LIVE WEBCAST: Asia Regional Strategic Forecast

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.

Kai Fong was appointed managing director of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) on 1 October 2017.

Before this, Kai Fong was the principal private secretary (PPS) to the prime minister (PM) from 1 September 2014 to 30 September 2017. He has served various other leadership roles in the public service. He was director of communications group at the Prime Minister’s Office, where he oversaw strategic communications and coordinated communications strategy across Government agencies. He was also director of resource industry at the Ministry of Trade and Industry, where he coordinated the government’s efforts to drive productivity growth, and director of the Institute of Public Sector Leadership, which runs leadership development programmes for public sector leaders. Kai Fong also served in the Ministry of Home Affairs, and the Ministry of Communications and Information. Kai Fong was also seconded from 2008 to 2010 as a senior management consultant to Shell in its downstream strategy division.

Kai Fong graduated from the University of Cambridge with a master in engineering in 2001, specialising in signal processing. In 2011, he was awarded the Lee Kuan Yew Scholarship. He is also a Sloan fellow with a master of science in management from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business.

Kai Fong is married with two daughters and a son. In his younger days, he freelanced as a euphonium player and an amateur conductor. These days, he waves his hands when classical music is playing on the radio, to the bewilderment of his children.

Pamela Qiu is the Network Director of the South-east Asia chapter of The Economist Corporate Network. She advises multinational corporations on the latest economic, political and market developments affecting business in the Asia Pacific region. She regularly chairs Economist events and roundtables, and delivers custom briefings to senior business executives. She joined The Economist in June 2011.

Prior to joining The Economist Group, Pamela worked as a policy analyst and associate at the Singapore Ministry of Finance, where she worked on policies to tackle socio-economic problems such as inequality and unemployment. She also worked on policies that were featured in the Singapore Budget. From 2009 to 2011, she was a researcher for the Center for Public Economics at the Civil Service College, the Singapore government’s core institution for public policy and economics research. Her research areas included the role of government in markets, public private partnerships, privatisation, fiscal policy, and behavioural economics. From 2004 to 2006, Pamela also worked as a market analyst with Prudential Health Insurance, based in London.

Pamela holds a bachelor’s degree in economics and a master’s degree in development studies, both from the London School of Economics.

Ai Hua Ong joined Johnson & Johnson more than 25 years ago, rising to her current role as company group chairman for Janssen Asia Pacific, where she oversees operations that deliver pharmaceutical innovation in Australia, China, Hong Kong (China), India, Japan, Korea, New Zealand and Taiwan (Province of China).

Based in her native Singapore, Ai Hua is known for her deep commitment to customers and patients, her strategic insights and global mindset. She 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.

In her previous role as president of One J&J Southeast Asia, Ai Hua was instrumental in the successful implementation of Johnson & Johnson’s first-ever one-company enterprise business model encompassing pharmaceuticals, consumer products and medical devices. She nurtured a business with strong growth and enhanced efficiency across 10 countries in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).

Ai Hua holds a bachelor of science in microbiology and biochemistry and a master’s in business administration from the National University of Singapore. She began her career in 1991 as a product specialist with Johnson & Johnson Medical Singapore. Since then, she has held leadership roles across strategic marketing, sales management, and licensing and acquisition.

Ai Hua is a committed volunteer for charitable causes and acts as chair of J&J’s Asia Pacific Contributions Committee. She is also a council member of the Singapore Dover Park Hospice, serves on the advisory board of the Singapore Management University Lee Kong Chian School of Business, and was recently appointed to the board of the DesignSingapore Council.

Jeffrey was appointed deputy president, ST Engineering Aerospace on 1 July 2018. In this role, he oversees operations within the group of companies at ST Engineering Aerospace with special focus on digitisation & continuous improvement.

Prior to his current appointment, Jeffrey served in various roles within the group with P&L and business development responsibilities, including COO, ST Engineering Aerospace, VP/GM of ST Aerospace Engines and VP for Engine Total Support. He currently serves on the boards of various global subsidiary and affiliated companies of ST Engineering Aerospace,

Jeffrey started his career with the Singapore Economic Development Board in 1997, where he led his team to secure major investment projects for the aviation, automotive, marine and intellectual property sectors in Singapore. Mr Lam also served in the Singapore Workforce Development Agency as director of manufacturing & construction. More recently, in Pratt & Whitney Singapore, he took on various leadership roles in customer support, engineering, operations and general management across both engine overhaul and parts repair operations.

Mr Lam graduated with a bachelor of science in aerospace engineering, a bachelor of arts in french and a master of science in industrial & operations engineering from the University of Michigan, USA. He also holds a diploma in economics from the Universite d’Aix-Marseille III, France. He has also attended the advanced management programme in Harvard University.