Grand Copthorne Waterfront

Conference 2022

In March 2022, the Singapore Centre for Social Enterprise, raiSE, held our inaugural impact investment conference, The PurpoSE Agenda, which brought together 16 speakers and more than a hundred guests from family offices, foundations, corporates, impact funds, and VCs. There was a mix of active and aspiring players in the impact investment space exchanging meaningful insights on the importance of the social component of ESG. As part of our collaborative financing initiative, we also provide catalytic capital to mobilise more private funding for Social Enterprises to scale their impact.

The Agenda

Explore topics on impact-driven strategies, investment philosophies and what constitutes as social impact in the absence of a universal framework.

10.00 am -

10.30 am

Registration and Breakfast

10.30 am -

10.35 am

Opening Address

10.35 am -

10.45 am

Keynote Speech
by Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies

10.45 am -

11.10 am

Fireside Chat – The PurpoSE Agenda
between Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam and Mr Gautam Banerjee

11.10 am -

11.55 am

Panel 1 – The InterSEction: Impact as a Strategy
Mr Adam Ng, Ms Fang Eu-Lin, Ms Ong Ai Hua, Mr Lien Choong Luen

11.55 am -

12.40 pm

Panel 2 – Changing MindSEts: Insights from Impact Investors
Mr Chik Wai Chiew, Ms Claire Wong, Mr James Tan, Mr Sin Boon Ann

12.40 pm -

1.00 pm

raiSE’s Sharing 

1.00 pm -

2.00 pm

Lunch and Networking
(subject to prevailing guidelines)

Our Speakers

We bring together a diverse and distinguished panel of speakers from the public and private sector.
Senior Managing Director & Chairman, Blackstone Singapore, Chairman, raiSE Board

Mr Gautam Banerjee

Head of Government Affairs & Policy (APAC), Johnson & Johnson

Ms Ong Ai Hua

Partner and Sustainability & Climate Change Practice Leader, PwC Singapore

Ms Fang Eu-Lin

Director of Community Stewardship, Temasek International

Mr Adam Ng

Managing Partner, Quest Ventures

Mr James Tan

CEO & Executive Director, Heritas Capital Management

Mr Chik Wai Chiew

Head, DBS Foundation

Ms Claire Wong

Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for Social Policies

Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam

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Senior Managing Director & Chairman, Blackstone Singapore, Chairman, raiSE Board

Mr Gautam Banerjee

Gautam Banerjee is a Senior Managing Director and Chairman of Blackstone Singapore. Gautam served as Executive Chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) Singapore for nine years until his retirement in December 2012. He spent over 30 years with the firm in various leadership roles in Singapore, India and East Asia. ​

Gautam’s roles outside of Blackstone include serving as an independent director on the Boards of Singapore Airlines Limited, Singapore Telecommunications, and GIC Private Limited. ​

During his nearly four decades in Singapore, Gautam has worked closely with the not-for-profit sector, statutory boards, educational, art and cultural institutions. He is currently a term-trustee of SINDA, Chairman of the Singapore Centre for Social Enterprise, raiSE, pro-chancellor of the National University of Singapore and a board member of the Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA). His former roles have included being a member of the Legal Service Commission, a board member of the Economic Development Board (EDB), the National Heritage Board and a member of the Governing Boards of the School of the Arts and Yale-NUS college. ​

Gautam was a Nominated Member of Parliament in Singapore from 2007 to 2009 and was awarded the Public Service Medal by the Singapore Government in 2014.

Head of Government Affairs & Policy (APAC), Johnson & Johnson

Ms Ong Ai Hua

Ai Hua joined Johnson & Johnson nearly 30 years ago with the desire to make a difference to the lives of people in need. This passion and drive continue today in her role as Head of Government Affairs & Policy for pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and consumer health at Johnson & Johnson in Asia Pacific. She also chairs the Global Community Impact program for J&J in the region. ​

Ai Hua was the Company Group Chair for Janssen, the Pharmaceutical Companies of Johnson & Johnson 2017-2020, and led a team of more than 7000 employees across Asia Pacific with responsibility for regionwide pharmaceutical operations, including in the key markets of Japan and China. She previously served as President of One J&J Southeast Asia, where she helped pioneer and implement J&J’s first-ever, one-company enterprise business model encompassing pharmaceuticals, medical devices, and consumer health. She also led the medical devices business for J&J Medical China to high growth, pioneered incubator model for market appropriate products and led a team to make J&J’s first acquisition for medical devices in China. ​

Ai Hua is a strong advocate for women in leadership and provides guidance and support through local universities and the Young Women’s Leadership Connection Mentorship Program. Ai Hua holds a BSc in Microbiology and Biochemistry and an MBA from the National University of Singapore. She is an advocate for women in leadership, a committed volunteer and council member at the Dover Park Hospice, and an advisory board member of Lee Kong Chian School of Business and Design Singapore Council.

Partner and Sustainability & Climate Change Practice Leader, PwC Singapore

Ms Fang Eu-Lin

Eu-Lin leads the Sustainability & Climate Change practice across PwC Singapore and she is also a member of the wider PwC Global ESG Leadership Team. She also drives the PwC Asia Pac Centre for Sustainability Excellence. She helps clients strategise, implement, report and obtain assurance across a range Environmental, Social and Governance issues. This includes but not limited to in the areas of carbon measurement, decarbonisation and net zero pathways, climate risk assessments, impact assessments, green and sustainable finance, sustainability strategy and sustainability reporting. She has worked in London and Singapore and served clients across financial services, government, real estate, marine, oil and gas, consumer, resources and telecommunications.

Eu-Lin graduated with a Masters in Public Administration from Harvard Kennedy School, Harvard University. She is an Edwards S. Mason Fellow and an alumnus of Harvard Business School. As a practicing Singapore Chartered Accountant, she believes that accountants can play an important role in fighting climate change and advancing sustainability in business and in the community. ​

Eu-Lin serves on not-for-profit boards where she is a board member and Audit & Risk Committee Chairman of a healthcare board and board member and Audit & Risk Committee Chairman of an international school. She is also the board member of an Institute of Higher Learning where she sits as an Audit Committee member and the Deputy Chairman of its business school. She also serves on committees under the Ministry of Sustainability and Environment.

Director of Community Stewardship, Temasek International

Mr Adam Ng

As Director of Community Stewardship at Temasek, Adam drives strategic collaboration across the global investment company’s diverse network of portfolio companies, partners and affiliates with the goal of Connecting People, Uplifting Communities, Protecting the Planet and Advancing Science and Nature. ​

An accomplished corporate professional with more than 15 years of experience managing finance and business activities, Adam focuses on amplifying impact in communities through innovative partnership models. This includes piloting new financing models that drives sustainable impact and outcome. ​

Prior to joining the Community Stewardship team in 2020, Adam spent the last eight years with Temasek’s Portfolio Management and Investment Group team establishing cross-functional partnerships to deliver desired business outcomes. His background and deep insights in Finance and business operations has given him the opportunity to reassess the role of corporate philanthropy in the age of collaboration.

Managing Partner, Quest Ventures

Mr James Tan

James Tan is Managing Partner at Quest Ventures, a top venture capital fund in Asia. Prior to this, James was co-founder and COO of 55tuan, a NASDAQ listed e-commerce group that grew to more than 200 cities and 5,000 employees across China. As the first Singaporean and one of the rarefied few foreigners to found a public listed internet company in China, and for his investments in the next generation of entrepreneurs, James was recognised as an outstanding overseas Chinese by the Overseas Chinese Affairs Office of the State Council of China. For his outstanding global contributions, James received the Alumni Award from the University of South Australia.​

James currently serves as advisor, board member or trustee on the Action Community for Entrepreneurship, Applied Innovation Institute, Business Angel Network of Southeast Asia, Beijing CYL Joint Committee on Entrepreneurship Development, National Research Foundation CGAP Fund, Social Impact Catalyst, Sports Excellence Business, and Vietnam Angel Network)​

James has been guest speaker at China-focused and entrepreneurship events such as ITB Berlin, Private Equity Insights, Stanford-PARC Digital Cities, SWITCH, and World Islamic Economic Forum. He is an advisor or mentor at Chinaccelerator, Founder Institute, and PSA unboXed. He has guest lectured at Fudan, IE, Tsinghua, and UC Berkeley.​

CEO & Executive Director, Heritas Capital Management

Mr Chik Wai Chiew

Wai Chiew has over 20 years of experience in global investment management and strategic business development. Since joining Heritas Capital, he has expanded its private equity investment portfolio and initiated venture capital and fund-of-funds investments into healthcare, education and technology sectors globally. In line with Heritas’ “do well, do good” investment philosophy, he has overseen the integration of ESG and Impact considerations into its investment processes with the objectives of supporting select UN SDG goals. Wai Chiew also serves as advisor and director on multiple boards to advocate sustainable growth and sound governance. ​

Wai Chiew was awarded the Glaxo-EDB scholarship and holds a BA in Economics, Cambridge University, UK; MA, Yale University, USA; and an EMBA, Cheung Kong Graduate School of Business, China. He also served as Honorary Treasurer with the Singapore Venture Capital and Private Equity Association, and currently serves as a member of its ESG committee.

Head, DBS Foundation

Ms Claire Wong

Claire is responsible for driving DBS Foundation’s commitment to champion social entrepreneurship for a better world. Prior to this role, she spent more than 15 years in the energy industry and in government policy. She started out in the Singapore Economic Development Board and moved into consulting for the energy sector. Most recently, she was an energy industry corporate banker at DBS bank. ​

Claire is excited to be on this journey of supporting businesses that have long lasting and life changing social and environmental impact for the world we live. Claire has a BSc (Economics) from the London School of Economics and Political Science and an MPhil (Economics) from the University of Cambridge.

Conference Gallery