Tim Burroughs Managing Editor ASIAN VENTURE CAPITAL JOURNAL

Tim Burroughs is managing editor of Asian Venture Capital Journal, having joined the publication in May 2011. He is responsible for all editorial content put out under the AVCJ brand, including Asian Venture Capital Journal, AVCJtv, AVCJ Awards and AVCJ.com. Tim previously spent five years at China Economic Review, serving as editor-in-chief and then editorial director. Located in Greater China since 2003, during which time he has lived in Beijing, Qingdao and Hong Kong, Tim has been a China-based contributor for publications including The Sunday Times, Sunday Telegraph, BBC and China Daily. Prior to moving to China, he trained and worked as a journalist in the UK. He was honored at the Society of Publishers in Asia awards in 2007, 2008 and 2010, and at the State Street Institutional Press Awards - Asia in 2012.

Rohit Sipahimalani Chief Investment Strategist; Head South East Asia TEMASEK INTERNATIONAL

Rohit Sipahimalani joined Temasek in 2008 as Head of Telecom, Media & Technology investments. In 2012, he was appointed co-Chief Investment Officer and has since held various roles including Joint Head for Investment Group, Joint Head of Portfolio Strategy & Risk Group as well as Head, India, before assuming his current position in January 2020.

Prior to joining Temasek, Rohit spent 11 years with Morgan Stanley holding senior positions across its Mumbai and Hong Kong offices, including Co-Head of the Asia Pacific M&A business in Hong Kong, before his appointment as Managing Director and Head of South East Asia Investment Banking in Singapore.

Rohit started his career with Citibank, Mumbai, after which he spent a few years with McKinsey & Company in India as a management consultant, before he joined Morgan Stanley. Rohit holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad. He graduated from St. Stephens College, Delhi with a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) Economics

Tim Burroughs Managing Editor ASIAN VENTURE CAPITAL JOURNAL

Tim Burroughs is managing editor of Asian Venture Capital Journal, having joined the publication in May 2011. He is responsible for all editorial content put out under the AVCJ brand, including Asian Venture Capital Journal, AVCJtv, AVCJ Awards and AVCJ.com. Tim previously spent five years at China Economic Review, serving as editor-in-chief and then editorial director. Located in Greater China since 2003, during which time he has lived in Beijing, Qingdao and Hong Kong, Tim has been a China-based contributor for publications including The Sunday Times, Sunday Telegraph, BBC and China Daily. Prior to moving to China, he trained and worked as a journalist in the UK. He was honored at the Society of Publishers in Asia awards in 2007, 2008 and 2010, and at the State Street Institutional Press Awards - Asia in 2012.

Ben Hart Partner & Head of Investor Relations (Asia) ADAMS STREET PARTNERS

Ben focuses on the development of institutional client and consultant relationships and works with other members of the investor relations team to serve the needs of Adams Street Partners’ clients.

Prior to joining the firm, Ben worked at Capital Dynamics as Managing Director and Chief Operating Officer of Asia, overseeing the firm’s business development efforts in Asia and North America.

Before Capital Dynamics, Ben served as Managing Director at Aircom International, focused on improving regional business performance. He also held senior business development 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

Amit Gupta Partner NEWQUEST CAPITAL PARTNERS

Amit Gupta is a founding Partner of NewQuest and oversees the firm’s India and Southeast Asia business as well as investments in the power and financial services sectors. Amit has nearly 20 years of industry experience.

Prior to co-founding 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. 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.

Nainesh Jaisingh Founding Partner and Chief Executive Officer AFFIRMA CAPITAL

Nainesh Jaisingh is a Founding Partner and Chief Executive Officer at Affirma Capital. He is based in Singapore and also directly manages the Private Equity business in South East Asia.

Prior to leading the MBO of Standard Chartered Private Equity (SCPE) to form Affirma Capital, Nainesh was a founding member of the business within Standard Chartered Bank in 2002, and most recently the Global Head of the Principal Finance business of the Bank.

Nainesh’s early career was with ANZ Investment Bank and ANZ Grindlays.He is an Engineer from the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), BHU, and holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Bangalore.

Kyle Shaw Founder and Managing Partner SHAWKWEI & PARTNERS

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, and Shanghai 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.

Andrew Thompson Head of Deal Advisory (Singapore & Indonesia), Head of Private Equity (ASPAC) KPMG

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

Mohit Ralhan Managing Partner & CIO TIW PRIVATE EQUITY

Mr. Mohit Ralhan is the Managing Partner & CIO of TIW Private Equity. Mr. Ralhan specializes in Buyouts, Margin Expansion & Turnaround situations. Prior to TIW, he was an Investment & Operating Professional at Baring Private Equity Partners India Fund II and Fund III. He has over 2 decades of experience in Fund Management. He has served on advisory board of companies in the interest-rate sensitive sectors, FMCG, Technology, Education, Consumption, Media, Digital Businesses, Real Estate & Manufacturing Consumption. He is a thought leader in buyout investments and has been a regular speaker in various industry forums such as AVCJ Japan, USA, India, Singapore, Hong Kong, SEA, Super Investor Asia, GTech Leader’s Meet, Pension Fund Investment Summit, to name a few. He has been awarded by the Times Group as the “Most Promising Business Leaders of Asia” for recent 2 consecutive years in 2019 & 2020 for demonstrating exemplary leadership qualities. He is also awarded by the CEO Insights Magazine as one of the “Top 10 Best Chief Investment Officers in India 2020”.

Jon Crandall Managing Director, APAC INCLOUDCOUNSEL

Jon is the Managing Director, APAC at InCloudCounsel. Jon is based in Singapore, where he manages the company’s relationships with its APAC-based clients. Jon holds a J.D. from New York University School of Law and a B.A. in mathematics from the University of Alaska Anchorage. Prior to joining InCloudCounsel, Jon spent over 10 years as a practicing corporate lawyer across Singapore, London, and New York, most recently as a partner in the capital markets practice of an international law firm.

Himanshu Dodeja Managing Director and Head of Legal BLACKSTONE INDIA

Himanshu Dodeja is a Managing Director, and Head of Legal, of Blackstone India, based in Mumbai. Mr. Dodeja focuses on mergers & acquisitions, private equity, capital market initiatives of the firm, and on all the legal matters. Mr. Dodeja is also on the board of various companies in India.

Before joining Blackstone in 2016, Mr. Dodeja was a partner at Cyril Amarchand Mangaldas in Mumbai, where he focused on private equity, M&A transactions, special situations, and advised many other marquee private equity investors. Mr. Dodeja is licensed to practice in India and in New York. He also holds an LL.M. from NYU School of Law.

Kapil Kirpalani Director and Chief Compliance Officer KKR

Kapil Kirpalani is a Director and serves as KKR’s Chief Compliance Officer for the Asia-Pacific region. Prior to joining KKR, Mr. Kirpalani was at HarbourVest Partners where he was responsible for the legal/compliance coverage of the funds, secondaries and direct co-investing businesses across Asia. He was previously with Pacific Harbor Capital (a Citigroup affiliate) where he covered a broad range of businesses including special situations, debt & equity investments. He began his career in private practice. Mr. Kirpalani holds an LL.B. (with honors), an LL.M. and has completed further business studies at the University of Cambridge.

Kenneth Leong COO & CFO AXIOM ASIA PRIVATE CAPITAL PTE LTD

Kenneth joined Axiom in 2017. He was previously a Senior Vice President of Corporate Accounting at GIC, leading the company’s statutory and management reporting function and overseeing the day-to-day operations of its finance department across 10 countries. In his 14 years at GIC, Kenneth was promoted through a variety of finance roles, gaining exposure to different asset classes including private equity.

Prior to GIC, Kenneth spent two and a half years as an auditor with Deloitte.

Kenneth graduated from the Nanyang Technological University, Singapore with a Bachelor of Accountancy, 2nd Upper Honours and a Minor in Business Law.

He reads and writes English and Chinese.

Jun Tsusaka CEO, CIO and Chairperson of the ESG Committee NSSK

Jun Tsusaka is CEO, CIO and Chairperson of the ESG Committee of Nippon Sangyo Suishin Kiko Ltd. (NSSK), an investment firm established in 2014 and focused on Japan’ s middle market. NSSK currently manages five investment funds (including its flagship fund and regional impact funds) on behalf of Japanese and international government and private sector pension plans, institutional investors, endowments and family offices.

Prior to Founding NSSK, from 2006, Jun Tsusaka was a Global Partner, Investment Committee Member and Partner Selection Committee Member for TPG Capital and was responsible for establishing and building up the Japan investment and operating team, which make up the core of NSSK today.

Jun Tsusaka is a graduate of Harvard College and Harvard Business School and has an Advanced Management Certificate in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from MIT. He is a former Business Trustee of Japan’s Bankruptcy Court, is a member of the Keizai Doyukai and Seiwajuku and the President of the Harvard Club of Japan.

Roshini Bakshi Managing Director EVERSTONE CAPITAL

Roshini is a Managing Director, Private Equity at Everstone Capital Asia Pte based out of Singapore.

Her role includes evaluating new opportunities, including thematic strategies and driving operating improvement in portfolio companies in the areas of strategy, human capital management, and brand transformation.

At Everstone, she manages a diverse portfolio of companies based in India, and South East Asia across sectors. She is a nominee director on Everlife Pte and VLCC as part of her role at Everstone. She also serves on the boards of 2 public companies – a large technology major -Persistent Systems Ltd ( https://www.persistent.com/) and JM Financial products, a financial services company (https://jmfl.com/). She was earlier on the board of Max Healthcare, the largest hospital network in India. These companies have no connection to Everstone.

Roshini has more than 28 years of general management and marketing experience and strong track record in consumer industries, setting strategy for creative consumer-driven services and improving operational effectiveness to create greater financial returns. Prior to Everstone, she was the Managing Director for the Walt Disney Company’s Consumer, media and retail business for South Asia, where she set up and grew the business to more than $300 million in revenue. Some of her earlier roles were with Unilever, American Express, Mattel, and in Polaris, a software company where she set up and led the growth of software products doing end to end human capital management

She believes very strongly in young entrepreneurs as the future for innovation and growth and works closely with Endeavor.org as their global ambassador and panelist helping shortlist the next generation of growth businesses especially from the Southeast Asian region. Roshini holds an MBA from the Indian Institute of Management (Ahmedabad, India) and an undergraduate degree from St Stephens College (Delhi, India) majoring in Economics (Hons). She lives in Singapore, but her work travel traverses India, Southeast Asia and North America. She is a keen marathoner and am passionate about running who finds a way to run wherever she travels.

Atiff Gill Senior Managing Director CVC CAPITAL PARTNERS

Atiff joined CVC in 2014. Atiff is a member of CVC's private equity operations team in Asia and is based in Singapore. He is on the Board of 5 portfolio companies spanning FMCG, Retail, QSR and Healthcare across SEA.

He has worked in the retail and consumer goods field in Europe and Asia for 25 years, and as a CEO of 3 companies. Prior to joining CVC, he worked as CEO of Lacoste (China) based in Shanghai. Prior to that, he worked for Kingfisher plc, Kurt Salmon Associates, Metersbonwe, and Williamson-Dickie.

Atiff holds a BSc Degree from London University and is a Post-Graduate from Oxford University.

Shane Lauf Principal PERMIRA

Shane is a Principal and leads the Portfolio Group in Asia for Permira, where his primary focus is on value creation and due diligence of new investment opportunities from a commercial and operational perspective. Shane has worked on a number of transactions including I-MED, Tricor, Topcast, and EF Kids & Teens. Prior to joining Permira in 2017, Shane worked for KKR Capstone for six years and previously worked with McKinsey and Company in Japan and Australia. Shane holds degrees in Computer Engineering and Japanese Language from the University of Wollongong, Australia, and has an MBA and MS from Stanford University, USA.

Basil Lui Managing Partner, Investments EDBI

Dr Basil Lui is Managing Partner, Investments, at EDBI, a Singapore-based global investor in select high growth technology sectors and key strategic industries in Singapore.

As Managing Partner (Investments), Dr Lui leads EDBI’s emerging technology team to make strategic investments into emerging smart and sustainable deep tech areas such as mobility (land/air/sea/space), advanced manufacturing (automation/additive manufacturing/IOT), future of computing, blockchain, AR/VR and agrifood-tech. He also fronts the value creation efforts for EDBI’s portfolio companies to assist their growth and has extensive experience in corporate, business and technology development, business advisory and academia.

Dr Lui holds a BA in Mechanical Engineering and a PHD from University of Cambridge.

Heath Zarin Founder & CEO EMERGEVEST

Mr. Heath Zarin is the Founder, Chair and CEO ofEmergeVest, 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 billion of annual revenues and global operations.

Mr. Heath Zarin was previously Managing Director and Head of Principal Investments, Asia-Pacific, for HSBC, with responsibility for Asian proprietary private investment activities. Previously, he founded and ran Emergent Investment Group (“EIG”), a Hong Kong-based private investment firm. Prior to founding EIG, Mr. Heath Zarin held a series of senior executive roles at Credit Suisse, including forming and managing its Asian private equity business. 

Mr. Heath Zarin practiced corporate law with SchuiteRoth & Zabel LLP in New York, where he formed and advised hedge funds and private equity funds. Mr. Heath Zarin’s current and previous board service includes companies across Asia, Europe and North America, in diverse manufacturing and service industries. Mr. Zarin has served as the Chair ofAllport Cargo Services, Adjuno, CM Downton, Jigsaw Solutions, NFT, Palletforce and other businesses.

Mr. Heath Zarin holds a Juris Doctor from the Fordham University School of Law and graduated from the State University of New York at Binghamton. He is CFA, CMT and CAIA charterholder and has completed Certificate programs at Harvard Business School.

Sean Murphy Partner COOLEY LLP

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.

Michelle Deaker Co-Founder & Managing Partner ONEVENTURES

Dr Michelle Deaker is a Managing Partner of OneVentures, Australia’s leading technology and healthcare multi-strategy investment firm. The firm now has circa US$330M in funds under management and raising its fifth fund, 1V Growth Fund V (US$150M). Dr Deaker has been primarily responsible for the foundation of OneVentures firm and capital raisings of OneVentures Funds. Dr Deaker serves on the investment committee of OneVentures Funds, leads the technology practice within the firm, is a Director on OneVentures portfolio companies Employment Hero (Chair), Phocas Group, My Mobile Data and 8i and is responsible for investor relations. Dr Deaker founded multiple businesses prior to her move into venture capital including one of Australia’s first fintech companies (E Com Industries/giftvouchers.com) sold to UK publicly listed company Retail Decisions (ReD). She has over 20 years’ experience in the development of high growth technology companies in Australia and the US, has served on the boards of large and small listed and unlisted companies and expertise in global business expansion. Her previous board appointments include NICTA (now CSIRO’s Data61) and Seven West Media (ASX: SWM). She has also served in advisory board roles with NSW Government’s Taskforce for the Digital Economy, Heads over Heels and Australian Investment Council Venture Capital Working Group. Dr Deaker holds a Bachelor of Science with first class honours, Master of Science and a PhD (Applied Science). She is a member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors and Chief Executive Women (CEW).

Adrian Li Founder & Managing Partner AC VENTURES

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.

Minette Navarrete Co-Founder & President KICKSTART VENTURES

Kickstart Ventures manages the Philippines’ largest technology venture capital funds, investing globally in early- and early-stage tech startups via three funds, including the Ayala Corporation Technology Innovation Venture Fund (“ACTIVE Fund”). Kickstart is a wholly-owned corporate venture capital firm of Globe Telecom, the Philippines’ leading mobile operator. 

Minette Navarrete is President of Kickstart Ventures, Inc. She is Senior Vice President at Globe Telecom, and a member of the Board of Directors of AdSpark, Globe’s digital advertising subsidiary. She also co-chairs the Ayala Corporation Innovation Advisory Council. Prior to joining Globe, Minette held CEO/COO positions in various industries, ranging from scrappy Philippine startups to iconic global companies.

To-date, the Kickstart portfolio consists of 51 companies in seven countries around the world, investing out of its two early 2012 and 2015) funds. Kickstart is also responsible for a third fund, the $180M Ayala Corporation Technology Innovation Venture Fund (“ACTIVE Fund”), anchored by the Philippines’ first business house, the Ayala Corporation. The ACTIVE Fund tracks four investment theses about the future of data, work, communities, and resources; it invests in early- and early-growth tech companies around the world.

Minette is also currently co-chair of Ayala Corporation’s Innovation Advisory Council. She has held CEO/COO positions in various industries, ranging from Philippine startups to iconic multinationals. Before joining Globe, she was Philippine Managing Director of online game publishing startup, Level Up! She previously served as Levi Strauss & Company’s Country Manager for the Philippines and Guam; and President & CEO of Shangri-La Plaza Corporation. She cut her teeth in global FMCG giants, Unilever and L’Oréal.

Minette holds a Bachelor of Science degree, Major in Management Engineering, from the Ateneo deManila University.

Roderick Purwana Managing Partner EAST VENTURES

Roderick Purwana is Managing Partner of East Ventures. Roderick is an active investor with a diverse background of working in operations and investments in the VC and PE industry. Previously worked as Managing Partner of SMDV Indonesia based venture capital firm focusing growth stage companies in Southeast Asia.

Roderick has experience in management, operations, investment and portfolio management through his work in multiple industries in Silicon Valley and in Southeast Asia. His exposure in Silicon Valley was primarily around the technology and life science industry. Originally from Indonesia, He returned home in 2009 where he joined Quvat/Principia Management Group. Quvat is a private equity firm, specializing in early-stage and growth-stage investments into mid-market companies in Indonesia, Singapore, and Malaysia. During his time there, Roderick managed and led several strategic initiatives of one of the portfolio companies, including strategy, M&A and IPO. Since returning to Indonesia, he has also served in various management capacities for companies in aviation infrastructure, food & beverage, and chemicals distribution sectors. Roderick is also a co-founder of Bobobobo.com, a lifestyle e-commerce company.

Roderick received his M.S from Stanford University and his B.S from Cornell University.

Piruze Sabuncu Partner SQUARE PEG

Piruze joined Square Peg in 2020 and was previously the Head of Southeast Asia and Hong Kong at Stripe. Prior to Stripe, Piruze ran a health-tech startup and was an Engagement Manager at McKinsey & Co. advising leading technology and telecoms companies across Southeast Asia, Turkey and the US. Earlier in her career, she worked in Operations & Marketing at Dell. Piruze holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, and BBA from Middle East Technical University.

Dominic Goh Principal HARBOURVEST PARTNERS

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.

Soo Boon Koh Founding and Managing Partner IGLOBE PARTNERS

Soo Boon founded iGlobe in December 1999 when venture capital (VC) was experiencing the onset of globalisation. As a veteran in the global VC industry with a specialisation in technology investing, she has achieved consistent top-quartile fund return for her investments. Working alongside prominent VCs such as Sequoia Capital, IVP, RRE, Lux Capital, DCM and Qualcomm Ventures, she has since established herself as a prominent leader in the investing community.

Under Soo Boon’s leadership, notable IPOs among iGlobe’s portfolio companies in recent years are Unity Software Inc. (NYSE: U) on 18 September 2020, Twist Bioscience Corp (NASDAQ: TWST) on 31 October 2018, Autonomous Control Systems Laboratory Ltd. (TYO: 6232) on 21 December 2018 and VeriSilicon Microelectronics (Shanghai) Co., Ltd. (SHA: 688521) on 18 August 2020. Past exits include u-blox AG (SWX: UBXN), Telenav Inc. (NASDAQ: TNAV), Celestry Inc. (sold to Cadence), Aicent Inc. (acquired by TA Associates) and Anacle Systems Limited (HKGEM: 8353).

Currently, Soo Boon serves as a board observer of several VC-backed companies based in San Francisco. This includes NerdWallet Inc. and Matterport Inc. Soo Boon is also a board member of Hoolah (Singapore), The Great Room (Singapore) and ForteMedia Inc. (USA).

Prior to founding iGlobe, she held senior management positions in Vertex Management from 1988 to 1999 (previously the venture capital arm of Singapore Technologies and now under Temasek Holdings), playing a critical role in establishing the operations of Vertex in California and Vertex Europe in London.

Soo Boon‘s ability to connect syndication co-investors across continents came from her experience in DBS early in her career. Her clients came from a range of industries, including electronics, financial services, real estate, transportation/logistic industry and petrochemical plants. With this experience, she has built a network of trusted partners whom she rode through multiple business cycles with.

It is with her experience that Soo Boon is inspired to support women leaders in tech and actively promote board diversity especially in tech companies. In 2009, she was one of the few women appointed as Council Member of the Singapore Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SCCCI). She also held the position of the Chairwoman of SCCCI's Career Women Group from 2011 to 2019. She is currently a member of the Singapore chapter of Women Corporate Directors and the International Women Forum, where she mentors professional women on private and public boards. With her active role in advocating gender diversity, Soo Boon was given the "Honorary Outstanding Women Award" by HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn in celebration of Thai Women's Day in Honor of Her Majesty Queen Sirikit in 2016.

Thomas Lanyi Managing Director CDH INVESTMENTS

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).

Tushar Roy Partner SQUARE PEG

Tushar joined Square Peg as a Partner in 2015. Founded in 2012, Square Peg is a venture capital fund that invests in Australia, Israel and Southeast Asia with a focus on Series A and Series B. It manages more than USD1 billion in capital commitments.

Tushar leads Square Peg’s presence in SEA, and is based in Singapore. He has led several investments for Square Peg across SEA and Australia, and represents the firm on numerous portfolio company Boards.

Prior to Square Peg Tushar had more than 10 years’ experience as a lawyer and management consultant with a focus on tech, media and telecommunications. He has advised on all facets of business, including growth strategies, M&A, go-to-market, leadership development, organisational design and process improvement.

Tushar holds degrees in computer science and law from the University of New South Wales, and an MBA degree from INSEAD.

Jason Sambanju Partner & CEO FOUNDATION PRIVATE EQUITY

Jason is the founder of Foundation Private Equity, the first investment platform focused on GP-led fund restructuring secondaries in Asia. He has been a private equity investor since 2000, spending the last 14 years purely on secondary transactions. He was previously Head of Asia, Secondaries for DB Private Equity, the private equity arm of Deutsche Bank AG, and prior to this, was Co-Head of Asia for Paul Capital Partners, establishing and leading the first full-fledged secondaries practice in the region. Jason has a B.Sc. in Finance (Wharton School) and B.A. in Economics (College of Arts & Sciences) from the University of Pennsylvania, from which he graduated with honours.

Ferish Patel Partner in Charge – Singapore COOLEY LLP

Ferish Patel heads Cooley’s Singapore corporate practice. For over 18 years, Ferish has advised clients across the full-spectrum of corporate matters --- including private financings of all stages, IPOs, bank financings, leveraged buyouts, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures and corporate governance matters. This breadth of transactional experience has allowed Ferish to provide strategic guidance to founders, high-growth companies and investment funds on matters in Asia, Europe, Latin America and the US. In so doing, he has assisted clients in raising over US$100 billion in public and private financings, involving equity and debt capital.

Sachin Bhanot Head of Southeast Asia Investments PROSUS VENTURES

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.

Vikas Choudhury President, RELIANCE JIO; Partner, PIVOT VENTURES

A global strategic leader in public companies, currently President at Reliance Jio and part of the central management of India’s largest consumer conglomerate in telecom and retail, also leading its foray into payments, digital advertising and e-commerce.

Previously MD India of Aimia Inc., the world’s largest data-driven marketing company. He has built and sold businesses in marketing, Nectar and analytics, Fractal, and has also been a successful entrepreneur in luxury retail, investment banking, IT and security. He is one of India’s earliest venture capitalists, with an active family office portfolio, including 2 unicorns, InMobi and Myntra. 

An Alumnus of University of Pittsburgh and Harvard Business School. Also Co-President, Harvard Club of Mumbai and a national award-winning photographer.

Kenneth Low Principal SOFTBANK VENTURES ASIA

Kenneth Low joined SoftBank Venture Asia in December 2020 as a Principal. Prior to joining Softbank in 2020, Kenneth was most recently an Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) with 500 Startups, helping to guide technology start-ups to grow and scale within the Southeast Asia region. Previously, he was the co-founder and COO of Club Alacarte, a consumer lifestyle coupon subscription app in Indonesia. Prior to forming Club Alacarte, Kenneth worked for more than 13 years as an investment banker in Hong Kong, New York and Singapore.

Eriko Suzuki Managing Director MPOWER PARTNERS

Eriko Suzuki is Managing Director of Japan’s first ESG focused Venture Capital Fund and former General Partner at global venture capital fund Fresco Capital, and also former Director at Taizo Son’s social impact focused venture capital Mistletoe Inc.

 Eriko has lived abroad from North America to the Middle East, and whilst obtaining an Honors Economics degree at McGill University, interned in Kenya at a World Bank affiliated microfinance organization. She started her career in Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley, and later established the Japan business of a Silicon Valley drone startup.

 Eriko is also a mother of two children and author of a Future of Work book - “How we live, will be how we work”(Daiwashobo, 2018) .

Chaim Estulin Senior Editor DEBTWIRE

Chaim Estulin has been covering Asia for more than two decades, including as Debtwire senior editor since October 2007. He helps oversee more than two dozen reporters and analysts in the region focused on corporate distress and restructurings as well as the primary issuance of high-yield bonds, loans and private debt. Before joining Debtwire, Chaim was a business editor at the South China Morning Post and a Hong Kong-based reporter at Time magazine covering politics, culture and business.

Sandeep Chandak Managing Director VÄRDE PARTNERS

Sandeep Chandak is a Managing Director on the Asia Corporate and Traded Credit team. Based in Singapore, he joined the firm in 2016.

Prior to joining Värde, Sandeep worked at Deutsche Bank Hong Kong as a Trader in Distressed and Illiquids, covering Asia Pacific stressed loans and bonds. Prior to Deutsche Bank, he was at Ernst & Young India in Transaction Advisory Services, providing corporate valuation, acquisition and fundraising advisory to clients.

Sandeep received a Bachelor of Commerce (Honors) from the University of Delhi, India. He is also a Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants of India.

Soumendra Ghosh Chief Investment Officer VIVRITI ASSET MANAGEMENT

Soumendra is one of the founding members of Vivriti Capital and built the capital markets practice prior to setting up Vivriti's Asset Management Business. Prior to Vivriti, he was a Director in Capital Markets Team at IFMR Capital where he structured and placed asset backed securities, complex structured credit global and domestic institutions. He has raised over US$4 Bn for over 150 enterprises. 

Prior to IFMR Capital, Soumendra was managing the supply chain and receivable finance at HSBC where he managed portfolio of US$100 Mn. Prior to that, he was the Head of Strategy at IFCI Factors Limited, where he built and managed a portfolio of SMEs amounting to US$150Mn. Soumendra has an MBA from Indian School of Business and a Bachelor’s in Engineering from R.V. College of Engineering. He is also a CFA charter holder.

Vivriti Group focuses on the performing credit space in India, a US$ 500 Bn market. It seeks to transform the performing credit space in India, using technology to build high efficiencies in sourcing, data management, transaction execution and credit monitoring, while building diligence, portfolio management and deep structuring capabilities in its teams. Vivriti Asset Management (VAM) was conceptualized with a vision to build fixed income funds focusing on the three dimensions of Risk, Return and Impact. Within the first year of operations, VAM garnered interest from various global investors and domestic LPs, and has crossed US$ 225 Mn of commitments as of end June 2021.

Vivriti Group which was founded in 2017 and comprises of the India's largest debt platform ‘CredAvenue’ along with Vivriti Capital, a NBFI. Vivriti Group - backed by marquee investors Creation Investments and LGT Lightrock, - is recognised as a “Soonicorn” owning to its phenomenal growth, innovation and leadership position in the BFSI space.

Dinesh Goel Partner ARES SSG CAPITAL MANAGEMENT

Mr. Dinesh Goel is a Partner in the Ares SSG Group, where he is responsible for managing all investment activities under the Secured Lending Opportunities Fund. Prior to joining Ares in 2020, Mr. Goel worked as a Managing Director of the SSG Group since 2009, and was instrumental in growing the firm's India business, including identifying opportunities, structuring investments and asset management. He has deep experience in the structuring of private credit transactions and has led SSG's private lending strategy in the region since its inception. 

Mr. Goel began his career in 2002 as a Desk Analyst in the Portfolio Strategy Group and Credit Research at Lehman Brothers in Tokyo, where he focused on principal positions related to structured credit and stressed convertible bonds. He later worked in the Special Situation Group in Hong Kong, where he was mainly responsible for identifying and structuring private and public convertible bond investments of the group. Mr. Goel holds a B.Tech. from the Indian Institute of Technology (Delhi) in Chemical Engineering and an M.B.A. from the Indian Institute of Management. Mr. Goel is a CFA charterholder.

Clare Robberts Vice President BLACKROCK

Clare Robberts,Vice President, is the lead Product Manager for the eFront Private Credit offering, focused on delivering technology solutions for Private Debt investors. Based in London, Clare is responsible for defining and communicating the product vision and roadmap, as well as working with development teams to oversee the successful delivery of features. Clare joined eFront in 2014 and has held a variety of roles across the Customer Success and Technology functions. She has experience across a range of alternative asset classes, and has worked with LPs, GPs and Asset Servicers to understand their operational pain points and provide technology solutions. Clare earned a degree in Mathematics from the University of Oxford.

Nimrod Wei Managing Director CARVAL INVESTORS

Mr. Wei is a managing director for CarVal Investors, responsible for managing corporate securities investments in Asia. Prior to joining CarVal in 2018, Mr. Wei was a portfolio manager with BFAM Partners in Hong Kong where he managed investments in performing, stressed and distressed assets. Prior to joining BFAM, Mr. Wei held positions with JP Morgan Partners, Goldman Sachs’ Special Situations Group and Arkkan Capital focusing on emerging markets distressed, high-yield, private equity and structured products. Mr. Wei earned his M.B.A. from the MIT Sloan School of Management, an M.P.A. from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government and his B.A. from the University of California at Santa Barbara.