Mr. Esmond Choo holds a Bachelor of Commerce (2^nd Class Upper Honours) Degree from the University of Melbourne and is a member Institute of Chartered Accountants Australia. He was the emeritus Chairman of UOB Kay Hian Securities (M) Sdn Bhd and is Senior Advisor to UOB Kay Hian Pte Ltd.

Esmond had proactively served in various industry committees and was the past Chairman of the Stockbrokers Association of Singapore from 2009 to 2012 and a member of the MAS Fair Dealing Committee.  In recognition of his contribution to the Securities and Futures industry, he was conferred the title IBF Distinguished Fellow in 2014. He has therefore accumulated substantial experience in the finance and insurance sectors since 1986.

For Community service, Esmond served as board member on several charities which include SJI International Pre-school Ltd in Singapore, SPH Foundation, Singapore Eye Research Institute.

Mr. Raymond Tong has been in legal practice for over 30 years and is currently a partner in the Capital Markets/Mergers & Acquisitions group at Rajah & Tann.

He advises corporates (listed and private), investment banks and private equity investors in various areas, including fundraising (private and public), mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and corporate governance. He has been involved in numerous transactions across various jurisdictions across the Asia-Pacific, EMEA and North America and across various industries.

Mr Tong is a board member of JurongHealth Fund Limited, Sustainable Finance Institute Asia Limited, a member of the Audit Committee of the Methodist Welfare Society, the Equity Capital Markets Committee of the Law Society of Singapore, Inquiry Panel of the Law Society of Singapore and the Disciplinary Committee of the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants.

Mr. Eugene Wong is the Chief Executive Officer of SFIA, an independent institute established to catalyse ideas on Sustainable Finance at the policy level in Asia, particularly in ASEAN, as well as propel action in support of those policy ideas.

Eugene was previously the Managing Director, Corporate Finance & Investments of the Securities Commission Malaysia (“SC”). He oversaw the SC’s ASEAN related initiatives and was a Chair of the Deputies of the ASEAN Capital Markets Forum (“ACMF”), the Co-Chair of its Sustainable Finance Working Group (“SFWG”) and a Co-Chair of the ASEAN Working Committee on Capital Market Development. At the SC, he also oversaw matters related to accounting for capital markets and served as a member of the Audit Oversight Board and an Adviser to the Malaysian Accounting Standards Board.

Eugene represents SFIA as an observer to the International Capital Market Association’s Green Bond Principles, Social Bond Principles, Sustainability Bond Guidelines and Sustainability-linked Loans Guidelines Group. He is also a member of Climate Bonds Initiative’s International Advisory Panel and an Independent Non-Executive Director of the Asia School of Business.

Prior to joining the SC, Eugene held positions in a merchant bank, a stockbroking company and in the corporate finance division of an international accounting firm.

Eugene is a Fellow of CPA Australia, Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand and a Chartered Accountant of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants.

Donough Foley is a Managing Partner and Co-Founder of Oxalis Advisers, an independent strategic advisory firm helping clients navigate the complexity of the Asia Pacific.

With 30+ years of experience, Donough is one of the region’s leading Government and Public Affairs specialists and has held numerous senior leadership positions at Fortune 500 companies across the Financial Services, Telecommunications, Healthcare, Aerospace and Defence industries. He was directly involved in a number of market entry platforms including in Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines and was responsible for developing, executing and scaling Lucent Technologies reseller platform across ASEAN.

He is recognized as a consultative business partner and strategist who grasps complex economic and fiscal policy topics, and can deliver information in a meaningful and accessible way for multiple audiences. Commercially astute, he commands a deep understanding of economic growth drivers in APAC, LATAM and Europe.

In addition to his substantial private sector experience, Donough has also worked with various government departments as an advisor, most recently in the sustainable finance space and in October 2020 was appointed as an Advisor to the Sustainable Finance Institute Asia (SFIA) as an advisor and is Convenor/Chair of the IAP (a public/private partnership supporting ASEAN’s Climate Agenda).  He is also a member of the Global Advisory Team of Abodoo, a start-up providing learning and support platforms for the future of work, and is also an advisor of Bilby, an AI-powered reg-tech solution.

Donough was previously the Global Managing Director for Government and Public Affairs at Moody’s (2014 – 2020) where he led a global team to redesign Moody’s advocacy approach. He led outreach programs that shaped Moody’s relationships with regulators, policy makers and Ministry of Finance personnel while influencing commercial outcomes and cultivating brand reputation beyond ratings. He also provided strategic advice to C-suite executives to help them assess business risks and opportunities arising from the complexity of the regional policy and political landscape.

Donough was also the senior in-house staffer for Richard Cantor, Moody’s Corporation Chief Credit and Risk Officer when he was appointed as one of the US Representatives to the APEC Business Advisory Council and in his role as Chair of ABAC Finance and Economic Working Group.

Prior to joining Moody’s, Donough held senior Government and Regulatory Affairs positions at Phillips Electronics, Qantas, Lucent Technologies and Burson-Marsteller, where he helped to build out the company’s China presence.

Donough has been invited to speak at various global conferences and events including the ASEAN Leadership Summit in Cambodia 2012 and the China Government Affairs Forum in Beijing 2014, and at several closed-door sessions of The International Management Association (IMA) in Hong Kong and a number of other business organizations regionally.  He has also published numerous thought-leadership articles for media including Public Affairs Asia, and acted as an Advisor to the “Future Global 100 Company” platform and has served as a judge for The Gold Standard Awards hosted by Public Affairs Asia.

Born in Ireland, Mr. Foley holds a diploma in Public Relations from the College of Commerce (Rathmines) and a Bachelor of Economics and Politics from University College, Galway.

Mr. Zainal Izlan Zainal Abidin was the Deputy Chief Executive of the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) from April 2018 until his retirement from the SC in January 2023. During his 12-year tenure at the SC, he oversaw various regulatory and developmental functions. Among others, he was responsible for the SC’s initiatives in the Islamic capital market and sustainable finance, and was also chair or member of several international committees and working groups in these areas.

Izlan has over 30 years’ experience in the financial services industry, starting his career in corporate banking with Citibank before moving into investment management with MIDF Amanah Asset Management (when it was known as Seacorp-Schroder Capital Management). He was also CEO of i-VCAP Management.

Izlan holds a Bachelor of Science in Economics (dual concentration in Accounting and Finance) from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, USA, and is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder.

Ms. May Yap is a lawyer with over 30 years of international and domestic experience.  May was an Assistant General Counsel in the Asian Development Bank (ADB), an international organization owned by 69 member countries and operating in the Asia and Pacific region, until her retirement in 2022.  In this capacity, she managed the legal services for ADB’s Treasury operations, including bond issuances in international and domestic debt capital markets, derivatives, investments and other financial transactions.  She also managed the legal services for ADB’s Cofinancing operations, encompassing the establishment of cofinancing partnerships and funds with ADB’s development partners for the financing of projects or programs in ADB’s developing member countries.  In addition, May supported the development of ADB’s financial, risk and other key policies and was involved in several regional initiatives for ASEAN.

Prior to the ADB, May was a Partner in Rashid & Lee where she advised corporate and other clients on various financing and commercial transactions.

May obtained her LLB (Hons) from the University of London and was admitted to Lincoln’s Inn as an Utter Barrister and the Malaysian Bar as an Advocate & Solicitor.

Dr. Angelica Lim holds a Doctor of Philosophy from Monash University. Her research interest is the organizational usage of Big Data Analytics (BDA), particularly the factors that influence and hinder the usage of BDA. She lectures occasionally at Monash University Malaysia.

Additionally, Angelica is an investor with multiple business interests in Malaysia and internationally — including manufacturing small and medium enterprises, tech start-ups, and real estate assets. Angelica also has 25 years of corporate experience. Her prior corporate roles include the Chief Financial Officer of BP Global Petrochemicals, and a Consulting Partner at Accenture (Malaysia and China).

Ms. Kathlyn Tan is a Director of Singapore-based family office, Rumah Group where she leads ocean-climate philanthropy and sustainability. She established their environmental portfolio in 2017, which focuses on contributing towards a clean and vibrant ocean through strategic giving and impact investments; and integrates sustainability practices into Rumah’s property portfolio. Currently, Kathlyn serves as a Board Trustee of Conservation International Singapore and a Board Director of The Good Food Institute Singapore. She is also a member of advisory panels and boards dedicated to sustainable finance, ocean awareness, and sustainability-focused media.

Ms. Rachel Teo was the Head of Futures Unit in the Economics & Investment Strategy Department of GIC. The unit looks at long-term trends that have a material impact on GIC’s total portfolio, and the team leads the firm’s investment research on climate change, including climate scenarios, carbon risk analysis and physical risk assessments. She was a member of GIC’s Sustainability Committee, which oversees the firm’s sustainability policies and implementation. Rachel is also a member of the working group advising the Monetary Authority of Singapore on the Singapore Green Taxonomy.