Nguyen Cong Ai
Partner
KPMG
Dr. Nguyen Cong Ai has been working for KPMG since 1998, in Slovakia and Vietnam of which he has been involved in providing market entry advisory services to many international companies seeking investment opportunities in Vietnam. Being in contact with Government Agencies, the State Bank of Vietnam, local banks and business communities throughout Vietnam for years, Dr. Ai has extensive business and government network.
Dr. Ai’s expertise lies in market entry research, commercial due diligence, strategy formulation, market feasibility study, strategic business location analysis, acquisition target identification and analysis and assistance with investment licensing and post-licensing compliance.
Dr. Ai is currently leading the Strategy Group and Partner – Ho Chi Minh Office, Advisory Services.
Amit Anand
Founding Partner
JUNGLE VENTURES
Amit Anand is the Founding Partner of Jungle Ventures, a Singapore based Venture Capital Firm that invests in and helps build tech category leaders from Asia.
Mr. Anand brings 15 years of experience in Asia having played go-to-market and corporate development roles for startups and corporations alike. He later presided as Deputy Chairman for Business Angels Network South East Asia (BANSEA). A Kauffman Fellow, Mr. Anand is passionate about creating global companies from Asia and currently works with Founders at companies such as RedDoorz (Indonesia) , Kredivo (Indonesia), Livspace (Singapore/India) and Pomelo Fashion (Thailand) amongst others.
JinA Bae
Head of Corporate Venture
HANWHA ASSET MANAGEMENT
JinA Bae is the Head of Corporate Venture at Hanwha Asset Management. Hanwha Group is one of the largest conglomerates in Korea and a GLOBAL FORTUNE 250 Company with 61 subsidiaries across 3 main pillars of businesses: Manufacturing, Finance (AUM of US$140Bn), and Services. Ms. Bae leads global venture investments for the Group and invests in global fintech, deep tech, in particular artificial intelligence and blockchain, and consumer enablement platforms that have profound implications for traditional industries. Additionally, she focuses on launching new funds and forming investment consortiums with strategic partners, capturing value on investment opportunities, and creating connectivity among the various players in the innovation ecosystem. Ms. Bae began her career as a management consultant at McKinsey & Company in San Francisco and London where she specialized in developing growth and marketing strategy for global tech and consumer goods companies. Prior to joining Hanwha, she was the founder & CEO of CHOPCHOP, a London-based food tech startup. Ms. Bae holds a B.A. (magna cum laude, Distinction in the Major) in Ethics, Politics & Economics from Yale University. She is a Kauffman Fellow (Class 23) and a World Economic Forum Global Shaper.
Shane Chesson
Partner
OPENSPACE VENTURES
Shane Chesson is Founder and Partner of Openspace Ventures (formerly NSI Ventures), a Singapore-headquartered VC focused on Series A and B investments in Southeast Asia-based technology companies. Selected Openspace investments overseen by Mr. Chesson include Go-Jek, Chope, Tradegecko, CXA, Topica, Oway, HaloDoc, Sale Stock and Pathao. Mr. Chesson was previously Managing Director and Co-Head (Technology Investment Banking, of Citigroup Asia-Pacific.
Mr. Chesson has an MBA with distinction from INSEAD Singapore where he was a recipient of the IAA Asian Campus scholarship.
Ryan Collins
Managing Director
MASSMUTUAL VENTURES
Ryan Collins is a Managing Director at MassMutual Ventures (MMV), a global venture capital firm investing in early to growth stage technology companies across North America, Europe, Israel and Southeast Asia.
Prior to joining MMV, Mr. Collins was Head of Asia at LOFT, prototyping applications of artificial intelligence and blockchain technology in health and financial services. Before LOFT, Mr. Collins was Asia Managing Director at Essentia Analytics, a data analytics SaaS company that helps professional investors to mitigate behavioral bias, optimize investment processes and continuously improve performance.
Formerly an Executive Director at Goldman Sachs based in Tokyo and Hong Kong, Mr. Collins has advised on and executed multiple capital markets transactions across the Asia-Pacific region. Mr. Collins holds a BSc in Computer Science and an MSc in Psychology with research in cognitive neuroscience and behavioral economics.
Le Le Hang
CEO
SSI ASSET MANAGEMENT
Speaker bio coming soon
Nguyen Dang Hieu
Investment Director
NAVIS CAPITAL PARTNERS
Speaker bio coming soon
Andy Ho
Chief Investment Officer
VINACAPITAL
Andy Ho serves as Chief Investment Officer of VinaCapital Group, and Managing Director of the VinaCapital Vietnam Opportunity Fund (VOF), which is traded on the Main Market of the London Stock Exchange. Since joining VinaCapital in 2007, Andy has helped VOF's net asset value surpass the US$1 billion mark, deployed over US$1 billion on privately negotiated deals and led over US$700 million in exits via strategic trade sales. In 2016, VOF was the top performing Vietnam-focused fund, gaining 25.5%. Andy is a leading authority on investing in developing markets, privatizations, and private equity deals in Vietnam, regularly speaking at events around the region and appearing in the media.
Prior to joining VinaCapital, Andy was director of investment at Prudential Vietnam, where he looked after the company's capital market portfolio and developed its bank investment strategy, which provided a return of four times over an 18-month period. He also served as manager of Prudential's mutual fund, PruBF1. Andy also held various management positions at Dell Ventures (the investment group of Dell Computer Corp.) and Ernst & Young.
Andy earned a BS in Finance and Accounting from the University of Colorado Boulder, and an MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a Certified Public Accountant in the US.
Neal Kok
Principal
KKR
Neal Kok, based in Singapore, joined KKR in 2014 as part of the private equity team. Previously, Mr. Kok worked at Australian advisory firm Treadstone Partners, and prior to that in the investment banking division of Goldman Sachs (Sydney). He holds Bachelor of Laws (Hons) and Bachelor of Commerce (finance and accounting) degrees from the University of Notre Dame Australia.
Thomas Lanyi
Managing Director
CDH INVESTMENTS
Dr. Thomas Lanyi is a Managing Director at CDH Investments. Established in 2001, CDH is a leading alternative assets fund management company, managing close to US$20billion in assets for a global pool of institutional clients. The firm specializes in China-based or linked investment transactions in the consumer and healthcare sectors. Based in Singapore, Dr. Lanyi leads CDH’s Southeast Asian and global ‘Cross-border’ investment activities.
Dr. Lanyi is a senior Private Equity investment professional with 18 years of relevant experience and a strong record of achievement in the Asian emerging markets, especially China and Southeast Asia. Prior to joining CDH, Dr. Lanyi held senior roles at Mekong Capital in Vietnam and Templeton Private Equity in Singapore.
Dr. Lanyi has been an Executive Committee Member of the Singapore Venture Capital & Private Equity Association (SVCA) since 2015, and been its Chairman since 2017.
Serge L. Lépine
Managing Partner
CABOT CAPITAL PARTNERS
Serge L. Lépine is originally from Montréal, Québec and has primarily been assuming regional and global investments responsibilities out of Canada, Asia and the Middle East.
Mr. Lépine established Cabot Capital Partners (CCP), a Singapore Regulated Fund Management Company to provide delegated investment management services to institutional investors and family offices seeking to develop exposure to Asia or manage and grow existing portfolios. CCP is also developing niche PE and credit yielding strategies for Asia and North America respectively.
Previously, Mr. Lépine was the CEO of the Qatar and Abu Dhabi Investment Company (QADIC), a US $2 billion global investment platform that he led since its inception in 2013 with the support of SWFs from Qatar and Abu Dhabi. Before relocating to Qatar to establish QADIC, Mr. Lépine was the Chief Investment Officer at a Bahrain SWF and prior to that worked successively at the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority (ADIA) and the Abu Dhabi Investment Council (ADIC) to set up the co-investment and direct investment business units respectively.
Before moving to the Gulf region in 2004, Mr. Lépine had been based in Asia since 1996 establishing the initial private equity operations of the Caisse de Dépot et Placement du Québec (CDPQ).
During his early career, Mr. Lépine worked in Montréal for CDPQ as well as other leading Canadian financial institutions, primarily in the areas of direct investments, mergers and acquisitions advisory and corporate finance.
Stanley Nguyen
Senior Vice President
CENTRAL GROUP
Stanley is the Head of Business Development of Central Group Vietnam and responsible for property acquisition as well as business development for Central Group in Vietnam. He closed more than US$1.5Bn investments via M&A with Central Group Vietnam, amongst others are BigC Hypermarket, Lanchi Mart, Zalora and more than US$100Mn investments in properties and land bank. Before Central Group, he was with a US$250Mn Private Equity fund based in Vietnam.
Central Group Vietnam is investing and operating a nationwide multi-format retail chain in Vietnam such as hypermakets, supermarkers, consumer electronics, fashion brands and shopping malls.
Steven R. Okun
CEO, APAC Advisors & ASEAN Representative
EMPEA
The Founder and CEO of APAC Advisors, Steven Okun is a leader in the private equity industry on ESG, sustainability and stakeholder engagement in Asia Pacific, having lived and worked in the region since 2003.
In September 2017, EMPEA appointed Mr. Okun as its ASEAN Representative, where he works with the members to increase private capital deployment and fundraising across Southeast Asia. In addition, he serves as a member of EMPEA’s global ESG and SDG Community.
EMPEA is the global industry association for private capital in emerging markets. An independent, non-profit organization, the association’s membership comprises 300+ firms representing institutional investors, fund managers and industry advisors who together manage more than US$5 trillion in assets across 130 countries.
As global investment firm KKR’s first Director of Asia Public Affairs from 2011-2017, his responsibilities encompassed government affairs, communications, stakeholder engagement, ESG and impact investing and supporting such efforts for its portfolio companies.
His work on ESG initiatives spans due diligence through the investment phase. His expertise includes developing ESG policies, determining critical considerations for specific deals taking into consideration market, sector and level of investment, engaging directly in due diligence, and working with investment teams to document the findings of due diligence and develop reports for a fund’s investors.
Previously, Mr. Okun led UPS Asia’s public affairs practice, and served in the Clinton Administration as Deputy General Counsel at the US Department of Transportation.
Often representing and advocating the views of the business community, Mr. Okun often guest hosts on CNBC and frequently appears on the BBC and Channel NewsAsia.
He received his B.A. from the University of Virginia and his J.D. from the University of Virginia School of Law.
Jeff Olson
Joint Managing Partner-Vietnam
HOGAN LOVELLS
Jeff Olson is Joint Managing Partner of Hogan Lovells' Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi offices and leads the firm's M&A and Private Equity practice in Vietnam.
Jeff has more than 12 years' experience acting for private equity, venture capital and strategic investors on cross-border transactions in Asia and the US. He has represented clients across a broad range of industries including media and entertainment, hospitality, food and beverage, healthcare, education, consumer/retail, oil & gas, tobacco and professional services.
Jeff began his career in New York and relocated to Vietnam in 2012.
Sherri Ortiz-Fahie
Director
BVI HOUSE ASIA
Sherri Ortiz-Fahie is the Director of the Hong Kong-based BVI House Asia, the representative office of the Government of the British Virgin Islands in the Asia Pacific Region.
She formerly held the position of Executive Director of the BVI International Finance Centre and was the Government representative for the promotion and further development of the BVI’s financial services industry. In this capacity, she has been a spokesperson with local, regional and international media; a speaker at recognized international conferences and events, and the liaison between the BVI and international governments for the negotiation of Tax Information Exchange Agreements.
She has also served as a Consultant with the Turks and Caicos Government and is approved as a ‘fit and proper’ person by the BVI Financial Services Commission.
She has more than 25 years of finance and business experience with expertise in financial management, and has also managed and coordinated intervention and international response to preserve and enhance the reputation and integrity of the BVI as an International Financial Services Centre. She is well traveled and known to major international industry participants in the financial markets of Shanghai, Hong Kong, Dubai, India, Switzerland, London, and the United States.
She is the former Vice President of a prominent US Virgin Islands Federal Saving Bank; and Deputy Financial Secretary for the BVI Government’s Ministry of Finance, where she introduced and supervised operational reforms within the BVI Inland Revenue and Customs Departments and served as the Chairman of the former British Virgin Islands Development Bank.
She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Financial Management, has a background in legal studies within the UK and holds a Diploma of Compliance. She is a Professional Member of the UK International Compliance Association.
Chad Ovel
Partner
MEKONG CAPITAL
Chad Ovel has over 20 years’ experience leading value growth in Vietnam. Before joining Mekong Capital, he had a successful track record as a CEO leading the rapid growth of both a foreign-owned export manufacturing business and a local company operating in the sectors of construction, retail and manufacturing. Since joining Mekong Capital in 2013, he has led Mekong Capital’s successful investments in restaurant operator Golden Gate, which generated a 9.1x return upon exit, and in pharmaceutical leader Traphaco, which generated a 6.3x return upon exit. Chad holds an MBA from University of Chicago.
Manas Tamotia
Partner
L.E.K.
Manas Tamotia is a Partner in L.E.K.’s Southeast Asia practice and is based in Singapore. He has more than 14 years of experience in strategy consulting in Asia-Pacific, Europe and the Americas. Manas advises major corporations on strategy, mergers and acquisitions, and restructuring. During his career he has worked across a number of different industries but possesses extensive experience in private equity, building products and materials, energy (power and utilities), airports and food and beverage.
Andrew Thompson
Head of Private Equity Asia Pacific, Head of Deal Advisory
KPMG
Andrew Thompson has over 24 years of experience with KPMG principally focused on major Corporate and Private Equity transaction due diligence and deal advisory. In late 2013 he relocated from Sydney, where he led KPMGs Australian Private Equity team, to Singapore to lead KPMGs Private Equity team across Asia-Pacific encompassing M&A deal origination, deal execution services and portfolio value creation activities. Andrew has directly led the transaction execution support work on more than 300 significant transactions with an aggregate deal value of more than $200 billion with the majority being Private Equity sponsored.
His major location experience include: London (5 Years), Sydney (13 Years) and New York (2 Years) and Singapore. In addition he has led deal teams across most SE Asia locations, China, Hong Kong, India and Japan. Andrew has acted for most leading Private Equity sponsors including: KKR, CVC, Blackstone, Carlyle Group, Texas Pacific Group, Macquarie, CHAMP Private Equity, Goldman Sachs PIA, CSFB / DLJ, AMP Capital Investors, Deutsche Bank Capital Partners, TA Associates, Ripplewood, Veronis Suhler, and Morgan Stanley. He has also assisted major Sovereign Wealth and pension funds in analysing direct and co-investment opportunities with Private Equity sponsors.
Yotaro Tokuo
Principal
ADVANTAGE PARTNERS
Mr. Tokuo joined Advantage Partners in July 2007. He earned a BA degree in Arts & Science and an MA degree in System Science from the University of Tokyo. Prior to joining Advantage Partners, he worked as a Manager at Arthur D. Little, engaged in various projects for electronics, semiconductor, automotive and machinery companies. His field of consulting covered areas such as corporate restructuring, strategy development, M&A and change management. At Advantage Partners, he has overseen various buyout investments as well as PIPEs investments in Japan. He is currently based in Singapore as a leading member of the firm’s Asia Fund, engaging in buyouts in Southeast Asia, and recently led the firm’s investment in Vietnam-based Elise Fashion.
Pete Vo
Managing Director
CVC CAPITAL PARTNERS
Pete joined CVC in 2015 with 9 years experience in private equities investing in Vietnam. Previously, he spent five years with private equities firm Vietnam Investment Group, where he was a director and partner. Prior to that, Pete was with Deutsche Bank covering Vietnam equities capital market and Vietnam Partners, a private equities investment company. Before coming to Vietnam, Pete spent 9 years with Citigroup in Manhattan, where he was most recently a Director doing structured credits and securitization deals.
Pete holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a BS from the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Xiaolin Zheng
Strategic Investment Director
JD.COM
Xiaolin is a Director in JD’s Strategic Investment team, and is responsible for developing and implementing the group strategy of JD via investments and M&A.
Prior to JD, Xiaolin was an Investment Director in LeEco’s Corporate Finance team. Between 2014 and 2015, she co-founded and held the title of Head of Finance and Business Development at YouJie YouHuan, a China P2P start up fintech company based in Beijing.
Xiaolin started her career as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch in 2009, and was an associate in Deutsche Bank’s Technology, Media, and Telecommunications team between 2011-2014. She was born and raised in China and received a full scholarship to study in Singapore and the US, graduating with a First-Honor Bachelor Degree (Major in Quantitative Finance) from the National University of Singapore.