Singapore

Yi Jun Mock is Co-Founder & President of Advisory Singapore, a fully youth-led nonprofit dedicated to empowering young Singaporeans from all walks of life to make informed career and further education choices. Since its establishment, Advisory has engaged over 156,000 students and youth. Outside of his work with Advisory, Yi Jun is an Advisor to The Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, Curator of the Singapore Hub of the World Economic Forum Global Shapers Community, an Associate Fellow of the Royal Commonwealth Society, and an alumnus of the US State Department’s Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative. He has volunteered as an Asia-Pacific Youth Representative to the Jury for the UN Environment Young Champions of the Earth, as a Reader for the Mandela Washington Fellowship, and as a member of Singapore’s Films Consultative Panel. For his work in education and overcoming inequalities, Yi Jun has received the Queen’s Young Leaders Award from Queen Elizabeth II in Buckingham Palace; the Diana Award, in honour of Princess Diana’s lifetime of service; and a Deloitte-One Young World Scholarship. His research and academic writing has received awards from the likes of Foreign Affairs Magazine, the Credit Suisse Research Institute, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and the United States Naval Academy. He holds a Master’s of Global Affairs from Tsinghua University, where he studied as a Schwarzman Scholar and BP Fellow; as well as First Class Honours in a Bachelor’s of Politics and International Relations from The London School of Economic and Political Science.

Syed Faisal Aljunied is a policy and program evaluator in the Singapore Government. His current role involves reviewing programmes that promote digital readiness and inclusion. Cumulatively, he has five years of experience in government and health care. He has progressively made an impact in the local and global health scene through research, monitoring and evaluation, and digital transformation. His previous efforts have galvanized stakeholders to collectively come up with practical solutions to achieve objectives. Notably, his efforts have (i) created public awareness on mental health in prisons to initiate policy reforms, (ii) improved quality of healthcare services in Singapore’s largest hospital and (iii) contributed to knowledge on health safeguards in investment treaties at the World Trade Forum. His professional journey thus far has allowed him to publish opinion pieces on (i) being a change agent and (ii) global mental health. Faisal also engages with the wider community by participating in international conferences such as the UN Youth Assembly and World Bank Group Seminar. He then capitalized on these international experiences in a global innovation lab where he co-created a digital health solution with other professionals to facilitate eldercare using design thinking. Formally, he has a Master of Public Health from The University of Sydney and a Bachelor of Science in Science Communication and Biology from The Australian National University. His Master’s dissertation was a mixed-methods research on public health in international investment agreements, which was presented at the 2020 World Trade Forum.

Suhaimi Zainal Shah has 5 years of experience in the education sector. Since graduating with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics and Economics (Distinction/2:1) and a postgraduate diploma in Education, he taught Mathematics and the English Language at a secondary school before going for a stint at the Ministry of Education Headquarters. His interests lie in interdisciplinary learning and one of his focus has been where education intersects with technology. He blogs about his EdTech explorations at the Sg Edtech Blog and his innovations have gotten him a Google for Education Innovator accreditation too. Beyond work, Suhaimi supports Project Refresh as a volunteer leader through Young National Trade Union Congress (YNTUC) and he also plans programmes for minority youth via MENDAKI Club. He has more than five years of experience as a community leader and his newer projects are to develop future leaders with succession planning in mind. Suhaimi is also interested in futures thinking and he believes that as youth leaders, one would need to be able to apply foresight and look out for signals to prepare themselves for the future world. He hopes to be able to contribute meaningfully as a global citizen by thinking global but first start acting locally.

Dr. Sheena Ramazanu is a distinguished nursing alumna from Nanyang Polytechnic in Singapore. She pursued her nursing degree at University of Manchester – Singapore Institute of Technology and attained a first-class honor. She was presented with an Outstanding Dissertation Achievement Award. Sheena has a Master’s degree in Clinical Research from the University of Manchester, after which she was awarded the prestigious and competitive Hong Kong PhD fellowship and became a Fellow of the Young South East Asian Leaders Initiative Academy (Fulbright University Vietnam), She served as a Registered Nurse in Singapore for 7 years. During her service in the hospital, she has been recognized as a service champion in recognition of excellent service annually. In addition to that, she embarked on the role as a preceptor and guided student nurses and registered nurses in their professional development. In the clinical setting, she has conducted both quantitative and qualitative research studies to improve patient-family caregiver outcomes. She has been invited as a speaker at regional, international conferences and academic institutions. She is currently a peer-reviewer of an international refereed journal.

An impact-driven professional, Ming Hong Choi has five years of experience in sustainable investing, real estate, socioeconomic development, and youth empowerment. He is a Senior Analyst in Jones Lang LaSalle’s Asia-Pacific Capital Markets Group, where they originate and execute cross-border investment advisory, private capital raising and buy-side advisory for global investors seeking exposure in the Asia-Pacific region. Before this, he worked at BlackRock as a Private Credit Analyst, where he analysed, structured, executed and monitored opportunistic investment opportunities with a great emphasis on the Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) impact metrics across the Asia-Pacific region. Passionate about socioeconomic development, youth empowerment, and sustainability, he concurrently serves as a Senior Curator of the Young ChangeMakers Grant Panel at National Youth Council Singapore and a Co-Founder of DeRiA, an environmental education non-profit that focuses on communicating science for climate action. Previously, he served as a Grant Accessor and a Member of the Grants Committee at the Queen’s Commonwealth Trust, where he deliberated and recommended grant disbursement to support youth-led social ventures across the Americas, Caribbean, and Commonwealth-wide region. He received his Bachelor of Science in Economics and Finance from the University of London and was a Summer Scholar at the London School of Economics and Political Science. He was a Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative Academic Fellow in Economic Development and Social Entrepreneurship, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. He is a Milken Institute Young Leader and a Pacific Forum Young Leader.

Michelle Chong is skilled in Product Management and User Experience (UX) Design, and currently works at a technology-based rental marketplace start-up that promotes sustainability. With over six years of proven track record in the aviation industry and public sector, she has worked with C-suite executives and multi-level stakeholders in domains such as project management, strategic planning, marketing strategy formulation, and e-commerce. Proving to be resilient and versatile, Michelle overcame numerous challenges and made a successful career transition when aviation was affected by COVID-19. Having found a new direction in life, Michelle has been passionate about going above and beyond to lead a meaningful life and to impact others positively. An aspiring social entrepreneur passionate about women’s empowerment, she has played a pivotal role in building a ground-up initiative to help low-income women and their families to reduce inequalities faced, by bridging opportunities for them to sustain their employability and achieve progressive income growth through two core themes of community building and knowledge sharing using technology as an enabler. A firm believer in the importance of mentorship and nurturing the next generation, she serves as a mentor to undergraduates at her alma mater where she provides tips and guidance on navigating student life and building a strong foundation for a future career. A well-rounded individual who hopes to spread the importance of physical and mental wellness, she is also a certified Yoga Teacher with over three years of teaching experience.

Kian Chong has years of experience in the for-profit sector. He earned a Master of Philosophy in Management from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Imperial College London in the United Kingdom. He is an entrepreneur and has activities in the tech, education, cybersecurity, F&B, and industrial gas industries. His work includes increasing accessibility to improving security awareness maturity for companies and individuals as well as upskilling in emerging technology areas. For work in lifelong learning and digital transformation, one of his companies was awarded the SkillsFuture Employer Award 2021 which is presented by the President of the Republic of Singapore. He is passionate about education and youth empowerment. Currently, he serves as a Global Shaper, an initiative of the World Economic Forum, where he is the Impact Officer of the Singapore Hub and driving impact for community projects. He also serves as a committee member of the Oxford and Cambridge Society of Singapore (OCSS), the Imperial College Alumni Association of Singapore (ICAAS), and Canberra Secondary School in Singapore. He is also a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA). Through these experiences, he has developed skills in technology, partnerships, partnerships, and training.

Keely Cheong is a Project Lead with the Software & Platforms Practice at Accenture. She is also part of the CSR team and leads on relationship management with local NGO partners in the Women’s pillar. Prior to joining Accenture, Keely spent over four years in the not-for-profit sector, developing the next generation of leaders across Asia-Pacific. She is also deeply passionate about women’s empowerment and marries her interest in social mobility and women’s empowerment with her work with organizations such as the Young Women Leadership Connection (YWLC) and Global Shapers Singapore. In her free time, she works on research involving the use of big data to understand the labour market. Keely holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University.

Jeanne Tai is based in Singapore and has a decade of experience in content, communications, and digital storytelling. She currently serves as the Head of Brand & Content Advocacy at Singapore’s National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), a national non-profit that advocates a more other-centered culture. Her strengths are in writing, storytelling, and corporate branding. After graduating as valedictorian from the National University of Singapore with top honors in History, Jeanne worked as a features writer at Singapore’s most established women’s magazine where she rose to Deputy Editor. She later worked as a content strategist at Southeast Asian startup Grab. The experience helped her appreciate how technology can be used for good to drive a region forward. It also reinforced Jeanne’s desire to use her talents for a higher purpose and drew her to the non-profit sector. Jeanne has always had a passion for women’s empowerment which was deepened during her time in journalism when she covered social issues that impact women and interviewed inspiring women across different walks of life. She has mentored female students and volunteered in women-focused organizations. Driven to excel, Jeanne is currently pursuing a Master of Science in Communication Management at Singapore Management University on a Leadership scholarship. Her current academic interests revolve around how diversity, equity, and inclusion can help organizations better engage and communicate with their stakeholders.

Christina Ho is driven by the intersection of sustainable development, innovation and societal progress to shape a better world. Harnessing her expertise in establishing partnerships, crafting innovation strategies and executing programmes, she started out in the government sector, then an innovation consultancy and is now at an MNC. In the day, Christina connects with startups and the innovation ecosystem, to drive the commercialisation of nutrition solutions. In her remaining waking hours, she co-lead ups a mentoring programme aimed at uplifting career opportunities for Malay-Muslim undergraduates, and leads communications efforts for a modular housing social enterprise to address housing issues in emerging economies.