Joseph Cherian is Practice Professor of Finance and Deputy CEO of Asia School of Business and Cornell University (Visiting). 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 Xen Capital, a boutique global digital wealth and alternatives asset manager in Singapore, Singapore Exchange (SGX), 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, a Scientific Advisor to Nipun Capital, a boutique hedge fund based in San Francisco, a scientific consultant to Fullerton Fund Management, a Temasek subsidiary in Singapore, 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

Datuk Wira Ismitz Matthew De Alwis is the Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of Kenanga Investors Berhad (“KIB”). He also serves as a Non-Independent Non-Executive Director on the Board of Directors of Kenanga Islamic Investors Berhad, i-VCAP Management Sdn Bhd, as well as all subsidiaries of KIB. With more than thirty years’ worth of experience, he has a Capital Markets Services Representative’s Licence from the Securities Commission Malaysia. 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 is currently on the board of the Federation of Investment Managers Malaysia. He is a member of the SC’s Assessment Review Committee – Fund Management as well as a member of the FTSE Bursa Malaysia Index Advisory Committee. He is also a member of the Joint Committee (BNM & SC) on Climate Change (JC3) and a member of the Capital Market Graduate Programme Steering Committee (SC). Datuk Wira De Alwis is on the Industry Competency Framework Advisory Panel for the Malaysian Capital Market project undertaken by the Securities Industry Development Corporation. Additionally, he is a member of the Sustainable Investment Platform Steering Committee – Malaysia Sustainable Investment Initiative and a Council Member of the Institutional Investors Council Malaysia. Datuk Wira De Alwis is also Investment Adviser for the Olympic Council of Malaysia’s Trust Management Committee

Rejina started off her career in stock broking before joining the fund management industry in 1998.

She has under her belt 25 years in the Malaysian capital markets,  spent mostly in the investment management industry.  Up till end 2021, Rejina was the Founding MD for the Malaysian office of Nomura Asset Management which she grew from scratch to an award winning firm with over MYR30 billion in assets under management.

She remains actively involved with the industry through her various roles in the Institutional Investors Council, Malaysia International Islamic Finance Leadership Council etc.

She was one of the inaugural 2021 Listee of the Kindness & Leadership 50 Leading Lights Asia Pacific and was also named by Asia Asset Management magazine as 25 industry leaders of the Asian asset management industry.

She started Wahine (pronounced Wa-hee-nay) Capital as a means of securing the financial future of women and will be launching their first product in May.

Dr Au is Executive Director of Financial Services Development Council (FSDC). Prior to joining the FSDC, he was President of Value Partners Group Limited. Dr Au also served as CEO of Eastspring Investments (Hong Kong) Limited and CEO of BOCHK Asset Management Limited. He also held various senior management positions at other financial institutions including Baring, GMO and HSBC Global Asset Management.

Dr Au was named CEO of the Year in Hong Kong by Asia Asset Management in 2012 and 2014. He was awarded the Medal of Honor by the HKSAR Government in 2008 for his valuable contributions to the securities and asset management industry. He was also the Chairman of the Hong Kong Securities and Investment Institute (HKSI) from 2006 to 2008 and the Chairman of the Hong Kong Investment Funds Association in 2004/2005.

Dr Au is currently serving as a Council member of the Hong Kong Institute of Chartered Public Accountants, an Index Advisory Committee member of China Securities Index Co., Limited and an Adjunct Professor at the University of Hong Kong among other public services.

Dr Au is a CFA Charterholder and a Honorary Fellow of HKSI. He received his BA in Physics from the University of Oxford and PhD in Theoretical Particle Physics from the University of Durham.

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

Datuk Izlan has over 30 years of experience in the financial services industry, mainly in capital markets and asset management. He began his career with Citibank before moving to MIDF Amanah Asset Management and thereafter was appointed CEO of 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 January 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.

Encik Ahmad Shakir has over 15 years of experience in various positions, with more than 10 years in investments across different asset classes. More recently, he had joined the Real Estate Department in 2019 and became a HOD of the Real Estate Department in 2022 after his stint as Principal Officer at Prima Equity (UK) Limited, a KWAP subsidiary in the United Kingdom. Earlier, he had joined KWAP as an Equity Fund Manager in 2014 after completing almost 7 years in Bank Negara Malaysia. He had graduated with a BSc in Accounting and Finance from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom. Ahmad Shakir is also a CFA charterholder.

Brian Kennedy is a co-portfolio manager on the full discretion team at Loomis, Sayles & Company. He has 33 years of investment industry experience.

Brian joined Loomis Sayles in 1994 as a securitized and government bond trader. He transitioned to the high yield trading desk in 2001, where he initiated the firm’s trading of bank loans, while also trading high yield, convertibles, derivatives and equities. Brian joined the full discretion team as product manager in 2009 and was promoted to co-portfolio manager of the investment grade bond product suite in 2013. In 2016, he began co-managing the entire multisector suite of products. Brian began his investment industry career as a fund accountant at the Boston Company. He earned a BS from Providence College and an MBA from Babson College.

Brian is actively involved in the Loomis Sayles Undergraduate Women’s Investment Network (UWIN) and Undergraduate Summer Internship Development (USID) Program, as well as mentorship programs at Loomis Sayles and with external industry groups, including WOMEN Unlimited.

Since September 2022, Ignace Nguyen is a Client Portfolio Manager dedicated to Mirova, the sustainable investing division of Natixis Investment Managers (Natixis IM). Based in Singapore, he leads client portfolio management activities for Mirova’s global sustainable thematic strategies in APAC. As an integrated member of the investment team division, he is responsible for effectively communicating the teams’ investment views and portfolio strategies to consultants, institutional and wholesale clients across Singapore/ Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Australia, Japan and South Korea.

Prior to joining Natixis IM, he brings over 14 years of industry experience with BNP Paribas Asset Management and M&G Investments across Paris, Hong Kong, and Singapore. He has taken on different roles within the asset management industry ranging from investment specialist (covering sustainable & thematic strategies, liquid alternatives, and smart beta solutions), product structuring to managing strategic relationships with top-tier global financial institutions in Asia. Ignace also started his career as a structured product specialist at Société Générale Corporate & Investment Banking (CIB) in Paris covering the European Private Wealth segment.

Ignace holds a Double Master’s degree in Financial Analysis and Engineering from SKEMA Business School. He is also a holder of the CFA Institute Certificate in ESG Investing, and the Sustainable Finance Certificate from the University of Cambridge (CISL). He speaks fluently English, French, and Vietnamese.

Hanna Safdar is an Associate Director and Head of Research and Strategy for AEW’s Asia Pacific Region where she supports both the direct and indirect Investment teams in the region. Hanna has over ten years of real estate experience which she relies on to provide research and strategy support for all new and existing property investments. Hanna joined AEW in 2018 from Cambridge Associates, where she conducted fund manager research and due diligence projects across Asia Pacific’s real estate and infrastructure managers. Prior to that, Hanna also held a research position at DTZ in Singapore. Hanna has a B.Sc Real Estate from the National University of Singapore.

Alex Chin is the Country Chief Investment Officer at Generali Malaysia, where he oversees the investment portfolios and strategies for the Generali Malaysia entities. With over 20 years of experience in the financial industry, Alex began his career with Bank Negara in 2001. His primary areas of focus include strategic asset allocation, market outlook and performance analysis, investment recommendations, optimizing investment income, and managing investment risks and policies.

Before transitioning to fund management, Alex worked as an audit professional, conducting audits related to insurance operations and asset management across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, and China.

Alex holds the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) designation and a Master's degree in Finance from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) in Australia. He is also a former Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) and holds a Certification in Risk Management Assurance (CRMA) from the Institute of Internal Auditors (IIA), USA.

Chief Executive Officer of Penjana Kapital. Penjana Kapital was incorporated in July 2020 as part of Government of Malaysia’s initiative to accelerate the development of a future innovation economy. Its main role is to crowd in private capital to invest alongside Government and support the growth of Malaysia’s capital market as well as the development of industry verticals where Malaysia can be competitive and sustainable in. Penjana Kapital is a Sovereign private market fund-of-funds.

Prior to his appointment, Taufiq was with Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (Diperbadankan) as Director of Research. He was also once Director of Equity.

He had also served ValueCap Group as Chief Executive Officer of VCAP Asset Managers.

Armed with 17 years of experience in the fund management business, he has a deep commitment to the development of viable as well as vibrant capital market in Malaysia.

He read Law for his undergraduate and Management as a postgraduate, both at the London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE). He also went to Westminster Business School, with a postgraduate in Investment & Risk Finance.

Shyu Boon Eu is the Senior Vice President, Product Development under the Origination & Listing Division of Bursa Malaysia. Shyu is responsible for retail and institutional product strategy development for alternative listed products. Shyu has over 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, including 16 years in product development of investment products.

Dinagaran Chandra (Dina) is an experienced sustainability professional with a diverse background in corporate governance, risk management, environmental assessments, sustainable finance, and corporate sustainability. Holding sustainability credentials from the Sustainability Accounting Standards Board (SASB) and Global Association of Risk Professionals (GARP), Dina is dedicated to advancing the integration of sustainability considerations into business strategies. Currently, as the Head of ESG Investments at PNB, Dina is spearheading PNB’s aspirations to achieve a net-zero portfolio by 2050, scaling-up climate-aligned investment opportunities and operationalization of PNB’s labour rights commitments. Furthermore, Dina is also driving the integration of environmental, social, and governance (ESG) factors throughout the investment value chain at PNB.

Mr. Kaleon Leong bin Rahan is the Chief Executive Officer of the Federation of Investment Managers Malaysia (FIMM) effective 1 October 2018. He comes with over 20 years of experience in various senior management roles in the Malaysian investment management industry, specialising in the fields of unit trust and asset management, regulations and auditing.

Prior to his appointment at FIMM, Mr. Kaleon was the Chief Executive Officer and Director of HSBC (Malaysia) Trustee Berhad. He had also served at the Securities Commission Malaysia, AmInvestment Services Bhd and PricewaterhouseCoopers.

In addition to the above, Mr. Kaleon has participated as a speaker and resource person on Fund Management in events organized by the Asian Development Bank, Securities Industry Development Corporation, etc. He is also a Board Member of the International Investment Funds Association (IIFA).

Mr. Kaleon is a Chartered Accountant (Malaysian Institute of Accountants) and holds a Bachelor of Accounting degree from the International Islamic University Malaysia, as well as a Masters Degree in Information Technology Management from University Tun Abdul Razak.

Tengku 'Afiah Mardhiah is the Head of Corporate Analytics at Pelaburan Hartanah Berhad (PHB), where she leads initiatives to optimize operational efficiency and support strategic planning through advanced data analysis and AI. She holds a Master’s Degree in Systems Engineering from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia.

Her career includes pivotal roles at Infineon Technologies and NXP Semiconductor Malaysia, where she developed innovative solutions to improve cost efficiency and quality. She developed algorithms to identify trends, patterns, and anomalies, providing insights into engineering decisions and cycle times optimization. Her contributions include the development of OCR technology which elevates quality assurance and process improvement through the reduction of human error. Her outstanding work was recognized at NXP Malaysia's Technical Symposium.

Additionally, Tengku 'Afiah served as a reviewer for the 2nd IEEE National Biomedical Engineering Conference in 2023. Her dedication to leveraging advanced technologies drives success and fosters collaboration within organizations.

Muhammad Rizal Azmi has close to two decades of experience across power, renewables and sustainability. Starting as a production engineer, he transitioned to business development at Malakoff Corporation, Malaysia’s largest power producer. Between 2015-2017, he undertook a passion project in organic farming, before returning to corporate business development roles under the ENGIE Group as well as a local solar engineering, procurement, construction and commissioning (EPCC) company - Plus Xnergy.

Rizal’s foray into the carbon industry started with him joining Bureau Veritas, a leading carbon validation & verification body (VVB). He currently heads the Business Development and Sales Unit at BCX, playing a key role in shaping the future of voluntary carbon and RECs trading. Rizal is an engineering graduate of University Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP) and holds a MicroMasters in Sustainable Energy from University of Queensland (UQx).

Amanah Aboobucker is a senior banking and finance practitioner, with extensive multi-geography experience, covering businesses in Malaysia, Singapore, and major markets of the Asia Pacific. She has cross franchise experience covering corporate, commercial and investment banking, having served in various capacities in Risk Management, External and Internal Audit, Compliance, Product and Relationship Management. She has previously worked with KPMG and Citigroup in Malaysia and was formerly the Region Head for Citigroup’s debt restructuring division for the Asia Pacific Commercial Bank, based in Singapore. She joined the AmBank Group in October 2016 driving the Group’s transformation program to build a robust culture of compliance and conduct, to achieve long-term sustainability and stability for the organisation. Amanah was appointed the Chief Sustainability Officer of AmBank Group in June 2023 and drives what she calls, is her second transformation project – to lead the development and integration of broad-based, group-wide strategic sustainability initiatives.

Kevin Wong Weng Tuck is the Principal Officer of AmIslamic Funds Management Sdn Bhd (AIFM). His responsibilities include business development and marketing of Islamic funds as well as managing the Shariah compliance and governance of AIFM and its investment portfolios. Kevin is also the Chief Investment Officer (CIO) of AIFM, overseeing the company’s investments across asset classes, overall investment strategies and portfolio positioning of funds under management. He is the designated fund manager for all Islamic funds under AIFM’s management.

He has over 25 years of experience in the financial services, capital markets and funds management industries. In year 2000, he joined AmFunds Management Berhad’s Investment Department and his last position held before CIO was Senior Vice President, Head of Research, which oversaw a team of 15 research personnel that conducted fundamental investment research. Kevin graduated with a degree in Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting) from Monash University, Australia. He holds a Capital Markets Services Representative's License for the regulated activity of funds management.

DURRAINI BAHARUDDIN is the Senior Vice President & Group Chief Investment Officer. She graduated from King’s College, University of London with a Bachelor of Laws, LLB and a Masters of Applied Finance by Kaplan Professional, Australia. She started her career in 2007 as an Investment Analyst with Permodalan Nasional Berhad, before taking on the role of Regional Fund Manager with Permodalan Nasional Berhad and its formerly fully owned subsidiary Singapore Unit Trusts Limited. In 2016, Durraini went on to take up a role in Business Development with Franklin Templeton Malaysia before joining Value Partners Malaysia in 2018 and subsequently taking on the role of Chief Executive Officer. She joined MNRB on 13 February 2023.

Syed Umar Bin Abdul Rahman Alhadad (“Umar Alhadad”) was appointed as an Executive Director and Acting Chief Executive Officer of Eq8 Capital Sdn Bhd (Formerly known as i-VCAP Management Sdn Bhd) (“Eq8”) on 19 February 2021.

Prior to Eq8, Umar Alhadad was Head of Strategic Planning and Risk at Eq8’s parent company, Kenanga Investors Berhad (“KIB”) where his role revolves around the strategic setting and implementation of key initiatives whilst overseeing the risk management of the company. His previous role in the Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad group includes stints at Group Corporate Planning and Group Transformation.

During those period, Umar Alhadad lead multiple end-to-end M&A’s for the group with close to RM1 billion in transaction size, several licence applications and council admission. He also steered the digital transformation of KIB.

Before being part of the Kenanga Group, Umar was in the media and advertising sector at Spafax, a WPP Group company where he spearheaded the Malaysian outfit. This was preceded by his employment experience on the rollout and support for digital surveillance system for bank branches.

Umar Alhadad is a graduate of Multimedia University, Malaysia in B.Eng (Hons) Electronics Majoring in Telecommunications and a Certified Financial Planner. He holds a Capital Markets Services Representative’s Licence from the Securities Commission Malaysia for fund management.

Elgin Ting is the Group Head of Securities and Strategic Partnerships at CGS International. In his role, Elgin works with the Global Sales team and Country CEOs to deliver growth in revenue and market share via a three-prong approach; Focusing on platform strategy, expanding the product offerings and driving client acquisitions through strategic partnerships.

Elgin has been in the finance industry for over 20 years and has extensive experience in asset management and private banking, as well as in developing products for financial institutions and stock exchanges.

Prior to joining CGS International, Elgin was Head of Products Group at OCBC Securities. He also led partnership efforts in OCBC Bank, Bank of Singapore and Lion-Global Asset Management. Under his stewardship, both the share margin loan book and collaboration revenues doubled between 2019 and 2021. Elgin also co-launched multiple ETFs with Lion Global, including the Lion-OCBC Securities Hang Seng TECH ETF.

Elgin holds a Bachelor of Applied Science (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) from the University of British Columbia, Canada. He also completed his Chartered Financial Analyst Level 3 and graduated from Insead’s Executive Development Program.

Dr. Wong Huei Ching is the Executive Director of Digital Strategy and Innovation at the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC). She currently oversees the development and innovation for digital markets as well as the SC’s technology and analytics capabilities.

Huei Ching joined the SC in 2017 and has been involved in strategic planning and market development, focusing on alternative fundraising, market vibrancy and industry digitalisation. She was instrumental in the development of the SC’s Capital Market Masterplan (2021-2025) and represented the SC as a board member of the Labuan Financial Services Authority (2020 to 2023).

Prior to joining the Commission, she was with a global management consulting firm and one of Malaysia’s largest banks. She has over 17 years of experience, largely in financial services.

Huei Ching holds a Bachelor’s in Electronic and Communications Engineering and a PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Bristol, UK.

Nazaiful heads the Portfolio Strategy and Research department which is responsible for formulating KWAP’s investment strategy (Strategic and Tactical Asset Allocation) and inhouse research. He leads a team of economists, equity, credit and policy analysts in addition to managing all the quants related strategy within KWAP. He is also currently supporting the Chief Investment Officer in spearheading the Responsible Investment initiatives for the Investment Division.

Nazaiful has over 25 years’ experience in capital markets including various roles in strategy, economics and research cutting across several asset classes. He obtained his MBA in Finance from the International Islamic University Malaysia and also attended the 4th ASEAN Senior Management Development Programme held in 2011.

Datuk Noripah is Chairman (Designate) of Arabesque Malaysia. Arabesque Holding PLC is a London based sustainability FinTech company. She was a banker for 30 years. She previously served as chairman of Bank Kerjasama Rakyat Malaysia, advisor to CIMB Islamic Wholesale Banking, and CEO of CIMB Futures. She was the founding CEO of CIMB Principal Islamic Asset Management and pioneered the listing of the world's first regional ASEAN ETF.

The common good and shared values in finance that apply to the principles of Islam, Ethics, Responsibility, and Sustainability, are universal values close to Datuk Noripah's heart. It is with this passion that Datuk Noripah and her husband co-taught Islamic finance at Drake University, USA, and they currently lecture at St Joseph University, Lebanon. Alongside her position as Global Advisory Board Member of IFN (Islamic Finance News), she was also a visiting Fellow in Islamic Finance at Oxford Center for Islamic Studies (OCIS), University of Oxford, UK, from 2016-2017.

Datuk Noripah wrote the globally acclaimed book "Investing in Islamic Funds. A Practitioner's Perspective"; and was recognised as the most influential woman in Islamic Business and Finance by Cambridge International Financial Advisory in 2019.

Salmah Bee Mohd Mydin is the Executive Director of Market Development at the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) responsible for sustainability, corporate governance, investment product development along with the securities and derivatives development functions.

An important focus of the SC’s agenda is the development of a capital market that is inclusive and sustainable and Salmah leads a team that is responsible for formulating initiatives to enhance market efficiency, vibrancy and competitiveness. She is a board member of the Audit Oversight Board, the Finance Accreditation Agency, the Malaysian Venture Capital and Private Equity Development Council; and Penjana Kapital.

With vast experience in investigation, intermediaries supervision, market surveillance, authorisation and licensing; and development and policy formulation, Salmah has been involved in numerous external engagements including initiatives in public sector transformation, the Attorney-General’s Chambers and the Anti-Corruption Agency (now known as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission). She has also served as a member of the SC’s Capital Market Compensation Fund Corporation and the Financial Stability Committee of the Labuan Financial Services Authority.

Previously Salmah was a business reporter with The STAR Publications. She has a Bachelor of Arts (Management and Business Studies) from the University of Liverpool and a Master in Science (Public Policy and Management) from the University of London.