Neelam Chowdhary is the Vice President of Education at the Asia Society and oversees the department’s strategy and direction. Her responsibilities encompass the programmatic and fiscal guidance of several initiatives, including NY public programs, global leadership programs, and Chinese language learning.

Neelam embarked on her journey with Asia Society in 2011, joining the Center for Global Education as the Executive Director of Global Learning Programs. In this capacity, she spearheaded the creation and design of a K-12 global competence curriculum, teacher training programs, and digital content.

Prior to her tenure at Asia Society, Neelam served as the Vice President of Programs at the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship. She co-authored two noteworthy works: “Entrepreneurship: Owning Your Future” (2009) and “Exploring Careers for the 21st Century” (2011). Her rich experience as an educator spans across public schools in both Los Angeles and New York City, and she holds the distinction of being a National Board-Certified Teacher.

Neelam holds a doctorate in Curriculum Studies from Teachers College, Columbia University, a master’s degree in Education Administration from Pepperdine University, and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from The University of Southern California.

Penny Low is a senior advisor and mentor to C-suites and government leaders, and global board member of esteemed organizations worldwide. Penny is a veteran elected Member of Singapore Parliament for ~15 years, who developed the first eco-town in the tropics and the first digital town in Singapore. She has helped organizations grow exponentially and quantum leap in innovation, through her impactful strategy, global resources and experience in pioneering innovation across technology, media, academia, private, public and people sectors. Her unique ability to comprehend issues from multiple angles, offering a 360-degree perspective, sets her apart in the world of leadership and innovation. She is also a sought-after influential speaker at major international conferences. 

During her tenure as an elected Member of Parliament of Singapore from 2001 to 2015, Penny Low harnessed the power of technology innovations and design thinking to spearhead the development of the first eco-town in the tropical region. This remarkable achievement garnered international acclaim and served as a blueprint and role model town for sustainable urban planning for governments worldwide. Leading with vision and impact, Penny also laid the blueprint and foundation for Punggol's development into the new town was earmarked to become Singapore's largest township and the first digital and enterprise district, expected to generate 28,000 new job opportunities. Throughout her career as elected Member of Parliament, Penny cultivated essential relationships with key stakeholders, including government bodies, private sector entities, civil society organizations, and residents, while fostering a robust grassroots network. She is responsible for a wide range of engagement platforms – both locally and globally, from International Parliamentary Union to International Standards Organisation (ISO), etc. 

Penny entered politics in 2001 as the youngest elected female Member of Parliament of Singapore. Penny's extensive involvement in Government Parliamentary Committees (GPC) and oversight of numerous Ministries underscores her commitment to developing policy to create a more inclusive and sustainable nation. With oversight spanning ministries such as Finance, Trade and Industry, Education, National Development, Environment & Water Resources, Culture, Community, and Youth, as well as Home Affairs, she played an instrumental role in transforming Singapore's economic, technological, and social sectors over almost 15 years. Her contributions also extended to the Parliamentary Estimates Committee, where she meticulously examined the government's budget and recommended efficiency-enhancing measures. 

Sanjeev Sherchan is Executive Director of Asia Society’s Global Initiatives in New York, which seeks to integrate the Society’s multidisciplinary work across its various departments, center initiatives, and projects, to present globally impactful programs. He began his career at the Asia Society in 2000 with a specific concentration on South Asia programming. Before returning to the U.S. for graduate studies in 1998, Sanjeev worked for PLAN International-Makwanpur in Nepal. He was a member of the National Democratic Institute’s short-term Election Observation Mission during Bangladesh’s historic Ninth Parliamentary Elections in December 2008 and was deployed in the Jessore district. He has been an occasional commentator on news and television programs on Nepal. He is a graduate of Baylor University in Texas, where he received an M.A. in international relations in 2000.

Debra Eisenman is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Asia Society and Founding Director and Senior Fellow of the Asia Society Policy Institute (ASPI). As EVP and COO, Debra oversees the operations and strategy of the Society’s substantive pillars and the global network of centers.

Prior to this role, she was Managing Director of the Asia Society Policy Institute, where she led and oversaw initiatives on development, governance, sustainability, and security challenges throughout Asia, with a particular focus on Myanmar, Central Asia, and Iran. She also ran ASPI’s strategy and operations, and has been with ASPI and its predecessor, the Global Policy Programs department at Asia Society, in numerous, progressively responsible roles since 2011. Debra created the business, operating, and strategic plans for the development of ASPI — and managed and oversaw the Institute’s growth from 3 staff in New York to more than 30 staff across the globe, and to a respected and well-ranked global think tank.

Before joining Asia Society, Debra worked on the Peacebuilding and Western Balkans grantmaking programs of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. She was also previously at the National Crime Prevention Council in Washington, DC, building and managing projects to advance youth civic engagement and individual and community safety.

Debra has been an election observer in Kosovo, Albania, Ukraine, and Armenia. She holds a master’s degree in politics from New York University, and is a cum laude graduate of the University of Maryland with high honors in government and politics. She is also a fellow of the Truman National Security Project and a member of Women in International Security. She is a contributor to radio, television, and print media. In June 2018, she authored the ASPI report, Reconciling Expectations with Reality in a Transitioning Myanmar.

Emily Chew is the Managing Director, Head of Sustainability, GIC of Singapore. She is also the Co-Chair of the Morgan Stanley Investment Management Sustainability Council. Prior to this role she was Executive Vice President and Chief Responsible Investment Officer, Calvert Research and Management and the Global Head of Sustainability for Investment Management and chairs the division’s Sustainability Council. Before joining Morgan Stanley in 2020, Emily was Global Head of ESG Research and Integration for Manulife Investment Management in Hong Kong and Boston, where she built an ESG investing program for public markets investments encompassing research, investee stewardship, thought leadership and thematic product development. Previously, Emily was Head of Asia-Pacific ESG Research for MSCI Inc. in Beijing and Hong Kong, leading a team of ESG research analysts covering the Asia-Pacific constituents of the MSCI All Country World Index. Emily commenced her career as a capital markets lawyer with Baker & McKenzie in Melbourne, Australia, with a focus on funds management, capital raisings, and REITs. Emily is a member of the CFA’s ESG Technical Committee responsible to develop an industry ESG disclosure standard for investment funds, and formerly served as rotating chair of the Steering Committee of the Climate Action 100+ investor engagement initiative, and chair of the Asian Investor Group on Climate Change. She holds an MBA from the University of Oxford, and Bachelors of Laws and Arts (honors) from the University of Melbourne.

Nitin Das is the director of Filmkaar Productions, an independent film production house that specializes in creating films with socially relevant themes. His films focus on raising awareness and creating conscious communities. He is an alumnus of IIM Lucknow (2000).  His youtube channel  has over 2 million followers. He has won a special award by the British Council for creative entrepreneurship in the social sector. He is currently working on an international environment project called the Healing Forest.

Martin Tan is the Chief Executive Officer of The Majurity Trust, a philanthropic organisation with social impact programs in Singapore. Martin was formerly the Executive Director of Institute for Societal Leadership at Singapore Management University and Co-Founder of Halogen Foundation Singapore. As motivational speaker and leadership trainer over the past 15 years, Martin has conducted leadership programs for youth, educators and corporate organisations in countries such as Afghanistan, Australia, Bhutan, China, Hong Kong, India, Philippines, UK and USA.  As an entrepreneur, Martin Co-Founded Halogen Foundation Singapore in 2003 with the aim of building young leaders and young entrepreneurs who will positively change the world in issues they believe in. Since 2014, Martin as part of the founding team, started the Institute for Societal Leadership at SMU to advance societal leadership in Southeast Asia and beyond. Martin is a Certified Master Facilitator for The Leadership Challenge© and also the first Certification Master Facilitator for The Student Leadership Challenge© for Asia Pacific. Martin has worked with organisations and companies such as eBay, Hilton, WILEY, New Century Oriental, NCSS etc. Martin brings with him in his programs, experiences from a wide range of leadership roles in people, private and public sectors both in Singapore and around the world, forming an unique perspective of cross-cultural and trans-generational challenges and opportunities. Martin formerly served as the Honorary Secretary of the National Family Council, Deputy Chairperson for Marriage Central and Council Member of the 11th and 12th National Youth Council. He also served as a Board Member of the National Library Board, Chairman of the Public Library Advisory Committee and Trustee of the Library Fund.  Martin was awarded The Outstanding Young Person Award in 2007 and conferred the Singapore Youth Award, Singapore's highest accolade for youth, in July 2013.

Enoch Li is an expert on leadership, resilience, and well-being in the workplace. At INSEAD, she programme directs, teaches, and consults in Executive Education Programmes, such as the INSEAD Coaching Certificate, Management Acceleration Programme, and various Company Specific Programmes. She is also the Co-Director of the INSEAD MBA’s Personal Leadership Development Programme. Her work aims to help leaders navigate conflicting demands in ambiguous contexts, and to uncover the group influences that affect the quality of their decisions, relationships, and accomplishments. Her teaching highlights on how resilient leadership sustains group performance and psychological safety, and takes into account the unconscious factors that sustain or hinder both outcomes.  

Enoch advises Boards and senior executives on organizational transitions and social impact strategies. She is the Founder of Bearapy, an award-winning social impact consulting & training company in China that has pioneered workplace mental health in Asia-Pacific, imprinting employee wellbeing in company culture against taboos and stigma. She has received multiple recognitions for her contributions in this field, including the United Nations China Social Impact Awards and Beijing government’s OTEC Community Hero. She now takes her experience with the “S” in ESGs in her work as a Non-Executive Director on Boards and global and regional Steering Committees to advocate country and organisational-level policy changes in workplace mental health.  

Prior, Enoch had leadership & managerial roles at HSBC in London, Paris, Tokyo, and Beijing. She holds an Executive Masters in Change (Distinction) from INSEAD, a Masters in Laws (Hons) from University of London, and is certified in Play Therapy by the Canadian Association of Play Therapy. She is also a member of the INSEAD Directors Network and a graduate of the Financial Times Non-Executive Directors Programme.

Ms. Goh Swee Chen joined Shell in 2003 and retired as Chairman, Shell Companies inSingapore in January 2019. She was previously with Procter & Gamble and IBM. Aglobal leader, she has lived and worked in Singapore, Malaysia, Netherlands,Australia, USA, Japan and China. Ms. Goh has a diverse professional background, having led significant businesses in Oil & Gas, Consumer Goods andIT sectors. She is currently Chairman, National Arts Council, and Chairman, NanyangTechnological University (NTU) Board of Trustees. She also serves on the Boards ofSingapore Airlines, SP Group, JTC Corporation, Woodside Energy (Australia) andGenZero. Ms. Goh She is a member of the Legal Services Commission. She had previously chaired/served in the Boards of Shell Joint Ventures inChina, Korea and Saudi Arabia. She graduated with B.Sc. - Victoria University and MBA - Chicago Booth,University of Chicago. She was named Distinguished Alumni, Chicago Booth, in2018. She is married with three children. 

Nomintuya Baasankhuu, Founder of FilmNomad, is a cultural leader and policy innovator from Mongolia.  She holds degrees from Columbia University and the National University of Mongolia and is a respected Fulbright Scholar. She has supported over 300 Mongolian filmmakers, elevating Mongolian cinema onto the global stage and fostering cross-cultural dialogue. Nomintuya's influence extends to community engagement through her role as Deputy Team Leader of the Asian Development Bank's Ger District Redevelopment project, where she improved community involvement in urban redevelopment. Her policy contributions to the Ministry of Culture have been pivotal, shaping new film policy and the "Culture Pass" program, now law, ensuring future generations of Mongolians access to culture and arts. Her curatorial expertise is showcased in her leadership of the Ulaanbaatar International Media Art Festival and the Ulaanbaatar International Film Festival. At the Arts Council of Mongolia, she initiated the Young Leaders in the Arts Program, empowering over 150 artists and fostering new cultural leaders. Recognized among the 50 Most Influential People in Mongolia by Gereg Magazine and Forbes Mongolia's 30 under 30, Nomintuya was listed among the cultural leaders at the World Economic Forum in Davos 2016 and the Annual Champions Meeting in Dalian. As a Global Shaper alumnus of the World Economic Forum, she has participated in global dialogues and contributed to the national child road safety campaign, leading to better enforcement of child seats on the road. 

Mr. Stanley Loh is Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment, Singapore. He has previously served as Permanent Secretary (Development) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), and the Second Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Social and Family Development where he spearheaded the White Paper on Singapore Women’s Development. He had also served as Singapore's Ambassador to the People's Republic of China, Singapore’s Trade Representative in Taipei, Press Secretary to Prime Minister and subsequently Senior Minister Goh Chok Tong, Director-General for Middle East at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Deputy Chief of Mission in the Singapore Embassy to the USA. He served as Patron of SingCham from 2012 to 2019 and Member of Lien Fellowship Council from 2012 to 2019. He is currently Chairman of the SG Eco Fund Board of Trustees, a Member of the Centre for Liveable Cities Advisory Panel and Senior Advisor on the Temasek Sustainability Advisory Panel.

Gita Syahrani is convener for collective action with experience in corporate law, public and private sectors, civil society, and movement-building. In 2016, she supported the establishment Lingkar Temu Kabupaten Lestari Secretariat (LTKL) and became its Head of Secretariat (2017-2023). During this period, she led the team to work on restorative economy models with 9 district members and convened collective support of more than 200 partners. For this, she was recognized as a Henry Arnhold Fellow by Mulago Foundation, Asia21 Fellow, Ashoka Fellow and won the 2023 Climate Breakthrough Award to support her next endeavors. She currently heads the Executive Board of the Earth-Centered Economic Coalition (Koalisi Ekonomi Membumi), became an Advisory Board of LTKL and founded BLESS foundation in 2024. All efforts consistently aim for nation-wide adoption of a restorative economy through collective actions ignited by love.

Dr. Kyung-wha Kang is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Asia Society. 

Dr. Kang served as the first female Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Korea, from 2017 to 2021. She is a veteran diplomat in the Korean Foreign Ministry and the United Nations, holding positions in Seoul, New York, and Geneva. 

Prior to her appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs, she served as Senior Advisor on Policy to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, as well as Chief of his Transition Team. Dr. Kang also served as Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs from April 2013 to October 2016, and was Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights from January 2007 to March 2013. Her roles in the UN marked the highest positions held in an international organization by a Korean woman. 

Before entering the United Nations, Dr. Kang was Director General of International Organizations in the Republic of Korea’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade, becoming the second female Korean diplomat to serve at the director level. She was a Minister in Korea’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations from 2001 to 2005, during which period she chaired the Commission on the Status of Women. 

Prior to joining the Foreign Ministry in 1998, Dr. Kang assisted the Speaker of the National Assembly in the fields of women’s advancement and parliamentary diplomacy. Earlier in her career, she worked for the Korean Broadcasting System’s news bureau and international radio bureau, and lectured in universities both in Korea and in the United States. 

Dr. Kang graduated from Yonsei University and has an M.A. in mass communication and a Ph.D. in intercultural communication from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is currently a distinguished professor at the Institute for Global Engagement and Empowerment at Yonsei University in Seoul. She is also a trustee of several Korean and international non-governmental organizations.

Mr. Ashok Kumar Mirpuri joined Temasek in September 2023 and is currently Head, International Policy & Governance.

Prior to joining Temasek, Ashok was Singapore Ambassador to the United States from July 2012 to June 2023, where he represented Singapore’s interests in working with three U.S. Administrations. His previous Ambassadorial roles were in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Australia. Ashok has engaged with governments at the highest levels and developed policy options under challenging circumstances.

Ashok holds a Master of Arts from the University of London’s School of Oriental & African Studies and a Bachelor of Social Science (Hons) degree in Political Science from the National University of Singapore.

Founder, investor, and leading advisor on technology, finance, and entrepreneurship, Duncan Clark has lived and worked in Asia for over thirty years. His experience and network of relationships across Asia gives Duncan unique insights into the future shape of global innovation.

Duncan's career in Asia started as a technology investment banker with Morgan Stanley. With the backing of Morgan Stanley, Duncan founded leading technology investment advisory firm BDA China (www.bda.com) where he has served as Chair since its establishment in 1994.

Duncan also oversaw BDA's expansion to South East Asia and South Asia with the establishment of BDA India in New Delhi.

From its offices in Hong Kong and Beijing, BDA continues to be a key advisor to leading investors in technology and consumer innovation across the region.  Duncan is also spending an increasing amount of time in Japan with a base in Tokyo and a new role on the board of counselors of OIST, the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology.

In recent years, the divergence between China and the West in geopolitics and technology has led to increasing calls for "decoupling" or "derisking". With his network of relationships with policy makers and analysts in the US, UK, France and beyond, Duncan is engaged with key stakeholders to assess the extent of the divergence ahead in key areas such as semiconductors, artificial intelligence and quantitative computing - and how this will shape all of our futures.

An early advisor to leading China Internet entrepreneurs, Duncan is author of ‘Alibaba: The House That Jack Ma Built’, the definitive work on China’s e-commerce and technology giant, its founder Jack Ma, and the forces and people that propelled its rise. Published in 2016 in English by HarperCollins, ‘Alibaba’ was named a Book of the Year by The Economist magazine and short-listed for ‘Business Book of the Year’ by the Financial Times/McKinsey. The best-selling book has been released in over thirty five languages around the world.

A senior policy advisor to institutional investors, corporations and governments, Duncan is a cofounder or early stage investor of a number of technology ventures including Data.ai (invested by Sequoia, formerly known as AppAnnie), Radish Fiction (sold for USD 0.44 billion to South Korean Internet giant Kakao) and Story Protocol, a new Silicon Valley venture backed by a16z.

To contribute to continued dialogue between Asia and the world, Duncan has served for almost a decade as a member of the Global Board of Trustees of the Asia Society in New York. He also currently serves as Co-Chair of Asia Society France, the first center of the Asia Society in the European Union. Duncan co-founded Asia Society France in Paris together with leading tech entrepreneur and investor Fritz Demopoulos, and four subsequent Founding Trustees. Duncan is also a founding member of Asia Society Japan in Tokyo.

In addition to his advisory role at OIST in Japan, Duncan is a member of the advisory board of the Pictet Digital thematic mutual fund, managed by Pictet Asset Management in Geneva, Duncan also serves on the international board of WildAid, the San Francisco non-profit whose mission is to end the trade of illegal wildlife products in our lifetime.

A graduate of the London School of Economics (LSE), Duncan is again active within LSE's new School of Public Policy (SPP) as a Visiting Senior Fellow and supporter through the Duncan and David Clark Scholarship fund to support students from Asia to pursue studies at the SPP.

At a time when US-China relations were more propitious, Duncan was a former Visiting Scholar at Stanford University where he established the 'China 2.0' initiative to bring together key players in technology from China and the US. He previously served as Chairman of the British Chamber of Commerce in China, and was awarded an OBE in 2013 for services to UK-China trade and investment.

A UK citizen raised in the UK, US and France, Duncan is fluent in Chinese, French, conversant in Spanish and is currently learning Japanese.

Dr. Kyung-wha Kang is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Asia Society. 

Dr. Kang served as the first female Minister of Foreign Affairs of South Korea, from 2017 to 2021. She is a veteran diplomat in the Korean Foreign Ministry and the United Nations, holding positions in Seoul, New York, and Geneva. 

Prior to her appointment as Minister of Foreign Affairs, she served as Senior Advisor on Policy to UN Secretary-General António Guterres, as well as Chief of his Transition Team. Dr. Kang also served as Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs from April 2013 to October 2016, and was Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights from January 2007 to March 2013. Her roles in the UN marked the highest positions held in an international organization by a Korean woman. 

Before entering the United Nations, Dr. Kang was Director General of International Organizations in the Republic of Korea’s Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Trade, becoming the second female Korean diplomat to serve at the director level. She was a Minister in Korea’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations from 2001 to 2005, during which period she chaired the Commission on the Status of Women. 

Prior to joining the Foreign Ministry in 1998, Dr. Kang assisted the Speaker of the National Assembly in the fields of women’s advancement and parliamentary diplomacy. Earlier in her career, she worked for the Korean Broadcasting System’s news bureau and international radio bureau, and lectured in universities both in Korea and in the United States. 

Dr. Kang graduated from Yonsei University and has an M.A. in mass communication and a Ph.D. in intercultural communication from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She is currently a distinguished professor at the Institute for Global Engagement and Empowerment at Yonsei University in Seoul. She is also a trustee of several Korean and international non-governmental organizations.

Penny Low is a senior advisor and mentor to C-suites and government leaders, and global board member of esteemed organizations worldwide. Penny is a veteran elected Member of Singapore Parliament for ~15 years, who developed the first eco-town in the tropics and the first digital town in Singapore. She has helped organizations grow exponentially and quantum leap in innovation, through her impactful strategy, global resources and experience in pioneering innovation across technology, media, academia, private, public and people sectors. Her unique ability to comprehend issues from multiple angles, offering a 360-degree perspective, sets her apart in the world of leadership and innovation. She is also a sought-after influential speaker at major international conferences. 

During her tenure as an elected Member of Parliament of Singapore from 2001 to 2015, Penny Low harnessed the power of technology innovations and design thinking to spearhead the development of the first eco-town in the tropical region. This remarkable achievement garnered international acclaim and served as a blueprint and role model town for sustainable urban planning for governments worldwide. Leading with vision and impact, Penny also laid the blueprint and foundation for Punggol's development into the new town was earmarked to become Singapore's largest township and the first digital and enterprise district, expected to generate 28,000 new job opportunities. Throughout her career as elected Member of Parliament, Penny cultivated essential relationships with key stakeholders, including government bodies, private sector entities, civil society organizations, and residents, while fostering a robust grassroots network. She is responsible for a wide range of engagement platforms – both locally and globally, from International Parliamentary Union to International Standards Organisation (ISO), etc. 

Penny entered politics in 2001 as the youngest elected female Member of Parliament of Singapore. Penny's extensive involvement in Government Parliamentary Committees (GPC) and oversight of numerous Ministries underscores her commitment to developing policy to create a more inclusive and sustainable nation. With oversight spanning ministries such as Finance, Trade and Industry, Education, National Development, Environment & Water Resources, Culture, Community, and Youth, as well as Home Affairs, she played an instrumental role in transforming Singapore's economic, technological, and social sectors over almost 15 years. Her contributions also extended to the Parliamentary Estimates Committee, where she meticulously examined the government's budget and recommended efficiency-enhancing measures. 

Parag Khanna is Founder & CEO of AlphaGeo, the leading AI-powered geospatial predictive location analytics platform. He is the internationally bestselling author of seven books including MOVE: Where People Are Going for a Better Future (2021), preceded by The Future is Asian: Commerce, Conflict & Culture in the 21st Century (2019), as well as a trilogy of books on the future of world order beginning with The Second World: Empires and Influence in the New Global Order (2008), followed by How to Run the World: Charting a Course to the Next Renaissance (2011), and concluding with Connectography: Mapping the Future of Global Civilization (2016). He is also the author of Technocracy in America: Rise of the Info-State (2017) and co-author of Hybrid Reality: Thriving in the Emerging Human-Technology Civilization (2012). Parag was named one of Esquire’s “75 Most Influential People of the 21st Century,” and featured in WIRED magazine’s “Smart List.” He holds a Ph.D. from the London School of Economics, and Bachelors and Masters degrees from the School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Born in India and raised in the UAE, New York and Germany, he has traveled to more than 150 countries and is a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum. 

Lobsang Sangay is a Senior Visiting Fellow at East Asian Legal Studies Program, Harvard Law School. He was a democratically elected Sikyong (President) of the Central Tibetan Administration and served two terms (2011-21). Lobsang completed his BA and LLB from Delhi University. He did his LLM ’95 and SJD ‘04 from Harvard Law School and received Yong K. Kim’ 95 Memorial Prize for excellence in dissertation and contributions to the understanding of East Asia at the Harvard Law School. While at Harvard, akin to track III, he organized seven rounds of meetings/conferences between Tibetan, Western and Chinese scholars most notably, the first ever meeting between HH the Dalai Lama and 25 Chinese scholars and students. 

He was a researcher for the report “Tibet: Human Rights and the Rule of Law”, published by the International Commission of Jurists in Geneva, Switzerland (2008). He also published Legal Autonomy of Tibet: A Tibetan Lawyer’s Perspective, in the Journal of East Asia and International Law and “Education Rights for Tibetans in Tibet and India,” in John D. Montgomery, ed. Human Rights: Positive Policies in Asia and the Pacific Rim, SOKA University Press. He wrote an article, Tibet: The Exile’s Journey published in the Journal of Democracy (2004). He was selected as one of the twenty-four Young Leaders of Asia by the Asia Society (2006). He has spoken at international conferences such as Forum 2000, Halifax Security Forum, and Oxford Union. He has written numerous Op-eds in major newspapers including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and appeared on many international TV networks like BBC and CNN. 

Wilson L. White is Vice President, Government Affairs & Public Policy at Google, where he is the global head of government affairs and public policy for Google’s Platforms & Devices business unit as well as Google’s government affairs operations across the Asia Pacific region.  With 20 years of experience as an engineer and technology attorney, he has used his multidisciplinary background and expertise to provide policymakers, regulators and other stakeholders across the Americas, Europe and Asia with thought leadership on the rapidly growing and changing technology landscape and the societal implications of emerging technologies.  Before joining Google’s public policy team, Mr. White was a patent litigation attorney at Google, where he not only defended Google in patent infringement lawsuits, but also helped push for patent reform legislation to curb rampant abuses of the US patent system. Prior to joining Google, he was a litigator at Kilpatrick Townsend & Stockton LLP in Atlanta, Georgia and before that a federal judicial law clerk to the Honorable Alexander Williams, Jr. on the US District Court for the District of Maryland.  In addition to serving on the corporate boards of Vector Group Ltd (NYSE: VGR) and Douglas Elliman (NYSE: DOUG), he serves as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Maryland Technology Enterprise Institute, where he teaches graduate and  undergraduate courses in the University’s technology entrepreneurship program. Mr. White earned his Bachelor of Science degree, summa cum laude, in Computer Engineering from NC State University. He earned a Juris Doctor degree with honors from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Law. He now lives in Singapore with his wife and 3 kids after 13 years in the Bay area.

Nikhil Pahwa is an entrepreneur, journalist and activist. He is the Founder and Editor of MediaNama, a leading publication chronicling the evolution of digital policy in India. Pahwa led the Savetheinternet.in campaign for Net Neutrality in India, He also co-founded the Internet Freedom Foundation, which focuses on advocacy for digital rights in India. Pahwa’s columns have appeared in Foreign Policy, Rest of the World, Quartz, Wired (UK), the Times of India, Bloomberg Quint, The Indian Express, The Quint, Scroll.in, The Wire, Hindustan Times, the Hindu, The Economic Times, Mint, among several other publications. He also regularly appears on national and international TV channels on issues related to the governance of the Internet, including CNBC-TV18, ET Now, CNN-IBN, NDTV, and Al Jazeera English. Pahwa has been on the jury for Forbes India’s 30 under 30 award, Outlook Magazines OSM awards, Mozilla’s Equal Rating Challenge 2016 and several editions of the Mbillionth Awards for mobile innovation in South Asia. He also authored a chapter on digital issues in the book “How Liberal is India.”

Dr. Omar Ishrak joined Intel Corporation’s board of directors in March 2017 and was named chair of the board in January 2020. Ishrak stepped down as chair in January 2023 and remains on the board as an independent director. 

He was executive chairman of the board of Medtronic PLC, a global medical technology company, until his retirement in December 2020. Dr. Ishrak served as chairman and CEO of Medtronic from June 2011 to April 2020. Prior to joining Medtronic, Ishrak spent 16 years in various roles with General Electric Co., most recently as president and chief executive officer of GE Healthcare Systems, a division of GE Healthcare. 

He is a member of the board of directors of Amgen Inc., a biopharmaceutical company, and Allurion Technologies Inc., a healthcare company. He also is a member of the board of trustees of the Asia Society, which promotes mutual understanding and strengthening partnerships among peoples, leaders, and institutions of Asia and the United States in a global context. He is also a member of the Minnesota Public Radio board of trustees. He has served on the board of directors of Compute Health Acquisition Corp., a SPAC prior to its Allurion Technologies acquisition. 

He earned a Bachelor of Science and a Doctor of Philosophy in electrical engineering from the University of London, King’s College Foundation. 

Matthew Guilford is founder and CEO of Common Health, a purpose-driven company that uses mobile technology to advance universal health coverage. Through an innovative model that integrates telemedicine, last mile service delivery, and health financing benefits, Common Health improves access to care and reduces out-of-pocket costs for families with complex health needs like pregnancy, early childhood health, and non-communicable diseases. Since launching services in Myanmar in April 2021, the company has grown to serve more than 30,000 members through a blended business model that integrates consumer sales and donor support. 

Prior to founding Common Health, Matthew served as co-founder, chief commercial officer, and chief growth officer of Telenor Health, a part of global telecommunications company Telenor Group. Over the course of five years living and working in Dhaka, he helped to scale health coverage to more than five million clients across Bangladesh.

Enoch Li is an expert on leadership, resilience, and well-being in the workplace. At INSEAD, she programme directs, teaches, and consults in Executive Education Programmes, such as the INSEAD Coaching Certificate, Management Acceleration Programme, and various Company Specific Programmes. She is also the Co-Director of the INSEAD MBA’s Personal Leadership Development Programme. Her work aims to help leaders navigate conflicting demands in ambiguous contexts, and to uncover the group influences that affect the quality of their decisions, relationships, and accomplishments. Her teaching highlights on how resilient leadership sustains group performance and psychological safety, and takes into account the unconscious factors that sustain or hinder both outcomes.  

Enoch advises Boards and senior executives on organizational transitions and social impact strategies. She is the Founder of Bearapy, an award-winning social impact consulting & training company in China that has pioneered workplace mental health in Asia-Pacific, imprinting employee wellbeing in company culture against taboos and stigma. She has received multiple recognitions for her contributions in this field, including the United Nations China Social Impact Awards and Beijing government’s OTEC Community Hero. She now takes her experience with the “S” in ESGs in her work as a Non-Executive Director on Boards and global and regional Steering Committees to advocate country and organisational-level policy changes in workplace mental health.  

Prior, Enoch had leadership & managerial roles at HSBC in London, Paris, Tokyo, and Beijing. She holds an Executive Masters in Change (Distinction) from INSEAD, a Masters in Laws (Hons) from University of London, and is certified in Play Therapy by the Canadian Association of Play Therapy. She is also a member of the INSEAD Directors Network and a graduate of the Financial Times Non-Executive Directors Programme. 

Mr. Boon Heong Ng joined Temasek Foundation (TF) in 2020. Temasek Foundation spearheads programmes to pilot different innovative solutions and models to deliver impact for planet, people, peace and progress in Asia, including Singapore. Prior to TF, he was Managing Director Sustainability and concurrently Head Community Stewardship at Temasek. During this time, he led the pioneering efforts to set up both the sustainability and community stewardship teams at Temasek and developed strategies to deploy Temasek’s community funds in support of Temasek’s role as a Trusted Steward to connect people, uplift communities, protect planet and advance capabilities in Singapore and beyond. He also served a short stint as deputy CEO of Temasek Trust in 2022.  In his early years, Mr.  Ng also served in the Singapore Armed Forces and was intimately involved in technology development to build advanced warfighting capabilities in advanced sensors, autonomous vehicles and sense making. He has also worked with different stakeholders to deliver integrated and multi-source information fusion and analysis products, scenario development and contingency planning including providing support to various SAF Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief operations. Mr. Ng graduated with a Bachelor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering Honours from the Nanyang Technological University Singapore, holds a Masters in Business Administration from Singapore Management University and Masters in Systems Integration (Information Systems) from Naval Postgraduate School USA. He was the top Army graduate of the SAF Command and Staff College, graduated from the Indonesian Military's Joint Command and Staff College (SESKO TNI) and was awarded Public Administration Medal (Silver).   

Elisabetta Jiang is a multi-cultural leader with a remarkable leadership track record, influence, and impact as President of the prestigious Marshall (Economics) Society of the University of Cambridge, the then youngest Chief of Staff in Monitor Deloitte, Executive President of the Italy Shanghai Chamber of Commerce, Co-Founder of an award-winning fine-dining restaurant, Director of a prominent Asian multi-family office (with over 5Bn AUM), where she founded the Next Gen Club to inspire ultra-high-net-worth next-gen leaders to channel capital for greater good.  Passionate about social innovation, Elisabetta leverages her 13+ years of experience in mindfulness to catalyze leaders’ mindset shifts to address global challenges. As a sought-after thought leader, she delivers impactful programs and workshops worldwide, inspiring leaders to harness technology and capital for good.She is also a member of the World Economic Forum Global Shapers Community, a Fellow of Global Women Asia, and the Executive Secretary of the World Youth Leaders Union.

Neelam Chowdhary, is the Vice President of Education at the Asia Society and oversees the department’s strategy and direction. Her responsibilities encompass the programmatic and fiscal guidance of several initiatives, including NY public programs, global leadership programs, and Chinese language learning.

Neelam embarked on her journey with Asia Society in 2011, joining the Center for Global Education as the Executive Director of Global Learning Programs. In this capacity, she spearheaded the creation and design of a K-12 global competence curriculum, teacher training programs, and digital content.

Prior to her tenure at Asia Society, Neelam served as the Vice President of Programs at the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship. She co-authored two noteworthy works: “Entrepreneurship: Owning Your Future” (2009) and “Exploring Careers for the 21st Century” (2011). Her rich experience as an educator spans across public schools in both Los Angeles and New York City, and she holds the distinction of being a National Board-Certified Teacher.

Neelam holds a doctorate in Curriculum Studies from Teachers College, Columbia University, a master’s degree in Education Administration from Pepperdine University, and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from The University of Southern California.

Sanjeev Sherchan is Executive Director of Asia Society’s Global Initiatives in New York, which seeks to integrate the Society’s multidisciplinary work across its various departments, center initiatives, and projects, to present globally impactful programs. He began his career at the Asia Society in 2000 with a specific concentration on South Asia programming. Before returning to the U.S. for graduate studies in 1998, Sanjeev worked for PLAN International-Makwanpur in Nepal. He was a member of the National Democratic Institute’s short-term Election Observation Mission during Bangladesh’s historic Ninth Parliamentary Elections in December 2008 and was deployed in the Jessore district. He has been an occasional commentator on news and television programs on Nepal. He is a graduate of Baylor University in Texas, where he received an M.A. in international relations in 2000.

Neelam Chowdhary, is the Vice President of Education at the Asia Society and oversees the department’s strategy and direction. Her responsibilities encompass the programmatic and fiscal guidance of several initiatives, including NY public programs, global leadership programs, and Chinese language learning.

Neelam embarked on her journey with Asia Society in 2011, joining the Center for Global Education as the Executive Director of Global Learning Programs. In this capacity, she spearheaded the creation and design of a K-12 global competence curriculum, teacher training programs, and digital content.

Prior to her tenure at Asia Society, Neelam served as the Vice President of Programs at the Network for Teaching Entrepreneurship. She co-authored two noteworthy works: “Entrepreneurship: Owning Your Future” (2009) and “Exploring Careers for the 21st Century” (2011). Her rich experience as an educator spans across public schools in both Los Angeles and New York City, and she holds the distinction of being a National Board-Certified Teacher.

Neelam holds a doctorate in Curriculum Studies from Teachers College, Columbia University, a master’s degree in Education Administration from Pepperdine University, and a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from The University of Southern California.

Ambassador Chan Heng Chee is Ambassador-at-Large with Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. She holds the appointment of Professor at the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities in the Singapore University of Technology and Design.

She was appointed a Member of the Presidential Council for Minority Rights in 2012 and continues to serve in that position.

Ambassador Chan is Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute (ISEAS), the premier multidisciplinary research institute on Southeast Asia in the region, and the Deputy Chairman of the Social Science Research Council in Singapore. She is a Member of the Science of Cities Committee (National Research Foundation), and a Member of the Advisory Council on the Ethical Use of Artificial Intelligence (“AI”) and Data, Ministry of Communications and Information. She is the Chairman of the Pro-Tem Committee to work out the establishment of a university of the arts in Singapore.

Ambassador Chan is Trustee of the National University of Singapore and a Member of the Yale-NUS Governing Board.

She is Global Co-Chair of the Asia Society.

Ambassador Chan is a member of the Governing Board of SIPRI, Sweden.

She is a member of the Council on Urban Initiatives, a collaboration by UN-Habitat, UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose, and LSE Cities.

Previously, she was Singapore’s Ambassador to the United States and Singapore’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations with concurrent accreditation as High Commissioner to Canada and Ambassador to Mexico.

Ambassador Chan has received a number of awards including from the Government of Singapore The Public Administration Medal (Gold); The Meritorious Service Medal and The Distinguished Service Order; Honorary Degrees of Doctor of Letters from the University of Newcastle, Australia; the University of Buckingham (United Kingdom); and an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of Warwick (United Kingdom).

When Ambassador Chan left Washington at the end of her appointment, she received the Inaugural Asia Society Outstanding Diplomatic Achievement Award, the Inaugural Foreign Policy Outstanding Diplomatic Achievement Award 2012 and the United States Navy Distinguished Public Service Award.