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Grace Fu
Minister for Sustainability and the EnvironmentMs Grace Fu is the Minister for Sustainability and the Environment. Prior to her current appointment, she was the
Minister for Culture, Community and Youth and held various positions at the Prime Minister’s Office, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs and Ministry of National Development. Ms Fu began her career with the Overseas Union Bank and was the Chief
Executive Officer of PSA Southeast Asia and Japan before joining the public sector.
Aaron Tan
Co-Founder, CEO of CarroA programmer by training and a venture capitalist by profession. Aaron founded his first startup at 13 and
subsequently sold two companies before turning 21. As a returning scholar, Aaron helped start Singtel’s venture fund -
Singtel Innov8 ventures and invested in over 60 companies globally. Aaron spearheaded the setup of Blk71–
Singapore’s largest startup ecosystem. Aaron left the fund in 2016 and founded Carro – SEA’s largest online
marketplace for cars. In 2021, Financial Times named Carro the fastest growing company in Asia Pacific with revenues
of over $700M annually in 2021.Carro has raised over $550M to date and was last valued at over $1B by Softbank
Vision Fund and several sovereign funds. Aaron graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BSc and MSc from Singapore
Management University School of Information Systems and Carnegie Mellon University School of Computer Science.
Amit Gupta
Partner (Singapore) at NewQuest Advisors (Singapore) Pte LtdAmit is a founding Partner of NewQuest and oversees the firm’s India and Southeast Asia business as well as
investments in the power and financial services sectors. Amit has more than 20 years of industry experience. Prior
to co-founding NewQuest, he was a Director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch's (BAML) Asia Private Equity group
where he led the India business and oversaw investments the energy and financial services sectors across the Asia
Pacific. Amit has also served in otherroles in BAML, including Corporate Principal Investments based in Hong Kong
and Investment Banking based in Mumbai. Amit has an MBA from Indian Institute of Management (IIM),
Bangalore, where he was placed on the Director's Merit List for his performance, and an undergraduate degree in
electrical engineering from REC Kurukshetra, where he received the University gold medal. Amit is fluent in English
and Hindi.
Andrzej “Oggy” Ogonowski
Co-Founder and Head of Platform at GrowSariOggy is GrowSari’s head of platform, where he oversees the development of Growsari’s mobile, e-commerce
marketplace, and fintech platforms and guides product managers, engineers, and partners in launching new
products. He has extensive knowledge of sari-sari stores in different forms and contexts, having previously
handled mom and pop stores in Africa, India, and Southeast Asia for Unilever. He envisions the Growsari network
to be the widest reaching and most cost-effective distribution point, whether it be for enabling bills payments, ewallet acceptance, e-commerce pickup points, distribution of government aid during emergencies, recycling
collection or even selling ready-to- eat meals.
Anuj Maheshwari
Managing Director & Head, AgriFood of TemasekAnuj is Managing Director and Head of Agri-Food at Temasek, a global investment company headquartered in
Singapore. He also is part of the leadership team which overseas Africa and Middle East. Anuj founded Temasek
Food & Agriculture team in 2013 and since then Temasek has invested over US$8 billion in global farm-to-fork
value chain including in over 30 start-ups (such as Impossible Foods, Apeel, Pivot Bio, Bowery, Farmer Business
Network) and many innovative technology-focused companies with the collective purpose to drive resiliency and
greater efficiency in global food supplies while promoting environmental sustainability and social impact in line
with UN SDG goals and Net Zero 2050 targets. Anuj serves on the board of Rivulis (a leading micro irrigation
company) Ceva Sante Animale (a leading animal health company), Temasek Lifesciences Accelerator, Tana Africa
Capital and Asia Sustainable Foods Platform.
Bjorn Low
Bjorn Low is a practicing urban farmer and a social changemaker. He is an Ashoka fellow, a young leader of the World
Cities Summit and the co-founder of Edible Garden City, an urban farming social enterprise. Bjorn’s practice and
research focuses on identifying the value that urban agriculture brings to the communities of highly dense and food
import dependent cities such as Singapore. He has a keen interest on social ecology and how the rapidly aging
population present a new opportunity for urban care farms to play a biggerrole in the rejuvenation of cities.
David He
Partner at Gunderson Dettmer, SingaporeDavid works closely with venture and growth equity investors, startups and technology companies on a variety of
matters, including cross-border equity and debt financings, mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructurings, and
corporate governance. He has advised on hundreds of venture-backed deals and has led negotiations involving
parties based in the U.S., India, China, Middle East, Africa and Southeast Asia. David received his J.D. from Columbia
Law School, where he served as the Chief Articles Editor of the Columbia Business Law Review. He received his B.S. in
Applied Economics and Management from Cornell University. David has passed the Level I examination of the
Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) program. He is a fluent Mandarin speaker and is a member of the State Bars of
California and New York.
David Gowdey
Managing Partner at Jungle VenturesDavid Gowdey is the Managing Partner at Jungle Ventures, a Singapore based venture capital firm focused on internet
and technology investments in SE Asia and India.He represents Jungle on the boards of Pomelo, Kredivo, Sociolla,
Kiotviet, Saltmine and other companies. Priorto Jungle, David was on the investment team at TPG Capital where he led
internet investments outside of the US within the TPG Growth fund. He continues to be a Senior Advisor at TPG
Capital in Asia. Prior to TPG, David spent 12 years at Yahoo! Inc where he was the Head of International M&A on the
Corporate Development team.
Frank Phuan
Business CEO & Co-Founder of SunseapMr Frank Phuan has over 20 years of experience in the solar industry and possesses an Honours Degree in Applied
Science in Materials Engineering from Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Prior to setting up the Sunseap Group,
Mr Phuan spent time in his family business of solar panels manufacturing, learning the ins-and-outs of the solar
business. An experienced entrepreneur, Mr Phuan also spent time delving into advertising, IT and F&B. He was also
awarded the distinguished Nanyang Outstanding Young Alumni Award 2014, the prestigious Entrepreneur of the Year
Award (EYA) 2015, and the PVSEC Special Award in 2016 in recognition of his contribution to the growth in areas of
photovoltaic industrial technology in Singapore. Mr Phuan also serves as a member on the Board of Enterprise
Singapore (ESG).
Gregory Van
Chief Executive Officer at EndowusGregory Van is the Chief Executive Officer of Endowus, a leading fee-only wealth platform in Asia. Endowus’ mission is to
democratise wealth management by providing people with access to better advice and products, empowering
everyone to invest better to live easier today, and better tomorrow. As CEO, Greg is responsible for driving the
company’s growth and strategic execution. He started his careerin investment banking at UBS, advising and fundraising
for private equity and venture capital firms in the Asia Pacific region. Greg then joined Grab in its early days and was part
of the pioneer team that launched the firm’s digital payments services across Southeast Asia. Greg was recently
awarded the CEO of the Yearforthe Singapore market at Asia Asset Management’s Best of the Best Awards 2022.
Jonathan Ng
CEO of SinFooTech, Sachi WineJonathan is a serial entrepreneur who started various business in international trade and exotic pets. He later ventured
into web development services and expanded his business in a data analytics branch company in Taiwan during his
university days. In 2017, Jonathan was introduced to a patented technique for the biotransformation of soy whey by
scientist inventor Chua Jian Yong. In 2018, Jonathan and Jian Yong co-found SinFooTech. The Singapore Food
Technology company processes by-products and turns them into innovative ingredients and products, promoting the
concept of a resource-efficient circular economy within the food production industry. Today, Jonathan is working on
Sachi, a soy whey alcoholic beverage brand which aims to revolutionize social drinking and celebrate moments that
matter with easy to drink beverages while achieving a sustainable food future.
Jean Eric Salata
Founder and Chief Executive of Baring Private Equity AsiaJean Eric Salata is the Founding Partner and Chief Executive of Baring Private Equity Asia (“BPEA”). BPEA is one of Asia's
largest private alternative investment firms, with assets under management of over US$37 billion. The Firm has a 25-
year history and 10 offices in Beijing, Delhi, Hong Kong, London, Los Angeles, Mumbai, Singapore, Shanghai, Sydney,
and Tokyo. The Firm has received numerous awards, including “Large Cap Firm of the Year” by AVCJ (2021). Mr. Salata
has lived and worked in Asia since 1989, and graduated magna cum laude from the Wharton school of the University of
Pennsylvania with a B.S. in Finance and Economics. BPEA and Mr. Salata are active in philanthropy and have long
supported many organizations globally, including in the UK and the Asia Pacific region with a particular focus on
disadvantaged youth, education, arts, and the environment.
Jeffrey Perlman
MD, Head of SEA & APAC Real Estate at Warburg PincusJeffrey Perlman is a Managing Director, Head of Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific Real Estate and a member of the firm’s
Executive Management Group. He leads Warburg Pincus’ investments in Southeast Asia in addition to the firm’s Real
Estate efforts across the greater Asia-Pacific region. He currently serves as the Chairman of ESR Cayman Limited
(1821.HK) and also serves on the Board of Directors for ESR Cayman Limited, ESR Fund Management (ESR REIT), ARA
Asset Management Holdings, BW Industrial Development JSC, Gojek, Lodgis Hospitality Holdings, Mofang Apartments,
Nova Property Investment, NWP Retail, Trax Technology Solutions, Online Pajak, Momo, Weave Co-Living Cayman
Limited, Asia Self Storage, Circles Asia Cayman Limited and Princeton Digital Group Limited. Prior to joining Warburg
Pincus in 2006, he worked in the Real Estate Investment Banking Group at Credit Suisse.
Leong Wai Leng
Managing Director and Regional Head of Asia Pacific at CDPQ Global, CDPQ SingaporeLeong Wai Leng is responsible for the regional management of CDPQ Global in Asia Pacific. Based in Singapore, she
coordinates all CDPQ activities in the region and ensures optimal positioning and outreach. CDPQ has offices in
Singapore, New Delhi, Shanghai and Sydney in the Asia Pacific region. Ms. Leong has over 30 years of experience in the
finance and banking sectors, including 13 years in China, where she built a commercial banking business from the
ground up. She has an extensive business network in China and in South-East Asia, including in Singapore. Over the
course of her career, she has worked in both the buy and sell sides of the industry, in developed and developing
financial markets.
Melissa Kwee
Chief Executive Officer at National Volunteer & Philanthropy CentreMelissa Kwee is the third Chief Executive Officer of the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC). Her career
has involved her bridging the public, private and community sectors as anthropologist, researcher, programme
designer, social innovator and as a catalyst in the private sector. She has founded, run and served on the boards of
several nonprofit organisations and ground-up initiatives relating to youth, women, the arts, the prisons, community
development, healthcare and education. She is also Chairman of MHPL, a Pontiac Land company. Melissa was
educated at Harvard College and graduated magna cum laude in Social Anthropology. She also received a Fulbright
Scholarship to study ethnic-based community leadership in Nepal.
Mint Lim
Founder of School Of ConceptsMint, the founder, started tutoring from the young age of 16, fresh out of Raffles Girls' School where she pursued her
O levels at. Few know that she's one with learning needs. As a child, most kids her age were easily singing their ABCs,
but Mint would jumble up the words without even realising it. Using those strategies coupled with her teaching
experience, Mint created a 'scaffolding' technique which is used widely in her curriculum. This technique has enabled
her learners to develop self-motivated and self-directed learning attitudes while laying a firm foundation in literacy.
Piruze Sabuncu
Partner at Square PegPiruze joined Square Peg as a Partner in November 2020. Piruze was previously Head of Southeast Asia and Hong
Kong at Stripe and brings with her a wealth of experience in scaling companies and a depth of knowledge across the
tech ecosystem. Prior to Stripe, Piruze ran a health-tech startup and was an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Co.
advising leading technology and telecoms companies across Southeast Asia, Turkey and the US. Earlier in her career,
Piruze worked in Operations & Marketing at Dell. Piruze holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, and BBA from
Middle East Technical University.
Reshmi Khurana
Managing Director and Head of Southeast Asia at KrollReshmi Khurana is managing director and head of Southeast Asia in Kroll's Forensic Investigations and Intelligence
practice, based in the Singapore office. Reshmi has more than 20 years of experience in the United States as well as in
South and Southeast Asia conducting complex corruption investigations, litigation support projects, and due diligence
on the management, operations, and business models of organizations. Her experience includes helping clients
identify and bridge gaps in internal controls and corporate governance through people, processes, and technology.
Richard Eu
Group Chairman at Eu Yan Sang International LtdRichard Eu has been the Group Chairman of Eu Yan Sang International Ltd (EYSI) since 2017. He joined the EYSI Group
in 1989, became its Group CEO in 2002, and was instrumental in transforming EYSI into one of Asia's leading Traditional
Chinese Medicine groups today. Before joining EYSI, Richard, who holds a LL.B degree from London University, UK,
worked in merchant banking, investment management, stockbroking, computer distribution, and venture capital.
Richard was awarded the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Award (Singapore) in 2011 and represented
Singapore at the Ernst & Young World Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in 2012. He was also named CEO of the year at
the Singapore Corporate Awards 2010 for businesses listed on the Singapore Exchange with a market capitalization
under S$300 million. Additionally, InfluentialBrands awarded him the Brand Leader of the Year award in 2016.
Richard Porter
Partner, M&A Practice at Shearman & SterlingRichard advises on a wide range of cross-border corporate transactions, including private equity transactions, public
and private mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, equity issues and restructurings. He is also a member of
Shearman & Sterling's Technology, Media & Telecommunications, Energy and Private Capital industry groups.
Sara Dhewanto
Founder and Managing Director of DuithapeSara Dhewanto is Founder and Managing Director of duithape, a fintech company focusing on e-payments for the
unbanked. In 2020, Duithape grew 13X YoY, had an oversubscribed funding round and won the Sankalp Global
Awards and became a Seedstars Asia Regional Winner. Sara was Finance Director at Millennium Challenge Account
Indonesia, managing a USD 600 million grant. She had a 10-year career with ExxonMobil, last as Head of Treasurers
and was a management consultant at Booz-Allen & Hamilton and Palladium. Sara received a Fellowship from MIT, was
top of her MBA class in State University of NY, Buffalo and at the Faculty of Economics, University of Indonesia.
Sunil Mishra
Partner, Primary Investments, Singapore at Adams Street PartnersSunil specializes in the sourcing and execution of Asian investments ex-China, specifically in India, Australia, Japan,
Southeast Asia, and Korea. He manages relationships with several of Adams Street’s managers and sits on advisory
boards of more than a dozen private equity firms within the Adams Street Partners portfolio. Sunil is a member of
Adams Street’s Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Committee.
Trista Chen
Partner, Finance Sector & M&A Services, Asia Pacific at ERMTrista leads the Finance Sector and Mergers & Acquisition Services across the Asia Pacific region. With over 15 years of
experience in strategic sustainability consulting, Trista is a proven and trusted ESG advisor to clients on managing
issues in transactions and enhancing value for post investment and loans. She advises both listed and private
corporate clients across industry sectors, as well as investors and private equities to effect secured investments,
facilitate large-scale integration and advance ESG opportunities. In 2015, she was a delegate to the CEO-lead World
Business Counsel for Sustainable Development (WBCSD) Leader Program, to help identify the skills needed by future
leaders of member companies, and to provide a unique platform for developing and testing skills in a real-world
setting.
Timo Recker
Co-Founder & Chairman of TindleTimo is a trailblazer in the field of plant-based foods. As a meat lover, he craved for an alternative that kept his health –
and the planet – in better shape. Having already sold his first plant-based meat business, with TiNDLE, he is proving
once again that meat made from plants is the way forward.
Valerie Mantot
Regional Managing Director- Asia Pacific of Apex GroupValerie Mantot-Groene is the APAC Regional Managing Director and Interim Country of Head for Singapore. Valerie
leads the firm’s growth and performance across the APAC region. She brings more than 20 years’ experience in the
alternative asset management industry both on the advisory side and the assets servicing side. During her career she
has advised and assisted Financial Institutions, Family Offices, SWFs, Asset Managers in the structuring and operation
of their cross-border investments in Real Estate, Private Equity, Infrastructure, Venture Capital and Private Debt across
Europe, the Middle East and Asia. A qualified Lawyer with a broad ranging set of skills and experience, she is the
chairwoman of ALFI in South East Asia. She is regularly invited as speaker to conferences or mentors in some
professional youth development programs.
Vicknesh Pillay
Co-Founder & Managing Partner of TNB AuraAs the Co-founder and Managing Partner of TNB Aura, Vicknesh heads up the group’s sell-side and buy-side initiatives.
Vicknesh started his career in Investment Banking before founding, operating and exiting his real estate mezz fund
where he managed over $350 million. He was nominated “Entrepreneur of the Year” at the coveted Ernst and Young
Entrepreneur Awards in 2013. Currently, Vicknesh serves as a Board Director/Observer at several companies where
he advises and assists on their internal strategies and regional expansion plans. Having graduated with a double
degree from Nanyang Technological University and dual MBAs from UCLA Anderson and the National University of
Singapore, Vicknesh is passionately involved in region’s startup ecosystem. He is an appointed judge and mentor for
numerous entrepreneurship workshops, conferences and startup competitions, contributing to the cultivation of
aspiring entrepreneurs and startups.
Xuan Yong Soh
Xuan Yong is Managing Director and Investment Committee Member at Tower Capital. He has focused on private
equity and credit investments since 2005 and has led deals in buyouts, growth capital and structured leveraged
transactions across education, consumer, logistics and business services sectors. Previously, he was with ICG, 3i and
global hedge funds based in Singapore, Hong Kong and New York. Xuan Yong began his career at Merrill Lynch in
investment banking. Xuan Yong has a Bachelor of Arts (Distinction) from Cornell University with triple majors in
Computer Science, Economics and Independent Major (College Scholar Program). He also holds CFA and FRM
charters. Besides being on the boards of portfolio companies, he sits on the Professional Development committee of
the Singapore Venture & Private Equity Association (SVCA).