Regional Alumni Chapter Presidents

If you would like to contact the alumni presidents, please contact info@the-stars.ch

Asia

Bangladesh

Founder and CEO, Turle Venture, Dhaka
Alumna stars 2022/2023

Central Asia

Founder and Owner at Steppe and World Publishing, Almaty Kazakhstan
Alumna stars 2017

China – Beijing

Manager, Marketplace Planning, North & West Territory, Nike Sport China, Beijing, China
Alumnus stars 2019

General Manager & Director of the Board China, SICPA Product Security, Beijing, China
Alumnus stars 2011

Yvan Sprünglin is a Swiss citizen with 20 years of living and working experience in China.

He is currently General Manager & Director of the Board China for the Swiss company SICPA active in the fields of high security inks for banknotes, anti-counterfeiting solutions and secure traceability systems, assisting governments and multinational companies in fighting counterfeits and other types of frauds.

From 2008 to 2011 he held various positions at SwissCham in Beijing including General Manager and Executive Director before joining the Board of SwissCham in 2012 as Vice-President including National Representative until 2019.

Since 2018, he is a Director of the Board of the Swiss School Beijing and took on the position of Chairman of the Board as of 2020.

In 2019, he joined the Advisory Board of Ricola China and acts as Supervisor of the Board since 2023.

His academic background is a Bachelor’s degree in Chinese and Philosophy and a Master Degree in Sinology.

He has taken several Executive Courses and is certified from the IMD Business School in Lausanne and the Harvard Management School.

Yvan Sprünglin is living permanently in Beijing since 2008 with his wife and two sons.

China – Chengdu

CEO & Founder, Light & Effects, Chengdu, China
Alumnus stars 2014

China – Hong Kong

Director, Marketing, BASF, Hong Kong
Alumna stars 2023

Director, Edelman Smithfield APAC, Hong Kong
Alumna stars 2023

Tana has over 12 years of experience in strategic communications and is current leading Edelman Smithfield’s business in Hong Kong, her clients ranging from fledging startups to some of the world’s most recognized brands, such as AIA, Allianz, BlackRock, Goldman Sachs, HSBC, Morningstar, Principal Asset Management, Raffles Family Office, Singapore Exchange, etc.

Prior to joining the agency, Tana was a Senior Wealth Management Manager with AIA International, where she led a team of eight and provided bespoke wealth planning advisory for HNWIs, bringing home multiple high value life insurance sales awards. Prior to AIA, she was an Associate at Mizuho Securities, leading the group’s corporate rebranding projects and employee engagement initiatives. Before that, she was with alternative investment group PAG, responsible for the firm’s internal and external communications, with a focus on brand marketing and corporate events.

A firm believer in lifelong learning, Tana constantly pushes her boundaries and seeks intellectual growth. She gets the big picture but believes the small details are just as important, and she always puts the customer at the center of every touchpoint in their journey. She also actively participates in charitable causes through fundraising events, particularly keen on helping the visually impaired.

Tana speaks English, Mandarin, Cantonese and Japanese. She studied in Hong Kong and Netherlands, holding a bachelor’s degree in hotel and tourism management, and a master’s degree in Japanese studies. She has an executive certificate in public policy from Harvard Kennedy School.

China – Shanghai

Research Fellow, Konrad-Adenauer-Foundation Shanghai Office
Alumnus stars 2017

Chengzhan Zhuang was born in Shanghai, China. He received a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Tongji University in Shanghai and worked as a civil engineer for more than two years. Later, he began to pursue his personal interests in political science and philosophy. After receiving a master’s degree in political science from Tongji University, he still insisted on continuing his research in political science. In 2011, he went to the University of Bonn in Germany, started learning German there, and began his PhD research in political science. He completed his doctoral research and thesis in 2016. His thesis focused on research on, how the developing countries can foster the development of high-tech industries.

In 2016, he joined the Shanghai office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation (KAS) as a Research Fellow. The Shanghai office of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation has been in operation since 2001. Its main purpose is to help the Konrad Adenauer Foundation, one of the most influential think tanks in Europe, to better connect with local experts, think tanks, associations, NGOs, and chambers of commerce in China. , companies and government departments, thus maintaining a two-way intellectual exchange between Europe and China, in the context of mutual respect and mutual learning. Currently, KAS’s Shanghai office and its Chinese partners run regular forums and exchange projects including: China-EU Relations Forum, China-Germany Legal Dialogue, China-EU ESG and Environmental Protection Exchange, China-EU Youth Exchange Project, etc.

Dr. Zhuang is not only responsible for the content design of these activities and exchanges, but also for liaison and communication with external partners of these KAS Shanghai office, including Chinese universities and research institutes, government departments, European and Chinese NGOs, European and Chinese Industry associations, as well as European companies and local Chinese companies in southern China, etc. Also because of the requirements of the work, he had to become a researcher on Sino-European relations.

Group CFO, Chongbang Group, Shanghai
Alumnus stars 2018

China – Shenzhen

Research Associate Professor, SUSTech, Shenzhen
Alumnus stars 2023

Ke is an experienced researcher and practitioner in quantitative finance and risk management, with a solid educational foundation that includes a doctoral degree in Quantitative Finance from ETH Zurich, a master’s degree in Mathematical Finance from Columbia University, a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Peking University, and a Bachelor of Mathematics from Beijing Normal University. His profound background encompasses financial bubbles, quantitative trading, complex systems, and data mining. Ke co-founded and leads Gaia-Qingke Fund Management Ltd., a top quantitative hedge fund in China, and has been instrumental at the Financial Crisis Observatory founded at ETH Zurich, offering critical bubble warnings and financial market reports utilized globally.

His contributions extend into the international business realm, with over ten years of investment experience and a deep commitment to fostering European-Chinese business cooperation. Ke co-founded and is the Secretary-General of the Swiss-Sino Innovation Center, demonstrating his dedication to international collaboration and innovation. He is also a co-founder and board member of the ETH Alumni Chapter Shenzhen and holds board positions in the Chinese Association of Finance Professionals in Switzerland and the Peking University Alumni Association in Switzerland. Dr. Wu served as the Executive President of the Association of Chinese Students and Scholars in Zurich (ACSSZ) from 2016 to 2018. His work has been acknowledged with several prestigious awards, including Shenzhen Overseas High-level Talents, Marie Curie Fellowship under the European Union’s Horizon 2020 Program, and the National Outstanding Self-financed Students Abroad Award.

General Manager South China, EU Chamber of Commerce in China (EUCCC), Shenzhen
Alumna stars 2023

India – Mumbai

KIIT University, Bhubaneswar, India
Alumnus stars 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2017

Edulab, Educational Exchange, Mumbai, India
Alumnus stars 2017

Indonesia – Jakarta

CEO, PT. Noah Arkindo, Jakarta, Indonesia
Alumnus stars 2016

Japan – Tokyo

Director, Japan Bank For International Cooperation, Tokyo, Japan
Alumnus stars 2013

Mongolia

Senior Adviser, German-Mongolian Institute for Technology (GMIT), Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
Alumna stars 2015 and 2017

Nepal

President, Engineers Without Borders Nepal; Member, Faculty Board, Kathmandu University; Treasurer, Self Help Group for Cerebral Palsy; Vice President, Shalom Club Nepal; Member, Nepal-Israel Chamber of Commerce; Founder/CEO of a few educational institutions in Nepal.
Alumnus stars 2018

Kapil, President of stars Alumni Nepal is committed to transforming society through global partnerships that focus on local needs and prioritize synergy on a global scale. His association with the stars from the year 2017 has been pivotal. He has already attended 3 symposiums with a commitment to participating in at least one each year.

Kapil founded Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Nepal and assembled a diverse board in 2021 during the lockdown. In a very short time he and his team have established EWB Nepal to become one of the fastest growing Social Sectors Institutions in Nepal. It now has collaboration in 4 big universities in Nepal and is now opening up collabrations in high schools.

Notably, Kapil has founded, served as CEO, or been associated with seven renowned educational institutions in Nepal. He is also closely connected to a few embassies in Nepal.

He is also very proud to be involved with the Self Help Group for Cerebral Palsy as a Treasurer and has been there for 12 years.

Kapil is the Vice President of the Shalom Club Nepal comprising members educated or trained in Israel besides contributing as the Faculty Board Member at Kathmandu University, Nepal. He is the Chairman of Monlam Puja (a digital platform) for online puja based in Nepal for global outreach. He is also engaged in the Immigration Fund for Nepal supporting individuals seeking prolonged stays in Nepal for business purposes.

Kapil holds a MPhil degree in Educational Leadership from Kathmandu University and MBA from Tribhuvan University in Nepal. He has travelled to 30 countries and has a rich network in various parts of the world.

Philippines

Director, Office of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, Manila, Philippines
Alumna stars 2014

Renia was an Assistant Secretary of the National Security Council Secretariat. She also served as Director of the Strategic Studies Branch – Policy and Strategic Studies Office of NSCS. Before NSC, Renia was the Chief of Research and Development Management Division of the National Research Council of the Philippines. She was also the Director for Peace Research Center/DDR Study Center of the Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process, and Director for Research and Policy Development of the Presidential Commission on Visiting Forces Agreement. She finished her MA in Political Science and MA in International and Area Studies at the University of California, Berkeley as a Rotary International Peace Fellow. Moreover, she has an MA in Public Administration from the University of the Philippines Diliman where she took her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science. She likewise earned an Executive Leadership Course at the University of Queensland, Brisbane. She wrote, published and lectured on post-conflict reconstruction, ASEAN conflict management framework, and on Mindanao peace process. She visited a number of countries as a resource person or participant in international peace-building fora. She was also an Ambassadorial Fellow of the Institute for Economics and Peace and an NRCP Associate Member. Renia and her team in NSC played a significant role in the formulation and adoption of the National Plan to End Local Communist Armed Conflict and National Action Plan to Prevent and Counter Violent Extremism. Renia is currently finishing her degree in Doctor of Public Administration.

Board of Directors, Asian Development Bank; Former Senior Policy Advisor, Swiss UNFCCC COP Delegation; Expert in Multilateral Development Finance and Climate Change, Switzerland

Mr. Patrick Renz is the Director’s Advisor for Belgium, France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland to the Board of the Asian Development Bank since July 2020. His career in multilateral development finance is marked diverse roles, including Swiss Advisor to the Green Climate Fund and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank, and Senior Policy Advisor negotiating among others financial instruments in the Swiss delegation to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) COP.

Deeply knowledgeable on climate finance and as the the Climate Focal Point in the Multilateral Cooperation Unit of the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs, Mr. Renz covered internal and interdepartmental as well as OECD climate reporting activities and he led the work on the report on Swiss private climate finance mobilization in development cooperation. He also spent time in Brussels at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development as part of the National Experts in Professional Training program. Building upon his distinguished capabilities, Mr. Renz participated in the esteemed National Experts in Professional Training program at the European Commission’s Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development in Brussels.

Prior to his government service, Mr. Renz refined his expertise with roles at Frontier Services Group in Beijing, the Asian Development Bank in Manila, the World Bank in Jakarta, and the National Bureau of Asian Research in Washington DC. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Law from the University of Bern and a Master’s degree with distinctions in International Relations, focusing on energy economics and supply security, from Tsinghua University in Beijing.

A seasoned professional with years of experience across the Asian continent, Mr. Renz possesses profound insights into the dynamics of climate change, energy infrastructure, and transition, as well as private sector mobilization, multilateral cooperation, and regional security. He uses his global perspective and comprehensive expertise towards fostering progressive dialogue on the broader spectrum of sustainable development, energy transition, the future of multilateralism and lately the impact of technological progress on these issues, especially through the increased use of Artificial Intelligence across sectors.

Singapore

Entrepreneur, CEO, Co-Founder, Chairman, Tech Investor & Advisor, Singapore

Dr. Tom Ludescher is an experienced CEO and board member of regulated financial services companies. He holds a Ph.D. in financial market regulations and has been working in the intersection of finance, insurance, and technology for over 25 years, helping businesses to grow by making them bankable and insurable.

His Ph.D. and profound background in financial market regulations add to his profile as a builder and enabler, making tech start-ups fit for working with regulated partners and investors.

Tom’s pro-bono activities include serving as the Chairman of the Swiss Chamber of Commerce & Industry in Singapore, Vice President of the European Chamber of Commerce in Singapore, Ambassador ASEAN of the International Insurance Society, and Co-Chair of the stars Stein am Rhein symposium Singapore alumni chapter, adding to his strong network to MNCs in Singapore, Europe, and the APAC region.

For the past 15 years, Tom has been an active angel investor and adviser in tech start-up companies with a focus on sustainability and financial inclusion, including ESG, insurtech, fintech, and novel food technologies. With this first-hand experience as a tech investor and co-founder, Tom gained a deep understanding of both sides of a successful tech start-up partnership. He knows the needs and challenges of successfully building a tech business, particularly in highly regulated industries such as financing, insurance, or food manufacturing.

CEO and Strategist-General, Solaris Strategies Singapore; Success Coach/Program Leader, Chief Strategy Officer and Chief Technology Officer programs, National University of Singapore with Emeritus; Series Editor, Routledge-Solaris series for strategy, wisdom and skills, Singapore

Dr Charles Phua is amongst global top 100 professor-author grade management consultant (Certified Management Consultant-Academic Fellow, CMC-AF by International Council of Management Consulting Institutes, ICMCI) specialising in trisector strategy-innovation-entrepreneurship. He chairs Solaris Consortium of Management Consultancies, offering comprehensive advisory and coaching services in APAC and MENA with past experiences including having advised a head of state 4 times in 7 days and supported 5YP for 916B tech MNC. He sits on corporate (non-executive director) and nonprofit boards in UK, Swiss, Australia, South and Southeast Asia and Singapore, and is success coach/program leader for Chief Strategy Officer, and Chief Technology Officer programs at National University of Singapore (NUS) Business and Computing schools with Emeritus for senior executives above 40 in APAC and MENA.

A unique practitioner-academic in trisector strategy-innovation-entrepreneurship, Charles has developed a train-consult-coach model where he runs capstone with learners involving real problems from real clients (government, corporate, nonprofit) either from the University executive education or as strategist-coach-in-residence. After refining his model at four Singapore and one Swiss universities, Charles now runs trisector strategy-innovation capstone for mid careers above 35 for NUS School of Continual and Adult Learning (SCALE) and NUS Computing, and exported this model to various countries in MENA.

A lifelong learner, Charles’ first PhD was in public policy before venturing into corporate strategy and finishing up his EdD in teaching strategy. His other postgraduate/degrees (including in progress) include systems thinking, accounting, education, international relations, organisational psychology, law, HRM, marketing, strategy and innovation, ops management, economics/finance, supply chain management, digital business/leadership, sustainable development, real estate, construction management. He learnt the best of strategy-innovation-entrepreneurship-sustainability-marketing from 11 top business schools and fused into his consulting-coaching practice. A Fulbright fellow with resident fellowships at Brookings, Columbia and Johns Hopkins, he is the series editor for Routledge-Solaris series for strategy, wisdom and skills with 6 strategy books covering geopolitical, military, policy and corporate strategy domains. He is a one of the Junior Chamber International’s Ten Outstanding Young Persons for academic leadership, and recipient of Singapore Skillsfuture fellowship for lifelong learning.

Europe

Germany

Managing Director, Head Corporate & eCommerce Sales DACH + Nordics, J.P. Morgan, Frankfurt, Germany
Alumnus stars 2017

Tilmann Dengler, Born in 1977, is a Managing Director at J.P. Morgan. He overseas the sales function of Payments within Commercial & Investment Bank for Germany, Nordics, Switzerland and Austria.

Payments at J.P. Morgan comprises of Treasury services, E-Commerce and Trade Finance. Tilmann’s expertise is in Automotive, New Energy and Commodity Trading. He also plays an active part in driving innovation in cash management; for example, enabling blockchain based solutions to corporate customers.

Before joining J.P. Morgan, Tilmann worked for 14 years at Deutsche Bank in different areas of Corporate Banking. From 2010-2017 he worked in Shanghai, supporting European companies with their banking needs in China.

Before his time in China, he worked at Deutsche Bank in several locations such as Munich, Frankfurt and Madrid.

Tilmann is a lawyer by profession. He studied at Ludwigs Maximilians University in Munich and London School of Economics in London.

Southeast Europe

Former Professor of International Business; Circular Economy Consultant, Managing Partner MGT OPEN j.d.o.o.; stars alumna, Grižane, Croatia
Alumna stars 2019

Circular Economy Mentor, Trainer and Consultant, Managing Partner and Co-Founder of EntrepreneurCircle.World
Dr Gordana Kierans – author and TEDx Speaker – has over 22 years of business experience at the interface between leading Business Schools and companies. During her career, she has worked with entrepreneurs, SMEs, multinationals, governments and NGOs, in Germany and world-wide. During her time at a global network of universities and multinationals in Brussels, she worked with top academics in the area of the circular economy which inspired her to create a practical hands-on programme with focus on entrepreneurs that can be found on Udemy. Plus, she was invited to deliver a TEDx Talk in Groningen, the Netherlands.

Dr Kierans was born and raised in Croatia, but she lived abroad for three decades (Italy, Germany, Belgium and China). She completed all her studies in Germany, including her PhD. in Business Administration. In addition, Dr Kierans is also an Alumna of the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education.

Today, she is back in Croatia where she is a Partner at MGT OPEN and Grounded Press. She is also a Co-Founder of the Membership Platform EntrepreneurCircle.World – a network for circular entrepreneurs.

Switzerland – Berne

Head, B2C Customer Marketing, Galenica Group, Berne, Switzerland
Alumnus stars 2014

stars Berne, Switzerland alumni chapter President, stars Alumnus 2014.
Head of B2C Customer Marketing Galenica Group
Expert in B2C marketing, customer value management, retail & omni channel management, retail/store experience, digital/online transformation, agile leadership.

Stephan is currently in charge of B2C marketing at Galenica, Switzerland largest healthcare network. His focus is on transforming marketing to a state-of-the-art omni channel marketing, increasing customer orientation with Net Promotor Score, increasing customer base value and transforming pharmacy store experience to a next level.

Before changing to the healthcare industry, Stephan gathered 20 years of telecommunication industry & marketing experience, thereof 10 years company top management roles.
At Swisscom, he has first been active in the mobile communications business, covering several roles in marketing analytics, planning & strategy and overseeing MVNO business, especially the M-Budget Mobile partnership with Swiss retailer Migros.
In the convergent Swisscom (Switzerland) Ltd Stephan took the responsibility of Residential Segment Marketing and was responsible for Swisscom’s Customer Base Management.
From 2020-2023 Stephan has been in charge of Swisscom Residential Customer & Channel Management. This responsibility included channel planning & steering, customer base & value management, go-to-market, sales steering, channel strategy & transformation and digital channels.

Stephan holds a Master of Science (M Sc) of University of Berne and a certificate of advanced studies (CAS) in Agile Leadership of HWZ University of Applied Sciences for Business Administration Zurich.

Switzerland – Zurich

CEO, Van Lanschot Kempen Switzerland, Zurich, Switzerland
Alumna stars 2022

Daphne ENGELKE (1981) joined Van Lanschot Kempen Switzerland as of 1 March 2024 and will assume the CEO role from 1 July 2024.

Daphne Engelke joined Van Lanschot Kempen from UBS Wealth Management. Since 2005, she has built up a wide range of experience in senior management positions, leading both specialist and client- facing teams. Most recently, she was Lead Market Head for the Netherlands and responsible for the ultra-high net-worth (UNHW) segment in the Benelux region as a Managing Director. Previously, Daphne was a Desk Head in UBS’s Global Financial Intermediaries department covering Multi Family Offices and External Asset Managers across Europe.

She is also a Senior Family Advisor, advising UHNW families on all aspects of family wealth transition, including family governance, family office set-up and review, and next generation development. She has a family business background (3rd generation) and has made extensive personal experience over the last 20 years with the topics of family governance, succession planning, ownership strategy and wealth transfer.

Daphne holds a BA in Social Sciences from University College Utrecht and a MA in International Relations from the Institut Universitaire de Hautes Études Internationales in Geneva. She speaks Dutch, English, German, French and Spanish.

Latin America

Professor & Academi Director Central American Healthcare Initiative, INCAE Business School, Costa Rica
Alumna stars 2019

Middle East

Programme Coordinator, Amel Association International, Beirut
Alumna stars 2013