Our Team

 

Meet The Team

GIFT’s vibrant global team has diverse backgrounds, experience, and interdisciplinary skill sets. Our world-class project research, design and management are all conducted in-house, with a leadership team involved at every step, from ideation to facilitation.

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CAROLINE NGAI

OFFICE ADMINISTRATOR

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CHANDRAN NAIR

FOUNDER & CEO

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DICKY CHOW

PROGRAMME ASSOCIATE

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ERIC STRYSON

MANAGING DIRECTOR - GLOBAL SERVICES

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JAQUELINE P'NG

MARKETING MANAGER

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KARIM RUSHDY

MANAGING DIRECTOR - ASEAN

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MEI CHEUNG

HEAD OF OPERATIONS

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OLIVIA LAI

MANAGING DIRECTOR - HONG KONG

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PIAL KHADILLA

HEAD OF OPERATIONS - ASEAN

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RAFIQAH ABDUL GHANY

PROGRAMME MANAGER - ASEAN

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ROHAN HAZELL

RESEARCHER

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STEVEN YUEN

PROGRAMME MANAGER

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SYNNA ONG

SENIOR PROGRAMME MANAGER - ASEAN

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VIDYAKARAN SUBRAMANIAM

PROGRAMME ASSOCIATE – ASEAN

SPEAK TO US






  • 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.






  • KARIM RUSHDY
    MANAGING DIRECTOR – ASEAN

    Karim joined GIFT in 2010 after participating in the Global Leaders Programme and has since designed and facilitated dozens of experiential programmes for high potential executives and government officials. In his current role Karim leads the ASEAN office and is responsible for GIFT’s regional activities and programmes across Southeast Asia. Prior to GIFT Karim spent a decade in Mainland China where he was a partner in a successful nationwide food and beverage business. Karim’s articles on insights gathered through GIFT programmes have appeared in a range of publications. He has an MBA from the Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business in Beijing and is a proficient Mandarin speaker.






  • 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.






  • NICHOLAS GORDON
    CONTENT MANAGER

    Nicholas is the Content Manager at GIFT. He is involved in research, writing and editing both in support of GIFT’s leadership programmes and to help produce content for publication. He graduated with a major in Social Studies from Harvard University and received an MPhil in International Relations from Oxford University, where he studied systems of sub-state sovereignty. He also has experience in research and writing working with tanks in Hong Kong and Mumbai.






  • 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
    HEAD OF OPERATIONS – ASEAN

    Pial is Head of Operations for GIFT South East Asia based in Malaysia, where she is responsible for expanding GIFT’s executive education offerings in Malaysia and across the ASEAN region. She is also responsible for business development opportunites and for developing a pipeline of field projects in the region. Prior to joining GIFT, Pial worked at the Central Bank of Malaysia as a Senior Executive in the department of Consumer Market Conduct before launching her own coaching practice. Pial holds a Bachelors degree in Business Administration from the University of Bath, England and is a fluent Malay speaker.






  • 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.






  • SYNNA ONG
    SENIOR PROGRAMME MANAGER – ASEAN

    Synna is a Senior Programme Manager at GIFT ASEAN where she manages and designs programmes focused on the Southeast Asia region. Prior to this she worked in PayPal in dispute resolution and developed process improvement tools. Synna obtained her BA from the University of Nottingham in International Relations and primarily studied the role of regional institutions- the European Union and ASEAN. She is fluent in Malay and several Chinese dialects.






  • 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.