Speakers

Keynote Dialogue: Charting ASEAN’s Strategic Course

Keynote Speaker:

Dr. Kao Kim Hourn

Secretary-General
ASEAN

Panelist

H.E. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn

Secretary-General
ASEAN

Dr. Kao Kim Hourn’s career has focused on strengthening Cambodia’s international relations, particularly in ASEAN, driving policy advocacy and promoting research, education, and development. Dr. Kao had served as a two-term Minister Delegate attached to the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, from 2013 to 2022. He has authored dozens of books and articles on Cambodia and ASEAN.

Dr. Kao is a Member of the Supreme National Economic Council, a Senior Fellow at the Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia, and a Member of the Global Council of The Asia Society. He serves as a Member of the Board of Directors for the Cambodian Institute for Cooperation and Peace and the Worldwide Support for Development.

With the mission of providing education to the disadvantaged Cambodian youths, Dr. Kao established The University of Cambodia in 2003 and continued to serve as the university president until he stepped down in October 2022.

For his services to Cambodia, Dr. Kao received the Royal Order of Cambodia, the Royal Order of Sowathara, and the Grand Order of National Merit, among others. He was also awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Public Service from Ohio University in the United States, in 2007, and an Honorary Doctorate in Literature from the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology in India, in 2014. In addition, Dr. Kao received an Honorary Doctorate in Political Science from the Busan University of Foreign Studies, in the Republic of Korea, in June 2023, in recognition of his work and contribution to ASEAN. In recognition of Dr. Kao’s achievements in the field of political science and international affairs, he was conferred the Honorary Title of “Guest Professor” by Zhengzhou University, in Henan Province, the People’s Republic of China, on 15 October 2023. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn was conferred an Honourable Member of the International Advisory Board of the Institute of ASEAN Studies at the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, on 2 November 2023. Most recently, Dr. Kao was conferred the title of “Specially Invited Professor” by Hiroshima University, Japan, on 21 May 2024.

Dr. Kao started his career with the work in the think tank in Cambodia, dedicated to ASEAN and international affairs, after his return from his studies in the United States, in January 1993. He later joined the Royal Government of Cambodia where he had served, from August 2001 to August 2013, in a variety of capacities, including a post as Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, for two terms, from 2004 to 2013.

Dr. Kao completed Bachelor of Arts in Asian Studies from Baylor University, Master of Arts in Political Science and Master of Arts in International Studies from Ohio University, and Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

He is married with two adult children who live in Phnom Penh.

Keynote Dialogue: Singapore’s Role in a Shifting Landscape

Keynote Speaker:

Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan

Minister for Foreign Affairs,
Singapore

Panelist

Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan

Minister for Foreign Affairs,
Singapore

Dr Vivian Balakrishnan is the Minister for Foreign Affairs.

He previously served as Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Initiative; Minister for the Environment and Water Resources; Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports; Second Minister for Trade and Industry; Minister-in-charge of Entrepreneurship; Second Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts and Minister of State for National Development. He has been a Member of Parliament since 2001.

He studied Medicine at the National University of Singapore after being awarded the President’s Scholarship in 1980. Following post-graduate specialist training in Ophthalmology, he was admitted as a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in 1991.

He was appointed Medical Director of Singapore National Eye Centre in 1999 and Chief Executive Officer of Singapore General Hospital in 2000. Concurrently, he was Commanding Officer of the 2nd Combat Support Hospital of the Singapore Armed Forces from 1999 to 2002.

Dr Balakrishnan has helmed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) since October 2015. Singapore was Chair of ASEAN in 2018. Singapore also hosted the landmark Singapore Summit between the leaders of the United States and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea in 2018. During the COVID-19 pandemic, MFA undertook its largest consular operation to bring home Singaporeans stranded overseas. Singapore also co-chaired the Friends of the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access (COVAX) Facility, which supports vaccine multilateralism and access to COVID-19 vaccines for all.

Dr Balakrishnan was the Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Initiative from 2014 to 2021. He led the conceptualisation and implementation of key initiatives such as the National Digital Identity (Singpass), integrated digital services (LifeSG and MyInfo) and digital finance (PayNow and SGQR). He drove the adoption of new approaches within the Singapore Government, in particular, the use of digital contact tracing systems to combat COVID-19 (TraceTogether and SafeEntry), the streamlining of business applications (GoBusiness), and the adoption of agile in-house software development (SG Tech Stack). He also led the development of strategies and policy reviews that are foundational to Smart Nation, including the Digital Government Blueprint, National Artificial Intelligence Strategy, and Public Sector Data Security Review.

Panel 1: Understanding Geopolitics and Geoeconomics

Panellist:

Prof. Danny Quah

Li Ka Shing Professor in Economics
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy,
National University Of Singapore

Panellist:

Mr. Kevin Wong

Chief Executive, Asia Pacific
Swift

Panelist

Prof. Danny Quah

Li Ka Shing Professor in Economics
Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy,
National University of Singapore (NUS)

Danny Quah is Li Ka Shing Professor in Economics at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS.  He works on world order, economic growth and development, and inequality and income mobility. In his research on world order, Quah analyses the supply and demand of international systems, contrasting the goals of the Great Powers and the needs of the global community.  Quah’s work on income mobility challenges conventional narratives on inequality, highlighting the broad diversity of economic experiences across nations. He seeks to help shape global economic and geopolitical discourse through academic research, public commentary, as a member of World Bank President’s Economic Advisory Panel and other public commissions, and in advisory roles at World Economic Forum, UNDP, and government agencies and ministries.

After his AB from Princeton and PhD from Harvard, Quah served as Assistant Professor of Economics at MIT and then Professor of Economics and International Development at LSE.

Quah is the author of “The Global Economy’s Shifting Centre of Gravity”.

Panelist

Mr. Kevin Wong

Chief Executive, Asia Pacific
Swift

Kevin is Chief Executive, Asia Pacific at Swift, and is primarily responsible for all business development and business management activities in the Asia Pacific region. Kevin joined Swift in August 2021 as Head of North Asia and took over as Chief Executive of the Asia Pacific region since July 2022. He is currently based in Singapore.

Kevin has extensive experience in the Asia Pacific region, having spent over 23 years in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Singapore, Sydney and Tokyo, mainly in the securities services and related field. Prior to Swift, Kevin was Head of Sales for State Street Bank in Asia Pacific for all products excluding SSgA, where he spent over 4 years leading their business development efforts across the region. Kevin also ran the Securities & Funds Services business for Citibank in China, and was Head of Sales for BNY Mellon Asset Servicing for Asia Ex-Japan, Ex-Australia before that. Prior to this, Kevin spent time at Deutsche Bank and Bankers Trust earlier in his career, working in Sydney, Singapore and Hong Kong.

Kevin holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Sydney. He is married with no children.

Panel 2: Powering Innovation and the New Economy

Panellist:

Mr. Lionel Yeo

Chief Executive Officer, Southeast Asia
ST Telemedia Global Data Centres

Panellist:

Mr. Andre Oei

Director, Energy and Carbon Cluster, New Energies Division
Ministry of Trade & Industry,
Singapore

Panelist

Mr. Lionel Yeo

Chief Executive Officer, Southeast Asia
ST Telemedia Global Data Centres

Lionel Yeo is Chief Executive Officer, Southeast Asia at ST Telemedia Global Data Centres (STT GDC). He is responsible for leading and growing the company’s data centre business in current and new markets across Southeast Asia, as well as driving commercial strategy and product development within the region. This includes markets like Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, and Vietnam. Lionel also served as VP for Corporate Development and Investments where he was responsible for new market investments, operational setup, and strategy for the Group. Prior to that, he was General Manager for STT Singapore 5, following a joint venture deal where he led the operational transition of the data centre business.

Lionel has held various leadership roles across investment, operations, asset management, product and strategy in the data centre industry. Prior to joining STT GDC, he was Vice President, Investments in Keppel where he led and managed the development of data centre assets across Singapore and Australia.

Lionel holds an Executive MBA from UCLA-NUS and Bachelor of Accountancy with Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

Panelist

Mr. Andre Oei

Director, Energy and Carbon Cluster, New Energies Division
Ministry of Trade & Industries,
Singapore

Panel 3: Future of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone

Panellist:

Dr. Melvin Heng

Executive Director and Group Chief Executive Officer
Thomson Medical Life Science and Thomson Medical Group

Panellist:

Mr. Alvin Lee

Country Chief Executive Officer
Maybank Singapore

Panellist:

Mr. Sivasuriyamoorthy Sundara Raja

Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Investment Promotion and Facilitation
Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA)

Panelist

Dr. Melvin Heng

Executive Director and Group Chief Executive Officer
Thomson Medical Life Science and Thomson Medical Group

Dr Melvin Heng was appointed as Executive Director and Group Chief Executive Officer on 1 December 2022. He leads and manages the Group and works actively with the Board and Management to set the overall strategic direction focused on driving business operations and growth of the Group.

Dr Heng is a physician and healthcare executive with more than 10 years of experience in hospital management, primary and specialist clinics, teleradiology, MedTech and aeromedical evacuations. Dr Heng is a medical advisor and investor in several MedTech companies such as Mesh Bio and Global Health Byte (now UNO Technologies). From 2016 to 2018, Dr Heng served as an advisor to the Ministry of Health in the Primary Care IT sub-committee for National Electronic Health Records and GP Connect. Before joining Thomson Medical, Dr Heng was with Gleneagles Hospital where he held various leadership positions including Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer. From 2009 to 2015, Dr Heng was a medical doctor with the National Health Service (United Kingdom) and Tan Tock Seng Hospital. After leaving the public service, Dr Heng co-founded an aeromedical evacuation company (Global Medical Concierge) and was also an equity partner at OneCare Medical, a chain of primary care clinics.

Dr Heng was awarded the Public Service Medal (COVID-19) by the Singapore Government in 2023.

Dr Heng graduated from the St George’s Hospital Medical School in London with a Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS). He holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Frankfurt School of Finance and Management and has a Graduate Diploma in Occupational Medicine (GDOM) from the National University of Singapore (NUS).

Panelist

Mr. Alvin Lee

Country Chief Executive Officer
Maybank Singapore

Chief Executive Officer
Malayan Banking Berhad Singapore Branch

Alvin Lee is the Country Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Maybank Singapore (Maybank), and CEO of Malayan Banking Berhad Singapore Branch, responsible for the overall strategic direction and business growth for Maybank.

Alvin brings with him both depth and breadth of experience, having been in the banking industry for more than 30 years. Alvin started his banking career at JP Morgan Singapore, and held senior leadership positions in international banks where he was the Global Head of Risk Solutions (Global Retail & Corporate Banking division) of Barclays Bank in London, and spent 14 years with Citibank Singapore in various functions.

Prior to this, he distinguished himself as Head, Group Wealth Management and his remit was expanded in 2017 to include helming the Community Financial Services (CFS) division whose primary business is in retail, SME and business banking in Singapore. Under his leadership, Alvin launched Maybank Private in 2013 as well as the Group Wealth Management ambit in 2016 which led to outstanding business growth. He also steered the CFS business transformation with a focus to enable greater digital adoption and enhancing customers’ experience.

Alvin is a Board member of Maybank Asset Management Pte. Ltd and Maybank Securities Pte Ltd. He holds a degree in Accountancy from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.

Panelist

Mr. Sivasuriyamoorthy Sundara Raja

Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Investment Promotion and Facilitation
Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA)

Fireside Chat

Speaker:

Associate Professor Simon Tay

Chairman
Singapore Institute of International Affairs

Panelist

Associate Professor Simon Tay

Chairman
Singapore Institute of International Affairs

Simon SC Tay is a public intellectual as well as an advisor to major corporations and policy-makers.

He is Chairman of the Singapore Institute of International Affairs, the country’s oldest think tank. The SIIA focuses on the politics, economic policies and sustainablity issues that matter to policy makers and corporations in ASEAN and Asia. Consistently ranked by an international survey within the top 50 of the world and amongst the best in ASEAN, the SIIA is also rated the No 1 independent think tank across all of Asia. The SIIA works actively in “track 2” diplomacy with policy makers, not only in Singapore but across ASEAN, including previously advising the Indonesian and Myanmar governments on foreign investment. SIIA members and benefactors include many of leading Singaporean companies and multinationals.

Presently, Prof Tay serves as an Ambassador for Singapore, accredited to Greece on a non-residential basis. He is a board member of the Maritime Port Authority and also chairs the trade and sustainability dialogues for free trade agreements that Singapore has with the European Union and UK. He has previously served Singapore in a number of public appointments. These include Chairman of the National Environment Agency (2002-08); Expert and Eminent Person in the ASEAN Regional Forum (2002–2019); independent Member of Parliament (1997-2001); and to coordinate the country’s equivalent of the Peace Corps (1990-93). He co-chaired a number of national public commissions such as Singapore 21, the Singapore Green Plan and the Singapore Concept Plan 2010. In 2006, Prof Tay received a National Day Award.

Additionally, Tay is a tenured Associate Professor, teaching since 1995 at the National University of Singapore Faculty of Law with a focus on international law. He has also taught as visiting professor at Harvard Law School, the Fletcher School and Yale University. In addition to academic works, his book, Asia Alone: the Dangerous Post Crisis Divide from America (Wiley 2010) was well reviewed in the Economist and Financial Times. His comments and interviews often feature in the international and regional media.

Another aspect of Prof Tay’s work is to advise major corporations. Currently, he is Senior Consultant at WongPartnership, a leading Asian law firm of over 300 lawyers and offices in ASEAN, China and the Middle East. Previously, he served on global advisory boards for MUFG Bank of Japan, and Toyota Japan, and was Corporate Advisor to Temasek Holdings (2006-09). For more than a decade, he served as independent board director for companies including the LGT Bank of Liechtenstein and Deutsche Boerse (Asia). He is often asked to brief major corporate boards and financial institutions and has spoken at leading business conferences including the World Economic Forum, APEC and ASEAN CEO Summits.

Additionally, Tay is a prize winning author of fiction and poetry. His 2010 novel City of Small Blessings was awarded the Singapore Literature Prize and in 2019 he received the SE Asia Write award in recognition of contributions to the region’s writing.

He graduated in law from the National University of Singapore (1986), where he was president of the student union for three terms. He also holds a Masters in Law from Harvard Law School (1993-94), which he attended on a Fulbright Scholarship and where he won the Laylin prize for the best thesis in international law.

He was born in 1961 and is the only son of the late Tay Seow Huah, a pioneer generation civil servant reporting to the Prime Minister and Defence Minister, and the late Madam Cheong Keong Hin, a teacher. Prof Tay is married and has one son.