Speakers

Erin Atan

Regional Corporate Affairs Director, APAC, Heineken

Erin Atan is a member of the APAC Regional Leadership Team and the Global CA Management Team. 

She is a member of the Board of Thai Asia Pacific Brewery, HEINEKEN Lanka, HEINEKEN Laos, and HEINEKEN Malaysia. She is also a member of the APB Foundation Board of Trustees.

At HEINEKEN, she focuses on shaping the future of beer and beyond, managing reputational risks and building a sustainability strategy most relevant to the 24 markets in the region in which HEINEKEN operates. 

Her passion is people and building an inclusive mindset. She has led businesses and teams across multiple markets in APAC and beyond.  Her recent achievements include placing two Corporate Affairs talents into substantial P&L roles.

She is an experienced Corporate Affairs professional with an extensive background in brand strategy, reputation and crisis management, public affairs, integrated communications, and sustainability across different sectors, including aviation, automotive, conglomerates and financial services. 

Shruti Bose

Head of Communications and Public Affairs, Asia Pacific, Roche Diagnostics

Shruti Bose is the Head of Communications & Public Affairs for the Asia Pacific region at Roche Diagnostics. In this role, she is responsible for leading the regional corporate communications function, spanning public affairs, digital communications and employee ambassadorship. A trusted partner to the business, Shruti advises senior leaders on executive communication and external engagement activities. 

A firm believer in the power of integrated communications, Shruti oversees programs that help to shape the company’s reputation and thought leadership. Many of these have won industry recognition and awards including for Best PR Campaign of the Year. Before Roche Diagnostics, Shruti spent 10 years at leading global communications agencies, including Edelman and Weber Shandwick.

Ramya Chandrasekaran

Chief Communications Officer, QI Group

Ramya Chandrasekaran is a communications strategist with over two decades of experience in international PR and brand building. 

As the current Chief Communications Officer for the QI Group, a multinational conglomerate, she is recognised for executing award winning campaigns with a global team of communications professionals spread across Asia, Middle East, Africa, and Europe. 

Ramya’s expertise in crisis communications, leadership advisory, and reputation management is grounded in a deep understanding of cultural nuances and diverse audience demographics. She is passionate about storytelling and possesses a unique ability to craft compelling narratives that capture the essence of people, products, and brands. Her commitment to authentic storytelling is matched only by her advocacy for sustainable practices and women's leadership.

Ramya is a global citizen who has lived and worked in four countries, and interacts with media and government stakeholders in at least 10 countries, in her current role, giving her a unique perspective in strategic communications. 

Luanne Da Costa

Director of Public Relations, Asia Pacific, Cloudflare

Luanne Da Costa is Director, Public Relations, Asia Pacific at Cloudflare, where she is responsible for strategy and execution of all PR activities across Asia Pacific, Japan, and Greater China. Prior to this role, she held various leadership roles in Marketing and Communications in a number of tech companies including Akamai Technologies, NetApp, and Nokia, where she developed a deep understanding of multi-country and multi-channel environments, recruiting and building in-country and regional teams. Apart from in-house roles, she also served as Porter Novelli's VP for Technology Practice, looking after tech clients such as HP and Samsung.

Lindsay Davis

Founder, FemTech Association

Lindsay Davis is the Founder of FemTech Association Asia, the region’s first and largest industry network and specialist advisory for founders, professionals and investors with the core focus on improving women’s health through technology solutions. The organisation
currently represents 70+ companies across nine countries in Asia. FemTech Association Asia was a Finalist in the Global Inclusion Online Forum – 2022 Business Inclusivity Awards.

As an authority on the FemTech industry in Asia, Davis has been featured in media outlets including: CNA, The Business Times, Rice Media, South China Morning Post and MediaCorp Channel News 8. She was recognised as the 2023 Most Inspirational FemTech CEO in the APAC Insider CEO of the Year Awards, and as a Nominee for the 2023 Singapore 100 Women in Tech List. In 2022, she was recognised on the Women of Wearables: 200 Trailblazing Leaders in Women’s Health and FemTech, and the Health Tech World Incredible
women in health tech: the longlist.

In addition, Lindsay Davis is the Founder & CEO of One Bee Consulting, a management consulting firm specialising in the lifestyle, hospitality and tourism sectors with a focus on customer experience, community engagement, strategic partnerships and international
scaling.

Davis started her career in multicultural advertising in the USA, then was recruited by the world’s leading luxury lifestyle brand Quintessentially, headquartered in the UK, to lead global expansion into 25 additional countries and subsequently oversee 60 offices worldwide. Davis was honoured on the Luxury Daily list of “Luxury Women in Watch” as a result of her global impact in the luxury sector. In 2020, Lindsay relocating to Asia to apply her experience in the region, launching her business with clients based in Bhutan, Singapore and Vietnam, with growing reach throughout Asia.

Davis sits on the Advisory Board for the Women’s Health Innovation Summit – Asia and has previously served on the Board of Trustees for the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) and the Junior League of London.

Joachim Goh

Head, Industry Development and Strategy, National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre

Joachim leads the industry development efforts at Company of Good, a programmeunder the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre. He focuses on driving and implementing national-level interventions to grow and strengthen the industry for corporates to drive purpose and do good, including the development and implementation of Corporate Purpose in Singapore.

He led a multi-stakeholder coalition at the national level in developing a Corporate Purpose Framework and Blueprint to increase businesses efforts in doing good and become force for good in Singapore. Joachim is a Chartered Accountant and serves as audit and risk committee chair for non-profit organisationsin the community services space.

Aman Gupta

Managing Partner, Health Practice Asia Lead, SPAG Finn Partners

Aman Gupta is a highly accomplished and experienced Senior Policy Advocacy Specialist with a deep passion for improving the healthcare landscape. As a thought leader in the policy advocacy space, he is renowned for his exceptional contributions to global health over the past two decades.

Aman's remarkable body of work revolves around policy analysis, Stakeholder engagement, Strategic Advocacy and Communication, educating, informing, and garnering support for global health, environmental, and health-tech initiatives among policymakers, public service leaders, and non-governmental organizations worldwide. His expertise lies in collaborating with key decision-makers, government bodies, and NGOs to shape policies and strategies that address pressing health challenges.

Notably, Aman's involvement with the Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease (PFCD), a global non-profit organization, has been instrumental. Serving as the India representative since 2013, he has actively collaborated with a wide range of stakeholders, including the Ministry of Health, Niti Aayog, NPCDCS, patient organizations, industry associations, academia, think tanks, and public health experts. Through his efforts, Aman has played a pivotal role in developing 'SANKALP,' a comprehensive roadmap to combat non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in India, fostering significant advancements in the field.

Aman's influence extends beyond PFCD, as he has forged partnerships with esteemed institutions such as the World Health Organization (WHO), Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (BMGF), and PATH (Progressive Alliance towards Healthy Workplaces). Together, they tackled critical health issues, including health financing and access to innovation, shaping global health agendas and driving positive change on an international scale.

With a deep understanding of diverse clinical areas and a keen eye for the latest advancements in technology and communications, Aman maintains an unparalleled level of expertise. His extensive network of international decision-makers, coupled with his influential voice, has enabled him to shape the narrative of global health and drive transformative actions.

Expertise Highlights:

·       Collaborate with health organisations and other key stakeholders to design policy initiatives aimed at addressing public health challenges.

·       Engage in strategic advocacy efforts, including drafting position papers, delivering presentations, and participating in policy discussions.

·       Established and maintained relationships with key stakeholders, including government officials, NGOs, and industry leaders.

·       Represented the organization at national and international platforms advocating for evidence-based policy changes.

·       Participated in expert panels and working groups to contribute expertise and shape policy discussions.

Recognitions and Accolades

Aman's extraordinary contributions to the field have garnered widespread recognition. He has been honored with prestigious accolades, including being named one of the 'Top 25 Innovators' by the Holmes Report Asia-Pacific and 'Public Affairs Professional of the Year-2022' by Exchange4media. Medika.Life recognized him as the Most Influential Voice in Healthcare for 2022, and PRovoke Media listed him among the '2023 Forecast: 15 People To Watch.'

As the Managing Partner and Health Practice Asia Lead at SPAG - A FINN Partners Company, he spearheads Integrated campaigns that combine research, insights, and creativity to drive impactful change across stakeholders.

Aman Gupta's unwavering commitment to driving policy advocacy in global health, coupled with his unparalleled achievements and accolades, solidifies his position as a true visionary and influential leader in the policy advocacy space.

Brenda Ho

Associate Director, Influence, Asia, Ogilvy

Brenda is a Director at Ogilvy specializing in the planning and execution of social and influencer marketing strategies.

With over 9 years of experience under her belt, she has led social and influence across APAC for a diverse portfolio of brands, including The Coca-Cola Company, adidas, HP, Microsoft, Friso, Carlsberg, The Macallan, Singapore Bicentennial, AIA, UOB and OCBC.

With expertise spanning from social media management and analytics through to influencer engagement strategies, Brenda prides herself on cultivating an intimate knowledge of her brands and clients’ needs, in order to work with her team to build exciting ideas based on sound insights.

Brenda’s recent work with AIA Singapore and AIA Group has seen her and her team secure a series of award wins in 2022 across categories such as best use of content marketing, best use of influencers/ KOLs, best use of celebrities/ influencers and most creative social media.

Her experience hails from her time as Social Lead at Wunderman Thompson, and prior to that, Senior Digital Strategist at GOODSTUPH. Brenda has also taught night classes at Singapore Polytechnic, educating future digital marketing professionals on Social Media Analytics.

About Ogilvy

Ogilvy has been producing iconic, culture-changing marketing campaigns since the day its founder David Ogilvy opened up shop in 1948. Today, Ogilvy is an award-winning integrated creative network that makes brands matter for Fortune Global 500 companies as well as local businesses across 131 offices in 83 countries.

Vanessa Ho Nikolovski

Chief Client & Growth Officer, Asia-Pacific, Weber Shandwick

Vanessa has spent 30 years in communications agencies based in Hong Kong, New York and Singapore. A specialist in corporate and brand communications, she has managed the reputations of companies across diverse industries and developed multi-year programs for public and private sector clients.

For 20 years at Weber Shandwick, she has worked with teams to build and grow some of the agency’s largest and most enduring regional client relationships. From 2011 to 2020, she was Managing Director of the Singapore operation leading a key regional hub office for the network, while building client experience for the region. Now, as Chief Client & Growth Officer for Asia Pacific, she drives a client-centric focus on leadership and innovation, builds new areas of expertise, expands capabilities, and oversees new approaches to talent, training, knowledge management and intelligence.

She also works actively as senior counsel on key accounts, helping teams to elevate the work and clients to better navigate challenges ahead.

Vanessa has deep expertise managing large multimarket programs for global clients, driving integrated multi-disciplinary campaigns, developing robust and efficient communications infrastructures and building effective agency network teams across Asia Pacific. She has helped clients win numerous awards, been active on jury panels and was recognized by The Holmes Report on its 2019 Innovator 25 Asia-Pacific list. She served as PR Jury President for Spikes Asia 2021 and PR juror for Cannes 2021.

Previously, she worked at technology PR consultancy Brodeur Porter Novelli as deputy head of consumer technology for its New York operation, working with established Fortune 500 and pre- and post-IPO Internet start-ups. In Hong Kong in the 1990s, she was director for international clients at Porter Novelli, working with the Singapore Government, Singapore Tourism Board, and a range of consumer and luxury brands.

Vanessa started her career as a journalist at The Straits Times, Singapore’s main English-language daily newspaper. 

Kelly Johnston

COO and General Manager, Southeast Asia, Sandpiper

Kelly specialises in advising clients in complex and highly regulated industries on strategic communications challenges and issues. Her experience spans corporate, financial and consumer sectors across Asia Pacific and the United Kingdom.  Prior to Sandpiper, she held senior roles with agencies Baldwin Boyle Shand in Singapore, and PPR in Australia as well as working in-house managing corporate affairs for Emirates Airline; energy company Ausgrid; and food and beverage multinational, Lion. She started her career as a journalist for New Zealand national broadcaster, Radio New Zealand before working for Bell Pottinger in London. She is the recipient of multiple Asia Pacific industry awards for her client work and is a Board Member for PRCA Southeast Asia. Kelly is certified in investor relations through the Investor Relations Society (UK), and a qualified Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) auditor for sustainability reporting.

Jamie Kebely

Vice President, Government Affairs, Asia-Pacific & Japan, Siemens Healthineers

Jamie Kebely is Vice President for Asia-Pacific & Japan Government Affairs at Siemens Healthineers and is based out of Singapore.  Jamie is responsible for driving collaboration with government partners and key stakeholders in the region to support the Healthineers’ vision of pioneering breakthroughs in healthcare. For everyone. Everywhere.

Jamie has extensive experience in the healthcare sector.  Prior to joining Varian Medical Systems, which combined with Siemens Healthineers in 2021, Jamie led international government affairs for Boston Scientific.  She has held a number of leadership roles within the medical device industry throughout her career, including as Co-chair of healthcare committees at both the US-Japan and US-India Business Councils, as well as Chair of the Japan Working Group at the Advanced Medical Technology Manufacturers Association.  She currently serves on the Boards of the American Association of the Indo-Pacific and the U.S.-Taiwan Business Council.   

Jamie has also served in the U.S. Government as International Trade Specialist in the Office of East Asia in Washington, DC, where she focused primarily on trade issues in the healthcare sector.  Prior to serving in government, she spent several years living and working in Japan.  She is a native of San Diego, California and has a degree in Business from Chapman University.  She received her Master’s Degree in Asian Studies from George Washington University and speaks conversational Japanese.  

Jessica Lee

MD/Regional Head of Communications, HSBC

Jessica is a seasoned communications professional with over 36 years of communications experience. She has worked in various global companies across diverse sectors such as finance, technology, food, entertainment, and the environment. Jessica has a proven track record in developing effective internal and external communication strategies, including media relations, brand reputation, and digital communications. She is passionate about helping organizations transform and shape conversations and perceptions, particularly during complex and challenging times.

In the early stages of her career, Jessica gained valuable experience in junior communication roles in different industries, including time spent as a PR consultant at Burson Marsteller.

Over the past 25 years, Jessica has held leadership positions with renowned brands such as ESPN, Standard Chartered Bank, Aviva, McDonald's, and Netflix. In 2020, she joined the Alliance to End Plastic Waste, a newly-formed non-profit organization, before embarking on a new chapter in Hong Kong by joining HSBC Asia-Pacific in 2021.

Throughout her career, Jessica has lived in major cities across Asia, including Tokyo and Mumbai. During her time at McDonald's, she spent four years in China as the Chief Communications and Corporate Affairs Officer. Earlier in her career, she gained extensive communication experience in the financial services sector, working with Aviva Asia and Standard Chartered Bank.

Sammie Leung

Partner, Regional ESG Services, PwC Asia Pacific

David Lian

Managing Director, Asia, Growth & Innovation, Zeno Group

David has worked in the public relations and communications for 17 years in a career spanning regional and local roles with various global agencies.

As a communications practitioner, David has advised clients and led crisis communications and issues management efforts across traditional, digital and social media channels in the FMCG, consumer electronics, F&B and technology sectors.

Today, he leads Zeno Group’s Growth and Innovation efforts across Asia developing new methodology, capabilities and evolving the firm’s communications approach for clients.

He was named one of the Innovator 25 in Asia Pacific 2021 by PRovoke Media , an award that recognises individuals in marketing and communications for elevating and blending creativity with social impact, with evolved engagements and influence.

Fun fact: David is a self confessed geek whose idea of a great night involves board games and books.

Jeffrey Lim

Director, Joyce A. Tan & Partners

Jeffrey is a legal practitioner who specializes in intellectual property, data protection, cybersecurity, data governance, and artificial intelligence. Jeffrey was part of the team that developed an AI Ethics Body of Knowledge (BOK) and the world’s first AI Ethics professional certification programme in collaboration with the Singapore Computer Society (SCS) and the Info Media Development Authority (IMDA) of Singapore. He remains a reviewer of the BOK and helped to review the latest version (1.1). He formerly chaired the Singapore Law Society Cybersecurity and Data Protection Committee and remains a co-vice chair. He has also co-authored numerous articles include for the Singapore Personal Data Protection Commission and has published articles on artificial intelligence.

Angela Ling

Director of Marketing and Communications, Asia-Pacific, LaSalle Investment Management

Angela is the Director of Marketing and Communications for the Asia Pacific region at LaSalle Investment Management. In this capacity, she is responsible for building and managing LaSalle’s brand, developing and executing LaSalle’s internal and external communication strategies and serving as executive advisor to regional leadership on stakeholder engagement.

A seasoned brand strategist and an integrated marketing leader, Angela has extensive experience in-house as well as at agencies and consultancies, in both B2B and B2C environments, across Asia Pacific. The brands and organizations she has impacted span a diverse range of industry sectors including banking, general insurance, automotive, luxury as well as the public sector.

 

Marta Marquez

Senior Director, Communications, International Corporate Affairs, AstraZeneca

Marta Marquez is an experienced corporate affairs and communications professional within the pharmaceutical industry. Her expertise spans across European and emerging markets, where she has worked to advance equitable access to healthcare for patients and promote and protect the reputation of companies.

Based in Shanghai, Marta currently serves as Senior Director of International Communications at AstraZeneca, where she leads communications across China, Asia, Middle East & Africa, and Latin America. Prior to her current role, she held various positions at Pfizer, Viatris and Cohn & Wolfe, living and working in the UK, Germany, UAE and Hong Kong.

Marta's academic qualifications include a BSc in Biomedical Sciences from the University of Manchester, UK, and an MSc in Public Health from King's College London. 

In her free time, Marta's passion for healthcare extends beyond her professional life, as she supports organisations that focus on improving health and wellbeing. Marta enjoys being active, traveling and exploring new cultures.

Katherine Mendoza

Consumer Science & Product Experience Lead – APAC and China, Haleon

• Over 25 years of experience in Science, R&D Innovation and Consumer Research across the Academe and FMCG/FMCH/ Nutrition industries.

• Kathy leads the Consumer Science & Product Experience for APAC and China for Haleon creating and championing product experiences that are relevant and preferred by consumers. She provides leadership in driving and influencing the innovation pipeline and portfolio across multiple categories in consumer healthcare (OTC – Pain Relief, OTC Respiratory health, Wellness and Oral Care) for APAC and China markets. As CSPX lead, she enables the design of superior product experiences and drives consumer empathy and centricity in Haleon. Kathy has enabled successful launches in the market for brands like Centrum, Caltrate, Sensodyne, Panadol, Iodex, Voltaren, ENO, TUMS, Scott’s and Benefiber.

• Prior to Haleon, Kathy worked 6 years at Johnson & Johnson Consumer Healthcare, leading consumer, claims and clinical strategy and innovation for brands like Neutrogena, Clean and Clear, Aveeno and Johnson’s Baby and 8 years at Unilever leading the Consumer Technical Insight for the Deodorants Category for brands like Rexona, Axe and Dove.

• Kathy has led teams, set up facilities and established capabilities on consumer and sensory science driving pivotal consumer researches, insight to innovation programs, transformational programs driving innovation, employee engagement and digitalization, and the development and launches of consumer winning products. 

Kaja Natland

Regional President, Asia Pacific-Japan, Organon

In June 2021, Kaja took on the responsibility of Regional President for Organon Asia Pacific and Japan. Organon, created through a spinoff from Merck & Co. (also known as MSD outside of the U.S. and Canada), has a portfolio of over 60 medicines and solutions across a range of areas including reproductive health, heart disease and respiratory diseases. Organon’s main priority is to meet the health needs of women. 

Through Kaja’s leadership in the Asia Pacific and Japan region, Organon will be working with a goal to put women at the center of its work, striving to listen and understand her healthcare needs, big and small, to ensure availability of medicines and other products that allow her to live a better and healthier every day.

Kaja has extensive experience in the biopharmaceutical industry and a strong track record in a wide range of markets and headquarter roles, including as Global Commercial Lead for Cardiovascular and Metabolic Diseases.  

Kaja’s numerous country leadership roles include Managing Director of MSD Netherlands, where she led the Dutch organization to ensure sustainable access for patients to MSD’s innovative medicines.

Before moving to the Netherlands, Kaja was Managing Director for MSD in South Africa, managing Human Health operations in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Institutional Business in Africa (IBA). During her tenure as Managing Director, MSD became the fastest growing pharmaceutical company in South Africa – thanks to her strong commitment to employees and her work to expand access to medicines for patients.

Preceding South Africa, Kaja successfully led the commercial operations at MSD Russia, where she was responsible for distributors, business support, vaccines, supply chain and customer service as well as the pharmacy team.

Kaja joined MSD in 1996 in Norway as a medical representative, subsequently she held roles of increasing responsibility in sales, marketing and external affairs as well as Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa business operations. She holds a degree in Pharmacy from Oslo University College, Norway, and an Executive MBA from ECSP-EAP, Paris, France, and the Norwegian School of Management, Oslo, Norway.

Jolin Ng

General Manager, W Communications Singapore

As General Manager of W in Singapore, Jolin oversees the day-to-day operations of the Singapore business, bringing a mix of business strategy and management, key client leadership, team leadership and creative evangelism.

Jolin has over a decade of experience in multi-market integrated communications for luxury and lifestyle brands, leading the design and execution of creative campaigns for prestigious blue-chips and well-loved brands including Carlsberg Singapore, Hilton APAC, Impossible Foods, Häagen-Dazs, Hong Kong Disneyland, Listerine, SK-II Global, TUMI and William Grant & Sons SEA.

A big believer of ambitious work, Jolin has masterminded a number of award-winning campaigns and initiatives. These include launching WG&S’ 1887 Virtual Bar to galvanize consumer support and raise funds for the local bartending community during Singapore’s Circuit Breaker, and setting up the SK-II Beauty Circle, an unpaid network of top digital influencers to publish always-on content for SK-II when influencer marketing was still in its infancy.

Jolin also has extensive experience in C-Suite level communications. In her current and previous roles, she works/worked closely with top executives from Deliveroo, Impossible Foods, Heineken, Hilton, Huawei Singapore and New World Development to drive executive profiling and thought leadership commentary, and continues to advise on brand reputation and issues.

Jolin graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Communications Studies from the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore, where she majored in Journalism. She is also trained and certified in key digital skills, including Google Digital Academy’s YouTube Creative Essentials and Google Analytics for Beginners.

Joe Peng

Chief Digital Officer, Asia-Pacific, BCW

With more than 15-years of integrated marketing, communications, and digital media experience, Joe Peng leads the strategic development and growth of BCW’s digital and social media business in Asia-Pacific.

As a trusted advisor, Joe provides clients strategic counsel on a full range of brand and integrated marketing communications efforts, especially by defining enterprise digital strategies and digitally-driven integrated marketing programs for brands. Throughout his career, Joe has worked with clients from a range of industries, including semiconductor, computer, manufacturing, aviation, finance, entertainment, cosmetics, financial and education. Among those different sectors, Joe has developed digital strategies to support brands in issues-rich industries.

Joe was named a China Digital A-Lister by Campaign Asia-Pacific in 2014 and 2015 and has won several industry awards for communications projects he led. More recently, he was named to the Holmes Report’s Innovator 25 Asia-Pacific list in 2018.

Joe began his career as a reporter for a business magazine in China and was a co-founder of an e-commerce startup; he also had experience with a Chinese IMC services firm.

He holds a Bachelor of Engineering Degree from the Beijing Institute of Technology and more recently completed courses for an advanced leadership program from Stanford Business School as well as the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS)-Columbia Business School Joint Advanced Marketing Management Program.

Emily Poon

President, Asia-Pacific, Ogilvy

Emily is the Asia Pacific President of Ogilvy PR for 13 markets with 20 years of experience in corporate reputation, integrated marketing and strategic communications for local and multinational brands across diverse industry sectors.

Her 15-year long career at Ogilvy saw her rise up to become the youngest-ever head of Ogilvy Public Relations across Asia Pacific and Singapore’s business, in recognition of her effort in championing the pivotal role for PR in building brands. Emily is also a big believer of promoting Asia brands to the world, and bringing global brands to Asia Pacific. Under Emily’s leadership, she has steered Ogilvy to win the top PR, Influencer and Social Media Agency of the Year titles time after time since 2015. She was named Agency Head of the Year by PR Awards Asia in 2023 and was honoured on Campaign Asia-Pacific’s 40 under 40 in 2018, where she stands among a list of outstanding leaders that champion change and progress.

Emily sits on the board of the Industry Advisory Council at the National University of Singapore and the AI Advisory Board for the Singapore Institute of Technology. A big advocate of DE&I, she is also a founding member of the Singapore Chapter for Global Women in PR. Emily graduated from the Singapore Management University with a Bachelor of Business Management, majoring in Marketing and Law. A mother of two, she is an avid wine connoisseur and loves spending time with her family whenever she can.

About Ogilvy

Ogilvy has been producing iconic, culture-changing marketing campaigns since the day its founder David Ogilvy opened up shop in 1948. Today, Ogilvy is an award-winning integrated creative network that makes brands matter for Fortune Global 500 companies as well as local businesses across 131 offices in 83 countries.

Elan Shou

EVP & Managing Director, Ruder Finn Asia

As the head of Ruder Finn’s Asian offices, Elan leads a team of over 620 individuals across 24 offices in Greater China, South East Asia and India.

Elan has transformed Ruder Finn’s Asia-Pacific business from a US$10 million traditional public relations agency in 2013 to the US$50 million integrated marketing powerhouse it is today.

She also serves as the Global Chief Growth Officer for Ruder Finn and has introduced numerous top Chinese brands – such as Huawei, Vivo, Oppo, Xiao Mi and Tik Tok – to audiences around the world. 

Under Elan’s leadership Ruder Finn Asia is continually recognized for creating stand-out communications content and was named 2020 Regional Network of the Year and 2019 Multi-Market Consultancy of the Year by the Gold Standard Awards.

Elan believes in giving back to the community  and serves as the lone board member representing Asia on the Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Advisory Board of L’Oréal.  She has also been on the Board of Directors for the China International PR Association (CIPRA) for over eight years.

Elan graduated with honors in the MBA program from the University of Chicago, and has dual bachelor’s degrees from Shanghai Jiaotong University. 

The clients she represents include some of the world’s leading brands: Mercedes-Benz, Volkswagen, Audi, Tencent, Amazon, IKEA, MHD, Hermes, Cartier, Montblanc, Emirates, Shanghai Disney Resort, Singapore Tourism Board, Twitter, Roche, Abbott, GSK, Dyson, and Visa. 

A native of Shanghai Elan speaks Chinese, English and the Shanghai dialect.

Shweta Shukla

Head of Strategy, Communications & Corporate Affairs, Unilever International

Shweta has over 23 years of experience in spearheading Corporate Affairs & Communications in prominent FMCG Companies Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Kimberly Clark and Kellogg. Over two decades, she has honed her expertise in Corporate & Brand Communications, Government Affairs & Advocacy, Sustainability & Social Impact, Issues & Crisis Management, Executive & Employee Communications, in roles spanning local, regional and global scopes. Shweta’s passion lies in leveraging business and its stakeholders as a positive force, creating a profound impact on business, society and the planet.

Throughout her career, Shweta has brought corporate and brand purpose to life as pivotal business drivers. She has orchestrated numerous collaborations with government organizations, NGOs and key opinion leaders (KOLs). Examples include Unilever’s ‘Purpose for Growth’ partnership with NVPC (National Volunteering & Philanthropy Center in Singapore) and the Global Foodbanking Network; P&G’s enduring Shiksha (Education) initiative, now in its 15th year, dedicated to educating underprivileged children in India; shaping Kimberly-Clark’s “Toilets Change Lives” sanitation initiative, and the WWF partnership for eco-friendly products; and strengthening Kellogg’s Breakfast for Better Days programs across Asia Pacific, the Middle East and Africa. Furthermore, Shweta’s advocacy with the Government of India also facilitated better accessibility to health and hygiene brands through public-private partnerships, leading to a more favorable tax policy – creating a lasting impact on society and the industry.

Shweta’s involvement extends to membership in the Singapore Alliance for Actioning Corporate Purpose (AFACP), the Advisory Board of the World Toilet Organization, and speaking engagements at industry-leading forums such as the Stewardship Asia Center, National University of Singapore, Singapore Management University and UNGC Singapore. Her white paper on “Keeping Girls in School” was presented at the World Congress for Women’s Health and published by the University of Pennsylvania.

Within the industry, Shweta has held notable positions such as Co-Chair Public Affairs Committee at Food Industry Asia, Supervisory Board Member EU ASEAN Business Council, Member of Women’s Committee AMCHAM and served as a Jury member for PR Week, Holmes SABRE & Spikes Asia Awards. Most recently, Shweta was awarded the Individual Achievement SABRE by PRovoke Media, listed one of PR Week’s Top 500 Communications Heads and her team was recognized with the Public Affairs Gold Award for the “Best In-House” team.

Shweta earned her MBA in Advertising & Communications from Narsee Monjee Institute of Management Studies (Mumbai, India) and completed the Business Sustainability Management program from the University of Cambridge. She lives in Singapore with her husband and two teenaged sons. In her leisure time, Shweta enjoys volunteering with local community centers, up-cycling art, exploring sustainable fashion, painting and planning the family’s next vacation.

Arun Sudhaman

CEO/Editor-in-Chief, PRovoke Media

Arun Sudhaman is CEO and editor-in-chief at PRovoke Media.

In this role Arun oversees PRovoke Media's global content offering, including its analysis and insight into reputation, public relations and communications trends and issues. Since joining PRovoke Media in 2010, Arun has comprehensively redefined the title’s content platform, which includes its digital presence and new products such as the Influence 100 compendium of key global influencers, the Global PR Agency Rankings, the Global Creative Index, and the PRovoke Media podcast. He also led the rebrand of the Holmes Report to PRovoke Media in 2020.

Arun has also played a pivotal role expanding PRovoke Media's coverage into Asia-Pacific and other emerging markets, and has helped steer the company’s international events programme, particularly the Global Public Relations Summit — which has featured such luminaries as Sir Martin Sorrell, P&G’s Marc Pritchard, Chuck Porter and IBM’s Jon Iwata. 

He brings to the position more than a decade’s experience as a journalist and digital content specialist, most of which has been spent analysing the media, marketing and communications industries. His career has encompassed coverage and analysis of reputation and leadership issues in numerous countries across the world, including the US and UK, Russia, China, India and South Africa. 

Prior to joining the Holmes Report, Arun spent more than seven years with Haymarket Media in Hong Kong, Singapore and London. He joined Haymarket title PRWeek UK in January 2009, after covering Asia’s media and marketing landscape at sister Haymarket title Campaign Asia-Pacific in Hong Kong and Singapore. 

Before Haymarket, Arun spent one year at public relations firm Weber Shandwick during its tumultuous mergers with Weber and BSMG. During his career as a journalist he has appeared on BBC News and has also contributed to The Guardian and the South China Morning Post, where he began his career as a business reporter.

In 2015, Arun became the youngest-ever inductee into the ICCO Hall of Fame.

Ian Tan

Lecturer of Strategic Communications & Generative AI Coach, , Nanyang Technological University

Ian YH Tan is a university lecturer, generative AI coach, and communications consultant.

His 22-year career has spanned across the media, consumer technology and gaming industries. He started out as a journalist and went on to become a global marketer and business leader. He is currently a lecturer of strategic communications at Nanyang Technological University.  

At Lenovo, he led the Asia-Pacific gaming hardware division across 12 markets, driving the adoption of AI-capable computers. At Razer, he headed global marketing, overseeing 120 marketers across all marketing disciplines and was part of the team that achieved Razer’s US$4B IPO in 2017. At Microsoft, he managed sales and marketing for the Xbox 360 gaming business in Singapore, and established the local business for Microsoft Surface computing devices. At Singapore Press Holdings, he was an award-winning journalist and photojournalist.

Ian has combined his expertise in technology, storytelling, art, and pedagogy to help people grow and learn using the power of words, visuals, and AI. Visit thinktan.net for more info.

Georgette Tan Adamopoulos

President, United Women Singapore

Justin Then

CEO, Singapore and Malaysia, Hill+Knowlton Strategies

Justin has more than three decades of experience in the communications industry and has provided senior counsel to a multitude of clients including McDonald’s, Coca-Cola, Heineken, CCC-ECRL, CPP Petroleum Engineering, Shell and Mubadala Energy.

He also leads training programmes for senior executives (spokesperson training and crisis comms simulation) for various organisations including the Ministry of Education Malaysia, Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council, Clifford Chance, Hewlett-Packard, Intel, Alcatel-Lucent, Maxis, AIG, ACE Insurance, and 3M. He is currently one of the Master Trainers for Shell.

Justin is no stranger to WPP and Hill+Knowlton Strategies, having previously held the role of Associate Director for Technology Practice (2005-2008) and later returning as the Managing Director from 2013-2017.

In between his first two tours of duty at Hill+Knowlton Strategies, Justin spent five years with a leading local boutique agency where he led a team servicing technology clients. He was also the founder of Lumos PR, a strategic communications agency that eventually merged with Hill+Knowlton Strategies in 2019.

Before joining the PR industry, Justin was an editor with Computerworld Malaysia for eight years and founding editor of PC.com for two years.

Ada Wong

Head of Public Affairs, Vaccines Asia JPAC , Sanofi

Ada Wong is currently the Head of Public Affairs, Vaccines for Sanofi Asia JPAC and responsible for driving vaccines public affairs strategy, sustainable healthcare financing and pandemic preparedness across the region.    Prior to joining Sanofi, Ada was the Head of Public Affairs and Communications with FrieslandCampina, one of the world’s largest dairy companies. She has over 20 years’ experience in public affairs and communications across Asia Pacific and is currently acting as the Chairman of the Healthcare Committee for EU-ASEAN Business Council to drive for greater collaboration between ASEAN and EU members states and private sector.  

Craig Young

Managing Director, Research & Insights, Sandpiper

Craig has been developing research and evidence-based programmes to shape positive policy and business outcomes for government and private sector clients in Asia Pacific for over 30 years. He is a trusted advisory to Government Ministries and C-Suites across the region, with a particular specialism in high impact social research. His career spans senior roles at Nielsen, Roy Morgan Research, ORC International and Engine. He is the immediate past-President of ADIA, Australia’s market research industry association.  Prior to joining Sandpiper, Craig spent 9 years as CEO of Big Village Australia, one of Australia’s top 10 commercial market research agencies. 

Patrick Yu

GM, SVP and Senior Partner, Hong Kong, FleishmanHillard

Patrick Yu is the GM, SVP and Senior Partner at FleishmanHillard Hong Kong and he also runs the Asia Pacific financial and professional services sector in the firm. Patrick is specialized in advising multinational financial institutions on its corporate reputation, market-entry and stakeholder engagement campaigns in the region. His clients span across asset managers, corporate and investment banking, insurance and fintech companies. He also focuses on advising companies on communicating effectively with stakeholders across multiple jurisdictions in the context of M&A transaction and ESG communications and reporting.

Stephanie Yu

Communications Leader, Asia Pacific, Lenovo