WIEF Roundtable, Revitalisation and Reform: Catalysing Growth

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic loss of life and devastating economic and social disruption of global proportion. To avoid similar shocks in the future, recovery policies by governments must include innovative strategies to create more resilient, inclusive and sustainable economies.  The business community has an equally important complementary role in overcoming the crisis. Apart from leveraging on digital transformation to hasten the recovery process, strategic collaboration that prioritises positive impact over competitive business considerations can better serve the welfare and interest of the global community.

This WIEF Roundtable organised against the backdrop of a challenging time, brings together governments, multilateral organisations, private sector as well as prominent individuals to address relevant issues pertaining to sustainable recovery from the pandemic.

 

Download E-Book

 

DISCLAIMER / NOTES:

• The Organisers reserve the right to alter the content and timing of the programme without prior notice, in the best interest of the event and are not responsible for cancellations due to unforeseen circumstances.
• Programme as of 14 December 2021

 

Tan Sri Dr Syed Hamid Albar
Chairman
World Islamic Economic Forum Foundation 

Tan Sri Dr Syed Hamid began his career in the Judicial and Legal Service as a magistrate in 1970 and was appointed President of the Sessions Court in 1971. He then pursued a career in the financial and banking sector locally and internationally from 1972 to 1986. In the years 1986 to 1990, he became a partner in the law firm of Albar, Zulkifly and Yap. He was a Member of Parliament from 1990 to 2013, during which time he held various ministerial positions including Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and Minister of Justice, Minister of Defence, Minister of Home Affairs and most notably, Minister of Foreign Affairs. Tan Sri Dr. Syed Hamid’s last held position was Chairman of the Land Public Transport Commission of Malaysia (SPAD), from 2010 to 2017. Tan Sri Dr. Syed Hamid holds a Barrister-at-Law degree from the Middle Temple, U.K. and was called to the Malaysian Bar in 1974. He also holds a Masters Degree in Human Sciences (Political Science) from International Islamic University Malaysia and a PhD in International Relations from Asia e University, Kuala Lumpur.  

 

H.E. Dr Sri Mulyani Indrawait
Minister of Finance
Republic of Indonesia

H.E. Dr Sri Mulyani Indrawati is Minister of Finance of Indonesia since 2016.  In February 2021, she was elected as Co-Chair of the 2021- 2023 Coalition of Finance Ministers for Climate Action.

She also served as Managing Director and CEO of World Bank.  As a specialist in public finance, fiscal policy and labor economics, she was appointed as Executive Director at International Monetary Fund from 2002 to 2004. She has held several posts in Indonesian Government including Minister of Development Planning.

Dr Sri Mulyani was awarded as Best Minister in the World at the World Government Summit in February 2018 and as Finance Minister of the Year for East Asia Pacific from Global Markets magazine in recognition of her efforts in handling COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia.

H.E. Dr Sri Mulyani holds a bachelor’s degree in Economics from University of Indonesia and a Ph.D. in Economics from University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, United States.

 

Tan Sri Tony Fernandes
CEO
AirAsia Group, Malaysia

Tan Sri Tony Fernandes is the CEO of AirAsia Group.

Together with Datuk Kamarudin Meranun, they co-founded low-cost carrier AirAsia by buying over an ailing airline and turning it around within two years.  The company has grown from a Malaysian domestic carrier into Asia’s largest low-cost carrier.

An accountant by training, Fernandes began his career in Richard Branson’s Virgin Group.  He returned to Malaysia as Warner Music Group’s Vice President for Southeast Asia before venturing into the airline business.

Fernandes has received numerous honours and awards including the Honour of the Commander of the Order of the British Empire, conferred by H.M. Queen Elizabeth II in 2011, and the Commander of the Legion d’Honneur, awarded by the French Government.

Fernandes studied in the UK, and qualified as an Associate Member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants in 1991 and Fellow Member in 1996.

 

Abrar A. Anwar
Managing Director and CEO
Standard Chartered Malaysia

Abrar A. Anwar is the Managing Director and CEO of Standard Chartered Malaysia since November 2017.

With close to 30 years of experience, his banking journey has brought him to countries such as India, the UK and Bangladesh, where he first joined the Bank in 2011 as Head of Corporate and Institutional Clients.

In 2015, he was appointed as CEO of Standard Chartered Bangladesh. Under his leadership, he positioned the organisation as the most respected and profitable Bank in the country.

Prior to joining Standard Chartered Bangladesh, he was the Managing Director and Head of Global Corporate and Commercial Banking at Citibank NA in Bangladesh as well as Head of Specialist Finance and Advisory Services at ANZ Grindlays Bank..

Abrar is also the Chairman of the British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce since 25 August 2020.

He holds a Master of Business Administratiion from the Institute of Business Administration (IBA), Bangladesh.

 

Vibha Coburn
Group CEO
Manulife Holdings Berhad
Malaysia 

Vibha Coburn is the Group CEO of Manulife Holdings Berhad. She was Chief Distribution Officer at Manulife Asia, responsible for developing and executing strategy for Manulife distribution across Asia, including championing the development and adoption of digital tools throughout all channels in distribution. Under her leadership, Manulife’s agency force became the world’s third best among international insurers in terms of Million Dollar Round Table membership. She helped strengthen Manulife’s bancassurance capabilities and established partnerships in Vietnam, Indonesia and Myanmar. 

Vibha had a wide range of senior roles over 30 years in banking, insurance and management consulting across Asia, Europe and Australia. She sits on the boards of Manulife Insurance Berhad and Manulife Investment Management (M) Berhad. 

Vibha holds an MBA from University of Western Australia, post graduate diploma from Securities Institute of Australia and a Bachelor of Commerce from Delhi University. 

 

Nadiah Hanim Abdul Latif
Co-Founder
OpiS International
Malaysia

Nadiah Hanim is a Strategic Advocacy and Corporate Affairs professional committed to developing effective collaborations for scaling impact. With over 20 years of experience ranging from corporate to NGO and humanitarian work, she is passionate about issues relating to sustainability, business, human rights, social impact, enterprise, youth empowerment, child rights protection and development, disability advocacy and access to resources. A speaker, trainer, moderator, facilitator and youth mentor, Nadiah has had the opportunity to engage stakeholders from grassroots advocacy and to participate in discussions on legislation and national action plans, both in Malaysia and abroad. At present, she is the Head Strategy and Programmes at the Yayasan Anak Bangsa Bisa and a Programme Host with BERNAMA TV. Nadiah is also the Co-Founder of OpiS International, a social enterprise that is committed to championing better work-life balance in Malaysia.

 

H.E. Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin
Former Prime Minister of Malaysia and
Chairman, National Recovery Council

H.E. Tan Sri Dato’ Haji Mahiaddin Haji Md Yasin (Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin) is the Former Prime Minister of Malaysia and is Chairman of National Recovery Council. He served as the eighth Prime Minister of Malaysia from March 2020 to August 2021. As Chairman of National Recovery Council, he is tasked to strengthen resilience of the country’s health and economic system post COVID-19.

Tan Sri Muhyiddin joined the state public service after graduating from university. He had management positions at various state-owned companies. He joined politics in the 1970s and was elected as Member of Parliament for Pagoh in 1978. Since then, he has held several posts in the Government including Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Home Affairs and Minister of Education.

Tan Sri Muhyiddin has a bachelor’s degree in economics and Malay studies fromUniversity of Malaya.

 

Dr Mansur Muhtar
Vice President Country Programs
Islamic Development Bank
Saudi Arabia 

Dr Mansur Muhtar is the Vice President Country Programmes at Islamic Development Bank and has served as Ag. Group Chief Economist, and Ag. Chief Product and Partnerships Officer.  

Prior to this, he was Executive Director of World Bank Group and co-chair of UN Inter-Governmental Committee of Experts on Sustainable Development Finance.  He was Minister of Finance, Budget and Economic Development, and Chairman of National Economic Management team of Nigeria.  He received Nigeria’s National Award – Officer of the Federal Republic for his contribution to national development.  

Dr Mansur was Executive Director in African Development Bank, Director-General of Nigeria’s Debt Management Office and Deputy General Manager at United Bank for Africa Plc.  He was Senior Lecturer and Head, Economics Department at Bayero University and a distinguished fellow at Center for the Study of Economies of Africa in Abuja. 

Dr Muhtar holds a PhD in economics from University of Sussex, UK and a master’s degree from University of Cambridge

Emilio ‘Jun’ Neri
Lead Economist
Bank of the Philippine Islands
Philippines 

Emilio ‘Jun’ Neri is the Lead Economist at Bank of the Philippine Islands. He served as economics and banking sector analyst for a former Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas – Monetary Board Member. He was a consultant at the Asian Development Bank, a senior economics researcher as well as lecturer on monetary and fiscal policy at the University of Asia and the Pacific. 

The research team led by Jun Neri consistently ranks at the top of survey for analysts conducted by Bloomberg, Asiamoney and The Asset. In 2019, he was awarded the Best Equities Economist, and number 2 Best Fixed Income Economist by the Fund Managers Association of the Philippines. Recently, he was ranked the Best Local Currency Bond Individual for Research in the Asset Benchmark Research Awards 2021. 

Jun Neri was also ranked number one among local economists by the Department of Finance as having the most accurate GDP growth projections from 2016 to 2018. He was President of the Philippine Economic Society in 2020.

 

Wan Nadiah Bt Wan Mohd Abdullah Yaakob
Group CEO
TMC Life Sciences Berhad and
ICDM Board Member
Malaysia

 Nadiah Wan was appointed CEO of Thomson Hospital Kota Damansara in 2017 and also Executive Director and CEO of TMC Life Sciences Berhad in 2019. She was appointed Director of the Institute of Corporate Directors Malaysia in 2021.  Prior to this, she served as Director of Business Development and Corporate Communications at Sunway Medical Centre in October 2016. She started her career at The Boston Consulting Group in 2007 as an associate consultant.

Nadiah holds an MSc in public health from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, United Kingdom and was awarded the Hecht Bequest for Best Student in public health upon graduation. She pursued her undergraduate studies in biochemical sciences at Harvard College  while conducting research at Boston Children’s Hospital with grants from Howard Hughes Medical Institute.

 

Nordin Abdullah
Managing Director
Glenreagh Sdn Bhd
Malaysia 

Nordin Abdullah is the Managing Director of Glenreagh Sdn Bhd.  He sits on the board of the Malaysia Australia Business Council, was the Vice Chairman of the Malaysia International Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the World Halal Forum.  Nordin was an advisor for various multinational companies and international governments on business in Malaysia.  He was involved in policy and strategic planning on selected projects in Malaysia including the developing parts of the 3rd Industrial Master Plan and various strategic plans for state governments. 

Nordin developed several publications, television and radio shows, online media brands as well as documentaries. A Working Lunch with Nordin is a popular weekly show on LinkedIn and various social media platforms and websites. He established the Crisis Management Centre to assist individuals, corporations and governments to effectively deal with all aspects of crisis. 

 

Her Excellency Shamma bint Sohail Faris Al Mazrui
Minister of State for Youth Affairs

Her Excellency Shamma bint Suhail Faris Al Mazrui was appointed as the UAE’s Minister of State for Youth Affairs in February 2016 at the age of 22, making her the world’s youngest cabinet minister at the time of her appointment. H.E. Shamma is also the Chair of the Emirates Youth Council and the Vice-Chair of the Arab Youth Center. She serves as the Chairperson for Special Olympics UAE, and is a member of the Education and Human Resources Council of the UAE Cabinet, the UAE Golden Jubilee Committee, and a board member of Emirates Foundation and the International Institute of Tolerance.

Previously, H.E. Shamma worked in Private Equity at one of Abu Dhabi’s sovereign wealth funds. She also worked as a public policy analyst at the UAE Mission to the United Nations, as a Ministry Policy Analyst with the Prime Minister’s Office, as a Research Analyst at the UAE Embassy in DC, and as an Education Policy Researcher at Tamkeen (UAE Strategic Affairs Authority).

H.E. Shamma obtained her Masters of Public Policy with Distinction from the University of Oxford in 2015. She was also the first UAE Rhodes Scholar In 2018, listed in CNBC’s ‘7 Female Activists Under 23 Who Are Changing The World’, and awarded the NYU Making a Difference Award where completed her B.A. in Economics with a concentration in Finance at New York Abu Dhabi (2014). She has also completed coursework at the NYU Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and lives in Abu Dhabi with her husband and their son Abdullah.

Ritesh Agarwal
Founder and Group CEO
OYO, India

Ritesh Agarwal is the Founder and Group CEO of OYO. He founded OYO in 2012 after his own experiences as a solo teenage traveller living out of small hotels, BnBs, and guest houses in India.

Ritesh began his career as an entrepreneur and is one of the first Asian resident to be accepted to the Thiel Fellowship. He has been recognized as a young innovator and business leader at multiple global forums including Bloomberg Businessweek in the Bloomberg 50 List (2019), Financial Times in the Change-makers 30 Most Exciting Young People (2019), CNBC as Young Turk of the Year (2019), Forbes 30 under 30 (2016) and The Economic Times list of 40 under 40 (2016).

Ritesh has been serving as an Executive Committee Member of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry since 2017, National Council Member of the Confederation of Indian Industry since 2018, and Board Member of the Management Development Institute (Gurgaon, India).

 

Leontinus Alpha Edison
Co-founder & Vice Chairman
Tokopedia, Indonesia

 Leontinus Alpha Edison is the Co-founder and Vice Chairman of Tokopedia. Prior to Tokopedia, he has various experiences in software development in different kind of industries, including ISP, Insurance, Airlines, and several government projects. Today, he is the Vice Chairman in Tokopedia, focusing on mentoring and nurturing the next generation of leaders in Tokopedia. He is also responsible for technical, operation, people management, security, risk management, compliance, and governance.

Aaron Tang
Country Manager
Luno
Malaysia

Aaron Tang is Country Manager for Luno Malaysia, which is the first cryptocurrency exchange to obtain full approval from the Securities Commission of Malaysia. Luno makes it easy for Malaysians to buy, sell, store and learn about cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum.

Aaron began his career in in the Oil and Gas industry, where he spent almost a decade with international companies like PETRONAS and Weatherford International. He also has experience in the Learning and Development and Social Enterprise space. In his free time, he runs a popular blog— which has been featured in publications such as Business Insider, iMoney, SAYS and Malaysia’s #1 Business Radio BFM.

Aaron has an Electrical and Electronics Engineering degree from Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS.

 

Desi Anwar
Director, Senior Anchor and Journalist
CNN Indonesia
Indonesia

Desi Anwar is Director, Senior Anchor and Journalist at CNN Indonesia based in Jakarta, Indonesia. She hosts a daily talkshow Insight with Desi Anwar featuring in-depth interviews with prominent figures, policy makers, experts, celebrities and leaders both international as well as Indonesian.

Desi was Senior Anchor/Journalist at Metro TV news channel where she hosted Face 2 Face with Desi Anwar, a programme where she interviewed public figures and personalities around the world. Her guests included: HH the Dalai Lama, entrepreneur Richard Branson, Hollywood star Richard Gere, musician Kitaro, financier George Soros, former IMF Chief Christine Lagarde, author Karen Armstrong and many heads of states as well as other influential international figures.

Desi began her career as a pioneer anchor and reporter with Indonesia’s first commercial television station RCTI in 1990. Among other programs, she hosted daily news bulletins Seputar Indonesia, Nuansa Pagi, Buletin Siang and Buletin Malam. Desi also served as Executive Producer and Anchor of RCTI’s daily English-language news programme Indonesia Today and the weekly current affairs documentary Liputan Khusus.

Desi is also a columnist and a published writer. Her books include A Simple Life, Being Indonesian, Faces and Places, Growing Pains, Offline: Finding Yourself in the Age of Distractions and The Art of Solitude. She is an Honorary Fellow at SOAS, University of London.

 

H.E. Mustafa Varank
Minister
Industry and Technology
Republic of Turkey

H.E. Mustafa Varank was born in 1976 in Trabzon. He completed Istanbul Imam Hatip High School. He received his undergraduate degree from the Department of Political Science and Public Administration, Middle East Technical University. He holds a master’s degree in the Department of Computer Science at Indiana University in the USA.

He also worked as a specialist at Florida State University and as a researcher and system administrator at the Pervasive Technology Institute of Indiana University.

In 2005, he started working at the Prime Ministry. He was appointed as Senior Advisor to the Prime Minister in 2011 and as Senior Advisor to the President in 2014. In 2016, he received the title of Ambassador.

During his tenure as Senior Advisor, Varank, alongside the duties given him by the Prime Minister and the President, also took special interest in high technology, computer technology and applications, defense industry, and research and development activities.

 

Matt van Leeuwen
Chief Innovation Officer, Sunway Group and
Director, Sunway iLabs
Malaysia

Matt van Leeuwen is Chief Innovation Officer of Sunway Group and Director of Sunway iLabs – a smart partnership between Sunway University, Sunway Group and Sunway Ventures to foster entrepreneurship, stimulate market-driven innovations and accelerate scale up.  He is a council member of Malaysian Business Angel Network (MBAN), the trade association and governing body for angel investors in Malaysia.

Matt was a commercialisation specialist in PlaTCOM Ventures and gained entrepreneurial experience through three startups he co-founded.  He was a consultant at Cambridge-MIT Institute and Library House in Cambridge, and an analyst at Imperial Innovations in London.  He was a research scientist at Medical Research Council Epidemiology Unit, University of Cambridge and an exco member of Cambridge University Entrepreneurs Society.

Matt holds a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences and a masters in science and business from University of Utrecht, Netherlands.

 

Mark Horler
Founder & Chairman
UK Urban AgriTech (UKUAT)
United Kingdom

Mark Horler has been involved in the vertical farming industry for around eight years. He is the Founder and Chairman of UK Urban AgriTech (UKUAT) collective, bringing together leading companies, universities and individuals in the urban agritech industry of the United Kingdom.  He is also Communications Manager at the FarmTech Society, Co-Founder of the Soya Project and does freelance consulting work.

Mark has dealt extensively with industry standardisation, sustainability certification, vertical farming education and vertical farming policy.  His expertise is in building networks and associations that maximise value for their members and for the industry as a whole.

Mark’s primary interest is in taking a systemic overview of how vertical farming can be integrated with other systems to deliver on its promise of regenerative food production and resilient societies.

 

Eri Hayashi
Vice President
JAPAN PLANT FACTORY ASSOCIATION (JPFA)
Japan

Eri Hayashi is the Vice President of Japan Plant Factory Association (JPFA), a non-profit organisation devoted to academic and business advancements in plant factory/controlled environment agriculture (CEA).  Before joining JPFA, Eri worked at a private research institute in Tokyo specialising in technology advancement for global food production.

Eri has been conducting international field researches on plant factories/CEA since 2008.  She has published multiple research papers and has been a research project manager on artificial intelligence and phenotyping-based next-generation plant factory systems for environmental control and breeding.

She is also the CEO of E*Green Lab Inc.  She has a keen interest in technological advances, including phenotyping, in plant factories.

 

Patchari Raksawong
News Presenter
Thailand

Patchari Raksawong is a news presenter focusing on ASEAN-related content and stories. She has interviewed ASEAN leaders and covered many historic elections including those in Myanmar and the Philippines.

Patchari is one of Thailand’s leading masters of ceremonies having hosted many high profile regional and international events. She is also a lecturer in communications and public speaking with over 25 years of experience teaching at tertiary level.  She hails from Thailand but is currently based in Doha, Qatar, from where she continues to host her radio and television programmes.