SPEAKERS
February 24 | 16.00 - 17.00
Forum Opening & Keynote Remarks
Secretary-General
H.E. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn
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 has served as a two-term Minister Delegate attached to the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia since September 2013. He has authored dozens of books and articles about 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. He also has acted as a Member of the Standing Committee of the Cambodian Red Cross.
ASEAN
Deputy Minister for Industry & Investment, Ministry of Tourism & Creative Economy
Rizki Handayani
CAREER
DEPUTY MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY AND INVESTMENT
Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Republic of Indonesia |
2023 - Present
DEPUTY MINISTER FOR TOURISM PRODUCT AND EVENTS
Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Republic of Indonesia |
2019 - 2023
DEPUTY MINISTER FOR MARKETING I
Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia | 2018 - 2019
DEPUTY MINISTER FOR INDUSTRY AND INSTITUTIONAL RELATIONS
Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia | 2018 - 2018
DIRECTOR OF PROMOTION FOR SOUTH-EAST ASIA
Ministry of Tourism, Republic of Indonesia | 2015 - 2018
DIRECTOR OF PROMOTION FOR CONVENTION, INCENTIVE, EVENT ANDSPECIAL INTEREST
Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Republic of Indonesia |
2012 - 2015
DEPUTY DIRECTOR OF MULTILATERAL COOPERATION
Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Republic of Indonesia | 2007 - 2012
The Republic of Indonesia
Global Affairs Canada
Deputy Minister of International Trade
Rob Stewart
Rob Stewart was appointed deputy minister of international trade effective October 17, 2022.
Mr. Stewart has spent most of his public service career at the Department of Finance Canada, starting in 1993. He held the role of
the Government of Canada's finance deputy for the G7 and G20 and for the Financial Stability Board from 2016 to 2019. He provided
leadership and policy advice to the government on a wide range of financial sector and international trade and finance matters. He was
previously the assistant deputy minister of financial sector policy for 2 years, prior to which he held the position of assistant deputy minister, international trade and finance for 4 years. Before joining the Department of Finance Canada, Rob worked at Export Development Canada and in the Canadian sport system.
He holds a BA from Carleton University (1981) and an MBA from the University of Ottawa (1987).
Minister Martine Biron
Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie and Minister Responsible for the Status of Women
Martine Biron holds a master’s degree in political science (Université Laval, 2022) and a bachelor’s degree in the same field from the Université du Québec à Montréal. She worked for 30 years as a journalist and political analyst. In 1993, she joined the Société Radio-Canada, where she distinguished herself as a relevant and credible female figure. She was a national reporter in Western Canada and the United States and has a keen interest in politics. She covered two federal election campaigns and five provincial campaigns and was also assigned several mandates as journalist in Washington. Since 2016, she has best been known as a political analyst in Québec City across Radio-Canada’s platforms. Effective and rigorous, she is eager to serve Québec and contribute to its economic development. It is that desire that inspired her to enter politics in 2022.
Government of Québec
Business Council of Canada
President & CEO
Goldy Hyder
Goldy Hyder is President and CEO of the Business Council of Canada, a non-partisan association composed of the chief executives and entrepreneurs of Canada’s leading companies. Previously he was President & CEO of Hill+Knowlton Strategies (Canada). Earlier in his career he served as director of policy and chief of staff to The Right Honourable Joe Clark, former prime minister and leader of the then federal Progressive Conservative Party.
Mr. Hyder serves in many charitable and non-profit organizations, including as chair of the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada’s Asia Business Leaders Advisory Council, as board member of the Business + Higher Education Roundtable and as advisory board member of Catalyst Canada. He is a regular commentator in the Canadian media on business, politics and public policy. He is also the host of the “Speaking of Business” podcast, which features interviews with Canadian innovators, entrepreneurs and business leaders.
February 24 | 17.00 - 19.30
Gala Dinner / Indonesia Investment Showcase
The ASEAN Investment Showcases will be segmented into market-specific sessions to focus on priority markets in ASEAN, including Singapore, Vietnam, and Malaysia. These sessions will commence with professional insights into the regulatory and political developments of the specific markets. This will be followed by a discussion on the high-growth sectors attracting FDI flows, and concrete business expansion and investment opportunities available for Canadian businesses and investors by the country governments.
The Republic of Indonesia
Minister of Energy & Mineral Resources
H.E. Arifin Tasrif
Arifin Tasrif (born in Jakarta 19 June 1953) is the current Minister for Energy & Mineral Resources. Previously, he was assigned as Indonesia's Ambassador to Japan in 2017 until October 2019.
Minister Tasrif has broad experience in fertilizer industry. Prior to his assignment as Ambassador, he held position as Chief Executive Officer in three different state-owned companies in the fertilizer industry, namely PT. Pupuk Indonesia, PT. Pupuk Sriwidjaja, and also PT. Petrokimia Gresik.
Minister Arifin studied chemical engineering at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) and graduated in 1977.
M. Arsjad Rasjid P. M.
President Director, Indika Energy
Chairman, KADIN
He is one of the new breeds of articulate, multilingual, and global-focused Indonesian CEOs. His interests span the corporate world, the green economy, and global politics. He is also passionate about social entrepreneurship. Under his guidance, Indika Energy underwent an astonishing turnaround from losing millions of dollars—affected by the decline of coal prices—to an increase in the company’s assets by about seven times within six years. His success is credited to creating values and synergy to align the vision of the company.
Due to his business prowess, he has received distinguished awards, including:
- Young Global Leader, World Economic Forum (2011)
- Named Best Executive in Indonesia, Asiamoney (2010)
Arsjad also kickstarted the diversification of Indika Energy to sustainable sectors like renewable energy and nature-based solutions as he is passionate about this issue and sees that sustainability is the future. He was elected as the Chair of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) for the 2021- 2026 period, committed to jumpstarting the national economy after the pandemic through its four pillars:
- Promoting equitable national healthcare and industries
- Strengthening national and regional economies
- Fostering national entrepreneurship and competencies
- Reinforcing organizational function as the government's main partner that supports the achievement of national priority programs
As a thought and exemplary leader, he has been voicing the importance of collaboration in nation-building, embracing the concept of private-public partnership, and opening up the economy to the global community.
Arsjad was educated abroad from elementary school and graduated from the University of Southern California and Pepperdine University, California. In addition, he completed educational courses at INSEAD in France, the Harvard Kennedy School, USA, and the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, Singapore.
Boyke P. Soebroto
Infrastructure and Investment Working Group Chairman, Authority-owned Enterprise
Boyke Prasetyanto Soebroto has been a businessman since he graduated with a bachelor's degree and a Business Law Master's degree. During his 35 years as an entrepreneur he has extensive experience running businesses in the areas of Telecommunication, Aviation, Logistics, Finance, Defense & Security, Energy, ICT & EPC, where his other expertise is conducting M&A, Fund Raising, Structured Finance and LBO. In December 2022, he was appointed as the Infrastructure and Investment Working Group Chairman of the Nusantara National Capital Authority who is responsible for all business activities related to Infrastructure and Investment including managing Authority Enterprises (BUO)
Nusantara National Capital Authority
February 25 | 09.00 - 09.30
Day 2 Forum Opening and Keynote Remarks
The session examines ongoing trends in the Canada-ASEAN growing relationship, the importance of the region for Canada’s trade diversification and the pivot to the Indo-Pacific. This session will educate decision-makers on how to leverage the closer economic relationship and the expanding trade agreement network to grow businesses and foster partnerships. It will also include a discussion of global and regional supply chain disruptions, geopolitical and macroeconomic trends/ opportunities/ potential challenges, and the relevant considerations in doing business.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Canada
Maninder Sidhu
Parliamentary Secretary
Maninder Sidhu was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Brampton East in 2019.
Mr. Sidhu previously served as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of International Development. He has been a member of the Standing Committee on Natural Resources, the Standing Committee on Transport, Infrastructure and Communities, and the Subcommittee on International Human Rights of the Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs and International Development. He has also been a member of various other committees, parliamentary associations, and interparliamentary groups, including the Canada-Africa Parliamentary Association, the Canada-Europe Parliamentary Association, and the Canadian Section of ParlAmericas.
After graduating from the University of Waterloo, Mr. Sidhu built a successful customs brokerage business. He is the founder of The Kindness Movement, which supports economically disadvantaged students in Canada and India. He also mentors aspiring young entrepreneurs in his community.
Mr. Sidhu lives with his wife and children in Brampton, which he has called home for the past 30 years.
Honorary Chair, CABC
Partner, McCarthy Tétrault
Former 29th Premier, Québec
Former Deputy Prime Minister, Canada
The Hon. Jean Charest
The Honourable Jean James Charest is the former Deputy Prime Minister of Canada and a former Premier of Québec. Jean Charest is one of Canada’s best known political figures. The Honourable Jean Charest was notably the initiator of the negotiation for the Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic Trade Agreement (CETA). Furthermore, the Charest government initiated an unprecedented labour mobility agreement between France and Québec and was best known for a major initiative for the sustainable development of Northern Québec called “Plan Nord”. Jean Charest is a Partner at McCarthy Tétrault. He provides invaluable expertise to the firm’s clients with his in-depth knowledge and experience with public policy, corporate Canada and international matters.
Minister Martine Biron
Minister of International Relations and La Francophonie and Minister Responsible for the Status of Women
Martine Biron holds a master’s degree in political science (Université Laval, 2022) and a bachelor’s degree in the same field from the Université du Québec à Montréal. She worked for 30 years as a journalist and political analyst. In 1993, she joined the Société Radio-Canada, where she distinguished herself as a relevant and credible female figure. She was a national reporter in Western Canada and the United States and has a keen interest in politics. She covered two federal election campaigns and five provincial campaigns and was also assigned several mandates as journalist in Washington. Since 2016, she has best been known as a political analyst in Québec City across Radio-Canada’s platforms. Effective and rigorous, she is eager to serve Québec and contribute to its economic development. It is that desire that inspired her to enter politics in 2022.
Government of Québec
Concordia University
Graham Carr
President & Vice-Chancellor
Graham Carr is President and Vice-Chancellor of Concordia University. Ranked as the top North American University under 50 years old, Concordia’s two Montreal campuses are home to 50,000 students from more than 150 countries.
Graham’s previous leadership positions at Concordia include Provost and Vice-President, Academic Affairs; Vice-President, Research and Graduate Studies; and Dean of Graduate Studies.
Born in Quebec, Graham earned his PhD from the University of Maine and is a Professor in the Department of History. His research focuses on Cold War cultural history.
Graham is a member of the Research Committee of Universities Canada and sits on the Steering Committee of Montreal Climate Partnership (Partenariat climat Montréal). He currently serves on the Board of U SPORTS, the national brand for university sports in Canada. He previously served on the Board of Directors of Centraide (United Way) of Greater Montreal, the board of the Leadership Council for Digital Infrastructure, as president of the Canadian Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences, as chair of the Canada-US Fulbright selection committee, and for many years on the National Capital Commission’s Advisory Committee for Communications, Marketing and Programming.
February 25 | 09.30 - 10.30
Plenary Session #1: The Future of the Canada-ASEAN Relationship: Implications for Businesses
The session examines ongoing trends in the Canada-ASEAN growing relationship, the importance of the region for Canada’s trade diversification and the pivot to the Indo-Pacific. This session will educate decision-makers on how to leverage the closer economic relationship and the expanding trade agreement network to grow businesses and foster partnerships. It will also include a discussion of global and regional supply chain disruptions, geopolitical and macroeconomic trends/ opportunities/ potential challenges, and the relevant considerations in doing business.
Canada-ASEAN
Business Council
President
Wayne Farmer
Mr. Wayne Farmer is the President of the Canada-ASEAN Business Council (CABC), and Managing Partner of a boutique advisory firm with over 20 years of experience in pan-Asian and global private equity. Wayne has originated approximately USD3 billion of deal flows and leads the firm’s capital and fundraising relationships, industry market intelligence gathering, and deal execution for clients.
Wayne is also a Strategic Advisor to GE Equity Asia / CelerateX / Red Core Geothermal and Lombard Asia. He holds a successful track record of launching corporate, entrepreneurial and public policy ventures with a high level of dedication to outcomes. Wayne is an engaging speaker and an articulate policy advocate practiced in government relations, with an established commitment to the development of ASEAN. He is a graduate of Queen’s University; Ivey Business School; Singapore Management University; and a permanent resident of both Singapore and Hong Kong SAR.
Export Development Canada
Mairead Lavery
President & CEO
Since joining Export Development Canada in 2014, Mairead Lavery has put values and ethics at the center of her leadership approach. Appointed President and CEO on February 5, 2019, Mairead set out three pillars for her leadership: Champion for Trade; Environmental, Social and Governance Responsibility; and Inclusion, Diversity and Equity. These values are the centerpiece of her – and EDC’s – business agenda.
Under her direction, Canada’s export credit agency has pursued ambitious objectives, achieving strong growth, and helping more Canadian companies do business in 200 markets around the world, while generating over $100 billion in trade and investment annually. In 2020, EDC became a major contributor to the Government of Canada’s COVID-19 economic response, helping deliver billions of dollars in liquidity to companies across Canada. EDC also stands as the single largest financier of Canadian cleantech, a proud supporter of women-owned and women-led businesses, and regularly ranks among Canada’s Top 100 Employers.
Mairead is the Board Chair for the EDC subsidiary, FinDev Canada, Canada’s international development finance institution, and a Board member of Ontario Global 100, creating opportunities for business leaders of Ontario mid-sized companies to accelerate growth. She also sits on the advisory boards of Toronto Global Forum and Project Arrow, which is creating Canada’s original full-build, zero-emissions concept vehicle. Prior to joining EDC, Mairead held executive roles at Bombardier, where she managed a range of large complex portfolios over a sixteen-year career.
She is a native of Northern Ireland, has a degree in Management and Accounting from Queen’s University Belfast, and is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland. She is also the first woman to occupy EDC’s chief executive role in its 75-plus year history.
In 2015, Mairead experienced another very proud milestone: becoming a Canadian citizen.
ASEAN
H.E. Satvinder Singh
Deputy Secretary-General
Satvinder Singh is the Deputy Secretary-General for ASEAN Economic Community for 2021-2024. He will support the Secretary-General of ASEAN by providing leadership in the implementation of the AEC Blueprint 2025 and will lead the AEC Department of the ASEAN Secretariat. He will also provide strategic advice to advance ASEAN’s economic integration agenda.
Before assuming this role, he was the Assistant Chief Executive Officer, Trade Connectivity & Business Services at Enterprise Singapore, where he was instrumental in strengthening Singapore’s role as Asia’s trading hub, supporting the growth of 15,000 professionals, managers, executives and technicians jobs.
With over 27 years of experience, he has held a variety of local, regional and global management positions across the region. At Enterprise Singapore, Mr Singh oversaw four divisions and drove digitalisation efforts in Singapore amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
Mr. Singh holds a Bachelor degree in social sciences from the National University of Singapore and attended the Harvard’s Business School Advanced Management Programme in 2017.
Asia Pacific Foundation
Jeff Nankivell
President & CEO
Prior to this, he had a 33-year career in Canada's Foreign Service. He held various positions at the Canadian International Development Agency between 1988 and 2008, working on programs related to China, Russia, strategic policy, and international financial institutions. A fluent Mandarin speaker, he was posted three times to Canada's embassy in Beijing – in the development assistance section 1991-95 and 2000-04, and as Deputy Head of Mission 2008-11.
From 2011 to 2016, Jeff served in Ottawa/Gatineau as Director General responsible for Canada’s official development assistance programs across Asia, first with the Canadian International Development Agency and then with Global Affairs Canada. In 2016 he was appointed Consul General of Canada in Hong Kong and Macao, serving in Hong Kong until May 2021.
Jeff holds a Master’s degree in political sociology from the London School of Economics, BA in international relations from the University of Toronto and Université Laval, and certificate (one-year program) in Chinese language and culture from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.
Toronto Region Board of Trade
Jan De Silva
President & CEO
Jan De Silva is President and CEO of the Toronto Region Board of Trade, one of the largest and most influential business organizations in North America. She is spearheading efforts to make Toronto one of the most competitive and sought-after business regions in the world.
Jan brings to the role more than 14 years of international CEO experience building ambitious, high-growth organizations. Anchored in her leadership is her belief in the power of economic development to lift communities.
Prior to joining the Board, she served as CEO of Sun Life Financial’s Hong Kong and Mainland China businesses and co-founded and later sold Retail China Limited. Jan also served as Dean of Ivey Asia for Ivey Business School of Western University.
Highly respected for her business advocacy and government engagement, Jan has been Chair of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, Chair of the Canada China Business Council in Beijing and served on the Board of the Asian Corporate Governance Association. In 2019, she was appointed by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to represent Canada on the APEC Business Advisory Council. Jan also sits on the board of Intact Financial Corporation, listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange.
February 25 | 11.00 - 12.00
Breakout Session #1: Sustainable Finance and Infrastructure Development
In this session, leading Canadian institutional investors, crown corporations, and firms will discuss how Canada can contribute to Southeast Asia’s sustainable infrastructure development. They will share their insights on the role of Canadian investment strategies, structures, and institutional capital in the fast-growing markets of ASEAN, and their experience in entering the region’s fast-growing markets. Speakers will also explore how Canadian sustainable investment strategies and government partnerships can de-risk infrastructure investment in Southeast Asia to help more Canadian firms become active in the sector, and how they are pioneering innovative models of blended finance.
Canadian Commercial Corporation
Wilson Pearce
Senior Director,
Global Business Development
Wilson Pearce is the Senior Director – Global Business Development for the Canadian Commercial Corporation (CCC).
Mr. Pearce has more than 25 years of work experience in senior leadership of companies operating out of Canada, the USA, Europe, the Middle East, Africa and the Caribbean.
Prior to joining CCC in 2021, Mr. Pearce was the Chief Operating of Officer of Sogema Technologies, and the Executive Vice-President of Cowater International. He has also held senior executive positions with Business Transformation mandates with a number of internationally active companies in the Defense, Logistics, Technology and Public Service sectors. Wilson has significant experience working within the ASEAN region; having led business teams and been responsible for the management of companies and projects in Singapore, Jakarta, Manila and Bangkok over the course of his career.
Managing Director & Regional Head of Asia Pacific
Leong Wai Leng
CDPQ Global
Leong 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.
Before joining CDPQ in 2018 as Managing Director, Strategic Partnerships, Asia, Ms. Leong was Managing Director and Head of Business Management Unit at the Bank of Singapore, a wholly owned subsidiary of OCBC Bank. Prior to that, she was the Chairman and CEO of OCBC Bank (China). In 2010, she became the first banker from a non-Japanese Asian bank to win a Gold Magnolia Award, one of the highest recognitions from the Shanghai government. Perhaps most noteworthy was the fact it was the Chinese
regulatory body, CBRC (Central Banking Regulatory Commission), that nominated her for this award.
Ms. Leong was also Managing Director and Head of Corporate and Institutional Banking at HSBC China. Previously, she held senior positions at multinational corporations such as Philips Electronics China Group, as well as at JP Morgan Bank and at Citibank, in Singapore.
National Bank of Canada
Vincent Joli-Coeur
Vice-Chairman of the Board, Financial Markets
Vincent Joli-Coeur joined National Bank of Canada in 2011 as Vice-Chairman, Financial Markets. Mr. Joli-Coeur is responsible for the senior coverage of corporate, government and institutional clients globally.
Mr. Joli-Coeur often represents National Bank of Canada and corporate clients in the APAC Region. In 2016, he led the team behind the bank’s successful inaugural Panda Bond issuance of RMB3.5 billion in the People’s Republic of China, the first issuance of its kind for a non-Chinese bank.
Mr. Joli-Coeur also spearheads National Bank’s coverage of key Canadian family-controlled firms and co-authored the Family Advantage series of reports highlighting the sustainable outperformance of Canada’s leading family-controlled companies.
Mr. Joli-Coeur is involved in his community, in Canada, as Chair of the Board of Directors of the University of Sherbrooke Foundation and Chair of the Brome Lake Land Foundation. He was recently invited as Keynote Speaker at the United Nations COP15 Biodiversity Conference in December 2022.
Mr. Joli-Coeur is a member of the Institute of Corporate Directors and a graduate of the Directors Education Program. He has been awarded a Masters in Business Administration from Université Paris Dauphine in France.
Sven List
Senior Vice-President,
Corporate & International
Sven List was appointed Senior Vice-President, Corporate and International in April 2022. Mr. List is accountable for the relationship management and loan underwriting functions for EDC’s corporate customer segment as well as EDC’s international strategy and operations.
A critical challenge confronting EDC is the goal of diversifying Canadian exports. This goal is central to Mr. List’s role, working closely with Canada’s corporate enterprise community to create new connections and trade opportunities for more Canadian Exporters. As well, he represents EDC’s brand across international markets as he and his group develop and manage EDC’s international relationships, partners, and stakeholders, while also managing and driving
sustainable growth for EDC’s financing services.
Since joining EDC in 2000, Mr. List worked in progressively more senior roles in the Structured Project Finance (SPF) team before being promoted to VP and Head of Structured and Project Finance in 2014 and then VP and Head of Corporate Lending International. Mr. List was appointed to EDC’s Executive Management Team as Senior Vice-President, Trade Connections in May 2019. Prior to joining EDC, he held positions of increasing responsibility within the corporate banking unit of a foreign bank’s operations in Mexico.
Mr. List holds a Master’s in Business Administration from McGill University, a BBA degree in finance and a BA in economics (honors) from The University of Texas at Austin.
Export Development Canada
Whitesky Group
Denon Prawiraatmadja
CEO & Founder
Working Experience
• 2010 – CEO of Whitesky Group
• 2022 – President Commissioner of PT ATS Halim Perdanakusuma Airport
Organization Experience
• 2022 – Chairman of INACA Period of 2022-2025
• 2021 – Vice Chairman Chamber of Commerce for Transportation (KADIN)
• 2019 – Chairman of INACA Period of 2019-2022 (Indonesia National Air Carriers Association)
• 2016 – Vice Chairman of an Air Transportation in Indonesia Chamber of Commerce (KADIN)
• 2014 – Chairman of Non Schedule Flight for Indonesia National Air Carriers Association (INACA)
• 2019 – Chairman of Helicopter Forum Asia Pacific
• 2019 – Chairman of INACA (Indonesia National Air Charter Association)
• 2011 – Chairman of Air Transportation Committee, Indonesia Chambers of Commerce (KADIN)
• 2011 – Member of Helicopter Association International (HAI)
• 2011 – Member of INACA (Indonesia National Air Carriers Association)
• 2008 – Vice Chairman Fund & Facility Committee, Indonesia
Stephane Asselin
Chief Executive, Asia
Stephane Asselin has been the Chief Executive of Aurecon in Asia since 2019. Aurecon is an international design, engineering, and advisory company. The company’s purpose is bringing ideas to life, to imagine and co-create with our clients a better future for people and the planet. Today, with over 6,500 staff, Aurecon’s business spans Australia, New Zealand, and Asia, including Hong Kong, Macau and Shanghai, Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam. In Asia, Aurecon continue to experience rapid growth with over 1,600 staff today across our 9 Asian offices.
Stephane has over 32 years of experience in engineering, the environment and architectural consultancy at the executive level with private and publicly traded companies. From 2006 to 2015, he held various executive leadership roles within AECOM at Asia and global levels. Prior to AECOM, Stephane spent 14 years at URS Corporation (acquired by AECOM in 2014) based in San Francisco.
Stephane holds a BS in Civil Engineering from Université Laval and MSc in Ocean Engineering from the University of Rhode Island. He also holds a certificate in Corporate Governance from INSEAD. He has won numerous awards and is also the editor/author of thought leadership books on environment and climate change.
Aurecon
Dr. Ridha D.M. Wirakusumah
CEO
Dr. Ridha D.M. Wirakusumah is INA's Chief Executive Officer.
He is one of Indonesia’s top executives in banking, financial services, and investment.
He is one of Indonesia’s top executives in banking, financial services, and investment with more than 30 years of experience at leading global and Indonesian institutions.
Prior to joining INA, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Bank Permata, Head of Indonesia at KKR & CO., and Chief Executive Officer of Bank Maybank Indonesia.
He previously has served in several multinational corporations including as CEO of Asia Pacific AIG Consumer Finance, CEO of Asia Pacific GE Capital Consumer Finance and Banking, CEO of GE Capital Thailand, CEO of GE Capital Indonesia, as well as Head of Corporate Finance of Bankers Trust, and Head of Public Sector of Citibank Indonesia.
He obtained his Doctorate in Business Administration from City University Hong Kong, an MBA in Finance and International Business from Ohio University, and a Bachelor in Electrical Engineering and Science from Ohio University. He completed the Advanced Management Program at University California, Berkeley.
Indonesia Investment Authority (INA)
February 25 | 11.00 - 12.00
Breakout Session #2: Doing Business in Singapore: A Gateway to Southeast Asia
Terrence Yong
General Manager for Asia Pacific
Terrence Yong is the GM for Asia Pacific for Visier, the recognized global leader in people analytics, providing on-demand answers to people-powered businesses. Founded in 2010, Visier reveals the fundamental questions and actionable truths capable of elevating your employees and your business to new heights.
Terrence has a unique mix of startup and enterprise experience, most recently as Chief Business Officer for Pulsifi, a HR technology company. Prior to that, he held regional and country leadership roles over a 20-year career with SAP and Microsoft.
Terrence has an MBA in Finance from the University of Manchester Business School, and an Electrical and Electronic Engineering degree from the University of Melbourne. He is a member of Singapore Institute of Directors and Young Presidents’ Organization.
Visier
Chia-yi Chua
Honorary Consul-General,
Singapore in Canada
Senior Counsel, McCarthy Tétrault
Chia-yi Chua is Senior Counsel in the firm’s National Tax Group. His practice focuses on complex tax litigation and tax disputes calling on imaginative and creative solutions.
Chia-yi has acted for corporate taxpayers in all of Canada’s significant industries, including the financial services, telecommunications, resource, retail, hospitality and transportation sectors. He has represented these clients at every level of court including the Supreme Court of Canada.
Chia-yi has been recognized for his market-leading practice having been ranked in the top-tiers of international directories.
Chia-yi regularly addresses the Tax Executives Institute, Inc. to present on current tax litigation topics. He is a frequent speaker at conferences of auditors and appeals officers, and addresses Tax and Finance departments of top North American corporations.
Chia-yi earned his JD from Osgoode Hall Law School and was called to the Ontario and British Columbia bars in 1995 and 1997, respectively. He is also a key member of the firm’s Asia Practice Group.
Currently serves as the Republic of Singapore’s Honorary Consul-General in Toronto.
Country Manager - Singapore
Udai Panicker
Udai returned to Tractus Asia as the Country Manager for Singapore in 2018 after having spent four years earlier with Tractus in India (2011-2015). Udai brings with him a blend of consulting, tech start-up and B2B marketing and sales experience. Since taking over as Country Manager, Udai has been spearheading the firm’s business development mandate from Singapore and has grown the practice’s book of business, team strength and its brand in the market. Under his leadership, Tractus Asia Singapore has become one of the firm’s most profitable practices and helped add some marquee brands to the company’s roster of clients. Udai is currently leading, executing and supporting multiple projects and clients, across sectors ranging from manufacturing and chemicals to healthcare, technology and agri-foods. As Singapore Country Manager, Udai also helps oversee Tractus’ project execution in Malaysia and Indonesia.
Udai is a global citizen in the true sense of the word, having lived in eight countries. He graduated from Mount Allison University, Canada in 2007 with a Bachelor in Commerce. His interest in international commercial law and technology saw him complete his Master in Law (Commercial Law and IP) from the University of Nottingham in 2010. He is a native English and Hindi speaker and fluent in conversational French.
Tractus Asia
February 25 | 12.30 - 13.00
Fireside Chat: Considerations for Doing Business in Canada
Marc-André Carrière
Marc is a Canadian lawyer with EXEO Attorneys, a Montreal based law firm specialized in immigration law.
His practice focuses mainly on economic immigration and international mobility. He assists his clients especially, immigrant entrepreneurs eager to develop businesses in Canada and Canadian employers seeking to hire foreign nationals, to navigate through the Canadian immigration legislation and regulations.
Before joining EXEO, Marc worked as a civil and commercial litigator. Following the completion of his Master’s degree in Chinese Business Law at Peking University, he also worked in Beijing for an international firm specialized in the field of economic immigration.
Lawyer
EXEO Attorneys
Fasken
Partner, Co-leader of the China Practice Group
Edmond Luke
Edmond Luke (陸家驥) is a business law Partner in Vancouver and a founder and Past Chair of the Firm’s Asia Pacific Group. His expertise attracts both Canadian and Asian private and institutional clients in several key industries including real estate investment and development, global mining, energy and environmental, and public and private corporate finance, mergers & acquisitions.
Fluent in Mandarin, Cantonese and Taiwanese, and traveling regularly to Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei and Seoul, Edmond is highly effective in assisting clients with the bridging of diversities between western and Asian business cultures and practices.
Edmond's practice primarily involves investments and business transactions with a special focus internationally on inbound Canada-Asia transpacific related activities and domestically on real estate development in Canada.
His Canada-Asia transpacific experience includes the structuring of foreign direct investment, the listing of Asian businesses on the TSX, and the advising of business investments and acquisitions in Canada by Asian investors in a broad range of industries and sectors. He assists Asian family enterprises and individuals with Canadian ties with their wealth and succession planning in Canada.
In Canada, clients from railway companies to developers, hotel operators and religious organizations, seek out Edmond for his real estate experience and business acumen. On complex legal real estate transactions, Edmond works on rezoning, development approvals, air space parcels, leasehold subdivisions, easements, restrictive covenants, building schemes and statutory rights of way for conventional, transport oriented, mixed use and phased strata, airspace and master-planned community developments.
Fasken
Partner
Ponora Ang
Ponora Ang is an experienced commercial litigator who offers expertise in a wide variety of complex cases. In addition to his commercial litigation practice, Ponora is well known to companies in Southeast Asia, as well as in the greater Asia-Pacific region, for his legal and strategic advice regarding investment and implementation projects in Canada in multiple industries.
Ponora counsels and represents clients in the areas of real estate, product liability manufacturing, gaming, sale and leasing, insurance, and franchise law. Ponora is regularly asked to represent the interests of manufacturers, producers, distributors, and sellers in the automotive, medical, security, and aviation industries. In addition, he regularly advises state-owned enterprises, private companies, and individuals from Asia seeking to expand their business activities in Canada in a variety of industries.
Ponora has taught business law in a global context as part of the Université de Montréal faculty of law’s LLM program in product liability and civil and commercial litigation. He also received YBAM’s “Lawyer of the Year 2010” award in civil and commercial litigation.
Ponora continued to be also involved in several committees and boards of directors in Québec, both in business and trade associations as well as for charitable organizations. In particular, he was President of the Young Chinese Professionals Association, which was awarded “Best Young Chamber of Commerce of Québec ” during his term. He was also one of the four finalists for the RJCCQ’s “Director of the Year in Québec” award. Ponora was listed in the “Top 20 Diversity Personalities of the Year 2013” by the Médiamosaique Press Association, in collaboration with ICI Radio-Canada. In 2015, he was also named Eminent Young Overseas Chinese by the Chinese government. Ponora was also recognized in the prestigious Lexpert Rising Star 2021 / Top 40 Under 40 list for his legal expertise and his involvement in the community and is now recognized in the Canadian Legal Lexpert Directory in Litigation for his expertise in Product Liability.
February 25 | 13.00 - 14.00
Plenary Session #2: Canada as a Partner in ASEAN’s Sustainable Energy Transition Towards Net-Zero
This session will focus on ASEAN’s net-zero goals and the role of Canadian policy, solutions, resources, and capital in supporting ASEAN countries’ energy transition journey. As the region transitions towards net-zero emissions, we will explore the potential for the uptake of Canadian cleantech and clean energy, sustainable finance and investment, and other Canada-ASEAN partnerships for sustainable policy development in ASEAN. We will also hear from leading resources/energy companies from Southeast Asia regarding how they are contributing to decarbonisation, and where Canadian partners may support their efforts.
The session will also explore best practices from Canada based on its journey to net-zero for ASEAN regulators, and how this might be applied practically by Southeast Asian countries given differing levels of development. The panel will also provide insights into what is needed to increase FDI into clean and renewable energy, the role of traditional energy firms in transitioning to a greener energy mix, and where Canadian partners may support this.
Matthew Klukas
Chief Operating Officer
At the Criterium Group, Matt has the ability to connect energy firms with new technologies, customers, markets and capital, by working collaboratively to develop and execute clients' strategic goals. As the CABC Energy Advisor he is initiating conversations to investigate the impact the collective resources and skills of the ASEAN and Canada regions can have on each other, and the global marketplace.
He began his career as a Geophysicist, specializing in Business Development in the Asia Pacific Oil and Gas Industry. He has since received his MBA from the Haskayne School of Business and has branched out to other regions and energy sectors. Currently based in Calgary, Matt previously lived in Singapore and Seattle and is most comfortable at 35,000 ft on his way to a new destination.
Criterium Energy
Dr. Nuki Agya Utama
Executive Director
Dr. Nuki Agya Utama is appointed as the Executive Director of the ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE) and reporting directly to an International organisation under ASEAN entities and reporting to Governing Council consist of ministries energy in ASEAN member states. He is currently an advisory board member of Asia Pacific Energy Research Centre (APERC) and World Economic Forum (WEF) Global Future Councils.
Dr. Nuki Agya Utama has academics and research background as Post-Doctorate in Graduate School Energy Science Kyoto University for energy scenario planning in South East Asia.
Holding PhD, with research on Life Cycle Energy Analysis from Joint Graduate School of Energy and Environment, the University of Technology King Mongkut (KMUTT), Thailand.
Prior to assuming his position in ACE, he worked as a director various local companies and as a consultant in a well-known international Institutions. In his early career, he worked as a consultant in UNDP and UNEP, working on energy and environment-related issues. He also been served as the Head of Environmental Engineering department at Surya University, Indonesia and currently as a lecturer in Swiss German University, Indonesia.
ASEAN Centre for Energy (ACE)
Muhammad Yusrizki
Chairman
Muhammad Yusrizki has 25 years of experience in investment management, leading strategy formation, investment scenarios and business transformation across industries. He has worked extensively in infrastructure, plantation, real estate, and energy sectors. Appointed as Chairman for Permanent Renewable Energy Committee for Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (KADIN) in 2021, he quickly established KADIN Net Zero Hub as the focal point for climate resilience initiatives for Indonesian private sector. Through Net Zero Hub, KADIN encourages all companies, from conglomerates to SME, to start their journey to become net zero companies.
ASEAN/KADIN Net Zero Hub & Renewable Energy Committee, KADIN
Adaro Power
Dharma Djojonegoro
CEO
Dharma is currently the President Director of PT. Adaro Power, one of the largest Independent Power Producer (IPP) companies in Indonesia with ownership in power plant assets of 2260 MW. Dharma also serves as the President Commissioner of PT. Tanjung Power Indonesia and PT. Makmur Sejahtera Wisesa and Commissioner at PT. Bhimasena Power Indonesia, and also a Commissioner at PT. Genomics Solutions Indonesia. In this capacity, Dharma has been intensively involved in obtaining funding (financial close) and construction for various power plant assets with a value exceeding USD 4.7 billion.
Prior to Adaro Power, Dharma held various leadership positions in the energy sector, including President Director of a Tbk company and President Director of a mining services company. Previously, Dharma worked at McKinsey & Company, one of the leading management consulting firms.
Besides being active at Kadin Indonesia as Head of Permanent Committee of Middle East & OIC, Dharma is also active in the Association of Indonesian Private Electric Producers (APLSI) and also in other non-profit organizations such as the Young President's Organization (YPO) and Young Leaders for Indonesia (YLI).
Dharma holds an MBA degree from INSEAD, and previously graduated summa cum laude from the University of Oregon.
Petronas Indonesia
Yuzaini Md Yusof
President and Country Head
Yuzaini Md Yusof was appointed President Director of PETRONAS Indonesia (PC Ketapang II Ltd., PC North Madura II Ltd., and PETRONAS North Ketapang Sdn. Bhd.) in December 2021. Aside from his current role, he also appointed as Country Chairman of PETRONAS Indonesia. In addition to the latter, he was also appointed as President of Indonesia Petroleum Association (IPA) period 2023 and one of Transasia Gas International’s (TGI) Board of Commissioners. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, United States of America (USA) in 1998. He has completed notable development programmes such as the Senior Management Development Programme (Duke Corporate Education, 2016) and the Global Leaders Programme (Global Institute for Tomorrow, 2019).
Yuzaini has over 19 years of experience in PETRONAS Corporate and Upstream business, both in Malaysia and International operations. He assumed a critical position in 2020, serving as the Executive Assistant to the PETRONAS President and Group CEO. Prior to that, he was appointed as the General Manager for Production Gas in Peninsular Malaysia Assets (PMA) in 2019, where he managed the production operations and maintenance for PMA’s Gas Assets. Simultaneously, he was also the Project Director for Project Eagle where he spearheaded value optimisation initiatives under the Vice President Malaysia Assets Office, Upstream. He also has experience in Upstream International under Joint Venture Management – in Badra, Iraq Operations.
Steering business strategies and increasing value optimisation & commercialisation are among his key successes in executing projects in Malaysia and internationally. He has been invited to speak at several key events such as the International Convention on Indonesian Upstream Oil and Gas (IOG) in 2021, 2022; the Indonesia Petroleum Association (IPA) Convention and Exhibition in 2022 etc.
Yuzaini is passionate about working collaboratively with diverse teams. He is committed to help the organisation achieve its goals, creating a positive work environment by promoting diversity, inclusion, and self-development. Throughout his journey in life, he has also grown his passion for volunteerism as he is eager to bring positive values to his surroundings.
Antonius Sanyojaya
Tax Partner
Antonius Sanyojaya is a Tax Partner at PwC Indonesia with over 20 years of experience. He has extensive experience in advising on tax matters related to the following: mergers & acquisitions, inward investment and corporate structure advisory, tax management, dispute resolution, and statutory audits, predominantly in the energy and resources sectors.
Antonius is a member of the Indonesian Tax Consultant Association, and holds a Tax Court Licence. He graduated from Universitas Tarumanagara, and holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from the University of Toledo. Antonius is EU&R Tax and ESG Tax Leader at PwC Indonesia.
PwC Indonesia
Dannif Danusaputro
CEO
Pertamina
February 25 | 14.00 - 15.00
Breakout Session #3: Agriculture and Food Security
In an era of geopolitical upheaval, volatile trade policy and climate change, it’s time for Canada to play a much larger role in providing ASEAN countries with a stable supply of high-quality, nutritious food and farming inputs. This session will explore how Canada and ASEAN can work together to put more (food) on the table, and will examine how Canadian agtech innovation can bring this partnership to a new level. Key leaders in the agriculture and agri-food sector in Canada and ASEAN will share insights on how Canadian agriculture commodities, food products, and technological solutions can contribute to long-term food security in ASEAN. Emerging trends such as the rise of plant-based food and changing consumer habits in ASEAN markets will also be explored by Southeast Asian business leaders and industry experts.
Managing Director
Greg Eidsness
Greg Eidsness has 15 years of experience working at the intersection of the public and private sectors across international business development, consulting, and public affairs. Greg currently serves as the Managing Director of the Government of Saskatchewan Trade and Investment Office in Singapore. The office, co-located in the High Commission of Canada, is responsible for growing economic ties between Saskatchewan and Southeast Asia. Greg also chairs the Agriculture and Agri-food Committee of the Canada-ASEAN Business Council.
Previously, Greg was a Director at Canadian advisory firm IFCL, where he led business development and served as project manager on consulting assignments for multilateral, regional and national development banks, export credit agencies and governments. He has also held positions with the British Columbia Ministry of International Trade, Time Warner's Asia-Pacific Public Policy Office (Hong Kong), and the National University of Singapore.
Greg completed an MPA at the London School of Economics and a BA at the University of British Columbia. In 2022, Greg received the UBC Alumni Builder Award for his contributions to student professional development in the Faculty of Arts.
Saskatchewan Singapore Trade and Investment Office
Agropur
Daniel Kwek
Sales Manager (SE Asia)
Daniel Kwek is passionate about food and has dedicated the last decade in commercial roles within the dairy industry. With a background in risk management, business development and strategy, his career expands over several industries including finance, insurance, and (soft) commodities.
Today he has a mission to expand Agropur’s export footprint in one of the most dynamic markets globally – SE Asia (Indonesia).
In his service, Daniel believes that dairy continues to provide accessible and holistic nutrition, helping combat malnutrition whilst supporting healthy diets.
James Waddock
President & CEO
James Waddock is the President and CEO of AgroLife, a Canadian plant-based ingredients producer. James is responsible for the strategic direction of AgroLife, leveraging the at-source conversion of commodities into high-value, high-demand outputs which have growing relevance for the global market.
James has founded successful companies in the logistics, technology and agtech sectors with a keen focus on market differentiation and global competitiveness. James continues to provide strategic leadership to SingleTrack Solutions Corp, a global supply chain and procurement firm serving a range of industries in multiple countries. James holds an MBA from Queen’s University and an undergraduate degree from the University of Calgary.
AgroLife
Prof. Dr. Hermanto Siregar
IPB University Faculty of Economics and Management Bogor
Hermanto Siregar is a professor at Department of Economics, Bogor Agricultural University (IPB University), Indonesia. He obtained Ph.D. in economics from Lincoln University, New Zealand in 2001, and since then published around 300 papers in academic journals in the fields of agricultural economics and policies as well as macroeconomics, finance and banking. Since 2018 until now Hermanto has been Rector of Perbanas Institute, Jakarta. He has also served as Head of Permanent Committee of Food Security in the Indonesia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) since 2021.
Hermanto is an academician with ample practical experiences, including as board of commissioner in PT. Permodalan Nasional Madani (a micro financing company), Bank BRI, and Bank BRI Syariah—all are state owned, within 2007-2019 subsequently. Moreover, he had been in the board of economic advisers to President Yudhoyono during 2011-2014. Hermanto is active in professional organizations including the Asia Pacific Agricultural Policy Forum and the Indonesian Society of Agricultural Economics (PERHEPI) where he had served as the president during 2017-2020.
CEO
Harry Warganegara
Harry Warganegara born in 1971. He completed his undergraduate education in Business Management & Finance at the City University of New York. Experienced in various fields, including in the financial industry he has joined National Westminster Bank Plc New York City, Bear & Sterns New York City and Funda Asia Investment Bank, Bank PDFCI handles Corporate Finance, Fund Raising and Restructuring. Subsequently, he joined Henan Putihrai Sekuritas as Senior Vice President, handling Investment Banking, Corporate Structure, Merger Acquisition.
In the property sector, he also served as President Director at Pacific Metro Realty (Owning Company of Menara Imperium) and PT Prabu Budi Mulia (Owning Company of Crowne Plaza Hotel). The man born in Palembang is also one of the founders of BUMD in West Sulawesi, namely PT Sulbar Group and served as President Director in 2010-2013. Subsequently, he served as President Commissioner of Sulbar Energi Group and Krakatau Steel Global Trading / PT Krakatau Natural Resources. Until then on April 2, 2020, he was appointed as President Director of PT Berdikari.
PT Berdikari
February 25 | 14.00 - 15.00
Breakout Session #4: ASEAN Investment Showcase - Vietnam
The ASEAN Investment Showcases will be segmented into market-specific sessions to focus on priority markets in ASEAN, including Singapore, Vietnam, and Malaysia. These sessions will commence with professional insights into the regulatory and political developments of the specific markets. This will be followed by a discussion on the high-growth sectors attracting FDI flows, and concrete business expansion and investment opportunities available for Canadian businesses and investors by the country governments.
Consulate General of Canada in Ho Chi Minh City
Behzad Babakhani
Consul-General
Behzad Babakhani (BSc, McGill University, 1992; LLB, University of Manitoba, 1996) practised family and criminal law before joining the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade in 1999. He has served at Headquarters in various positions, including as law officer (sanctions), economic policy officer (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) and director of Consular Affairs, responsible for complex and children’s cases. He has also served as an executive in the Privy Council Office (Afghanistan Task Force), where he received the clerk’s Excellence Award in 2011. Abroad, he has had assignments in South Korea (second secretary), Malaysia (counsellor), Mexico (deputy head of mission and minister counsellor) and Monterrey (consul general). Most recently, Mr. Babakhani was director for Northeast Asia and Oceania and chair of the department’s Visible Minorities Network.
BowerGroupAsia
Nguyen Viet Ha
Managing Director
Ha is a highly respected Vietnamese lawyer, with special expertise in financial transactions, mergers and acquisitions, as well as general business, trade and investment-related issues.
Before joining BGA as managing director for Vietnam, Ha managed the Vietnam operations of BrooksBowerAsia for three years. She built and led the Vietnam team and serviced clients in various sectors ranging from energy and ICT to healthcare, logistics and consumer production.
Ha practiced law in Vietnam in the 1990s, providing legal advice and consulting services to Fortune 500 clients. She also participated in drafting a number of laws and regulations, including the Foreign Investment Law, the Commercial Law and regulations on money laundering. She has authored a number of publications on foreign investment and the securities market in Vietnam. She is a member of the Hanoi Bar Association and the Inter-Pacific Bar Association and is an honorary member of the Center for International Legal Studies.
Ha has also worked on a range of internationally-funded development projects, including a World Bank effort to improve financial transparency, public participation and grassroots accountability in the budgeting process; an Asia Foundation project on enhancing public participation in the legislative process; and a project on accelerating e-government co-funded by the Asia Foundation and the Ho Chi Minh City People’s Committee.
Ha earned a master’s degree from George Washington University. She also holds a master’s degree in international commercial law from the University of Nottingham (England) and a bachelor’s degrees in law and foreign languages from prestigious Vietnamese universities.
AQUIS Capital AG
Tuong Le
Asia Representative
Tuong joins AQUIS Capital AG as an Asia Representative, focusing on Emerging Asia Opportunities.
Prior to this experience, he worked at Shelev Capital, part of Choon Heng Group Singapore, a diversified investment group with 40 years of track records, background from the world's largest palm oil agri - and processing - conglomerate. He started his career at Ho Chi Minh City Securities Corporation and Viet Dragon Securities Corporation, leading securities brokerage firms and investment banks in Vietnam.
Tuong is a fully-licensed stockbroker for Vietnam Market, and holds a Bachelor in International Business from The University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City.
EQUO
Marina Tran-Vu
Founder
Marina Tran-Vu has over 13+ years of brand management, product innovation and marketing experience at global FMCG companies including Unilever, Bacardi, LG Electronics and Spin Master. She officially launched EQUO in 2021 as the first D2C and B2B sustainable brand offering 100% plastic-free straws, utensils, dishware, drinkware and more made of materials like sugarcane, coconut, coffee and rice. Her inspiration is driven by trying to build a brighter, greener future for her nephew, supporting local economic growth and job creation from her parent’s hometown, and the desire to raise Vietnam's profile as a global leader in sustainability and innovation.
Marina has appeared in global media to share her ambition for a world free of single-use plastic, appearing in Forbes, Beyond Innovation by BloombergTV, Shark Tank Vietnam, and Front Office by PlayersTV. She led the company to being the first Vietnamese startup admitted into Techstars, named the grand winner of She Disrupts Vietnam and the winner of Visa Vietnam's She's Next Grant Programme. She has worked with the UNDP, UNOPS, and recently raised $1.3M USD in funding.
YCH Group
Ng Hanjin
Assistant General Manager
Hanjin is currently the Assistant General Manager of Group Corporate Development in YCH Group. He is a member of the Executive Chairman Office and supports the organisation’s strategic initiatives in growing its presence across Asia.
Hanjin has close to 20 years of experiences in driving business, developing alliances, and leading teams to expand their presence in Asia. Hanjin manages a portfolio of multi-million dollars logistics infrastructural projects, leading the efforts to create partnerships to drive cross-border projects to achieve connectivity across ASEAN.
Aside from his appointment in YCH Group, Hanjin is elected into the Supply Chain Management Committee in Singapore Computer Society. He also serves as a Town Councillor and leads efforts by the various grassroot organisations in his constituency to serve the communities.
Hanjin holds a Bachelor of Computer Engineering from the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore.
February 25 | 15.30 - 16.30
Breakout Session #5: Digital Economy and Technological Innovation
This session explores how digital technology and innovation is transforming all sectors of the Canada and ASEAN economies, and shaping the Canada-ASEAN relationship through new FTAs such as a Digital Economic Partnership Agreement (DEPA). This session showcases latest digitalization trends and innovation in the two regions and delves into shared challenges such as tech talent shortages and restrictive data policies to foster dialogue, partnership, and sharing of best practices. The discussion will feature insights from government and industry leaders exploring the key drivers of innovation and digital economy development, and policy recommendations to boost economic growth.
PS-Engage and Asia
Internet Coalition
Jeff Paine
Managing Director
Jeff is a Singapore-based professional with more than 25 years’ experience at leading multinational corporations including Visa, Microsoft, Reuters and the Royal Bank of Canada. In 2014, he established PS-engage, his own government relations consulting firm. PS-engage works with leading IT, e-commerce, finance and payment companies to provide guidance on constructive engagement with governments and to assist with regulatory and policy work. He is also currently the Managing Director of the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), a leading industry body that promotes smart regulatory reforms for the digital economy. Jeff is also a Co-Chair of the Financial Services Committee at the American Chamber of Commerce in Singapore and a member of the Tax Feedback Panel at the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS).
Jeff has a B.A. in Economics from the University of Western Ontario in Canada and an MBA in Finance from Rutgers University in the United States. He also attended the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University where he has completed a diploma program on Innovations in Governance.
Senior Vice President
Dr. Simon Liu
Lazada Group
Dr. Simon Liu is a seasoned professional in the field of data science and risk management. He currently holds the position of Senior Vice President and Head of Data Science for payments at Lazada. Before joining Lazada, Dr. Liu had a successful career at Scotiabank, Canada, where he held various data science roles, with his final role being Director in AML Modelling and Analytics.
In addition to his professional career, Dr. Liu is also actively involved in the academic community, with a passion for mentoring and coaching the next generation of talents. In partnership with the University of Toronto, he organized and acted as the head judge for the Big Data & AI Case Competition from 2020 to 2022. He has served as an industry advisor for several Masters and Ph.D. students in Canada, and currently advising a Ph.D. student from Nanyang Technological University in Singapore.
Dr. Liu holds a Ph.D. in Electrical and Computer Engineering from the University of Toronto.
Chief Public Policy & Government Relations
Shinto Nugroho
Shinto joined Gojek Group in 2018 as its Chief of Public Policy and Government Relations. She currently leads policy and public sector engagement across Southeast Asia for GoTo Group, the largest technology group in Indonesia.
A seasoned industry expert, Shinto has over 15 years of experience as a lawyer and public policy specialist. Prior to Gojek, Shinto worked at Google focusing on public policy issues. She also was the Special Staff on Trade Policy for the Trade Minister of Indonesia and also worked for the International Finance Corporation and the World Bank in the earlier years of her career.
Shinto obtained her undergraduate degree from the University of Indonesia and Masters degrees from Columbia Law School as Parker’s scholars and the London School of Economics and Political Science as a Chevening Scholar. Shinto was the recipient of the SIF ASEAN Leaders Scholarship and currently a 2021 Eisenhower Global Leader Program Fellow. She represented Indonesia in the Future Female Leaders in the New Asia Summit in New Delhi in 2013 and was named as one of Asia 21’s Young Leaders in 2012.
Shinto sits on the Board Member of Tifa Foundation, a non‐profit organization focusing on open and equitable society.
GoTo Group
Brandonville Studios
Ken Lai
CEO
Ken Lai is the Co-founder and CEO of Brandoville Studios and Brandoville Academy. Brandoville Studios is the leading Computer Graphics Art studio that creates Triple-A
Games and High-Profile Animation in Indonesia. Brandoville Academy is the First Unreal Engine Authorized Training Center in Southeast Asia.
Ken Lai started his journey in Canada, then he moved to Asia. He has 20 years of experience and has created more than 100 titles of Triple-A Games, such as Sims, FIFA, Medal of Honor, NBA Live, Resident Evil, Gears of War, Spider-Man, Marvel, WarCraft, and more. He has also created many High-Profile Animations for Disney+, Nickelodeon, Netflix, and more.
Due to Ken Lai's vision, he has received accolades such as the Champion Award at the 25th Anniversary of the HSBA, competing against businesses across the Singapore and Hong Kong region. He is one of the representatives for the ASEAN Young Entrepreneur Carnival, a member of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, and also the Director of the Hong Kong United Youth Association.
February 25 | 15.30 - 16.30
Breakout Session #6: ASEAN Investment Showcase – Malaysia
The ASEAN Investment Showcases will be segmented into market-specific sessions to focus on priority markets in ASEAN, including Singapore, Vietnam, and Malaysia. These sessions will commence with professional insights into the regulatory and political developments of the specific markets. This will be followed by a discussion on the high-growth sectors attracting FDI flows, and concrete business expansion and investment opportunities available for Canadian businesses and investors by the country governments.
Datuk Muhammad Azmi Zulkifli
CEO
Datuk Muhammad Azmi Zulkifli is the Chief Executive Officer of InvestKL.
In his current role as Chief Executive Officer, he leads the teams to identify, facilitate, and develop solutions for MNCs to locate their high-value regional hubs in Greater KL and Malaysia. The focus sectors include oil & gas, healthcare, FMCG, business and financial services. To date, the InvestKL team led by Datuk Muhammad Azmi has successfully brought in more than 120 MNCs to set up regional headquarters or hubs within Greater KL.
He joined InvestKL in 2012 as Director of Investor Relations for Europe.
Prior to InvestKL, he has over 16 years of experience in leadership and management positions spanning commercial business, business transformation and operations with MISC Berhad, a subsidiary of Petronas. He participated in MISC's business transformation initiatives and was part of a leadership team to re-engineer, develop and commission a global ICT system throughout MISC offices globally.
Datuk Muhammad Azmi holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration (Marketing) from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA. He has attended Petronas Management Training programs as well as participated in several Executive Management programs under Harvard Business School and Dale Carnegie Training.
InvestKL
YB Dato’ Dr. Mohamad Rafie Bin Ab Malek
Chairman
YB Dato’ Dr. Mohamad Rafie Bin Ab Malek
Negeri Sembilan State Executive Council
Chairman of Action Committee for Investment, Industrial, Entrepreneurship, Education and Human Capital
Negeri Sembilan State Assemblyman (Ampangan)
YB Dato’ Dr. Mohamad Rafie Bin Ab Malek is responsible to drive the economy of Negeri Sembilan as the Chairman of Action Committee for Investment and Industrial besides leading the entrepreneurship and education development in Negeri Sembilan. Under his leadership, the economy of Negeri Sembilan improves tremendously by the increasing of investment value. The previous government was only targeting RM1 billion investments in a year. After the changes of government on 9 May 2018, the investment value has increased to RM2.86 billion in 2018 and approaching RM4 billion in 2019.The revenue of Negeri Sembilan has jumped to the new record by achieving RM556 million compared to the targeted RM430 million for the year of 2019 due to the increases of the investment value.
NS Corporation
Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC)
Tommy Yeoh
FDI Lead
Tommy has more than 10 years of experience in International business and business development. Currently he is with Digital Investment Division in MDEC to facilitate the foreign digital investors to grow in Malaysia. MDEC is the agency under the Ministry of Communications and Digital leading the digital transformation of the economy for 26 years. We aim to enable a progressive, innovation-led digital economy in Malaysia.
February 25 | 16.30 - 17.30
Plenary Session #3: Invest in Canada: ASEAN’s Trusted Partner in the Americas
Toronto Global
Stephen Lund
CEO
Stephen Lund is a dynamic business leader with over 30 years of experience in banking, venture capital, finance and economic development.
He is the Chief Executive Officer of Toronto Global, the organization responsible for attracting new international investment to the Toronto Region. In spite of the Pandemic, 2021-22 is the best to date for the organization and over the past year it attracted a significant number of international companies, including Pinterest, Twitter, Reddit, Wayfair and Doordash.
From 2015-2020 Stephen was the CEO of Opportunities NB (ONB), the lead business development organization for New Brunswick, CEO of CyberNB, and Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Small Business. He was responsible for all Investment Attraction and Exporting activities and oversaw a lending portfolio of $420 million. Under Stephen’s leadership, ONB consistently exceeded its targets, had among the best results in Canada, and produced the best results in the province in over 20 years. ONB was named one of Atlantic Canada’s Top Employers for five years in a row and one of Canada’s Top 40 Most Admired Corporate Cultures in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
As CEO of Nova Scotia Business Inc. (NSBI) for over a decade, he consistently surpassed targets, assisted in the revitalization of Halifax’s downtown core, and played a key role in the province being named by fDi Intelligence (Financial Times) as the best-performing region in North America in attracting inward investment.
Prior to his NSBI tenure, Stephen was Vice-President of one of Canada’s largest venture capital firms and a corporate banker with Canadian and international banks.
Stephen was recognized by Atlantic Business Magazine as one of the Top 50 CEOs in Atlantic Canada five times in a row, was named one of the Top 500 most influential people in Financial Centres worldwide, and has been inducted into Atlantic Business Magazine’s CEO Hall of Fame. He participated as a judge at the Canadian FinTech & AI Awards, Accenture’s Healthcare Innovation Challenge, and Atlantic Business Magazine’s Top 50 CEO Awards.
Stephen earned a prestigious X ring from St. Francis Xavier University, holds an MBA from Queen’s University, obtained an ICD.D from the Institute of Corporate Directors, and completed executive-level studies at Harvard, University of Chicago and Queen’s University.
He is currently the Chair of the board of directors of the Conference Board of Canada and has served on numerous private and volunteer boards, including the IWK Children’s Health Centre and the QE2 Hospital Foundation. He was a champion for Junior Achievement and was the inaugural Chair of the Heart & Stroke Hockey Heroes Fundraiser. Stephen has also participated in the World Triathlon Championships, the Boston Marathon, and the Canadian University Hockey Championships.
Stephen and his wife Sandy have two sons, Connor and Shaun.
Canada's Digital Supercluster
Sue Paish
CEO
As CEO of the Canada’s Digital Cluster, Sue leads a portfolio of digital innovation and talent-building projects destined to deliver over $3.7 billion in anticipated revenue for Canadian companies. The Cluster’s portfolio focuses on the commercialization of Canadian-made digital technologies that improve human health, accelerate the economy to net-zero and build a skilled workforce for the digital world. The Cluster brings together industry, academic, community and public sector partners to solve some of industry and society’s biggest challenges by collaborating to build technology breakthroughs. Results to-date include a data platform adopted by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the new global standard in the fight against anti-microbial resistance, which is currently responsible for over 5 million deaths per year; an ‘earth x-ray’ that leverages muon tomography to effectively identify and measure deposits of critical minerals up to 1 km underground; and skilling programs aimed to generate over 9,000 job placements.
Sue also serves on the Boards of TELUS International, CORIX and Own the Podium. She has received numerous recognitions for her community contributions including a King’s Counsel, an honorary Doctorate of Technology, Influential Women in Business Lifetime Achievement Award and the Peter Lougheed Award for Public Policy. Sue’s greatest joy is spending time in Canada’s wilderness with her husband, daughters and granddaughters.
John Ludovice
Director, Special Projects
John Ludovice is the Director, Special Projects of Invest Nova Scotia. Invest Nova Scotia is the business development agency of the Province of Nova Scotia, Canada with a start-up, trade & investment attraction mandate. John is responsible for business development efforts in Asia.
John is a seasoned business professional with experience holding local and regional positions in General Management, Sales and Marketing from multinational companies in Asia. Prior to moving to Canada, John was General Manager – Southeast Asia of the Consumer Division of an American multinational company. He joined the Nova Scotia provincial government as Business Development Executive in Investment Attraction of Nova Scotia Business Inc. (previous business development agency of the province) in November 2006.
John has a B.S. Business Economics degree from the University of the Philippines, an MBA from Edinburgh Napier University, and attended executive management training from Stanford University.
John lives with his wife Catherine in Halifax, Nova Scotia. They are blest with five children.
Invest Nova Scotia
Adeel Ahmad
Managing Director, Asia
As Managing Director, Asia, Adeel provides leadership and support to his team of talented Investment Advisors across the region in identifying and pursuing high-value investment opportunities for the Alberta market.
As Managing Director, Adeel is focused on ensuring appropriate partnerships are in place to provide awareness of the investment opportunities and landscape in Alberta and to promote emerging investment opportunities in the market. Adeel has significant experience working in investment promotion and has worked with agencies in the United States, Canada, Europe and the Middle East to promote investment from Asia. He has also worked to help North American and European tech startups sell into major Korean conglomerates and set up their local operations. Originally from Toronto, Adeel has lived in South Korea for almost 15 years and speaks fluent English, Korean, Hindi and Urdu.
Invest Alberta Corporation
Rohan Belliappa
Managing Director, Southeast Asia
Rohan Belliappa is Managing Director of the British Columbia ASEAN Office based at the High Commission of Canada in Singapore. He supervises a team of BC Trade and Investment Representatives in Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore and Vietnam, each of whom promote BC exports to ASEAN, as well as investment into BC from the region. Rohan has also served as Country Representative-Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia for CN, President and Chairman of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Singapore, Broadcast Journalist for ESPN Asia and founding Program Manager of the Canadian Australian Chamber of Commerce. He holds a Honours Business Administration Degree from the Ivey Business School in London, Ontario.
Trade and Invest British Columbia
Saskatchewan Singapore Trade and Investment Office
Managing Director
Greg Eidsness
Greg Eidsness has 15 years of experience working at the intersection of the public and private sectors across international business development, consulting, and public affairs. Greg currently serves as the Managing Director of the Government of Saskatchewan Trade and Investment Office in Singapore. The office, co-located in the High Commission of Canada, is responsible for growing economic ties between Saskatchewan and Southeast Asia. Greg also chairs the Agriculture and Agri-food Committee of the Canada-ASEAN Business Council.
Previously, Greg was a Director at Canadian advisory firm IFCL, where he led business development and served as project manager on consulting assignments for multilateral, regional and national development banks, export credit agencies and governments. He has also held positions with the British Columbia Ministry of International Trade, Time Warner's Asia-Pacific Public Policy Office (Hong Kong), and the National University of Singapore.
Greg completed an MPA at the London School of Economics and a BA at the University of British Columbia. In 2022, Greg received the UBC Alumni Builder Award for his contributions to student professional development in the Faculty of Arts.
Johnny Tan
Director, FDI APAC
