AVCJ Private Equity & Venture Forum Southeast Asia 2023
The Westin Singapore and Online
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Ms Poh was appointed Managing Director of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) on 4 October 2021. She was previously Deputy Secretary in the Prime Minister’s Office Strategy Group, which leads and organises the Public Service to develop and implement the strategic priorities of the Government. She also oversaw the National Population and Talent Division and the Centre for Strategic Futures.
Ms Poh was the founding Chief Executive of the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech), and was previously the Managing Director of the Infocommunications Development Authority (IDA). She has also held key positions in the Ministry of Manpower, the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Defence.
Ms Poh is an alumnus of Oxford, Cambridge, INSEAD (MBA) and Stanford. She has three teenagers and more patience than before she had them. She currently sits on the Boards of SingHealth, the Singapore Institute of Technology and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research. She is the Chairperson of the DesignSingapore Advisory Board and is a member of the Young Presidents’ Organisation.
Brent is a Managing Director and Head of Real Assets based in the firm’s Portland office, where he is an Investment Committee member and leads the firm’s investment activities across real estate, infrastructure and natural resources.
Prior to joining Hamilton Lane, Brent was a Managing Director and Principal of Real Asset Portfolio Management LLC. Brent joined Real Asset Portfolio Management LLC in 2012 to focus on energy, infrastructure, and minerals and mining, with a secondary focus on real estate investments. Brent co-led the sale of Real Asset Portfolio Management to Hamilton Lane in 2017 and continues to focus on the non-real estate sectors of real assets across primary funds, secondaries and direct equity opportunities for Hamilton Lane’s clients and managed accounts. Prior to joining RAPM, Brent worked at R.V. Kuhns & Associates. Prior to joining RVK, Brent worked in the Development and Investment group of Trammell Crow Company and as an Associate on FLAG Capital Management’s Real Assets investment funds. Brent began his career as a management consultant for the Monitor Group.
Brent graduated from Brigham Young University with a BS in Accounting and a BA in Economics.
Valerie is Assistant VP, Venture Capital at EDB New Ventures, the early-stage venture capital investment and corporate venture building arm of the Economic Development Board (EDB). EDB New Ventures invests across sectors, including in climate and agrifood opportunities. She leads the team’s investments into sustainability and partnerships with corporates that are building new venture spinouts in this domain. Valerie also spends her time working with portfolio companies to accelerate the growth of their ventures and provide value creation support.
Prior to this, Valerie was EDB’s Regional Director for East Americas, based out of New York City. She led engagements with American multinational corporations and high growth startups expanding into new markets in Asia. She has also overseen the technology sector, with a focus on internet and software, while at EDB’s Infocomms and Media division. She was involved in Singapore’s efforts to develop a data analytics ecosystem, through programs for talent development and research.
Valerie holds a master’s degree in Management Science and Engineering from Stanford University and bachelor’s degree in Economics from the London School of Economics.
Stefano Ghezzi joined OTPP in 2017 and is member of the Infrastructure and Natural Resources team based in Singapore covering the infrastructure and renewable sectors across Asia Pacific. During his time at OTPP Stefano has been involved in investments globally including the recent acquisitions of Caruna Networks, SGI and IDEAL, amongst others. Prior to joining Ontario Teachers', Stefano worked in the infrastructure and energy group at Citigroup and in derivatives trading at Commerzbank in London.
Stefano holds a M.Sc. in Finance from Warwick Business School and a B.Sc. in Economics from Universita' Cattolica del Sacro Cuore in Milan.
Dominic Goh joined HarbourVest in 2012 and focuses on secondary investments. This includes analyzing, structuring, and monitoring a wide range of secondary transaction types.
Dominic was previously at Coller Capital, where he evaluated secondary opportunities and contributed to deal sourcing and fundraising efforts in Asia. Prior to that, he was an investment banking associate at ABN AMRO London in the Financial Institutions Group.
Dominic received a BSc (first class honours) in Accounting & Finance from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 2005. Dominic is fluent in Mandarin.
Jonathan supports the Primary Investment Team in all aspects of the investment decision-making process, including business due diligence, industry review, document negotiation, and portfolio management.
Prior to joining Adams Street, he worked at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP as an Associate within the M&A Advisory Group. He was part of the Deals Advisory Cross Experience (ACE) program which seeks to provide broad-based learning and holistic exposure to the entire deal spectrum.
Aradhna Dayal runs her family office Regal Ford Asia, based in Hong Kong, with investments in real estate, tech and alternative investment funds. As the fourth-generation family member of a large landowning family in India, Aradhna is amongst the first female family office CIOs in Greater China.
The family office combines Impact with returns and has been a pioneer in Asian Hedge Funds, PE and VC funds investing as far back as late 1990s. Aradhna Dayal is also the founder of Access Alts Asia, a Hong Kong-based investment club that aims to bring global families and business leaders to invest in alternative assets across borders.
Aradhna is also passionate about philanthropy and building an inclusive society amidst the current global social upheaval. Along with her children, she runs Move4Migrants to empower the ethnic minority and migrant communities of Hong Kong. Aradhna also advocates for Women in Boardrooms and education for all. In 2020, she was invited by The Milken Institute to lead a discussion on Asia and Future Women Leaders. In 2021, she received the prestigious AmCham Woman of Influence award.
Aradhna has read Global Strategic Business at Harvard Business School. She is an avid hiker and proud mother of two feisty, independent-minded teenagers, enjoying her free time sparring with them.
Ben Hart is a Partner and Head of Investor Relations (Asia) at Adams Street Partners, where he focuses on the firm’s institutional and private wealth relationships across the region. Ben is a 25-year Asia resident with over 20 years’ experience in the venture-backed tech and private equity markets.
Prior to joining Adams Street, Ben worked at Swiss-based private equity firm Capital Dynamics, where he served as Managing Director and COO, Asia, overseeing the firm’s business development efforts in Asia and North America.
Before joining Capital Dynamics, Ben spent over a decade working with VC and PE-backed tech firms in China and across Asia on their market development strategies. He served as Managing Director, Asia, at Aircom International, and also held senior positions at Convergys Corporation, Alliance Digital, Inc., and the JM Network.
Education:
University of Colorado, BBA
Investment/operational experience: 21 years
Languages: English, Mandarin Chinese
Kif Ho has over 15 years of investing experience over multiple asset classes, and is passionate about venture capital, hedge funds and long-term multi-asset investing. He is a quantitative asset allocation expert who has studied extensively on competing asset allocation frameworks (Traditional stock/bond, Endowment, Risk Parity & Alternative Risk Premia) and develops industry-leading ex-ante risk tools, asset-liability framework, strategic asset allocation framework for managing multi-asset portfolio including iliquids & private investments. He strives to incorporate the latest quantitative techniques to improve overall asset allocation decisions, risk premium extraction and risk-adjusted outcomes to create the most modern & sophisticated endowment model in Asia.
Victor Jung is a Managing Director and Head of Digital Assets based in Zug where he leads technology and digital initiatives in relation to products, assets, clients, distribution channels, and applying diverse technologies.
Prior joining Hamilton Lane, Victor was Head of Liquid Private Markets and Distribution Partners APAC and Head of Client Solutions Southeast Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan for Partners Group based in Singapore. Victor started his career at KB Asset Management as an investment manager in the Alternative Investment Division. Victor is a thought leader in the fintech/wealth tech industry having led market’s first digitized private markets solutions via partnerships with leading fintechs throughout his career.
Victor holds a B.A. in Politics and International Relations from Korea University. He is a Certified Commercial Investment Member (CCIM).
Geoff joined Khazanah in September 2021 after spending over 30 years in various roles in the finance and investments industries in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. He was previously a partner at Hendale Capital, Head of Principal Investments at Korea Development Bank Asia, Head of Asian Investments at HSBC Alternative Proprietary Investments and Managing Director and co-founder of Myo Capital Special Situations Fund.
Prior to moving to the buy-side, he spent nearly a decade in investment banking, latterly as a Director of Telecommunication, Media and Technology and founding member of the Mergers & Acquisitions team at HSBC Investment Bank Asia.
Geoff is a UK Fellow Chartered Accountant and a graduate of the University of Manchester.
Golden Vision Capital (Singapore) is a new Single Family Office set up in Aug 2021 to make PE and VC direct investments in Southeast Asia, leveraging on the family and team’s strong business connections in the region. It also invests in leading PE Funds, and co-invests alongside them. Its CEO Sean Low, CFA is an industry veteran with 25 years of deal sourcing, investment and business development experience, including 17 years in the PE & Infrastructure department of GIC, Singapore's SWF, where he helps to oversee GIC's PE, Infra, Private Debt & VC investments in US, Europe and Asia at different times, and took part in some of GIC’s landmark deals in each region. He played a leading role in expanding GIC’s private debt program, and last served as an active member in GIC Credit Business group which help review GIC’s overall credit investment strategy across public and private markets. Sean was also senior advisor to Yangzijiang Financial Holdings Limited (ww.YZJFIN.com), an investment management Firm listed on SGX with NAV in excess S$4b. He advised its Investment Committee on PE and Private Credit portfolio construction, funds and deals selection and risk management.
Sean began his career in Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), after he was awarded the EDB Scholarship in 1993. He served first as Assistant Head of InfoComms & Media group, and then as Director of Chicago Centre. Sean currently chairs the Investment Committee at CFA Singapore, and was elected the Treasurer of Singapore's VC & PE Association in 2021. He graduated from Trinity College, University of Cambridge with BA (1st Class Honours), MA and M Eng. (Honours). He completed National Service in Singapore as a commander of a Brigade Reconnaissance Team in the Singapore Army.
Shirley Ma is a Senior Portfolio Manager in the Private Equity team of APG Asset Management, based in Hong Kong. She leads APG’s Private Equity efforts in Asia Pacific.
Prior to joining APG, Shirley was a Director of Private Equity Asia at MetLife. She was a member of the Alternative Investments Unit investment committee and represented MetLife on a number of fund advisory boards. Before relocating to Hong Kong in 2014, Shirley spent seven years in London with MetLife where she focused on sourcing, selection, implementation and monitoring for private equity fund investments in Asia and Europe. Prior to MetLife, Shirley was an auditor in PricewaterhouseCoopers in London and Ernst & Young in Hong Kong.
Shirley holds a master’s degree in International Banking from the University of Birmingham and a bachelor’s degree in Surveying from the University of Hong Kong. She is also a CPA and a CFA charterholder.
Rajeev Natarajan is the Managing Director and Head of Asia Pacific for ICONIQ Capital, a privately-held investment firm that serves some of the world’s most influential families and organizations. Prior to ICONIQ, Rajeev spent nine years within the Investment Management and Securities Divisions of Goldman Sachs, across the London, Sydney, and Singaporeoffices. He also spent two years in a raw material and commodity trading business in Hong Kong and four years as a Management Consultant with Accenture in their Melbourne and Atlanta offices. Rajeev holds a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Arts from Monash University and a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from London Business School.
Saima Rehman is responsible for leading investments in private equity and venture capital funds, and managing portfolio in the East Asia Pacific region. Before joining the Funds group, her experience covered principal investments, syndications and structured finance covering South Asia with IFC and prior to that with IDLC Bangladesh. She has an MBA from INSEAD.
Sam Robinson is Managing Partner of North-East Private Equity Asia, which focuses on Asia private equity funds. Mr. Robinson is based in Singapore and has worked in private equity since 1998, initially joining Schroder Ventures in the UK. In 2001, he was one of the founder members of SVG Advisers, a fund of funds business, where he managed the global investment team. SVG Advisers was acquired by Aberdeen Asset Management in 2013, whereupon Mr. Robinson became Head of Asia Private Equity Fund Investment until his departure in 2015.
Ruchira Shukla is the South Asia Regional Lead for Disruptive Technology Investments at the International Finance Corporation, World Bank Group. She oversees IFC’s investments in early stage technology businesses as well as VC Funds, and represents IFC on the boards of several startups. She has over 25 years of experience across venture capital and private equity investing, strategy consulting, and investment banking across Asia, US and Europe. Her sector focus spans consumer internet, B2B eCommerce, healthcare technology, edutech, elogistics and emerging technologies.
Ruchira studied at IIT Delhi and IIM Ahmedabad in India. She also graduated as Palmer Scholar from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania and is a Chartered Financial Analyst.
William is an Investment Principal responsible for origination and execution and is based in the firm’s Hong Kong office.
Prior to joining Coller Capital in 2011, William was a Financial Accountant at Thames Water.
William has a BA (Hons) from the University of Manchester, an MSc in Finance from London Business School, and an MBA from the University of Oxford. He is a Chartered Management Accountant.
Gaurav Ahuja is a Managing Director with ChrysCapital and has been with the firm since 2004. He is responsible for the LP Relations and Fund Raising functions at ChrysCapital. Mr. Ahuja is a member of the Investment Committee and sits on the board of Infogain, ChrysCapital’s IT Services portfolio company. Prior to joining ChrysCapital, he was in the M&A group at Lazard Freres in San Francisco and Merrill Lynch in New York.
Mr. Ahuja received an MBA from INSEAD and a Bachelor’s degree in Commerce and Economics from the University of Virginia.
Cate Ambrose is CEO and Board Member of the Global Private Capital Association (formerly EMPEA), the global industry association for private capital investors across Asia, Latin America, Africa, Central & Eastern Europe and the Middle East. Members include 300+ fund and institutional investors including private equity, growth equity, venture capital, private credit, real assets, pension plans and sovereign wealth funds, who manage more than USD2 trillion in assets across 130 countries.
Cate is a Steering Committee Member of the United Nations Institutional Investor Partnership for Sustainable Development (IIPSD) and holds board seats at the Association for Private Capital Investment in Latin America (LAVCA) and Girls Write Now, a non-profit that mentors underserved young women in New York City.
Sachin Bhanot leads investment efforts in Southeast Asia for Prosus Ventures, based in Singapore. Prior to joining Prosus, Sachin was a member of the investment team at B Capital Group, where he focused on venture investments in Southeast Asia across a range of sectors including consumer & retail, logistics, education, and more. Before that, he was an investment professional at the Abraaj Group and spent time as an analyst at Credit Suisse and the KRA Group. Sachin received a Masters of Engineering in Engineering Science at the University of Oxford.
At Navis, Mr Bloy leads investment teams in making, monitoring and exiting investments, sits on Navis’ Investment Committee and sits on the boards and/or executive committees of several Navis portfolio companies.
Prior to co-founding Navis, Mr Bloy worked at Boston Consulting Group in Asia from 1989 to 1999 after spending 3 years with Bain & Co. In London.
He holds a BA Hons degree from University College, London and an MBA from INSEAD, France.
Bee Chun heads Baker McKenzie’s Energy, Mining & Infrastructure Practice Group in Asia Pacific and co-heads the Mergers and Acquisitions practice in Singapore. She has worked in Baker McKenzie offices in Hong Kong, Shanghai, Taipei and Beijing. Bee Chun practices mainly in the areas of M&A, venture capital and private equity. She was named as one of China's Top 15 Female Lawyers in 2020 by Asian Legal Business (ALB). She is also consistently recognised as a leading lawyer by IFLR1000 in the areas of mergers and acquisitions, private equity and project finance.
Bee Chun has over 23 years of experience in M&A transactions and has represented buyers and sellers from various industries, including financial institution, healthcare, mining, energy and manufacturing. She has also been actively involved in private equity/venture capital transactions, has substantial experience in fund of funds investments, direct investments and the establishment of funds.
Oi-Yee was appointed CEO of ADDX in March 2022. She has 20 years of capital raising and M&A advisory experience. Before joining ADDX as Chief Commercial Officer in January 2020, Oi-Yee was with UBS for 6 years, and was Head of Investment Banking for UBS Singapore. She joined UBS from Morgan Stanley, where she was Head of Singapore Investment Banking. Prior to Morgan Stanley, she ran the Southeast Asia real estate investment banking franchise for Nomura Singapore. She started her investment banking career with Citigroup, covering Singapore corporate and real estate clients.Between 2006 and 2008, Oi-Yee was Senior Vice President, Strategy and Business Development, for Parkway Holdings, the largest healthcare company in Asia, and helped create the Parkway Life REIT. Oi-Yee graduated from Nanyang Technological University with a Bachelor of Accountancy. She also has a Master of Business Administration from Manchester Business School.
Willson Cuaca is the Co-Founder and Managing Partner at East Ventures, the most active venture capital firm in Southeast Asia. Willson manages both the seed and growth fund at East Ventures, which has invested in 250+ tech companies in Southeast Asia, with a central focus in Indonesia, the largest archipelago in the world.
Under Willson’s leadership, East Ventures captured the early wave of digital transformation in Indonesia by becoming the 1st investor of Indonesia’s unicorns, Tokopedia and Traveloka. East Ventures is also the early backer of many fast-growing companies in Southeast Asia such as Ruangguru, Shopback, Moladin, Sociolla, Xendit, SIRCLO and Waresix and is a shareholder of Grab and Gojek.
Willson was listed in Asia’s Top 100 People Transforming Business in 2020 by Business Insider and named Fortune Indonesia Businessperson of the Year 2022.
Utsav Garg is a Managing Director and Head of the Southeast Asia and Australia Business unit of Alvarez & Marsal. The Alvarez & Marsal businesses includes Private Equity services (CDDs, ODDs, FDDs and post-deal value creation, carveouts and PMI support), Corporate Performance improvement (with high results orientation and interim management services) and Restructuring and Turnarounds.
He brings more than 20 years of experience in large scale transformation programs, focused on sustained growth and profitability improvement across various industries, including consumer goods and retail, telecommunications, information and communications technology (ICT), healthcare, logistics and process industries.
Prior to joining Alvarez and Marsal, Utsav led Kearney’s ASEAN business across four offices of Singapore, KL, Jakarta and Bangkok, expanding the company’s business in the region. Prior to that, he worked with Unilever in sales and brand leadership roles across South Asia and Southeast Asia. Mr. Garg began his career at STMicroelectronics as a Semiconductor Design engineer.
Utsav earned an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad. He is a frequent speaker and fundraiser for charitable giving.
Amit Gupta is a founding Partner of TPG NewQuest based in Singapore and oversees the India and Southeast Asia businesses. Amit has more than 20 years of industry experience.
Prior to co-founding TPG NewQuest, he was a Director at Bank of America Merrill Lynch’s (BAML) Asia Private Equity group where he led the India business and oversaw investments in the energy and financial services sectors across the Asia Pacific region. Amit has also served in other roles in BAML, including Corporate Principal Investments based in Hong Kong and Investment Banking based in Mumbai.
Prior to working at BAML, Amit was a software engineer based in Mumbai and the United States. Amit has an MBA from Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore, where he was placed on the Director’s Merit List for his performance, and an undergraduate degree in electrical engineering from REC Kurukshetra, where he received the University gold medal. Amit is fluent in English and Hindi.
Andrew Harline represents both public and privately-held companies in a wide range of corporate and securities matters, including private financings, mergers and acquisitions and public offerings. He also represents venture capital and private equity funds in connection with financings and other transactions. Andrew is counsel to companies across a broad range of industries and ranging from start-ups to well established companies.
Prior to joining Cooley, Andrew was a corporate associate at a leading law firm in Southern California. Prior to attending law school, he held various positions in the investment and finance industries, including as an equity trader and an investment banking analyst.
While attending Vanderbilt University Law School, he was a member of the Vanderbilt Journal of Entertainment & Technology Law.
Education
Vanderbilt University Law School
JD, 2012
Brigham Young University
BA, 2007
Admissions & Credentials
California
At Openspace Ventures, Jessica leads OSV+, Openspace Ventures' mid-stage growth fund, and is a Director on the Investments team.
She has over 14 years of growth- and late-stage investment and corporate strategy experience across Asia Pacific. Her previous roles include leading the investment team in Southeast Asia for Providence Equity Partners – a global telecommunications, media and technology sector focused private equity fund. More recently, she headed Corporate Strategy & Business Development, APAC, for The Walt Disney Company, where she helmed key strategic initiatives and M&A across the region. Earlier in her career, Jessica worked in the Healthcare Investment Banking and Asia Debt Capital Markets teams at Citigroup.
Jessica holds a BA in Political Science from Barnard College, Columbia University.
Kumber is a Managing Director for Audax Strategic Capital, focused on providing various capital solutions to private equity general partners. Prior to joining Audax in 2022, Kumber was a Managing Director, Head of Americas, for DWS Private Equity and previously worked at Morgan Stanley Alternative Investment Partners, WP Global Partners, and Swiss Re. Kumber’s experience spans private equity secondaries, co-investments and fund commitments, with the majority of investments being made into concentrated and customized secondary transactions. Kumber received a BA from George Washington University and a MSc from the London School of Economics.
Dr. Lanyi is a senior Private Equity professional with 19 years of experience. Based in Singapore, he currently serves as a Managing Director at CDH Investments, where he co-leads CDH's Southeast Asian and global 'Cross-border' investment activities.
Established in 2001, CDH is one of the most well-established alternative assets fund management companies in China, managing close to US$20billion in client assets across different strategies and funds. The firm specializes in investment opportunities in the consumer and healthcare sectors.
Prior to joining CDH, Dr. Lanyi held senior roles at Mekong Capital and Templeton Private Equity. Dr. Lanyi lived in Vietnam between 2007-2012 and continues to manage CDH's office in HCMC.
Dr. Lanyi is the Chairman of the Singapore Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (SVCA).
Hong joined BPEA EQT in 2007. He has led and participated in key deals in SEA and is actively involved in investments within Industrial Tech and Healthcare industries. Prior to joining BPEA, Hong worked as an Investment Associate at a regional investment firm in Singapore.
Adrian is Founder & Managing Partner at AC Ventures, formerly Convergence Ventures. ACV is an early stage Indonesia focused technology venture capital fund. ACV managed 3 funds with a portfolio of over 80 businesses. Notable investments include, Payfazz, Koinworks, Julo, Carsome and M17.
Previously, he co-founded several ventures in China and Indonesia. Adrian’s 1st Internet venture was Idapted where as CEO & cofounder he raised 2 rounds of venture financing and led the company to be the largest live 1:1 online English test preparation service in China. Idapted was acquired by Eleutian in 2011. He then joined Rocket Internet as a Managing Director where he worked on new technology ventures in China and South East Asia. At the end of 2014 he launched Convergence Ventures.
Adrian is also involved in non-profit work. He founded and chairs a UK Charity called CNYTrust, which supports children in rural China continue schooling. He is a business mentor at several organisations including Endeavour, Founders Institute and Antler. He has served on the board of Entrepreneurs Organisation is several roles including Beijing Chapter President and Regional Communications Director. He is also a member of Young Presidents Organisation (YPO) in Indonesia.
Sean Murphy is a fund formation partner in Cooley’s Singapore office. Sean’s practice focuses on the formation and operation of private funds across venture capital, growth equity, buy-out, special situations, real estate and infrastructure strategies. First resident in Singapore in 2004, he has advised fund sponsors and investors for more than a decade from offices in Singapore, Hong Kong and New York. Sean also regularly advises clients on co-investments, managed accounts, feeder funds for HNWIs, carried interest plans, strategic partnerships and US securities and investment advisory laws.
Sean has a JD from the George Washington University Law School with honors, and a BS from University of Pennsylvania.
Sandeep Naik is a Managing Director and Head of India & Southeast Asia at General Atlantic, a leading global growth equity firm with $73 billion in assets under management. He is also a member of the firm’s Management and Portfolio Committees. Sandeep serves as a board member at General Atlantic portfolio companies BillDesk, Biofourmis, KFin Technologies Private Limited, PT MAP Boga Adiperkasa (MBA), Rubicon Research, and Mable, as well as serves as a board observer at BYJU’S. He also sits on the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s Financial Centre Advisory Panel and serves as a board member at EDB Singapore.
Before joining General Atlantic in 2012, Sandeep served as a Partner and Co-Head of India for Apax, leading investments in the healthcare, financial and business services, and retail and consumer sectors. Earlier in his career, he was Global Marketing Manager at Medtronic Inc., a scientist at Mayo Clinic, and a management consultant with McKinsey & Company. He is also the Co-Founder of InfraScan Inc., a medical device business focused on detecting bleeding inside the brain using a handheld device. Sandeep was selected as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum and has served on the Global Agenda Council of the New Order of Economic Thinking.
Sandeep holds a B.Tech in Instrumentation Engineering from the University of Mumbai, an M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the Medical College of Virginia, and an M.B.A. from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Bertrand joined iCapital in January 2022 as Senior Vice President on the Client Solutions APAC team, where he is responsible for building the enterprise sales cycle for Southeast Asia and Australia.
Bertrand began his career at JPMorgan Private Bank where he spent more than 12 years across multiple roles in Singapore and Hong Kong. He began his career as an Investment Specialist in Singapore and subsequently moved to Hong Kong when he was appointed the Chief of Staff to the International Private Bank CEO. In that stint, he was responsible for starting up what is now known as the single-coverage model for the Private Bank in Asia. Bertrand moved back to Singapore in 2018 as an Alternative Investments Specialist for South Asia and was also the designated media spokesperson for Singapore.
Bertrand holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from Singapore Management University (SMU).
Mr. Octoman is a Senior Partner at Navis and an Investment Committee member.
Mr. Octoman joined Navis in 2000. His primary responsibility is to manage the Navis Asia Credit Fund, as a senior member of the team, and to ensure that synergies with Navis’ Private Equity platform are optimized. He also oversees the ESG Portfolio Operations team and drives the strategic focus of ESG at Navis. He has extensive private equity investment experience across multiple Navis funds investing in the ASEAN region and was previously the Chief Operating Officer of Navis, overseeing the Navis Private Equity Funds’ Investment Committee decision-making process, the Portfolio Operations group, human capital, and Navis’ strategic banking relationships.
Prior to joining Navis, Mr. Octoman worked with Price Waterhouse Coopers with a focus on capital market transactions and financial due diligence in emerging markets. Mr. Octoman also worked for KPMG in Australia and Canada in Business Advisory services.
A lifetime resident of Australasia, having been raised and educated in Australia. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Accountancy from the University of South Australia and is an Australian qualified Chartered Accountant. He is also a member of the UNPRI PEAC committee.
Steve Okun has served as GPCA’s Southeast Asia Senior Advisor since 2017. Steve is Founder and CEO of Singapore-based APAC Advisors and is a seasoned private equity professional. Steve supports member relations and expanding GPCA’s industry stakeholder network in the region. He is also responsible for establishing GPCA’s Singapore and regional presence as well as training the local team. As KKR’s former Director of Asia Public Affairs, Steve also advises GPCA on public affairs and industry advocacy in Southeast Asia.
Tanu is a Senior Reporter at Infralogic and responsible for the coverage of power/energy sector in Asia for the news and intelligence platform. Based in Singapore, she reports on project financing, fundraising, mergers and acquisitions and writes in-depth news analysis on the Asian power space amid an ongoing transformation. Before joining the company in 2019, she covered the Private Equity and Sovereign Wealth Funds in Asia for three years and prior to that, she spent a decade as a financial journalist across Malaysia and India. She holds a graduate degree in Commerce & Business Studies from the University of Delhi and MA in Business Journalism.
Managing Partner, joined CVC in 2010. Siddharth was based in the London office for seven years in the global TMT team and, as of 2017, is based in Singapore where his responsibilities include CVC India and Asia TMT. Prior to joining CVC, he was with Apax Partners where he spent nine years in the technology and telecommunications team leading or co-leading transactions across the sector. Siddharth holds first class MA and BA degrees from the University of Oxford.
Jeremy Samuel is the founder and Managing Director of Anacacia Capital.
Anacacia manages >$800million investing into leading small-medium enterprises. It is currently raising Anacacia Private Equity IV, focused on Australasian lower mid-market growth buyouts. Anacacia has won numerous awards including the Australian Investment Council Firm of the Year.
Jeremy is a non-executive chair of Anacacia portfolio company Sureway. He was the former lead director for Anacacia's successful investments including: Appen, Big River, Home Appliances, Lomb Scientific, Rafferty's Garden and Yumi's Quality Foods.
Jeremy holds an MBA from Yale University School of Management and Arts/Law degrees from the University of NSW.
Athalia is an experienced Private Equity Associate at Crewstone International Sdn Bhd, with a proven track record of driving successful fundraising efforts for various projects. In her current position, Athalia plays a crucial role in developing and executing successful fundraising strategies for Crewstone International’s active funds. Among her notable achievements is securing investors for the Crewstone Real Estate fund, a USD 100 million fund that focuses on acquiring prime properties in Kuala Lumpur City Centre. She also played an instrumental role in the successful launch of the ASEAN Safe Investment Fund, which invests in stable return securities with guaranteed yield.
Athalia's expertise is further highlighted by her involvement in the Crewstone Hospitality Revitalization Program. As part of her role, Athalia oversees portfolio monitoring for the program, which provides short-term loans for renovations and refurbishments to small to medium-sized hotel operators in Malaysia in collaboration with Funding Societies Sdn Bhd. Athalia holds a Bachelor's degree in Business and Finance from Heriot-Watt University. Her contribution to the development of investor relations strategies, fundraising activities, and preparation of industry analysis and reports has been instrumental in her current role as an Associate.
Kyle is the Founder and Managing Partner of ShawKwei & Partners, a private equity investment firm established in 1998. ShawKwei & Partners has offices in Hongkong, Singapore, Shanghai and San Francisco managing investments in Asia, Europe, and the USA. Kyle’s private equity experience before ShawKwei & Partners included managing Asian private equity businesses for Security Pacific National Bank and then the Tudor Group. Kyle has served as a director of several Asian and European industrial and service companies including as founder and director of Flex Ltd. (formerly known as Flextronics International Ltd).
Kyle received an MBA from the Wharton School at University of Pennsylvania, a BS in Commerce from the McIntire School of Commerce at the University of Virginia, as well as studied Mandarin Chinese at Taiwan’s National Normal University.
Bob Shueh is the COO and CFO for Brookfield’s Renewable Power & Transition business in Asia. He oversees the renewable power operations in the region and is responsible for the execution of financial and commercial strategies of the operating assets.
Mr Shueh joined Brookfield in 2016 as the CFO for one of Brookfield Infrastructure’s Portfolio Companies in Australia covering M&A, strategy, financing, funding and reporting. Most recently, he was the CFO of the Brookfield Renewable Business in Asia where he delivered the Terraform Global Asia asset integration into Brookfield as well as stood up the Brookfield Renewable Platform in China. Mr Shueh has over 15 years of financial, commercial, operating and investment experience across the telecommunications, manufacturing, power, shipping, infrastructure, transport & logistics sectors.
Mr Shueh holds an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management and is a qualified CPA.
Sharad leads the Infrastructure & Project Finance practice of KPMG Corporate Finance based in Singapore.
Sharad leads the Infrastructure practice of KPMG in Singapore and has over 20 years of experience in power including renewable energy, water, waste to energy, transport, broadband and urban / industrial infrastructure with focus on Project Finance. His skill set includes bid advisory, business planning, financial modeling, contract structuring, regulatory advisory, risk mitigation, project appraisal and fund syndication.
Sharad has been advising various government and private sector clients in the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa. He was previous with Enron and worked on power , transport and LNG projects in South Asia. He has worked on infrastructure projects in Singapore, Myanmar, Vietnam, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa. He has also advised clients on gas regulations and transportation issues in the SE Asian market. Sharad’s main thrust has been on privatization advisory, PPP structuring, transaction process management, contract structuring and arranging financing for Water & waste, power, and info comm projects in the region.
Herbert Suen is a Senior Managing Director in the Private Wealth Solutions group and is based in Singapore.
Before joining Blackstone, Mr. Suen worked at Barclays Wealth as Head of Managed Products in Asia. Prior to Barclays, Mr. Suen worked at Credit Suisse overseeing Fund-based advisory portfolio solutions for private wealth clients. Before that he also worked at Societe Generale Corporate & Investment Bank, Franklin Templeton and Mitsubishi Corporation in various capacities including financial engineering and business development.
Mr. Suen received a Master of Science (with Distinction) in Mathematics for Finance & Actuarial Science jointly from Paris Dauphine University and City University of Hong Kong. He graduated from Curtin University of Technology with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science and a Bachelor of Arts (with Distinction) in Asian Studies. He is a CFA charter holder and a certified FRM. He speaks fluent English, Cantonese, Japanese and Mandarin.
Background
Andrew has 23 years of experience with KPMG principally focused on major IPO and corporate M&A transaction deal execution and project management in multiple major locations including London, New York, Sydney and Singapore.
His principal sector experience is on transactions in the Private Equity and Services sectors.
Andrew has acted as Lead Partner for KPMG on more than 350 significant transactions with an aggregate deal value of more than $150 billion. He has led many of the more complex and demanding projects KPMG has been involved with in Asia over the last ten years.
Professional and industry experience
Private Equity: As Head of Private Equity, Andrew has led projects with most leading financial sponsors including KKR, Blackstone, CVC, Carlyle, TPG, Northstar, CHAMP, CHAMP Ventures, L Capital, Catalyst, TA Associates, Goldman Sachs PIA, TH Lee, and Macquarie Bank Principal Investments.
Complex transactions: Andrew has led the project management and due diligence for many landmark public and private transactions including KKR’s acquisition of Goodpack (SGX), the Seven / Westrac Merger, KKRs acquisition of GenesisCare, the CPPIB acquisition of Macquarie Communications Infrastructure Group, Macquarie Media Group IPO, DUET’s IPO, AUSTAR’s refinancing, the global consortium acquisition and listing of Dyno Nobel, the global consortium acquisition of Boart Longyear, the consortium acquisition of the DBNGP, the acquisition by AGL of both Southern Hydro and Powerdirect.
Direct / co-investments: Andrew has assisted SWF, major pension funds and fund of funds on direct or co-investments including CPPIB, Temasek, GIC, Ontario Teachers, CalPERS, CalSTRS and HarbourVest.
Location experience: His major location experience include: London (5 Years), Sydney (13 Years) , New York (2 Years) and Singapore. In addition he has led transaction teams in across South East Asia, China, Japan, India, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand and Hong Kong.
Dr. Amit Varma is a critical care physician having practiced for almost 30 years in the United States and Asia. He has been on the founding team of large Asian healthcare companies like Narayana Hrudayalaya and Fortis healthcare. He has served on the board of various companies around asia in healthcare delivery, life sciences, medical tech and consumer healthcare including Parkway healthcare in Singapore. He currently co-manages Quadria Capital the largest healthcare focused private equity firm with almost 2 Billion USD in AUM. In addition he has sponsored a dedicated venture healthcare firm HealthQuad with a 200 million USD AUM to work with start ups and early stage companies. He continues to be involved in academics and research and works hard to demystify problems in healthcare.
Dr. Varma is currently the founding managing co-founder of Quadria capital one of the largest healthcare dedicated private equity funds in Asia.
Mr. Steven Wang is Founder & CEO of HLC and a visiting professor of Tsinghua University. He has nearly 20 years of experience in the medical industry and healthcare investment and focuses exclusively on healthcare services, medical device and pharmaceutical sectors. Before founding HLC, he is former senior partner and investment committee member of CDH. Prior to CDH, Mr. Wang served at Avenue Capital, Lehman Brothers (London) and Becton Dickinson Group. Over the last ten years, Mr. Wang was responsible for transactions totaling more than 1.5 billion dollars, including mergers & acquisitions, restructuring of publicly listed companies, growth and early stage investments.
As the Founding Partner of TNB Aura, Charles leverages his fund management, VC and PE investment experience, and analytical capabilities and heads up the group’s venture capital initiatives in South East Asia.
Prior to TNB Aura, Charles founded Capital Associates, a boutique advisory to mid-market VC funds in the SE Asian region, as well as worked as a management consultant with Booz & Company with a key focus on corporate strategy and M&A. Charles also served as Entrepreneur in Residence at Groupon in Shanghai. Currently, Charles continues to serve as an Executive Director of Aura Group, and has been responsible for all facets of the Group's activities in Asia. Charles has been instrumental in establishing Aura Group in Asia and driving its fund management and wealth management initiatives.
Charles graduated from Harvard Business School as a George F. Baker Scholar (top 5% of class) and holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of New South Wales (first-class honours, and recipient of the University Medal).
Liam leads Apex’s sales team in Asia Pacific, he is also the regional team lead for Apex’s ESG Solutions in APAC. He has worked in fund services for over a decade, in Europe, the US and now Asia. He has previously held sales leadership positions with SS&C and Apex Group having started his career with SunGard (now FIS). He is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst (CAIA) and holds a Masters Degree in Engineering.
Joan is the Vice President of Investments at Kickstart Ventures Inc., the corporate venture capital arm of Globe Telecom. Prior to Kickstart, she was Investment Manager for Southeast Asia at LGT Venture Philanthropy, a global impact investing firm headquartered in Europe. For six years, Joan was primarily responsible for the sourcing, screening, execution, and management of LGT VP’s deals in the region.In 2015, she served as a consultant to the Secretary of Trade and Industry of the Republic of the Philippines, advising on policies and programs related to MSME development, tech startups, inclusive business, and social enterprise
Heath Zarin is the Founder, Chair and CEO of EmergeVest, a global investment firm that seeks to build great businesses, provide innovative capital solutions and generate sustainable value for all stakeholders. Mr. Zarin is also the Founder, Chair and CEO of EV Cargo, an EmergeVest company with more than $1.5 billion of annual revenues and global operations.
Mr. Zarin began his career as a corporate lawyer with Schulte Roth & Zabel LLP in New York, where he formed and advised hedge funds and private equity funds. In 2000, he joined DLJ Merchant Banking, which was subsequently acquired by Credit Suisse. At DLJ / Credit Suisse, which had more than $100 billion in assets under management during his tenure, Mr. Zarin had broad experience across LBOs, mezzanine, growth capital and other investment strategies. Mr. Zarin relocated to Hong Kong in 2006 to form Credit Suisse’s Asian private equity business, where growth equity investments spanned China, India and Southeast Asia, and included several successful IPOs. In 2008, Mr. Zarin left Credit Suisse to form Emergent Investment Group, a Hong Kong-based private investment firm, where he completed private equity investments and advised on special situations. In 2010, Mr. Zarin joined HSBC in Hong Kong as a Managing Director and Head of Principal Investments, Asia-Pacific, with responsibility for all Asian proprietary private investment activities. In 2013, Mr. Zarin formed EmergeVest, with a vision of building a new style of global investment firm.
Mr. Zarin’s current and previous board service includes companies across Asia, Europe and North America, in diverse manufacturing and service industries.
Mr. Zarin received his JD from the Fordham University School of Law in 1998 and his BA from the State University of New York at Binghamton in 1995. He has been admitted to practice law in the State of New York. Mr. Zarin is also a CFA, CMT and CAIA charterholder, and has completed Certificate programs from Harvard Business School (Investment Management, Strategy). Mr. Zarin has served as an Executive Committee Member of CAIA Hong Kong, as well as on the board of several non-profit organizations.
EmergeVest, through its Hong Kong-based subsidiary, is a licensed asset manager, regulated by the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission (HK SFC). Mr. Zarin is also licensed and regulated by the HK SFC as a responsible officer of EmergeVest. Certain EmergeVest investment funds are regulated by the United States Securities Exchange Commission and other regulatory authorities.
Jinjian Zhang founded Vitalbridge Capital in October 2019. Vitalbridge focuses on robotics, artificial intelligence, and technology services from the perspectives of both "demographics" and "technology innovation" to help China's digital upgrade.
Jinjian Zhang has led investments in companies such as Puxin (NY:NEW), Liulishuo (NY:LAIX), Cloopen (NY:RAAS), Dustess, Maycur Technology, Publink, LM-Dental and etc.
Jinjian Zhang graduated from the National Artificial Intelligence and Imaging Laboratory of Fudan University with a master's degree.