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

Panellist:

Mr. Michael Buchanan

Chief Macro Strategist and Head, Australia & New Zealand
Temasek

Panellist:

Ms. Nisha Biswal

Partner
The Asia Group

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.

Panelist

Mr. Michael Buchanan

Chief Macro Strategist and Head, Australia & New Zealand
Temasek

Michael Buchanan joined Temasek in December 2012 and is currently Chief Macro Strategist, Macro Strategy. In addition, he is Head, Australia & New Zealand.

Mike was previously with Goldman Sachs, in London as Co-Head of the Global Macro & Markets Research Group responsible for broad macro-trading strategy as well as long-term thematic research on the future of the global economy and shorter-term cyclical work on the major economies, and in Hong Kong as Chief Asia-Pacific Economist where he was responsible for the firm’s economic, forex and rates views on the region.

Before Goldman, Mike was at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) as an Economist working on Russia and capital market issues. Michael began his career as a Lecturer at Jesus College, Oxford University and at the Institute of Economics and Statistics, Oxford University.

Mike is a Rhodes Scholar from Australia and holds a M.Phil (Economics) from Oxford University. He graduated from University of Tasmania, Australia with Honours in Economics (and a partial major in Law).

Panelist

Ms. Nisha Biswal

Partner
The Asia Group

Nisha Biswal is a Partner at The Asia Group and a leading voice on economic and geopolitical trends in South Asia and the broader Indo-Pacific. She brings over 30 years of experience in U.S. foreign policy, international trade and economic development across the Executive Branch, in Congress, and the private sector. With her deep networks and policy expertise, Nisha is well-positioned to support clients as they navigate trade, technology, energy, regulatory and political dynamics in key markets across the Indo-Pacific, particularly in India and broader South Asia. At a time of increasing geopolitical volatility, Nisha can provide companies with the insights and analysis they need to inform corporate strategy and achieve tangible commercial outcomes.

Most recently, Nisha served as Deputy CEO of the U.S. International Development Finance Corporation, overseeing operations, management and policy coordination, and helping DFC become the largest bilateral development finance entity in the world. Prior to DFC, Nisha was Senior Vice President for International Strategy and Global Initiatives at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce from 2017-2023, where she led the U.S.-India Business Council and the U.S.- Bangladesh Business Council. In these roles, Nisha worked extensively with American companies from a wide range of sectors, including energy, technology, aerospace, pharmaceuticals and manufacturing, to advance commercial aims in South Asia.

Her prior U.S. government experience includes serving as Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs at the Department of State from 2013 to 2017. During her tenure, she oversaw the U.S.-India strategic partnership during a period of unprecedented growth, including the launch of an annual U.S.-India Strategic and Commercial Dialogue. She also initiated the C5+1 Dialogue with Central Asia and the U.S.-Bangladesh Partnership Dialogue.  Previously, Nisha held senior roles at the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID)and on Capitol Hill, which included positions on the Appropriations and Foreign Affairs Committees in the House of Representatives.

Nisha currently serves on the board of Excelerate Energy, a publicly traded U.S. energy company providing integrated LNG solutions to meet the world’s energy needs.  Prior Board service includes the Advisory Committee on Voluntary Foreign Aid, the National Democratic Institute and the U.S. Institute of Peace International Advisory Council.  She served on USIP’s Afghanistan Study Group, the Congressional–Executive Commission on China, and the Aspen Institute’s India-US Track 2 Dialogue on Climate and Energy.  Nisha is a proud graduate of the University of Virginia where she studied international relations and economics.

Panel 2: Powering Innovation and the New Economy

Panel Keynote:

Ms. Dyah Roro Esti Widya Putri

Deputy Minister of Trade
Indonesia

Panellist:

Mr. Lionel Yeo

Chief Executive Officer, Southeast Asia
ST Telemedia Global Data Centres

Panellist:

Mr. Andre Oei

Director, Energy Markets and Infrastructure, and Energy Partnerships Divisions
Ministry of Trade & Industry, Singapore

Panelist

Ms. Dyah Roro Esti Widya Putri

Deputy Minister of Trade
Indonesia

Dyah Roro Esti Widya Putri,B.A., PG.Dip., M.Sc, currently serves as the Vice Minister of Trade in the Merah Putih Cabinet, appointed by President Prabowo Subianto on October 20, 2024.

Roro earned her Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Economics and Sociology from the University of Manchester in 2013, followed by a Postgraduate Diploma in Social Change from the same institution in 2014. In 2015, she completed her Master of Science in Environmental Technology at Imperial College London, funded by the Indonesian Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP). She also undertook coursework at Harvard University in 2013, focusing on Globalisation and Global Justice and The Economies of Emerging Markets. In 2024, she obtained a Professional Development Certificate in Parliamentary Governance from McGill University, awarded through a scholarship from the World Bank – IMF.

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 Markets and Infrastructure, and Energy Partnerships Divisions
Ministry of Trade & Industries, Singapore

Andre is Director of the Energy Markets and Infrastructure and Energy Partnerships Divisions in Singapore’s Ministry of Trade and Industry, which oversees Singapore’s power generation sector and its energy transition. He is concurrently appointed to the Prime Minister’s Office as Special Assistant to Emeritus Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong. Andre has previously held positions in the (i) Prime Minister’s Office; (ii) Ministry of Education; (iii) Ministry of Home Affairs; (iv) Ministry of National Development; and (v) Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. Andre graduated from the London School of Economics and has post-graduate degrees from Harvard University and INSEAD

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

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)

Panellist:

Mr. Kok Ping Soon

Chief Executive Officer
Singapore Business Federation

Panellist:

Dr. Melvin Heng

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

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)

A Business Administration graduate from the University of Malaya, Sivasuriyamoorthy Sundara Raja joined Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) in 1989 as an Assistant Director in the Food, Beverages and Chemical Division.

Over the last 35 years he had served in the Strategic Planning and Policy Advocacy Division, Investment Promotion Division and Incentive Coordination and Collaboration Office (ICCO).

Mr. Siva was posted to Germany twice to head MIDA’s office in Cologne (2006-2009) and Frankfurt (2013-2017). He was responsible to move MIDA’s office from Cologne to Frankfurt and to establish MIDA’s second office in Germany in Munich. As an overseas Director in Germany, Mr. Siva was responsible to attract foreign direct investments from Germany and the Benelux countries, namely Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Throughout most of his 35 years career with MIDA, Mr.Siva was involved in various projects on Malaysia’s industrial development, such as the 2nd and 3rd Industrial Master Plans (IMP), 8th-10th Malaysia Plans, equity liberalisation of the manufacturing sector, formulation of investment incentives and policies, and empowerment of MIDA. Mr.Siva was also responsible for the coordination of the Study on Exit Strategy for Foreign Labour Intensive Industries, formulation of policies and guidelines for the establishment of Domestic Investment Strategic Fund (DISF) to accelerate the shift of Malaysian-owned companies in high technology industries, as well as the establishment of One Stop Centre and Business Travellers Centre for Short Term Business Travellers during COVID 19 Pandemic.

Mr. Siva was promoted as the Executive Director (Investment Promotion) on 1st November 2018 and moved to his current position as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Investment Promotion & Facilitation) effective 1st May 2021.

Panelist

Mr. Kok Ping Soon

Deputy Chief Executive Officer, Investment Promotion and Facilitation
Singapore Business Federation

Mr Kok Ping Soon is Chief Executive Officer of the Singapore Business Federation (SBF), the apex business chamber championing the interests of Singapore’s business community in trade, investment and industrial relations matters. SBF represents more than 32,000 companies, as well as key local and foreign business chambers.

Prior to his current appointment, Ping Soon was Chief Executive of the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech), the lead agency driving Singapore’s Smart Nation initiative and public sector digital transformation. He also held various positions in the Ministry of Manpower, National Security Co-ordination Secretariat, Ministry of Trade & Industry, Singapore Tourism Board, Contact Singapore (CS), and Economic Development Board (EDB). He spent six years in the United States working for CS and EDB.

He serves on the Board of SBF Holdings, SBF Connect, Singapore Business Federation Foundation, Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority, Global Compact Network Singapore, Singapore Pools and The Intellectual Property Office of Singapore. He is also a member of Singapore International Arbitration Centre, Singapore International Mediation Centre, NUS Institute of Systems Sciences, National Integration Council and a fellow member of Singapore Computer Society.

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).