Current Speakers APAC

Rex Lam bridges the gap between startup culture and corporate innovation. He began his career in marketing agencies, then pivoted to broader innovation roles in startups, eventually finding a unique intersection point driving innovation and growth for large corporations. Currently, he leads the product proposition and ecosystem for Asia at Manulife, focusing on creating personalized, data-enabled customer propositions of insurance within an ecosystem of value-added services, powered by health and technology partners.

His leadership experience encompasses product, marketing, and technology, with a global track record in new market expansion, product launches, growth marketing, emerging technologies, platforms, and digital transformation. He has demonstrated an impressive capacity for end-to-end management across these domains.

Innovation is more about people than technology. To highlight the human aspect of innovation, he has published thought leadership pieces under the theme “Triumph Beyond Trials”, sharing past failures to foster collective success.

Karim is a renowned figure in the blockchain and fintech landscape, currently serving under FinTech and blockchain advisory for KPMG – Singapore. With roots in banking and derivatives, he transitioned into the fintech sector in 2015. Over eight years, Karim demonstrated a strong commitment to innovation and growth, setting up and managing ventures across Singapore, the Philippines, Australia, and the UK.

Recognized as one of the top 100 Fintech influencers globally by Onalytica, Karim’s influence reaches far beyond his professional endeavors. He regularly shares his expertise in interviews on BTCN.tv and at various events across South-East Asia and Europe. His production, “Broken Chains”, a documentary addressing race, inequality, and their economic impacts, underscores his advocacy for social justice. Fluent in English, French, and German, Karim’s voice resonates in the global fintech community.

Akash is a seasoned technology leader and a technology evangelist for the future of banking. With close to 20 years of experience, he currently serves as the Managing Director at OCBC Group Technology and Operations. His strategic leadership spans managing regional development teams, overseeing digital transformations, and managing multi-million dollar IT projects with emerging technologies. Guiding a high-performing team of over 300+ developers, Akash’s proficiency extends across technical, functional, and operational areas, including delivery, integration, API, and web services implementation. His visionary leadership has been crucial in transforming the IT landscape and delivering Core Digital Platforms for OCBC.

Under his leadership, the team has achieved many significant milestones, such as launching the first API Platform for OCBC Bank in Southeast Asia and introducing the bank’s first Microservices via a Cloud Native Container Platform. Despite being in the technology sector, Akash’s immense knowledge of banking operations and business, accumulated over the years, adds a unique depth to his profile. This blend of technical acumen, banking expertise, and robust leadership skills has positioned him as a significant and distinctive figure in the banking and technology sector.

In his role with Maybank, Fong Tuan leads people strategy, practices and policies to accelerate a transformative, purpose-driven workforce. He is a Chartered Fellow of
CIPD, UK and a qualified professional engineer, holding a first class honours degree in Electrical & Electronic Engineering, an MBA in Organizational Behaviour and a
CFA. He is currently a Doctoral candidate researching on the reliability of quantitative correlation between psychometric traits with success profiles.

He started his career with Tenaga Nasional, Malaysia’s power utility company, where he was a scholar, subsequently leading and holding senior HR leadership roles for global MNCs and blue-chip corporations: Coca Cola, OCBC, Watson Wyatt, British American Tobacco, Maybank Group, B. Braun, Samsung and most recently, he
headed HR for one of Malaysia’s largest and most diverse consumer group – Berjaya Corporation. Fong Tuan has been personally recognized regionally including HR
Icon 2023 -100 Top HR Leaders in South East Asia, 40 Most Influential HR Leaders in Southeast Asia 2022 and HRM Asia Watchlist 2018

Mr. Nguyen Huu Quang, CEO of Digital Bank Cake, has 20 years of experience in the field of fintech, banking and finance and has a deep understanding of financial technology models, digital banking and financial services. Previously, he served as CEO of fintech company Trusting Social Vietnam, Deputy CEO of MSB and Business Development Director of Visa Inc. in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos.

Passionate about technology driven businesses and applications in areas of social sharing, cloud services, web and mobile. Experienced in managing corporate scale projects to improve end user experience, drive business growth and profits. Rich know-how and knowledge of business frameworks, software and technology.

Winner of the Group Operations & Technology Global Innovation Competition for the most innovative idea on Gamification

Board Member of HKUST – DDP Program, Industrial Advisory Board (http://www.ust.hk/) and Singapore International Chamber of Commerce Digitisation Committee

World-class University in Hong Kong and Asia|HKUST
http://www.ust.hk

Product leader in Transaction Banking space, in both global and regional settings. Global industry leader in ISO 20022 standards for payments and cash management.

Has delivered cash management product propositions in a wide variety of markets, including digital channels, all types of payments and liquidity & account management, with strong commercial track record. Also responsible for launching digital regional supply chain finance and receivables finance solutions.

Murli joined Standard Chartered in January 2020 and currently holds the position the Global Head of Affluent segments propositions, RM and Branch Management at Standard Chartered.

Murli joined Standard Chartered from HSBC Hong Kong where since 2017, he was the Head of HSBC Premier and Jade. Prior to that he was at Citi Singapore as Asia Region Head, Citigold Private Clients. He has broad Asia retail banking and Private client experience, having launched HSBC Jade, Citigold Private Client and worked on Citigold strategy.

He started his career with various roles in Citibank USA after an MBA from The University of Chicago, Booth School of Business.

Thought leader with a proven track record in leading large scale transformation programs, new product launches, platform buildout and digitization. High passion individual who creates result driven culture through stakeholder buy in and people engagement.

Key Highlights:

– Digital Transformation: Led complex transformations and transitioning existing manual to digital operations.
– Leadership: Ran large scale multi-cultural diverse operations team handling multiple products.
– Greenfield Processes: Built green field end-to-end digital client journey.
– Regulatory Compliance: Client journey, process, systems and delivery lead for multiple regulatory programmes.
– Process Standardization: Written global process standards which have been implemented across 30 markets.
– Risk Management: Conceptualized and implemented automated client life cycle solutions ranging across account opening, transaction processing, and settlement to corporate action.
– Integration: Instrumental in planning and execution of banks operation and technology integration with the bought identity.

Core Competencies:

– Applying design-thinking methodology translating into best-in-class client centric deliverables.
– Implementing ingenious strategic initiatives for surmounting business challenges.
– Providing analytical and innovative guidance from conceptualization to implementation as part of constant improvement.
– Deep understanding of client journeys, business models and new age banking operations.
– Experienced in drawing-up organizational structures, business alignment, credit, risk management, governance, client due diligence, underwriting, coaching team members and use of new age technology.

Coming Soon…