiwanese, Asian and multi-national enterprises. With experience working as in-house as well as a part of a consulting firm, Sophie has built expertise in organizational communication, integrated marketing communications, brand building, multi-brand communications, and risk management. Sophie is a graduate of the National Chung Hsin University majored in Social Work & Business Administration. She also received her Master of Science in Public Relations from the University of Stirling in UK.

Astrid Tuminez is the Vice‐Dean of Research at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. She has over two decades of experience in public policy analysis, philanthropy, research and project management, teaching, and venture capital investment. Previously, she was Senior Research Associate of the Philippine Facilitation Project of the U.S. Institute of Peace where, with U.S. State Department funding, she assisted in peace negotiations between the Philippine government and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Dr. Tuminez has been a Senior Advisor, Strategy and Programs, for the Salzburg Global Seminar. She is also the former Director of Research for alternative investments at AIG (American International Group) Global Investment Corp. In the early 1990′s, she ran the Moscow office of the Harvard Project on Strengthening Democratic Institutions, where she worked directly with ranking reformist leaders, including former president Mikhail Gorbachev and foreign minister Eduard Shevardnadze. From 1992‐1998, she was a program officer at the Carnegie Corporation of New York, responsible for grant‐making in conflict prevention, the non‐proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, and democratization. She also worked with the Carnegie Commission on Preventing Deadly Conflict, chaired by former U.S. Secretary of State Cyrus Vance and Dr. David Hamburg. In 1998‐1999, Dr. Tuminez was a consultant to The World Bank and an institutional sales/research professional at Brunswick Warburg, Inc. She holds a Master’s from Harvard and a Ph.D. from MIT. Dr. Tuminez is a former Adjunct Fellow and a member of the Council on Foreign Relation.

Malini Vaidya is the Global Head of the Consumer Packaged Goods & Services Practice at Spencer Stuart. She also drives the firm’s efforts for the Board Services and CEO practices for Southeast Asia, in addition to playing an active role in developing the Financial Services Practice’s search initiatives throughout Asia. She is knowledgeable about the sub-continent and works with Spencer Stuart’s offices in India to address growing leadership needs in the country. Malini specializes in executive search, management appraisal and board-related work, advising clients across Asia on broad senior management issues. Previously, Malini was a consultant in the Singapore-Kuala Lumpur offices of another international executive search firm. There, she played a key role in driving the firm’s Malaysian practice, led the financial services practice group for Southeast Asia, and co-led the firm’s efforts in the consumer goods and services industry within the region. She advised clients across Asia in a diverse group of industries in addition to financial services and consumer products. Beyond executive search, she worked with clients on board director appointments and senior executive management assessments. Prior to moving to Singapore in 2001, Malini conducted cross-border search assignments in the financial, media and telecommunications sectors in India. She also served as the India head of business development for cash management services at the ANZ Grindlays Bank. Prior to that role, she was a senior deal and relationship originator within the corporate and investment banking groups of the ANZ Bank in the U.S. and India. Malini also served as strategic adviser within ANZ Grindlays as a member of the core McKinsey–Grindlays team. Malini holds an honors bachelor’s degree in economics from St. Xavier’s College at Bombay University, and master’s degrees in finance and in economics from Northeastern University in Boston.

Khatiza Van Savage is Director of Asiabizinsight, an Organizational Development Consultant / Leadership Coach specializing in the design and implementation of processes for Leadership and Team development in alignment with organizational strategy. Her expertise has served the needs of clients in many industries in the corporate sector. Additionally she has also served the needs of the public, educational and not for profit sectors. Khatiza currently focuses on Insightful Learning Journeys to support the development of Women Leaders in Asia. Implemented in Bhutan, facilitated retreats allow existing and potential women leaders to explore, conceptualize and develop their personal Model of Gross National Happiness. The personal learning journeys begin with self assessment and incorporate activities in the arenas of Health, Wealth and Well Being. Reflective opportunities are provided with knowledge on topics such as Mindful Living, Women and Development, Role in the Community. Leadership development processes include group discussions, journal writing, storytelling and ongoing coaching as long term support. Khatiza obtained her degrees in Adult Education and Human Resource Development from the George Washington University, Washington DC, USA, Management Studies and Business Administration from the Asian Institute of Management, Manila, Philippines. She received her undergraduate degree with Honours in English and History from St. Joseph’s College, Darjeeling, India. Additionally, Khatiza is professionally trained as a Coach from Corporate Coach University (CCU) and is an accredited Facilitator for Team Management Systems, Australia and Culture in the Workplace, USA.

Vidula Verma is General Counsel, RECAP, an Asian private equity real estate fund, from 2007 to present, General Counsel, Swire Pacific Offshore 2006-7. Vice President & Asst General Counsel, JP Morgan, Singapore 1994-2001. She was formerly also on Executive Committee of AWARE Singapore (“Association of Women for Action and Research) in 1993.

Lulu C. Wang is Chief Executive Officer of Tupelo Capital Management L.L.C. Ms. Wang has held senior positions in money management since 1982. She had been a Director and Executive Vice President of Jennison Associates Capital Corporation for ten years before founding Tupelo Capital Management in 1997. While at Jennison, a primary platform for asset management at Prudential Financial, Ms. Wang managed assets for pension, endowment, and mutual funds. She joined Jennison Associates in 1988 from Equitable Capital Management where she had held the title of Senior Vice President and Managing Director, overseeing active equities management. She had been with Equitable since 1978 and prior to that, had been affiliated with Donaldson, Lufkin & Jenrette. Ms. Wang received her B A degree from Wellesley College and subsequently earned a Masters in Business Administration from Columbia Business School. Ms. Wang serves on the boards of MetLife Insurance Company, the Committee of 100, the Asia Society, Columbia Business School, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Rockefeller University and WNYC Public Radio. Ms. Wang also serves as a trustee emerita of Wellesley College and as a consulting director of the New York Community Trust. Her professional as well as volunteer work have been honored by Asia Society, Columbia Business School, China Institute, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Chinese in America, Girls Inc., the New York Women’s Agenda, the New York City Commission on the Status of Women, the American Women’s Economic Development Corporation, and by Ernst and Young for entrepreneurial achievement. In her spare time, Ms. Wang, along with her husband, restore and race vintage cars. They also collect American paintings and furniture and enjoy cooking and gardening.

Juanita Woodward is Director, Customer Relations Asia Pacific and Vice Chair at BoardAgender, an initiative of the Singapore Council of Women’s Associations to promote gender balanced business in the workplace, and the advancement of women into senior roles and into the boardrooms of Singapore. She joined Eurogiro in 2007 to establish its Singapore representative office, and further expand its international payments and remittance business in the Asia Pacific region. Ms Woodward has over 20 years work experience in the Asia Pacific region, and has held various regional and global roles at Citi, ABN AMRO, and Standard Chartered Bank in the corporate transaction banking area. Ms Woodward is a member of the World Bank Consultative Committee of the Public Private Partnership on Remittances, and is a member of the American Chamber of Commerce, Financial Services Committee. She is a frequent speaker on the topic of remittances, and their impact as a catalyst for financial inclusion. Ms Woodward is an American citizen and a Permanent Resident in Singapore. In a community volunteer capacity, Ms Woodward was the Founding President of PrimeTime, an international business and professional women’s association (1997, 2003-2010), and was awarded the honor of 2009 International Woman of the Year by the American Women’s Association.

Alicia Yi is the Managing Director of Strategic Client Services for Korn/Ferry International, Asia Pacific, where she is a member of the Firm’s CEO & Board Practice and Global Consumer Market. Based in Singapore, she also serves as the Co-Leader for the Firm’s Human Resources Center of Expertise, Asia Pacific. Ms. Yi brings to Korn/Ferry a strong Human Capital Management Consulting background. In her current position as Managing Director of Strategic Client Services, she works closely with teams globally and throughout the region to engage with top clients across the globe to build their leadership teams. Prior to joining Korn/Ferry, Ms. Yi served at another leading executive search firm where she led the Singapore office as the managing partner. There, she built up the consumer practice, driving key accounts in the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG), retail and hotel sectors and developing key client relationships. Ms. Yi also established and led the regional human resources functional practice with a team of HR specialists across key countries, building a significant practice.  Prior to search, Ms. Yi built and led her own consulting business, focusing on HR strategy. Earlier, she was with Towers Perrin as head of the compensation practice in Singapore and Chicago, and the international HR manager with Swiss Bank Corporation based in Zurich. Ms. Yi is an active member of the Young President Organization (YPO). She is also a frequent speaker on leadership, gender diversity and human capital strategy. Ms. Yi received a bachelor’s degree of arts from Northwestern University, Illinois.

Janet Young is Head of Multinational Corporations, within Corporate Banking for Asia Pacific at Bank of America Merrill Lynch. She leads a team of corporate bankers who cover the subsidiaries of multinational clients in Asia, an important and growing client segment for the Bank. Janet has over 20 years of banking and corporate experience in the region. Prior to joining Bank of America, she had led Marketing, e-Business, and Commercial Banking for HSBC Singapore. Prior to that, she was working in Shanghai as the China Treasury Director and thereafter, back in Singapore as the Asia Pacific Finance & Treasury Director for a large European MNC. Janet has a Master of Business Administration from Nanyang Technological University (major in Accountancy), as well as a Bachelor of Business Administration from the National University of Singapore. She was on the Singapore Economic Review Sub-committee on Human Talent Management in 2003. Since April 2008, she is an independent Director on Spring Equity Investments Pte Ltd, a Singapore government seed capital investment company and a Board Member of Spring Singapore, a government body that champions enterprise growth, innovation, and productivity . In Jul’09, she had been invited to join the Resource Panel of the Government Parliamentary Committee for Finance, Trade & industry to provide feedback on future growth initiatives for Singapore, and the Budget. Since April 2010, she has represented Bank of America Merrill Lynch as a Governor on the Board of American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore. She is also a member of the Bank’s Asia Diversity & Inclusion Council and a committee member of Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce.

Tashi Zangmo is the Executive Director for the Bhutan Nuns’ Foundation, where Her Majesty, Ashi Tshering Yangdon Wangchuck, the Queen Mother of Bhutan, serves as the Patron. The foundation’s mission is to provide adequate learning opportunities, and improve the basic living conditions of every nunnery in Bhutan. Working towards sustainability and self-sufficiency through trainings and creating innovative educational opportunities for nuns who are in thirst of learning and attaining higher education. Tashi has a doctoral degree from the Center for International Education (CIE), at the University of Massachusetts, in Amherst. Tashi has a Bachelor’s Degree in Buddhist higher studies from Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies, in Varanasi, India. She first came to the United States in 1995 as a student at Mount Holyoke College and earned her second Bachelors degree in Development Studies. She was born into a family of subsistence farmers in a very remote village in eastern Bhutan, and was the first girl child to attend school from her village. Throughout her ventures of educational quest, Tashi never forgot where she came from, and her own experience inspired her to champion the cause of underprivileged women and girls and to bring literacy to the remote areas.

Jing Zhou is Deputy Director of Girls in Tech China, an organization showcasing female innovators and making capital and talents more accessible for women who want to use technology to create disruptive business models. She also co-founded a mobile ad platform targeting the Chinese market, airAD. Together with her team, she raised $3.8 million in six weeks last year. Previously, she worked for BusinessWeek magazine and a few B2B publications. Earlier in her career, she worked in the media and arts industry in Shanghai. Jing has a MS degree in journalism from Northwestern University in Chicago and a BA degree from Nanjing University.

Betsy Zink is an independent cross cultural trainer.  She began her life overseas 23 years ago as a Peace corps volunteer in Kenya. Since then she and her husband and their four children have lived in the Ivory Coast, Gabon, Tunisia, Russia, Australia, Indonesia, Korea, China and now Singapore. She has dedicated herself to raising funds and awareness for charitable causes worldwide. Arriving in Singapore 8 months ago she now works on behalf of the YMCA Youth For Causes, Room to Read and BESS (Bhutan Elderly Sangha Sanctuary). She is an independent cross cultural trainer and freelance photographer.

Michael Zink is the Country Head and Citi Country Officer (CCO) at Citigroup. He is responsible for the firm’s businesses and franchise in Singapore, overseeing the Institutional Clients Group, Consumer Banking and Global Cards, and Global Wealth Management businesses in Singapore. He was appointed to his role in April 2010. A 22-year Citi veteran, Mr. Zink began his career with Citi in 1988 and has held various senior corporate banking and executive management roles for Citigroup in Africa, Russia, Australia and Indonesia, where he was Citigroup Country Officer from 2000 to 2004. From 2004 to 2006, Mr. Zink was Senior Executive Vice President and Executive Director of Citibank Korea Inc, where he led the corporate and investment banking business in Korea after the integration of Citibank N.A. Seoul into KorAm Bank, which was acquired by Citi in 2004. Prior to his Citi Singapore appointment, Mr. Zink was President and Executive Director of the Guangdong Development Bank (GDB). Mr. Zink assumed his GDB role in December 2006, when a Citi-led consortium purchased an 85% stake in the Chinese lender. He worked closely with Citi’s consortium partners, local regulators and the GDB management team to modernize GDB’s business model, operations, risk management framework, and technology platforms. GDB is one of China’s largest private sector banks with 15,000 employees, a national network of 526 branches across 43 citie,s and ten million corporate, SME, and consumer customers. Mr. Zink has played a key role in bringing the bank back to profitability and implemented new processes, systems and infrastructure for greater efficiencies. Mr. Zink holds a Bachelor of Science degree in chemical engineering from Case Western Reserve University in the USA and an MBA from the J.L. Kellogg Graduate School of Management at Northwestern University i