Joseph Cherian is CEO, President, Dean, and Distinguished Professor of the Asia School of Business. He was the former Practice Professor of Finance at the National University of Singapore (NUS). Prior to NUS, Joe was Managing Director, Global Head and CIO of the Quantitative Strategies Group at Credit Suisse in New York where he had direct responsibility for over US$67 billion in client assets managed to a quantitative discipline. While at Credit Suisse, Joe served on the Global Executive Committee, as well as various senior management, investments, and risk committees of the Asset Management division. He joined the financial industry in New York after an academic career in the U.S., including as an Associate Professor of Finance at Boston University. He was formerly an Executive-in-Residence and a two-term member of the Johnson Graduate School of Management’s Dean’s Advisory Council at Cornell University and is now an Emeritus Member of the Dean’s Council. Joe currently serves as an Advisor to Asia Asset Management in Hong Kong as well as the Mercer-CFA Institute Global Pensions Index’s Advisory Board in Australia. He has had appointments at Singapore’s Central Provident Fund (CPF) Advisory Panel and the National Research Foundation’s Early-Stage Venture Fund Evaluation Panel. He was an Independent Non-Executive Director of Bursa Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, and on the Journal of Alternative Investments’ Editorial Board in the U.S. Joe holds a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering from MIT, and M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees in Finance from Cornell University

A distinguished expert in ageing, retirement security, and socioeconomic wellbeing, she brings over four decades of academic and policy leadership in financial security, retirement planning, and active ageing. Her extensive research on income security, financial literacy, and the economic participation of mature workers strengthens PPA’s strategic direction in promoting sustainable retirement savings.

She joined PPA as an Independent Director in 2019 and was appointed as PPA’s third Chairperson of the Board in July 2024. As Chairperson, she provides strong governance oversight, ensuring accountability, transparency, and the long-term sustainability of Malaysia’s Private Retirement Scheme framework. Her evidence-based leadership and deep understanding of demographic change support PPA’s mission to enhance retirement adequacy and build greater financial resilience for Malaysians in an ageing society.

Datuk Wira Ismitz Matthew De Alwis is the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of Kenanga Investors Berhad.

With more than 30 years of experience, he has a Capital Markets Services Representative’s Licence from the SC for fund management, investment advice and financial planning. He is a Certified Financial Planner and Islamic Financial Planner.

Datuk Wira De Alwis is the Chairperson of the Malaysian Association of Asset Managers and sits on the board of the Federation of Investment Managers Malaysia. He is also the Vice Chairman of the Institutional Investors Council Malaysia and a member of Bursa Malaysia’s Market Participants Committee and the Securities Market Consultative Panel respectively. He is also a member of the Joint Committee on Climate Change and participates as a member of the Sustainable Investment Platform Steering Committee – Malaysia Sustainable Investment Initiative.

Additionally, he is the Investment Adviser for the Olympic Council of Malaysia’s Trust Management Committee. He is a proponent of the industry’s talent development initiatives as a member of the Capital Market Graduate Programme Steering Committee, the Industry Competency Framework Advisory Panel for the Malaysian Capital Market and the SC’s Assessment Review Committee for Fund Management.

Emmanuel Deblanc joined M&G Investments in March 2024 as Chief Investment Officer, Private Markets.

Emmanuel brings over twenty-five years of experience in real assets as a banker and an investor. He joined from Allianz Global Investors where he served as Head of Private Markets, leading the development of the firm’s Private Markets capability and investment offering. He was a member of AllianzGI's Investment Executive Committee and International Management Group. Prior to this, he held the role of Head of Resilient Strategy and was instrumental in the build out of their market-leading private debt franchise.

He previously spent nine years at BNP Paribas, as a Managing Director co-heading a debt advisory and financing team. He was responsible for origination and execution of advisory and arranging mandates across a broad range of sectors, including transport and utilities.

Umar Alhadad is the Chief Executive Officer Eq8 Capital Sdn Bhd, a wholly owned subsidiary of Kenanga Investors Berhad specialising in Exchange Traded Funds where he oversees the company’s overall operations, financial health, and sustainable growth.

Since 2010, Umar has led multiple end-to-end M&A’s for the Kenanga group with close to RM1 billion in transaction size. His other experiences within the capital market industry include strategic planning, regulatory, risk management, anti-money laundering and digital transformation.

Umar studied Telecommunications Engineering and is a Certified Financial Planner. He presently holds a Capital Markets Services Representative’s Licence for Fund Management from the Securities Commission Malaysia.

Masa joined State Street Investment Management in 2024 as Senior FI Strategist covering Fixed Income and Currency. In this role, he spearheads strategic growth initiatives for the FICC business across Japan and broader APAC region by delivering investment insights and solutions for investors.

Prior to joining State Street Investment Management, Masa was an Investment Director at Wellington Management representing its APAC Fixed Income franchise. Prior to this, he was Head of Japan Fixed Income/ Asia-Pacific Portfolio Manager at AllianceBernstein. Masa began his career at J.P. Morgan on the Fixed Income side of business.

Masa holds B.A. of liberal arts from Waseda University, Japan and is fluent in Japanese, English, Mandarin and Malay.

Adrian is Senior Advisor for 3iQ, responsible for establishing 3iQ’s presence in The Asia region.

Adrian has close to 30 years of experience in the finance industry, predominantly in the asset management industry across Singapore and Asia.

Adrian assumed various senior management roles and responsibilities in the Asia region with various global and regional asset managers across traditional and alternative assets and in both public and private markets.

Adrian primarily focused on developing and building new business channels and markets with Aberdeen Asset Management and most notably, Pioneer Investments when they first set-up operations in Asia.

Adrian then joined DBS Asset Management (DBSAM) where he was involved in re-building and restructuring the DBS Group’s asset management business leading to its sale to Nikko Asset Management.

Thereafter, he started his own boutique licensed independent asset management and advisory firm focused on private equity, direct investments and venture capital in Southeast Asia partnering and representing various Family Offices.

He then returned to the industry as Deputy Head of Asset and Wealth management at PwC.

Most recently, he was at Tokio Marine Asset Management International as Head of Strategy and Business Development, as part of a new senior management team tasked with rebuilding the firm’s regional business.

Adrian has a Bachelor of Economics majoring in International Economics, Economic History, Sociology and Asian Studies from the University of Adelaide.

David Low is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Hata, Malaysia’s leading dual-licensed digital asset exchange. With over a decade of experience in fintech, regulation, and business strategy, he is a recognised pioneer in the country’s digital asset industry. Prior to Hata, he served as General Manager of Luno Asia Pacific (2018–2023), where he led its licensing in Malaysia and grew it into one of the nation’s most trusted exchanges. A qualified Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya, David combines legal expertise with fintech leadership to drive Hata’s mission of building a secure, transparent, and inclusive digital asset platform.

Encik Muzzaffar Othman has been appointed as the Group Chief Operations Officer of PNB, effective December 1, 2024. He holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Chemistry and brings extensive experience from various industries, including Manufacturing, Consulting, Aviation, Insurance, and Finance.

Prior to this appointment, he served as the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of ASNB, as well as the Chief Technology Officer at PNB. Since 2017, he has been a key member of PNB's Leadership Team. In addition to his corporate roles, he holds board positions at Goodyear Malaysia Berhad, GKN Driveline Malaysia Sdn Bhd and E-LOCK Corporation Sdn Bhd.

Datuk Zainal Izlan Zainal Abidin currently serves as Member, Investment Panel of Tabung Haji Malaysia, Independent Non-Executive Director of Maybank Islamic Berhad and SeniorAdvisor to the Sustainable Finance Institute Asia.

He was also appointed by the Asian Development Bank as Consultant to develop a 10-year masterplan for Cambodia’s capital market. The masterplan, the Securities Sector Development Strategy, was launched in October 2025.

Datuk Izlan has over 35 years of experience in the financial services industry, mainly in capital markets and asset management. He began his career with Citibank before moving into asset management where he eventually became CEO of MIDF Amanah Asset Management and thereafter i-VCAP Management.

He later joined the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) in 2011 as Executive Director, Islamic Capital Market and assumed various leadership positions prior to his retirement as Deputy Chief Executive of the SC in 2023.

During his tenure with the SC, Datuk Izlan had also been appointed as, amongst others, Chairman of Capital Markets Malaysia, an entity established by the SC to promote the Malaysian capital market, and a Board member of the Securities Industry Development Corporation. 

Hui Mei’s experience spans audit, research, business control in telecommunications, investor relations and strategy in financial services, start-up fundraising, and regulatory as well as product and market development roles within the stock exchange, with a focus on structured warrants. Currently contributes to originating and driving client and stakeholder engagement within Product and Market Development, fostering cross-border collaboration and supporting effective expansion.  

Dr. Tan Chong Koay (“Dr Tan”) is the founder of Pheim Asset Management Sdn Bhd and Pheim Asset Management (Asia) Pte Ltd which started operations in 1994 and 1995 respectively. He has been in the fund management industry for more than 45 years. Reputed for his acute sense of market timing and stock selection, Dr Tan was labelled as the “King of the Second Board” in Malaysia for his investments in small-cap companies in 1995/1996. He was named “Southeast Asia’s small-cap King” in a Bloomberg article in August 2006.

Dr Tan is recognized within the fund management industry for his wealth of experience and his consistent, long and excellent performance track record. Among his best records, Pheim SICAV-SIF – ASEAN Emerging Companies Fund which he launched in 1995 took the top position for all the 1- to 20-year periods among all Equity ASEAN of Lipper Global Classification under International Offshore Universe in terms of total returns in US Dollars on the Fund’s 20th anniversary, February 3, 2015. Recently, the Fund has won the 2022 Best of the Best Performance Awards for the ASEAN Equity Fund for 25-year periods ended September 2021.

Another fund, Dana Makmur Pheim, which he launched in 2002, won Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards in 2020 for the Best Fund among Malaysia Islamic Funds under Mixed Asset MYR Balanced – Malaysia Category for 3-year, 5-year and 10-year periods ended December 2019. This was the 6th and 5th consecutive year that the fund had won the Award for 5-year and 10-year periods ending December 2021, respectively. The Fund has won the 2022 Best Islamic Fund – Balance Fund for the Best of the Best Country Awards for 5 consecutive years ended September 2021 by Asia Asset Management.

Also noteworthy is the performance of Pheim Malaysia’s largest Malaysia mandate belonging to the largest pension fund in Malaysia. That account outperformed the benchmark by a large margin of more than 600% over a 25-year periods ended March 2022. Cumulatively, despite all major market crises, the account has outperformed the benchmark every calendar year for 25 years since its commencement in 1997.

Dr Tan’s outstanding and consistent long term track record and his willingness to share his knowledge, research and experience are plausible in terms of value added to the fund management industry and society. Dr Tan is a role model and an inspiration to many especially the young ones in Asia.

Dr Tan is the author of his bestselling book “Rising Above Financial Storms” published in late 2015.

Farid is an investment and capital markets professional with a career spanning investment research, portfolio management, product development, and ETF market strategy. Since beginning his career in 2011, he has built a strong track record across Malaysia’s capital markets ecosystem.

Farid currently serves as an Assistant Vice President, ETF, where his portfolio centres on ETF product strategy, market development, and ecosystem expansion. His work includes supporting initiatives to strengthen Malaysia’s ETF landscape, exploring opportunities for innovative ETF structures, and facilitating greater connectivity with global ETF markets.

Prior to his current role, Farid held several positions in investment management, including serving as a Portfolio Manager for ETFs at one of Malaysia’s largest ETF issuers. In 2022, he joined Bursa Malaysia under Product & Market Development, where he contributed to product innovation, market structure enhancements, and the growth of the exchange’s investment ecosystem.

With over a decade of experience in fund management, product development, and market strategy, Farid brings a practitioner-driven perspective to ETF innovation—balancing commercial insights with regulatory, structural, and market considerations.

Outside of work, Farid is an avid scuba diver with a deep fascination for marine life, especially the ocean’s gentle giants—whale sharks and manta rays.

Anthony Siau is a capital markets veteran with over 25 years of experience across asset management, private equity, venture capital, and family office advisory.

He is the Founder and Chairman of Kairos Capital Group, an integrated investment, advisory & multi-family office platform, and serves as Managing Partner of Progress Asia Capital & Advisors, a MAS-licensed fund management company based in Singapore.

Anthony works with families, founders, and institutions to structure and deploy capital across public and private markets. His work focuses on cross-border capital strategies, direct and co-investments, and building investment platforms that align with long-term generational objectives.

With deep experience spanning Southeast Asia, Greater China, Silicon Valley and global markets, Anthony brings a practitioner’s perspective on navigating today’s increasingly complex and fragmented investment landscape.

He is a frequent speaker at regional and international forums, where he shares insights on private capital, portfolio construction, and the evolving role of family offices in shaping the future of investing.

Ng Jit Seng is the Head of Agency & Digital Business, and Chief Operating Officer of Principal Asset Management Berhad (Principal Malaysia). In his current role, Jit Seng has oversight of operations, technology, data, customer servicing, enterprise transformation; driving efficiency, scalability and customercentricity across the organisation.

He also leads two key distribution channels that support Principal Malaysia’s longterm growth. The agency business is anchored by experienced professionals with deep investment expertise and a strong legacy in delivering advice-led solutions for wealth accumulation and retirement planning. In parallel, he leads the digital business, bringing investment solutions to approximately four million customers across different life stages through digital‑first engagement.

Jit Seng brings 26 years of experience across manufacturing, banking, insurance and asset management, having progressively built his career through roles of increasing responsibility at organisations including Standard Chartered Bank, HSBC Bank, Prudential and AIA. This diverse background underpins his leadership in asset management today, combining operational discipline, financial services expertise and customer‑centric innovation.

Jitendra Singh Jaitawat is the Co-Founder and CEO of HELIX, a Real-World Asset (RWA) Tokenization platform building the critical infrastructure for stablecoins and tokenized RWAs.

He is a seasoned industry leader with over 19 years of experience, primarily in building financial products and services. Before co-founding HELIX, he was the Founding CTO of Helicap, a leading fintech platform in Southeast Asia that disbursed over US$700 million in private credit with zero defaults. Prior to that, he spent more than a decade at Goldman Sachs across Tokyo and Singapore, where he built and managed platforms overseeing hundreds of billions of dollars in assets under management (AUM).

Janice is the Head of Global Business Strategy at Fullgoal Asset Management (Hong Kong). In this role, she is responsible for developing strategic partnerships and nurturing relationships with the public sector and media, ensuring that Fullgoal's business development and branding efforts align with the firm's global strategy.

Janice joined Fullgoal in 2022, bringing with her 15 years of experience in the asset management industry. Previously, she held the position of Director at Bosera Asset Management and served as an Investment Consultant with Willis Towers Watson’s Asia Investments Team. Additionally, she worked with Allianz Global Investors in Hong Kong’s Institutional Business Team and with HSBC Global Asset Management in the Asia Business Development Team.

Janice holds a BSc from the University of Alberta in Canada and is fluent in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese.

Teh Chi‑Cheun joined AmFunds Management Berhad (AFM) in March 2025 as Head of Investment Specialists & Research. He brings 30 years of experience in the financial industry, including 20 years in funds management.

In his role, he is responsible for managing the firm’s outward communications, including AFM’s investment capabilities, investment views, and product recommendations. He also oversees the investment research team, which delivers investment insights and recommendations across the firm.

Prior to joining AFM, Chi‑Cheun was the Chief Executive Officer of a fund management company in Malaysia. He has extensive investment experience in global multi‑asset strategies, with particular expertise in equities and derivatives. He began his career in Malaysia and has also worked in Singapore and Canada, before returning home.

Chi‑Cheun is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charter holder and holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Accounting & Financial Analysis from the University of Warwick, England.

Elain Lockman is an entrepreneur, thought leader and advocate for inclusive finance and innovation with over 30 years experience in government-linked organizations and startup/ entrepreneurship ecosystem. As Co-founder and CEO of Ata Plus, one of Malaysia’s pioneering Equity Crowdfunding (ECF) platforms regulated by the Securities Commission Malaysia, she has been instrumental in enabling alternative financing for startups and SMEs — empowering businesses to grow through digital capital markets.

Elain began her career in PETRONAS and further at Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Malaysia Debt Ventures (MDV), Digi Telecommunications and Packet One Networks until she co-founded Ata Plus in 2015. She was appointed by the Ministry of Higher Education as an Independent Board Member of Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia. She was the President of the Registered Digital Markets Association Malaysia from 2018 to 2025 and the Vice President of Malaysia Business Angel Network for the 2024/2025 term. She is currently an Independent Board Member of Bank Negara regulated Western Union Payments (Malaysia), Reservoir Link Berhad and Propel Global Berhad – both listed on the main boardof Bursa Malaysia; and an Independent Board Member of Sagtec Global Limited, listed on NASDAQ.

Elain is also on the Board of Trustees for Yayasan Khazanah, Yayasan Bina Makmur and Yayasan KRU; and Advisor to Women in Tech Malaysia Chapter. She was awarded the AFFIN INVIKTA Top 50 Women of Excellence Award 2025, Muslim World Rania Award 2024, the Outstanding Women CEO Leadership Award at the World Women Economic & Business Summit 2022, BERG 2019 Women Icons Malaysia and also the 2020/2021 Batch of Digerati50 for her exceptional contributions to Malaysia's Digital Economy. Elain holds a BSc. in Actuarial Science and MSc. in Operational Research from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Datuk Wan Razly Abdullah bin Wan Ali was appointed as President & Group Chief Executive Officer of Affin Bank Berhad (AFFIN BANK) on 2 April 2020. He is an experienced banker, having had solid banking experience in Commercial and Investment banks, both in Malaysia and Indonesia. Datuk Wan Razly has more than 24 years of experience in corporate strategy, finance, investment banking, accounting and audit services.

He started his career in 1995 with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) providing audit services to companies within financial services industry in London, after which he joined Northern Trust, London in 1999, managing its Audit Services Department. Datuk Wan Razly joined Aseambankers Malaysia (now known as Maybank Investment Bank Berhad) as Head, Business Development in 2002.

Thereafter in 2004, Datuk Wan Razly joined CIMB Investment Bank as Director, Corporate Client Solutions where he was responsible for providing optimal financial solutions to corporate clients. Subsequently, he was appointed as Chief Financial Officer of CIMB Niaga in 2009. During his tenure at CIMB Niaga, Datuk Wan Razly helped CIMB Niaga to achieve significant milestones in its Asset Growth, Profit Before Tax, CASA Growth and Asset Quality.

Prior to his appointment as Group Chief Executive Officer of AFFIN BANK, Datuk Wan Razly was a Senior Managing Director, with a leading banking group in Malaysia. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Law and Accounting from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom (UK) and is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).

Sharifatul Hanizah is the Executive Director of Islamic Capital Market of the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC). She leads the team that spearheads the developmental agenda and operational aspects of Malaysia's Islamic capital market (ICM), aimed to broadening and deepening ICM products and services, and fortifying Malaysia's position as the global leader in Islamic finance.

Sharifatul Hanizah has an extensive and diverse experience of over 30 years in the fields of investment analysis, portfolio management, equity trading and unit trust in various organisations such as Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), RHB Investment Management Sdn Bhd and Muamalat Invest. She also had served on the boards of exchange-listed and private companies as a Nominee Director for PNB and RHB.

Prior to joining the SC in August 2019, Sharifatul Hanizah was the Chief Executive Officer of SIDC, the learning and development arm of the SC. She is a Fellow of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia (F Fin), a Certified Financial Planner (CFP), an Islamic Financial Planner (IFP), a Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors Malaysia (ICDM) and a member of the Malaysia International Islamic Finance Centre (MIFC) Leadership Council (MLC) from 2023 to 2025 (MLC has now transitioned into the MIFC Business Network as an industry-led platform).

Mohd Kamil bin Ibrahim is the Group Head, Private Markets at Permodalan Nasional Berhad (“PNB”), where he is responsible for overseeing the investments in private equity, infrastructure and more recently, private credit. Currently, the Private Markets portfolio is worth more than RM20 billion, spanning both domestic and international investments.  

Previously, in his role as Head, Global Real Estate and Funds Investment, he was instrumental in developing the Real Estate Investment Framework and later led the deployment of global real estate investments for PNB.

Prior to that, he held various roles in the Office of President & Group Chief Executive and Investment Research of PNB. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from University of Southampton.

He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder and has attended the Program for Leadership Development at Harvard Business School.

Pitta Sham bin Ahmad Morshidi is the Chief Investment Officer at Phillip Capital Management Sdn Bhd, a role he assumed in May 2025. He is responsible for overseeing clients’ equity portfolios and leading the firm’s investment team.

With over 20 years of experience in equity research and portfolio management, Pitta began his career as an investment analyst at a government-linked investment company and later took on equity portfolio management roles at several bank-backed asset management firms. During his 13-year tenure at Public Mutual Berhad, he managed multiple award-winning unit trust funds, earning industry recognition in both domestic and regional fund categories.

Pitta holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Finance from Multimedia University and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment from the PNB Institute of Australasia.

 

Ahmad Farouk Mohamed joined Lembaga Tabung Angkatan Tentera in 2024 as Chief Investment Officer. In this role, he oversees the performance of the RM13 billion fund, particularly to re-position the portfolio to weather future investments storms, in order to deliver sustainable returns to the members of the fund.

Farouk has over two decades of experience in investment and finance, as well as strategic management and transformation. Prior to LTAT, he held the post of Executive Vice President and Head of the Group Managing Director’s Office at Malaysian Industrial Development Finance Berhad, where he played a pivotal role in shaping the group’s strategic direction, driving key transformations, and leading negotiations for mergers and acquisitions (M&A). His background also includes significant roles in investments and strategic management at Khazanah Nasional Berhad, BinaFikir and Mercer Consulting, covering diverse sectors such as insurance, energy, renewable energy and islamic finance. He has also served on the boards of public and private companies. 

Farouk graduated in mathematics from Trinity College, University of Cambridge and actuarial science from City University, London. One of his most prized certifications is a coaching certificate issued by World Rugby.

Ahkter Abdul Manan is a seasoned financial services leader with over 35 years of experience across merchant banking, asset management, unit trust, and reinsurance/takaful. He brings deep expertise in investment strategy, regulatory engagement, and board governance, with a strong track record in leading organizational transformation and managing large institutional portfolios.

He began his career at Malaysian International Merchant Bankers Berhad (MIMB), rising to General Manager of Investment & Securities. He later played a key role in establishing MIDF Sisma Securities before becoming CEO and Executive Director of a joint venture asset management company between MIDF and Aberdeen Asset Management, where he expanded assets under management.

Ahkter went on to serve as CEO of Asia Unit Trust Berhad and later as Group Chief Investment Officer at MNRB Holdings Berhad, overseeing more than RM10 billion in multi-asset portfolios. He also led the Group’s Asset and Liability Management (ALM) framework and chaired its Sustainability Reporting Working Group.

He currently serves as an Independent Non-Executive Director at BIMB Securities Sdn Bhd, where he chairs the Nomination and Remuneration Committee.

Ahkter holds a Bachelor of Social Science (Honours) in Management from Universiti Sains Malaysia and is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). He is also an Affiliate Member of the Institute of Corporate Directors Malaysia.

An advocate for financial literacy, he is the author of Money and Me and Wang dan Saya. He is a frequent speaker at regional industry forums and has appeared on CNBC, Astro and Bloomberg TV. His contributions have been recognized with awards, including The Edge–Lipper Malaysia Fund Award.