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Re-appointed to the Board of Yoma Strategic on 29 January 2021, Mr Fernando Zobel de Ayala is a Non-Independent Non-Executive Director of Yoma Strategic.
Mr. Fernando Zobel de Ayala is the President, Chief Operating Officer and Director of Ayala Corporation, one of the largest business groups in the Philippines. Ayala has maintained dominant positions in various industries in the Philippines, including real estate, banking, telecommunications, water, power, industrial technologies, infrastructure, education, and healthcare. It has a growing international presence primarily in industrial technologies, water, power, and real estate in Southeast Asia, China, the US, and Europe.
Mr. Fernando Zobel de Ayala is part of the seventh generation in the family overseeing Ayala and holds the following positions in publicly listed companies in addition to Ayala Corporation: Chairman of Ayala Land, Inc. and Manila Water Company, Inc.; Director of Bank of the Philippine Islands, Globe Telecom, Inc., and Integrated Micro-Electronics, Inc.; and Independent Director of Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corporation.
He also serves on the boards of INSEAD and Georgetown University and is a member of the World Presidents’ Organization and the Chief Executives Organization. He chairs the steering committee of Habitat for Humanity International’s Asia Pacific Capital Campaign and co-chairs the TATE Museum Asia Pacific Acquisitions Committee. He also serves on the board of the Asia Society and is a member of the Asia Philanthropy Circle and The Metropolitan Museum International Council.
In the Philippines, he is also a board member of the following select organisations: AC Energy, Inc., Ayala Healthcare Holdings, Inc., Ayala Foundation, Inc., Manila Peninsula, Caritas Manila and Pilipinas Shell Foundation.
Mr. Fernando Zobel de Ayala holds a Bachelor of Liberal Arts Degree from Harvard College and course in International Management from INSEAD France.
Mr. Serge Pun is a Myanmar national and the Chairman of Serge Pun & Associates (Myanmar) Limited (“SPA”). In 1983, Mr. Pun founded Serge Pun & Associates Limited in Hong Kong SAR and eventually returned to the country of his birth to establish SPA in 1991.
In 1992, Mr. Pun established First Myanmar Investment Company Limited (“FMI”) as one of the earliest public companies (unlisted) in Myanmar. In 2006, he led Yoma Strategic to a successful listing on the mainboard of the Singapore Stock Exchange, and in 2016, FMI became the first company to list on the Yangon Stock Exchange.
Mr. Pun is a member of the World Economic Forum’s ASEAN Regional Strategy Group and ASEAN Regional Business Council. He is a standing member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference of Dalian and a member of the Asia Business Council. He is the Chair of the International Advisory Board of Singapore Management University for Myanmar, the Vice-Chairman and CEO of New Yangon Development Company (“NYDC”) and served as an Honorary Business Representative for Myanmar of International Enterprise Singapore from 2004 till 2006. Mr. Pun is a frequent speaker in international forums on Myanmar and ASEAN.
Re-appointed to the Board of Yoma Strategic on 26 July 2017, Mr. Pun is the Executive Chairman of Yoma Strategic.
Step-in Step-up and Melvyn Pun, CEO Yoma Strategic Holdings Ltd, visited the Head Monk of our neighbouring villages. To highlight the importance of protecting against coronavirus, Yoma Group donated thousands of hand sewn reusable masks and bars of soap. Masks are being sewn by our interns and partner NGO’s which is not only providing further skills & work, but much needed protection against possible droplets spreading when sneezing or coughing.
Mr. Melvyn Pun was appointed as Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director in July 2015. He was re-appointed to the Board of Yoma Strategic on 24 July 2019 and is a member of the Nominating and Governance Committee of Yoma Strategic.
Mr. Pun was the Alternate Director to Mr. Serge Pun at Yoma Strategic and the Chief Executive Officer of SPA, an affiliate of the Group, between 2012 and 2015. Since 2015, Mr. Pun spearheaded the move to diversify the Group’s businesses along its core businesses whilst also building streams of recurring revenues and profits. He has been extensively involved in developing the Group’s relationships with key partners, including Mitsubishi Corporation, IFC, ADB, Yum! Brands, New Holland, JCB, Dulwich College International, Telenor and Pernod Ricard, amongst others.
Prior to joining SPA, Mr. Pun spent 12 years at Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong SAR, where he was Managing Director, Head of Asia Ex-Japan Corporate Solutions Group. He has extensive financial and corporate experience in various corporate markets across Asia such as Greater China, Southeast Asia, and Korea where he provided corporations and non-profit organisations with financial services that included fund raising, investments and risk management. Beyond Yoma Strategic, Mr. Pun is also an executive committee member of the Myanmar Institute of Directors and Non-Executive Director of Yoma Bank Limited.
Mr. Pun holds a Bachelor of Arts, Masters of Engineering and Masters of Arts from University of Cambridge.
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Please read this notice in its entirely. This notice contains important legal information. By clicking the “CONFIRM” button on this page, you are deemed to be representing and warranting that you are not located in or a resident of the United States. This announcement is not directed to any person in any jurisdiction where (by reason of that person’s nationality, residence or otherwise) the publication or availability of this announcement is prohibited. Persons in respect of whom such prohibitions apply must not access this announcement. This announcement is for information only and is not an offer for sale of the securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction. Neither this announcement nor any copy hereof may be taken into or distributed in the United States.
Please read this notice in its entirely. This notice contains important legal information. By clicking the “CONFIRM” button on this page, you are deemed to be representing and warranting that you are not located in or a resident of the United States. This announcement is not directed to any person in any jurisdiction where (by reason of that person’s nationality, residence or otherwise) the publication or availability of this announcement is prohibited. Persons in respect of whom such prohibitions apply must not access this announcement. This announcement is for information only and is not an offer for sale of the securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction. Neither this announcement nor any copy hereof may be taken into or distributed in the United States.
Please read this notice in its entirely. This notice contains important legal information. By clicking the “CONFIRM” button on this page, you are deemed to be representing and warranting that you are not located in or a resident of the United States. This announcement is not directed to any person in any jurisdiction where (by reason of that person’s nationality, residence or otherwise) the publication or availability of this announcement is prohibited. Persons in respect of whom such prohibitions apply must not access this announcement. This announcement is for information only and is not an offer for sale of the securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction. Neither this announcement nor any copy hereof may be taken into or distributed in the United States.
Please read this notice in its entirely. This notice contains important legal information. By clicking the “CONFIRM” button on this page, you are deemed to be representing and warranting that you are not located in or a resident of the United States. This announcement is not directed to any person in any jurisdiction where (by reason of that person’s nationality, residence or otherwise) the publication or availability of this announcement is prohibited. Persons in respect of whom such prohibitions apply must not access this announcement. This announcement is for information only and is not an offer for sale of the securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction. Neither this announcement nor any copy hereof may be taken into or distributed in the United States.
Please read this notice in its entirely. This notice contains important legal information. By clicking the “CONFIRM” button on this page, you are deemed to be representing and warranting that you are not located in or a resident of the United States. This announcement is not directed to any person in any jurisdiction where (by reason of that person’s nationality, residence or otherwise) the publication or availability of this announcement is prohibited. Persons in respect of whom such prohibitions apply must not access this announcement. This announcement is for information only and is not an offer for sale of the securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction. Neither this announcement nor any copy hereof may be taken into or distributed in the United States.
Please read this notice in its entirely. This notice contains important legal information. By clicking the “CONFIRM” button on this page, you are deemed to be representing and warranting that you are not located in or a resident of the United States. This announcement is not directed to any person in any jurisdiction where (by reason of that person’s nationality, residence or otherwise) the publication or availability of this announcement is prohibited. Persons in respect of whom such prohibitions apply must not access this announcement. This announcement is for information only and is not an offer for sale of the securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction. Neither this announcement nor any copy hereof may be taken into or distributed in the United States.
Please read this notice in its entirely. This notice contains important legal information. By clicking the “CONFIRM” button on this page, you are deemed to be representing and warranting that you are not located in or a resident of the United States. This announcement is not directed to any person in any jurisdiction where (by reason of that person’s nationality, residence or otherwise) the publication or availability of this announcement is prohibited. Persons in respect of whom such prohibitions apply must not access this announcement. This announcement is for information only and is not an offer for sale of the securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction. Neither this announcement nor any copy hereof may be taken into or distributed in the United States.
Please read this notice in its entirely. This notice contains important legal information. By clicking the “CONFIRM” button on this page, you are deemed to be representing and warranting that you are not located in or a resident of the United States. This announcement is not directed to any person in any jurisdiction where (by reason of that person’s nationality, residence or otherwise) the publication or availability of this announcement is prohibited. Persons in respect of whom such prohibitions apply must not access this announcement. This announcement is for information only and is not an offer for sale of the securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction. Neither this announcement nor any copy hereof may be taken into or distributed in the United States.
Please read this notice in its entirely. This notice contains important legal information. By clicking the “CONFIRM” button on this page, you are deemed to be representing and warranting that you are not located in or a resident of the United States. This announcement is not directed to any person in any jurisdiction where (by reason of that person’s nationality, residence or otherwise) the publication or availability of this announcement is prohibited. Persons in respect of whom such prohibitions apply must not access this announcement. This announcement is for information only and is not an offer for sale of the securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction. Neither this announcement nor any copy hereof may be taken into or distributed in the United States.
Please read this notice in its entirely. This notice contains important legal information. By clicking the “CONFIRM” button on this page, you are deemed to be representing and warranting that you are not located in or a resident of the United States. This announcement is not directed to any person in any jurisdiction where (by reason of that person’s nationality, residence or otherwise) the publication or availability of this announcement is prohibited. Persons in respect of whom such prohibitions apply must not access this announcement. This announcement is for information only and is not an offer for sale of the securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction. Neither this announcement nor any copy hereof may be taken into or distributed in the United States.
Please read this notice in its entirely. This notice contains important legal information. By clicking the “CONFIRM” button on this page, you are deemed to be representing and warranting that you are not located in or a resident of the United States. This announcement is not directed to any person in any jurisdiction where (by reason of that person’s nationality, residence or otherwise) the publication or availability of this announcement is prohibited. Persons in respect of whom such prohibitions apply must not access this announcement. This announcement is for information only and is not an offer for sale of the securities in the United States or any other jurisdiction. Neither this announcement nor any copy hereof may be taken into or distributed in the United States.
Full article – Yoma Micro Power celebrated the inauguration of its 250th solar-hybrid power plant at Thit Seint Gyi village in Wetlett township, Sagaing Division in March 2020.
Spread across an area of 175,000 square kilometres in Sagaing and Magway Regions, Mandalay Division and Naypytaw Union Territory, the solar-hybrid plants are powering 250 off-grid telecom towers as well as 25 villages and 25,000 people who had previously relied on diesel power, offsetting 5,000 tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually.
“With about 60 percent of Myanmar’s people having no access to the grid, the lack of a reliable supply of electricity is one of the biggest bottlenecks for economic development in the country. By quickly rolling out these solar-hybrid plants, it gives us the opportunity to play a prominent role in bridging Myanmar’s rural electrification gap and spur sustainable and inclusive economic growth,” said Melvyn Pun, CEO, Yoma Strategic.
Yoma Micro Power plans to rollout more than 2,000 solar-hybrid power plants by 2023.
Full article – Yoma Group donated two ventilators, three patient monitors, 500 Personal Protective Equipment sets and 10,000 masks to the Ministry of Health and Sports in response to Covid-19. Covid-19 poses a serious risk to Myanmar, but we are committed to our communities to support their needs where we can. Working together we can get through these challenging times.
Full article – Pun Hlaing Estate celebrated Community CleanUp Day at Pun Hlaing Estate on 2nd May 2020. Yoma Group employees and Pun Hlaing Estate residents participated the event and cleaned the estate area together towards a common goal to make the estate a more beautiful place.
Full article – StarCity celebrated the world’s Environment Day 2020, with the soft opening of the River Park and Volunteer tree planting day for the residents on 20th June 2020. Environmental sustainability has always been one of the top priorities for StarCity. The Management has consistently put in efforts to start planting tons of trees within the estate and at the River Park this year. The Staff Members and Residents come together to help plant some of Myanmar popular trees such as the Frangipani, Mongrove Trumpet, Chinese Roses, Hibiscus and for good measure tons of Good Luck Plants.
The Group strongly opposes bribery and all other kinds of corruption. To reinforce its Code of Conduct, the Group conducts training for all employees covering its policies on Anti-Bribery and Anti-Corruption, Conflicts of Interest and Whistle Blowing. These policies extend to the Group’s business dealings with third party service providers and vendors.
The Group prohibits any form of discrimination or preference made on the basis of race, colour, sex, religion or political opinion which has the effect of impairing equal opportunity or treatment. As a committed nation builder, the Group believes that it is important to lead by example so as to ensure that internationally recognised best practices are established early on in the rapid development of Myanmar.
Yoma Land has developed City Loft, a product offering of quality affordable housing that caters to the underserved the middle-income market, in-line with its wider mission to build better communities for the future of Myanmar. The first project City Loft @ StarCity is expected to include commercial, communal and recreational areas and is designed to facilitate modern living standards that allow an inclusive community to thrive. Yoma Central, an integrated mixed-use development currently under construction in downtown Yangon, has adopted IFC EDGE (Excellence in Design for Greater Efficiencies) as a sustainability standard for green design and construction principles. For example, the project plans to install low-emissivity glazing windows to reduce solar heat gain and will utilise natural daylight and ventilation to minimise energy consumption. The Group has generated approximately 0.57TJ of renewable energy from solar panels which were installed at Star City and The Campus. This is equivalent to the monthly electricity consumption of approximately 920 households in Myanmar.
The Group fully supports and practices the International Labour Organisation’s Eight l Core Conventions and the IFC’s Labour and Working Conditions Standards. The Group prohibits child labour at all of its business operations and projects, and there were no cases of child labour reported in 18M-Sept2020.
As of September 2020, Yoma Micro Power has constructed and commenced operations at 318 off-grid solar micro power plants. Approximately 812 households in 11 villages in off-grid areas now have access to electricity. Yoma Micro Power plans to scale up to 750 solar micro power plants in financial year ending 30 September 2021 and to more than 2,000 by the end of 2023.
Approximately 41% of the Group’s workforce is female. In addition, Yoma Strategic has a 22% female representation on its Board of Directors as at November 2020. Training programs on building and maintaining a respectful workplace were rolled out in 12M-Mar2019. As at 30 September 2020, more than 80% of the Group’s managers underwent such training which covered topics that included anti-harassment, maternity planning and career development.
Various Yoma Group companies are partners of M2030. M2030 is a movement launched by the Asia Pacific Leaders Malaria Alliance (APLMA) to eliminate malaria in Asia by 2030. The existing M2030 partners include Pun Hlaing Siloam Hospitals, Wave Money, Volkswagen, New Holland, JCB, KFC, Auntie Anne’s, YKKO, Little Sheep Hotpot and Yoma Micro Power.
Yoma Heavy Equipment is committed to facilitate the mechanisation of Myanmar’s agricultural industry with the aim of helping farmers improve crop profitability and save time, energy and labour. Since 2012, the Group has sold approximately 4,200 tractors via its self-managed locations, over 300 independent business associates and 30 independent parts distributors and continues to support a dedicated maintenance team to better serve rural communities throughout the country. Yoma Heavy Equipment also sponsored Myanmar’s first cassava conference and workshop to educate farmers about the crop’s potential, which was attended by the Ministry of Agriculture, the Department of Agricultural Research (DAR), the Department of Agriculture (DOA), local farmers and other stakeholders.
The Group’s businesses provide approximately 5,238 jobs to locals in Myanmar. All of its employees are paid at least the statutory minimum wage. Aside from direct employment, the Group also supports local businesses, job creation and financial inclusion in communities throughout Myanmar. For instance, Wave Money, a mobile based financial services provider that facilitates secure and real-time payment transactions, runs a network of more than 68,000 agents in both urban and rural communities across 299 townships. It caters to approximately 70% unbanked population of Myanmar, many of whom are micro and small businesses as well as migrant workers who have relocated to urban centres in search of employment but periodically remit their salaries to support their families in rural areas. Wave Money has also become a trusted partner for many government departments and non-profit organisations in disbursing COVID-19 relief funds.
Yoma Strategic is committed to nurturing its employees and values the partnerships with its customers, local communities, suppliers, business partners, investors and other stakeholder groups. The Group has in place various channels and platforms to communicate with stakeholders to better understand their needs.
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Mr. Michael Rudenmark was appointed as the Head of Automotive in March 2013 and is responsible for growing the Group’s Automotive division, including exploring and evaluating opportunities to secure new automotive brands for the Group.
Mr. Rudenmark has lived in Yangon for more than 20 years and has extensive experience in the Myanmar automotive market as the Founder and Managing Director of German Car Industries, an automobile sales and after-sales company since April 1996.
Mr. Gerhard Hartzenberg joined the Group in January 2015 and is responsible for expanding the Group’s Heavy Equipment business. Over the past five years, Yoma Heavy Equipment has enhanced its portfolio of brands to include New Holland, Case, JCB and FPT and built a rental business operating out of 16 locations throughout Myanmar.
Prior to joining the Group, he managed various automotive and leasing businesses in South Africa, including Imperial Group, Super Group Industrial Products, John Deere and General Motors. He has extensive experience in sales and marketing, operations, network development, training and brand establishment.
Mr. Hartzenberg is a member of the John Deere International Marketing Council and the Toyota Wings Club. He has also received several awards, including three Chairman’s awards from Toyota/Hino and General Motors between 1990 and 2005.
Mr. Howard Seargent joined the Group in June 2015 as the Managing Director of KOSPA Limited. Over the past five years, Mr. Seargent has established KOSPA Limited as a leading logistics services company in Myanmar, providing logistics services including cold chain logistics to numerous FMCG, pharmaceutical and multinational food and beverage clients.
Prior to joining the Group, Mr. Seargent had over 25 years of experience in managing FMCG businesses with multinational companies, including Coca-Cola and Goodman Fielder, in addition to supply chain consultancy roles in the Middle East and Asia.
Mr. Seargent holds a Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of the Witwatersrand and a Master of Business Leadership Degree from the Graduate Business School of the University of South Africa.
Mr. Kyaw Kyaw Naing was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of YKKO in February 2019. Prior to joining the Group, he spent more than 17 years at YKKO and held various positions, including Procurement Director, HR Director, Operations Director and Managing Director since 2010. Mr. Naing has comprehensive experience across all of YKKO’s business from sales to operations, staff development, supply chain management and brand development.
Mr. Naing has been an active member of the Myanmar Restaurants Association (MRA), an industry organization supporting the development of all restaurants in Myanmar since 2012 and he was reappointed as Chairman of the MRA Yangon Region in 2018.
Mr. Naing has built his success in entrepreneurship from a young age and has helped to expand several medium-sized retail businesses over the years.
Mr. Yue Wai Khin joined the Group in December 2014 to oversee the daily operations, recruiting and training and supply chain management functions of KFC Myanmar. Prior to joining the Group, he spent more than 25 years in the F&B industry at KFC/Pizza Hut Malaysia with extensive experience in sales and operations, staff development and training and brand development.
Mr. Yue was previously the Deputy General Manager for the Pizza Hut Dine-In segment, overseeing 115 restaurants. He was also the Deputy General Manager of Field Human Resource at KFC and the Head of Field Human Resource at Pizza Hut. Mr. Yue has received several awards for both Operations Excellence and Training and Development from Yum! Brands and is certified as a Yum! Master Trainer in Malaysia.
Mr. Tim Nash joined the Group in February 2020 as the General Manager of KFC Myanmar. Prior to joining the Group, he spent more than 17 years with KFC across operations, supply chain and marketing and was most recently the Manager of Operations for KFC Greater Asia based in Singapore where he supported the fast expansion of KFC Myanmar from 2016 to 2019. Mr. Nash began his KFC career in Australia and is a member of KFC’s Global Emerging Leaders alumni.
Mr. Nash has been recognised as the Australian National Retail Association’s Young Retailer of the Year (Runner-Up) and the Australian Institute of Management’s Young Manager of the Year (Top 5) for his proven track record of applying a people first mindset to step change the customer experience that results in both short- and long-term improvements.
Mr. Nash holds a Postgraduate in Retail Management from the University of Wollongong and Mark Rison’s Mini-MBA in Brand Management.
Mr. Brad Jones was the founding Chief Executive Officer of Wave Money and has been with the company since February 2015. He has grown Wave Money into one of the leading fintech companies in Myanmar, serving millions of customers across a network of over 68,000 agents.
Previously, Mr. Jones headed mobile money and innovation for Visa in Asia Pacific, North Africa and the Middle East. He has also been an emerging payments consultant to the World Bank Group and has worked in a variety of markets, including the Philippines, Indonesia, Bangladesh and China.
Prior to Visa, Mr. Jones was the founding Managing Director of Wing Cambodia, the first bank-led mobile money company in Asia. Mr. Jones has worked in the financial services industry for 18 years and is a well-known executive in digital payments and mobile money.
Mr. Allan Davidson joined the Group in November 2013. Prior to joining the Group, he spent more than 25 years in the vehicle leasing and rental industry in Australia, Papua New Guinea, New Zealand and Thailand.
Mr. Davidson headed up a joint venture that started the Budget Rent A Car franchise in Thailand. During his eight years there, he grew the business into a market leader with more than 1,450 vehicles across 25 locations while enduring the effects of the 1997 Asian financial crisis. He is a Member of the Military Division of the Order of Australia (AM).
Mr. Ben Koo was appointed as the Head of Yoma Financial Services in August 2019 and has been with the Group since October 2018.
Mr. Koo has 20 years of experience in working at top-tier financial institutions, including Goldman Sachs, Macquarie, Deloitte and Arthur Andersen.
Prior to joining the Group, Mr. Koo was based in Singapore and was responsible for overseeing investment coverage in Asia as the Co-Head of Pan Asia Financial Institutions Investment Research and the Co-Head of ASEAN Investment Research at Goldman Sachs. Prior to that role, he was the Head of Australia and New Zealand Financial Institutions Investment Research for Goldman Sachs based in Sydney.
Mr. Koo also served as a Non-Executive Director of the Anglican Church Endowment Fund in Sydney where he helped to oversee risk management, asset allocation and corporate governance changes following the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis. Mr. Koo graduated from the Australian National University with a Bachelor of Commerce and Economics Degree in 1994. He was also a member of the Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand from 2001 to 2017.
Mr. Stephen Purvis was appointed as the Head of Yoma Land in January 2019. He has been with the Group since 2013 in various roles. Prior to this appointment, he was the Project Director and subsequently the General Manager for Yoma Central since 2015. He also spearheaded the master planning of StarCity from 2013 to 2014. Mr. Purvis has more than 30 years of experience in the real estate market, including the development of substantial mixed use city centre projects in a variety of markets.
Prior to joining the Group, Mr. Purvis was a director at Coral Capital Group Ltd., a Cuba-focused country fund, where he oversaw long-term equity real estate projects, including the design, funding, construction and operation of a portfolio of hotels under the Hotel Saratoga brand. Notably, he master-planned the new container port and economic zone of Mariel with partner Dubai Ports World and was also the project manager for high profile clients such as the Prince of Wales Foundation.
Mr. Purvis is a chartered member of the Royal Institute of British Architects and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Degree in Architecture from Newcastle University, England and a Bachelor in Architecture from Westminster University, England.
Mr. Martin Appel was appointed as the Head of Human Resources in August 2016. Prior to joining the Group, he held executive HR roles at Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Honeywell and IBM.
Originally from South Africa, Mr. Appel has lived and worked in Asia, including Singapore, Bangalore and Johore Bahru since December 2000. He is currently based in Yangon.
Mr. Appel graduated from the University of Kwa Zula Natal (formerly the University of Natal), Durban, South Africa with a Bachelor of Arts Degree and from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa with a Bachelor of Education (Honours).
Ms. Rita Nguyen was appointed as Chief Technology Officer in November 2017 to oversee the Group’s technology strategy and digital transformation initiatives.
Prior to joining the Group, Ms. Nguyen founded two technology startups in Myanmar that focused on consumer applications and services. She has built and launched technology solutions for over 20 years for international companies, such as Electronic Arts, SAP and PaySafe, on a range of products from gaming to e-payments and telecommunications services.
Ms. Nguyen is actively involved in Myanmar’s technology ecosystem where she is on the investment committee of Seed Myanmar Venture Limited, the only technology-focused venture capital fund in Myanmar.
In addition, she is a director of or advisor for several local startups in the logistics, education technology and medical technology sectors.
Ms. Joycelyn Siow joined as Group Finance Manager in June 2008 and was subsequently promoted to Group Financial Controller in May 2013. Prior to joining the Group, Ms. Siow had 10 years of audit experience in international audit firms where she was involved in audit services for public listed companies, multinational corporations and small- and medium-sized enterprises. Besides audit work, Ms. Siow was also involved in special assignments such as internal audit, the preparation of accountants’ report for Initial Public Offerings and Reverse Takeovers and due diligence reviews.
Ms. Siow graduated from Singapore Polytechnic with a Diploma in Banking and Financial Services and later went to pursue her ACCA qualification.
Ms. Loo Hwee Fang was appointed as Group General Counsel in April 2013. Prior to that, she was with Lee & Lee for 13 years and was a Partner in their Corporate Department since 2006. Her main area of legal practice was in corporate finance, capital markets and fund management and her scope of work included advising on fund raising, mergers and acquisitions, stock exchange procedures, compliance and corporate governance issues. Ms. Loo is listed in The Legal 500’s GC Powerlist for South-East Asia in 2017 and 2019. She was also previously included in The Legal 500’s GC Powerlist for Asia Pacific in 2014.
Ms. Loo graduated from the University of Sheffield, England, with an L.L.B (Honours) Degree in 1996. She is also a Barrister in-law, having been called to the English Bar at Gray’s Inn, England and Wales in 1997, and was admitted to the Singapore Bar in 1998.
Mr. JR Ching joined the Group in May 2013 and was appointed as Chief Financial Officer in May 2015 to oversee the Group’s financial functions and strategic business development.
Prior to this role, he served as the Group’s Head of Business Development where he was responsible for developing the Group’s businesses and new business areas, overseeing acquisition and investment opportunities and reviewing the Group’s overall business strategy.
Mr. Ching graduated as a Morehead Scholar from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in International Studies with the Highest Distinction. He then spent over a decade at Goldman Sachs in the Fixed Income, Currency & Commodities, Capital Markets and Investment Banking Divisions in London and Hong Kong, where he was most recently the Head of Structured Finance for the Asia-Pacific ex-Japan region. Mr. Ching has extensive financial and corporate experience in a wide range of business sectors and has executed investing, financing and risk management transactions across Asia, the Middle East, Europe and North America.
Appointed to the board of Yoma Strategic on 15 June 2020, Mr. Paolo Borromeo is an Alternate Director to Mr. Fernando Zobel de Ayala.
Mr. Paolo Borromeo has been the Head of Strategic and Business Development of Ayala Corporation since July 2012, where he oversees the overall corporate planning process, portfolio strategy, group-wide innovation projects, data and analytics, digital initiatives, new business development and special projects.
He has been a member of the Ayala Corporation Management Committee and the Ayala Group Management Committee since September 2014 and serves on the boards of other Ayala companies including AC Energy International, AC Industrial Technology Holdings Inc., AC Ventures Holding Corp., HCX Technology Partners Inc. and Ayala International Holdings Limited.
Mr. Paolo Borromeo also leads Ayala Corporation’s healthcare businesses and is the President and CEO of Ayala Healthcare Holdings, Inc., Zapfam, Inc (FamilyDoc), and Healthway Philippines Inc.; the Chairman of IE Medica and MedEthix; and the Vice Chairman of the Generika Group of Companies. Prior to joining Ayala Corporation, Mr. Paolo Borromeo was a Principal at Booz & Company, a global strategy consulting firm based in San Francisco, California, USA.
Mr. Paolo Borromeo holds a Master in Business Administration from Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania.
Appointed to the Board of Yoma Strategic on 29 January 2021, Professor Annie Koh is a Non-Executive Independent Director of Yoma Strategic.
Professor Koh is the Vice President for Business Development, V3 Group, and Professor of Family Entrepreneurship and Professor of Finance (Practice) at the Singapore Management University (SMU). She is also the Academic Director of two university-level institutes – the Business Families Institute and the International Trading Institute. Prior to these roles, she had previously held the positions of Associate Dean, Lee Kong Chian School of Business, and Dean, Office of Executive and Professional Education at SMU.
Professor Koh is a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council on the New Agenda for Work, Wages and Job Creation. In addition, she chairs the Asian Bond Fund 2 Supervisory Committee of the Monetary Authority of Singapore. She is currently a board member of PBA Group and Prudential Assurance Company Singapore Pte Ltd. and serves on the Customs Advisory Council and MOM HR Transformation Advisory Panel. Professor Koh chairs the TAFEP Awards and advises a number of start-up firms. Previous boards on which she has served includes GovTech and Singapore’s CPF. Her other directorships include AMTD International Inc. and KBS US Prime Property Management Pte. Ltd. (manager of Prime US REIT).
Professor Koh holds a Bachelor of Social Science & Economics (Honours) from National University of Singapore (NUS), a Master of Philosophy and a Doctor of Philosophy in International Finance from New York University. She is also a Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) Scholar and a Fullbright Scholar.
Appointed to the Board of Yoma Strategic on 24 July 2018, Mr. George Thia is a Non-Executive Independent Director of Yoma Strategic and the Chairman of the Audit and Risk Management Committee, and a member of the Remuneration Committee of Yoma Strategic.
Mr. Thia has more than 35 years’ experience in merchant banking and financial services, being actively involved in many corporate finance transactions in Singapore and the surrounding region. He is a Chartered Accountant (Singapore) and practiced as an accountant with Cooper Brothers & Co. (now known as PricewaterhouseCoopers).
Mr. Thia is currently a Business Consultant for Mergers & Acquisitions at GAAB Private Limited and Asianic Private Limited and an advisor to a private equity fund focusing on healthcare, eldercare and education. He is also a board member of two non-profit organisations, the National Cancer Centre and the Singapore Institute of Management.
Mr. Thia was formerly a Managing Director at Morgan Grenfell, Merrill Lynch International, Sun Hung Kai Securities and Lum Chang Securities. He was also an Executive Director and Partner of Kay Hian (now UOB Kay Hian Securities). Mr. Thia was the Executive Chairman of two publicly listed companies and had served as an Independent Director and the Chairman of Audit Committees of several listed companies in Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. He was a consultant to the SGX on the training of regulation officers and rendered advice on the development and launch of the alternative board, SGX Catalist. Mr. Thia practiced business consultancy in association with law firms Rodyk & Davidson (Singapore) from 2003 to 2005 and Kelvin Chia & Partners (Myanmar) from 2012 to 2013. He is also a Director of CH Offshore Ltd.
Mr. Thia is a Life Member of the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants, a Retired Member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (UK) and holds a Master of Gerontology from Singapore University of Social Science (formerly known as UniSIM).
Re-appointed to the Board of Yoma Strategic on 24 July 2019, Dato Timothy Ong is a Non-Executive Independent Director of Yoma Strategic and a member of the Audit and Risk Management Committee, and the Nominating and Governance Committee of Yoma Strategic.
Dato Ong is a leading Brunei businessman who served as the Acting Chairman of the Brunei Economic Development Board (BEDB) from 2005 to 2010. Dato Ong is a member of a number of leading Brunei and regional boards including Asia Inc. Forum, Baiduri Bank Group, National Insurance of Brunei, Hotel Associates Sdn Bhd and the Asian Advisory Board of Prudential Financial. He is also a member of the Board of Governors of the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) and a Trustee of the Ramon Magsaysay Awards Foundation.
Dato Ong has represented Brunei in a number of regional councils including the APEC Business Advisory Council (ABAC), which he chaired in 2000, the APEC Eminent Persons Group, ASEAN Japan Business Meeting and the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council. He is also the recipient of various state honours, including the Most Honourable Order of Seri Paduka Mahkota Brunei (Second Class) (DPMB) by His Majesty, the Sultan of Brunei, which confers the title ‘Dato Paduka’, and the Grand Cross of the Order of Bernardo O’Higgins (highest civilian award) by the President of Chile for his contribution to regional economic cooperation.
Dato Ong holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) Degree in Economics and Political Science from Australian National University and Master of Science (with Distinction) in International Relations from London School of Economics.
Re-appointed to the Board of Yoma Strategic on 29 January 2021, Ms. Wong Su Yen is a Non-Executive Independent Director of Yoma Strategic and the Chairman of the Remuneration Committee, and a member of the Audit and Risk Management Committee of Yoma Strategic.
Ms. Wong Su Yen brings over 20 years of experience in driving business strategy, strategic talent development, organisational transformation, operations re-design and risk management. She is the Chairman of the board of Nera Telecommunications and an Independent Director at CSE Global and First Resources. She also serves on the boards of NTUC First Campus and CPA Australia. She is a Fellow and Chairperson of the Governing Council of Singapore Institute of Directors. Her other directorships include First Resources Ltd., Nera Telecommunications Ltd and CSE Global Ltd.
Ms. Wong holds a Bachelor of Arts (summa cum laude) in Music and Computer Science from Linfield College and Master of Business Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
Re-appointed to the Board of Yoma Strategic on 24 July 2018, Mr. Adrian Chan is the Lead Independent Director of Yoma Strategic and the Chairman of the Nominating and Governance Committee, and a member of the Remuneration Committee of Yoma Strategic.
Mr. Chan is the Head of the Corporate Department and a Senior Partner at the law firm, Lee & Lee. He is a board member of the Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority of Singapore and serves on the Legal Service Commission. He is a council member of the Law Society of Singapore, a member of the Singapore Management University’s Enterprise Board and Vice-Chairman of the Singapore Institute of Directors.
Mr. Chan currently serves as the Chairman of the Corporate Law Advisory Panel at ACRA and has been appointed by the SGX to its Catalist Advisory Panel. His other directorships include AEM Holdings Ltd., Ascendas Funds Management (S) Limited (manager of Ascendas REIT), First REIT Management Limited (f.k.a. Bowsprit Capital Corporation Limited), Hong Fok Corporation Limited and Best World International Limited.
Mr. Chan holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from National University of Singapore.
Re-appointed to the Board of Yoma Strategic on 29 January 2021, Mr. Cyrus Pun is a Non-Executive Director of Yoma Strategic.
Mr. Pun started his career working in the export industry in China and worked for Hutchison Port Holdings’ South China Commercial Division. Mr. Pun joined SPA in 2007 to develop a mixed-used real estate project in Dalian, China.
Mr. Pun currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Memories Group Limited. Prior to Mr. Pun’s appointment as an Executive Director and the Chief Executive Officer of Memories Group Limited, he was an Executive Director of Yoma Strategic and headed the Group’s Real Estate business from 2012 to 2018. During this time, he led the Group’s real estate activities, including some of Myanmar’s largest and most prominent projects, and was responsible for bringing in international partners and investors for these developments. His last initiative at Yoma Strategic was to launch the Group’s expansion into the affordable housing segment.
Mr. Pun holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics from the London School of Economics.