Past Speakers APAC

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

Arvid Swartsenburg is a senior banker with over two decades experience as a financial services practitioner and consultant across Europe, US, Africa and Asia.

Arvid currently is Head of Digital Strategy & Transformation for UOB where he sup[ports the wider banks’ vision to build the future of ASEAN leveraging digital to disrupt the conventional banking model.

From 2010 to 2020, Arvid was a Principal at Arete Financial Partners, a boutique Management Consultancy focused on supporting financial services clients manage change. In this role, Arvid led a wide range of complex projects across Asia and Africa focused on Strategy, O&T, digital transformation, risk management and M&A.

Debra Burford is a highly accomplished and visionary insurance professional, known for her exceptional leadership and unwavering commitment to delivering outstanding insurance solutions to the market. As the Chief Underwriting Officer for the Asia-Pacific region at Zurich Insurance Company Ltd, she brings a wealth of expertise and a track record of success.

With her diverse and inclusive team, Debra is at the forefront of integrating sustainability into the core of their business operations. She is passionate about forging strategic partnerships with customers and the wider community, driving positive change and creating a more sustainable future. Debra’s innovative mindset and forward-thinking approach have positioned her as a trusted thought leader in the industry.

Recognizing the often overlooked value of insurance in the digital ecosystem, Debra has emerged as a passionate advocate for its crucial role in society. She understands that insurance is not just an afterthought but an essential pillar of security and protection. Her remarkable achievements and deep understanding of the industry have shaped her into a respected authority, redefining the perception of insurance and promoting its undeniable significance.

Through her remarkable leadership and unwavering dedication, Debra Burford is revolutionizing the insurance landscape, fostering resilience, and empowering individuals and businesses to thrive in an ever-changing world. Her contributions are driving meaningful impact and shaping a more secure and prosperous future for us all.

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.

Kanishk is a seasoned professional with a proven track record of over 10+ years in driving business growth, maximizing profits, and leading successful start-ups within the banking industry. With expertise in devising global strategies, directing product portfolios, and gaining market share, hehas consistently delivered impactful results.

As a visionary leader, Kanishk excels in setting strategic visions and driving executive teams towards achieving them. With a keen eye for emerging technology trends and a knack for identifying gaps within the banking space, he has conceptualized and delivered innovative products that meet evolving customer needs.

Transformation is at the core of Kanishk’s expertise, having led multiple large-scale implementations through agile methodologies. Notably, he spearheaded the creation of Neo Digital Bank, championed open banking initiatives, and facilitated embedded finance solutions by bringing together industry players and technology partners. Additionally, he played a pivotal role in establishing real-time payments in different markets.

Throughout his career, Kanishk has been recognized for his exceptional technical proficiency, interpersonal skills, and effective communication. He maintains a strong work ethic that prioritizes operational excellence and embraces a positive attitude. His decision-making is rooted in data analysis, carefully weighing facts, and leveraging the most relevant information.

With Kanishk’s extensive experience and expertise, he is a sought-after speaker who brings valuable insights into driving digital transformation and achieving growth within the banking sector.

Paddy (Padmanabh) Padiyar currently serves as the Executive Director and Head of Transformation (Group Data Office) at OCBC Bank, Singapore. His extensive expertise in Data and Analytics catalyses strategic transformation initiatives that pave the way for monetisation, risk reduction, and productivity enhancement, fostering the Bank’s evolution in an increasingly digital landscape. His role involves enhancing data-driven decision-making and fostering a culture of innovation, enabling OCBC Bank to offer cutting-edge financial solutions to its customers.

Before joining OCBC Bank, Paddy was the Head – Strategy and Performance (Group Digital) at Petronas, Malaysia and Data and Analytics Practice Leader at IBM Client Innovation Centre, Malaysia. Parallel to his corporate role, he also wears the hat of a Business Coach with the prestigious Asia School of Business (in association with MIT Sloan, Cambridge and Bank Negara, Malaysia). In this role, He has the privilege of guiding MBA students by providing industry perspectives to students on projects where they navigate real-world business challenges at host companies.

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.

Meital is a highly experienced executive with more than 23 years of expertise in Fintech and Financial Services. Recently, she founded MERA – a consulting firm that specializes in growth and innovation strategies and joined Amdocs in its new endeavor of shaping the future of the Financial Services industry. Throughout her career, Meital has held significant leadership positions, including General Manager and Deputy CEO of a European Digital Bank for Business, CEO of a startup company, EVP at Bank Hapoalim, where she was responsible for digital strategy, innovation lab, open banking, and fintech. Meital also served as Executive Director and leader of the fintech and innovation practice at KPMG Israel, and Chief Digital Officer (CDO) of Bank Leumi, where she oversaw all digital channels. What sets Meital apart is her unique blend of technology and business experience, acquired from working in both startup environments and large financial corporations. This diverse background gives her a broad vision and effectively leverages the vast knowledge accumulated throughout Meital’s career. Additionally, Meital is a board member of the Israeli Fintech Community and several startups. Moreover, she mentors startups and teaches at the academy. Meital’s guiding principle is maintaining a proactive, creative, and visionary approach without compromising professionalism.

Carolyn Chin-Parry is the Digital Innovation Leader at PwC Singapore, where she guides valued clients to achieve their innovation and transformation goals. She had previously led PwC’s Asia Pacific Digital Upskilling Initiative across 17 countries. Carolyn has been recently recognised as the 40-over-40s Inspiring Women Singapore. She is the award winner for the Asia Business Role Model of the Year 2020 and previously recognised as the IT Women of the Year for Asia in 2019. She sits on the Advisory Boards for the NUS Centre on AI Technology for Humankind, Australian Institute of Company Directors, CPA Australia Digital Committee, AustCham Singapore Digital Committee, She Loves Data (non-profit) and EGN. Carolyn is a former Chief Digital Officer and has led some of the largest transformation projects in Asia Pacific for multiple industries. She has been previously featured by The Economist, CIO Magazine, Channel News Asia, Money Mind, the Singapore, Indonesian and Australian governments, and many Fortune 500 companies. In her free time, Carolyn enjoys time with her young family and actively champions digital inclusion for under-represented communities.

Dr Rafał Kowalski is a Head of Cloud for Big Data, Analytics & AI at DBS. His professional career, as well as scientific work, is related to delivering robust, scalable cloud-based applications for analytical, AI and big data. His experience spans over various industries including finance, banking, insurance and automotive. He is a huge fan of data processing and agent-based modeling of financial markets. Rafal spoke on plenty of tech and science conferences (e.g., KubeCon 2019, DevOps Jenkins World 2019, Geecon 2019, Conference on Complex Systems 2018, Cloud Expo 2017, WEHIA 2016).

Chee Seng is the Vice President and Head of Omnichannel, Digital Business, Income Insurance. He was also the General Manager of Income Insurance’s first corporate venture from 2021 to 2022. He leads his team in transforming the distribution model for life insurance products, developing new digital tools and tech capabilities that integrates the business with digital ecosystems to drive a new line of online-to-offline omnichannel business.

His and his team’s learnings and insights were recently published in a Whitepaper entitled “Omnichannel in Insurance – Successfully turning digital leads into high value sales”

Passionate about driving transformation, Chee Seng brings together more than 15 years of experience in business development, strategy, project management, change management and HR, and was fully involved in enabling innovations within the NTUC Group of Social Enterprises prior to joining Income Insurance.

Chee Seng graduated with a MSc in Innovation from Singapore Management University (SMU) while being one of the Singaporean pioneers to graduate from Fudan University with a bachelor’s degree in Economics

Dr. Tsougenis is a highly experienced full-stack A.I. specialist with over a decade of experience in the field. He has held various positions ranging from machine learning and product development to management and governance. His diverse background allows him to effectively bridge the gap between A.I. engineers, C-level executives, and academics, while promoting innovation and embracing agile transformation. Following the completion of his PhD in 2013, he has been involved in numerous AI projects across several domains, including financial services, healthcare, and smart city. Additionally, he has published several deep learning articles in top conferences and journals, and currently serves as an Honorary Lecturer for HKU.

Koot Chiew Ling (“Chiew Ling”) joined the Company on 10 February 2014, and she is currently the Principal Officer of Tune Protect Ventures (also known as Tune Protect Life), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Company and an approved participant of the BNM Financial Technology Regulatory sandbox. In this start-up, she leads a young team in addressing the life and medical insurance gaps and needs of the unserved and underserved community starting with SMEs, through innovative and tech-enabled products and services. Chiew Ling is also responsible in promoting the Tune Protect Life brand and its growth story. She is also a Director of Tune Protect Ventures. With more than 20 years of experience in business development, product development, project management, corporate planning, investor relations, and communications, she had served in local and regional capacities in major financial services institutions such as CIMB, Etiqa and AIG. Chiew Ling is a graduate of Curtin University of Technology, Australia with a bachelor’s degree in Commerce, is a certified ScrumMaster and certified Integrated Reporting Practitioner by the International Integrated Reporting Council.

Andeed Ma is a prominent figure in the field of risk management and enterprise governance. As the President and Chairperson of the Governing Council at the Risk and Insurance Management Association of Singapore (RIMAS), he has been instrumental in advancing the discipline and practice of risk management. With over 13 years of experience in this role, Andeed has demonstrated exceptional thought leadership in various areas, including Enterprise Risk Management for Digital Technologies, Artificial Intelligence Risk, Risk Mindset in Innovation, and Cybersecurity Risk.

His journey in RIMAS has been marked by significant contributions and achievements. He was elected as the President of RIMAS in February 2020 and previously served as the Honorary Secretary. He also chaired the IT Committee and has been a member of the Governing Council since 2014. Under his leadership, RIMAS has established 10 resiliency transformational chapters, further strengthening the association’s impact and reach.

Beyond his role in RIMAS, Andeed is an advocate for knowledge sharing and education. He actively engages in mentoring and exchanging knowledge with others, always keeping his door open to those eager to learn. With a Graduate Diploma in IT Services (Database Management), he possesses a deep passion for understanding information and transforming databases into actionable insights. As a business advisor to two AI/ML start-ups in the chatbot and real estate search engine domains, he contributes his expertise to the advancement of these cutting-edge technologies.

In addition to his work in risk management, He is an active contributor to the field of AI governance. He serves as the leader of the AI-Risk Chapter at RIMAS, where he mentors and guides students and members in conducting research related to risk management for AI and AI for Risk Management. The research areas under his guidance encompass a wide range of topics, including Explainable AI, Blockchain and AI Risk Management, Ethical AI, Trustworthy AI, and more.

Building cyber resilience with technology and risk maturity, whilst distilling the hype surrounding Zero Trust, Cloud, Crypto, Blockchain, Web 3.0, Metaverse, AR/VR, AI/ML, etc.

Twenty years of experience, directing cyber, technology, operations and risk maturity in global financial institutions, telecoms and government agencies, both as an external strategic security advisor and a senior member of internal management teams. Led global and diverse teams. Developed strategies and papers for risk committees and Board of Directors for protection against cyberattacks.

Delivered lectures on cyber strategy, risk and AI at universities. Keen sense of the global implications of the developments in emerging technologies, in an ever-changing threat landscape accelerated by cyber- crime, espionage, terrorism and warfare.

Joanne Flinn is a renowned sustainability strategist and business mentor with a passion for driving impactful change. As the Chair of the Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) Institute, she collaborates with global leaders to develop and implement sustainable strategies. Jane’s expertise extends to addressing nine critical challenges for achieving credibility and value in sustainability initiatives.

With a successful track record mentoring highly accomplished leaders, Jane understands the importance of balancing financial success with meaning. Her impressive accomplishments include delivering billion-dollar projects, advising NGOs recognized by the World Health Organization, and receiving praise for her work on global impact and sustainability strategies.

Joanne’s extensive international experience, including living on four continents and being trained at Oxford, brings a diverse cultural perspective to her work. She has held leadership roles in prominent organizations, including serving on the IT Executive Committee at DBS, one of Asia’s largest banks.

Having weathered crises and revolutions, Joanne has developed a formula for keeping leaders calm, productive, and focused in times of ambiguity and complexity. She specializes in helping high-performing teams make better decisions to future-proof their organizations and sustainably grow revenue.

Danny uses Business Excellence Framework to help establish the project scope and narrow down to zoom in to the most needed areas of concern to plan and complete many management consulting projects, including Business Transformation (Organizational Transformation, Business Process Transformation, Management Transformation, Information, Data or Digital Transformation, and Cultural Transformation), Branding, Marketing, Franchising, Business Strategy Innovation, Human Capital Development, Financial Management, and process automation.

As a strong believer in Business Excellence and an avid lifelong learner with wide interests and certifications in many areas including data science, cloud computing, blockchain, cybersecurity, neuroscience, nutrition, exercise science, and many others, Danny helps business owners to take a HOLISTIC approach in their Business Transformation process towards excellence.