The Asia Pacific Council

Prior to founding Primavera Capital Group, a China-based global investment firm, Dr. Hu was a Partner at Goldman Sachs, where he served successively as Chief Economist, Head of China Strategy, Co-Head of Investment Banking, and Chairman, Greater China.  He was on firmwide committees including the Goldman Sachs Partnership Committee, the Global IBS Leadership Group, and the Culture, Diversity and Leadership Committee; played an instrumental role in building Goldman's franchise in the region; and developed many of the most important relationships with government leaders, the biggest SOEs and financial institutions, and leading private sector entrepreneurs.

Dr. Hu advised on strategy, capital raising, domestic & cross-border mergers and acquisitions for China’s leading companies including Alibaba, Bank of China, China Pacific Insurance, Bank of Communications, China Development Bank, ICBC, Lenovo, Ping An Insurance, State Grid, and ZTE, among many others. He has led some of the largest and most significant capital market transactions in history. He was responsible for originating and leading the investment in ICBC, the largest private equity deal ever in China, and one of the most successful investment transactions globally.

Dr. Hu is also a respected economist and trusted policy adviser to the Chinese government on financial reforms, SOE restructuring, and macroeconomic policies. He served on Hong Kong Government’s Strategic Development Committee and the Advisory Committee for the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission. He is the founding chair of The Nature Conservancy’s China Board.

Dr. Hu is the Co-director at the National Center for Economic Research and Professor at Tsinghua University since 1996, and a member of the editorial board for several academic journals and columnist for China’s leading business magazines such as Caixin.

Dr. Hu holds a Master in Engineering Science from Tsinghua University, and a Master and PhD in Economics from Harvard University.

Mr. Tahija is a Commissioner and Chairman of the Risk Management Committee of PT Austindo Nusantara Jaya Tbk (ANJ), an Indonesian holding company publicly listed on the Jakarta Stock Exchange since May 2013.

Together with his parents and brother, Mr. Tahija co-founded the Tahija Foundation to execute philanthropic endeavors on behalf of the family.  With his wife, Laurel, he is a founding member and Trustee of the Dharma Bermakna Foundation and PSKD Mandiri School in Jakarta.

Mr. Tahija serves as Emeritus Trustee of the Darden School Foundation Board of Trustees and the Global Advisory Council of the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia, the Board of Supervisors of Endeavor Indonesia, and a founder and Chairman of the Coral Triangle Center (CTC). He is also a member of The Nature Conservancy (TNC) Indonesia Chapter’s Advisory Board and TNC Asia Pacific Council, and the World Presidents’ Organization (YPO) Indonesia Chapter.

Mr. Tahija is a founding member of the Asia Business Council since April 2002 and has served as a member of the Board of Trustees from March 2007 – March 2013.

He is an author of A Walk in the Clouds (2005) and photographer for Land of Water, Vol. 1 From Bali to Komodo (2006). In the past five years, Mr. Tahija has summited Mt. Kilimanjaro, Tanzania; Carstensz Pyramid, Indonesia and Mr. Elbrus, Russia.

Mr. Tahija holds a B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering from Trisakti University, Indonesia, and an M.B.A. from the Darden Graduate School of Business at the University of Virginia, USA.

Nicolas Aguzin joined HKEX as Chief Executive Officer on May 2021 from J.P. Morgan, where he was most recently Chief Executive Officer of J.P. Morgan’s International Private Bank. Mr. Aguzin has been based in Hong Kong since 2012. His term at HKEX was completed in March 2024.

From 2013 to 2020, Mr. Aguzin was CEO, J.P. Morgan, Asia Pacific where he was responsible for all the firm’s business across 17 markets. Mr. Aguzin presided over some of the firm’s major expansion efforts during the period, including establishing itself in China as one of the few international financial institutions with a full range of services and capabilities; including a fully owned locally incorporated commercial bank, a majority-owned securities company, an asset management company and a futures and options company. Concurrent with his Asia CEO role, Mr. Aguzin also ran J.P. Morgan’s Investment Banking division in Asia. During his tenure, the bank rose to become one of the leading investment banks in the Asia Pacific region.

Mr. Aguzin joined J.P. Morgan in 1990 in Buenos Aires as a financial analyst. Between 1990 and 2005, he held a variety of roles in New York and Buenos Aires, and in 2005 he was appointed as CEO, Latin America. In 2008 and 2009, in addition to his responsibilities as CEO, Latin America and Head of Latin America Investment Banking, he served as Senior Country Officer for Brazil.

Mr. Aguzin holds a bachelor’s degree in economics from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania in the U.S. and is fluent in Spanish, Portuguese, and English.

Dr. Burrill, founder of ARD, Inc., served as Chief Executive Officer from the firm’s inception in 1977 until 2007. Under his leadership, the firm grew into one of the premiere international economic development consulting firms in the U.S.  Focused mainly on the developing countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the transitional states of the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe the firm developed a project portfolio in the areas of agriculture, environment and natural resources, water supply, renewable energy, financial analysis, and building democracies and the institutions and civic societies that sustain them. In 2007 Dr. Burrill sold ARD to the California-based engineering and consulting firm Tetra Tech and it is now the international division of Tetra Tech.

Dr. Burrill was the founder and Chair (1995-2003) of the Business Alliance for International Economic Development of Washington, DC, whose mission was to better inform the American public, elected officials, and the wider business community on matters concerning foreign economic assistance. The Alliance published numerous influential white papers, carried out speaking programs, and organized media events, all of which detailed the important contributions of sound foreign assistance programs to the security and well-being of America.

Dr. Burrill has served on the board of the U.S. Global Leadership Campaign, a nationwide coalition of businesses, non-governmental organizations and community leaders that advocate for a strong U.S. international affairs program. He also served during the period 1995 to 1997 as member of the Brookings Institution and Henry L. Stimson Center project on the Advocacy of U.S. Interest Abroad and as a member of a Brookings Institution and Council on Foreign Relations Task Force on Resources for International Affairs.  He has been an advisor to the former Office of Technology Assessment of the U.S. Congress and has testified before a number of congressional committees.

As a faculty member of Burlington College starting in 1973, and as the Academic Dean from 1974 to 1976, Dr. Burrill collaborated on the growth of this new private college from its earliest years through the initial accreditation process. He developed the college’s B.A. degree program of studies as Burlington College was at first a two-year college.  During this same period, he was the co-founder and director of the Center for Studies in Food Self-Sufficiency, which did pioneering research into relationships between energy, food, people, and the environment. Prior to that Dr. Burrill was on the faculty and an administrator at the University of Vermont in Burlington Vermont. He holds a PhD. In Political Science and Policy Studies from the Union Graduate School, an MA in Government from the University of Arizona, and a BA in Political Science from Drew University, with studies at the London School of Economics.

Dr. Burrill currently serves on the boards of The Nature Conservancy, and of Champlain College in Burlington, Vermont.  He is Honorary Consul for New Zealand in Vermont.

Anla Cheng is the CEO/Founder of Serica Initiative.

Formerly, she was the Founder/Executive Chair of The China Project an award winning, omni-business, research, events and media platform reaching a global audience of 2mm unique users.

Anla Cheng was founder/partner of Centenium Capital – Asian hedge fund of funds. Ms. Cheng started her career at Goldman Sachs . She then moved onto Citi as Asian Portfolio Manager. At Robert Fleming she ran their institutional Asia desk. JP Morgan eventually acquired Robert Fleming.  

Ms. Cheng is a Trustee of the following Boards: TNC (The Nature Conservancy, Vice Chair, APAC);  China Institute, Vice Chair.  Cheng is Member of the Facing History (Former Chair of the China Project); China/ Global Council Member of Brookings;  Committee 100 (former Trustee and current member) , a member of NCUSCR and Columbia University Global Council. Her past Board affiliations include: Trustee of MOCA; Riverdale Country School, NY Community Trust and the Browning School.

Awards: Blue Cloud Award, China Institute, February 2021; Outstanding Leader, Ascend, 2019; Leadership and Service Award, NY Chinese Cultural Center, 2015; The Leader in Philanthropy Award, 2014; and the Legacy Award, MOCA, 2009.  She has spoken as Keynote speaker at The Economist, London; Milken Institute;  Evercore Annual Conference; Columbia University;  Harvard University; NYU; Model UN; Schwarzman Scholars; and Canadian Pension Plan Investment Board; University of Pennsylvania, amongst many other events.

Ms. Cheng received her MBA from the Wharton Graduate School of Business and graduated magna cum laude,  Pratt Institute. 

Jennifer Yu Cheng is a visionary education leader, entrepreneur and philanthropist.

Jennifer is a Board Member of CTF Education Group and served as Group President and Deputy Vice Chairwoman for five years until July 2025, where she led the Group’s growth into one of the Greater Bay Area’s leading K-12 education ecosystems, impacting nearly 10,000 students annually across Hong Kong and Mainland China.

For over a decade, Jennifer has been dedicated to expanding education access and opportunities. In 2011, she co-founded ARCH Community Outreach (ACO), a non-profit organization dedicated to empowering young individuals by bridging the gap between education and career success through skill-building programs, mentorship and industry exposure experiences. In 2021, she established JYC Girls Impact Foundation to empower teen girls to break barriers, fulfill their potential, and become impactful leaders who drive positive change in society. Since its launch, the Foundation has delivered over 100 events and programs, with a focus on STEM readiness, leadership skills development and careers exploration, empowering more than 10,000 participants through its outreach initiatives. Jennifer launched The FutureGen Young Women Leaders Award in 2024 in collaboration with nearly 60 organizations from more than 20 industries, recognizing teen girls who have dedicated themselves to realizing their full potential, while fostering a cross-industry ecosystem for youth. Supporting the development and advancement of women and children in Hong Kong, Jennifer is also a non-official member of the Commission on Children and Women’s Commission. She is a Director of The WEMP Foundation, which supports children’s mental health, and Honorary Patron and Hong Kong School Affairs Advisor of Love Foundation.

Jennifer serves on the board and as a committee member of universities and schools globally and in Hong Kong. She is a Member of the Board of Visitor of the Fu Foundation School of Engineering and Applied Science of Columbia University and serves as Co-Chair of its Asia Advisory Group; Member of the Dean’s Advisory Group of Harvard Graduate School of Education; and Member of The Dean’s Council of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences at Harvard University. Jennifer is a council member at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and serves as Chairman of HKUST Institutional Advancement and Outreach Committee. She is also a member of the Court of the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Court of Lingnan University. Jennifer is co-chair of her alma mater’s Hong Kong Choate Club and is a Member of the Victoria Shanghai Academy’s Academic Planning and Development Committee.

In 2025, Jennifer was appointed to be Justice of the Peace by the Hong Kong SAR government. Jennifer earned her Master of Education from Harvard University and graduated magna cum laude from Columbia University with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering Operations Research and a minor in Economics. Prior to her career in education, she was an Executive Director at Goldman Sachs in the Fixed Income, Currency, and Commodities division.

Dr. Gu is the Vice Chairman and President of XPeng Motors (NYSE: XPEV), a leading smart electric vehicle company in China. His main areas of responsibility at XPeng include strategy, finance, legal, investments, and globalization efforts. Since joining XPeng in 2018, Dr. Gu has successfully led many landmark capital-raising activities for the company, totaling over $6.5 billion. These have included Xpeng’s listing debut on the New York Stock Exchange in 2020, raising $1.7 billion in one of 2020’s most successful US IPOs for a Chinese company, and the subsequent $2.5 billion follow-on issuance, the largest ever first-time follow-on ADS offering by a Chinese company.

Prior to joining Xpeng, Dr. Gu was a managing director, Chairman of Asia Pacific Investment Banking and a member of the Global Strategic Advisory Council at J.P. Morgan, and was instrumental in building J.P. Morgan’s franchise in the Asia Pacific region. Between 1998-2004, Dr. Gu worked in the global M&A and global healthcare practice of Lehman Brothers in New York. During his 20-year investment banking career, Dr. Gu has advised numerous global leading companies on their strategy and landmark transactions, totaling over $200 billion in transaction volume.

Prior to his Wall Street career, Dr. Gu was a senior research scientist at the University of Washington Medical School. Dr. Gu is a member of the Greater China Advisory Committee of Yale School of Management, as well as a trustee of Yale China Association.

Dr. Gu holds an MBA from Yale University, a Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Washington Medical School, and a bachelor degree in Chemistry from the University of Oregon.

Ms. Kam Shing Kwang is Chief Executive Officer, Hong Kong and Chair for North Asia at J.P. Morgan. In addition, she is a member of J.P. Morgan’s Asia Pacific Management Committee.

Kam Shing has over 30 years of experience in financial services, across private banking, asset management and investment banking. Since joining J.P. Morgan in 1998, she has played a key role in facilitating partnership across lines of business to better address clients’ corporate balance sheet and personal wealth management needs.

Between 2019 and 2024, Kam Shing was Vice Chair of Investment Banking, Greater China. She was also Chief Executive Officer of J.P. Morgan’s Private Bank in Asia from 2017 to 2023. Between 2016 and 2018, Kam Shing completed her first term as Chief Executive Officer for J.P. Morgan Hong Kong, overseeing local governance, coordination and controls. She is a trusted advisor for the industry, having had a seat on Hong Kong’s Banking Advisory Committee from 2016 to 2022, which advises Hong Kong’s Chief Executive on banking sector issues.

Kam Shing was also previously named one of the leading female private bankers in Asia by Global Investor Magazine, one of the top twelve most influential female bankers in Asia by Finews.asia, and the most influential female leader in Asia by The Digital Banker.

Kam Shing holds a BAcc (Hon) degree from National University of Singapore and the designation of CFA. She is also a member on the Advisory Board for Wealth Management Lee Kong Chian School of Business at Singapore Management University.

Kenny is currently CEO for Two Sigma Asia-Pacific. Two Sigma is one of the world’s largest systematic investment firms with AUM of over USD 60 billion. It is also recognized as a pioneer in applying data science and advanced technology in the fields of investment management, securities and insurance. As CEO of Two Sigma Asia-Pacific, Kenny oversees Two Sigma in Asia with offices in Shanghai, Tokyo and Hong Kong.

Prior to joining Two Sigma, Kenny was Group President of Noah Holdings Limited (NYSE: Noah). Noah is China’s largest independent wealth manager, having advised on over USD 85 billion in allocation of assets for the nation’s high net worth individuals and leading institutions.

Prior to Noah, Kenny was Global Senior Partner of McKinsey & Company, as a co-leader of its Asia Financial Institutional Practice serving leading financial institutions in 13 markets in Asia. He was one of the fastest rising partners of McKinsey in Asia when elected a Global Partner six years after he joined McKinsey. He was Chairman of McKinsey’s Evaluation Committee in Greater China. At McKinsey, he has advised governments and regulators on transformation of financial hubs, including the creation of the Private Wealth Management Association and the strategic positioning of Hong Kong as a wealth management hub.

Kenny is actively involved in the broader business community in Asia. He is currently the Chairman of the Wharton School Asia Board, and serves on the Business Leaders Council for the Government of Canada (through the Asia-Pacific Foundation), and on the Global Advisory Council for the Wealth Management Institute of Singapore. He is also an independent board member of Smartone Telecommunications in Hong Kong (HKSE: 315), a leading telecommunications provider in Hong Kong; a board member of the Bank of East Asia (China), one of the largest foreign banks in China; and a board member of Shui On Xintiandi. He was appointed as an advisor to Our Hong Kong Foundation, one of the most influential think-tanks on the development of Hong Kong.

Kenny graduated with a finance degree, magna cum laude, from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was a Joseph Wharton Scholar and Benjamin Franklin Scholar, and a law degree from Oxford University. He has been frequently profiled and interviewed on global media such as Bloomberg and CNN and speaks frequently in global financial conferences.

Ellana Lee is Group Senior Vice President, General Manager APAC, and Global Head of Productions for CNN International. Based in the network’s Asia Pacific headquarters in Hong Kong, she is CNN’s most senior executive outside of the United States.

As General Manager APAC, Lee heads the operation of CNN and its multi-platform editorial output in the Asia Pacific region, managing an acclaimed roster of correspondents and newsgathering teams across eight bureaus from Pakistan to Japan and China to New Zealand.

In the newly created role of Global Head of Productions, she oversees an international team focused on developing and producing sponsored editorial features content across all platforms, encompassing long-form series, documentaries and specials. This unique position within CNN will also see Lee spearheading the creation of new roles in the United States to strengthen and expand the existing Features team, currently based across Atlanta, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, and London.

CNN’s features production is an integrated, cross-platform, award-winning creative team that produces more than 1,000 hours of premium original programming every year. Working in tandem with CNN’s digital, TV, product, programming, marketing, communications, and commercial teams globally, CNN’s features content attracts commercial partnerships with some of the world’s most dynamic and successful brands.

Under Lee’s management, CNN has received a variety of prestigious awards, including Emmy Awards in 2022 for Outstanding Hard News Feature Story for a powerful report on an Afghan child bride and contributions in Breaking News for the Russian Invasion of Ukraine in 2023 and the Israel-Hamas War in 2024. Other accolades include Breaking News Awards from the Royal Television Society TV Journalism Awards for coverage of the Hong Kong protests in 2019 and Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine in 2023 and Best News Coverage in 2013 of its reporting of Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines. CNN International was also crowned the RTS News Channel of the Year in 2012 and 2013.

Lee was an integral part of CNN’s coverage of the historic Inter-Korean and the Trump-Kim summits in 2019 and 2018. She has traveled to North Korea several times and in mid-2017 originated an exclusive report called Secret State: Inside North Korea. The 60-minute documentary followed CNN cameras inside the secretive nation and was awarded Best Documentary Program at the Asian Academy Creative Awards in 2018.

Lee has received numerous personal accolades, including being honoured on the Cablefax Diversity List in 2022 and named ContentAsia’s ‘Asia Media Woman of the Year’ in 2018 for her commitment to the news media industry. In recognition of her leadership position, Lee was named a ‘Young Global Leader’ by the World Economic Forum and now sits on the board of the Young Global Leaders Foundation. She is an Asia 21 fellow, as awarded by the Asia Society, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations as well as of The Nature Conservancy’s Asia Pacific Council. She is also a Melo CEO for Project Melo in Hong Kong and sits on the advisory board of The Murrow Centre at Tufts University.

Prior to her current role, Lee has had a longstanding and accomplished career at CNN, beginning in New York as a producer to help launch the program ‘In The Money’. She subsequently worked as a business producer and a senior planning producer, coordinating major events out of the Asia Pacific before assuming leadership of the region.

Lee holds a Master’s degree in Broadcast Journalism from New York University and an undergraduate degree in History and International Relations from Georgetown University. She is a graduate of Harvard’s ‘Global Leadership and Public Policy for the 21st Century’ Executive Program.

Jeannie Cho Lee is the first Asian Master of Wine (MW) and an award-winning author, television host, wine critic, judge and educator. Jeannie is currently a Professor at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University School of Hotel & Tourism Management since 2012, and a wine consultant to Singapore Airlines since 2009. She pens a monthly wine column for Robb Report China since 2015 and is the Burgundy Chair for Decanter’s World Wine Awards in London. Jeannie is presently on the Board of Directors for the Foundation of La Cite du Vin, a leading wine museum based in Bordeaux, France. For three years Jeannie co-hosted a weekly wine program In Vino Veritas on Hong Kong’s TVB Pearl, and her three books, The 100 Burgundy, Mastering Wine and Asian Palate, have won numerous awards, including the Gourmand Awards for 2010 Best Food and Wine Pairing Book in the Worldandthe2020 Best Wine Book in the World for French Wines.

Recognized for her contributions to the food and drinks industry, Jeannie was selected as one of the top 100 most influential people in Hong Kong by the South China Morning Post and Debrett’s in 2015. She was named the 25th most powerful person in wine by Decanter magazine (UK) and was listed among the top 60 most influential people in wine by La Revue du Vin (France). Jeannie holds a Certificat de Cuisine from Cordon Bleu, Diploma from the Sake Service Institute in Japan and is a Certified Wine Educator with both the UK’s Wine & Spirits Education Trust and the US Society of Wine Educators. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Smith College as well as a Master’s degree from Harvard University.

Ms. Stephanie Lo is Vice Chairman at Shui On Land [272 HK], a leading real estate developer developing and operating premium residential, commercial and cultural properties in the Mainland China. Stephanie is also the Vice Chairman of Shui On Xintiandi, an asset manager of all Shui On Land’s commercial portfolio and development pipeline. Stephanie takes the lead on corporate development, business and product innovation of the Group and also assists the Chairman to define and execute on the long-term strategy for the group.

Stephanie joined Shui On Land in 2012. Prior to joining the Group, Stephanie worked for various architecture and design firms in New York City, amongst which was Studio Sofield, a firm well-known for its capability in retail design and hospitality.

Stephanie currently serves as a member of the Fourteenth Shanghai Committee of Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference. She was designated a fellow of Aspen Institute’s China Fellowship program and selected as a Young Global Leader of the World Economic Forum in 2020. Stephanie was appointed as a Nonexecutive Director of SOCAM Development Limited in January 2019

Stephanie holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Architecture from Wellesley College in Massachusetts.

Mr. Bryant Lu, Vice Chairman of Ronald Lu and Partners (RLP Asia) and founder of its insight partner Behave, is a sustainability leader in the architecture and design industry. Under his leadership, RLP Asia creates life-centric designs that connect the community, while being sustainable, climate-resilient, future-ready and that honour local culture and heritage. During his 20 at RLP Asia, the firm has received over 500 international and local design accolades, and made major contributions through such projects as the world-renowned Xiqu Centre, a Hong Kong icon purpose-built for the traditional art form of Cantonese opera; CIC - Zero Carbon Park, the first net-zero building in China for civilian use; TODTOWN, the first real transit-oriented development in China; Integral, a sustainable industrial garden in Guilin, and numerous others – helping to design a better life for the community and the environment.

As a civic-minded architect, Bryant actively supports the architecture industry and a variety of arts organisations. He is an expert member of the Transit-Oriented Development Committee of China Society of Territorial Economists; a member of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council Infrastructure Development Advisory Committee; a senior member of the Chinese Society for Urban Studies; a member of Board of Councilors, University of Southern California School of Architecture; and a council member and Vice-Chairman of the Campus Development and Management Committee at Lingnan University. Bryant is also an inaugural council member for Design and Architecture for the M+ Museum, Honourary Secretary of Council for the Hong Kong Chinese Orchestra and the Vice Captain of Hong Kong Golf Club.

Kathy is the Co-Founder and General Partner of MPower Partners. She is former vice chair of Goldman Sachs Japan, co-head of Macro Research in Asia and chief Japan equity strategist.  She was ranked No. 1 in Japan Equity Strategy by Institutional Investor magazine multiple times, was chosen by The Wall Street Journal newspaper as one of the "10 Women to Watch in Asia" in 2007 for her work on the "Womenomics" theme, and she was also named to Bloomberg Markets magazine’s “50 Most Influential” list in 2014.

Kathy has served on numerous government committees aimed at promoting gender diversity in Japan. She is a board member of the Asian University for Women (AUW) Support Foundation, chair of the Board of Councilors (Japan) of the US-Japan Council, director of the Fast Retailing Foundation, member of the Council on Foreign Relations, The Nature Conservancy Asia Pacific Council, and Keizai Doyukai. She also serves on the Advisory Council for the Japan Society Fund Against Breast Cancer.

Kathy earned an AB, magna cum laude, in Social Studies from Harvard University and an MA from Johns Hopkins University, School of Advanced International Studies.

Mr. McLean is a private equity investor in ventures in software and education. He had a long career with McKinsey & Company where he led the Australian and New Zealand practice of the Firm, served as a member of the Director's Committee and remains a Senior Advisor.

Mr. McLean is a member of the Reserve Bank of Australia's Payment Systems Board, appointed by the Treasurer. He served as Dean and Director of the Australian Graduate School of Management at the University of New South Wales from 2003 to 2006. He encouraged The Nature Conservancy to have a presence in Australia 10 years ago and has actively supported this endeavor and currently Chairs its Australia Program Advisory Board and the Public Fund of the Nature Conservancy in Australia. He is co-founder and Chairman of Social Ventures Australia, a social NGO enterprise. He is a director of the Centre for Independent Studies, a policy think tank. Mr. McLean received his MBA degree from the Columbia Graduate School of Business where he was a recipient of a Fulbright Hays award.

His undergraduate education was at the University of New England in Australia where he earned a first-class honours degree in Economic Statistics. He was employed at the New York City RAND Institute on completing business school and at the Zinc Corporation, now Rio Tinto on completing his undergraduate studies. In 2011, Mr. McLean was awarded the Order of Australia (AM) in recognition of his great contributions to social welfare, to conservation and the environment, and to business.

Jennifer Morris is The Nature Conservancy’s Chief Executive Officer.

For the past 25 years, Morris has dedicated her life to protecting the environment for people and nature. She brings decades of global leadership, proven management skills, and a passion for conservation to the organization and its ambitious mission—conserving the lands and waters on which all life depends.

Almost 30 years ago, Jennifer was teaching in Namibia, with an eye on a career in public health. Years of working and living in a small community showed her that the health of each individual and each family was inextricably linked to the health of the environment. This realization propelled her to serve by working in economic development, and she went on to receive a master’s degree in international affairs from Columbia University with a focus on business development and micro-finance. After a short stint at Women’s World Banking, she joined Conservation International.

Jennifer was previously president at Conservation International, where she oversaw all programs across 29 countries and more than 600 million hectares of protected land. She developed some of CI’s most enduring programs, partnerships, and innovative strategies using business development as a tool to protect nature for the well-being of humanity. She led more than 1,000 staff comprising scientists, policy experts and passionate conservation professionals to implement cutting-edge initiatives and work with more than 2,000 diverse partners, from Indigenous communities to multinational corporations.

Prior to her role as president, she was the chief operating officer and oversaw significant growth in budget and staff. At CI she also worked on the conservation enterprise team, oversaw the Global Conservation Fund, and managed the Verde Ventures program, whose business partners today employ nearly 60,000 local people in 14 countries with half a million hectares of important lands protected or restored. Jennifer has also led Conservation International’s Center for Environmental Leadership and Business, which partners with corporations to amplify conservation efforts and increase sustainability 

Jennifer is a passionate storyteller, avid outdoors enthusiast, and mentor to the future generations of conservation leaders. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her husband and daughter.

Mr. Morrison is currently Chairman of H.R.L. Morrison & Co, a specialist infrastructure manager.  He is also Chairman of Pure Advantage, a New Zealand NGO focused on highlighting the opportunities arising from the global shift to low-carbon, more sustainable, green growth; a director of Antarctica New Zealand, a New Zealand government agency responsible for supporting New Zealand's world leading scientific & environmental protection activities in Antarctica; and a member of Asia Pacific Council, the regional advisory board of The Nature Conservancy.

He was appointed as an independent director of Kiwibank in 2009 and was Chairman until 2017.  He retired as Chairman and CEO of Hong Kong based CLSA Asia-Pacific Markets, a leading brokerage, investment banking and private-equity group, in 2009.  Prior to joining CLSA, Mr. Morrison was an Executive Vice President and Head of Equities at Bankers Trust Australia, based in Sydney, and before that, CEO of Bankers Trust New Zealand.

He was formerly a trustee of Predator Free New Zealand and a council member of the Copenhagen Climate Council.

Ms. Poesposoetjipto is currently the Chairman of PT Samudera Indonesia Tbk , Chairman  of PT Asuransi Bintang Tbk,., CEO of PT Samudera Indonesia Tangguh – Holding company of Samudera Indonesia Group as well as the CEO of PT Ngrumat Bondo Utomo, the Family Office of the Soedarpo Family.

She is also actively involved as the Founding & Governing Council member of Singapore Chamber of Commerce Indonesia/SCCI, Chairman of The Governing Board of The Indonesian-Benelux Chamber of Commerce (INA), Honorary Council Member of Germany – Indonesia Chamber of Commerce (EKONID), Member of the Asia Pacific Council of The Nature Conservancy (APC-TNC), Founder as well as member of The Board of Directors Family Business Network Asia (FBN Asia), Founder & Chairman of the Board of Trustee Family Business Nusantara Foundation (YFBN).

In the Education sector, she is currently a member of the South East Asian Council of the INSEAD School of Management (Fontainebleau/France – Singapore), Chairman of Supervisory Council of The Foundation for Management Education and Development (YPPM),  a member of the School Board of SBM-ITB School of Management, member of the Board of Advisor AIESEC Indonesia,  and a member of the Board of Trustee of Sanata Dharma University – Yogyakarta, President’s Advancement Advisory Council Member of The National University of Singapore (NUS), She is also a Wharton e-Fellow founding member.  

In 2002, the Women's Business Connection (WBC) in Singapore honored her with “Woman Inspire 2002 Award” for her contributions in Information Technology in Asia Pacific. On the occasion of the 15th Anniversary of the Nature Conservancy’s Indonesia Program in December 2006, “The Guardians of Nature Award” was formally conferred upon her in recognition of outstanding leadership and dedication to conservation in Indonesia. In November 2009, at the Asia Pacific Entrepreneur Awards 2009 - Indonesia ceremony organized by Enterprise Asia, she received the “Woman Entrepreneur of the year 2009” award. In July 2013 The Institute of Technology Bandung (ITB) awarded her the “Ganesa Wirya Jasa Utama” for her contribution in the development of entrepreneurship in Indonesia.  In March 2016 she was decorated with “The Officer Order of The Crown” by the Kingdom of Belgium for her dedication as the Chairman of the Governing Board of the Indonesian-Benelux Chamber of Commerce.

Ms. Poesposoetjipto graduated as a Diplom Ingenieur (Dipl.Ing) in Electronics Engineering specialized in Computer Science from The Technical University Munich (TU-Muenchen) in 1974.

Businesswoman, mentor, philanthropist: Noni Purnomo is adept at juggling many hats and playing many roles.

The President Commissioner/Chairperson of Blue Bird Group Holding started her career on the technical staff at Blue Bird Group.  She subsequently gained in-depth knowledge in various areas of the company, leading to her appointment as the President Commissioner of Blue Bird Group Holding (PT Pusaka Citra Djokosoetono).

She was elected to serve as President Director and CEO of PT Blue Bird Tbk in mid-2019, a tenure distinguished by Blue Bird Group’s historic launch of the first e-taxi in Indonesia.  It continued the firm’s commitment to reducing its carbon footprint and upholding environmental sustainability.

Noni spearheaded the company’s socially oriented and philanthropic endeavors for a new era. Make Jakarta’s Sky Blue, One Ride One Seed and Blue Bird Peduli, focused on education (+38K scholarships), health, and women’s empowerment through Kartini Bluebird.

The mother of three is the co-founder of a host of Angel Investment Companies and mentor to several start-up companies. She has been awarded numerous honors for her business acumen and philanthropic and community-oriented activities. In November 2022, she was named Women Entrepreneur of the Year in The Asia Corporate Excellence & Sustainability Awards (ACES).

Among recent notable appointments are Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University of Indonesia, Indonesia’s most prestigious institution of higher learning, the Board of Trustees of Clean Air Asia, Independent Commissioner of PT Zurich Asuransi Indonesia Tbk. and member of Temasek SouthEast Asia Advisory Panel.

Noni holds a bachelor’s in industrial engineering from the University of Newcastle, Australia, with an MBA from the University of San Francisco (Finance and Marketing). The University of Newcastle presented her with an HC Doctorate in 2019.

Mr. Jeff Ren is a technology investor.  He is currently Chairman and CEO of OKG Technology (stock code: 1499), a Hong Kong main board listed company.  The strategy of the company is to capture technology investment opportunities in the areas of FinTech, blockchain and data sciences.  He founded his family investment platform J R Capital in 2012 and invested in numerous technology companies.   

Jeff graduated from Peking University Law School with an LL.B. degree in 1997 and received an LL.M. degree from Harvard Law School in 1999. He was qualified to practice as an attorney-at-law in New York State in 2000 and as a solicitor in Hong Kong in 2003.

Mr. Salata is Chairman of EQT Asia and Head of BPEA EQT. Mr. Salata joined Baring Private Equity Asia (BPEA) in 1997 before leading the management buyout in 2000, which established BPEA as an independent firm. He has since been responsible for the investment activity of BPEA until 2022, when the company joined forces with the global private equity firm EQT and was renamed BPEA EQT.

BPEA EQT is part of EQT, a purpose-driven global investment organization focused on active ownership strategies. BPEA EQT combines the private equity teams from Baring Private Equity Asia (BPEA) and EQT Asia, creating a comprehensive Asian private equity presence with a 25-year heritage and local teams in eight cities across the region. The firm has deployed more than USD 25 billion of capital since inception and has received numerous awards, including “Large Cap Firm of the Year” by AVCJ in 2022.

BPEA EQT and Mr. Salata are active in philanthropy and have long supported organizations in the Asia Pacific region, the UK, and the USA. Their efforts focus on sustainability, education, disadvantaged youth, and the arts.

Mr. Salata personally supports many organizations globally, including the Asia Society Hong Kong, Social Impact Partners, the Serpentine Council, Carnegie Hall, and Massachusetts General Hospital. In 2022, Mr. and Mrs. Salata established The Salata Institute for Climate and Sustainability at Harvard University, which brings together Harvard’s university-wide resources to address the climate crisis through scientific and intellectual leadership. In 2022, Forbes Asia included Mr. and Mrs. Salata in its Heroes of Philanthropy list.

Mr. Salata has lived and worked in Hong Kong since 1989, and graduated magna cum laude from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania with a B.S. in Finance and Economics.

Kevin is President of Asia Pacific Ex-Japan (APEJ) at Goldman Sachs. He is a member of the Management Committee, Asia Pacific Management Committee, Firmwide Conduct Committee, Asia Pacific Conduct Committee, Firmwide Reputational Risk Committee and Firmwide Client Franchise Committee. He is also co-chair of the Asia Pacific Inclusion and Diversity Committee. He joined Goldman Sachs in 2021 as a partner.

Prior to joining Goldman Sachs, Kevin served as the 12th global managing partner of McKinsey & Company, based in Hong Kong. He started his career as a business analyst at McKinsey in 1989 in London. He later worked from the Hong Kong office before moving to the United States in 1999 where he became managing partner of the New Jersey, Philadelphia and Washington, DC locations. He went on to become managing partner of the United Kingdom and Ireland practice from 2010 to 2014 and then, the chairman of McKinsey’s Asia offices from 2014 to 2018.

Kevin is a trustee of the Brookings Institution, a former member of the International Advisory Council of the Economic Development Board of Singapore, a global strategic advisor of FCLTGlobal and a former president of BritishAmerican Business.

Kevin earned an LLB with first class honors from Glasgow University and an MBA from Harvard Business School.

Alexander von zur Muehlen has been the CEO of Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) and Germany since July 2023 and was appointed Member of the Management Board of Deutsche Bank AG in August 2020. 

From 2020 to 2023, he was the CEO for Asia-Pacific and responsible for managing Deutsche Bank’s business across the 15 markets in the region. During this time, he fostered a client-centric approach by enhancing cross-divisional collaboration and by strengthening key relationships with external stakeholder groups and our clients in Asia-Pacific.  He also oversaw key strategic initiatives in the region across business and infrastructure functions with the aim of meeting the evolving needs of our clients in the region. 

From 2018 to 2020, he was Head of Group Strategy and advised the Group’s CEO on the topic. He was also in charge of coordinating strategic M&A projects. During this time, he was in charge of shaping Deutsche Bank’s transformation, which was announced to the market in July 2019. 

Previously, he was Co-Head of Global Capital Markets. With a focus on Asia-Pacific and EMEA, he was responsible for the bank’s global activities in primary market products (Equity Capital Markets, Debt Capital Markets, Leveraged Finance) as well as private side Risk Management products (FX, Rates, Equities).   

From 2009 to 2017, he was Group Treasurer. During this time, he coordinated the management of balance sheet resources to address the significantly changing regulatory environment, established a centralised balance sheet management system, and oversaw four capital increases with a total amount of 30 billion euros. Prior to this, he held various regional and country-level roles, including Co-Head of Debt Capital Markets Europe, and Head of Fixed Income Sales Austria. 

Alexander von zur Muehlen joined Deutsche Bank through a Graduate Trainee Programme in the Global Markets division in 1998 after graduating from the Berlin School of Economics and Law. 

Mr. Wei was a managing director at Warburg Pincus, a leading global private equity firm. He has been with the firm since 2002 and his term at Warburg Pincus was completed in 2024. Prior to his private equity career, Mr. Wei was with the investment banking division of Morgan Stanley in Hong Kong during the late 1990’s, and McKinsey & Company in Shanghai during the mid-1990’s. He sits on the boards of China Auto Rental (0699 on HKSE), ZTO Express (ZTO on NYSE), and several private companies. 

Mr. Wei received a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from the University of Texas at Austin, where he is a member of its international board of advisors, and an MBA from the Harvard Business School. He enjoys a variety of outdoor activities and is an avid scuba diver and underwater photographer.

Douglas C.K. Woo is the Chairman of Hong Kong-headquartered Wheelock Group. The prominent investment and development group is principally engaged in property development in Hong Kong, Mainland China and Singapore; cargo terminals operation; hotels; retail; and property asset management. The group engages about 12,500 staff across Asia-Pacific.

Mr. Woo serves as Chairman of the Environment and Conservation Fund. In addition, he is on the boards or governing bodies of The Real Estate Developers Association of Hong Kong, Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and WWF-Hong Kong. He also serves on the advisory councils of Christie’s and HKUST Business School; and is a member of the Beijing Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference.

Mr. Woo graduated from Princeton University with a BA in Architecture and received an EMBA from HKUST and Kellogg School of Management of Northwestern University. He was conferred an Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters by Savannah College of Art and Design (Hong Kong). He has been named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum.

Mr. Jason Yeap is the Chairman of Mering Corporation and Director of the Tipperary Station Group.

He was appointed a Trustee of the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV) in June 2005, reappointed in 2008 and 2011, and made Chairman of the NGV Foundation in 2012. He was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia in June 2010 and in 2024 was awarded the Leadership award by Asia Society.

Jason has served as a Council Member of the National Gallery of Australia from 2014 to 2018 and Chairs the Audit & Risks Committee.

He also served on the Advisory Board for the National Foundation for Australia-China Relations (NFACR) from 2019 to 2023.

He is currently a Member of the Australia Multicultural Council (AMC), a Member of the Advisory Board for The Natures Conservancy (TNC), an Advisory Board Member for the Australian National University (ANU) Centre for Asian-Australian Leadership Advisory Board.

He is also an Ambassador of The Australia Day Ambassador Program, and a Patron of Multicultural Arts Victoria.

He has served on several Advisory Boards and Committees, including TIPAC @ DFAT, MCRI, University of Melbourne, Monash University and University of Swinburne.

Ms. Yip, Chairman and Founder of KYG International, is an accomplished entrepreneur and investor with more than 20 years of experience in founding and scaling businesses around the world.  Headquartered in Hong Kong, KYG International is a family wealth management office with global investment holdings in real estate, financial services, technology, media, consumer brands and agriculture ventures in China, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Myanmar, Cambodia, the UK, the U.S., Brazil and Australia.

Ms. Yip is best known for co-founding two of the largest investment firms in the Asia Pacific region, VinaCapital Group and Pacific Alliance Group (known as PAG Asia).  She has managed and grown numerous businesses, from educational toys and developing IT games and mobile apps, to marketing products for Formula One racing, Sanrio, Crocs and the Walt Disney Company. 

Ms. Yip was educated at Harvard Business School in Cambridge, Mass.  In her spare time, she takes helicopter flying lessons. 

Mr. Jonathan Zhu is a Managing Director of Bain Capital and Co-Head of Asia private equity, based in Hong Kong.   Since joining Bain Capital in 2006, Mr. Zhu has led many of Bain Capital’s investments in Asia, with a focus on China.   Mr. Zhu is currently an independent non-executive director of Sunac China Holdings Limited, and Greatview Aseptic Packaging Company Limited, both listed on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong. Mr. Zhu is also a director of Rise Education and ChinData Group, the shares of which are listed on NASDAQ.  

Before joining Bain Capital in 2006, he was the China Chief Executive Officer of Morgan Stanley.  Mr. Zhu holds a juris doctor degree from Cornell Law School, an MA degree from Nanjing University, and a BA degree from Zhengzhou University.  Mr. Zhu is a trustee of Cornell University and Chairman of its China Advisory Board.