Join The Team

CHANDRAN NAIR
FOUNDER & CEO

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.

CAROLINE NGAI
OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

Caroline is the Office Administrator at GIFT. She supports daily office operations and also handles programme-related logistics. She has prior experience in merchandising, secretarial and administration work. Caroline obtained her degree in Business Administration from Jinan University in Guangzhou. She has an interest in environmental and social issues and is a professional cross country runner and a hiker. She is fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin and English.

DICKY CHOW
PROGRAMME ASSOCIATE

Dicky is a Programme Associate at GIFT. Prior to joining GIFT, he worked in the HKSAR Government to organising events including workshops, meetings and visits to the Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau and Singapore. He also has experience working in the non-profit space and MNCs to managing marketing campaigns, conferences and ceremonies. Dicky holds two degrees, in Law and Business Administration, from the University of Hong Kong. He is fluent in Cantonese, Mandarin and English.

ERIC STRYSON
MANAGING DIRECTOR – GLOBAL SERVICES

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 Standford University and holds a Masters from Hong Kong University.

JAQUELINE P’NG
MARKETING MANAGER

Jaqueline is the Marketing Manager at GIFT. Before joining GIFT, she was a broadcast journalist at The Edge TV and a feature news writer at Sin Chew Daily. She holds a B.S.Sc in Journalism and Communication from The Chinese University of Hong Kong. She is fluent in English, Mandarin, Malay, Cantonese and Hokkien.  For enquiries : jpng@global-inst.com

KARIM RUSHDY
FACILITATOR

Karim joined GIFT in 2010 as Business Development Manager. Over the next decade he served as Head of Programmes in Hong Kong, and as Managing Director of GIFT ASEAN in Malaysia where he led the transformation of a small rep office into a fully-fledged regional business.

During this period Karim designed and facilitated dozens of public and custom development programmes for thousands of professionals from Fortune 500s, regional MNCs, Government Agencies and NGOs. Karim’s articles on insights gathered through his work in the classroom and in the field have appeared in a range of publications.

In 2021 Karim left his executive role at GIFT to pursue graduate studies in mindfulness – a practise he is deeply passionate about. He continues to contribute to programme design and facilitation, and is an advisor to GIFT’s new EdTech company GIFT.ed

Karim has lived in Asia for over 20 years. Prior to GIFT, he was a partner in a successful Shanghai-based food and beverage company which today operates almost 50 restaurants across a dozen major Chinese cities. Karim has an MBA from Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business in China, and is pursuing a Masters in Teaching Mindfulness Based Courses at Bangor University in the UK.

MEI CHEUNG
HEAD OF OPERATIONS

Mei was a founding team member when GIFT was set-up in 2004 and instrumental in overseeing all administrative requirements. As Head of Operations, Mei oversees the operational management of the GIFT office and supports business development initiatives. Prior to joining GIFT Mei was a Manager of CSR and Systems Auditing, TUV Rheinland Hong Kong Ltd. and Greater China Regional Business Field Manager for TUV Rheinland STAR services. Mei graduated with a BA (Hons) in Business Studies from Westminster University, London and is fluent in English and Cantonese.

KUBEEHRAN PRASATH
DIRECTOR

Kubeehran helps manage all aspects of GIFT’s regional office including business development, advisory and programmes. Prior to GIFT he spent close to a decade at the Central Bank of Malaysia where he oversaw the supervision of foreign banks covering governance, risk management, culture, and ethics. He was also a Short Term Consultant at the World Bank, facilitating exchange of Malaysia’s financial sector experience with stakeholders across ASEAN.

He holds a Bachelor of Accounting from Multimedia University and is a Member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). He obtained his Master of Finance from Judge Business School, University of Cambridge in 2016. He is fluent in Malay and Tamil and enjoys Indian Carnatic music.

OLIVIA LAI
MANAGING DIRECTOR – HONG KONG

Olivia is the Managing Director of GIFT’s Hong Kong office. She manages all of GIFT’s programmes, including overseeing a team of experienced Programme Managers and the design and development of programmes and workshops for GIFT’s global clients. Prior to joining GIFT, she was a management executive at a multinational property developer based in Hong Kong. Olivia graduated with a Bachelors degree in International Relations and Master of Management from The University of British Columbia and holds an MSc in Real Estate from The University of Hong Kong. She is fluent in English and Cantonese.

PATRICIA PETER
OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR – ASEAN

Patricia is the Office Administrator at GIFT ASEAN. She supports daily office operations and handles programme-related logistics. She has prior experience in the education line as an assistant teacher, working closely with special needs students to support in skill development through various strategies. She also worked in an advertising agency as a personal assistant and supported the PR and business development team. Patricia obtained her diploma in Mass Communication from TAR College. She is a passionate advocate against animal cruelty and has passion for singing.

PIAL KHADILLA
MANAGING DIRECTOR – MALAYSIA

Pial leads the GIFT Southeast Asia office in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia which she opened in 2016. She is responsible for expanding GIFT’s footprint and impact in the region through purposeful leadership learning, outcome driven facilitation and sustainability advisory. Pial’s professional experience spans banking, e-commerce, coaching and entrepreneurship. She is a passionate gender equity activist and regular speaker on elevating the role of women in society and mothers in the workplace in particular.

Pial is a mother of five, an ontological coach-in-training, and a fluent Malay speaker. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Bath, England and is a certified health-coach.

RAFIQAH ABDUL GHANY
PROGRAMME MANAGER – ASEAN

Rafiqah pursued her BA in International Relations with French from the University of Nottingham (Malaysia Campus) where her main area of studies were focused on the ASEAN region and global issues pertaining to global security. Throughout her years as student, she was actively involved in sports and student-led societies. Prior to joining GIFT, Rafiqah’s interest in language brought her to South Korea for an intensive Korean language program at Seoul National University. She is fluent in English, Malay, Indonesian and Korean.

ROHAN HAZELL
RESEARCHER

Rohan is a Researcher at GIFT and is involved in the production of GIFT’s content for its Hong Kong and Kuala Lumpur offices, including articles, podcasts and business reports. Prior to GIFT, Rohan worked at a London-based market research firm where he conducted quantitative and qualitative analysis for global brands to better link consumer mindsets to behaviours. Rohan holds a BA in Geography from the University of Oxford.

STEVEN YUEN
PROGRAMME MANAGER

Steven is a Programme Manager at GIFT. He has lived in Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong, New Zealand, Australia and Sweden. Prior to joining GIFT Steven spent four years in Japan’s Kochi Prefecture teaching and organising grassroots internationalisation events, and another four years in Osaka managing student exchange programs and institutional partnerships for Kwansei Gakuin University. He received his professional degree in Architecture from the University of New South Wales, and holds a Master Education of Higher Education from the University of Hong Kong. Steven is fluent in Japanese, Cantonese and English, and is proficient in Mandarin.

MIKHAIL PETRA
RESEARCHER

Mikey is a Researcher at GIFT ASEAN. He is involved in the development of GIFT’s online education programmes and content production with a focus on the ASEAN region and global social & cultural topics.

Prior to joining GIFT, Mikhail interned in a political think tank based in Indonesia as well as a law firm in Malaysia. Outside of the office, he co-runs a music and arts collective staging multiple cultural events around Kuala Lumpur and volunteers at Protect and Save the Children Selangor. Mikhail holds a BA (Hons) in History from the University of Edinburgh. He speaks English and Bahasa Malaysia.

VIDYAKARAN SUBRAMANIAM
PROGRAMME ASSOCIATE – ASEAN

Vidyakaran is a Programme Associate at GIFT ASEAN where he coordinates programmes out of the Kuala Lumpur office. Prior to joining GIFT, he was at an international NGO working with underserved communities in Malaysia, coordinating, designing and implementing programmes for community upliftment. Vidya is a lawyer by training and has several years of experience working with government and non-governmental organizations in the non-profit sector. He obtained his LLB (Hons) from the University of London and is fluent in Malay and Tamil.

VINOBHA ANTHONY DOSS
PROGRAMME ASSOCIATE-ASEAN

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 NAIR
OPERATIONS MANAGER-ASEAN

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 CHEAH
PROGRAMME MANAGER-ASEAN

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 DULANI
PROGRAMME ASSOCIATE

Venus is Programme Associate at GIFT. Prior to joining GIFT, she worked at the United Nations, USL Technology and the Chinese University of Hong Kong. She has experience in climate change and sustainability planning, 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, proficient in Spanish, and conversant in Cantonese.