AI & Web3: Pioneering a Sustainable Future

Mr Chan was appointed the Under Secretary for Financial Services and the Treasury on 16 August 2017.

Mr Chan has many years of senior executive experience in the banking industry. He was a Managing Director in the Global Markets Division of Credit Agricole Corporate & Investment Bank, and was a Managing Director in Financial Markets of Standard Chartered Bank.

Prior to joining the Government, Mr Chan held multiple roles in a number of public and professional bodies, including Vice President of the Hong Kong Society of Financial Analysts, Director of Hong Kong Securities & Investment Institute, Advisor of the Chinese Gold & Silver Exchange Society, as well as a General Committee member of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce. Mr Chan was also a member of the Central & Western District Council.

Mr Chan holds a Bachelor of Arts in Economics (Hon) and Psychology from the University of Michigan, USA. He is also a Chartered Financial Analyst.

Georgina Lok is the Head (Market Development) of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA), responsible for formulating and implementing various initiatives to promote the development of Hong Kong's financial sector. Since joining the HKMA, Georgina has taken up responsibilities in different areas, including corporate development as well as international and regional cooperation. From 2017-2020, she was seconded to the International Monetary Fund, where she served as an Advisor to the Executive Director for China.

Anthony is a director of the Intermediaries Supervision Department. He is responsible for carrying out on-site inspections of firms for the purpose of identifying and managing risky firms and detecting misconduct.  He is also responsible for policy formulation with a specific focus on asset management industry and sustainable finance initiatives as well as sponsors, corporate finance advisors, bookbuilding and placing activities.  

Prior to joining the SFC, Anthony worked in corporate finance and equity capital market teams at global investment banks.  Anthony graduated from Carleton College with a B.A. in Economics. He also holds a JD/MBA double degree from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Ms. Poman Lo is the Vice Chairman of Century City International Holdings Limited and Vice Chairman and Managing Director of Regal Hotels Group, Founding Managing Partner of AlphaTrio Capital, Founder of Institute of Sustainability and Technology, Founder of Bodhi Love Foundation, Adjunct Professor of The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology and The University of Hong Kong.

Poman has been officially appointed as Member of Chief Executive’s Policy Unit Expert Group, Member of the Green Technology and Finance Development Committee, Council Member of Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Foundation Member of Hong Kong Science and Technology Park, Member of the Advisory Board of the Hong Kong Academy for Wealth Legacy, Member of the Curriculum Development Council Standing Committee on Values Education, and also serves as the Honorary President of Hong Kong Federation of Women. As a global champion of sustainable development, Poman takes an active leadership role at the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP). She was appointed Co-Chair of the ESBN Finance Task Force and member of the Executive Committee of ESBN, and serves as Chair of the Asia Pacific Business Forum Organizing Committee and Chair of Asia Pacific Green Deal for Business Committee. 

Poman was awarded the Angier B. Duke Scholarship at 15 and graduated summa cum laude with a BA in Psychology from Duke University at 19. She is the only person in Hong Kong history to receive both the “Outstanding Young Person of the World Award” and the “Hong Kong Outstanding Students Award”. She is also the first and only female Asian recipient of the “Oslo Business for Peace Award” by the Business for Peace Foundation in Norway, selected by an independent committee of Nobel Prize Laureates in Peace and Economics. In 2023, she was awarded the “Business Person of the Year Award” at the DHL/SCMP Hong Kong Business Awards.

Mr. Chan Sai Ming, Simon, is the Vice Chairman and Executive Director of Nanyang Commercial Bank Limited. He is also a member of the Strategy and Development Committee, the Risk Management Committee, as well as the Connected Transaction Committee of the Bank. Mr. Chan has been in the banking industry for more than 30 years, with solid experience in the financial industry, the information technology industry and bank-wide operations. Before assuming his current role, Mr. Chan was a senior executive of Group Audit of Bank of China (Hong Kong) and Nanyang Commercial Bank in different functions, responsible for information technology audit and various management areas of the bank for years.

Mr. Chan is currently also a director of Cinda Financial Holdings Company Limited, Nanyang Commercial Bank (China) Limited, Nova Credit Limited, Hong Kong Interbank Clearing Limited (HKICL), HKICL Services Limited and Hong Kong Trade Finance Platform Company Limited.

Mr. Chan actively participates in community service, including serving as the Chairman of Hong Kong Internet Registration Corporation Limited, the Chairman of the Banking & Finance Training Board of the Vocational Training Council of Hong Kong and a Member of the Banking Industry Training Advisory Committee of the Education Bureau.  He is also the past President of ISACA China Hong Kong Chapter and is at present the Vice-chairman of Hong Kong Information Technology Joint Council Limited.  He also serves as a director in the Hong Kong Chinese Enterprises Association and a committee member of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong, as well as a member for the Financial & Treasury Services Committee of Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce and an advisor of Our Hong Kong Foundation.

Mr. Chan graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science and obtained a Master’s degrees in Science and a Master’s degree in Commerce in Accounting from the University of Ulster and the University of New South Wales respectively. He is also a Certified Information Systems Auditor and a Certified Internal Auditor.

As the Head of Financial Services and Fintech at InvestHK, the department of the Hong Kong SAR Government responsible for attracting Foreign Direct Investment, King’s mission is to enrich the ecosystem and contribute to raising the long-term competitiveness and innovation of the financial services sector in Hong Kong. King achieves this goal through collaboration with a broad range of stakeholders – regulators, financial institutions, investors, fintech companies, associations, etc. in Hong Kong, the Greater Bay Area, and other major international financial and fintech hubs.

Prior to joining the government, King had a diverse private sector background as a serial tech entrepreneur, angel investor, fintech lecturer where his first data-related startup was established through seed investment from Credit Suisse. His startup served numerous world-renowned financial institutions in wealth management, insurance, personal finance, etc. Prior to embarking on his entrepreneurial journey, King was a management consultant at Booz Allen & Hamilton and KPMG Consulting in the US, as well as a venture capitalist at Innovate@, a technology fund jointly run by Booz Allen & Hamilton and Lehman Brothers in the US.

King received his MBA in Finance and Strategy (honors) from the University of Chicago and BSc in Mechanical Engineering (honors) from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. 

Jenny is the Deputy Secretary General for Hong Kong Green Finance Association (HKGFA), primarily responsible for driving green and sustainable finance initiatives across its five working groups, leading private and public sector, regulator, and government stakeholder engagement to enhance Hong Kong’s position as a leading sustainable finance center. Jenny contributes to the Centre for Green and Sustainable Finance capacity building and data analytics workstreams, and co-created the HKGFA – HKUST Certificate in Sustainable Finance. Jenny has over two decades of experience in global investment banking and consulting, primarily in equity derivatives, prime brokerage, equity financing and new business development at Goldman Sachs, Credit Suisse and JPMorgan, and has lived in London, New York, Tokyo and Hong Kong.

Jenny left a career in banking to pursue her desire to make a positive impact, shifting the focus of her business and finance experience into sustainability. She is a life-long learner and passionate about creating a green and sustainable ecosystem, inclusive of finance, ESG and technology. She co-founded Development Finance Asia and is certified in CFA ESG Investing.

Dr Tung is the Director & Head of Policy Research for the Financial Services Development Council (FSDC). He leads the team responsible for conducting policy research and industry surveys for the formulation of proposals to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and financial regulators.

Prior to joining the FSDC, Dr Tung was the Director of Capital Markets Policy for CFA Institute, covering research areas related to capital market structures (e.g. corporate governance, regulatory environment) in the Asia Pacific region. Before that, he was the Senior Economist for the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce, where he oversaw its macroeconomic research, as well as labour- and international trade-related policy research functions. He also served as an economist and a research analyst for banks, a trade credit insurer and a Hong Kong-based think-tank.

Dr Tung holds a doctoral degree in organisational leadership from Northeastern University in Boston, and is a Fellow of CPA Australia. He received a Master’s degree and a Bachelor’s degree, both in Economics, from the University of Hong Kong and the University of Wisconsin – Madison, respectively.

In his personal capacity, Dr Tung sits on the Citizens Advisory Committee on Community Relations of the Independent Commission Against Corruption and is the Convenor of its Media Publicity and Community Research Sub-Committee. He is a director of the Executive Committee of the Hong Kong Customs and Excise Department’s Youth Engagement Programme and a member of the Editorial Board of FinanceAsia.

Mahesh Harilela is a successful businessman and philanthropist based in Hong Kong. He belongs to the renowned Harilela family, which owns the Harilela Group, a diversified conglomerate with interests in various industries, including hospitality, real estate, and trading.

Mahesh Harilela is known for his dynamic leadership and visionary approach in expanding business interests globally. He has played a crucial role in diversifying the Harilela family’s business interest, presence, and reputation in the international market in areas of renewable energy, agriculture, and technology.

Moreover, Mahesh Harilela has actively participated in philanthropic activities, focusing on education, healthcare, and community development.

Aveline San is Chief Executive Officer and Head of Banking for Citi Hong Kong and Macau, responsible for the businesses and operations in the two markets. She is also the Chief Executive of Citibank N.A., Hong Kong Branch.

Aveline joined Citi in April 2019 as Regional Chief Compliance Officer for Asia Pacific (APAC). Prior to Citi, she spent 14 years with UBS in various senior management positions, including acting as APAC Group Regional Head of Compliance & Operational Risk Control, General Counsel of Wealth Management for North Asia, and Supervisor of the Board of UBS’ China banking entity. She was involved in various major banking transactions and strategic initiatives for its Investment Bank and Wealth Management businesses. Aveline was qualified as a solicitor and barrister in Australia in 1997 and began her career as a banking and capital markets lawyer.

Aveline currently serves as a board member of the Hong Kong Fintech Association; the Vice-Chairman of the Financial and Treasury Services Committee of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Commerce; and a member of the Council of the Hong Kong Institute of Bankers, Executive Committee of the Hong Kong Association of Banks, Board of the Community Chest Hong Kong, and the Financial Education Coordination Committee of the Investor and Financial Education Council in Hong Kong.

Rosie is an Executive Director in the Digital Assets team at Goldman Sachs, having joined the firm in 2020. Based in Hong Kong, Rosie leads the tokenisation and digital money initiatives in Asia-Pacific.  

Passionate about new technologies and digital strategy, Rosie started her career at Accenture  in 2013 in London, relocating to Hong Kong in 2015 where she led Accenture’s FinTech Innovation Lab Asia-Pacific, a 12-week accelerator programme for early stage FinTech  companies partnering with global banks and insurance companies.  

Rosie is co-chair of The British Chamber of Commerce Hong Kong’s Future Leaders Committee, focusing on addressing the needs of Hong Kong’s young professionals via education activities for career development. Rosie holds a BA in International Business  Management with French from Newcastle University (UK). 

Justin Chapman leads Northern Trust’s Digital Assets and Financial Markets group, a single market facing team unifying digital and traditional market functions and providing access to market-leading expertise, industry insights and continued innovations.

The group combines teams from Northern Trust’s Digital Asset Innovation, which leads digital asset innovation; Financial Institutions Group, responsible for large, strategic relationships; and Network Management, which provides market access and insights across more than 100 traditional securities services markets around the globe.

Justin and his team are focused on developing services and capabilities that reflect and enable clients’ evolving investment strategies, providing them with market access support and holistic solutions across the full spectrum of investment types and markets.

Prior to taking on this expanded role, Justin was most recently Global Head of Market Advocacy and Innovation Research. He has also worked for organisations in the enterprise enablement, investment banking, asset management, custodial, consultancy and vendor space.

Justin has a diverse background covering the following roles: Equity Trading, Head of Trade Architecture, Global Head of Strategic Implementation, Global Head of Change Management, Global Head of Fixed Income Operations, Global Head of Tax Operations, Head of Industry Marketing, Head of Product Development and Sales, Head of Operations Asset Servicing.

In recognition of his leadership in both the areas of regulatory advocacy and driving innovation across the industries, Justin was recognized at the Global Custodian awards as the GC Person of the Year 2017 and inducted into the GC Legends hall of fame in 2019.

Justin represents the securities industry as a board member and director of the Association for Financial Markets in Europe’s (AFME). He is also an advisor to the International Securities Services Association's (ISSA).

Justin has previously held the following industry positions: chairman of International Securities Association for Institutional Trade Communication (ISITC) Europe, also as founder and chairman of the SWIFT International Securities Advisory Group.

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Jason Channell is Managing Director and Head of Sustainable Finance within Citi’s Global Insights division, providing thought leadership to the full breadth of Citi’s client base. Having previously worked at Fidelity Investments and Goldman Sachs, he joined Citi in 2011, and took Citi’s Global ESG Research team to #1 ranked around the world in the Institutional Investor Survey.

His knowledge and experience have seen him advise countless institutional investors and CEOs around the world on sustainability and finance, while in the public sector arena he has advised national policymakers around the world, from presidents and prime ministers, through Central Banks, to finance, environment and energy ministers. His insights and renown as a public speaker have led him to present to supranational organisations such as the IMF, the World Bank, the United Nations, development banks, many NGO’s, charities, and to institutions as diverse as NASA and the Vatican.

Jason’s publications, often written in collaboration with world-renowned academic institutions, span the entire breadth of the sustainability space, and are on the required reading lists for many academic institutions. Jason features widely in the international media in print, on-line, and on TV. He holds a degree in Engineering Science and Management from the University of Durham.

Professor Lisa Wilson is a multi-award-winning international business leader, academic, educator, entrepreneur/inventor and mentor, focused on the fields of emergent technologies, ESG, cybersecurity and digital assets. Preeminent and credited with being one of the top 100 B2B thought leaders in the world to follow and one of the world’s top 20 thought leaders and influencers on blockchain, ESG, EdTech and cryptocurrency for many years, her passion has always been to identify and harness the potential of technology and education to change the lives of those out of the traditional range and
focus of most digital entrepreneurs.

Professor Wilson has driven initiatives which delivered strategic change technology ecosystems for Nobel Peace Laureates, unlocked USD$ 1 Trillion in agribusiness, obtained multi million pound industrial research backing for a global digital economy project, established the first quality utility token to drive excellence in the global ageing sector and the Mind Shifting Frontier TechEd Accelerator delivering digital transformation analytics to under-served SMEs across the world and other industry bodies. She also serves and has served as a strategic advisor to multiple organisations, including the Centre for Digital Trade and Innovation, LawTech UK, the UK Government the EU Commission, INATBA, the Permanent Secretariat of Nobel Peace Laureates, and the UN Commission on the Status of Women.

She is currently leading XTCC Investments, which took COP28 by storm having recently unveiled the world's first multi-currency structured investment product for high-integrity carbon credits, highlighting her commitment to driving digital trust and innovation. Proudly at the World Economic Forum Davos 2024 XTCC and ZERO13 were also announced as one of the 10 biggest announcements for sustainable business again highlighting the leading status Professor Wilson holds in the global economy.

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Jonathan Drew Head of Global Banking Sustainability, Asia-Pacific at HSBC. Jonathan graduated with an MA in Economics from Cambridge University in England and is also qualified as a Chartered Accountant. Jonathan started his banking career more than 30 years ago in London and has worked in a diverse range of markets including Latin America and the Middle East has been based in Hong Kong since 1997 witnessing first-hand the rapid growth of Asia. During this time, he has been involved successful advisory and financing transactions across a wide range of industrial and services sectors including energy, manufacturing, transportation, infrastructure and financial services, with a focus on resource efficiency and sustainability. These transactions have involved supporting projects, corporates and institutions to approach various financial markets and structuring innovative and tailored solutions to meet the often large and always specific needs of clients.

Over the last 8 years Jonathan has led HSBC’s efforts in Sustainable Finance in Asia, assisting clients in the development of sustainability and transition strategies and communicating these to ensure best access to financial markets. Jonathan has also been active in broader market development including driving awareness and engagement on the urgency of the need to transition and the development of robust financial products to support the implementation of the transition to a sustainable and resilient future.

Jonathan is a member of the Executive Committee of the Hong Kong Green Finance Association and is also the founding chair of the Asia Pacific Loan Market Association Green and Sustainable Loan Committee.

Mark Blick is CEO at Diginex is a fast-growth software company helping companies of all sizes with their ESG, Climate and Supply Chain data collection and reporting. It utilises the latest blockchain technology to lead change and increase transparency. We have launched the first blockchain enabled, globally accredited SaaS solution to improve tracking and reporting of ESG and climate data.

Luying is Head of Sustainable DCM, Global Banking, Asia-Pacific based in HSBC Hong Kong, specializing in structuring Sustainable Bond and Loans across all sectors.  Before moving to Hong Kong, Luying worked in London for many years, having been at the forefront of Sustainable Financing working with public and private entities in various jurisdiction.

Luying has led many debut and landmark Sustainable Bond and Loan transactions, including Hong Kong, Government of Malaysia and Republic of Korea Green and Sustainability Bond, China Construction Bank’s Sustainability Linked bond, and Macquarie Bank Green loan. Luying helped elevate HSBC’s Sustainable Bond league table position from #5 to #1.  

Prior to joining HSBC in 2013, Luying worked in Morgan Stanley and EY, responsible for structured product valuation.

Luying holds a Master’s degree from London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Bachelor’s degree from Zhongshan University.

Luying is a CFA charterholder since 2011 and a Chartered Accountant since 2009.

Fred is a graduate of The University of Hong Kong where he received his Bachelor of Business Administration in Accounting and Finance, and is a HKICPA Certified Public Accountant (CPA) and Certified ESG Analyst (CESGA). Prior to joining Gobi Partners, he began his career as an Associate at Deloitte Financial Advisory Services. Following his role at Deloitte, he has held positions at VC and PE firms such as Senior Associate at Ocean Equity Partners, Vice President at ARIA Funds of CLSA Capital Partners and Executive Director at Hywin International. He also had experience in business management and served as Group General Manager at Gaia Group. Throughout his roles, Fred has accumulated experience across technology and consumer sectors with a focus in areas such as healthcare technology, SaaS solutions, e-commerce, digitization of consumer brands, and more.

With a background in financial products and structuring, Dave has been involved in the capital markets since 2004. He set up Allinfra with the founding team to solve issues existing in real asset investment, climate products and related data.

The team developed Allinfra Climate – a blockchain-based environmental platform that helps corporates and institutions achieve verifiable climate and sustainability goals, as well as Allinfra Digital – an asset tokenization platform.

Anthony is a Co-Founder of Finoverse, one of Asia's largest and most active FinTech and web3 communities. Since 2015, the company has collaborated with over 80 Chinese and global FinTech unicorns. Finoverse partnered with the Hong Kong government and financial regulators to scale the city's flagship event, Hong Kong FinTech Week, into one of the most successful and recognized industry events in the world. Over the seven years, Finoverse scaled the event from 500 attendees to over 40,000 participants from more than 130 countries. Finoverse is also collaborating with The Securities Commission of The Bahamas on its flagship FinTech event in The Caribbean. Additionally, Finoverse is actively exploring opportunities in the Middle East, bridging it with the Hong Kong FinTech ecosystem.

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Elsa PAU is the founder and Group CEO of BlueOnion, an ESG analytic platform that exposes greenwashing behavior and promotes responsible investing by exposing the stewardship practices of asset managers, insurers, pension providers, and public companies.

PAU is a finance industry veteran who focuses on sustainable, responsible, and impact investing. She advocates for investor protection and drives compelling propositions that benefit real change for the finance community. Her mission for BlueOnion is to steer financial services providers on the pathway of ethical practices to address climate change and social injustice, helping investors achieve optimal returns with the highest moral responsibilities.

Before creating BlueOnion, she was the Owner-operator of the 25-year-old publication, Benchmark and a series of Wealth and Asset Management Awards Programs, Forums, and Quality Study operated under the Benchmark brand.

PAU has a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice from Florida International University and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of Florida.

She currently serves as an investment governor of a family office in Asia and a Committee member of the Hong Kong Council of Social Services Development Fund and was once named one of Asia’s Most Influential Women by AsiaWeek.

https://www.blueonion.today/elsa-pau-3/

Vivi Hu is the Co-Founder and CEO of YoujiVest and serves as the Director of the Carbon Neutrality Lab at the Tsinghua Cross-strait Research Institute and Deputy Director of ESG Special Committee of China Enterprise Management Research Association. An early advocate of ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and sustainable investment since 2012, she has been at the forefront of developing ESG investable products and analytics for global asset managers, with recent expansions focusing on AsiaPac managers. She is nominated as the 10 finalists of 2023 UBS global Female Founder award.

Prior to the inception of YoujiVest, Ms. Hu held various roles at top-tier financial institutions. Her roles included serving as the Director of Product Sales for AsiaPac at the London Stock Exchange, Head of Fund Rating for AsiaPac at Lipper, and Sales Director for the Greater China Region at FactSet.

Starting in 2021, Ms. Hu has spearheaded the collaboration with the University of Hong Kong (HKU) and the Shanghai Advanced Institute of Finance to develop China’s inaugural investment-centric, ISSB-aligned climate risk model.

Ms. Hu holds a Master's degree in Financial Engineering from Durham University and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Fudan University.

Benjamin Soh is the Founder and Managing Director of STACS, Asia’s leading ESG data and technology company, headquartered in Singapore. Its ESGpedia platform powers the ESCAP Sustainable Business Network (ESBN) Asia-Pacific Green Deal digital platform, the ASEAN Single Accesspoint for ESG Data (SAFE) pilot initiative, and the Monetary Authority of Singapore’s (MAS) Greenprint ESG Registry. ESGpedia serves as the Nexus of ESG, digitally empowering the financial sector, corporates, and SMEs to ensure compliance towards ESG regulations and attain their ESG goals.

A serial entrepreneur who previously founded a multinational, regulated B2B FinTech serving the needs of more than 100 financial services firms worldwide, Ben is also currently serving as the Chairman of the Green and Sustainable FinTech Sub-Committee of the Singapore FinTech Association (SFA) and is a member of the Singapore Computer Society (SCS) Sustainable Tech Special Interest Group.

With a personal purpose to bring about positive change in the world with technology, Ben shares his ESG Tech expertise with the leaders of today and the next generation, through frequent thought leadership articles and the various global stages and industry talks he is regularly invited to speak at.

Dr. William Yu is an energy economist and climate change expert. He received his PhD from the University of Cambridge in the UK. He is currently the founder and CEO of the World Green Organization.

He also serves as a visiting professor in several universities. He regularly publishes articles in international academic journals on public policy, energy, indoor environment, green industry and the United Nations Green Business Guidelines. Dr. Yu obtained an Executive MBA from Thunderbird School of Global Management in Arizona, USA. He has worked in management positions in banks and American multinational companies for more than ten years and has extensive management experience in Greater China. In addition to conference affairs, Dr. Yu has served as a member of the task force of the United Nations Economic and Social Business Advisory Council for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) for many years, and has successfully organized the United Nations' large-scale international conference on green finance. Member of the Chapter Working Group to promote exchanges on international and local environmental issues.

Dr. Yu also holds a number of public positions in Hong Kong, including a member of the "Food Wise Hong Kong" Campaign of the Environment Bureau, a member of the Social Innovation Fund FOOD-CO Steering Committee, an expert member of the "Hong Kong Green Building Council", and the Environmental Protection Department Air Quality Objectives Review Working Group Member, Development Bureau Appeal Committee (Urban Planning) member, Director of the Society of Social Impact Assessment Analysts, Hong Kong Information and Communications Technology Awards ICT-Best Lifestyle Award Vice Chairman Judge and Medical Technology Chief Judge, and also serves as BDO Environment and Society and Chairman of the Jury of the Annual Governance ESG Awards.

At the same time, Dr. Yu also provides consulting and professional advice to investment banks and accounting firms on sustainable investment, environment, society and governance. He has been appointed as an independent non-executive director by a listed company and participated in green innovation and technology venture capital projects.

Erica de Wit is the Co-Founder of GreenFi, AI powered ESG risk and due diligence software company. With an international career spanning Europe, APAC and MEA she brings a wealth of experience from finance and commercial leadership roles. Currently focused on aiding banks and financial institutions, Erica leverages global data and AI to empower sustainable finance, supply chains, and effective decision-making. Her commitment lies in guiding businesses to manage ESG risks in alignment with their priorities, fostering a future of responsible and sustainable practices. Erica holds her BA degree from University of Turku, Finland. 

Stephen is the President and co-founder of PortageBay, a sustainability analytics company that provides AI tools that enable investors to reorient capital towards more sustainable outcomes. He is an industry-leading expert in integrating ESG and AI into financial institutions.

Prior to PortageBay, Stephen was the Head of Projects for the Active Equities AI group at Blackrock, where he led the development of AI-driven investment applications that combine the strengths of fundamental and systematic investing.

Prior to BlackRock, he held roles at Nexus Investment Advisors, Sparx Investment Advisors, T. RowePrice, Perry Capital and Citigroup.

Stephen earned his BS in Symbolic Systems and MBA from Stanford University.

Edoardo is an accomplished financier with a diverse background in international management. With extensive experiences panning Europe, Asia, and the Americas, he has developed a unique skill set in team building, navigating cultural differences, and embracing new challenges. His expertise lies in the areas of Climate Finance, Circular Economy, and ESG, and he is deeply committed to shaping the future of business. Edoardo currently leads ClimateKick, a Green Fintech startup dedicated to directing capital towards trustworthy green investments and supporting green project developers in realizing a sustainable future. 

Throughout his career, Edoardo has devoted a significant portion of his time to establishing sustainable businesses and transactions, particularly in the Asia Pacific and Americas region. He has successfully executed multimillion-dollar bilateral and syndicated Sustainability-linked deals with clients worldwide. Additionally, Edoardo actively participates in various institutional organizations that advocate for the transition to a circular economy.

Edoardo's professional journey flourished in the Innovation sector. He has notably contributed to Accenture and Intesa Sanpaolo, where he managed visionary projects involving Big Data and Artificial Intelligence. Moreover, Edoardo played a pivotal role at the Intesa Sanpaolo Innovation Center, acting as an Ecosystem Catalyst and supporting the growth of startups.  

Edoardo's educational background is equally impressive. He holds an MBA from prestigious institutions such as Columbia Business School, London Business School, and Hong Kong University. Prior to that, he completed his undergraduate studies in Finance at the University of Turin. Furthermore, Edoardo has taken part in executive courses offered by esteemed institutions including the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Saïd Business School at the University of Oxford, and the University of Exeter Business School.

CURRENT PROFESSIONAL STATUS

• Founder, Ben McQuhae & Co (www.bmcquhae.com), a Hong Kong-based corporate, commercial & regulatory law firm for sustainability and innovation that has been described as the only true ESG law firm on the planet and is Winner of the INSEAD Business as a Force for Good Award. The firm only accepts mandates that are aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Ben is an industry leading lawyer, a recognized leader in sustainable finance and green fintech, and a pioneer in carbon markets and decarbonization. Qualified as a solicitor in England & Wales (1999) and Hong Kong (2003)
• Founder, Venturis (www.venturis.eco) an ESG strategy, implementation, coaching and intelligence advisory firm. Ben McQuhae & Co and Venturis provide a unique offering that combines legal solutions and sustainability solutions to help drive global sustainability efforts.

LEADERSHIP POSITIONS

• Co-Founder, Executive Committee Member and Special Advisor to the Chairman, Hong Kong Green Finance Association (www.hkgreenfinance.org)
• Hong Kong representative, United Nations network of international Financial Centres for Sustainability (www.fc4s.org)
• Lead, APFF/SFDN Carbon Markets Workstream to develop policy recommendations for APEC finance ministers
• Member, Hong Kong Financial Services Development Council (FSDC) Working Group on Carbon Market Opportunities
• Advisory Panel Member and contributor, BIS Innovation Hub & Hong Kong Monetary Authority “Project Genesis”, A vision for technology-driven green finance
• Advisory Panel Member, BIS Innovation Hub & Hong Kong Monetary Authority “Project Genesis 2”, mitigation outcome securities
• Project Coordinator, The Greater Bay Area Green Finance Alliance
• Founder, Angel Attorneys
• Board member, The Alliance for Sustainable Schools
• Founder and Co-chair, Hong Kong Green Finance Task Force (2017-2018)

Raj is the Director of Applied AI Research at Blu Artificial Intelligence, a consulting firm  specializing in AI strategy, projects, and education. He also teaches university courses covering  the business applications of AI, emerging technology, and digital marketing. 

Raj previously worked at AXA, an insurance multinational, across project management and finance functions. He holds a BSc in Management from the London School of Economics and an MBA from The University of Hong Kong. You can find him online at https://linktr.ee/rajshroff.

A seasoned management consultant and finance industry professional, Helene has held various senior management positions in Strategic Planning, Marketing and Branding throughout her career which includes tenure at global consulting giants Boston Consulting Group and Willis Towers Watson. 

Prior to founding GoImpact platform developed to accelerate the adoption of Sustainable Finance, Helene was Managing Director and Head of Strategic Planning, Brand and Communications Asia Pacific for BNP Paribas Wealth Management, a role she has held for 5 years. She also held similar roles at J.P. Morgan Private Bank and Swiss wealth management firm Lombard Odier. In these capacities, she was instrumental in advancing the agenda of Sustainable Finance and Investments across a broad client base of family offices and asset owners. 

Helene is a known Influencer and Key Opinion Leader in Fintech and Digital Transformation, recognized by Thomson Reuters Refinitiv as Top 5 in Asia Pacific, and globally a Top 2 Influencer in Sustainable Finance. She has received numerous accolades as Top 100 Women in Finance from FinTech Times, and Top 50 Hall of Fame Global Fintech Leaders. GoImpact platform has already forged partnerships with key players like Temasek Foundation, UNDP, Financial Times and Bloomberg since inception one year ago. In 2023, Helene has been appointed as one of five founding faculties for the newly launched Mandatory Accreditation Programme Part II: Leading for Impact for all Board Directors of publicly listed companies on Bursa Malaysia, which is an initiative of Securities Commission Malaysia, mandated by Bursa Malaysia and organized by Institute of Corporate Directors Malaysia. 

A sought-after speaker and moderator at Fintech and Sustainable Finance forums, Helene graduated from the University of Hong Kong with a First Class Honors degree in English and Economics.

Matt has a 17-year background in TradFi, working as Executive Director in Prime Brokerage Sales & Consulting teams at Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs across London, Hong Kong and Sydney, covering Global Hedge Funds, Asset Managers and Institutional Allocators. 

In 2020, he became the Head of Prime Sales and Capital Introduction at OSL, Asia’s first SFC-licensed digital asset platform. It was here that he saw first hand the opportunities and challenges facing the institutional and corporate adoption of Bitcoin and Digital Assets.

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Victor Yim is the head of fintech of Hong Kong Cyberport management company limited, Cyberport is an innovative digital community with over 1,650 start-ups and technology companies. It is managed by Hong Kong Cyberport Management Company Limited, which is wholly owned by the Hong Kong SAR Government. Cyberport is committed to nurturing a vibrant tech ecosystem by cultivating talent, promoting entrepreneurship among youth, supporting start-ups on their growth journey, fostering industry development by promoting collaboration with local and international partners and integrating new and traditional economies by accelerating digital adoption in the public and private sectors.

Victor is head of Fintech at Cyberport supporting 450+ fintech companies in HK. Before joining Cyberport, Victor created the eKYC (electronic know your customer) solutions for TransUnion which are still being used by majority of the retail banks and SVF in HK including HSBC, Payme and Hang Seng bank.

Victor graduated from the University of Hong Kong with first class honour of degree in computer engineering and he is a PhD candidate (Computer Science) at the University of Hong Kong, focuses on Natural Language Processing applications on Regtech and Sustainable Fintech.

Victor has over 20 years of experience in the international tech industry and he has held senior positions with different multinational corporations, including TransUnion, Experian, Nice Actimize, SAS Institute and IBM. He has helped these companies to penetrate the ASEAN and China market focusing on Regtech and Financial Crime Risk Solutions.

Julien Martin has 25 years in financial services in sell side and infrastructure organizations of which 18 in Asia.

He is the CEO and Founder of Digital Climate Group, a financial service company working on democratizing access to green finance products for issuers and investors leveraging blockchain, Web3 and AI.

Previously, Senior Managing Director for HKEX and CEO of the Bond Connect Company Limited, a joint venture established by China Foreign Exchange Trade System (CFETS) and HKEX. Leading the development of Fixed Income products (Cash, derivatives, and post trade), Data & ESG initiatives including regulatory disclosure, data monetization, ESG products development, index, rating and carbon, digital assets build up. Julien is the key architect that led to the launch of Bond Connect in July 2017, delivering policy breakthroughs and market efficiencies in pre-trade admission, trading, and settlement for the China interbank bond market.

A total of 17 years capital market experience in BNP Paribas group, in FICC trading sales, risk management and platform build up. Julien holds a Master of Business Administration (MBA) degree from ESSEC Business School, Paris.

• With 25 years of investment and capital market experience, worked extensively in financial institutions and had firsthand experience in founding a successful start-up
• Joined SenseTime in 2017. Responsible for building company's investment and financing team. Led the entire fund raising process from Series B to IPO. Concurrently focuses on cutting-edge AI investment projects, establishing long-term strategic partnerships

• 20 years of Wall Street experience, held executive positions at major financial institutions including JPMorgan, CICC, Barclays, and BOCOM International

• Holds EMBA from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business; double bachelor's degree in Politics and Economics and associate’s degree in Physics from SUNY at Stony Brook

• Founding team member and judge at the HK AI Lab

• Founding committee member for the Greater Bay Area Homeland Fund and Director of the Greater Bay Area Youth Committee

• Director of Junior Achievement HK

• Most Dynamic Female Entrepreneurs Hong Kong 2023, Asia Entrepreneur Magazine
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Kevin is the CEO at InnoBlock Technology Limited. Since 2020. InnoBlock focus on Blockchain as a service, especially in the ESG, Carbon Credit and Green finance. Establish business across Asia and UK.

Kevin is the Vice President of Financial Services Industries Global Sales at Huawei Technologies Limited (Head Office). His responsibilities encompass developing Huawei’s global FSI sales and channel addressing the financial markets and retail banking sectors including branding, channel development, Huawei’s overall Go to Market messaging, and campaign management programs, as well as leading a new client innovation and transformation analysis team.

Kevin has 27 years’ experience in the fields of Blockchain Fintech, telecom network infrastructure and operations, and networking vendors in the Global Enterprise sector. He is a leading global sales team focused on global retail banking, insurance and securities client, and establish a global channel to support retail and insurance clients. He is a subject matter expert in retail banking branch transformation; financial markets low latency trading, and technical and is a frequent speaker and panelist at major retail banking and financial markets conferences in Asia, Europe, the Middle East and Latin America.

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Kevin has worked for the following companies:

·      IBM China/HongKong Ltd, Pre-Sales Manager

·      AT&T China& Hong Kong Ltd, General Manager

·      Dimension Data China, Country Manager (based in Shanghai)

·      Cable&Wireless, North Asia Sales Director

·      Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd, Vice President Financial Services Industries Global Sales

Education

·      University of Massachusetts, Master of Science (Computer Engineering)

·      University of Massachusetts, Bachelor of Science (Electrical Engineering)

Samuel is the Director of Business and Strategy at Intensel. Graduating with a Master of Science in Finance from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology in 2021 and joining Intensel the same year. He has focused on assisting clients in analyzing financial impacts associated with the physical risk of climate change, as well as enhancing Intensel's product offerings and features.

Anna Liu has headed the legal department in the HashKey Group since 2018. Over the past five years, with solid legal skills and deep regulatory insights, Anna has led the legal team to provide all round legal support for the whole ecosystem of the Group, including licensed exchange, custody business, brokerage business, venture capital, asset management, node validation, and other Web3 infrastructure services in Hong Kong, Singapore, Japan, and other jurisdictions. She has also led the team to provide on-the-ground legal advice for the application and maintenance of the Group’s licenses in multiple jurisdictions, successfully managed to swiftly respond to, and overcome the challenges in, the ever-evolving legal and regulatory environment in the virtual asset industry.

Starting from May 2023, Anna has assumed the role of the General Manager of HashKey Tokenisation, the tokenisation arm of HashKey Group, continuing to contribute to the development of the industry ecosystem in a new capacity. HashKey Tokenisation advises on, and executes, the tokenisation of various types of assets, with a particular focus on Web3 native assets. It provides clients with an end-to-end service, from advisory and providing expert guidance on token economics design and legal structuring, through to the execution of asset tokenisation.

Prior to joining the HashKey Group, Anna was a Senior Legal Counsel at Tencent, an internet giant, and prior to that worked at Skadden, a leading international law firm. With a focus on financial innovation, FinTech and internet sectors, Anna has over 10 years of experience in private equity and investment funds, cross-border investment, M&A, Hong Kong and overseas capital markets.

Leo Lin is Founder at Arkreen. With the rich cross industry experiences in IoT, Blockchain and digital security, Leo is an active DePIN and ReFi integrated innovation leader and evangelist to drive the global ecosystem.

Prior to founding Arkreen, Leo served as General Manager at Gemalto, the global leading digital security company. 

Leo holds an Electrical Engineering bachelor degree from Zhejiang University and an EMBA from the China Europe International Business School (CEIBS). 

Bénédicte is the Head of the BIS Innovation Hub, Hong Kong Centre.

Prior to this appointment, she was a managing director at SC Ventures, the innovation arm of Standard Chartered Bank that leads a series of new ventures across digital banking, banking as a service, SME finance and blockchain. From 2018-2019, she was the Vice President of International Government Relations at Circle, involved in the evolution of blockchain and digital assets. From 2012-2018, she was the Head of Risk & Strategy of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission(SFC), and in that capacity also acting as the Vice Chair of the Committee on Emerging Risks and the Fintech research lead for the International Organization of Securities Commissions(IOSCO). From 2007-2012, she was a managing director at Credit Suisse and before that from 1997-2007 she was an associate and executive director at Goldman Sachs.

Originally from Belgium, she holds LL.M. and M.B.A. degrees from the University of Chicago and the University of Leuven. She is admitted to the New York Bar since 1999. In 2016, she was a recipient of the China Daily Asian Women Leadership Awards for her efforts related to entrepreneurship, innovation and charity.

Jason Tu is the CEO and Co-founder of MioTech.

Jason is a technology and sustainability expert. He, representing MioTech, is a member of the Hong Kong Green Finance Association and the Director of the Alliance of Carbon Emissions Trading in China. Jason has been invited to speak at world-renowned conferences such as at IOSCO and at UNEP FI to address the role of technology in the global sustainability push. Prior to founding MioTech, Jason held different positions in Standard Chartered Bank, WeLab, and Robinhood.

He holds an MBA from Stanford University.

Terry is the Business Development Manager of Cogo, the climate fintech from New Zealand. He is a seasoned business professional with a strong strategic mind-set plus in-depth experience in global business development, team management, and large scale trade platforms management. He has been working in the forefront of fintech and recently focusing on empowering the transition of Asia to a low carbon economy. He is working with banks and payment platforms to drive positive climate changes of consumers & SMEs by helping the latter to measure, understand and reduce their carbon footprints easily and effectively. He also works closely with wider local and regional sustainability ecosystems and stake-holders to grow the Green Team in the Global Village, and fight climate change together.

Andre Kwok is currently the Chief of Staff for the global single family office Tsangs Group with offices in Hong Kong, Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Singapore, London and Seoul. The family office invests in renewables, bio tech and life sciences, AI, robotics, mobility, software, and gaming & entertainment tech, and it has direct investments across the world that reflect the values of innovation, sustainability, and togetherness. Andre is also the Executive Director of the Hong Kong Ambassadors Club (HKAC). The HKAC is a non-profit non-governmental organisation aims to promote the brand image of “Hong Kong Inc.” and curates high-level projects to foster trade and investment relations among Hong Kong and strategic regions such as the Middle East and Southeast Asia.

In 2016, Andre Kwok founded the Good City Foundation as Chairman and participated in various technology innovation industries through venture building and venture capital. The Foundation has been dedicated in domains such as Public Private Partnership, Urban Innovation and Impact Investing in verticals such as financial inclusion, future of work, food and smart city governance, through initiatives such as “Future City Summit”, public policy research and development programs. Andre is also the Fellow in the World Economic Forum for global urban transformation for Medium Sized Cities Digital Urban Transformation and Nature-Positive Cities, and Director in the HK Social Entrepreneurship Forum and the Thinc Fellow of 2021 Cohort.  

In 2023, Andre was also appointed by the HKSAR Government to be the District Youth Development and Civic Education Committee and invited by the HKSAR Government’s Chief Executive's Policy Unit as Co-Investigator in the Public Policy Research Scheme on liveability and talent employment policies for the Northern Metropolis, the newly developing high-tech innovation city sharing the land of Hong Kong and Shenzhen.  

While Andre was named Li Ka Shing Foundation Scholar for Masters in Public Policy in the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and graduated as Bachelor of Social Sciences (Politics and Public Administration) in The University of Hong Kong, he also joined as Student Fellow in the Centre for Liveable Cities in the Ministry of National Development of Singapore.

Andre is awarded The Outstanding Young Alumni Award of the National University of Singapore in 2023 and listed in the Tatler Asia's Gen.T List 2022 and the Forbes China 30 Under 30 as Social Entrepreneur.

Maggie is a highly accomplished corporate communications professional with over 6 years of experience in the realm of FinTech, ESG and Web3. She has a strong background in building communities, acquiring corporate clients, and managing diverse portfolios. At Finoverse, Maggie spearheaded the creation of a leading community builder and organized the renowned Hong Kong FinTech Week, connecting over 30,000 professionals and investors in the FinTech and Web3 sectors across Asia, MENA, and the Bahamas. Her efforts fostered collaboration and innovation, establishing her as a keyplayer in the industry. 

Maggie holds the EFFAS Certified ESG Analyst®(CESGA) since 2022.

Dr. Haibin Li, Founder / CEO

-PhD, Electronics, University of York, UK

-EMBA, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

-Master in Finance, LSE, UK

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15 years of Data Science, Software Engineering, and Insurance industry experience

Valerie Liang comes from a diverse background in law, sustainability, and project management. As a founding member and Project Manager at ESGnie, a provider of Artificial Intelligence & Intelligent Automation services, Valerie plays a pivotal role in leveraging technology to address the challenges of unstructured data and analyses in businesses, particularly in the realm of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) considerations.

With experience in the legal industry, Valerie transitioned into the sustainability/artificial intelligence sector to pursue a passion for driving positive change. At a think tank, Valerie managed various programs and conferences, gaining valuable insights into forward thinking, social and environmental impact of initiatives. This experience culminated in Valerie serving as a project manager for a start-up based in Abu Dhabi, focusing on creating a recycled plastic exchange platform, further solidifying Valerie's commitment to innovative solutions in the sustainability space.

In 2021, Jiale Tan and Dr. Majid Hasan co-founded ESGnie, using data science and AI to support companies to extract valuable insights from unstructured data and compare them against sustainability standards with minimal human supervision. Valerie's multi faceted background and expertise in project management, coupled with a strong commitment to sustainability, make Valerie a dynamic speaker capable of providing unique perspectives on leveraging technology for positive social and environmental impact.