Steward Leadership Summit 2022

Mr Chan Chun Sing

Minister for Education, Republic of Singapore

Mr Chan Chun Sing was appointed Singapore’s Minister for Education on 15 May 2021. He is also Minister-in-charge of the Public Service since 1 May 2018.

Mr Chan drove Singapore’s economic and industrial development as Minister for Trade and Industry (MTI) from 1 May 2018 to 14 May 2021. At MTI, he ratified the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership agreement, as well as deepened international cooperation on the digital economy. As Deputy Chairman of the People’s Association from 1 October 2015 to 14 May 2021, he oversaw national efforts to foster social cohesion.

From May 2015 to May 2018, he was Secretary-General of the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) and expanded the Labour Movement network to represent all working people in Singapore. Prior to NTUC, he served as Minister for Social and Family Development (2013-2015) and Acting Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports (2011-12). He was also Second Minister for Defence (2013-15) and Minister of State for Information, Communications and the Arts (2011-12).

Serving with the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) from 1987 to 2011, Mr Chan held various appointments including Chief of Army. He left the SAF to run in the 2011 General Election and was elected Member of Parliament for Tanjong Pagar Group Representation Constituency.

An SAF (Overseas) and President’s Scholarship holder, he graduated with First Class Honours in Economics from Christ’s College, Cambridge University, UK. He was also awarded the 1998 Distinguished Master Strategist Award by the US Army Command and General Staff College. In 2005, he completed the Sloan Fellows Programme at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology under the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship.

Born in 1969, Mr Chan is married with three children and enjoys reading and jogging.

Mr Frank E. Mars

Board Chair and Advisor, Strategic Programs, Mars, Incorporated

Mr Frank E. Mars is Chair of the Mars Board of Directors and a fourth-generation member of the Mars Family. He has worked within the Mars business since 1990, served on the Board of Directors since 2010, and was appointed Board Chair in 2020.

For the past 31 years at Mars, Mr Mars has held a variety of positions across its diverse business categories and global operations, including roles in Electronics, Snack Food, Pet Care and Food segments. He’s worked across the United States, Europe and Asia, and his business experience includes senior roles in Industrial Marketing, Sales, Commercial and Manufacturing.

From 2002 to 2005, he leveraged this breadth of experience as Regional President responsible for Asia and a member of the Mars Global Management team. From 2005 to 2017, Mr Mars served as President of Mars Symbioscience, leading the development of a technology-based health and life sciences venture within Mars tasked with developing and commercializing novel science and evidence-based products and services. This included most notably - Wisdom Panel®, a range of innovative and pioneering canine genetic tests which are now part of Mars Petcare, as well as CocoaVia™, a revolutionary cocoa flavanol extract-based supplement that supports improved cardiovascular and cognitive health by promoting healthy blood flow.

In 2017, Mr Mars transitioned to Vice President of Mars Sustainable Solutions. In this role, he led a multidisciplinary team developing scalable solutions to increase the resilience and sustainability of key tropical marine and forestry raw material supply ecosystems important to Mars’ business and ecosystem preservation. The outcomes of this work include a novel and highly innovative low-cost method of coral reef restoration which Mars is now sharing within the marine science community globally and has been adopted as global brand initiative by the Sheba Brand.

Outside of Mars, Mr Mars is Co-founder and a Director of Heliae®, a micro-algal-based life sciences and technology company. Founded in 2008, Heliae is actively globally commercializing an innovative range microalgal products which improve overall agricultural crop resilience and productivity. PhycoTerra® branded products naturally enhance soil health by improving soil microbial response, structure, water productivity, and nutrient use efficiency. Mr Mars is also a Patron of Nature for the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and serves on the Advisory Board to the United Nations’ Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

Before joining the family business in 1993, Mr Mars served from 1990 to 1993 as the majority Owner/CEO of Insulated Shipping Containers, Inc. (ISC), a specialty packaging engineering company. He was Chairman of the Board of ISC from 1993 until 2001, when the business was acquired by SCA Packaging, and now part of Sonoco Thermosafe.

Mr Mars is a co-inventor of multiple patents related to electronic coin and/or bill recognition, vending machine management and microalgae production. He is also a co-author of several peer reviewed scientific papers in the area of coral reef ecosystem restoration. Mr Mars earned his undergraduate degree in Economics from Yale University in 1985 and his MBA in 1990 from Duke University (Fuqua School of Business). He and his wife Susan have four children and five grandchildren.

Mr Munib Madni

Founding Panvestor, CEO, Panarchy Partners

Mr Munib Madni from Panarchy Partners is the founding Panvestor and Lead PM of the Global Panvest® Fund, a portfolio of purpose-driven companies.

After 25 years of investing for the likes of Morgan Stanley and Aberdeen, Mr Madni founded Panarchy Partners with a mission to redefine wealth and how it is created. Panarchy Partners has pioneered the Panvesting Philosophy, a natural and required evolution of investing. As a shareholder, to Panvest is to be vested in the four forms of capital (human, social, environmental and financial) that a firm needs and nurtures to deliver on their purpose and still make profits.

Mr Madni has been investing for 27 years. He started his career in Sydney, Australia, with the likes of Equitilink Investment Management and Aberdeen Asset Management where he focused on Australian Equities. In 2005, he moved to Singapore with Morgan Stanley Investment Management (MSIM) to broaden his equity focus. He was at MSIM for 14 years and had assignments such as PM Emerging Markets Team, Chief Investment Officer Asia and CO-PM Active International Allocation Strategy. After leaving MSIM in 2018, he founded Panarchy Partners with a strong belief in the philosophy of Panvesting.

Mr Madni has been a student throughout his life. He received a Bachelor of Finance (First Class Honors) & LLB from the University of Technology, Sydney. He also obtained his CFA Designation in early 2000. In 2018, he went back to school to sharpen his skills as a Panvestor and in June 2020, he graduated from the National University of Singapore with an MSc in Environmental Management (MEM).

Ms Aw Kah Peng

Chairman, Shell Companies in Singapore

Ms Aw Kah Peng has been the Chairman of Shell Companies in Singapore since January 2019. She drives energy transition in the country, in support of RDS’ ambition to be a net-zero emissions energy business by 2050.

Kah Peng joined Shell in 2012 as the General Manager for Global Commercial Strategy. She moved to the Chemicals business in 2014 and was in a number of global and regional roles. In Chemicals, she delivered significant business value, leveraging her deep knowledge and experience in the industry, commercial acumen, passion for people and customers, and her drive for excellence.

Prior to joining Shell, Kah Peng had a successful 22-year career in the Singapore public service. She worked at the Economic Development Board across a range of industries and geographies in the US and Europe; before she was appointed as CEO of the Singapore Tourism Board. Throughout her career, she played a key role in a wide range of developments, such as Jurong Island, LNG terminal, Integrated Resorts and the F1 night race. She also sat on the boards of a number of companies (both private and not-for-profit), government agencies, as well as on the Advisory Board of the City of Rotterdam.

She is a Fellow of MIT’s Sloan School of Management, Chairman of the Industry Advisory Panel of the School of Continuing and Lifelong Education at the National University of Singapore (NUS) and a steering committee member of the Philip Yeo Initiative (for young entrepreneurs), also at NUS. She has been recognised for her work in public service and the arts. Outside work, Kah Peng loves running, spending time in the kitchen and is a strong supporter of the arts in Singapore. She remains a board member of the Singapore Repertory Theatre.

Dr Vinika D. Rao

Executive Director, INSEAD Emerging Markets Institute, Gender Initiative & Africa Initiative; Asia Director, INSEAD Hoffmann Global Institute for Business & Society

Dr Vinika D. Rao is Executive Director, INSEAD Africa Initiative & Hoffmann Global Institute for Business and Society, Asia. She is also Adjunct Professor, Singapore Management University. She sits on several Boards and Advisory Boards, including TiE Singapore, European Women on Boards, LiveWithAI, Nine by 9, and Hearth Ventures. She advises & trains global organizations on Diversity & Inclusion and Sustainability initiatives. She is also Ambassador, Power Women of India; International Advisory Committee, Mody University for Women & SP Jain Return to Work Programme; Ambassador, She2030 (Europe) and Advisory Council, Board MatchUp (Asia).

Vinika’s research is in diversity & inclusion in leadership, allyship and inter-generational influences on the future of work. She is frequently invited to speak on related topics and is quoted/ published in leading business publications. She started her career with an MNC bank and went on to become Managing Director of an Asian conglomerate, before making a serendipitous transition to education. Prior to joining INSEAD she was Associate Professor of Strategy at S.P. Jain School of Global Management. She has taught MBA, EMBA and UG students and conducted specialised programmes for corporate clients. She is an alumna of INSEAD (International Directors Programme), Singapore Management University (DBA, award-winning doctorate in leadership diversity), IIM Bangalore (MBA), and has completed various business management programs at INSEAD and CEIBS.

Vinika believes that business has the potential to be a force for good, led by managers who value social impact and are committed to the UN Sustainability Development Goals. She is passionate about supporting women managers to make fulfilling work-life decisions, aiming to do this through active sponsorship rather than mentorship alone. She strives to engage all genders in the effort to foster DEI in their organizations and communities.

Tan Sri Dr Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria

Executive Director, APEC Secretariat, Singapore

Tan Sri Datuk Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria is the executive director of the APEC Secretariat based in Singapore, which serves as advisory body, implementation arm and custodian of institutional memory for the 21 member economies that make up the APEC forum.

Dr Sta Maria was a top-level Malaysian civil servant and trade negotiator. As Secretary-General of the Malaysian Ministry of International Trade and Industry from December 2010 to July 2016, she oversaw the formulation of Malaysia’s international trade policies and positions. She often took the lead in their implementation as chief negotiator for bilateral and regional free trade agreements such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership and the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership.

Dr Sta Maria played an integral role in Malaysia’s participation in multilateral forums such as APEC, where she often represented her economy during the APEC Ministers’ Responsible for Trade Meetings and the Small and Medium Enterprises Ministerial Meetings. In the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Dr Sta Maria chaired the body that drafted the ASEAN Economic Community 2015 Blueprint as well as the ASEAN Economic Community 2025 Blueprint.

An accomplished academic and writer, Dr Sta Maria’s scholarship has been recognised through awards from the American Academy of Human Resource Development and from the University of Georgia. In 2017, she authored a book about her personal slice of Malaysian heritage and cuisine, called The Smell of Home.

Before 2010, the position of executive director of the APEC Secretariat rotated yearly among officials assigned by the incumbent host economy. Starting in 2010, the appointment was opened to applications from highly qualified professionals who will, when appointed, lead the Secretariat in fixed three-year terms with an option to renew. Dr Sta Maria is the first woman executive director of the APEC Secretariat.

Mr Rajeev Peshawaria

CEO, Stewardship Asia Centre

Rejecting platitudes and theoretical models, Rajeev combines 22 years of global Fortune 100 experience with research-based insights to provide unique and practical approaches to personal leadership, ethics, governance, sustainable business growth, and stewardship. A sought-after speaker and consultant, he is the CEO of Stewardship Asia Center, Singapore, and President of Leadership Energy Consulting, Seattle, WA, USA.

Author of the Wall Street Journal and Amazon bestseller Open Source Leadership (McGraw Hill), Too Many Bosses, Too Few Leaders (Simon & Schuster), Sustainable Sustainability (Penguin Random House), co-author of Be the Change (McGraw Hill) and a regular contributor for Forbes, he constantly challenges conventional wisdom on leadership, management, stewardship, sustainability, and corporate governance. He has pioneered unique practical concepts such as Leadership Energy and Emotional Integrity for personal growth, the Brains-Bones-Nerves model for enterprise leadership, and the Steward Leadership model for driving sustainable business growth in the 21st century.

Rajeev is a high-energy, inspirational speaker who provides coaching, consulting and advisory services to corporate and public sector clients globally. He also serves as guest faculty at leading US, Europe and Asia business schools. He has been widely featured in international media such as CNN, Bloomberg TV & Radio, National Public Radio, Harvard Business Review, CNBC, Fast Company, Leader to Leader, American Management Association magazine, Leadership Excellence magazine, The Times of India, The Straits Times, Business Times, and many more.

Before joining SAC and starting LEC, he was the CEO of the Iclif Leadership & Governance Centre. He was formerly the Chief Learning Officer of Coca-Cola and Morgan Stanley and has also held senior positions at American Express, HSBC, and Goldman Sachs. At Goldman, Rajeev helped found Pine Street − the firm’s acclaimed leadership academy − and headed Pine Street for Europe and Asia. In his early career, he was a banker and currency trader.

In 2014 and 2017, he was named one of the Top 100 Global Thought Leaders for Trustworthy Business by ‘Trust Across America.’

A few of Rajeev’s videos and articles can be found on the links below:

Steward Leadership Summit 2022

The Speakers