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Michael Fung
Deputy Chief Executive at SkillsFuture SingaporeMichael Fung is the Deputy Chief Executive (Industry), Chief Human Resource Officer, and Chief Data Officer at SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG), a statutory agency under the Ministry of Education. He oversees the development of the continuing education and training system in Singapore, through managing funding and contractual partnerships with private training providers, institutes of higher learning, and enterprises. He also oversees the human resource function, and champions the data capabilities, governance, and reporting practices at SSG. He previously led the strategic policy and resource planning functions at SSG and the Singapore Workforce Development Agency.
Michael is an adjunct Senior Fellow at the Singapore University of Technology and Design, and was a Senior Advisor to the Office of the President at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). He formerly held the position of Director of Planning and Institutional Research at HKUST, and provided leadership and support for the University's strategic and academic planning, decision-making, resource allocation, and assessment of institutional effectiveness. He also led the University’s participation in international rankings, and was an advisor to several leading international ranking bodies.
He was previously the Director of Strategic Planning and Quality Assurance at the Singapore Management University (SMU), a Deputy Director at the Singapore Ministry of Manpower (MOM), and held various senior positions at the Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) and the National Computer Board (NCB) of Singapore.
He is the Founding President of the Higher Education Planning in Asia Association, serves on the Carnegie Mellon University Admissions Council, and sits on the board of IP Academy Singapore. He is an alumnus of the University of Southern California and Carnegie Mellon University in the US, and Tsinghua University in China.
Alexandra McKenzie
Deputy High Commissioner and Political Counsellor at British High CommissionAlex arrived at the British High Commission, Singapore in August 2015 as Deputy High Commissioner and Political Counsellor. She joined the Foreign Office in 2002, and has spent her career focusing on Europe and Asia, with postings to Beijing, Paris and Berlin. Alex has a degree in Philosophy and German from the University of Bristol.
Mark O'Donoghue
CEO of AVADOMark is CEO of AVADO Learning, a leader in delivering highly engaging, social online learning which materially impacts individuals’ careers and organisations’ performance. AVADO is partnered with the likes of Google, Tableau and the CIPD in the co-creation of cutting edge programmes in Data, Digital Transformation, Digital Marketing, IT, HR & L&D, Accounting & Finance, and Leadership & Management. We are (via Arch Apprentices) an OFSTED Grade 1 Outstanding UK Apprenticeship Provider.
Mark’s career looks pretty random, running businesses in beer, pubs, music, media, education. Happily, as well as being enjoyable, all also meant an early involvement in what we now call digital from the first pub websites (with a picture!), to early attempts at digital music at dotmusic (just less than an hour to download a track!), to online education search at Hotcourses (OK, this was actually pretty good) to AVADO Learning where our online platforms deliver Learning that Works. Mark is CEO of AVADO Learning and very very excited about AVADO’s potential to help individuals, companies and governments navigate the pace and degree of change in today’s world through effective learning.
Mei-kwei Barker
Country Director of British CouncilMei-kwei Barker has over 25 years of experience working in English language, Education and Culture for British Council operations in Hong Kong, Spain, Sri Lanka, Indonesia, Egypt, United Arab Emirates, India. She took up her current role in Singapore as Country Director in August 2018, overseeing British Council work across English language, Education and the Arts. Her previous roles include Area Director South India during which she spearheaded a project delivering employability skills to 100,000 undergraduates through blended learning channels. Previous to this, Mei-kwei led our English language work in the United Arab Emirates, overseeing the Dubai, Abu Dhabu and Sharjah teaching centres as well as our government partnership work. In addition to leadership roles for our English language work, Mei-kwei has managed several change projects for the British Council.
Ruth Beattie
Head of Industry Programmes at Google SingaporeRuth Beattie has 15 years experience in the digital industry, including senior leadership roles spanning Sales, Marketing and Operations for Google in both EMEA and APAC. Based in Singapore since 2009, her current focus as Head of Industry Programs for Google is on outreach and engagement with Singapore industry partners to drive Singapore's digital economy and maintain Singapore's position as the digital hub in APAC.
Professor John Chudley
Vice Chancellor at BAU (Global)John Chudley knows firsthand about the opportunities vocational education and Higher Level Skills can offer. John began honing his skills as a Mechanical Engineering apprentice in 1980 before progressing to higher education and completing a PhD in Marine Technology.
At present John is Vice-Chancellor of BAU Global. He has held various positions in academia, including Provost of Warsash Maritime Academy at Southampton Solent University, where he was also Professor of Engineering Education, and Head of the Institute of Marine Studies and Director of Research and Innovation at the University of Plymouth.
John has also been employed with the Civil Service, positions include being a Director of the Learning and Skills Council and the National Apprenticeship Service. Having experience and a strong belief in the benefits and opportunities vocational education brings to young people he was passionate in his role and was instrumental in the development of Higher/Degree Apprenticeships.
John has also acted as a Director and Board Member to a number of companies and organisations. At present he is a Board Member of the Engineering Council and Member of Council and Technical Committee of the RNLI.
Kelly Crouch
Head of JLT University (JLTU) Asia at Jardine Lloyd Thompson Asia Pte LtdKelly Crouch leads the University team in Asia for Jardine Lloyd Thompson, one of the world’s leading providers of insurance, reinsurance and employee benefits related advice, brokerage and associated services. JLTU was established in 2015 to facilitate the transformation of the regional business into a learning organisation that develops employees into skilled specialists and future leaders over time, facilitating the sharing of information and skills. This means bringing relevant learning opportunities to 1,800 people across a region diverse in geography, culture, age and skill sets.
Prior to her current role Kelly spend almost 15 years as a Political Risk and Political Violence insurance broker arranging insurance for some of the largest companies in the world for operations in some of the most difficult territories in the world. This role involved liaising with clients’ risk management teams and their C-suite executives and negotiating with insurers in London and across the international insurance markets plus product development and claims handling.
Dr Matthias Dorrzapf
Director of International Programmes at St John's College, University of CambridgeMatthias Dorrzapf has a PhD in Mathematics from Queens' College, Cambridge. He obtained his undergraduate qualifications in Mathematics and Physics at the University of Karlsruhe. Before joining St. John's College at the University of Cambridge, he had a postdoctoral research position at Harvard University.
Matthias became a Fellow and College Lecturer at St John’s in 1999 and took up the role of Senior Tutor in 2003. He is also the Director of Studies in Mathematics.
In his role as the Senior Tutor, he was responsible for the education and welfare of all the College’s students. During his 14 years in post, Matthias launched several significant educational initiatives and established a variety of international collaborations in order to create opportunities for the students to engage in research projects, internships and exchange programmes. His philosophy has always been to give students a vision for themselves and to create a supportive, highly stimulating and motivating environment so that students can grow in their potential and fulfill their aspirations.
In 2017, Matthias assumed a new role as Director of International Programmes. His aim is to develop a global programme of Scholarships for the College, as well as world-wide opportunities which would allow the students to strengthen their educational development.
Samantha Grainger
Director Digital Product Development of British CouncilSamantha has over 15 years of experience in English language education, digital product development, commercial partnership building and business strategy. In her current role she is tasked with identifying, developing and deploying successful digital English learning and assessment consumer products and services.
Ed Houghton
Head of Research and Thought Leadership at CIPDEdward Houghton is the CIPD's Head of Research and Thought Leadership. Since joining the institute in 2013 he has been responsible for leading the organisation's people analytics and human capital research exploring various aspects of human capital management, theory and practice; including the measurement and evaluation of the skills and knowledge of the workforce. He has a particular interest in the role of human capital in driving economic productivity, innovation and corporate social responsibility, and the value of human capital to corporate governance. Recent publications have included “People analytics: using people data to drive performance”, “A duty to care? Evidence of the importance of organisational culture to effective governance and leadership” for the Financial Reporting Council’s Culture Coalition, and “A new approach to line manager mental well-being training in banks” an independent evaluation of the Bank Workers Charity and Mind partnership to deliver mental health awareness training in the UK financial services sector.
Before joining the CIPD in 2013 Edward completed a number of research roles in government and higher education. Most recently he was a Knowledge Transfer Manager at the University of Bristol leading an innovative knowledge exchange programme between the university and Barclays bank. Over 3 years he managed research investigating business culture, corporate social responsibility and community investment. In this role he specialised in qualitative and quantitative social research techniques and strategic project design, developing metrics for the organisation's flagship community investment programme in the UK. Prior to this Edward held a number of research analyst roles in regional and local government as well as the private sector, including at the East Midlands Development Agency, Leicester City Council and the Transport Research Laboratory.
David Jones
Managing Director, Asia Pacific of Chartered Management InstituteDavid Jones is Managing Director Asia Pacific for the Chartered Management Institute responsible for developing and managing their expanding list of clients and partners in the region. Prior to this he was General Manager for RUAG Aviation Malaysia responsible for both their regional business development as well as the start-up and subsequent operation of a company targeting the SE Asia region. Prior to this David was Vice President Sales Asia Pacific for SR Technics and before this ran an independent consultancy focused on joint ventures, business planning, market strategy and supply chain development, offering support to government bodies, financial institutions as well as small and medium sized enterprises. David was employed for more almost 10 years with Rolls-Royce latterly being Regional Director involved in developing both the aerospace and defence markets. Whilst with RollsRoyce he led the development of their new aftermarket portfolio and the successful development of their customer e.business portal. For nineteen years David worked with two leading international airlines namely Malaysia Airlines and British Airways where he held various supervisory and management roles in both a technical and commercial capacity. David has lived in Malaysia for almost 28 years and is a Permanent Resident. He is Member Director of Pemudah, past Chairman of the Chartered Management Institute Malaysia Branch and Treasurer of the Malaysian Aerospace Industry Association. David was for 7 years past Chairman of EU Malaysian Chamber of Commerce and Industry and has led a number of other senior posts in chambers of commerce, education bodies, including Taylors University, and various charitable organisations. David holds an MBA from University of Nottingham, an honours degree in Aeronautical Engineering and is a Companion of the Chartered Institute of Management UK, a Fellow of the Malaysian Institute of Management and a Member of the Chartered Institute of Marketing.
David Kelly
Director of Asia Pacific at The Institute of Marine Engineering Science & TechnologyDavid Kelly is the Director of Asia Pacific for the Institute of Marine Engineering, Science and Technology (IMarEST), responsible for the growth and profile of the Institute and its educational programmes within the Asia Pacific region. A Chartered Marketer, David joined the IMarEST in 2012, where he spearheaded the development and execution of a completely reinvigorated marketing strategy which has fortified the Institute and supported rapid growth over the past six years.
David was a key driver behind a skills-gap roundtable held in London in 2013 and subsequent report: “Mitigating the Skills Gap in the Maritime and Offshore Oil and Gas Sector” which led to a redeveloped Skills Working Group under the UK’s Marine Industries Leadership Council (MILC). He has supported the delivery of a Career Level Framework aimed at supporting the professional development of marine professionals around the globe. He was the Chair of the UK’s Marine Industries Leadership Council (MILC) Image Working Group from 2014 – 2016.
David has co-authored two industry reports; Addressing the Skills and Training Shortages in the Shipping Industry (2016) and Autonomous Shipping – Putting the Human Back in the Headlines (2018) - https://www.imarest.org/policy-news/thought-leadership
David is a group representative on both the British Chamber of Commerce (Singapore) Transport, Logistics & Supply Chain and Marketing and Communications committees; a mentor at Ngee Ann Polytechnic (Singapore) for Business and Marketing students; and a committee member on the Singapore Institute of Technology’s Marine Programmes' Industry Advisory Committee (IAC).
Cindy Lee
Associate Professor & Director of Excellence in Learning & Teaching (DELT) at Newcastle UniversityA/Prof Cindy (Lai Yeng) Lee obtained her Bachelors (Hons) degree in Chemical Engineering at National University of Singapore (NUS). She received the Singapore-Massachusetts Institute of Technology Alliance (SMA) Scholarship for Masters and PhD in Molecular Engineering of Biological and Chemical Systems (MEBCS) and completed her PhD with the Singapore-MIT Alliance programme in 2008. From 2008 to 2011, she lived and worked in the Netherlands, joining a Research & Development company as Project Leader, working on research consultancy in projects related to food product development using supercritical carbon dioxide process. In 2012, she joined Newcastle University in Singapore, Chemical Engineering Programme as a full-time teaching and research academic where she continually developed course materials with strong focus on research – informed teaching and sustainability considerations. In 2017, she took on the role as the Director of Excellence in Learning & Teaching (DELT) in Newcastle University in Singapore, supporting policies and strategies that ensure the excellent delivery of quality learning and teaching both in the undergraduate programmes as well as the post-graduate programmes newly developed from 2017. From 2018, she also took on the role of acting Director of Operations for Chemical Engineering for the NU-SIT joint degree programme.
Simon Prior
Global Talent & OD Director of iProspectSimon Prior is a purpose driven, values-led Organisational Development and Talent leader with a passion for seeing the opportunity in every challenge when it comes to focusing organisations for maximum impact by using people and culture as a lever to drive business performance.
Having led with conviction and courage through disruption, transformation and change across 14+ years of experience in OD & Talent - the majority working in large, global, dynamic, fast-paced, digitally-led matrixed organisations across industries such as Marketing/Advertising, Publishing, Outsourced Contact Centres, Airlines and Music/Entertainment..
Simon gets a ‘buzz’ from unleashing potential in his roles as Global Talent & OD Director for iProspect and Regional Talent & OD Director for Dentsu Aegis Network where he is driven to work with teams and leaders to enable them to elevate their game, engage them and bringing them together.
Ben Rowland
Client Solutions Director of AVADO- Panel Discussion: Building competencies from the bottom up: apprenticeships and graduate programmes that focus on delivering critical skills for the future
- Panel Discussion: Opportunities and challenges for the future of higher education, as underpinned by technology, globalisation, and the changing workplace
Ben is AVADO’s Client Solutions Director, leading our Consultancy Practice that advises corporate customers on how to set up and deliver their learning programmes in the best way possible. Ben is the author of AVADO’s ‘Learning That Works’ Framework. Prior to this Ben founded Arch Apprentices in 2012, now part of the AVADO Group, which has grown to become one of the UK’s most significant training providers for people starting out their digital, data and other professional careers. Most recently Ben led the creation of our partnership with the IPA, the UK’s Chartered Body for the Advertising Industry, and our work to rapidly scale our systems to meet the demands created by the UK’s new ‘Apprenticeship Levy’. Ben is an advisor to the UK Government on apprenticeships.
Before that Ben had a successful career in management consultancy, advising corporate and Government clients on how best to structure their change and transformation programmes and then supporting them to deliver them.
Ben has a Masters from the London School of Economics and a Masters from Balliol College Oxford. He attended St Paul’s School in London.
Ching Ching Tan
Deputy Director of The Sandbox, Ngee Ann PolytechnicChing Ching joined Ngee Ann Polytechnic (NP) in January 2016. As Deputy Director (Projects) at The Sandbox, the Innovation and Entrepreneurial Department within NP, she leads the PolyFinTech 100 initiative which was launched jointly by the 5 polys and Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) to prepare the next generation of manpower for the FinTech industry. She has also been involved in the Global Entrepreneurial and Internship Programme (GEIP) whereby she leads the opening of the Sydney and London markets for start-up internships. She also co-launches an online course, Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Finance with London-based Centre for Finance, Technology and Entrepreneurship (CFTE), with the aim to upskill the financial services professionals. Prior to NP, she was the General Manager, Business Development and Communications of Banking Computer Services (BCS), the Clearing House of Singapore. She was one of the team leads who launched the Fast and Secure Transfers (FAST) across the banking industry. In her earlier career which spanned Infocomm Development Authority (currently known as IMDA) and the banking industry, she oversaw the national launch of CashCard, common e-purse standard, CEPAS and the merger of DBS and POSB. She graduated with Bachelor of Arts from The National University of Singapore and Graduate Diploma in Marketing from Marketing Institute of Singapore.
Esther Thng
Head of Education, ASEAN & ANZ at ACCAEsther Thng is the Head of Education for ASEAN ANZ in ACCA with education oversight in more than ten countries. She works with a broad range of ACCA education providers including universities and colleges, oversee and lead activities to increase the quality of tuition provision and to improve student performance in exams, and lead on high level relationship management with strategically important education providers.
She has extensive experience in the accountancy education industry prior to joining ACCA. She had worked with a global learning provider as a lecturer before becoming the Academic Director looking after national and global accountancy and finance professional qualifications such as ACCA and others. She also worked with university partners to ensure the delivery of university partner programmes adhered to the academic quality and rigour as stipulated by the university partners.
Esther has a degree in accountancy, is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) and holds a Master’s in Social Sciences (Applied Economics).