GIFT cultivates and promotes original ideas in response to the forces of globalisation, technological progress, the rising economic influence of Asia, and the need for new models for business, policy and leadership amongst other topics.
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Murari is the Chief Information Security Officer (CISO) for UOB Singapore. Prior to joining UOB, he worked in various leadership roles in several multinational corporations across the banking, consumer and consultancy industries.
On top of his role at UOB, Murari has taken on international and regional industry leadership and advisory roles. He currently serves on the Advisory Panel for Cyber Youth Singapore (CYS), is a Senior Industry Advisor for CIO Academy Asia and is a member of the Singapore Institute of Directors (SID). He previously served on the International Board of Directors for the Financial Services Information Sharing and Analysis Centre (FS-ISAC) and was a member of the ISACA International Professional Standards Committee.
Kelly is the Head of Customer Intelligence & Analytics of Prudential. She leads customer management across the region leveraging data insights and analytics to deepen engagement with customers, fill their protection gaps and enable seamless experience. Prior to joining Prudential, Kelly held numerous leadership roles for top financial institutions. She has over 20 years of delivering business results with analytic solutions in sales & marketing, operations, risk management and HR.
Leo is the director of human resources in Microsoft Hong Kong. He oversees the day-to-day operations of all people-related programs to support the growth of the Hong Kong subsidiary. Having worked at the technology and life insurance sectors in North America and Asia Pacific, he brings a diverse set of skillset specializing in talent management, people development, organizational learning and talent acquisition. Prior to Microsoft, Leo was most recently the Head of Talent Management & Development at AIA, in charge of developing customized career advancement and contemporary talent retention strategies. He also elevated the role of human capital management beyond conventional means to reverse mentoring programs, next-gen summit, innovative hacks, design thinking and career roadmap visualizations. Leo is a huge advocate in working with the businesses to drive bespoke, relevant and practical solutions for their people.
Justin is an Associate Consultant at GIFT and is responsible for supporting advisory projects relating to sustainability, innovation and social impact.
Justin worked in New York and Hong Kong, including notable companies such as PricewaterhouseCoopers and most recently at Deloitte Digital in a consulting role. At PwC Hong Kong, he was in the Government and Public Sector Consulting practice and was involved in local projects related to Smart City, IoT infrastructure and start-up innovation. Justin has a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and a BSc in Media, Culture & Communication from New York University.
Myra is a Consultant at GIFT and is responsible for managing advisory projects relating to sustainability and social impact and developing transformative leadership programmes.
Myra’s background is in strategy and evaluation for public health policy and interventions and is experienced in project management, capacity building and stakeholder engagement (NGOs, government and industry). She has had experience working in cross-cultural environments in Zambia, Cambodia, Canada, Singapore and Hong Kong. Myra has an MSc in Public Health specialising in Health Promotion, from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London. She also holds a BSc with a major in Cell Biology and Genetics and a minor in Human Nutrition from the University of British Columbia, Canada.
STRATEGIC PLANNING ADVISOR
HONG KONG/SHENZHEN CORPORATION
Valerie is Programme Manager at GIFT. Prior to joining GIFT, she spent several years in the Legal Industry, with a particular focus on corporate law, and is currently pursuing a Masters in Global Leadership and Development at the University of Hong Kong. She received her law degree from University College London and is a member of the New York Bar. She is fluent in Mandarin, English and Cantonese.
Vinobha Anthony Doss is a Programme Associate at GIFT ASEAN. Prior to joining GIFT he was in the practice of civil litigation and dispute resolution. He has been involved in various public policy shaping cases lodged in the Malaysian courts. His creative approach coupled with the depth in legal knowledge has resulted in effective legal reasoning and client management. Vino graduated from the University of London and was called to the Malaysian Bar in 2017. He speaks fluent English, Malay, basic Cantonese and basic French.
Viji is the Operations Manager at GIFT Asean. She oversees the operational management of the KL office.
Prior to joining GIFT, Viji worked in various organisations and has spent the last 15 years on NGO work mainly focusing on performance arts and cancer respectively. Viji holds a BA (Hons) in Psychology from the Dublin Business School. She speaks English, Bahasa Malaysia, and Malayalam.
Brenda oversees the programme design and implementation, as well as content development at GIFT. Prior to GIFT, Brenda was a Senior Economist at the Central Bank of Malaysia for almost 8 years, leading macroeconomic assessments and growth projections for monetary policy deliberation. Passionate about public policy, she also sought to diversify her research interests and expertise over the years – ranging from trade competitiveness and investment incentives to social protection. When COVID-19 hit, Brenda had a hand in crafting various stimulus measures to support the vulnerable groups in Malaysia.
She holds a degree in BSc. in Economics with honours from the University of Warwick, UK. She has also attended various professional courses by the International Monetary Fund and the Bank of Korea at Washington D.C., Singapore and South Korea. She is fluent in Malay, speaks several Chinese dialects and knows basic Korean.
Venus joined GIFT in 2021 as a Programme Associate. She has extensive experience in programme management and supporting advisory projects related to sustainable development in Hong Kong and wider Asia. She was a key contributor to a feasibility study on establishing a global plastic recycling platform and circular plastic waste management. Venus’ other responsibilities include managing and creating content for GIFT’s PR.
Prior to joining GIFT, she worked at the United Nations, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and a boutique sustainability consulting firm. She was involved in projects ranging from climate change and sustainability planning, public policy research and analysis, to stakeholder engagement, and community outreach. She graduated from Cornell University with a Bachelor of Science in Urban and Regional Studies, with an additional concentration in Inequality Studies. She is fluent in English and Hindi.
Since joining GIFT in 2010 Karim has served in several roles, including as Head of Programmes in Hong Kong, and as Managing Director of GIFT’s Southeast Asia business. He has designed and facilitated dozens of classroom, field-based and virtual development programmes for leaders at Fortune 500s, MNCs, Government Agencies and NGOs.
After 22 years in Asia, Karim returned to Scotland in 2022 and now lives between Edinburgh and Kuala Lumpur. In addition to facilitating, he currently serves as strategic advisor to GIFT’s new EdTech venture GIFT.ed, and dedicates his spare time to studying, practising and teaching mindfulness-based approaches to living well with stress and chronic pain.
Prior to GIFT, Karim was a partner in a Shanghai-based food and beverage company which opened 50 stores across a dozen Chinese cities. Karim has an MBA from the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business in Beijing, and is pursuing a Masters in Teaching Mindfulness Based Courses at Bangor University in the UK.
In addition to leading GIFT’s dynamic team and business, since 2008, Eric has facilitated more than 50 experiential leadership programmes in fifteen countries. He is well versed in introducing new ideas on governance, business and sustainability and coaching participants to think critically about their role as leaders. Before joining GIFT, Eric spent several years managing multi-stakeholder partnerships between global brands and civil society groups in the United States and China. He writes and speaks regularly on topics related to leadership development and the changing role of business in society. Eric is an alumnus of Stanford University and holds a Masters from Hong Kong University.
For more than three decades, Chandran has advised governments and MNCs on strategic management, leadership issues and sustainability, and is often invited to facilitate for top corporate education providers including Duke CE, INSEAD and NUS. He was previously Chairman of ERM in Asia Pacific, helping establish it as the world’s leading environmental consultancy. Chandran is on the Executive Committee of the Club of Rome and is a member of WEF’s Global Agenda Council on Governance for Sustainability and Experts Forum, where his thought leadership is sought for its fresh insights and intellectual honesty. He is the author of the best-seller – Consumptionomics: Asia’s Role in Reshaping Capitalism and Saving the Planet, and The Sustainable State: The Future of Government, Economy and Society.
