Nguyen Cong Ai Senior Partner, Head of Strategy Group KPMG TAX AND ADVISORY LIMITED (KPMG VIETNAM)

Dr. Ai holds a Ph.D degree in International Business from the University of Economics, Bratislava, Slovak Republic. Dr. Ai started working for KPMG in 1998 in Slovak Republic, and was transferred to Vietnam in 2001. He has been the Senior Partner leading the Strategy Group at KPMG Vietnam. His areas of expertise include growth strategy, enterprise-wide transformation, market entry advisory, M&A advisory, market research, and commercial due diligence. Working from Ho Chi Minh City, Dr Ai has led and participated in many projects which include wider teams of consultants from KPMG offices in US, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, India and Thailand, etc. His client portfolio includes large multinational corporations in various industries such as manufacturing, banking and finance, retail, healthcare, food and beverages, energy and infrastructure, as well as many leading Vietnamese corporations.

Gabriel Ho Ji-Min Managing Director DYMON ASIA PRIVATE EQUITY

Gabriel Ho Ji-Min is a Managing Director and member of the Investment Committee of Dymon Asia Private Equity (DAPE), where he oversees investments in Southeast Asia. DAPE manages approximately SG$1 billion of committed capital, and is the private equity arm of Dymon Asia Capital, which manages approximately US$4.5 billion in total AUM.

Prior to joining DAPE, Gabriel worked at Baring Private Equity Asia, Morgan Stanley, and the Singapore Government. He has 15 years of private equity and investment banking experience, and has completed investments and divestments totaling c.US$900 million for 10 companies across Asia. At DAPE, he has led investments and divestments in healthcare, education, consumer and business services, and these portfolio companies have operations and presence across Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, China and Taiwan.

Gabriel currently serves as Chairman of Asia Medical Enviro Services and as Director of Select Group, Rudi’s Fine Food, and Continental Deli. Other directorships include positions previously held on the boards of UEMS, Asia Integrated Facility Solutions, Asia Facility Solutions, and Lutheran Care Community Services.

Gabriel received his M.A. from Harvard University in 2006, and a B.A. in Economics (Phi Beta Kappa) from the University of Chicago. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA).

Hongjin Kim Managing Director / Growth Capital STIC INVESTMENTS

Mr. Kim is a Managing Director on the Growth Capital team at STIC Investments. He is responsible for the firm’s investments in Southeast Asia, mainly in Vietnam.

At STIC Investments, Mr. Kim has reviewed more than 30 potential deals in the region and has invested in 6 companies. Examples of these investments include delivery tech, B2B grocery logistics platform, micro mobility, and big data advertising.

Prior to joining STIC, Mr. Kim was an investment manager at Green Egg Investment and Hanwha Life Insurance. Before that, he worked as a consultant at KPMG and PwC in Seoul.

At Green Egg Investment and Hanwha Life Insurance, Mr. Kim invested in various promising sectors in Vietnam, including technology, renewable energy, financials services, and consumer goods.

At KPMG and PwC, Mr. Kim advised Korean conglomerates and financial groups on their M&A activities in Southeast Asia, including post-merger integration and growth strategy for their overseas subsidiaries.

Mr. Kim received a BA in Business Administration from Seoul National University.

Bert Kwan Managing Partner BDA CAPITAL PARTNERS

Bert Kwan is the Managing Partner of BDA Capital Partners. He has 20 years of private equity investment experience.  Prior to establishing BDA Capital Partners, Bert Kwan was a Managing Director at Northstar Group, where he led the firm’s investments in Tiki.vn, Topica, and UpGen.

He also spent six years as the Managing Director & Head of ASEAN at Standard Chartered Private Equity, where he spearheaded the firm’s entry into Vietnam by leading investments in Golden Gate Group, M-Service, NKid and Loc Troi Group.  In addition, he also led a number of private equity transactions in Southeast Asia and China, including in New China Life, Infastech, Phoon Huat and Interplex.

Earlier in his career, Bert spent a decade with Lehman Brothers Private Equity in New York, Silicon Valley and Hong Kong, where he originated and executed investments across Asia and the United States.

Bert graduated with a JD from Yale Law School and an AB in Public and International Affairs from Princeton University.

Ryan Wei Head of APAC, Global Development and M&A RESTAURANT BRANDS INTERNATIONAL (RBI)

As the APAC head of global development at RBI (brand owner of Burger King®, Popeyes® chicken and Tim Hortons® coffee backed by 3G Capital), Ryan Wei leads new market expansion efforts for the firm through partnerships with QSR operators and F&B investors.

A former founder and serial entrepreneur, Ryan spent 2020 building up one of Indonesia’s largest FMCG B2B eCommerce platforms as the Chief Strategy Officer and CFO. Prior to tech start-ups, he was the UK Managing Director / Head of China at a cross-border PE fund and M&A boutique DealGlobe Capital. Previously he was with London-based Actis PE and Swiss-headquartered Partners Group, focusing on growth equity and buyouts, plus LP fund investments first in Europe then Asia.

During early career days in Canada, he worked in Big Tech, central bank fund management and derivatives trading. Ryan graduated from London Business School and the University of Toronto with high distinction.