Asia Forum 2024 – in person

Tan Sri Mohamad Salim has held numerous positions in different industries during his career, including Non-Executive Chairman of Giant Malaysia (2009-2013) and Non-Executive Chairman of British American Tobacco (Malaysia) Berhad (2012-2016). Tan Sri Mohamad Salim also served as a Commission Member of the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) from 2010 to 2014 and was appointed again as a Commission Member of MCMC on January 2022 to December 2022. Tan Sri Salim was appointed as the Interim Chairman of MCMC on 10 June 2022 and resigned on 20 December 2022.

Tan Sri Salim has been appointed as member of Consultation and Corruption Prevention Panel (“CCPP”) under Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (“MACC”) for a period of two (2) years from 1 April 2022 to 31 March 2024.

Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad (“MAHB”) appointed Tan Sri Salim as Independent Non- Executive Director (“INED”) effective 25 July 2022.

Vivek Sood was appointed as Group Chief Executive Officer (GCEO) and Managing Director of Axiata Group Berhad (Axiata) on 24 March 2023 after serving as Joint Acting GCEO since June 2022. He was appointed as Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO) of Axiata in 2017.

Before joining Axiata, he was the Executive Vice President and Group Chief Marketing Officer of Telenor Group. He also held positions as CFO and CEO of Telenor India, CEO of Grameenphone (Bangladesh) and Chief Operating Officer and CFO of Tata AIA Life Insurance (India).

Mr Sood also serves as the Chairman of the Boards of Axiata Digital & Analytics Sdn Bhd and Boost Holdings Sdn Bhd.

Bio coming soon ….

Ahmed Saady Yaamin is an experienced professional with global proven experience of providing leadership and strategic vision to AI, analytics, and digital transformation journey.He has hands on experience in driving AI and Analytics transformation and managing end-to-end responsibility of all data of the organization. Strong track record of driving business results through strategic vision and leading execution of strategy, AI, analytics, and IT.

Ms Aileen Chia is currently the Deputy Chief Executive and Director-General (Telecoms and Post) of the IMDA, a statutory board in the Singapore government which regulates the infocomm, media and postal sectors, and comprises the Personal Data Protection Commission. She has served as a Board member of the Singapore Network Information Centre (a subsidiary of IMDA) since 2009 and has been its Chairman since 2020.

Ms Chia seeks to create a competitive, internationally-connected and trusted environment to enable the development of the infocomm, media and postal sectors in Singapore through the formulation and implementation of policy and regulatory frameworks, and development strategies for these sectors.

Ms Chia holds a Bachelor Degree in Economics (Honours) and a Masters of Public Policy from the National University of Singapore.

Alasdair Grant has more than 20 years’ experience in the telecommunications sector, for most of this time holding “Head of Asia” positions in the public policy, corporate development, and regulatory functions of major global operators. In these roles he specialised in market entry and development through infrastructure investment and alliances. He has worked for the GSMA, Reliance, Verizon Enterprise, and Level 3/Lumen.

Mr Grant is an experienced reform advocate throughout Asia and has founded and led regional industry associations and delegations. He is the founding editor and co-author of Australian Telecommunications Regulation, currently in its 4th edition.

Mr Grant has degrees in Law and Australian Literature from the University of Sydney, Australia.

Arisa Siong is a public and regulatory affairs professional with extensive experience in telecom and digital industries. She is currently Director of Public and Regulatory Affairs for Telenor Asia. Arisa has extensive experience in telecom policy and regulation, including in relation to spectrum. Previously, she worked on infocomm and technology policy matters for the Infocomm and Media Development Authority of Singapore and has prior experience as a consultant for DotEcon, a London-based economic consultancy specialising in networked industries. Ms Siong has special interest in digital/technology policy and has written on blockchain and competition policy in a World Scientific book on Blockchain Economics.

Beltsazar Krisetya is a researcher in digital politics and internet governance at the Jakarta-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies. He has led major research projects on issues like disinformation, data privacy, and cybersecurity in Indonesia and Southeast Asia.  Mr Krisetya has engaged extensively with policymakers and published widely to shape tech policy and strengthen democratic participation, most recently through the Safer Internet Lab (SAIL) ahead of Indonesia’s 2024 elections. He is also expanding his research to examine emerging powers’ approaches to digital governance and their global implications.

Charles Chew has over 25 years of experience in Government Affairs, with the last 10 focusing on policy and regulatory issues in the telecommunications and ICT sectors. Prior to joining Nokia, Charles was the Policy Director APAC at the GSMA.

His previous experience also included roles in the Singapore government, the last appointment being Director (International) at the Infocomm Media Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA), where he was involved in Telecommunications, ICT, Internet and Digital Economy issues.

As Chief Policy Officer, Clare Bloomfield represents the combined positions of AVIA’s members and engages in constructive policy-related dialogues with governments so they may better understand the curated video industry and foster an environment of support for the growth of the industry. Ms Bloomfield will also look to develop and execute policy initiatives and research relevant to the video industry, in consultation with, and on behalf of, AVIA member companies. Ms Bloomfield joined AVIA in September 2017 having previously worked as a UK diplomat. Her previous postings as a diplomat include the British Consulate-General, Hong Kong, Washington DC, Slovakia, Ghana and Pakistan.

Mr Derek John Fernandez is a Commission Member of the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission.  He is also the Chairman of the Malaysian Communication and Multimedia Commission’s Online Harms and Information Security Committee, Legal Committee and Nomination and Remuneration Committee.

Mr Fernandez is also a director of CyberSecurity Malaysia (CSM) and a member of its Cybersecurity Audit Committee. He has also written a paper with an action plan entitled “Cybersecurity : The need for a change in Approach” dated 26 August 2022, which was submitted to the Minister of Communications and Digital.

The paper has been used in part to formulate National Cybersecurity strategies and policies. Mr Fernandez is also the Chairman of MCMC’s Technical Committee involved in preparing draft Guidelines on Information and Network Security for communications and multimedia industry. He has also developed Cybersecurity policies that have been implemented nationally which include: anti scam and fraud measures and policies, licensing of OTT platforms, national internet registry and IPV 6 adoption and digital sovereignty concepts.

Desi Indrimayutri is the Head of Government Affairs & Public Policy for Cisco ASEAN. She also supports Country Digital Acceleration (CDA), Cisco’s investment to support host country digital agenda. Prior to Cisco, Ms Indrimayutri served as the Indonesia Chief of US-ASEAN Business Council, a US business association headquartered in Washington DC.

Previously, she served as advisor to the government of Indonesia under AusAid grant stationed at the Vice President’s office (TNP2K), national development ministry (Bappenas) and coordinating ministry for people’s welfare. She has 20-year extensive experience in development, especially in poverty reduction strategy and policies, governance and democracy building (with the International Republican Institute) where she worked closely with donor agencies, CSOs, local governments, parliament members and political parties in Indonesia and ASEAN. She had some experience working with the Netherland Court of Audit, Dutch parliament and EU parliament in Brussel. Ms Indrimayutri is a certified clinical hypnotherapist and resource therapist.

Ella Serry is the Manager of International Engagement at the eSafety Commissioner, Australia’s online safety regulator.

Ms Serry leads a team focused on advancing eSafety’s international strategic priorities with other regulators, governments, multi-lateral organisations, international NGOs, academics and policy experts, as well as delivering online safety capacity building projects in the Indo-Pacific region.

Ms Serry joined eSafety in early 2019 as a Senior Education Advisor. Prior to joining eSafety, she developed and delivered a number of child safety and student wellbeing initiatives across government and the non-government sector.

Esther Peh is responsible for strategy and execution of media and emerging policy issues across the Asia-Pacific region. Based in Singapore, she engages across a spectrum of internal and external stakeholders on theatrical, production, online curated content, privacy, crossborder data flows, content protection and digital services tax matters.

Ms Peh previously worked at the Ministry of Trade and Industry in Singapore. She negotiated several regional and bilateral free trade agreements, advanced Singapore’s foreign economic policy at international organizations, and was a former diplomat with the Permanent Mission of Singapore to the World Trade Organization (WTO) and chair of the WTO Committee on Technical Barriers to Trade.

Ms Peh graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Business Administration.

Dr Hans Wijayasuriya was appointed as Group Executive Director and CEO of Telecommunications Business of Axiata on 24 March 2023 after serving as Joint Acting GCEO since June 2022. He has functioned in the capacity of CEO of Telecommunications Business since January 2020. In this role, he is responsible for Axiata’s Digital Telecommunications Operating Companies across ASEAN and South Asia, and also leads the Group’s Enterprise and Wholesale Businesses.

In 2016, Dr Wijayasuriya was appointed as Corporate Executive Vice President & Regional Chief Executive Officer, South Asia Operations of Axiata. Up to the end of 2016, Dr Hans also served as the Group CEO of Dialog Axiata PLC (Dialog), Sri Lanka. He joined Dialog’s founding management team in 1994 and took on the role of CEO in 1997. From 2012 till 2014, Dr Wijayasuriya was also the founding CEO of Axiata Digital Services Sdn Bhd.

Dr Wijayasuriya also serves as the Chairman of the Board Risk and Compliance Committee of Ncell Axiata Limited.

Bio coming soon ….

Håkon Bruaset Kjøl (Haakon Bruaset Kjoel) is a senior corporate and public affairs leader and has held senior global and regional leadership roles in the telecommunications sector across Europe and Asia.

As Telenor Asia’s Head of Investment Management, he is responsible for Telenor’s activities in Malaysia, Thailand, Bangladesh and Pakistan including its ownership in the new CelcomDigi Berhad, Malaysia’s leading telecommunications company and in True Corporation, Thailand’s leading telecom-tech company.

Mr Bruaset Kjøl joined Telenor Group in 1995 and has gained extensive international experience through his involvement in Telenor’s international activities in Europe and for the last 24 years in Asia

Ivan Koh is Director, Infocomm Policy, Infocomm Media Development Authority, Singapore and leads the development of policy and regulatory moves needed to advance Singapore’s competitiveness and interests in the Digital Domain. He is responsible for IMDA’s Digital Regulations efforts particularly in the Digital Infrastructure domain to build trust, mitigate risks and enable business growth.

Prior to holding office as Director Infocomm Policy, Mr Koh spearheaded the formation of the Technology Governance Office at IMDA. which was responsible for IMDA’s and the Ministry of Trade and Industry’s pioneering work to forge Singapore’s new international agreements and partnerships for the digital economy (Digital Economy Agreements). As co-Chief Negotiator, he successfully concluded the first of its kind Digital Economy Partnership Agreement with New Zealand and Chile, and the Singapore Australia Digital Economy Agreement which establishes international rules, set benchmarks and align standards in wide-ranging and critical aspects of the digital economy, including artificial intelligence and digital identities.

Prior to joining the public service, Mr Koh was a lawyer at Baker McKenzie. He has experience advising on contentious and non-contentious matters relating to Technology, Media and Telecommunications.

Eng. J.A.S. Gunanandana is a seasoned professional with a rich background in telecommunications. He graduated from the University of Moratuwa, Sri Lanka in 1994 and commenced his career in the private sector, where he gained valuable experience over a four-year period. In 1998, he transitioned to the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka, assuming the role of Assistant Director.
Driven by a commitment to continuous learning, Eng. Gunanandana pursued postgraduate education, earning a Post Graduate Diploma in Information Management from the Sri Lanka Institute of Information Technology. He furthered his academic achievements by obtaining a Master’s in Science from the same institution.

Eng. Gunanandana is a distinguished Chartered Engineer and holds corporate membership with prestigious organizations, including the Institute of Engineers Sri Lanka, the Sri Lanka Engineering Council, and the Institute of Engineering Technology. Currently serving as the Director of Spectrum Management at the Telecommunications Regulatory Commission of Sri Lanka, he brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the telecommunications sector.

With an impressive track record spanning 30 years in the telecommunications field, Eng. Gunanandana continues to play a pivotal role in shaping and advancing the regulatory landscape in Sri Lanka.

Jean-Jacques Sahel was appointed Asia-Pacific Information Policy Lead at Google in November 2019, overseeing Google’s public policy approach in the region for issues including misinformation, online safety and intermediary liability.

He has been involved in international government and regulatory affairs for over 15 years in both the private and government sectors. Before joining Google, Mr Sahel was Managing Director of ICANN’s Brussels office and led the organisation’s corporate strategy and operations across the European region. He also led ICANN’s strategic plan for outreach, support and engagement with governments, private sector, and user groups throughout Europe, and worldwide for civil society.

Previously, Mr Sahel headed government and regulatory affairs for Skype, then digital policy at Microsoft for Europe, Middle-East & Africa regions. He had started his career in the City of London, before spending several years in the UK Government, leading in particular its international telecommunications policy.

Ex officio, Mr Sahel chaired the UK Chapter of the International Institute of Communications (IIC) from 2009-2019.  He currently serves on the IIC’s Board and is Chair of the IIC Strategy Committee. He was a member of OSAB, the Advisory Board of UK communications regulator Ofcom for 2 terms until 2016. He has authored articles and research in both mainstream media and academic publications particularly on Internet policy and governance.

Toff Rada is the Head of Public Policy for ByteDance, where he leads corporate engagement with government and external stakeholders in the Philippines and Malaysia. Among the products he represents is the leading short-form mobile video platform TikTok.

Toff has over 15 years of experience as a public affairs executive and media practitioner. Previously, he held leadership roles in industries such as Food & Beverage and Water.

He completed his Bachelor of Arts in Sociology and Juris Doctor both from the University of the Philippines. He has also attended executive education courses in the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy at the National University of Singapore and the Columbia Business School.

Lim May-Ann is the Director of the Data Governance practice at technology consultancy firm Access Partnership, and is concurrently the Executive Director of the Asia Cloud Computing Association (ACCA). She has worked extensively on digital policy, including data governance issues, digital economy development, emerging technology such as Web3 and blockchain, metaverse development, ICTs for development, equitable access to finance and digital tools, sustainability challenges in the technology space, and cybersecurity. She has worked with many global, regional, and local organisations such as APEC, ASEAN, PECC, INTERPOL, Council of Europe (CoE), the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR), the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC), FELEBAN in Latin America, and the Asia Internet Coalition (AIC), on thought leadership development, government outreach and stakeholder engagement efforts.

She is appointed to the Singapore Data Protection Appeal Panel 2019-2023 (2 terms), and sits on various international agency task forces, such as the World Bank Group’s Cloud and Data Infrastructure Private Sector Advisory Committee, World Economic Forum (WEF)’s Digital ASEAN Taskforce, the Data & Jurisdiction Team for the Internet & Jurisdiction Policy Network.

A strong advocate for career coaching, inclusive education and digital policies, Ms Lim also volunteers as a youth mentor with Advisory Singapore, and is the chairman of nonprofit organisation Engineering Good, which focuses on assistive technology and digital inclusion of the underprivileged and disabled. An active dive instructor, Ms Lim also organizes sea cleanups and advocates for ocean sustainability.

Lynn Robinson became Director General of the International Institute of Communications (IIC), in March 2020.

Lynn is an experienced senior director and trustee / non exec-director, having held key senior leadership positions in the technology, built environment, regulation, accreditation and dental industries. She has extensive experience of professional membership bodies working within the full spectrum including, Regulatory bodies, Industry associations and Chambers of Commerce. Lynn is a well-known and established ambassador in these areas having led on many strategic programmes to aid engagement, growth, retention, change management, stakeholder and political engagement.

An experienced Trustee / Non-Executive Director as Vice Chair at Arnos Vale Cemetery Trust, a unique heritage site in the heart of Bristol (UK), Lynn is also a Trustee / Non-Executive Director at The Bristol and Bath (UK), Parks Foundation.

Reflecting on becoming Director General at the IIC at the outbreak of a pandemic, Lynn said, ‘these last two years have been like no other we have known, with many challenges coming our way. In 2020 we successfully pivoted the organisation through a digital transformation programme to maintain a full schedule of events and by increasing the outputs delivered. Transforming the programme enabled us to continue to deliver the professional service and increase our engagement with IIC members and stakeholder community to remain connected to them through such a difficult time.

As we move through 2022, I am delighted to return to a combined in-person and online programme and to continue to evolve the IIC in to the next phase, with the vision and strategic focus to deliver our objectives and to build on our growth, engagement and retention’.

Mediha Mahmood is legal and regulatory professional with cumulative 20 years of post-qualified experience in top legal firms and public listed companies. including Astro, Air Asia, and PricewaterhouseCoopers Malaysia. Adept at navigating regulatory landscapes, shaping policies and managing strategic collaborations, she has established a solid reputation as an efficient strategic communicator.

Ms Mahmood was appointed as the Executive Director of the Communications and Multimedia Content Forum (CMCF), effective 1 February 2021 and stepped into the position of CEO on 1 November 2023. Since taking up the leadership role at CMCF, she has spearheaded its complete rebranding and led the revamp of the Content Code, with nationwide involvement of industry players, policy-makers, and members of the public. She has recently led efforts by international Online Curated Content (OCC) service providers in publishing ‘The OCC Guidelines’, designed as a supportive tool for all OCC service providers in Malaysia.

Ms Mahmood holds an LL.B (Hons) degree in Law from the International Islamic University of Malaysia and initially chartered her career path as a legal practitioner; at the firm Messrs. Shearn Delamore & Co. in the Corporate & Commercial Department. She subsequently continued practicing law at Messrs. Zul Rafique & Partners, in the Litigation and Disputes Resolution Department where she gained additional experience in arbitration and mediation. While being a member of the Malaysian Bar Council, Mediha actively volunteered at the Legal Aid Centre in Kuala Lumpur, providing legal services to the underprivileged and unrepresented detainees in prison.

Ms Mahmood is a seasoned public speaker and certified trainer, adept at tailoring her communication style to diverse global audiences, including industry practitioners and the general public. Additionally, she serves as an independent consultant on industry matters, specializing in Malaysia’s regulatory standards, content laws, and regulations.

Graduated from the Universiti of Brunei Darussalam (UBD) in 2008 with Bachelor Degree Major in Public Policy and Administration and Minor in Financial Accounting. She started joining the Authority for Info-communications Industry of Brunei Darussalam (AITI) in May 2009 with a managerial post looking after tariff, access and interconnection matters as well as consumer complaints handling.

In December 2020, promoted as the Senior Manager of Market Access and Competition under the umbrella of the Market Regulation Group to look after 3 units mainly Licensing, Price Regulation and Competition; and of which Melissa has led each individual unit in her early years in AITI.

Throughout 14 years of service as the telecommunications regulator in Brunei Darussalam, Melissa have gained vast experiences and knowledge in her involvement of many regulatory projects such as:
▪ Direction on Creating a Level Playing Field for the Mobile Market for the implementation of Sender Keeps All (SKA) interconnection regime, removal of incoming call charges and equalization of on-net off net charges by all telecom service providers;
▪ Transformation of the telecommunications sector, where network infrastructure of all telecommunications were consolidated into one single provider.
▪ Market review to ensure continued relevance of regulatory measures in light of the changes in the market structure which took place in 2019/2020;
▪ Drafting and implementation of regulatory instruments in relation to competition and tariff; and
▪ Bilateral arrangement for the reduction of international mobile roaming charges between Brunei Darussalam and Singapore.

Mohamed AlNoaimi, the Director of Technology and Network Security at the Telecom Regulatory Authority of Bahrain. With a robust 13-year tenure in the telecom industry, Mohamed boasts a technical background in fixed and wireless networks. His expertise has played a pivotal role in achieving significant milestones, including multiple spectrum awards and substantial contributions to three of the nation’s six telecom plans. Passionate about ensuring the latest technologies are embraced safely, Mohamed is dedicated to safeguarding consumer interests in the ever-evolving landscape of telecommunications.

Muhammad Khurram Siddiqui has worked for the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) since 2002 and deals with Law & Regulations related matters. During his service in the PTA, he has dealt with a diversified nature of legal issues related to telecom policies, licensing, enforcement of licensing terms and conditions, drafting of various legal instruments which, inter alia, includes rules, regulations and other regulatory instruments etc. as well as active participation in various committees at different level focusing on legislation pertaining to telecom and electronic crimes law etc.  He also provides legal input while adjudicating telecom related matters and drafting legal documents.

Mr Siddiqui attends various forums as a speaker on telecom and electronic crimes related legislation in Pakistan.

Mr Haghighi is the chief international legal and regulatory officer for Verizon and is responsible for strategic-level legal, regulatory and policy advice regarding Verizon’s business operations outside the United States, including those in the European Union, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Canada, Latin America and the Asia Pacific region. Navid manages a team of legal, regulatory and public policy professionals based on five continents around the globe who provide advice and guidance on a wide variety of matters including commercial contracts, regulatory, public policy, marketing and business strategy as well as corporate, privacy, product development, labor, employment and security. Prior to this role, Mr Haghighi was responsible for legal and regulatory strategy in connection with Verizon’s deployment of 5G (next generation wireless communication).

Mr Haghighi previously served as Executive Vice President and General Counsel and Board Secretary for XO Communications, prior to XO’s acquisition by Verizon. In that role, Navid led all legal, regulatory, compliance and external affairs functions. Prior to joining XO, Navid held legal and business positions at MCI and AOL where he focused on IP and high-tech transactional matters, and was in private practice with a Washington, DC law firm.

In addition to a law degree, Mr Haghighi holds undergraduate and graduate degrees in Computer Science. Navid serves on the Board of the National Capital Region Chapter of the Association of Corporate Counsel (ACC-NCR), and served as its president during 2018.

Bio coming soon …..

Since February 2024, Ms Pulsiri Ninkitsaranont has served as the Assistant Secretary General of Telecommunication Cluster, Office of the NBTC. She has brought knowledge and competence in the fields of management, engineering, and information technology at the executive level to create new perspective on work.

Ms Pulsiri has served as Executive Director of Telecommunication Policy and Resource Management Bureau from 2020 to February 2024. She is mainly responsible for key policy implementation, for example IMT spectrum allocation, telecom network expansion regulation, merger and acquisition regulation, rights of way and underground cabling regulation, as well as telecom development masterplan implementation, monitoring, and evaluation.

In 2013, Ms Pulsiri was assigned as Executive Director of Services-based Telecommunications Business Licensing Bureau. She was responsible for considering telecom business license proposals and regulating the businesses. She also played key role in revising telecom business licensing regulation to correspond to the market conditions.

She holds a bachelor degree in Instrumentation Engineering from King Mongkut’s Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, the top institute for engineering in Thailand, and Master of Science in Electrical Engineering with Specialization in Digital Signal Processing from Michigan Technological University, USA

Rajesh Sreenivasan is a Partner and Head of the Technology, Media & Telecommunications Law Practice at Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP and the Coordinating Partner for the firms’ multidisciplinary and cross-practice Data and Digital Economy (DDE) Legal Services. He is a Director and Co-founder of Rajah & Tann Technologies Pte Ltd and Rajah & Tann Cybersecurity Pte Ltd which are the Legaltech arms of Rajah & Tann Asia. With over 20 years in practice, he has been universally recognised as the leading technology, media and telecoms lawyer in Singapore by all major professional ranking agencies and noted as one of the top TMT lawyers the Asia Pacific region. Mr Sreenivasan has been at the forefront of legal, regulatory and policy matters relating to technology procurement, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, data protection, analytics and governance, telecommunications, electronic commerce, cloud computing, distributed ledger technologies, digital forensics and digital media in the region. He has since built a team of over 50 lawyers with significant depth.

Mr Sreenivasan is the only Singapore lawyer serving on the Legal Advisory Group to the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) UK Centre for Digital Trade and Innovation. As an appointed member of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence (GPAI) OECD project, he contributes actively to the multinational initiative by providing a representative deep dive into Singapore’s legislations on Artificial Intelligence and brainstorming on innovative best practices in complying with global regulatory guidelines.

Rita Irina Wahab is currently the Director of Regulatory and Corporate Affairs, Astro where one of her key remits will be to manage all the various anti-piracy activities within the Group. Rita’s extensive background includes roles in regulatory affairs, public policy, stakeholder management, and partnership strategies, most recently as the Head of Government Affairs at Shopee Malaysia and more notably as the Vice President of Public Affairs & Communication for Huawei Malaysia, where she oversaw policy-to-market initiatives encompassing ICT Technology, Digital Economy, and Smart Solutions. Ms Wahab also played a pivotal role as a Senior Manager in the Performance Management & Delivery Unit (PEMANDU), a unit under the Prime Minister’s Department, overseeing the implementation and progress assessment of the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP). Her distinguished career also includes positions in PETRONAS and PROTON Bhd.

While at Huawei, Ms Wahab jointly developed the Sarawak Women Leadership (SWOT) program with the Women Leadership Foundation (WLF). Recipient of the 2022 Outstanding Women CEO Leadership Excellence Award, Ms Wahab has about 23 years of experience in public policy, transformation advisory, program strategy, project implementation, and category management.

Ms Wahab holds a degree in Chemical Engineering (Petrochemical & Process) from the University Technology PETRONAS.

Sidney Tsan joined the Office of the Communications Authority (OFCA), Hong Kong in 2007. He is now the Assistant Director of Regulatory Affairs Branch and is responsible for the licensing and regulatory affairs of public telecommunications services and the facilitation of 5G network development. Prior to joining OFCA, he had held management positions in Hutchison Telephone, PCCW, Cisco Systems and Huawei Technologies.

Mr Tsan holds a bachelor degree of science in engineering and a master degree of business administration from the University of Hong Kong. He also holds a master degree of arts in EU competition law from King’s College, London. He is a member of the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

Tony Verghese’s practice largely focuses on corporate matters in various industrial sectors with a specialized focus on companies in the telecommunication and technology sectors. He handles complex regulatory assignments (advisory & licensing) in the telecom & satellite communications sectors, merger & acquisitions, commercial contractual reviews, due diligence exercises, foreign investment related matters, real estate, employment law matters and multifaceted commercial negotiations on behalf of various clients. His practice areas include advising clients on setting up business in India, day-to-day business operations, corporate compliance, licensing and regulatory matters. In addition, Tony regularly advises on all types of commercial and corporate contracts.

His experience over more than two decades in the Telecom and Information Technology (IT) sector involves providing regulatory advice, on setting up highly regulated businesses in India involving licensing, contracting, technology licensing agreements, advice on setting up STPI’s (Software Technology Parks of India) and SEZ’s (Special Economic Zone) and general legal issues involving Telecom and IT companies.

Tony also advises overseas companies in setting up business operations in India and assists them in setting up subsidiaries / branches / liaison office, real estate acquisitions by way of lease or leave and license our purchase, obtaining various statutory registrations and conducting corporate compliance and legal audits.

Wai San Wong is Senior Manager, Policy – APAC at BSA | The Software Alliance. She works with BSA members in the APAC region to develop policies and strategies on a range of data governance issues, including privacy and AI.

Before joining BSA, Ms Wong served just under two decades in the Singapore public service, including at the Personal Data Protection Commission and the Infocomm Media Development Authority. In the former capacity, she helped to shape national policies on cross border data flows, data breach notifications, and children’s data protection. Prior to this, she also held key roles in the TechSkills Accelerator Programme, a national infocomm talent development programme, and the Next Generation Nationwide Broadband Network that brought broadband fibre connections to every Singapore home and business.

Ms Wong received a MA and a BA (Hons) in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge, UK. She holds the Certified Information Privacy Professional/Europe credential by the International Association of Privacy Professionals.

Yan Xi Chan is Senior Manager for Government Affairs and Public Policy at Salesforce. Salesforce empowers companies of every size and industry to connect with their customers through the power of data + AI + CRM + trust. In this role, Ms Chan is a dedicated advocate for Salesforce’s policy and regulatory strategies, driving impactful engagements with key policy stakeholders in the Southeast Asia and Greater China region.
With a solid foundation and over a decade of experience, Ms Chan has served in various capacities within the Singapore government. Throughout her tenure at the Infocomm Media Development Authority, Ms Chan played a pivotal role in shaping policies and initiatives that contribute to Singapore’s technological advancement and economic growth, including fostering the growth of premium data centers and advancing tech human capital development.

Ms Chan started her career as an IT consultant in Accenture, and holds an Engineering degree from Carnegie Mellon University. She is also a certified Salesforce AI Associate.

Director for International Policy Coordination, Global Digital Policy Office, Global Strategy Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Government of Japan

Yasunari Ueno is Director for International Policy Coordination, Global Digital Policy Office, Global Strategy Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), Government of Japan

Since he joined MIC, Mr. Ueno has worked in various positions mainly related to ICT such as the Deputy Director in the Standardization Division and International Corporation Division. He also has the experience of working in a local government, Tamano city office, Okayama prefecture as a Policy Director. He is currently in charge of multinational relationship in the field of ICT including G7 and G20.

Mr Ueno graduated with a Bachelor of Law from Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo and obtained a Master of Public Administration (MPA) from the University of York, UK and a MSc Media and Communications from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.

Yee Ler Lau leads Tencent’s public affairs and policy work in Southeast Asia. He oversees the company’s engagements with governments and other partners on programmes and policy developments to promote the positive impact of technology on the economy and community.

Prior to Tencent, Mr Lau spent eight years with the Singapore Foreign Service and worked on cross-cutting issues including foreign policy, economic partnerships, and security. He also served as a diplomat at the Singapore Embassy in Jakarta.

Mr Lau holds a bachelor’s degree from Cambridge University and a master’s degree from the Geneva Graduate Institute.

Yi Shen Chan specialises in policy and regulatory issues in the telecommunications, media and technology sector. His experience includes radio spectrum policy and management, digital broadcasting, economic regulation of telecommunications infrastructure, and competition issues in the communications and audio-visual markets.

Most recently, he was a director at Plum Consulting where he specialised in spectrum management issues, such as allocation, valuation and pricing of spectrum for mobile and other uses, cost benefit analyses and impact assessments of policies and regulations relating to mobile and other wireless technologies. Yi Shen has led numerous consultancy projects and advised governments, regulators and industry players around the world, including Australia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand and the UK.

Yien-Chyn Tan is currently a Stakeholder Engagement Senior Manager at ICANN. She engages with the community in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region and facilitates their participation in ICANN’s multistakeholder Internet governance discussions.

Ms Tan joined ICANN in May 2016. Prior to her current role, she was with ICANN’s Contractual Compliance Team.

Ms Tan graduated with an Honours Degree in Economics from the National University of Singapore, and is CCEP-I (Certified Compliance & Ethics Professional- International) certified.

Yih-Choung Teh is Group Director, Strategy and Research at Ofcom. The group leads on setting Ofcom’s overarching strategy, drawing on insights from our research and analysis of the sectors we regulate. He has previously been a Director in Ofcom’s Competition Group, working on issues including Ofcom’s strategy to encourage investment in telecoms infrastructure, and overseeing Ofcom’s broadcasting and media competition programme.

Before joining Ofcom, Mr Teh worked for a strategy consultancy in the telecoms sector, providing policy and strategy advice to public and private sector clients globally. Prior to this he held an academic research post in the University of Oxford.

Yoonee Jeong is the Senior Digital Tech Specialist, Climate Change and Sustainable Development Department (CCSD) at ADB.

Ms Jeong is a public policy professional in digital technologies with over twenty years of international experience. Before joining ADB, Ms Jeong was the Director of Public and Regulatory Affairs with the Telenor Group, a global mobile operator, and led the advisory and stakeholder engagement on policy and regulatory issues related to telecommunications, emerging digital technologies, and data governance in Asia.

Previously, Ms Jeong led several research and policy analysis projects on the digital economy, digital infrastructure, e-commerce, cloud computing, and data privacy and cybersecurity for both the public and private sector clients as a senior consultant to the World Bank and as the Director of Research and Consulting with TRPC, an advisory firm. She also spearheaded capacity-building initiatives to foster the digital transformation of government services and women-led businesses with the United Nations ESCAP/APCICT and APWINC, an international NGO.

Ms Jeong obtained her Master’s degree in International Development Policy from Duke University as a Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Scholar and her bachelor’s from the Ateneo de Manila University of the Philippines.