the Asia 21 Young Leaders Class of 2011

WORLDS APART TOGETHER:
SHARED VALUES FOR AN ASIA-PACIFIC COMMUNITY
ASIA 21 YOUNG LEADERS SUMMIT
New Delhi, India – November 18-20, 2011
REUBEN ABRAHAM
Reuben Abraham is a Professor and the Executive Director of the Centre for Emerging
Markets Solutions at the Indian School of Business, where he serves on the Next Generation
Leaders Board of the school. In addition, Reuben is an independent director on the board of
the Soros Economic Development Fund, and helped set up a unique venture fund with
Google and Omidyar Network as co-investors, for which Reuben is a senior advisor. A 2007
TED Global Fellow, he now sits on the TED Fellows Advisory Board. He also sits on the
boards of Ashray Housing, which builds low-income housing across India; RenewGen, a
waste-to-energy company; and the DLF Foundation. In 2009, Reuben was selected as a
Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, and he now serves on its India
Advisory Council and Global Agenda Council on the Role of Business. Reuben is also a
member of the Clinton Global Initiative. Previously, Reuben was an Associate Fellow at the
Council on Foreign Relations, a Fellow of the Public Policy Consortium and a Sloan
Foundation/CITI Telecommunications Fellow. He has served as a consultant at the World
Bank, conducted research at three Columbia University research labs, and co-founded two
start-up companies in the telecom sector. Reuben is a frequent international speaker and has
spoken at events including the World Economic Forum, the Brussels Forum and TED-U.
Reuben completed his M.A., M.Phil and Ph.D. from Columbia University.
EJAJ AHMAD
Ejaj Ahmad is the Founder and President of the Bangladesh Youth Leadership Center (BYLC), which aims to foster
a more tolerant, inclusive and just society by training the next generation of leaders in Bangladesh. BYLC’s
international award winning leadership program unites youth from diverse educational and socio-economic
backgrounds, equips them with leadership skills, and engages them in service-oriented projects in local communities
to address Bangladesh’s most urgent developmental needs. In addition, Ejaj is actively engaged with several youthrun initiatives in Bangladesh and he serves on the board of a secondary girls’ high school. In 2009, Ejaj was profiled
as one of Asia’s most promising young leaders and awarded the 2009-2010 Paragon Fellowship by the Foundation
of Youth Social Enterprise. Recently, he was featured in The Washington Post’s ‘On Leadership’ program and was
selected as a 2010 YouthActionNet Global Fellow by the International Youth Foundation. Ejaj holds an MA in
Economics from St. Andrews and an MPP from Harvard.
AHMAD RAFAY ALAM
Ahmad Rafay Alam is a faculty member of the Law and Policy Department at the Lahore
University of Management Sciences, and Coordinator of the environment and natural
resource cluster of the University’s Development Policy Research Centre. In addition, Rafay
currently serves as the Chairman of the Lahore Electric Supply Company, sits on the
Steering Committee of the Sustainable Development of the Walled City of Lahore Project,
and is part of the Government of Pakistan Planning Commission’s Task Force on Urban
Development. A lawyer with a background in corporate transactions and commercial
litigation, Ahmad is also involved in public interest environment litigation, with a focus on
urban development. Previously, Rafay led the LUMS Water Program in conducting research
on Indo-Pak water issues, and wrote weekly columns on environmental and urban issues in
The News and The Express Tribune. He also sat on the Government of Punjab’s Committee
on the Commercialization Policy for Lahore. On the weekends, Rafay helps organize Critical
Mass Lahore, a cycling movement to raise awareness of environmental and urban issues.
NIRET ALVA
Niret Alva is the Co-Founder of Miditech. In addition, he enjoys a long, distinguished career
as anchor, reporter, script writer, producer and director in television. Niret has helped to
develop major programming brands including Indian Idol, Galli Galli Sim Sim (Sesame
Street), Wheels, and Living on the Edge. He has also scripted and directed several
international, award winning documentaries like The Great Descent and Operation Hot
Pursuit. Niret is the recipient of many national and international awards, including an Asian
Television Award for Best Anchor, and the Indian Ministry of Science and Technology’s
National Award for Excellence in Science based communication in the visual medium. A
graduate in History from St. Stephen’s College Delhi, he also holds a post graduate diploma
in journalism from the Indian Institute of Mass Communications, a certificate from the Radio
Netherlands Training Centre in Hilversum (Holland) for a News and Current Affairs course
in Television, and a law degree (LLB) from Mumbai University.
BERNISE ANG
Bernise Ang is Founder of Syinc, a Singapore-based nonprofit that seeks to nuture and
inspire young people to seek innovative solutions for social change. Bernise also sits on the
advisory boards of Youth Action for Change, which empowers youth globally through skillbuilding programs online, and the International Youth Foundation (IYF). She is the first
Singaporean to receive the YouthActioNet Award from IYF. Recently, Bernise was honored
with the 2011 Singapore Woman Award. Bernise also holds a full-time job in a Singaporebased property and investment firm. When not in meetings or speaking engagements,
Bernise enjoys chai latte with friends, and live jazz.
MONHA ANSARI
Mohna Ansari is a member of the National Women’s Commission in Nepal. A rights activist
and Nepal’s only female legal advocate from the country’s Muslim community, Mohna has
received public recognition for her contributions to the Muslim community. Previously,
Mohna worked with various national and international organizations on issues pertaining to
womens’ rights, empowerment, justice and equality. She also worked as a trainer on issues
of gender and equity, conflict resolution, peace building, and as a journalist reporting on
women and child issues. As a member of the Nepal Bar Association, Mohna was responsible
for overseeing the Legal Assistance Program for victims of armed conflict. In addition,
Mohna has given presentations on issues confronting Nepali women before various
international conferences in India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand,
and the U.S.
AWISTA AYUB
Awista Ayub is the Director of South Asia Programs for Seeds of Peace, a US organization
whose mission is to help young people from regions of conflict develop the leadership skills
necessary to advance reconciliation and coexistence. She is the author of the book Kabul
Girls Soccer Club. In addition, Awista serves as an Advisory Council member and
contributor to ESPN’s newest site, espnW.com. From February 2005 to January 2007,
Awista served as the Education and Health Officer at the Embassy of Afghanistan in
Washington, DC. Awista received her Bachelors of Science in Chemistry from the
University of Rochester in New York and received her Master of Public Administration from
the University of Delaware. She is currently based in Mumbai.
MONISHA BAJAJ
Monisha Bajaj is an Assistant Professor of International and Comparative Education at
Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research and teaching interests focus on
education as a force for social transformation in the global South. She is the editor of the
Encyclopedia of Peace Education, and the author of a teacher-training manual on human
rights education as well as a forthcoming book, Schooling for Social Change: The Rise and
Impact of Human Rights Education in India. She has also authored numerous articles. In
addition Monisha has developed curriculum related to the incorporation of peace education,
human rights, and sustainable development for various non-profit educational service
providers and inter- governmental organizations such as UNICEF. Her research has been
funded by the U.S. Department of State’s Fulbright program, the Social Science Research
Council, the National Academy of Education, the Spencer Foundation, and the Earth Institute
at Columbia University.
SATCHIT BALSARI
Satchit Balsari, an emergency physician, directs the Global Emergency Medicine Program
at the Weill Cornell Medical College, New York-Presbyterian Hospital. His work is centered
on issues of health, human rights and access to emergency care in marginalized communities.
In addition, Satchit has conducted emergency medicine and disaster response trainings in
India, Sri Lanka, Qatar and the UAE, and he has responded to humanitarian crises and
disasters in India, Mississippi, and Haiti. At Weill Cornell, he is closely involved in the
development of a four-year longitudinal global health concentration for medical students,
and directs the Global Health Emergencies Course taught by over thirty international experts
in public health and policy, including several Asia21 Fellows. Satchit is also a part of the
faculty at Harvard’s Humanitarian Initiative and Francois-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health
and Human Rights, where his work has focused on child rights issues, including child labor
in India and child protection in Haiti. Satchit received his training at Mumbai’s Grant
Medical College, Harvard, Columbia and Cornell.
PUSHPA BASNET
Pushpa Basnet is the Founder and President of the Early Childhood Development Center
(ECDC). Established in 2005, ECDC is a residential facility that provides for and protects
50 children between the ages of 2 and 15 whose parents are incarcerated in various prisons
of Nepal. Prior to founding ECDC, Pushpa spent three years running a day-care service for
infants and children who lived with their mothers in prisons. She also interned at a women’s
prison in Kathmandu. For her service to the welfare of these children, Pushpa was awarded
the Youth Initiative Award in 2005, Paragon Fellowship 2009, Ashoka Forum for Young
Social Entrepreneurs 2006, The Naradevi Award in 2007, WWFs Inspiration for Young
Nepalese Award, and the Change Fusion Nepal Award in 2009. Pushpa will be attending and
representing the youth of Nepal at the International Visitor Leadership Program in the United
States in 2012.
ZOE BUTT
Zoe Butt is a Co-Director and Curator of San Art, an independent, non-profit contemporary
art space and reading room in Vietnam. She also serves as the Manager of Post Vidai, the
only private collection dedicated to contemporary Vietnamese art in the world. Previously,
Zoe was Director of International Programs at Long March Project, a global artist
organization and ongoing art project based in Beijing, China. Zoe was also the Assistant
Curator of Contemporary Asian Art at the Queensland Art Gallery in Brisbane, Australia,
and curated numerous exhibitions such as “Signs and Signals from the Periphery: Ho Chi
Minh City / Medellin” and “Erasure: Dinh Q Le.” In addition, Zoe contributes written pieces
for publications like Art Asia Pacific, Dispatch: Independent Curators International, Artlink,
and other art exhibitions and monograph catalogues.
PAVITRA CHALAM
Pavitra Chalam is an AMI award-winning documentary filmmaker. Pavitra is widely
regarded for her work on various social issues and has received various honors including the
Brigade Young Achiever Award, the Symbiosis Young Communicator Award, and the
Radio Indigo Woman of the Year award. In addition, she has been featured on the cover of
Ireland’s Life magazine as a leader of the global sustainability community. This year, she
was one of three women selected from India to be part of the Levis Go Forth initiative, and
she was also chosen to attend TED in Edinburgh. Previously, Pavitra travelled across Europe
as Ambassador for Peace Child International, where she used film as a medium to inspire
young people in France, Spain, Germany, Scotland, England and Ireland. She participated at
the 2003 World Youth Congress in Morocco, where she contributed to the Casablanca
Declaration that was eventually presented before the United Nations. She also represented
India at the Youth Initiative for Peace in Pakistan where she made her film debut with “Bus.”
CHEE KIAN CHAN
Chee Kian Chan is the Chief Investment Officer of Ireka Development Management, the
exclusive development manager of Aseana Properties Limited, a listed property development
company. Chee is currently responsible for the investment activities of Aseana in Malaysia
and Vietnam Previously, he was a management and strategy consultant with an international
consulting firm in Singapore, Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur, where he advised multiple clients
including large multinational companies, government-linked agencies and local enterprises
located throughout the Asia Pacific. He graduated from the University of Bristol, England
with First Class Honours in Civil Engineering.
AYUSH CHAUHAN
Ayush Chauhan is the Co-Founder and Managing Director of Quicksand Studio, a design
research and innovation consultancy based in India that has gone on to work with global
institutions such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, PATH, UNDP, Google, Cisco
and IDEO, on subjects like water and sanitation, technology convergence, the internet,
education and healthcare. Ayush currently serves on the board of Design Impact, a US-based
non-profit that works closely with the design and social sector to incubate and implement
new, life-improving solutions. In addition, he has been invited by the Gates Foundation to
be on the jury for Grand Challenges Exploration, which aims to foster innovation in global
health and development. Previously, Ayush served as an independent board member for
Spandana, a large micro-finance institution in India, and he also worked briefly in the
corporate sector. Ayush received his engineering and business degrees from the Indian
Institute of Technology, Delhi and Indian Institute of Management.
KARTI CHIDAMBARAM
Karti Chidambaram is a member of the All India Congress Committee. He is also actively
involved in sports administration, serving as the Vice President of the All India Tennis
Association, Chairman of the Organising Committee of the Aircel Chennai Open (ATP)
Tennis Tournament, President of the Tenpin Bowling Federation of India, Vice President of
the All India Tennis Assocaition and Tamilnadu Tennis Association, and Chief Patron of the
All India Karate- Do Federation. In addition, Karti a member of the inaugural class of the
Aspen Institute’s India Leadership Initiative, a Co-Founder of the Chennai Chapter of Young
Entrepreneurs Organization, Co-Founder of the online public opinion forum karuthu.com,
and Chairman of Asia Society’s Asia 21 India Chapter. Karti was educated in Don Bosco,
Chennai. He holds a Bachelors in Business Administration from The University of Texas at
Austin, USA, as well as a Bachelors in Law from Cambridge University, UK.
RUCHA CHITNIS
Rucha Chitnis is the India Director of Women’s Earth Alliance (WEA), where she is leading
the design of a new program that partners with Indian grassroots groups to improve the
livelihood and food security of rural women in the face of increasing environmental and
climate crises. Before joining WEA, she was the Director of Programs and Development at
One World Children’s Fund, a nonprofit that globally connects resources to grassroots
groups that are advancing the rights and dignity of children and their caregivers. In 2010,
she was one of the coordinators of the first Wisdom 2.0 Conference, a unique event that
brought together technology leaders, Zen teachers, neuroscientists and academics to explore
how people can live with deeper meaning and wisdom in a technology-rich age. In addition,
Rucha uses photography as a storytelling tool to highlight how women hold the key to food
security, along with the impact of climate change and environmental degradation on their
livelihoods and health. Rucha’s 2011 photo exhibit, “Winged Neighbors: Birds of Crissy
Fields,” was showcased at the Thoreau Center for Sustainability in San Francisco to raise
awareness on urban biodiversity. Rucha holds Master’s Degrees in Journalism from Ohio
University and Sociology from Mumbai University.
JAMIE CHOI
Jamie Choi is Head of Campaigns for Avaaz and was previously the Head of the Toxics
Campaign for Greenpeace China, and was in charge of running the organization’s water
pollution and electronic waste campaigns in Mainland China. Before joining Greenpeace in
2005, she worked as an organizer for MoveOn.org in Michigan during the 2004 US
presidential elections, and was a consultant for Save the Children’s North Korean Refugees
Project in China’s border with North Korea. Jamie has published articles in various
magazines, including Our Planet, the United Nations Environment Programme’s flagship
magazine. Jamie has also been interviewed extensively as a China environmental expert by
various media outlets such as the BBC, NBC, CBS 60 Minutes, the Associated Press, Reuters
and China Central Television. Jamie graduated Magna Cum Laude from Brown University
with a B.A. in International Relations and received her M.A. in Development Studies from
Brown University. She is fluent in English, Korean, Spanish and Chinese.
STEVE WOO-SUNG CHUNG
Steve Chung is the Managing Director of KIT digital, Asia Pacific, a provider of end-to-end
video management software and related services. Previously, Steve worked as the Chief
Strategy Officer and Executive Vice President for CDNetworks. He also worked as a venture
capitalist for BlueRun Ventures in Silicon Valley, a $1 billion venture capital fund initiated
by Nokia. Before that, he was COO for Pan Media Corporation in Beijing and was an analyst
for Goldman Sachs in New York. Steve also served as a lecturer at China Foreign Affairs
University, and served as a graduate member of the Board of Trustees at Stanford University.
In addition, Steve is an author of a Stanford Graduate School of Business case study profiling
the US market-entry strategy for an international technology company. Steve received his
A.B. from Harvard and his MBA from Stanford.
JOHN D. CIORCIARI
John D. Ciorciari is an Assistant Professor at the University of Michigan’s Ford School of
Public Policy. He focuses on international law and politics, particularly in Asia. Before
joining the Michigan faculty, he held postdoctoral fellowships at Stanford University and
was a policy official covering Asia in the U.S. Treasury Department. He was also a Visiting
Research Fellow at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, and worked
as an attorney at the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell. Since 1999, he has been a pro bono
legal advisor to the Documentation Center of Cambodia, which promotes memory and justice
with respect to the abuses of the Khmer Rouge regime. John is the author of The Limits of
Alignment, which examines foreign policy dilemmas facing Southeast Asian states as they
navigate relations with the great powers and co-editor with Anne Heindel of On Trial: The
Khmer Rouge Accountability Process. He is a term member of the Council on Foreign
Relations and holds an A.B. and J.D. from Harvard and M.Phil. and D.Phil. from Oxford.
TUDOR CLEE
Tudor Clee is a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand, and founder of the largest criminal law
practice in New Zealand. Previously, Tudor co-founded a charity that presented an Olympic sculpture exhibition in
New Zealand, Fiji, and Chicago, and was Executive Director of ‘Divas in Beijing’, the premier cultural event of the
Olympic Games. He also writes and publishes educational e-books to raise funds for children’s charities, and works
on renewable energy projects in the Pacific. Tudor has presented at PBEC, OECD and APEC on a range of topics,
and was honored by the President of Singapore for his contribution to the Harvard Project for Asian and International
Relations in 2001.
LESLEY JEANNE YU CORDERO
Lesley Jeanne Y. Cordero is an Assistant Secretary for Legislative Affairs at the Presidential
Communications Operations Office in Manila. She also serves as the Vice-Chairperson of
the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board Appeals Committee. Prior to this,
Lesley served as a Commissioner of the National Youth Commission and worked as a legal
specialist for USAID Energy and Clean Air Project in the Philippines. She was also a
technical specialist of Castalia Strategic Advisors in the AUSAID-Philippine Economic
Reform and Governance Project on Government Infrastructure Projects for Public Private
Partnerships. In addition, she worked as a political communications director in China,
liaising with members of the press and the diplomatic community.
ADRIEN COUTON
Adrien Couton is the CEO of Naandi Community Water Services, a ‘bottom-of-the-pyramid’
utilities service in India that provides safe water to the rural poor. Previously, Adrien worked
as Global Portfolio Manager at the Acumen Fund, leading and implementing Acumen’s
water and sanitation strategy, and creating a successful model for the development of projects
in safe water and sanitation. Adrien was selected as a 2011 Yale World Fellow for his work
on safe drinking water. He has a Masters in Management from HEC Paris and an MPA from
the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
ALVIN CLOYD HUBAHIB DAKIS
Alvin Cloyd is the National Secretary of the Reproductive Health Practitioners Network of
the Philippines (RHPN), where he collaborates together with former Department of Health
Secretaries Dr. Esperanza Cabral, Dr. Jaime Galvez-Tan and Dr. Alberto Romualdez. In
addition, Alvin is the Founder and National President of the Alliance of Young Nurse
Leaders & Advocates International Inc., a nursing organization for young professional
nurses in the Philippines and abroad, and a panel expert in the Philippines’s Senate
Committee on Health and Demography. He has also led the formations of the Alliance of
Young Health Advocates, Youth Advocates for the United Nations. Prior to this, Alvin was
ctor at Cebu Normal University, vocal coach and RH practitioner. In addition, he is an
advocate leader ality and reproductive health, deaf rights and legal access, and youth
development, and has spoken about nurses’ rights before the Senate. Alvin has been
recognized as a distinguished young leader, and he is one of the 100 Young Leaders for
Knowledge & Development chosen by the World Bank & Ateneo School of Government.
TSOGTBAATAR DAMDIN
Tsogtbaatar Damdin is the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade of
Mongolia, a position he was appointed to in June 2008. Prior to this appointment he served
as Foreign Policy Advisor to two Presidents of Mongolia for over six years. Between 2000
and 2002, Tsogtbaatar was Deputy Director of the Department of Multilateral Cooperation
at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Mongolia. Before that, he served as a WTO desk-officer
for the Department of Foreign Trade and Economic Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign
Affairs, and desk-officer in charge of Australia, New Zealand and ASEAN countries in the
Asia and Africa Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Tsogtbaatar received his
Master’s Degree in legal studies from the Australian National University School of Law,
and a Master’s Degree in political science from the Moscow State Institute of International
Relations, Russia. He has also served as part-time lecturer in international trade law at the
School of Foreign Service, National University of Mongolia. His WTO-related articles were
published in London, Boston and Cambridge. Tsogtbaatar speaks fluent Russian and English
and also speaks Khmer and Thai.
CHEVAAN DEVAVARATHAN DANIEL
Chevaan Devavarathan Daniel is the Channel Head of News 1st, one of the largest
independent electronic news media networks in Sri Lanka. He also serves on the boards of
MTV Channels and MBC Networks, wholly owned subsidiaries of the Capital Maharaja
Organization. Previously, Chevaan worked briefly for NBC and MSNBC in New York City.
A Fulbright Scholar, Chevaan has also been awarded the prestigious Most Outstanding
Young Persons of the Year Award by the Junior Chamber International. In addition,
Chevaan has a Brown Belt in Taekwondo and was a captain of his university rugby team.
He is also a poet, lyricist, composer and vocalist and has recently taken up photography.
Chevaan once crossed the continental divide in North America on a snowmobile in the
middle of winter, which he considers as one of his most memorable experiences.
NITIN DAS
Nitin Das is the Director of Filmkaar Productions and an independent filmmaker based in
New Delhi, India. Nitin has a degree in marketing from one of India’s leading business
schools, and was working as a brand manager for India’s largest selling newsmagazine
before he turned to filmmaking. He has completed a filmmaking course in New York, and
upon returning to India, he set up a film production house to make extraordinary films with
ordinary people. Nitin won a special award from the British Council for creative
entrepreneurship in the social sector. His current venture, “Enchanted Lands and Fables,”
will be a collection of fables and films from fragile ecosystems around the planet.
MARIA DORIS DUMLAO
Maria Doris Dumlao is a multi-award winning senior economic and financial journalist at
the Philippine Daily Inquirer and is also a regular contributor for Biz Buzz, a bi-weekly
business news column. Since joining the Philippine Daily Inquirer in 1997, Doris was
selected as one of three Filipino advisers to attend the Southeast Asian Council at the World
Economic Forum. She is also a member of the Economist Journalist Association of the
Philippines and Pi Sigma Delta Sorority Alumnae Association, which advocates service to
nation and individual excellence. In 2010, Doris was named as one of the most influential
women in the Philippines by Google based on search engine queries.
ANNALIE TOLENTINO EDDAY
Annalie T. Edday is the Program Manager for the QUEST Program (Quality Education for Sarangani Today), Office
of the Governor in the Sarangani Province, Philippines. Under her leadership, the QUEST program has played a
crucial role in improving the performance indicators of schools in the province, reducing the dropout rate and
increasing the completion and participation rate. An education reformist committed to institutional reform, Annalie
has also developed and raised resources for the ClassDorm project, which aims to develop a number of two-story
buildings to serve as both school and dormitory in the most remote parts of the province. To date, 4 ClassDorms
were built and 6 are in the pipeline for construction before the year’s end. Previously, Annalie was involved in
various education projects such as Sarangani Big Brother: Reading is Fun, Youth Mentoring Cafe, the Sarangani
Youth Forum, and the Balik-Eskwela Campaign.
NAIDOO EUVIN
Naidoo Euvin is the Director of PBB Credit, one of Africa’s leading financial services
groups, where he manages a 16 country pan-African retail credit portfolio. He has focused
his career on strengthening economic ties between the Americas and emerging markets, with
a focus on how the USA, India and China can engage Africa in win-win partnerships. In his
role as the co-President of the US based South African Chamber of Commerce in America,
he launched an innovative entrepreneurship platform aimed at connecting start-ups from
around the world with a focus on Africa. In addition, he is a visiting lecturer at the Wits
Business School. Prior to entering banking and financial services, Naidoo was a consultant
at McKinsey & Company’s Johannesburg Office. In 2007, Naidoo was the opening speaker
at the TedGlobal conference focusing on the growing role of Africa linked to the context of
global economic shifts. In 2011, he was selected by Forbes as one of Africa’s 10 most
Powerful and Influential Men under 40. He was also honored at the New York summit for
the Clinton Global Initiative in 2007 and more recently was selected as a Young Global
Leader at the World Economic Forum. Naidoo graduated from Harvard Business School.
MUHAMMAD ZAMZAM FAUZANAFI
Muhammad Zamzam Fauzanafi is the Founder and Director of Kampung Halaman
Foundation, an Indonesian NGO that fosters the use of video technology in community based
programs. In particular, the Foundation promotes video technology as a tool for young
people to identify and understand various socio-economic issues in Indonesia. To date, more
than 150 community-based videos have been produced, covering issues such as
multiculturalism, education, the environment, and identity politics. In addition, Muhammad
is a lecturer at the Department of Anthropology at Gadja Mada University. In 2003,
Muhammad received an International Fellowships Program scholarship to study visual
anthropology at the Granada Centre for Visual Anthropology, University of Manchester.
BHAVANI FONSEKA
Bhavani Fonseka is a Senior Researcher with the Centre for Policy Alternatives, a think tank
in Sri Lanka focusing on research and advocacy. Her areas of work include the rights of
displaced, women, children, minorities, HIV/AIDS, land and broader legal and
constitutional issues. She also is an Attorney at Law and practices human rights and public
law, with a focus in public interest litigation. Her work has largely focused on assisting
victims and affected communities advocate for their rights. Bhavani has a LLB (Hons) and
LLM. In 2007 she was awarded The Young Outstanding Persons award in the category of
human rights by the Junior Chamber International and HSBC Bank.
GREGORY FOX
Greg Fox is an Australian respiratory physician and clinical lecturer at the University of
Sydney. He has also previously undertaken public health research in East Timor and cofounded two international health groups that encourage young doctors and students to apply
their training to the benefit of the global poor. He has a strong interest in medical education,
and for a number of years has served on peak organizations implementing post-graduate
medical training reform. He is now undertaking the final year of a PhD through the
University of Sydney, and is a member of the Hoc Mai medical education collaboration with
Hanoi Medical University.
ZACK FRIEDMAN
Zack Friedman is an analyst at Harbor Watch Capital Management, a multi-strategy
investment fund, and the vice chairman of ZaBeCor Pharmaceuticals, a company focused
on the treatment of asthma and respiratory disease globally. Previously, he worked at The
Blackstone Group and Morgan Stanley. Zack also served as a White House intern to the
Chief of Staff to President Bill Clinton. He is a member of the Pacific Council (where he sits
on the China and National Security Committees), the Bretton Woods Committee, and the
California Bar. Zack also serves on several boards and advisory committees, including The
Asia Society Asia Circle, the Columbia Law School Association, Rocking The Boat and the
Harvard Kennedy School Fund Council. He previously has volunteered as a youth mentor,
community mediator, and advocate for domestic violence victims. Zack received a B.A. in
Political Science from Johns Hopkins University, where he graduated Phi Beta Kappa, a
Master in Public Policy from Harvard University, a J.D. from Columbia Law School, where
he was named a Harlan Fiske Stone Scholar, and an MBA from The Wharton School at the
University of Pennsylvania. USA Today named him one of the Top 20 college students in
America as a member of the All-USA College Academic Team.
SHINICHIRO FUKUSHIGE
Shin Fukushige is a venture capitalist at Mitsubishi UFJ Capital, a VC subsidiary of the
Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, where he specializes in cross-border investments into
businesses which are enabling, or enabled by, ICT and advances in physical sciences, with
a focus on enterprises whose potential is fully realized by connecting technologies and
markets across borders. Prior to this, Shin worked in Japan for nearly a decade in various
sectors of the IT industry with venture and growth stage multi-nationals, including serving
as President of a NASDAQ listed IT organization’s Japanese subsidiary. Shin currently sits
on the nomination committee for the Entrepreneur of the Year Japan program.
PARTH GANDHI
Parth Gandhi is President of the Private Equity group at ICICI Venture, an Indian private
equity firm with investments in over 50 portfolio companies and over $2 billion in assets
under management. As President, Parth is responsible for defining the firm’s strategy,
making new investment decisions and monitoring existing investments. Prior to joining
ICICI Venture, Parth was the Managing Director of Navigator Capital Advisor Private
Limited. He also worked as Consultant with Ernst and Young. Parth has an MBA in
International Business from the Michigan State University and a B.S. in Electrical
Engineering from the University of Bombay.
ARUNABHA GHOSH
Arunabha Ghosh is the CEO of the Council on Energy, Environment and Water, a research
think tank in India whose achievements include: the Maharashtra-Guangdong partnership
on sustainability; a national water resources framework for the 12th Five Year Plan; the Asia
Energy Forum, which brought together Asian energy firms and institutions; and support for
the innovative India-US Joint Clean Energy R&D Center. Arunabha is also associated with
institutions in Oxford, and was previously a Global Leaders Fellow at Princeton and Oxford.
He is the co-author of several UNDP Human Development Reports. He has hosted a
documentary on water in Africa and given lectures at the Indian and European Parliaments.
NINA GODIWALLA
Nina Godiwalla is the CEO of MindWorks, which provides stress management and
meditation training to corporations. In addition to being a recognized expert on leadership
and diversity in the business world, Nina is also the bestselling author of the book Suits: A
Woman on Wall Street, which provides an insider’s perspective on her experience at Morgan
Stanley from the points of view as a woman, second generation Indian American, and Texan.
Nina is also an industry leader for The Wall Street Journal Executive Task Force for Women,
a leadership instructor for University of Texas MBA program, and a writer for Wharton
Magazine. Previously, she spent almost a decade working for Fortune 500 corporations. She
is often featured in major media including USA Today, Forbes, CNN, FOX, and NBC. Nina
is a graduate of Wharton, Dartmouth and University of Texas.
SUPARNA GUPTA
Suparna Gupta is the Founder and Director of Aangan, an NGO that provides guidance to child delinquents. A human
rights activitst, she also works in partnership with the government in 12 Indian states to advocate for the
implementation of India’s Juvenile Justice Act, the improvement of standards in childcare in institutions, and
advancement of community protection mechanisms for vulnerable marginalized children. Suparna was elected as an
Ashoka Fellow in 2009, appointed to be on the Selection Panel for the State Child Protection Commission in 2010,
and selected as a finalist for the Ford Motor Company Fellowship Maharashtra. She has previously worked in
advertising at Lowe and Ogilvy. She received her Bachelor’s from St Xavier’s College in Mumbai in Psychology,
and earned a Post Graduate Diploma for Social Communication Media from Sophia College, Mumbai.
MENAKA GURUSWAMY
Menaka Guruswamy practices law at the Supreme Court of India. Her notable achievements
include litigating against state-sponsored vigilante groups Salwa Judum in Chhattisgarh,
arguing a large constitutional case that seeks reform of public administration in the country,
defending federal legislation that requires all private schools to admit disadvantaged
children, and challenging the constitutionality of laws that punish same-sex relations. In
addition, she sits on the Executive Committee of the International Association of
Constitutional Law. Previously, Menaka worked at the Office of the Attorney General of
India. She also practiced law in New York, where she worked as an associate at Davis Polk
& Wardwell. She also advised the United Nations Development Program and the United
Nations Development Fund for Women on the law reform, and taught at the New York
University School of law. She recently advised the Government of India on private security
agencies and licensing of weapons, and she currently advises the Constitution-Making
process in Nepal. Menaka was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford University, a Gammon Fellow
at Harvard Law School, and a gold medalist from the National Law School of India. She has
law degrees from all three schools. Menaka is admitted to the Bar in New York, and in Delhi.
JOHN HAFFNER
John Haffner is the Founder of Di Tan Global, a Hong Kong consultancy that connects
people, ideas, technology and capital in the clean technology sector. He is a China-based
entrepreneur, consultant, and writer engaged in a variety of clean technology, energy and
resources projects in Asia and globally. His recent work include projects in biomass
electricity, combined heat and power, biofuels, mining, smart grid, and climate change
adaptation. As a writer, he is author of a series on Chinese clean energy leaders for Policy
Innovations, and was lead author of Japan’s Open Future: An Agenda for Global Citizenship
(Anthem Press, 2009). In 2009, Haffner was co-leader of a Yale University-funded project
examining renewable energy innovation in Asia.
MONIRATH HAV
Monirath Hav is a medical doctor and Chief of the Pathology Unit at Calmette Hospital,
Cambodia, as well as Coordinator of the National Cervical Cancer Screening program. She
also teaches medical students at the University of Health Sciences. Previously, Monirath
spent four years training in the Pathology Department of Ghent University Hospital in
Belgium. She was also a project manager for SSEAYP InternationaL Cambodia, and
founded the Youth for Youth program to promote the importance of education and
healthcare. In 2007, Monirath was among 40 youth leaders featured in the book, Young
Southeast Asia: 40 Inspiring Youths. She was also nominated as a Participating Youth of the
Year by the Cambodian Youth Department. Monirath graduated from the National
University of Management with a degree in General Management. She is currently a Ph.D.
fellow focusing on colorectal cancer research.
REBECCA MELISSA HELLER
Rebecca Heller is the Co-Founder and Director of the Iraqi Refugee Assistance Project
(IRAP), an international law student movement to deliver legal and human rights for
refugees, as well as a visiting clinical lecturer in law at Yale Law School. She founded IRAP
as a law student during her second year at Yale, and IRAP has since expanded it to 16 law
schools in the U.S. and the Middle East. During law school, she participated in numerous
immigration and human rights projects and clinics. She received her J.D. in 2010, and has
since received both a Skadden Fellowship and an Echoing Green Fellowship to allow her to
continue her work with IRAP. Rebecca was also appointed as a visiting lecturer at Yale Law
School to co-teach IRAP as a seminar. Prior to attending law school, Rebecca spent a year
working for the government of Malawi as a Fulbright Scholar. She graduated summa cum
laude from Dartmouth College in 2005.
SAFEENA HUSAIN
Safeena Husain is the CEO of Educate Girls, which she started in order to develop and
promote girls’ education in India. From a pilot project based in Rajasthan, Educate Girls has
since expanded its activities to assist over a quarter of a million children across 2,342 schools
in the country, and recently won the EdelGive Social Innovation Honors 2011 in recognition
of its contributions to girls’ education. Before starting Educate Girls, Safeena spent fifteen
years working with various grassroots projects in Ecuador, Mexico, Bolivia and South
Africa. She also founded the India Study Abroad Center, served as Executor Director for
Child Family Health International in San Francisco, and was Board Chair for International
Development Exchange, also in San Francisco. Safeena was born and raised in Delhi, and
graduated from the London School of Economics.
ALAN HUYNH
Alan Huynh is CEO of Extracurricular Education, a community-oriented social enterprise
dedicated to enhancing access to experiential learning opportunities for young people
worldwide in order to improve their health outcomes. He is also a medical doctor, education
entrepreneur and global youth advocate. Alan is Chair of the 8th Commonwealth Youth
Forum Planning Group, having previously served as Youth Chair of the Federation of Ethnic
Communities’ Councils of Australia and as youth representative at the 18th Ship for World
Youth Program. Previously, Alan worked as a research assistant at an international clinical
trial at the George Institute for Global Health, where he acted as the key point of contact
with the China office. Alan has completed clinical training at Cho Ray Hospital in Vietnam
and the Ochsner Clinic in New Orleans, USA. In addition to holding degrees in medicine
and surgery, Alan is an honors graduate in international relations.
MOUTUSHI ISLAM
Moutushi Islam is an economic analyst and consultant in the South Asia Urban Poverty and
Local Government Unit at the World Bank Group, where she facilitates and mobilizes the
activities of 86,000 grassroots groups in Bangladesh, India and Nepal. Currently, she is
designing a Financial Service Model which offers a long-term safety net for the 5,000
floating urban dwellers in Dhaka City. At age fifteen, Moutushi got involved with a women’s
rights advocacy body and became a junior advocate for the nation-wide movement against
acid violence. She was later nominated as an UNICEF’s young leader and participated in the
Global Future Leadership in Australia. Moutushi has also been involved with numerous
organizations including the Harvard Humanitarian Initiative, ILO, ActionAid, UNICEF,
UNDP and WEDO. Ever since her father and brother became victims of arson, Moutushi
has been strongly committed to promoting civil society and democracy. She is currently
waging a campaign to bring an end to political and violence and injustice to her country, and
previously formed a citizens’ committee and made a documentary that was subsequently
screened in public. Moutushi holds a graduate degree in Economics and International
Development from Brandeis University Boston, where she was also a merit scholar.
ZIENA NITASHA JALIL
Ziena Jalil is the Trade Commissioner to Singapore for New Zealand Trade and Enterprise
where she leads the facilitation of bilateral business opportunities. Previously, she was based
in Hong Kong as head of marketing and communications of North Asia for New Zealand
Government’s economic development agency. Ziena also led regional campaigns
positioning New Zealand as a business partner through the New Zealand-China Free Trade
Agreement, innovation and culture showcases in Seoul and Tokyo, and establishment of a
concept center in Hong Kong and business center in Shanghai. She also advised several
businesses across a range of sectors on PR strategies in North Asia, worked in public affairs
for energy companies, education organizations, and not-for-profits in New Zealand, and
presented internationally on national branding and coalition building.
EDPHAWIN EDDY JETJIRAWAT
Edphawin Eddy Jetjirawat is a Director of Investment at Temasek, an Asian investment
house headquartered in Singapore. He is one of the leaders of the Temasek Energy
Team,which is responsible for global investments in the oil, gas and alternative energy
sectors. Eddy played a key role in a number of significant transactions at Temasek, including
the US$ 9 billion divestments of three power generation companies in Singapore and over
US$ 3 billion of new investments in the U.S., Brazil, China, and India. Prior to joining
Temasek in 2007, Eddy was a Vice President at Lombard Investments, where he was one of
the founding members of Lombard’s US$ 250 million private equity fund dedicated to
investments in Thailand. He began his career as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch
Phatra. Eddy graduated with honors from Thammasat University with a B.B.A. in Finance
and Accounting, and holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.
BINOY JOB
Binoy Job is Director of the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and one of the Official
Spokespersons of the Prime Minister of India. He is presently the only non-bureaucrat and
the youngest Director working in the PMO. He was inducted as a Key Senior official in
PMO to spearhead the communication strategies in the areas of Innovations and
Development initiatives of the government. He is an influential public policy thinker that
forms the PM’s policy team. As a social entrepreneur, Binoy focuses on areas such as youth,
media, skills development, ICTs and education. He has developed a number of notable
ventures including “Leaders for Tomorrow Foundation” and the “Development Channel”,
which has won him recognition from the British Chevening Fellowship, US Government’s
Leadership Program, Asia 21 Young Leader and the Asian Television Awards. Binoy is also
an author, columnist, documentary maker, trained yoga teacher and a Visiting Faculty on
Journalism, Social Entrepreneurship and Leadership. Having been born as the thirteenth
child in a family of farm labourers, he started working full time from the time he entered
high school due to financial constraints. Most of his career was with NDTV, a pioneer in
Indian Broadcast News, during which he started many of his social ventures. Binoy was
educated in Government schools in Kerala, Delhi University, and the London School of
Economics, where he was a Chevening Scholar on Globalization and Leadership
NATALIE “CHING” JORGE
Natalie Christine “Ching’ Virata Jorge is the Executive Director of Bato Balani Foundation
Inc, a non- profit foundation engaged in the management of educational development
programs in order to uplift the quality of education in the Philippines. She is also the Lead
Convener for Young Public Servants (YPS) an organization that aims to harness a new
generation of young leaders who support and advocate democratic citizenship and good
governance. She is also on the Board of Trustees of the International Center for Innovation,
Transformation and Excellence in Governance. Committed to social development and
volunteer work, Ching was also the head of the Research Committee of the League of
Corporate Foundations, and founded Project LIA (love in action), an advocacy campaign in
support of Orphanages and Day Care Centers. Her most recent involvement is as Lead
Convener of Youth Vote Philippines, a consortium of organizations advocating Good
Governance and political participation among the youth in light of the 2010 national
elections. Ching’s experience encompasses the fields of management, education, corporate
social responsibility, governance and youth development. She has undertaken lead roles in
development and research programs on CSR, Policy Development and Education. She is an
Alumni of the IVLP Program of the US State Department and an Alumni of the Europe Asia
Young Leaders Forum.
DAISUKE KAN
Daisuke Kan currently serves as the Executive Director of Cheerio Group, a family-owned
Japanese beverage company with 400 employees. As the third generation leader, he seeks to
build on the legacy of the 50-year old company by strengthening communication and
utilizing an aggressive recruiting strategy to build a strong team of talent and global
perspective. He also collaborates with diverse domestic and international artists such as
Japanese-black-and-white-painters, web-designers, Samba musicians and hot-rodpinstripers for cutting edge soft drink packages. With annual sales of over 100 million
bottles, he sees a large potential in soft drink packages as a channel to promote artists and
information. Daisuke earned his B.A. from the University of Tokyo in American Studies and
his MBA from Stanford University where he built a strong connection with passionate global
leaders. In his spare time, he enjoys playing the African drum and traveling abroad.
GIRISH BOBBY KAPUR
Girish Bobby Kapur is an Emergency Physician and Associate Chief of Emergency
Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine (BCM). He is also the Director of the Center for
Globalization at BCM. In his capacity as Center Director, Girish guides BCM in responding
to complex global healthcare and policy challenges. In addition, he designed and
implemented new healthcare provider training programs in multiple countries, and received
a large grant from AmeriCares to train 2,500 physicians across Turkey. An expert in acute
healthcare systems, Girish developed and launched the new emergency medicine training
program at BCM. In addition, he recently published the first textbook in the field of
Emergency Public Health, Emergency Public Health: Preparedness and Response. Girish
also advocates on behalf of individuals lacking access to healthcare, serving as Medical
Director of one of the largest one-day Free Health Clinic in the US. Girish completed his
medical degree at BCM, his emergency medicine residency at Yale, and received his public
health degree from Harvard.
RABI KARMACHARYA
Rabi Karmacharya is Executive Director of the Open Learning Exchange Network (OLEN)
in Nepal, which he started in 2007 with the aim of improving education quality and access
in rural parts of the country by employing technological innovations. Rabi previously
worked in Silicon Valley as a design engineer for three years before returning to Nepal in
2000 to help build the nation struggling with a nascent democracy. He started a software
company called HimalayanTechies to tap into the growing outsourcing market and to help
reduce the massive brain-drain of the young, skilled workforce. After establishing the
company and leading it for seven years, he pursued other interests to build human resources
in the country through education before initiating OLEN. Born and raised in Kathmandu, he
went to Canada and the US for higher studies after completing high school in Nepal. Rabi
received his B.Sc. and M.Eng. degrees in engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology.
FARAZ KHAN
Faraz Khan is CEO of Stimulus Pakistan and Seed Ventures. A UK based Pakistani social
entrepreneur who is committed to mentoring the next generation of leaders and change
agents in the UK, Pakistan and South Asia, Faraz has launched various social ventures to
support and foster entrepreneurship in business schools, grassroots businesses and socioeconomic micro-segments located across societies in the UK and Pakistan. In addition, Faraz
has implemented numerous entrepreneurial initiatives over a period of eight years, and his
experience working with different global organizations has allowed him to explore and
develop various best practices for regional and economic development. Faraz brings with
him many years of banking and corporate experience in both local and international business.
WAJAHAT SAEED KHAN
Wajahat Khan is a Fellow at the Shorenstein Center for the Press, Politics and Public Policy
at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. Previously, he was a broadcast and online
journalist for Pakistan’s primary networks Geo, Dawn, Aaj and Samaa TV, and edited and
wrote for the Pakistani dailies, Dawn and The News and Express Tribune. Wajahat also
produced an investigative series from India that reported on the operational and strategic
postures of forces on the ground of some of the world’s most isolated borders.
OANH KHUAT
Oanh Khuat is the Founder and Executive Director of The Center For Supporting
Community Development Initiatives. Together with her colleagues, Oanh is supporting the
development of various communities, especially the marginalized and vulnerable, such as
people living with HIV, drug users, sex workers and gay men. She co-founded the Institute
for Social Development Studies and served as the Head of the Social Health Department
focusing on research and advocacy on health and HIV. For her work, Oanh was honored by
the World Economic Forum as a 2009 Young Global Leader. Oanh graduated from Hanoi
Medical School and received her Master’s Degree from London School of Hygiene.
CHATCHAPOL KIATIKAJORNTHADA
Chatchapol Kiatikajornthada is a physician, author of a bestselling science book and a public
speaker. Chatchapol spent years working as a royal patronage volunteer in the medical field
and serving the poor in rural areas. In addition, he was a lecturer at one of the largest medical
schools in Bangkok, and has also given lectures at public schools on topics of science and
science education. Chatchapol has been interviewed by national public TV and radio. He
received his MD from Chulalongkorn University and finished his radiation oncology
training from Mahidol University.
DO HYEON KIM
Do Hyeon Kim is an Associate Professor of entrepreneurship at Kookmin University, Seoul, and actively advises
and consults various government institutions including the Presidential Office, as well as private companies ranging
from high-tech startups to leading private equity funds. Before entering academia, Do Hyeon worked in the Boston
Consulting Group as a management consultant where he helped clients in financial and high tech sectors, led several
successful M&A deals concerning a local investment bank, and worked with SBS media group. Dohyeon holds a
Ph.D. in engineering from Seoul National University and a Ph.D. in management from Warwick Business School,
UK.
E. TAMMY KIM
E. Tammy Kim is a staff attorney at the Community Development Project of the Urban
Justice Center in New York City, where she represents groups of low-wage immigrant
workers organizing for just wages and conditions. She is also an Adjunct Instructor of
Humanities and Social Sciences at the Cooper Union and a freelance writer. Tammy’s
research and writing interests cover a wide spectrum, and includes workers’ rights, postwar
East Asian politics, the Asian American diaspora, North Korean music, poetry, and
contemporary art. In addition, Tammy is involved in an edited volume on world music and
a magazine story about South Los Angeles. Tammy graduated with honors in philosophy
from Yale University and earned her law degree at New York University School of Law.
She was raised by working-class Korean immigrants in Tacoma, Washington and is fluent
in French and Korean.
EVY EVIANTI KRISWANDI
Evy Kriswandi is Business Leader for Information Product Solutions at Mercer Indonesia.
In her capacity as Business Leader, Evy works with various clients from various leading
industries, and has spoken at various client forums, the British Chamber and Euro Chamber.
During her two years of leadership, Evy has managed to achieve 16% of the company’s 2010
revenue target and 92% of the mid-year target in 2011. Prior to Mercer, Evy worked at a
leading multinational market research company. She has also served as a guest lecturer at
the School of Business Management at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB). Evy
holds Bachelor’s degree from ITB.
TAKASHI KUMON
Takashi Kumon is CEO of T. Kumon Associates Inc., a company that provides training to
organizations on developing global talent and leaders. He is also a research fellow at the
University of Tokyo, where he lectures on global talent development for businesses in Asia.
Previously, Takashi worked at the Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO) where he
led several research projects on business in China, India and Japan. He has also published
pieces for national newspapers, magazines, and books, and has appeared on national
broadcast to provide insight and commentary. He is a graduate of Keio University, has a
Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the University of Michigan, and also holds a
certificate from Tsinghua University’s Graduate School of Economics and Management.
CHRISTINA MARIA LAGDAMEO
Christina Lagdameo is Deputy Director of the White House Initiative on Asian Americans
and Pacific Islanders. Previously, she worked for 7 years at the White House Office of
Management and Budget where she examined over $45 billion in federal income support
programs, including the Earned Income Tax Credit, Refugee Resettlement and AssetPoverty Assistance. Prior to joining the White House, Christina led a successful campaign
at the University of Maryland to establish the first Asian American Studies Program in the
DC metropolitan area. She also worked at the OECD in the Philippines and in India. During
her time in India, Christina worked with the Odanadi Seva Trust, an organization that
rescues, rehabilitates and reintegrates women and children survivors of sex trafficking.
Christina is a Public Policy and International Affairs Fellow, as well as a Presidential
Management Fellow. She received her Master Degree in Public Policy from the New School
for Social Research.
PAULINO SALVADOR LEACHON
Paulino Salvador Leachon is National Vice Chairman of the League of Cities of the
Philippines, where he also serves as the focal person for the Local Disaster Risk Reduction
Management. He is the former- mayor of Calapan City in the Oriental Mindoro province.
Under his leadership, Calapan City rose from being a 4th class city to a 2nd class city in
2007, and is considered one of the 12 most business-friendly cities in the Philippines. As
City Administrator and Operations Head of the City Disaster Coordinating Council, Paulino
was responsible for managing the Opelan Sandbag project in 2005, where he coordinated a
volunteer force of 35,000 individuals to construct sandbags and a sand dike in response to
the December 2005 floods. Paulino was a taxi driver and an employee of a fast food chain
before becoming a lawyer and eventually mayor.
DEE LEE
Dee Lee is Director of the Inno Community Development Oraganization which focuses on
public health, poverty alleviation and emerging issues. The organization currently manages
nine ongoing projects that include the workers’ hotline, fair-trade online, HBV advocacy
campaign. Together with sixteen colleagues spread across three offices in China, Dee is
working with thirteen international foundations and brands to provide assistance to more
than two million beneficiaries, most of whom are migrant workers in China. Dee started his
Labour NGO career in 2007 with the first systematic workers’ hotline in China. He has a
Master’s Degree in marketing communication and five years of work experience at a
marketing research and PR firm.
DANNY LEVINSON
Danny Levinson is General Manager and Chief Legal Representative in China for Vocus,
Inc. Prior to Vocus, Danny co-founded the media software firm BDL Media Ltd in 2004 in
Beijing and served as CEO until 2010 when Vocus acquired BDL. Over a period of six years
at BDL, Danny organically grew the firm’s services into a profitable multi-million dollar
Chinese software business that included MyRSS.cn (China’s first online news aggregation
and syndication engine), Xinwengao.com (a leading Internet social media distribution
network), and Zhongguo Lvye Cankao (a top media platform for China’s growing travel
industry). Prior to BDL, Danny was involved in the founding, funding or development of
several Chinese businesses that covered education, digital marketing, Internet games, and
online news network services. Danny is a programmer and open source software advocate,
and he was previously chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai
Information Technology Committee for two years. He sits on the boards of a number of
NGOs, social enterprises, and private businesses in Asia, including Special Olympics East
Asia, Matoka Capital, Asia Media Network, and IPS. Danny is originally from the US and
has lived and worked in China since 1997. He currently resides in Beijing with his family.
ANN LI
Ann Li is Managing Director at the New York City Economic Development Corporation
(NYCEDC) and an acknowledged thought leader on NYC’s global competitiveness issues.
She has represented Mayor Bloomberg’s administration in testimony to the City Council,
participated in the World Economic Forum’s strategy meetings, and contributed insights to
pieces in The Wall Street Journal, The Guardian and Businessweek. Ann is also a board
member of the Global Women’s Forum at the IESE School. Ann’s work at NYCEDC
includes implementing initiatives to support NYC’s financial services sector, expanding
opportunities for clean technology companies, revitalizing the industrial sector, and bringing
innovative businesses from around the globe to NYC. Prior to joining NYCEDC, Ann
worked as a strategy consultant at McKinsey and Oliver Wyman. Ann is a graduate of the
University of Pennsylvania, where she earned dual degrees from the Management and
Technology program at the Wharton School and the School of Engineering.
BRYAN ALBERT LIM
Bryan Albert Lim is a general medical practitioner in the Philippines. He is also a Project
Consultant for the Asian Institute of Management at the Zuellig Center for Asian Business
Transformation, a Research Associate for the Universal Health Care Study Group of the
University of the Philippines, and a House Physician at San Pablo Doctors’ Hospital. In
addition, he is the Project Adviser and Proponent of the 2nd Quisumbing Escandor Film
Festival for Health, a nationwide film making contest on documentaries and short film that
highlight social determinants of health issues. Together with his partners, Bryan is
developing modules on creative Public Health Lectures and Workshops for kids, as well as
a cookbook on how to cook nutritious foods with only 20 pesos. He is an active alumnus of
the Ten Outstanding Students of the Philippines Alumni Association. Working alongside
Philippines 21 Fellow Councilor “Concon” Fernandez, Bryan has developed a project that
brings cheap, portable wheelchairs to the elderly and disabled. Bryan graduated from
University of the Philippines College of Medicine in 2010, and he is currently enrolled in a
Masters in Development Economics program at the University of the Philippines.
JOY ANYA LIM
Anya Lim founded ANTHILL Fabric Gallery in 2010 and serves as its General Manager.
ANTHILL is a social enterprise that serves as a gateway for indigenous weavers to reach the
market, which helps the weaving industry of Filipino locals reach a level of sustainability
and preserves their unique cultural heritage. She has recently joined Rags2Riches, another
social enterprise that works towards women empowerment and community development,
where she has been the interim Supply Chain Manager, coordinating the production within
Rags2Riches’ communities and providing access to indigenous and other raw materials for
suppliers. Previously, she was involved in several programs with UNICEF, World Vision,
and Indigenous Summer Mountain Service in Taiwan. She holds a B.S. in Applied
Economics and Advertising from De La Salle University.
ROBIN LOON
Robin Loon is a Senior Lecturer in Theatre Studies at the National University of Singapore.
He is also a seasoned playwright and dramaturg. He has been the festival dramaturg for the
Singapore Arts Festival since 2010 and is also the commissioning dramaturg for Open
Studio, a developmental platform also under the Singapore Arts Festival. He is also an
associate director with Singapore theatre company Theatreworks, and oversees the Writers’
Laboratory, a platform that promotes new Singapore writing. His plays have toured many
countries (“Geisha” in the US, Sweden and Hong Kong; “Global Soul” Germany,
Switzerland, Holland, Hungary, UK and Austria). He is currently working on collaborations
with Teater Ekamatra, one of the leading Malay Language Theatre companies in Singapore,
as well as on his own Mandarin translation of a play by Singapore Playwright ChayYew
(“A Language Of Their Own”) slated for the Singapore Arts Festival in 2012. He recently
joined the panel of dramaturgs and mentors for a content-creation initiative called “Watch
This Space”, which is funded by the Singapore National Arts Council. Robin obtained his
Ph.D. from Royal Holloway, University of London, and specializes in Intercultural
Performance, Singapore Theatre, and Popular Culture and Performance.
YVONNE MACPHERSON
Yvonne MacPherson is the Executive Director of BBCWST and the Country Director of the
BBC World Service Trust in India, the NGO of the BBC that utilizes media to address the
most pressing development issues in the areas of public health, climate change, governance
and livelihoods. As the Country Director, she is responsible for all strategic, program,
financial and technical aspects of the Trust’s operations in India. Prior to joining the Trust
in India in 2004, she managed projects for NGOs and UN agencies in London, New York
and Delhi and was also a Business Analyst in London. She received her BA from McGill
University and her M.Sc. from the London School of Economic. She also completed a
summer course at the Harvard School of Public Health. She is a student of Aikido and Indian
modern dance.
ADNAN MALIK
Adnan Malik is a filmaker and TV host based in Karachi. He is currently directing a variety
of TV commercials and music videos and he has just completed hosting a travel show on a
sixty-year friendship between China and Pakistan. He is also the Video Producer of Coke
Studio, a fusion music platform that bridges barriers, celebrates diversity, and encourages
unity. Adnan directed the multi-award winning film “Bijli” as well as “The Forgotten Song,”
Pakistan’s first documentary on the demise of cinema culture. Adnan also contributed to the
Sundance winning “Why We Fight, A Jihad for Love” and the indie film “Slackistan.” In
addition, Adnan is an organizing member of the Karachi Film Festival and founder of ‘Turn
the Tide’, a collective of young professionals that raised $150,000 from around the world
for environmental emergencies in Pakistan. He was also featured in the Asia Society’s 2010
report, Making a Difference through the Arts. Adnan was educated at Vassar College.
JULFIKAR ALI MANIK
Julfikar Ali Manik is Chief Reporter of The Daily Star, one of the leading English-language
daily newspaper in Bangladesh. Over the course of his career, Julfikar has worked for
several Banglalanguage dailies, weekly news magazines, radio and television news
programs. He also contributes for major news organizations such as The New York Times,
Outlook India, Al-Jazeera English, PBS and Channel Four. Julfikar is an accomplished
investigative journalist and the recipient of several prestigious awards in Bangladesh. He
has conducted various investigations on issues such as Islamic militancy, terrorism and
corruption in Bangladesh, military affairs, and crimes against humanity that were committed
during the Bangladesh Liberation War. Julfikar also published two books, one investigating
the disappearances and mass killings that took place during and after the Bangladash
Liberation War, and another about the trial and death of a military ruler.
ANANDA MARTIN
Ananda Martin is an attorney at the Shanghai Office of Paul Hastings LLP, where she
practices transnational corporate and anti-corruption law. As a lawyer, she focuses on
international mergers and acquisitions and compliance across multiple sectors, including
international education, healthcare and media and advertising. She is a member of the
American Bar Association’s Global Anti-Corruption Task Force and regularly writes and
speaks on developments in anti-corruption law affecting multinational corporations such as
those relating to the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, the UK Bribery Act and the Chinese
Criminal Code. Ananda holds a Master’s Degree in East Asian History from Columbia
University and a J.D. from Harvard University. She has studied and traveled extensively in
Asia as a Fulbright Fellow at Tokyo National University of Fine Arts, a Mellon Fellow in
Japanese History and a Taiwan Ministry of Education Scholarship recipient. Ananda speaks
Japanese and Mandarin Chinese.
SHIPRA AVANTICA MEHROTRA
Shipra Avantica Mehrota is Founder and Artistic Director of Avantica Academy of Odissi
Dance. In addition, she is a choreographer, instructor, and dancer. She has been recognized
as a leading young exponent of Odissi classical Indian dance, and has received praise from
the New York Times who described her performances as “wholly poetic” and “the truest
revelation of dance itself.” Shipra uses her technical virtuosity and evocative abhinaya
(expressive mime) to showcase the innate lyricism and theatricality of traditional Odissi
while simultaneously revitalizing the dance form with a contemporary perspective.
Previously, Shipra served as a dance consultant to Hollywood director Terrence Mallick for
his film ‘The New World’ (2005), and showcased solo performances at the 3rd International
Odissi Festival (Bhubaneswar, 2006) and the India Blooms In Chicago festival (2008).
MARVI MEMON
Marvi Memon is a politician from Karachi and a former MP of the National Assembly of
Pakistan. Previously, Marvi advised and worked with the President on Media Management.
As an entrepreneur, Marvi launched Trakker, Pakistan’s first satellite tracking and fleet
management service provider. She has also worked as a banker at Citibank Pakistan. In
addition, Marvi has interned at Dawn, Newsline, the Pakistan Institute of International
Affairs and IUCN as a student. Marvi was educated in Karachi, Paris and Kuwait, and she
holds a Bachelors in International Relations from the London School of Economics.
KALA KATAN MULQUEENY
Kala Mulqueeny is a Senior Counsel in the Office of General Counsel at the Asian
Development Bank (ADB). At ADB, Kala leads work on energy and water governance and
regulation. She is credited with launching an Asian Judges Network on Environment, an
ASEAN Energy Regulators Network, and the Asia Pacific Clean Energy Dialogue amongst
Asian government officials. After the Asian tsunami, Kala led ADB’s partnership with the
Sri Lankan Ministry of Justice to implement a Legal Assistance, Governance and
Anticorruption Project, which helped about 80,000 tsunami-affected people by December
2010. Kala is also a 2011 Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum. She has a
Doctorate from Harvard Law School, and was an Adjunct Professor equivalent at the
University of the Philippines before serving as a Yale World Fellow in 2010. She was named
by Australasian Legal Business: Legal News as a Top 40 Lawyer in 2010.
FAWAD AHMAD MUSLIM
Fawad Ahmad Muslim is the Founder, CEO and President of Jahaan Technology
Corporation (JTC). Since its founding in 2006, JTC has become a main partner of Microsoft
in Afghanistan. Prior to that, Fawad served at the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs for
four years, where he initiated the first computerized passport and visa system for
Afghanistan with the assistance of the Australian Government. Before joining the Ministry
of Foreign Affairs, he worked as a software engineer at Leros Technologies. He is also
involved in Afghan politics and has a news service under the name of Afghanistan News
Center. Fawad was born in Afghanistan and he holds a degree in computer science from
George Mason University.
GOKILAVANI MUTHUSAMY
Goki Muthusamy is Vice President and Head of Diversity and Inclusion, Asia Pacific, at
Bank of America Merrill Lynch. Based in Hong Kong, she is responsible for proactively
evaluating the Bank’s diversity and inclusion needs and driving the strategy and execution
of critical diversity and inclusion projects across 12 countries across the Asia Pacific
platform. Prior to joining the Bank, Goki worked in a non-profit organization focusing on
youth and development, where she successfully completed projects in Botswana and
Indonesia. Goki has also been involved in several civil society forums across Asia and
Europe advocating the importance of cultural diversity and pluralism. Goki was trained in
CCIVS, an organization established by and based in UNESCO, Paris. She also has a B.A.
in Psychology from the National University of Singapore.
ASHWIN NAIK
Ashwin Naik is Founder and CEO of Vaatsalya Healthcare, a private venture focused on building India’s first
network of secondary care hospitals in semi-urban and rural India. Vaatsalya currently has nine hospitals in
Karnataka and four in Andhra Pradesh, and provides healthcare services to more than 350,000 families per year. The
mission of the company is to build the largest network of hospitals across semi-urban and rural India to bring
affordable healthcare services to the underserved. Vaatsalya is a recipient of numerous awards, including: Winner
of the BiD Challenge India 2007 for the best business in development in India; LRAMP Award to Innovation in
2008; the Sankalp Award for Social Enterprise in 2009; and the Healthcare Excellence Award for innovation in
Business Model by the Frost & Sullivan in 2010. Ashwin is a TEDIndia and Senior Ashoka Fellow, and has degrees
from Karnatak Medical College, India and University of Houston, Texas. He was also part of the Human Genome
Project at Celera Genomics.
TOSHIHIRO NAKAMURA
Toshihiro Nakmura is the Founder and CEO of Kopernik. Prior to founding Kopernik,
Toshihiro spent the last 10 years working for the United Nations in East Timor, Indonesia,
Sierra Leone, the United State and Switzerland, where he dealt with governance reform,
peace building processes and post-disaster reconstruction in areas affected by the 2004
South Asian Tsunami and the Yogyakarta earthquake. While in Sierra Leone, he designed
and launched the Open Government Initiative, where the President and various ministers
directly engaged rural communities in dialogue on key government priorities. Prior to
joining the UN, Toshi was a management consultant for McKinsey and Company in Tokyo.
He holds an L.L.B from Kyoto University, Japan and Masters of Comparative Politics from
the London School of Economics and Political Science.
KOHEI NISHIYAMA
Kohei Nishiyama is a founder of CUUSOO System and an entreprenuer based in Tokyo.
The social platform CUUSOO.com serves over 130,000 consumers by allowing them to
record their needs and wishes. CUUSOO then develops products and services to cater to
those needs. To date, CUUSOO has launched 60 products, and the CUUSOO system is
used in brands such as Muji, Tokyo Electric Power Company and Lego. Kohei has
previously worked at McKinsey and was nominated as a Young Global Leader in 2007 by
the World Economic Forum, as well as one of the ‘100 Most Creative People’ by Fast
Company in 2009. Kohei grew up in Colombia and speaks Spanish, Japanese and English.
He graduated from the University of Tokyo.
SOLEDAD SYLVIA NUBLA-LEE
Soledad Sylvia T. Nubla-Lee is one of the Founding Members and current Director of
Pathways to Higher Education, a nine-year old social involvement program of the Ateneo
de Manila University. The program works with underprivileged public high school students
to equip them with the necessary academic and formative skills to access quality higher
education, and serves as as a link between students, universities and industries. Prior to her
involvement in development, Soledad worked in the corporate sector. She is an alumna of
the International Visitor Leadership Program of the US State Department. Soledad has a
Bachelor’s Degree in Legal Management and a Master’s Degree in Business
Administration, both from the Ateneo de Manila University.
SHINTO EKOPURI NUGROHO
Shinto Nugroho is the Special Assistant to Indonesia’s Minister of Trade where she
provides policy advice on programs and activities that work to improve Indonesia’s
business climate and global competitiveness. Previously, she led a program at the World
Bank to reform regulations and licensing procedures for business start-ups for which she
earned her a Triple A Award for development results, transparency, and direct impact to
small businesses in 2009. She was also a senior associate at Makes and Partners law firm,
where she specialized in bank and finance and led the restructuring and strategic sale of
Bank Central Asia. Shinto received a J.D. from Columbia University where she graduated
as a Parker Scholar in International and Comparative law, and received a Master’s Degree
in Social Policy and Planning from the London School of Economics.
SHARMEEN OBAID-CHINOY
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is an Emmy award winning film producer and journalist who has
worked on 14 films for major networks in the United States and Britain including CNN,
PBS, Channel 4 (U.K.) CBC, Arte and the Discovery channel. Amongst other honors, her
work has earned her The Alfred I. Dupont Award, The Livingston Award, The Overseas
Press Club Award, The American Women in Radio and Television Award, The One World
Media Award and the Banff TV Rockie Award. Sharmeen’s work has taken her to over ten
countries around the world where she has worked with refugees, women’s advocate groups
and human rights defenders. In 2007, after living outside of Pakistan for more than a
decade, Sharmeen helped found The Citizens Archive of Pakistan, a non-profit, volunteer
organization that works with thousands of underprivileged children to inculcate critical
thinking skills and instill sense of pride in them about their history and identity. Born in
Karachi, Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy graduated from Smith College with a Bachelor of Arts
in Economics and Government, and went to complete two Master’s Degrees from Stanford
University in International Policy Studies and Communication.
RASHNEH PARDIWALA
Rashneh Pardiwala is the Founder & Director of the Centre for Environmental Research
and Education (CERE), a Mumbai-based non-profit organization that promotes
environmental sustainability through formal education, government initiatives, corporate
partnerships, public awareness campaigns and advocacy. Rashneh has completed many
rural and urban, national-level research and development projects, served as consultant to
different government departments, helped to integrate environmental education into
mainstream curriculum, published 27 titles, and produced a short film on Global Warming.
In addition, Rashneh has pioneered Carbon Management Systems for Service Sector
Companies in India under the CERE Carbon Map & CapTM Initiative. In 2005, Rashneh
was recognized as one of the youngest Social Entrepreneurs for Change and was awarded
the Ashoka Fellowship. In early 2011, Rashneh was selected from India for an intergovernmental Swedish Fellowship Program in Stockholm with Corporate Responsibility
and Sustainability as an all- embracing focus. Rashneh holds a Ph.D. in Climate Change
Mitigation from the University of Edinburgh, a Master’s Degree in Biotechnology, and
graduated in Life Sciences from the University of Mumbai.
MEI PIN PHUA
Mei Pin is a Deputy Director at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, Republic of Singapore
Administrative Service. She has worked on public sector reform in the Prime Minister’s
Office, managed social and employment assistance services in municipal Government,
developed foreign policy for Singapore’s engagement with the Middle East, North Africa
and Central Asia, served as a delegate to the United Nations General Assembly, and
overseen the national tourism industry development strategy. She is currently on sabbatical
to pursue a personal project investigating grassroots responses to sustained conflicts.
JIA PING
Jia Ping is the Chief Executive Director and Founder of the China Global Fund Watch
Initiative, a non-governmental organization for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and
Malaria. Jia is also a member of the Experts Committee for HIV/AIDS, China Center for
Disease Control, and a key member of the sub-committee on Access to Medicine, a UN
Technical Group in China. A leading HIV/AIDS and human rights lawyer, Jia is known
for his advocacy on behalf of women, sex-workers, migrants, drug users and the socially
excluded. Previously, Jia was the Chief Lawyer of Project of Friends, a leading MSM
Network in China. He was also the Executive Director of Tsinghua University’s Human
Rights and Constitutional Law Center. In addition, Jia served as the 2006 NGO / CBO
representative of the Country Coordinate Mechanism of the Global Fund’s China program
in 2006, and was an international observer delegate during the 2007 Nigerian presidential
elections. In 2009, Jia was selected as a Davos World Economic Forum Young Global
Leader. Jia received his B.A. from the East China Political Law School and his M.A. from
Ren Min University Law School. He was also a visiting scholar at the Columbia
University’s Center for Study on Human Rights.
ABHIMANYU SINGH POONIA
Abhimanyu Singh Poonia is the General Counsel of Bank of America and DSP Merrill
Lynch in India. As the General Counsel, Abhi interfaces with clients and business groups
globally and is responsible for providing legal advice to the Bank in India. Abhi is also a
member of Asia Pacific Diversity & Inclusion Council at the Bank. He has represented his
Bank as part of a focus group started by Community Business to explore what more
companies can do to build and develop Asian leadership. Prior to this role, Abhi was based
in US and worked as an Associate with Sidley Austin LLP in their Capital Markets Group.
He has also worked with Morgan Stanley, NY in their Institutional Equity and Prime
Brokerage Divisions. Abhi is a regular speaker at various industry forums and also takes
guest lectures at law schools in India. He graduated from Symbiosis Law College, Pune
and has a LLM degree from NYU School of Law, New York.
PHLOEUN PRIM
Phloeun Prim is the first Director of Cambodian Living Arts (CLA). Under his
directorship, the CLA has built a community of young artists and fostered a national
renewal of the arts. Previously, Pholuen was a marketing strategist for Artisans d’Angkor,
which trains and employs around a thousand rural youth to create and distribute high
quality Cambodian crafts. Phloeun was born in Cambodia and was raised in Canada since
the age of three. He returned to Cambodia in 1998 and joined a European Union program,
which later became Artisans d’Angkor.
SANTHOSH RAMDOSS
Santhosh is a Program Manager at BRAC, one of the world’s largest anti-poverty organizations with its roots in
Bangladesh. At BRAC, he is heavily involved in a $45 million development initiative in Uganda that seeks to change
the lives of around 1.8 million people. Santhosh is also the co-founder of ProGreen, a fast-growing venture which
manufactures eco-friendly disposable tableware in rural India, and has won multiple international business plan
competitions. In addition, Santhosh is a founding editor of the blog, thinkchangeindia.org, which covers topics in
social entrepreneurship and social innovation. Santhosh was recently named as a Dalai Lama Fellow. He holds an
MBA from Bharathidasan Institute of Management and an MPA from the New York University’s (NYU) Wagner
School of Public Service. At NYU, he was a recipient of the Jo Ivey Boufford award for Innovation and the Howard
G Newman Award for exemplary work done by a capstone team. He was also a Catherine B Reynolds Foundation
Fellow in Social Entrepreneurship at NYU.
MUGUNTHAN SADAGOBAN
Mugunthan Sadagoban is a public policy specialist and Assistant General Manager at the
Reserve Bank of India, He is also a Nominee Director on the Board of The Grameen Bank,
where he provides guidance on how mainstream banking services can extend their services
and access to the unbanked population. Before this, Mugunthan worked with local
fishermen to reduce their dependence of middlemen, and he implemented a variety of
social marketing projects to improve the availability of health care products in India.
Mugunthan was a Harvard Mason Fellow, and a finalist at the Harvard Business School’s
2008 business plan contest. He holds a Master’s Degree in Public Administration from the
Havard Kennedy School of Government.
MICHAEL ESCAREAL SANDEJAS
Mike Sandejas is a filmmaker and Director of Echo & Mirage Media, which has filmed documentaries for various
government, corporate and military institutions. His award-winning independent films (TULAD NG DATI, DING
SANA KITA) have been featured in several festivals abroad. Mike is currently a film lecturer in De La Salle-College
of St Benilde and St. Scholastica’s College, Manila. In addition, Mike is a member of the Directors’ Guild of the
Philippines and the Independent Filmmakers’ Cooperative (IFC). In the advertising world, he is an in-house director
for the production house, Abracadabra, Inc. Mike was educated in The University of the Philippines and holds a
degree in Organizational Communication.
TEGUH SANTOSA
Teguh Santosa is the Founder and Chief Editor for Rakyat Merdeka Daily, a leading online
news media in Indonesia. He also lectures on conflict and peace at the Islam State
University and on mass communications at the London School of Public Relations. Teguh
is currently the Vice Secretary General of the Youth Muhammadiyah and is working at
the Indonesian-Moroccan Friendship Association to strengthen cultural and social
relations between the two countries. Santosa received his B.A. from Padjadjaran
University in Bandung in Political and Governmental Science and a Master’s Degree from
the University of Hawaii at Manoa in International Relations, Future Studies, and
Indigenous Politics. He was also an ASEAN visiting student at the National University of
Singapore.
MOE SATT
Moe Satt is the Founder and Artistic Director of the “Beyond Pressure” festival of
performance art in Yangon, Myanmar. As a second generation performance artist, Moe
has participated in several performance art festival around Asia and Europe. He also
curated the “On/Off” Myanmar Contemporary Art Event in Hanoi, and the
“Forward/Backward” event and “8 Myanmar Contemporary Artists” event in Bangkok.
Moe is currently writing a book entitled An Introduction of Myanmar Performance Artists.
He lives in Yangon and participates in artist-in-residence programs in Malaysia, South
Korea and Japan.
SAKUNTALA SENEVIRATNE
Sakuntala Seneviratne is a practicing clinician and a specialist in gynaecology and
obstetrics at Base Hospital in Mulleriyawa, Sri Lanka. She is one of approximately 200
medical staff employed by the Sri Lankan government to provide free health care to a
population of over 20 million people. In a career spanning eleven years, Sakuntala has
served in five of the nine provinces of Sri Lanka. During her last post, her many duties
included converting a low risk obstetric unit to a high risk unit, ensuring that the operating
theatre facilities and emergency obstetric services were adequately supplied and
maintained, reducing the mortality rate, and improving the infant delivery rate. Sakuntala
holds an MBBS and MD, and is registered to practice in Sri Lanka and the United
Kingdom.
AMEERA SHAH
Ameera Shah is the Co-chairman of the FICCI healthcare committee. In addition, she is
the Secretary of the Indian Association of Pathology Lab. Ameera was recently selected
to be part of the Owner- President Program at Harvard University, where she
successfully completed a two year session. In 2006, Ameera received a Modern
Medicine Award for The Young Entrepreneur of the Year in India. She holds a Business
Management degree in finance from the University of Texas at Austin.
SRIRAM SHAMASUNDER
Sriram Shamasunder is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine at the University of
California, San Francisco. He has worked in Haiti, Burundi, Rwanda, and India where he
trained health providers, developed clinical programs and participated in community
health research. Sriram was pronounced the Young Physician of the Year in 2010 by the
Northern California Chapter of the American College of Physicians, and was awarded the
Fulbright-Nehru Scholar Award in 2011 to support his research of NGO clinical design
breakthroughs in vulnerable populations throughout Karnataka, India. He earned his
medical degree from New York Medical College and completed his residency in Internal
Medicine at the Harbor-UCLA Medical Center.
MOHAMMAD OMAR SHARIFI
Mohammad Omar Sharifi is the Director of the American Institute of Afghanistan Studies
(AIAS), Kabul Office. He is also a member on the Board of Directors of the Afghan
Alumni Association, an Asia 21 Fellow, and a member the advisory board of the Civil
Society Development Center. Mohammad has written several essays and papers on
politics and social issues in Afghanistan, and his articles are published in national and
international journals. A native of Kabul, Mohammad was born in 1978 and graduated
from Nadira High School in 1995 and the Kabul Medical Institute in 2003. Following his
medical studies, he worked as the head of research and publications for the Foundation for
Culture and Civil Society in Kabul, and was director of Open Media Fund for Afghanistan.
From 2006 to 2008, he studied Cultural Anthropology at Columbia University in New
York under a Fulbright Fellowship.
GUILONG SHEN
Guilong Shen is the Deputy Director of the President’s Office at the Shanghai Academy
of Social Sciences, and an associate professor. Previously, Guilong chaired research
programs sponsored by the National Social Science Fund, Shanghai Social Science Fund,
and local and central governments dealing with China’s foreign trade and foreign
investment. Guilong also won the Dr. Zhang Zongli Scholarship in 2010 and was invited
to join the Expo reception where he received a three-class merit.
VINITA SHETTY
Vinita A. Shetty is journalist and writer. Previously, she was a Senior Editor at DNA,
India’s fastest growing English daily. She headed the Editorial Team and has a special
interest in social reform, grass-roots education, advocacy issues and highlighting social
injustices. Vinita has over 12 years of journalistic experience with leading newspapers
like the Times of India and Asian Age, spanning investigative reporting, development
issues, human rights violations and urban infrastructure issues. In 2007, she was appointed
City Editor for the launch of Bangalore Mirror, the city’s first compact daily, and headed
the city reporting teams and news room operations. She has also researched, scripted and
anchored TV projects covering various topics. Vinita has lectured on women’s rights,
newsroom ethics, Indian media and youth issues. A member of I-volunteer, which
provides assistance to terminally ill children, the elderly, and the physically challenged,
she also volunteers as a media consultant to NGOs and is a member of the Network of
Women in Media, India (NWMI). Vinita lives in Bangalore with her husband and enjoys
photography, horse-riding and mentoring young writers. Vinita graduated from Christ
University with a degree in Journalism, Psychology, and English.
RICHA GOYA SIKRI
Richa Goyal Sikri is Director of Group Business Development at STIC Travel Group, a
leading travel solutions provider in India. Since beginning her career at STIC in 1995,
Richa has conceptualized and managed numerous product launch events and road shows
in India for some of the most prestigious travel brands, including Continental Airlines,
Air China, and Philippine Airlines. She has also secured numerous wholesale and
representation contracts for STIC with various global brands, and manages the business
development, distribution, and marketing of those brands in India. In addition, Richa was
responsible for launching the UNESCO-endorsed International Student Identity Card
(ISIC) in India. Outside STIC, Richa sits on the Board of the ISIC Association, which
owns and manages the ISIC. Additionally, Richa was elected as a Congress member of
the WYSE Travel Confederation between 2007 and 2010. Richa holds a Degree in
Commerce (Hons) from Delhi University, an MBA degree from the International
Management Institute, and has participated in 3 executive education courses in the Indian
School of Business.
PRITAM SINGH
Pritam is a Member of Parliament for Aljunied GRC in Singapore and a Central Executive
Committee member of the Workers’ Party. Pritam is also a reserve army officer holding
the rank of captain, and is a combat engineer by vocation. As an undergraduate at the
National University of Singapore, Pitam won the 1999 Straits Steamship Prize, which is
awarded to the top graduating student reading both History and Political Science. A 2003
Chevening Scholar, he recently completed the substantive requirements of his Juris
Doctor candidature at the Singapore Management University. He also has a Diploma in
Islamic Studies from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).
SUVANI SINGH
Suvani Singh is the owner and the Co-Founder of Quixote’s Cove, an independent
bookshop that promotes reading and writing, and the Festival Director for Kathmandu
Literary Jatra, a collaborative initiative that hosts annual international literature festivals
in Nepal. She is also a Publisher at Safu Publications, an independent publishing company
that will focus on children’s literature, translations, and regional language publishing, with
the first publications set to hit the market in early 2012. Previously, Suvani worked at Save
the Children, Norway in Kathmandu, and was a communications specialist for
documentary filmmakers and development agencies. She received her undergraduate
degree in Literature from Sophia College, Mumbai, India.
FARINA SO
Farina So is team leader of Cham Muslim Oral History project at the Documentation
Center of Cambodia (DC-Cam). The project records the experiences and preserves the
memory of the Cham Muslim community around 400 mosques under the Khmer Rouge
regime (1975-79). As part of the Genocide Education Project, Farina has trained provincial
and commune teachers in history, civic morality, and Khmer literature across Cambodia
on Democratic Kampuchea and teaching methodologies. She is also the author of The
Hijab of Cambodia, which focuses on Cham Muslim women’s experiences under
Democratic Kampuchea, and has contributed to a scholarly journal and the Oxford Islamic
Studies Online. In addition, Farina has participated in international programs in the U.S.,
Thailand, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Germany, and South Korea. Farina holds a B.A. in
Accounting and Finance from the National University of Management, and an M.A. in
International Affairs with a concentration in Southeast Asian Studies from Ohio
University (USA). She is currently researching the reconstruction of the Cham Muslim
community from a gender perspective.
SEUNGHEON SONG
Seungheon Song is a Partner at McKinsey & Company, Seoul, and an Adjunct Professor
at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) Graduate School of
Innovation and Technology Management. Since joining McKinsey in 2002, he has
worked with some of the world’s leading enterprises and industries, with a focus on hightech industries and various product development topics. He also co-leads McKinsey’s
Tech-Media-Telecom Practice and Product Development Practice. Prior to joining
McKinsey, Seungheon was a project manager at the Semiconductor R&D Center of
Samsung Electronics, where he initiated and led Samsung’s next generation memory
development. Seungheon Song is a graduate of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
where he received his Ph.D. in the field of solid-state Physics and Statistical Mechanics.
He received B.S. degrees in Physics from KAIST.
AMINA EVANGELISTA SWANEPOEL
Amina Evangelista Swanepoel is the Founding Executive Director of Roots of Health
(ROH) and Ugat ng Kalusugan, the local administrative arm of the organization, and
provides leadership in the day-to-day running of Roots of Health. She created the
reproductive health sessions that are taught in the organization’s three program sites, and
trains staff in implementing all ROH programming. She is the liaison with the Roots of
Health Board of Directors in the US, and with the Philippine-based Ugat ng Kalusugan
Advisory Committee. Prior to this, Ami spent two years at Human Rights Watch where
she researched and documented human rights abuses in Asia. She also held a position
with the Guttmacher Institute researching health and HIV issues among youth in SubSaharan Africa; UNHCR in India, where she created an HIV information curriculum; and
served as the Coordinating Manager at Anthony Knerr & Associates, a consulting firm
specializing in strategic planning and counsel for nonprofits. Ami received her
Bachelor’s Degree from Wellesley College and her Master of International Affairs and
Master of Public Health from Columbia University.
MIKA TAKAGI
Mika Takagi is the Deputy Director of the Creative Industries Division at the Japanese
Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. Mika was instrumental in founding the 50person division, which is responsible for planning and implementing measures to promote
cultural industries as a strategic sector for the country. In this capacity, Mika has worked
closely with other governments, including the Indian and Hong Kong governments, to
help promote joint collaboration in creative industries such as design, with the aim of
creating an environment where creative talents from across Asia can easily share and
exchange ideas. Mika holds a B.A. in Economics from Tokyo University and an MBA
and an M.A. in Education from Stanford University.
RAYMOND MAN KIN TAM
Raymond Tam is the CFO of Resourcehouse Limited, an international natural resources
company. Prior to joining Resourcehouse, Raymond worked for JPMorgan, Citibank and
HSBC as an investment/corporate banker, and at Ove Arup and Maunsell (currently
AECOM) as an engineer. He is a CFA, FRM charter-holder, Certified Accountant of CPA
Australia, and a member of the Hong Kong Institute of CPAs. In addition, Raymond
serves on the Executive Committee of various alumni associations and professional
bodies. Raymond earned a Bachelor of Civil & Resources Engineering degree from the
University of Auckland in New Zealand, Master of Practising Accounting degree from
the Monash University in Australia, and an EMBA degree from the University of Western
Ontario in Canada.
RONALD MAN HONG TAM
Ronald Tam is Managing Director, Head of Corporate Finance Asia, at Jefferies.
Previously, he was a Senior Executive Director with UBS Investment Bank, where he
managed numerous corporate finance transactions in China and Asia, and was actively
involved in RMB internationalisation- related initiatives. Prior to joining UBS, Ronald
worked for Bank of China, ING Barings, HSBC, Ernst & Young and Coopers & Lybrand.
Ronald is currently a holder of CFA and CPA. In addition, Ronald is involved with
various charitable organizations, including World Vision, the Thirty-hour Famine
program organized by World Vision, and the Hong Kong Jockey Club Volunteer Team.
Ronald holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Auckland.
MARTIN TAN
Martin Tan is the founder of RiverLife Community Services and Halogen Foundation
Singapore, where he has served as Executive Director since 2003. He was previously
Chairman of Teenwerkz Workgroup under Family Matters! Singapore. Martin also
serves as Member of the National Library Board, Trustee of the Library Fund Board, and
Chairman of Public Libraries Advisory Committee. He is the Honorary Secretary of the
National Family Council, Deputy Chairman of Marriage Central Advisory Board, a
Council Member of the 12th National Youth Council, Co-Chair of SHINE Youth
Festival, and Committee Member of Youth Network. Martin was awarded The
Outstanding Young Person Award by Junior Chamber International in 2007. On the side,
Martin owns Tea Cosy, a unique cafe cum retail space at Plaza Singapura with his wife.
Martin is a Master Facilitator Candidate for The Leadership Challenge, and he holds a
B.A. in Mass Communications (distinction) from Royal Melbourne Institute of
Technology.
JEFFREY OCHOA TARAYAO
Jeff Tarayao is the Chief Corporate Social Responsibility Officer of the Manila Electric
Company (MERALCO) and the President of the ONE MERALCO Foundation. Jeff has
also worked on projects with developmental organizations including the United Nations
Development Program, the Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization, the
Philippines Department of Education, the International Youth Foundation, The Coalition
for Better Education, and Gawad Kalinga. He has contributed to the nationwide roll-out
of internet connectivity to public elementary and high schools in the Philippines and
capacity-building for school heads, teachers and students to be competent in ICTintegrated teaching and learning. He is currently working on energizing rural communities
in the Philippines. Jeff is a Global Reporting Initiative report specialist and knowledgeable
on other CSR and sustainability standards such as the UN Global Compact
Communication in Progress and the recently released ISO26000-Guidance on Social
Responsibility.
SONAM TASHI
Sonam Tashi is the Acting Chief Planning Officer for the Policy and Planning Division
at the Ministry of Economic Affairs of Bhutan. He is also the main counterpart of the
Ministry to the World Bank, International Finance Corporation, and Asian Development
Bank, and is in charge of drafting the Renewable Energy Policy and Captive Power
Policy. Sonam led the team that drafted the Economic Development Policy 2010, Foreign
Direct Investment Policy 2010 and Framework for Private Participation in Infrastructure.
He was also a member of the negotiating team for investments in the Bay of Bengal
Initiative for Multisectoral Technical and Economic Co-operation. Sonam received a
Master’s Degree from Cornell University for International Development with a
concentration in Development Finance, and earned his Bachelor’s Degree in Economics
and Political Science from the University of Delhi. He also has a diploma in Development
Studies from the Institute of Developing Economies Advanced School.
CHRISTOPHER B. TAUBE
Christopher Taube is a Managing Director of Aetos Capital Asia, where he is responsible
for evaluating all acquisitions in China and Japan. Aetos Capital Asia has acquired more
than $10 billion in Japanese, Chinese, and Korean property since 2002. Prior to joining
Aetos Capital, he was a Principal at Fremont Realty Capital. He is a 2009 YLF Fellow
for the National Committee on United States-China Relations, a Member of the
NCUSCR, and a founding Board Member of YO-CV, a not-for-profit organization based
in the Republic of Cape Verde that focuses on youth development. He holds a B.A. from
Princeton University and an MBA (hons) from Columbia Business School.
CHAO-MING TENG
Chao-Ming Teng is a visual artist currently based in New York and Taipei, whose works
have been exhibited internationally. In 2009, he was the artist in residence at the Centre
National d’Art Contemprain, Villa Arson, Nice. In 2010, he participated in the Arctic
Circle artist residency program, sponsored by New York’s Farm Foundation for Arts
and Sciences and Taiwan’s Council for Cultural Affairs. His work was shown in a solo
exhibition “I Was in The Arctic” at the Open- Contemporary Art Center in Taipei. A
recipient of a grant from the National Cultural and Arts Foundation 2008, Chao-Ming
was also invited as a mentor artist by the Banff New Media Institute in the Canada, and
is scheduled to unveil a solo exhibition at Pema Lamo Gallery, Tapei in September 2012.
In addition, Chao-Ming has collaborated with Tokyo’s urban design group Urban
Typhoon, designing alternative plans for the Shimokitazawa area; Dutch theater director
Jos van Kan on visual design for his play, and was commissioned to design the main
interactive installation for the International Children Film Festival in 2008. Chao-Ming
graduated from the Media Arts Master’s Program at the School of Architecture and
Planning, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
RIVA THAPA
Riva Thapa is the Co-Founder of the Shikshya Foundation Nepal, which disperses funds
to grassroots organizations working to promote education for displaced Nepalese youth.
She is also a member of TEWA, the only women funding network in Nepal, and helps
organize fundraising events for the organization. In addition, Riva is a member of
Nagarik Awaaz, an organization that promotes peace building and conflict management,
as well as a volunteer at the Peace Kitchen, which provides food the most marginalized
people of Kathmandu. Riva is frequently engaged in charitable contributions for the
development of infrastructure in Nepal, and she has also financed twelve displaced
youths for a year, supporting their education lodging and food. Riva was educated at St.
Mary’s School in Kathmandu. She completed her undergraduate studies in Economics
in India, and she holds a Graduate Diploma in Womens’ Studies from Tribhuvan
University, Nepal.
PHYU EI THIEN
Phyu Ei Thein is the one of the founders of Sympathy Focus Group Community Services
in Yangon, Myanmar, which was established in 2010 to improve social development,
health care and education for poor children who lack access to public schools in rural
parts of the country. Phyu currently teaches art to orpahns studying in Monastic
Education Centers. She is also Production Manager of Myanmar Clothes in Japan. Born
in Yangon, Phyu received a B.Sc in Physics at Yangon University. In 2000, she studied
at Taisho University, Tokyo, where she majored in Japanese. In addition, she also
conducted research for Educational Social Science at Yokohama National University,
Tokyo, in 2002. She is fluent in English, Japanese and Burmese.
CHUNG TO
Chung To is the Founder and Chairperson of the Chi Heng Foundation, a charitable
organization that provides assistance to the orphans of AIDS victims in China. Chung
has developed a sustainable program and a best practice model which currently provides
education and care to over four thousand children. The program is also one of the largest
non-governmental undertakings in helping children impacted by AIDS in China. Chung
also was a Board Member of AIDS Concern for four years, and served as Chairperson
of the Board in 2003. Since 1999, Chung has been a member of the AIDS Prevention
and Care Committee (APCC) appointed by the Hong Kong Government. Previously,
Chung worked in investment banking for 10 years. Chung was also Vice President of
the Harvard Club of Hong Kong and is a member of MENSA. In 2006, Chung was
honored as one of the “Ten Outstanding Young Persons in the World.” Chung received
his B.A. from Columbia University and a M.A. at Harvard University.
NED ORHAN TOZUN
Ned Tozun is the President and Co-Founder of D.light design, one of the world’s leading
social enterprises. Since its founding in 2007, Ned has played a key role in developing
the company’s mission and strategic plan, securing over $10 million in private
investment from reputed American and Indian investment funds, and establishing four
international offices and worldwide distribution in over 40 countries to bring safe, clean
and bright light and power to over 4 million base of the pyramid customers to date.
Along with business partner Sam Goldman, Ned was awarded the 2009 Innovation
Award by the Social Venture Network in Silicon Valley, and was named as a finalist for
BusinessWeek’s Most Promising American Social Entrepreneurs. He has presented at
the 2009 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting of New Champions and the 2010
Ashden Conference.
VANI TRIPATHI
Vani Tripathi is the National Secretary of the Bhartiya Janta party, the main opposition
party of India. She has led various campaign and outreach programs that encourage
women’s participation in politics, and has managed campaigns for several candidates,
including women candidates in Delhi, Bombay, Chattisgarh, Uttaranchal, Madhya
Pradesh and Maharashtra. Prior to joining the BJP, Vani worked on various projects
related to environmental protection and global sustainability, and also had a long career
in journalism and broadcasting in India. An actor by profession, Vani has also worked
as an actor-teacher at the national school of drama’s Theatre of Education Company in
New Delhi. Vani is a recipient of the 2008 Global Leadership Award from the
Washington India Chair. A graduate in political science from Delhi University, Vani
went to drama school and was taught by Mr. Ebrahim Alkazi. She also studied at the
Zeit Buceruius Global Governance School in Hamburg.
PAO-CHANG TSAI
Pao-Chang is a director, actor and a playwright. Since 2007, he has served as co-artistic
director at the Tainaner Ensemble, and has directed several theater productions that toured
China and Taiwan. He has published four theatre scripts, K24 (CHAOS), Mulan: The
Musical, Q&A (Quest & Amnesia), and Re/turn, and has served as a lecturer in
universities and community youth theaters in Taiwan. In 2011, he was recognized by
Asian Cultural Council. Pao-Chang received his MA (distinction) in music theatre at the
Central School of Speech and Drama, focusing on singing technique, and is currently
pursuing further study in Voice and Speech with Professor Nancy Houfek at the American
Repertory Theater in Harvard University.
SANDIAGA UNO
Sandiaga is the President and Director of PT Saratoga Investama Sedaya. He is also the
Founding Partner and CEO of Saratoga Capital, a private equity firm that invests in natural
resources and infrastcture in Indonesia and Southeast Asia, which he co-founded with
Edwin Soeryadjaya in 1998. Sandiaga currently holds key positions at PT Adaro Energy
Tbk and PT Tower Bersama Infrastructure Group. He also co-founded a boutique
investment firm, PT Recapital Advisors in 1997. Since June 2010, Sandiaga has been a
member of the National Economic Committee, appointed by President Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono, and the General Treasurer of the Indonesian Association of Muslim
Intellectuals, a moderate Islamic think tank. He is the founder of the Indonesian Social
Entrepreneur Association, a former Chairman of the Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs
Association, and the 2008 Entrepreneur of the Year by Enterprise Asia. Sandiaga
graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Business Administration from the
Wichita State University and obtained his MBA from George Washington University.
SATVIK VARMA
Satvik Varma is a corporate lawyer and the Founder and Managing Partner of Independent
Law Chambers. Previously, Satvik was a partner at Amarchand Mangaldas, one of the
leading law firms in India. Between 2003-2005, Satvik was Vice President and Counsel
at the corporate law group at Lehman Brothers, New York. He also worked as a litigator
and practiced at the Supreme Court of India and the High Court of Delhi. Satvik is a
frequent speaker and writes regularly on current affairs, investment policy and
government issues for some of India’s leading business and news publications. He
currently serves on the advisory board of the Asia Society India Centre, and was an Asia
21 Young Leader in 2006. Satvik holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hon.) degree in History and
a Bachelor in Laws (LL.B.) degree from the University of Delhi. He also holds a masters
of laws (LL.M.) from Harvard Law School, where he was a part of the South Asian
Lawyers Association. Satvik is qualified and licensed both in India (1998) and the State
of New York (2003).
ADININDYAH ARYA WISNUTAMA
Adinindyah is the Chairman and the Co-Founder of LAWE, a social enterprise that aims
to conserve tradition and empower women. She has also developed the Sisterhood of
LAWE program in order to implement her belief that local traditions in fabric and
handicraft can be harnessed to empower women in Indonesia and improve their
livelihood. Previously, Adinindyah was a project leader in a design consultant company,
and also served as a focal point for the program Non Timber Forest Products in Indonesia.
Adinindyah holds a degree in Architecture from Gadjah Mada University.
ERIC WONG
Eric Wong is the China representative of Blue Ridge Capital, where he is responsible for
seeking investments and building relationships in Asia on behalf of the global investment
fund. Prior to this, Eric advised multinationals on mergers-and-acquisitions in China with
Morgan Stanley. He has authored Harvard Business School case studies on emerging
markets investing. In the social sector, Eric has focused on arts and education, having
advised the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Junior Achievement China on
strategic projects. He currently serves as Founding Board Member and Director of China
Projects for Bard College Conservatory of Music. A classically-trained cellist, Eric has
also performed at Carnegie Hall and the Avery Fisher Hall, and has served as Principal
Cellist of the Beijing International Chamber Orchestra. Eric holds a B.A. and an MBA
from Harvard, where he received the David McCord prize for unusually creative talent.
KAI XIAO
Kai Xiao is an Associate Professor of Law at Shanghai Jiaotong University’s KoGuan
Law School, where he teaches private international law, international commercial
arbitration, public international law, and international business law and ethics. Kai is
also the Deputy Chairman of the Financial Crime Commission of the Shanghai Financial
Law Society, a member and arbitrator of the Shanghai Arbitration Commission, Director
of the Chinese Society of Private International Law, and Expert Counsel of the IP
Crimes Review Committee of the Shanghai People’s Procuratorate. Previously, Kai was
appointed as the deputy prosecutor of the Shanghai Pudong New Area Procuratorate,
where he created a specialized taskforce working against IP crimes and financial crimes,
the first of its kind in China.
KEIKO YAMAMOTO
Keiko Yamamoto is a journalist at NHK, Japan’s sole public broadcaster. Since joining
NHK in 1995, she has covered social issues and news topics that include decreasing
birthrates, child abuse and gender inequality in Japan. In 2001, Keiko founded a women
journalist association, a professional network for women journalists in Japan that seeks to
promote new social values and concepts to Japanese society. The association has over 3
chapters and 500 members today. Keiko received her M.A in International Development
from Nagoya University, Japan.
MUN CHING YAP
Mun Ching Yap is the Founder of Broadsheet Communications, a company which
provides advisory services on trade and investment issues. She is also starting a company
that works with Malaysian artisans to build a sustainable livelihood by modernizing the
traditional craft industry. Prior to her foray into entrepreneurship, she was a Senior Aide
in the Office of the Malaysian Minister of International Trade and Industry. She was also
a former Head of Strategic Planning at AirAsia, the biggest low-cost airline in Southeast
Asia, and was responsible for charting the airline’s expansion into ASEAN and major
cities in China and India. Mun Ching started her career as a journalist and continues to
write a fortnightly column on politics and current affairs. She holds degrees in
International Relations and Economics from the London
School of Economics.
GEORGE YEH
George Yeh is the President of Taiwan Liposome Company (TLC), a specialty
biopharmaceutical company focused on the research, development and commercialization
of innovative pharmaceutical products. George currently leads TLC’s operations, and was
responsible for transforming TLC into one of the fastest-growing drug delivery companies
in Asia. TLC was listed among the top 100 private companies by Red Herring Asia in
2006 and appeared on the shortlist for Red Herring Global in 2007. In 2008, George
received an Outstanding Young Innovator Award for his contribution to the biotechnology
industry in Taiwan. Prior to joining TLC, George was Vice President of AsiaWired Group.
He holds a B.A. from the University of California at Berkeley, and an M.A. and MBA
from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.
GREY YEOH
Grey Yeoh is the Project Manager of Arts at the British Council in Kuala Lumpur, where
he oversees grant-funded projects and working in partnership with art organizations
between Malaysia and the UK. He is also a trained multimedia designer who collaborates
in socially-engaged art projects both online and for live performances. He is a creative
producer of “PopIN,” the online information portal for Malaysian youth, and “That Effing
Show,” an online satire talk show. Since 2008, Grey has co-curated the historical
exhibition “12 Years” and the 2008 Emergency Festival 2008. He has collaborated on
visual design for several Malaysian theatre productions, including Gostan Forward and
Wayang Fajar by the Five Arts Centre.
KAN YEUNYONG
Kan Yeunyong is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Siam Intelligence Unit (SIU),
a think tank based in Bangkok. His analysis on Thai politics is valued by local and global
media outlets. Kan is currently working on various national reconciliation projects, and
will be enrolled in an Advanced Certificate Course offered by the College of Politics and
Governance at the King Prajadhipok’s Institute (KPI). Kan studied Computer Science,
Economics and is now studying for a Master’s Degree in Political Science, with a
specialization in world geo-politics.