Former President, The Brookings Institution; Former U.S. Marine Corps four-star General; Former Commander, NATO International Security Assistance Force and U.S. Forces in Afghanistan; Former Special Presidential Envoy to the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, Washington DC, United States

John Rutherford Allen was President of the Brookings Institution from 2017 to 2021 and served as chair of security and strategy and is a distinguished fellow in the Foreign Policy Program at Brookings. Allen is a retired U.S. Marine Corps four-star general and former commander of the NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) and U.S. Forces in Afghanistan.

Allen served in two senior diplomatic roles following his retirement from the Marine Corps. First, for 15 months as senior advisor to the secretary of defense on Middle East Security, during which he led the security dialogue for the Israeli/Palestinian peace process. President Barack Obama then appointed Allen as special presidential envoy to the Global Coalition to Counter ISIL, a position he held for 15 months. Allen’s diplomatic efforts grew the coalition to 65 members, effectively halting the expansion of ISIL. In recognition of this work, he was presented the Department of State Distinguished Honor Award by Secretary John Kerry and the Director of National Intelligence Distinguished Public Service Award by Director James Clapper.

During his nearly four-decade military career, Allen served in a variety of command and staff positions in the Marine Corps and the Joint Force. He commanded 150,000 U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan from July 2011 to February 2013. Allen is the first Marine to command a theater of war. During his tenure as ISAF commander, he recovered the 33,000 U.S. surge forces, moved the Afghan National Security Forces into the lead for combat operations, and pivoted NATO forces from being a conventional combat force into an advisory command.

Allen’s first tour as a general officer was as the principal director of Asia-Pacific policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, a position he held for nearly three years. In this assignment, he was involved extensively with policy initiatives involving China, Taiwan, Mongolia, and Southeast Asia. Allen also participated in the Six Party Talks on the denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula and played a major role in organizing the relief effort during the South Asian tsunami from 2004 to 2005.

Beyond his operational and diplomatic credentials, Allen has led professional military educational programs, including as director of the Marine Infantry Officer Program and commanding officer of the Marine Corps Basic School. He twice served at the United States Naval Academy, first as a military instructor, where he was named instructor of the year in 1990, and later as commandant of midshipmen; the first Marine Corps officer to hold this position. Allen was the Marine Corps fellow to the Center for Strategic and International Studies and the first Marine officer to serve as a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations, where today he is a permanent member.

Among his other affiliations, Allen is a senior fellow at the Merrill Center of the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a senior fellow at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory. He is an “Ancien” of the NATO Defense College in Rome, and a frequent lecturer there. Allen is the recipient of numerous U.S. and foreign awards.

He holds a Bachelor of Science in operations analysis from the U.S. Naval Academy, a Master of Arts in national security studies from Georgetown University, a Master of Science in strategic intelligence from the Defense Intelligence College, and a Master of Science in national security strategy from the National Defense University.

Senior Director, MSD; stars Alumna, Singapore

Prior to joining MSD, Sannie led the Asia Pacific Regulatory Policy at Roche Pharm Singapore. As Global Topic Lead for reliance practices, Sannie engaged the Health Authorities and Key Opinion Leaders to ensure an optimal and robust regulatory environment that facilitates patients’ access. In addition, she also drives regulatory convergence in Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC).

Formerly from Singapore Health Sciences Authority (HSA) as Branch Director, Dr Sannie Chong supervised all the quality reviewers responsible for all decisions relating to chemistry, manufacturing and control (CMC) in both the pre- and post-marketing stages.

Dr Chong holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from the University of Hull (UK) and a postdoctoral research fellowship from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (USA).

Currently Dr Chong also serves as visiting expert of the Duke-NUS Centre of Regulatory Excellence (Singapore).

CEO and Editor, The Market, Zurich, Switzerland

Mark Dittli is a journalist and author in Zurich, specializing in financial markets and global economics. He is CEO and editor of The Market, a new financial media platform that was launched in April 2019. The Market publishes in-depth analytical and background articles as well as interviews on companies, global industry trends and macroeconomic issues. From 2012 to 2017, Mark was the editor-in-chief of Finanz und Wirtschaft, Switzerland’s leading financial newspaper. Prior to that, he was the editor of the international section of Finanz und Wirtschaft and has spent five years as the U.S. correspondent of the paper in New York, covering economic and monetary policy as well as company issues. Mark has studied business economics in Zurich, journalism in New York and is a CFA charterholder. He is currently pursuing a Masters degree in history at the University of Zurich. Mark is married, has two children and lives in Zurich.

Senior Technology Advisor; Former Group Chief Technology Officer, World Bank, Jakarta, Indonesia

Lesly Goh is a World Bank Senior Technology Advisor and former World Bank Group Chief Technology Officer. She is a Fellow at Cambridge Centre for Alternative Finance (CCAF) at Cambridge University’s Judge Business School and Senior Fellow at National University of Singapore (NUS) Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. Lesly is a Professor of Practice at ZheJiang International Business School (ZIBS) and serves on the Advisory Board for Harvard College Project for Asian and International Relations (HPAIR).

At the nexus of technology and policy, Lesly brings an extensive international experience advising policymakers on the regulatory impact from digital technologies such as Artificial Intelligence, Blockchain, Internet of Things and 5G, Cloud and Edge Computing. From her experience in public and private sectors, she develops strategic partnership to support the Sustainable Development Goals, leveraging data and technology innovations in emerging markets in FinTech, AgTech and Digital Government.

Lesly’s experience in the private sector covers a broad spectrum ranging from Capital Markets, Retail Banking, Commercial Banking, Asset Management, Development Banks and Financial Data Providers. Her personal mission is to empower women and girls to achieve the highest potential with Technology as the Equalizer.

Assistant Professor, China Programme, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

Xue Gong is Assistant Professor and Deputy Coordinator of MSc IPE Programme at S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Her current research interests include International Political Economy, China’s economic diplomacy, Asian regionalism and governance. She has contributed to peer-reviewed journals such as the World Development, International Affairs, the Pacific Review, Contemporary Southeast Asia, Harvard Asia Quarterly, etc. She has two co-edited books on Belt and Road Initiative. She has also contributed to several book chapters on China’s economic statecraft and impacts on regional geoeconomics and politics.

Head of Data Intelligence, Alibaba Cloud Intelligence International, Shanghai, China

Dongliang has been focusing on data intelligence for 20 years with different roles in R&D, consulting and sales. Previously he worked for Oracle and Microsoft in both China and Australia helping customers build big data and AI systems on cloud or prem. His current role is head of Data Intelligence in Alibaba Cloud International responsible for Data, Analytics and AI product growth in global market. Personally, he is a developer and tech lover, always excited about exploring new possibilities with data and AI.

Professor Emeritus of Experimental Immunology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ) and University Zurich; Co-Founder and Member, stars Foundation, Zurich, Switzerland

• since 2008: Professor Emeritus of Experimental Immunology, Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich (ETHZ) and University Zurich
• 1994 – 2008: Joint Full Professor for Immunology, Medical Faculty University of Zurich, and Department of Biology, ETH Zurich
• 2000 – 2005: Chairman of the Department of Biology, ETH Zurich
• 1989: Associate Professor for Exp. Pathology, Medical Faculty, University of Zurich and ETH Zurich
• 1980: Oberassistent, University Hospital of Zurich, Institute of Pathology, Dept. of Exp. Immunology
• 1975 – 1980: Member, Basel Institute for Immunology
• 1973 – 1975: Postdoctoral Fellow, MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, Cambridge, England
• 1964 – 1972: Diploma in Biochemistry and Ph.D. Thesis in Molecular Biology, ETH Zurich
• Concurrently: Board Member of biotechnology companies and foundations

Co-Founder and Managing Director, China Macro Group (CMG); Strategic Advisor Europe, Caixin Global; Member, stars Foundation Board, Zurich, Switzerland

Markus is an experienced advisor to corporate and public sector clients on the Chinese market and an expert in China’s economic, trade and S&T policies, political cooperation and government affairs strategies with strong cross-cultural skills. Prior to CMG, Markus worked as Director with Sinolytics, Government Affairs Director with Bayer MaterialScience in China and as Management Consultant with Boston Consulting Group in its Shanghai, Hong Kong and Zurich offices. Markus is a Strategic Advisor Europe to Caixin Global and is engaged in advisory boards with CEIBS Zurich, SCCC, UZH and the Swiss Forum on Foreign Policy.

Markus holds a B.A. and M.A. in Law from the Universities of Geneva, Bern and Fribourg, participated in a Chinese language certificate program at the Peking University and holds a CAS from ETHZ in public policy and a CAS from the University of Zurich in applied ethics.

CEO, Products of PSA BDP; Senior Management Council Member, PSA International; stars Alumna, Singapore

Ho Ghim Siew is the CEO, Products of PSA BDP. She is a Senior Management Council Member of PSA International.

In her role as CEO, Products of PSA BDP, Ghim Siew drives the overall strategy, development and innovation of Products and Solutions to support PSA’s ambition of enabling resilient, agile and sustainable supply chains. She also leads the Products organisation to manage, innovate and deliver high-level physical & digital product performance to create value for PSA BDP’s stakeholders. In Port+ & Connectivity solutions, she works closely with PSA’s ports and terminals to leverage the global terminal footprint to offer unique products and solutions to Beneficial Cargo Owners (BCOs).

Prior to her current portfolio, Ghim Siew was the Head of Group Strategy and Cargo Solutions in PSA and has held various management positions across the Group.

Executive Chairman, PwC Singapore; stars Alumnus, Singapore

Grounded by purpose and values, Marcus LAM is a 26-year veteran at PwC Singapore and served as Assurance Leader for the past four years. During his tenure, the firm focused on building trust and transparency in the audit profession through focusing on audit quality and technological enablement. He has also been on PwC Singapore’s leadership team since 2016.

Outside of PwC, Marcus is active in contributing to the development of the accounting profession. He is a council member of the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants and is a board member of the Accounting Standard Council Singapore. Passionate about education and giving back to the community, he also serves as the Deputy Chairman of the Singapore Polytechnic Board of Governors, the Chairman of the Edusave Advisory Council under the Ministry of Education, and the Vice President of the Parkinson Society of Singapore.

Marcus holds a Bachelors degree in Accountancy (First Class Honours) from Nanyang Business School, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst, a practicing member of ISCA and a member of the ASEAN Chartered Professional Accountant (ASEAN CPA).

Senior Director, Managed Services, NEC Asia Pacific, Tokyo, Japan

Walter Lee is the Senior Director, Managed Services at NEC Asia Pacific. He leads the strategic innovation task force within NEC and innovative partnerships with government agencies and corporates in smart and safer cities solutions. Walter was the CEO of e-Cop Group, a cybersecurity services company, Senior Vice President at the Agency for Science, Technology and Research, Singapore and Vice President and Head of IDC Consulting, Asia-Pacific and member of the worldwide Consulting Management Board. He represents NEC at various UNDP, ASEAN and Interpol workshops on smart and safer cities across the region. He has abundant and wide experiences in AI, biometrics technologies and digital ID which can be utilized for multiple segment such as Banking/Finance, Telco, Digital Government, Aviation and Transportation.

CEO, GIC, Singapore

Lim Chow Kiat was appointed Chief Executive Officer on 1 January 2017. He was previously Group Chief Investment Officer of GIC and Deputy Group President. He joined GIC as a portfolio manager upon graduation in 1993 and subsequently rose to head the Fixed Income, Currency and Commodities Department. He was President, Europe in 2009, overseeing investments and relationships in Europe, Africa and the Middle East before his appointment as President of GIC Asset Management in 2011. Mr Lim is the Chairman of Wealth Management Institute and serves on the boards of Nanyang Technological University, National Research Foundation, Enterprise Singapore and FCLT Global. He is also a member of Agence France Trésor’s Strategic Committee and International Advisory Council of Mizuho Financial Group.

Mr Lim holds a First Class Honours degree in Accountancy from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.

Professor, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore; Former Group President, GIC; Former Head of Civil Service of Singapore; Member, stars International Board, Singapore

Siong Guan Lim was Group President of GIC from 2007 until the end of 2016, after which he was Advisor to GIC's Group Executive Committee until March 2019. The GIC manages the financial reserves of the Singapore Government. He was Chairman of the Singapore Economic Development Board from October 2006 to June 2009. The Board is the Singapore government’s lead agency for planning and executing strategies to enhance Singapore’s position as a global business centre. Much of its work is attracting international corporations to set up manufacturing and services activities in Singapore as critical links in the global supply chain.

Siong Guan has been a Professor in the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore since 2005, instructing on leadership and change management, as well as a Senior Fellow of the Civil Service College since 2006.

He was the Head of the Singapore Civil Service from September 1999 to March 2005. Siong Guan was the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Defense (1981-1994), the Prime Minister’s Office (1994-1998), the Ministry of Education (1997-1999) and the Ministry of Finance (1999-2006). In every appointment he introduced innovative policies and practices which enhanced the drive, capacity, capability and performance of the organization. Siong Guan has chaired the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (2004-2006), the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (2004-2006) and the Central Provident Fund Board (1986-1994), and was a board member of many companies including Temasek, the other sovereign wealth fund manager of Singapore.

Senior Fellow, Asia Society Policy Institute, Asia Society; Visiting Research Professor, Institute of South Asian Studies, National University of Singapore; Founding Director of Carnegie India, Delhi, India

Raja MOHAN is a senior fellow with the Asia Society Policy Institute in Delhi. He is a visiting professor at the Institute of South Asian Studies (ISAS), National University of Singapore and was previously the Director of ISAS. He writes a column on international affairs for the Foreign Policy journal in Washington and the Indian Express in Delhi. He was the founding director of Carnegie India in Delhi, the sixth international center of Carnegie Endowment for Peace. He was associated with several Indian think tanks, including the Institute of Defense Studies and Analyses. He was a Professor of South Asian Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, and the Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Singapore. He served on India’s National Security Advisory Board.

Chief People Officer, GIC; Member, Board of Directors, Swiss Re Group; stars Alumna, Singapore

Deanna Ong was appointed Chief People Officer in April 2017 to oversee human capital strategy, talent management, leadership and organization development in GIC. She has been responsible for Human Resource & Organization and Corporate Governance since 2012. Deanna was Director, Finance from 2009 to 2014, during which she headed the Finance Group responsible for financial management across GIC’s portfolio, covering financing arrangements for assets, tax planning, investment holding structures, accounting and management of group revenue and expenditure. Prior to joining GIC in 1994, she was a tax accountant with Arthur Andersen. She is currently a board member of the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds.

Deanna holds a Bachelor of Accountancy from the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore, and has completed the Stanford Executive Program.

Client Service Partner; Former Chairman, PwC Switzerland; Member, stars Foundation Board, Zurich, Switzerland

Stefan has been a Partner at PwC since 2002 and disposes of extensive experience in the field of reporting under Swiss and international accounting principles (IFRS and US GAAP). He has led a number of special projects such as capital market transactions, due diligence projects, restructurings and reorganisations. In his function as Global Engagement Partner, he is in charge of auditing numerous multi-national groups domiciled in Switzerland, mainly in the industrial sector.

Until 2013, he was responsible for the Industrial Markets segment at PwC Switzerland (manufacturing, chemicals, transport&logistics, and professional services).

Between 2013 – 2015 Stefan was the Head of the Assurance Business Unit Trade, Industry, Services for Zurich and Eastern Switzerland with 6 Offices and 200 People.

From 2015 – 2018, he was leading the Assurance Markets for Trade Industry Services and Member of the Assurance Executive Team. Furthermore, he was a member of PwC Switzerland’s Oversight Board and member of the Audit Committee.

From 2018 to 2022 Stefan has served as Chairman of PwC Switzerland’s Board of Directors.

Concurrently
– Assignments in London, Madagascar, Montreal
– Client Service Partner for listed and non-listed multinationals
– Member of the Swiss Oversight Board, PwC Switzerland, since 2011
– Member of the Board of Trustees of Avenir Suisse
– Member of the Board of the Zurich Chamber of Commerce
– Member of the Advisory Board of the Liechtenstein Dialogue for Development (LDD)
– Member of the Board of the «Zürcher Volkswirtschatliche Gesellschaft»
– Member of the Foundation Board of «Festspiele Zürich»
– Member of the IMD Alumni

Founder, Smiling Gecko, Cambodia

Swiss artist Hannes Schmid is most sought after for his extraordinary photo-essays. Born in 1946 to Swiss parents, he was trained as an electrician, but found his true calling in photography while travelling on a work trip in South Africa. Largely self-taught, yet a consummate master of the medium, his decades-spanning works are sans pareil unconventional and recognized in various genres of photography.

Photography is Hannes’s way of bearing witness to his curious eye and unwavering determination to seek out the truth. Some of his most recognized works include the iconic Marlboro Man, Rockstars, For Gods Only, and Human Currents which have been exhibited at various galleries and museums. In recent years, he has delved into a variety of art forms to create a provocative body of work, which includes transforming his Marlboro Man onto the canvas and a social sculpture, taking place in Cambodia.

Despite having earned various nominations and awards (including an Honorary Doctorate bestowed on Hannes by the University of Zurich), Hannes belongs to a category of artists that goes beyond the confines of traditional photography. The larger part of his archive now sits in his atelier, waiting to be discovered.

Executive Chairman, stars Foundation, Stein am Rhein, Switzerland

• 2014 – present: Executive Chairman and Co-Founder of the stars Foundation Board, Weinfelden, Switzerland
• 2008 – 2014: Chairman and Co-Founder of the stars Foundation Board, Weinfelden, Switzerland
• 1994 – 2016: Member of the Board of UBS Wolfsberg and Congress Hotel Seepark AG
• 1994 – 2014: CEO, UBS Wolfsberg. Emphasis on Business Development, i.e. initiating, supervising, and conducting UBS Briefings, UBS Health Forum, UBS Arts Forum, UBS Study Trips, UBS Think Tanks, Wolfsberg Podium (www.wolfsberg.com)
• 1981 – 1994: Various responsibilities for UBS Management and Executive Development, Member and Chairman of the Board of UBS Art Collection
• Concurrently: Member of the Board of various companies and foundations in Switzerland

Chair Professor; Deputy Head, Department of EEE, Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), Director of Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Optoelectronics Intellisense, Shenzhen, China; President Elect, IEEE Photonics Society, USA

Professor Shum, chair professor of the Department of Electrical and Electronics Engineering, Southern University of Science and Technology, Director of Guangdong Key Laboratory of Integrated Optoelectronics Intellisense, national distinguished expert, IEEE Fellow, Chinese Optical Society Fellow, SPIE Fellow, OPTICA (formerly OSA) Fellow, President-Elect of IEEE Photonics Society. He has published 500 academic journal papers with more than 19,000 citations, and H-index 66. In recent years, as the person in charge, he has been granted research funds of more than RMB 50 million. He served as Director of the Network Technology Research Centre (NTRC), Photonics Centre of Excellence (OPTIMUS), and Centre for Optical Fiber Technology (COFT), and Associate Chair (Academic) in charge of academic matters in EEE, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. During this period a world-class fiber research/processing center, was created which enabled Singapore to have the ability to manufacture specialty fibers, fiber lasers and sensors for the first time. He chaired several major international conferences, including CLEO-PR | OECC| PGC 2017; and initiator of international conferences such as ICICS, PGC, ICOCN, ICAIT, OGC, etc. He has created the special project “Enabled learning: Escape Room Design”, which has been reported by Channel News Asia, Channel U, Channel 8, Channel 5, Zhaobao, in four different languages. His doctoral students/postdoctoral students trained have awarded the National Science Fund for Distinguished Young Scholars (2 person), the National Specially Appointed Young Expert (1 person), the National Natural Science Foundation of China Youth Fund (2 person). Two high-tech enterprises in the field of optoelectronics were established or supported by his team (1 of which has been listed). His team also cooperate closely with universities and institutes worldwide.

Optical Fiber-Based Technologies & Applications
Optical fiber-based devices have been widely deployed in recent years. There are many advantages of using fiber as a sensor. These include electrically-passive operation, light weight, immunity to radio frequency interference and electromagnetic interference, high sensitivity, compact size, corrosion resistance, easily multiplexing and potentially low cost.

Group CEO, PSA International, Singapore

Tan Chong Meng is the Group Chief Executive Officer of PSA International (PSA). He joined PSA on 1 October 2011, bringing with him a wealth of experience in managing the complexity, diversity and breadth of a global business.

PSA International (PSA) is a leading global port operator and trusted supply chain partner to cargo stakeholders. PSA’s ports and cargo solutions portfolio comprises over 60 deepsea, rail and inland terminals, across 160 locations in 42 countries – including two flagship port operations in Singapore and Belgium, as well as affiliated businesses in supply chain management, logistics, marine and digital services.

Together with his management team, Chong Meng is responsible for the overall performance of the PSA Group and provides strategic direction on growing the company’s network value through maximising assets and engaging global business partnerships.

Outside the PSA Group, Chong Meng serves as the Chairman of JTC and is a non-Executive Director on the board of the National University Health System (NUHS). In January 2022, he assumed the role of Governor Chair for The World Economic Forum’s Supply Chain & Transport Industry Community. He was previously a Board Member of IE Singapore and F&N Pte Ltd.

In April 2020, he was appointed Co-Chair of the Emerging Stronger Task Force, a committee set up by the Singapore government to guide the nation’s economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic.  Chong Meng, who was also appointed the Lead for Community Care Facilities Taskforce, drove the set-up of emergency health infrastructure during the first COVID-19 surge and facilitated the safe arrival of migrant workers for critical sectors. In recognition of his exemplary leadership in coordinating Singapore’s pandemic response, safeguarding lives and livelihoods, and steering the nation towards recovery, he was one of a select few conferred the national “Meritorious Service Medal (COVID-19)” in December 2022.

Before joining PSA, Chong Meng was the Executive Vice President, Global Commercial, Shell Downstream, of the Royal Dutch Shell Group. He led six global businesses – many of which are world leaders engaged in the marketing and sale of fuels, lubricants and specialty products to commercial customers vis-à-vis Aviation, Marine, Industrial, Land Transport, Construction and Liquefied Petroleum Gas. A global leader with more than 20 years of experience in Shell, Chong Meng worked in USA, Europe, China and Singapore, holding various senior leadership positions that spanned management, sales, marketing, trading, refinery operations, customer service and merger & acquisitions.

Visiting Senior Research Fellow, Centre on Asia and Globalisation, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore, Singapore

Drew Thompson is a Visiting Senior Research Fellow at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore.

From 2011 to 2018, he was the Director for China, Taiwan and Mongolia in the Office of the Secretary of Defense where he was responsible for supporting the Secretary and managing military-to-military relations. He was previously the Director of China Studies and Starr Senior Fellow at the Center for the National Interest in Washington, D.C. Prior to joining the Center, he was the National Director of the China-MSD HIV/AIDS Partnership in Beijing, a 5 year, $30 million HIV/AIDS program established by Merck & Co. and the Chinese Ministry of Health. Drew served previously as Assistant Director to the Freeman Chair in China Studies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). He also was the president of a Washington, D.C. company that manufactured snack food in Qingdao, China. He lived in Shanghai from 1993 to 1998 where he was the General Manager of a U.S. freight forwarding and logistics firm, overseeing offices in Beijing, Shanghai, and Nanjing.

Drew studied Chinese language at Beijing University in 1990, and was a graduate student in 1992 at the Johns Hopkins University-Nanjing University Center for Chinese and American Studies in Nanjing, China. He graduated cum laude with a B.A. in Asian Studies from Hobart College in 1992, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. In 2004, he received an M.A. in Government, with a concentration in Homeland Security, from Johns Hopkins University.

Drew has authored monographs and articles on Sino-U.S. relations, international security and public health in Singapore Straits Times,Foreign Policy, The National Interest,China Security, The China Business Review, The International Herald Tribune, The Financial Times, China: An International Journal, and The South China Morning Post. He has conducted live television interviews for CNN, C-SPAN, Fox News, Bloomberg, the BBC, Voice of America and CNBC Asia. In addition, he has conducted interviews on National Public Radio, including appearances on the Diane Rehm show.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Singapore

Chairperson, Singapore Institute of Directors; Adjunct Professor, National University of Singapore Business School; Independent Director – CSE Global, First Resources, Kemin Industries, Yoma Strategic Holdings, Singapore

Ms Wong Su-Yen is a Fellow and Chairperson of the Singapore Institute of Directors. She is an experienced independent director who has served on the Boards of several several public, private, and not-for-profit organisations in Australia, India, Indonesia, Myanmar, Singapore, and the United States.

An accomplished multicultural business leader who has lived and worked globally, her perspectives are shaped by a unique blend of experience at the board and C-level in technology, business, and organisation development.

Ms Wong is a professional speaker who engages audiences globally on leadership and the future of work. She is an Adjunct Professor at the National University of Singapore where she teaches Global Leadership, and member of the Executive Education Faculty at Duke University.

Previously Ms Wong was CEO of the Human Capital Leadership Institute, Chairman for Marsh & McLennan Companies (Singapore), and Senior Partner and Managing Director, Southeast Asia at Mercer. Earlier, she was Asia Managing Partner for the Communications, Information & Entertainment practice at Oliver Wyman. Ms Wong holds a B.A. (summa cum laude) in music and computer science from Linfield
University, and an M.B.A. from the Kenan-Flagler Business School, University of North Carolina. She is an avid adventure traveller and has ventured to some of the most remote parts of the world, including Antarctica and Timbuktu.

CTO, Asia Pacific, Huawei Enterprise Business Group, Singapore

Brandon leads Huawei Enterprise BG CTO function and is responsible for overall solution portfolio for Asia Pacific region, based in Singapore. He is also leading Huawei’s strategic initiative in Smart Campus which enables holistic innovations from connectivity, computing, data, platform and services, supporting different enterprise business and infrastructure transformation across various industries.

Chief Representative, BASF China; Former President, European Union Chamber of Commerce in China (EUCCC); Member, stars International Board, Beijing, China

Joerg Wuttke is Vice President and Chief Representative of BASF China, based in Beijing. Since joining BASF in 1997, he has been responsible for helping guide the company’s investment strategies for China, negotiation of large projects and government relations. Previous to joining BASF, Joerg worked with ABB for 11 years.

Besides BASF, Wuttke is three-term President of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China (EUCCC). Wuttke previously served as President from 2007-2010 and from 2014-2017, and he took up his third term in 2019.

In January 2011 the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD (BIAC), a Paris based body of major business associations that lobbies the OECD, named him to become Chairman of the BIAC China Task Force.

Since its establishment in 2013, Joerg is member of the Advisory Board of Germany’s foremost Think Tank on China, Mercator Institute for China Studies (MERICS), in Berlin.

From 2013 to 2016, he was Vice Chairman of the CPCIF International Cooperation Committee, a group representing Multinational Companies in China’s Chemical Association.

Wuttke holds a BA in Business Administration and Economics from Mannheim and he studied Chinese in Shanghai 1982 and Taipei 1984-85. A frequent speaker on business and industry issues in China, he co-authored:

• “The Chemical and Pharmaceutical Industry in China” Springer Publishing Trust (2005)
• “Energy Resources Security” Konrad Adenauer Stiftung (2006)
• “My 30 years in China” ACA Publishing (2008)
• “Gelebte Geschichte - 40 Erfahungen” CBT China Book Trading (2012)
• “The Handbook of Chinese Organizational Behavior: Integrating Theory, Research, and Practice” Edgar Elgar Publishing (2012)
• “Peter Tichauer; Perspektivenwechsel” OWC (2015)
• “The Dark Side of China’s Economic Rise” in "Europe and the World: Global Insecurity and Power Shifts; Helmut K. Anheier and Robert Falkner (eds.); University of Durham and John Wiley & Sons, Ltd (2017)

Executive Chairman, YTL Group, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Francis Yeoh is Executive Chairman of the YTL Group of Companies. The Group has a combined market capitalization of RM20.6 billion (USD4.7 billion) and total assets of RM72.7 billion (USD16.5 billion). The YTL Corporation Group has paid out a total of RM28 billion (USD6.4 billion) in dividends since its listing in 1986. The Group owns and manages regulated utilities, real estate and infrastructure assets. The YTL Group is also in a consortium that was awarded a digital banking licence in Malaysia by the Malaysian Central Bank in April 2022.
Francis Yeoh is Chairman of YTL PowerSeraya Private Limited, one of the biggest electricity companies in Singapore, Chairman of Wessex Water Limited in the UK and Executive Chairman of Malayan Cement Berhad (formerly known as Lafarge Malaysia Berhad) following its takeover by YTL Cement Berhad in 2019.
He is a Founding Member of the Malaysian Business Council and Capital Markets Advisory Council and he is on the Global Council of the Asia Society. He served as an Independent Non-Executive Director of The Hong Kong and Shanghai Banking Corporation Limited for a period of 10 years from July 2012 to June 2022.
In 2010, he was made Primus Inter Pares Honoree of the Oslo Business for Peace Award by a panel of Nobel Laureates, for actively advocating socially responsible business ethics and practices.
He received the Lifetime Achievement Award for Leadership in Regulated Industries at the 7th World Chinese Economic Summit held in London in 2015 and he was named CEO of the Year at the Asian Power Awards in 2017. In 2022 he was awarded the PropertyGuru Real Estate Personality of the Year for Malaysia. The award is given to individuals who have made a significant impact in the Asian real estate sector.
Francis Yeoh was awarded the Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (CBE) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2006. He was bestowed the Order of the Rising Sun, Gold Rays with Rosette by His Majesty the Emperor of Japan in 2018. In the same year the Italian government conferred upon him the honour of Grande Officialé of the Order of the Star of Italy. In 2019 Francis Yeoh was awarded the Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

He is a fellow of the Institute of Civil Engineers in London. He graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Civil Engineering from the University of Kingston (UK) and received an Honorary Doctorate of Engineering. He was also conferred an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws by the University of Nottingham (UK).

Co-Founder and CEO, WIZ.AI, Singapore

Jennifer Zhang, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of WIZ.AI, is a visionary and innovative technology leader with a passion for creating smart customer engagements through cutting-edge conversational AI powered by proprietary Enterprise Large Language Models. Jennifer and her two co-founders established WIZ.AI with the ambition to revolutionize how businesses around the world effortlessly connect to their customers across telephony, chat, messaging, and email.

Under Jennifer's leadership, WIZ.AI has experienced staggering growth, boasting a diverse team of professionals and serving over 260 clients globally, including Fortune 500 companies. With its flagship product, the WIZ Talkbot, WIZ.AI delivers hundreds of millions of automated omnichannel customer engagements every hour, 24/7.

Before WIZ.AI, Jennifer co-founded PlusYoou, the most influential US-China entrepreneur community and platform in Southern California, and managed two early-stage tech VC funds in Los Angeles and Beijing from 2016-2019.

Jennifer's success and influence in the technology space have led to her being featured on Channel NewsAsia, The Business Times, and multiple other technology publications and regional forums, further solidifying her reputation as an innovative technology leader.