Steward Leadership Summit 2026
As SAC's annual flagship event, the summit is a high-profile invite-only event bringing together global leaders from the public and private sectors.
The theme of this year's summit is Resilience Through Uncertainty.
At a time of deepening global disorder — and where AI is rewriting the rules faster than any forecast can capture — this is an invitation to think differently. The leaders who will define the next decade are not those with the best algorithms. They are those with the clearest principles, the deepest resilience, and the courage to build for a future they cannot fully see.
This summit will feature thought-provoking dialogue and visionary keynotes, inspiring leaders to do well by doing good in a rapidly changing world.
Please see our summit programme here.
Speakers
Mr Teo Chee Hean
Chairman, Temasek Holdings
Mr Teo Chee Hean was appointed Chairman of Temasek Holdings on 9 October 2025, after joining the Board as Deputy Chairman in July 2025. He also serves as Senior Advisor in the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) of the Republic of Singapore.
Before joining Temasek, Mr Teo's career spanned political office and the defence sector. He was appointed Singapore’s Senior Minister from 2019 to 2025 and served as Deputy Prime Minister from 2009 to 2019. He was concurrently the Coordinating Minister for National Security from 2011. He has also served as Minister for Home Affairs, Minister for Defence, Minister for Education, and Minister for the Environment, as well as Minister of State in the Ministries of Finance, Communications and Defence.
Before being elected to political office in 1992, he served in the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF), where he held various command and staff appointments in the Republic of Singapore Navy and the Joint Staff, rising to the rank of Rear Admiral as Chief of Navy in 1991.
Mr Teo previously served on the GIC Board where he also chaired the GIC International Advisory Board. He has also served on the boards of IRAS, PSA, Nanyang Technological University and Ngee Ann Polytechnic.
Mr Teo holds a Bachelor of Science (First Class Honours) in Electrical Engineering and Management Science from the University of Manchester, a Master of Science degree (with distinction) in Computing Science from Imperial College London, and a Master in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, where he was named a Littauer Fellow.
Mr Daniel Erasmus
Founder, ClimateGPT
Daniel Erasmus conceived and led the team building ClimateGPT- the world’s first foundational AI model family on Climate Change, built on more than a decade of collecting and processing planetary scale datasets as CEO of Erasmus.AI. The Erasmus.AI platform was built to augment, inform and reveal hidden connections in the world’s news, from Human Centered Extreme Weather Dashboards, to maps of global innovations, risks and breakthroughs.
As co-founder of The Digital Thinking Network, he has been running large scale scenario planing and transformation processes for more than 25 years. Notable actions based on scenario and AI insights have been: As a response to food security challenges due to CoVID Daniel initiated a process which in 3 months sponsored 1 million meals and to date sponsored more than 60 Million meals in Sub-Saharan Africa.
Scenario processes that he lead anticipated Global Financial Crisis for a bank in 2006, Oil Price Collapse in 2012 each leading to multi-billion Dollar profits for clients, and in the public sector transformation DTN created Rotterdam Advisory Board which lead Rotterdam Climate Initiative in 2005 (to half CO2 emissions by 2025) and the 30 year global future scenarios Ci’Num.
He has written 3 books on Innovation and Networked Society and authored several columns including the Information Society Column for the Financial Times Review. Erasmus has held various board positions and fellowships, including currently the University of Stellenbosch’s Faculty of Science Advisory Board, Cambridge based Titan Advanced Energy Solutions and the supervisory board of Quad9 Foundation.
Dr Vinika D. Rao
Director, INSEAD Hoffmann Institute & Africa Initiative; Visiting Fellow, Judge Business School, Cambridge University
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.
Prof Arnoud De Meyer
Chairman, Stewardship Asia Centre
Professor De Meyer is a global academic leader with more than 35 years of experience in top academic institutions in Europe and Asia. Until December 2018, he served as President of Singapore Management University (SMU). Before joining SMU, Professor De Meyer was from 2006 until 2010 Director (Dean) of the Judge Business School at the University of Cambridge.
Earlier on he was a faculty member at INSEAD and assumed several management positions, among others as founding dean of INSEAD’s Asia campus in Singapore. He has additionally been an Independent Director of various international companies and non-profit organisations. He is currently Independent Director of Viva Energy Pty Ltd, Banyan Tree Holdings Limited and upGrad Tech Pte Ltd.
Professor De Meyer is an internationally recognised researcher in the areas of Research & Development and Innovation Management, Manufacturing Strategy and International Management. He has published more than 100 academic articles and 12 books. His most recent books are “Ecosystem Edge: Sustaining Competitiveness in the Face of Disruption” (Stanford Business Press) and “Building Excellence in Higher Education: Singapore’s Experience” (Routledge).
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 Centre, 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:
- CNBC Interview
- Overview
- Interview on CNN’s Quest Means Business
- Forbes Article: Will G Save Us from E and S Challenges
- TED Talk
- TED Talk
Ms Joanna Soh
Chief Operating Officer
Ms Soh joined SAC when it started in 2014 and was initially responsible for establishing its outreach and engagement platforms, extending the partnership network across the Asia-Pacific. As COO, she is also now heading the corporate and operational functions that have developed alongside the growth of the Centre and is also part of the team spearheading the executive education programmes. She is an active member and a key lead of the Steering Committee that looks after the Singapore Stewardship Principles for Responsible Investors, an initiative that helps shape positive corporate behaviour by encouraging investors to be responsible and active stewards.
Ms Soh has extensive events research and management experience, having worked in this field for several years across a wide range of geographies and industries, but mainly focused on family business, tech and tourism sectors. She was the Deputy Director of Conferences at Forbes Asia, developing strategic processes for organising and managing the Forbes Global CEO Conference and other networking platforms around the region. She has also led large scale events and customer experiences for tech companies, driving projects from Singapore with global experts.
Prior to joining SAC, Ms Soh was Group Publisher for Tourism at TTG Asia Media where she was responsible for managing the advertising revenue, editorial and distribution for a portfolio of publications. She holds a BA in Media and Communications from RMIT, and specialised in film studies and history.
Watch the highlights from last year’s
Steward Leadership Summit
Catch a glimpse of last year's Steward Leadership Summit, featuring the Steward Leadership 25, along with inspiring keynote speeches and dynamic panel discussions.
