Year 2022: New Horizons

Bahren Shaari was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Bank of Singapore on 1 February 2015. He was previously the Senior Managing Director and Global Market Head of South East Asia. He has more than 30 years of banking experience and is an executive committee member of Singapore’s Private Banking Industry Group which shapes the private banking competency standards of the wealth management sector.

In 2016, he was conferred the Singapore Institute of Banking and Finance Distinguished Fellow award, in recognition of his significant contribution to the financial industry and outstanding leadership capabilities. Prior to joining Bank of Singapore, Bahren served as the Managing Director at UBS Wealth Management, responsible for the South East Asian and Australian Markets. Bahren is an alternate member of the Council of Presidential Advisers. He has been a non-executive and independent director of Singapore Press Holdings since April 2012.

From 2000 to 2012, Bahren served on the board of the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore. In 2008, Mr Shaari was conferred the Public Service Medal, and in 2018, he received the Public Service Star Medal. Born in 1962, Bahren is married with three children and graduated with an accountancy degree from the National University of Singapore.

Kishore Mahbubani is widely considered to be one of Asia’s leading global public intellectuals, having appeared several times in Foreign Policy Magazine’s list of top 100 global thinkers. In 2014, he was also listed by The Financial Times as one of the 50 individuals who would shape the debate on the future of capitalism. Perhaps the best summary of Kishore’s contributions was made in the citation for the US Foreign Policy Association Medal he received in June 2004: “a gifted diplomat, a student of history and philosophy, a provocative writer and an intuitive thinker.”

Kishore has enjoyed three distinguished careers: in diplomacy, academia, and writing and speaking. In diplomacy, he served in the Singapore Foreign Service for 33 years (serving also as permanent secretary (CEO) of the foreign ministry and two stints as Singapore’s Ambassador to the UN). In academia, he was the Founding Dean of the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at NUS which is deemed to be the premier school in Asia in its field.

He has spoken, written, and published in all corners of the world. He is the author of eight books including Can Asians Think? and Has China Won?. His TED talk has been viewed 2.2m times. Albert H. Gordon Lecture he delivered in Harvard has also been viewed on YouTube over 1.6m times. Over a dozen of videos have had over 100,000 views.

He has also received many awards. In 1967, he was awarded the President Scholar. He was conferred the Public Administration Medal (Gold) by the Singapore Government in 1998. He was also given the 2003–2004 Dr Jean Mayer Global Citizenship Award by the Institute for Global Leadership (IGL) at Tufts University. In April 2019, he was the second Singaporean to be elected as an honorary international member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Mohi-uddin is a macroeconomist and financial market strategist with two decades experience covering institutional investors around the world. Mansoor speaks to policymakers and central bankers and maintains links with think-tanks in Washington and Beijing. He appears on CNBC and Bloomberg Television, his work features in The Economist and he has written for the Financial Times.

Mansoor was most recently at the Royal Bank of Scotland’s investment arm, NatWest Markets, where he was the Asia region's Macro Strategist and previously the bank’s Global Head of FX Strategy. Prior to joining RBS, Mansoor spent 17 years at UBS in London, Zurich and Singapore where he was also Global Head of FX Strategy from 2002 to 2014. Mansoor holds a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree in Economics from the London School of Economics.

He was tutored by Professor Charles Goodhart, a former Chief Adviser at the Bank of England.

As Head of PMRO, Jean Chia is responsible for formulating Bank of Singapore’s house views, including its Investment Strategy for FX, Equity and Fixed Income Research, as well as Discretionary Portfolio Management (DPM) and Advisory Portfolio Management (APM). She has over 20 years’ experience in Private Banking and Asset Management.

She was previously Head of Equities Advisory and Sales at the Bank, and Head of Client Advisory Services for Equities, Investment Products and Services at UBS Wealth Management, Singapore.

Prior to UBS, she was a Vice President at Allianz Dresdner Asset Management (now known as Allianz Global Investors).

Jean graduated with an MA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from University of Oxford, UK. Jean also serves as a member of the SGX Advisory Committee.

Eli Lee is Head of Investment Strategy at Bank of Singapore, and he plays a central role in developing asset allocation and thematic strategies across global asset classes for the Bank.

He is a key member of Bank of Singapore’s investment committee, which determines the Group’s overall investment strategy and direction, and serves as a member of the OCBC Group Wealth Panel. He also previously led the Special Situations Research team at OCBC Investment Research. As an investment thought leader, Eli’s independent perspectives are often sought after by international media, including the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg, and CNBC.

With close to two decades of industry experience, Eli began his investment career at the Wellington Management Company in Boston. He graduated from Harvard University with an MA in statistics.

Todd Schubert is the Head of Fixed Income Research for Bank of Singapore. He joined the Bank’s predecessor ING Asia Private Bank in 2008. Prior to that he was Head of Asian Fixed Income Research at Deutsche Bank as well as a Global Credit Portfolio Manager with the Government of Singapore Investment Corp.

With more than 30 years of Investment Experience, Todd has also worked for a number of major U.S. Financial Institutions including USAA and GE Asset Management.

Todd has an MBA from the Booth School of Business at the University of Chicago and a Bachelor’s Degree from UCLA.

Mark Carney is a Vice Chair of Brookfield Asset Management and Head of Transition Investing. In this role, he is focused on the development of products for investors that will combine positive social and environmental outcomes with strong risk-adjusted returns.

Mr. Carney is an economist and banker who served as the Governor of the Bank of England from 2013 to 2020, and prior to that as Governor of the Bank of Canada from 2008 until 2013. He was Chairman of the Financial Stability Board from 2011 to 2018. Prior to his governorships, Mr. Carney worked at Goldman Sachs as well as the Canadian Department of Finance.
He is a long-time and well-known advocate for sustainability, specifically with regards to the management and reduction of climate risks and is currently the United Nations Special Envoy for Climate Action and Finance.

He is also an external member of the Board of Stripe, a global technology company building economic infrastructure for the internet and a member of the Global Advisory Board of PIMCO, the Group of Thirty, the Foundation Board of the World Economic Forum, as well as the boards of Bloomberg Philanthropies, the Peterson Institute for International Economics and the Hoffman Institute for Global Business and Society at INSEAD.

Mr. Carney holds doctorate and master’s degrees from Oxford University and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Harvard University.

A prolific content creator and international journalist, Chloe has worked in multiple roles as a news anchor, editor, correspondent, executive producer, and contributor for numerous TV networks including CNBC, CNN International and Singapore-headquartered Channel NewsAsia (CNA). Prior to co-founding Brilliant Media & Productions in Singapore & Seoul, she served as Executive Producer/ Presenter & Assistant Vice President for Singapore-headquartered CNA from 2014 to mid-2018, executing strategy, editorial guidelines and planning for Branded Content, Commercial Productions and Current Affairs. Previously, she was anchor/ correspondent of CNBC Asia for a number of years, helming global business shows such as Capital Connection, Cash Flow, The Call and Asia Market Week out of multiple cities including Singapore, London, HK and Sydney.

Chloe currently works independently with new media platforms and corporate clients, with the goal of creating dynamic and impactful media content for international markets. Chloe’s Podcast <Maverick Dreamers & Thinkers> was ranked among top shows in Business, Entrepreneurship, Best New Shows on iTunes as well as #1 in Storytelling on TuneIn in 2020.

Over the course of her long-running media career that began as a teen in educational television, she was selected as a finalist in the TV Personality category for AIBs (Association for International Broadcasting) Awards in London in 2016 and 2015, awarded ‘Journalist of the Year’ by her alma mater, Hankuk University of Foreign Studies in Seoul, and was chosen among 50 Most Influential Koreans recognized for their work in international media, culture and arts by Newsweek Korea in 2009. Earlier she was a finalist for ‘Best Business Report’ at CNN World Report Contributors’ Awards in Atlanta, Georgia of the U.S. in 2003. She’s been interviewed as a top media personality in both the South Korean and Singapore media as well as in France’s Le Monde regarding East-West Perceptions. She’s also featured as both a fictional and non-fictional media personality in two books written by British author Alain de Botton.

Chloe is also an effective moderator who has chaired top panels for some of the biggest forums and conferences the world over from the International Monetary Fund, the World Economic Fund, the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), the ASEAN Business & Investment Summit to top international corporate summits. She’s known for skillfully delivering topics from business, economy, finance and geopolitics to technology, and innovation while adding a tinge of humor to the discussions at hand. She’s traveled extensively to cover major international events from the North Korean nuclear crisis to the 2008 global financial meltdown, having interviewed key newsmakers including European Central Bank chief & former IMF chief Christine Lagarde, former U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat, Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo as well as top central bankers, financiers, business magnates and tech leaders. Chloe is trilingual in English, Korean and French.

His Excellency Mr. Jusuf Kalla served as the 10th and 12th Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia leaving office in 2019. Previously, he held the position from 2004 to 2009. Mr. Kalla was born in Watampone, South Sulawesi, on 15th of May 1942 in the big family of Hadji Kalla, a successful businessman from Bugis.

Soon after he graduated in Economics from the University of Hasanuddin in 1967, Mr. Kalla started his career in the private sector by joining the family business, the NV (Namlozee Venonchamp) Hadji Kalla, now widely known as the Kalla Group. In 1977, he attended an executive programme at the INSEAD International Business School in Fontainebleau, Paris, France.

After some years working in the family business, Mr. Kalla took over the Group in 1986, and successfully expanded its business sectors from exports and imports to manufacturing, automotive, construction, palm oil, shipping, real estate, transportation, shrimp farming, telecommunications, and energy and electricity sectors.

While building his career in the private sector, Mr. Kalla also demonstrated a strong interest in politics and public service when he joined the Provincial People’s Representative Council (DPRD) of South Sulawesi in 1965.

In 1999, Mr. Kalla was appointed by President Abdurrahman Wahid as the Minister of Industry and Trade of the Republic of Indonesia as well as the Chairman of the Indonesian Bureau of Logistics until the year 2000. From 2001 to 2004, he served the country as the Coordinating Minister for People’s Welfare under President Megawati Soekarnoputri. As the running mate of Mr. Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Mr. Kalla won the 2004 Presidential election, and was sworn in as the 2004-2009 Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia.

Besides being a politician, Mr. Kalla has also played an active leadership role in various organisations. He had also served as the Chairman of Centrist Asia Pacific Democrat International (2010-2012) as well as the Coordinator of the Southeast Asia Red Cross and Red Crescent (2010-2011). Mr. Kalla now concurrently serves as the Chairman of the Indonesian Red Cross.

Among his many achievements, Mr. Kalla has received international recognition and praise for his notable role as peace maker in Indonesia. For his dedication and contribution to the public welfare of Indonesia, Mr. Kalla has been awarded numerous national, international, government and community honours. In 2004, he was awarded the Star of the Republic of Indonesia, which is the highest decoration awarded by the Indonesian Government for extraordinary service to the country.

Dato' Seri Anwar Ibrahim is a prominent Malaysian politician who served as Deputy Prime Minister from 1993-98 and Finance Minister from 1991-98.

Since 1998 he has led Malaysia’s Justice Party in its mission to strengthen democracy and the rule of law in the country. Although he spent over eight of the last twenty years in detention as a political prisoner, his party achieved a historic electoral victory in the May 2018 Malaysian elections, shattering the ruling party’s 61-year hold on power. He was released from jail days after the election and granted a full pardon from politically motivated charges. Ibrahim is the Prime Minister in-waiting and is expected to take over leadership of the country within the next two years.

Anwar Ibrahim is highly respected for his principled stance against corruption and his skillful management of the Malaysian economy during the Asian financial crisis. He has called for bold reforms to Malaysia’s political economic system and believes an independent judiciary, free media and respect for the rule of law are cornerstones on which Malaysia’s economic strength can be expanded.

He also believes that public policy should not overlook the plight of the poor and marginalised while at the same time seeking to develop infrastructure, attract foreign investment and grow the economy. The multi-ethnic Justice Party that he leads has provided a template for how Malaysia’s diverse ethnic and religious groups can work together towards a common national objective.

Throughout his career Anwar Ibrahim has articulated a compelling argument in support of greater understanding between East and West. Ibrahim’s view is that a dialogue between civilisations is necessary and vital. In the Muslim world he is unique in his ability to communicate the complex issues confronting Muslim majority countries

Anwar Ibrahim has been President of the UNESCO World Council, Chairman of the Development Committee of World Bank and International Monetary Fund, Honorary President of AccountAbility and Advisory Board member of the International Crisis Group. He was a Distinguished Visiting Professor and Malaysia Chair at the Alwaleed Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding at Georgetown. He has also taught at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and St. Antony’s College at Oxford, lecturing on issues of governance, democracy and contemporary politics in Southeast Asia.

Abhisit Vejjajiva was Thailand’s 27th Prime Minister at the age of 44. Born in Newcastle, United Kingdom, the Oxford-educated politician had an academic career teaching at Chulachomklao Royal Military Academy before joining politics.

Abhisit held the office of Prime Minister from 2008-2011 with a platform revolving around “Putting People First” and anti-corruption. Among the achievements of Abhisit’s government are free healthcare, higher minimum wage and free education, including textbooks and milk for nursery-school children.

As a former Leader of the Democrat Party, Thailand’s oldest political party, Abhisit is a seasoned politician with 3 decades of experience.

During his term of office, the world was in the middle of an economic turmoil, and there were many domestic political tensions in Thailand at that time. Despite these challenges, the Abhisit Government was credited with effective economic policies and bringing Thailand to a stable and sound financial standing through stimulus packages, that were on track and on time, and investing not just in jobs, but also in increasing the competitiveness of the economy. Moreover, the economy was strengthened through the increasing of the country’s foreign reserves, reducing debt-to-GDP ratio, lowering unemployment rate, and protecting consumers from fluctuating oil prices.

Thailand chaired the regional grouping ASEAN in 2009 amidst the color-coded political conflicts in the country, when Abhisit was Prime Minister. Prime Minister Abhisit has been held in high regard internationally, and he represented ASEAN at the G-20 Leaders’ Summit in Pittsburg, USA in 2009.

Abhisit resigned as Member of Parliament and Democrat Party leader, following the 2019 elections, and remains active in Thai politics, including on the widely supported call for the amendment of the 2017 Constitution.

From 1988 to 2011, George Yeo served for 23 years in the Singapore Government, as Minister of State for Finance, then as Minister for Information and the Arts, Health, Trade and Industry, and Foreign Affairs. He is a well-respected former statesman in Singapore and the region, and was instrumental in driving many policies and development during his service in the Singapore government. He was also responsible to drive a number of Free Trade Agreements for Singapore during his tenure as the Minister of Trade and Industry. Prior to 1988, Yeo served in various capacities in the Singapore Army, Republic of Singapore Air Force and Defence Ministry, including Chief-of-Staff of the Air Staff and Director of Joint Operations and Planning in the Defence Ministry, attaining the rank of Brigadier-General.

Yeo was the Chairman of the Kerry Logistics Network from August 2012 to June 2019. He became an Executive Director of the Kerry Logistics Network in November 2013. He has been a director of Kerry Holdings Limited (a subsidiary of Kerry Group Limited, which is a controlling shareholder of the Company) since July 2016. Kerry Logistics, a member of the Kuok Group of companies, is one of Asia's largest integrated logistics companies, with over 40,000 employees and over 10,000 operating vehicles in 52 countries.

Yeo was a member of the Mentor Group and Governing Board of Nalanda University and became its Second Chancellor until November 2016. Yeo is a member of the Berggruen Institute on Governance, the Harvard Business School Board of Dean’s Advisors, the International Advisory Board of IESE Business School, the International Advisory Panel of Peking University, the International Advisory Council of Eco Forum Global Guiyang, the Economic Development Commission of Hong Kong, the International Advisory Committee of National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies and the International Advisory Committee of Mitsubishi Corporation.

Yeo is a strategic non-business advisor to Sea Limited (a company listed on the New York Stock Exchange) and a senior advisor to Brunswick Group for its geopolitical initiative. He became an independent director of Pinduoduo Inc. from its listing on NASDAQ in July 2018. He had served as a non-independent non-executive director of Wilmar International Limited (a company listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange) from November 2014 to December 2017.
Yeo was awarded Philippines’ Order of Sikatuna, India’s Padma Bhushan and Australia’s Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia.

Yeo graduated from Cambridge University with a double first in engineering in 1976 and also obtained a Master of Business Administration degree (Baker Scholar) from Harvard Business School in 1985. Yeo is a visiting scholar at Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy of National University of Singapore.

Ho Kwon Ping is Executive Chairman of Banyan Tree Holdings, which owns both listed and private companies engaged in the development, ownership and operation of hotels, resorts, spas, residential homes, retail galleries and other lifestyle activities around the world.

Born in 1952, Ho Kwon Ping was educated in Tunghai University, Taiwan; Stanford University, California and the University of Singapore. He worked as a broadcast and financial journalist and was the Economics Editor of the Far Eastern Economic Review. He joined the family business in 1981. In 1994, after the success of rehabilitating an abandoned tin mine into Laguna Phuket, Asia’s first integrated resort, he launched Banyan Tree Hotels and Resorts. Banyan Tree manages more than 38 hotels and resorts, over 70 spas and 80 retail galleries, as well as three golf courses.

In May 2000, Mr. Ho was conferred an honorary doctorate by Johnson & Wales University, and later received the London Business School 2005 Entrepreneurship Award. In 2008, he was named CEO of the Year at the Singapore Corporate Awards. In 2009, he was the recipient of the Hospitality Lifetime Achievement Award at the China Hotel Investment Summit in Shanghai. As Chairman of Singapore Management University (SMU), Mr. Ho was awarded the Singapore Government’s Meritorious Service Medal for his contribution in the founding of SMU.

In 2010, he became the first Asian to receive the ACA (American Creativity Association) Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition of his creativity and innovation in various spheres of endeavour. In 2012, Mr. Ho was awarded with CNBC's Travel Business Leader Award Asia Pacific 2012, in addition to being named to the board of Diageo, a British multinational. In 2015, he published his first book The Ocean in a Drop a part-autobiography and part-lecture under the IPS-Lecture Series by Sixth President of Republic of Singapore Mr S R Nathan and was also conferred the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Business Administration by Hong Kong PolyU.