Bridget Welsh is currently Honorary Research Associate with the University of Nottingham Asia Research Institute Malaysia (UoNARI-M) based in Kuala Lumpur. She is also a Senior Research Associate of the Hu Feng Center for East Asia Democratic Studies of National Taiwan University and a Senior Associate Fellow of The Habibie Center. She specializes in Southeast Asian politics, with a focus on Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore and Indonesia. She is committed to fostering engagement, mutual understanding and empowerment.

She had the fortunate experience of being raised abroad and lived in South America, the Middle East, the Caribbean, Europe and Southeast Asia. Her hobbies include travel, wine tasting, reading and movies. She is often on the road conducting fieldwork in Southeast Asia.

Hafizin Tajudin is a Senior Associate at Asia Group Advisors (AGA), a strategy advisory and public affairs firm operating across Southeast Asia. Hafizin leads policy advocacy campaigns and stakeholder engagements on behalf of MNC clients and trade associations in cross-cutting industries, including e-commerce, payments and fintech, sharing economy and FMCG in Malaysia. He is an expert in policy, regulatory and political developments in Malaysia and the wider region. He has previously worked at Securities Commission Malaysia and as an advisor to a Minister of Finance.

Simon Baptist is Editorial Director and Chief Economist at The Economist Intelligence Unit. Prior to his current role, he has held a number of other senior management and editorial positions in the business, including Managing Director for Asia, Regional Director of our Asia editorial team, Director of Global Forecasting, and Consulting Director in both Europe and Asia

Simon’s focus is on the global economy, national and international political developments, and public policy. He engages with business, government and international organisations, helping them to understand the operational and strategic implications of the EIU’s forecasts.

He has a doctorate in economics from and was a lecturer at Oxford University, along with degrees in economics and science from the University of Tasmania. His academic research investigated technology and the determinants of productivity in manufacturing firms.