Covering the big ideas, bold leadership and dynamic economies at the frontlines of global transformation
Global Perspectives is CNN's new live event series, bringing the network's renowned journalism and expert analysis to the stage. Each event features in-depth conversations on the big ideas, bold leadership, and dynamic economies and cultures shaping global transformation.
This October, CNN will host the inaugural Asia edition of the Global Perspectives franchise, convening dignitaries, political and business leaders, cultural voices, and influential thinkers in Bangkok. Taking place alongside the IMF and World Bank Group Annual Meetings, discussions will explore a world in transition, and the forces redefining power, growth and influence. Editorial highlights, interviews, and coverage from the event will feature across CNN's platforms.
Global Perspectives is an invitation‑only convening of global decision‑makers and influential leaders shaping the future of technology, finance, geopolitics, healthcare, media, and culture.
For decades, science has positioned the brain as the centre of intelligence. Today, neuroscience is confirming what Eastern traditions have long known: our decisions, instincts, and resilience are shaped by the body as much as the mind. Dr. Sanjay Gupta explores this powerful convergence and what it reveals about human behaviour and choice.
AI promises to transform how we work, lead and compete - but who will capture the gains, and at what cost? As Asia rises as a powerhouse of innovation, manufacturing and adoption, this session explores where real value is being created across jobs, decision-making, chips, trust and the future of intelligence.
What happens when disease can be detected years before symptoms appear? As AI-driven diagnostics, biomarkers and continuous monitoring transform healthcare from reactive to predictive, this conversation explores the breakthroughs reshaping medicine and the ethical questions that come with knowing what may lie ahead.
In a world shaped by algorithms, conflict and constant noise, stories still have the power to move people, build identity and change how we see one another. A special closing conversation with a global cultural figure on influence, resilience, leadership and the narratives that continue to connect us.
Dr. Sanjay Gupta is the multiple Emmy®-award winning chief medical correspondent for CNN and host of the CNN podcast Chasing Life. Gupta, a practicing neurosurgeon, plays an integral role in CNN’s reporting on health and medical news for all of CNN’s shows domestically and internationally, and regularly contributes to CNN Digital.
Since 2001, Gupta has covered some of the most important health stories in the United States and around the world. On March 9, 2020, Gupta penned an op-ed announcing the network would refer to the novel coronavirus outbreak as a “pandemic,” ahead of both the WHO and the CDC. Throughout 2020 into 2021, Gupta reaffirmed his role as a trusted guide to viewers worldwide on navigating between facts and fiction surrounding Covid-19 and the pandemic.
Over the last few years, Gupta has increasingly focused on long-form reporting. He is the host of the CNN Original Series “Chasing Life with Dr. Sanjay Gupta,” which follows Gupta’s travels around the world in search of the secret to living longer, healthier and happier. Gupta also stars in the HBO Original Documentary “One Nation Under Stress,” which examines why life expectancy is declining in the United States. His enterprise reporting on medical marijuana has led to seven documentary films, “Weed,” which were awarded the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award.
In addition to his work for CNN, Gupta is an associate professor of neurosurgery at Emory University Hospital and associate chief of neurosurgery at Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. He serves as a diplomate of the American Board of Neurosurgery. And in 2019, Gupta was elected to the National Academy of Medicine, considered one of the highest honors in the medical field.
Richard Quest is CNN’s foremost international business correspondent and anchor of Quest Means Business, the definitive word on how we earn and spend our money.
Quest also serves as CNN Business editor-at-large, and is the network’s established airline and aviation correspondent, having interviewed all of the major airline executives.
Additionally, Quest is the host of CNN International’s signature monthly feature program Quest’s World of Wonder, an immersive travel series that finds him exploring a new destination each month and meeting fascinating people who reveal the heart of that city.
Quest’s dynamic and distinctive style has made him a unique figure in the field of business broadcasting. He has regularly reported from G20 meetings and attends the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland each year. Quest has covered every major stock market and financial crisis since Black Monday in 1987 and has reported from key financial centers globally including Wall Street, London, Sao Paolo, Tokyo and Hong Kong.
Kristie Lu Stout is an anchor and correspondent for CNN, based in Hong Kong.
She reports from the newsroom and in the field on major news stories including US-China relations, strategic tech development across Asia, and the aftermath of extreme climate events in the region. A multi-platform journalist since she joined the network in 2001, Kristie reports for CNN for an ever-widening array of platforms including linear TV, digital, streaming, and social media.
Kristie also hosts feature programs for CNN including Tech for Good, a series on the transformative power of technology, and Marketplace Asia, CNN’s monthly business program.
Based in China for over two decades, Kristie maintains a focus on how developments in China are dramatically changing the world for all of us. From anchoring CNN’s groundbreaking Eye on China series in 2004 to covering the US-China trade war, she has remained committed to reporting on the country. Kristie was also instrumental in launching On China, CNN’s first-ever regular series focused on the country – a first by any international TV news network.
Kristie also plays an active role in promoting the CNN Freedom Project, the network’s award-winning initiative focused on reporting stories of modern-day slavery, including student outreach in Hong Kong and across Asia as part of #MyFreedomDay. She is also proud to be part of CNN’s Call to Earth Day – a global initiative to engage students on the need for urgent action against climate change and pollution.
Over the years, her work has been nominated for multiple categories at the News and Documentary Emmy Awards. In 2025, she and her CNN-Asia colleagues received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Breaking News Coverage for reporting “South Korea Declares Martial Law.” In 2020, she was awarded Best Continuing News Reporting for TV and Video by the Association for International Broadcasting for team coverage of the 2019 Hong Kong Protests. In 2018, Kristie was awarded Best News or Current Affairs Presenter at the Asian Academy Creative Awards. Other accolades include multiple honors from the Asia Television Awards and Best News Coverage from the Royal Television Society for her reporting on Super Typhoon Haiyan in the Philippines.
Will Ripley is an award-winning Senior International Correspondent for CNN, based in Taipei.
Ripley has led CNN’s recent coverage of Taiwan, securing an exclusive interview with President Tsai Ing-wen and reporting on the growing tensions between the island and Beijing.
He has also reported extensively on the ongoing economic crisis in Sri Lanka, securing an exclusive interview with the acting President Wickremesinghe in 2022.
Before moving to Taipei, Ripley was based in Hong Kong. He reported on some of the biggest stories from the region in recent years, including Chinese tennis star Peng Shuai, the Tokyo Olympics, the coronavirus pandemic, and the Hong Kong protests.
Before moving to Hong Kong, Ripley was CNN’s Tokyo-based correspondent. He reported on the devastating floods in Joso, the execution of two Japanese ISIS hostages, the deadly eruption of Mt. Ontake and the aftermath of the Fukushima disaster.
A journalist with over 21 years of experience, Ripley has travelled to North Korea 19 times since 2014 — more than any American TV correspondent. He has reported exclusively from Pyongyang after missile launches and nuclear tests and was the only American journalist in North Korea when U.S. prisoner Otto Warmbier was released just days before his death in 2017.
Prior to CNN, Ripley spent nearly 15 years working in newsrooms across the United States. He started as a student news reporter in Connecticut before heading to Missouri, Texas, and Colorado.
Throughout his career, Ripley has won numerous accolades including Best Single News Story at the Asian Academy Creative Awards in 2018 for his reporting on the destruction of the remote Punggye-ri nuclear test site in North Korea. He also received the award for Best Documentary at the Asian Academy Creative Awards for his exclusive CNN documentary Secret State: Inside North Korea.
Ripley grew up in Manchester, Connecticut and graduated from the School of Journalism at the University of Missouri-Columbia.
Hanako Montgomery is an award-winning international correspondent for CNN, based in Tokyo.
Montgomery helms CNN’s Japan coverage, reporting on breaking news, politics, society and the economy. Her work spans major stories including the Noto Earthquake, Japan’s demographic crisis, regional tensions with China, U.S.-Japan relations, and political instability within the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. She also secured an exclusive interview with former Prime Minister Fumio Kishida.
Specializing in human rights reporting, she has led the network’s Asia-focused coverage on topics ranging from the political battle over adolescent pregnancies in the Philippines, to India’s air pollution crisis affecting children, to human trafficking and immigrant rights in Japan.
A digital-savvy journalist, Montgomery regularly contributes across CNN’s social platforms and text coverage.
Before joining CNN, she was an East Asia reporter for VICE, helping lead coverage on key regional stories across TV, digital video, text, Instagram, TikTok, and more.
Earlier in her career, Montgomery worked as a TV Japan reporter for NHK in New York, covering the first major outbreak of COVID-19 and reporting on culture and society across North America. She has also reported for Al Jazeera.
In 2023, Montgomery won a National News & Documentary Emmy Award and a Front Page Award for her reporting on legal child abuse manga in Japan. She and her team gained rare access to examine the issue, interviewing artists who created the works, offenders who consumed them and government officials responsible for regulation.
She graduated summa cum laude from Binghamton University and studied Japanese politics and literature for a year at Sophia University in Tokyo. Montgomery is fluent in English and Japanese and is a member of the Asian American Journalists Association (AAJA).
Alice Oh is a KAIST ICT Endowed Professor in the School of Computing at KAIST and leads the Subcommittee on Global Collaboration within the Presidential Council on National AI Strategy for the Republic of Korea. She received her PhD in Computer Science from MIT in 2008. Her major research area is at the intersection of natural language processing (NLP) and computational social science, with a recent focus on multilingual and multicultural aspects of large language models (LLM).
The Honourable Bernard Charnwut Chan is the Chairman & President of Asia Financial Holdings Ltd., Chairman of Asia Insurance Co. Ltd., Chairman of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority, Chairman of Tai Kwun Culture & Arts Co. Ltd and Chairman of Our Hong Kong Foundation. He previously served as a Hong Kong Deputy to the National People's Congress of the People's Republic of China, the Convenor of the Non-Official Members of the Executive Council, Member of the Legislative Council, Chairman of M Plus Museum, Chairman of the Hong Kong Palace Museum. He was awarded the Gold Bauhinia Star in 2006 and the Grand Bauhinia Medal in 2020.
Chadatip Chutrakul is one of Thailand’s most visionary retail development leaders and is widely recognized for playing a pivotal role in transforming Bangkok into a global destination for world-class retail, lifestyle, and cultural experiences. She has been the driving force behind some of the country’s most iconic landmarks, including Siam Paragon, Siam Center, Siam Discovery, ICONSIAM, and Siam Premium Outlets Bangkok - destinations that have significantly reshaped the city’s commercial, tourism, and lifestyle landscape.
In 2019, she became the first Thai female to be inducted into the World Retail Hall of Fame by the World Retail Congress. Most recently, she was also honored with the “Pioneers of Places Awards” from the MAPIC Awards 2025, as one of only five global leaders and the only Asian nominee recognized for inspiring and transforming the global retail industry over the past 30 years.
Colley Hwang is the Founder and Chairman of DIGITIMES, and serves as an Ambassador-at-Large of Taiwan. An industry analyst for 40 years, Hwang has witnessed waves of tech evolutions. He has authored 10 best-selling books—including Beyond Software and The AI Wave, twice winning the Golden Book Award with endorsements from Taiwan's presidents. With deep expertise in the competitive dynamics of the global ICT industry across the US, China, Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, Hwang provides strategic consultation for tech giants and governments. He has also lectured at prestigious universities, including Stanford, Harvard, and Keio, and has been a featured keynote speaker at numerous global exhibitions. DIGITIMES provides timely global IT news, research, and consulting services, serving as an authoritative source on Taiwan and Asia-Pacific supply chains through its Asia and Chinese editions.
Hyun Song Shin serves as the Governor of the Bank of Korea (BOK). He is widely recognized for his extensive expertise in economics, public policy, and finance.
Before joining the BOK, he served as Head of the Monetary and Economic Department (2025-2026) and Head of the Research Department (2014-2025) at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), while serving as BIS Economic Adviser (2014-2026).
In Korea, he served as Senior Adviser to the Korean president in 2010, playing a leading role in formulating financial stability policy and shaping the agenda during Korea’s G20 presidency.
Academically, he was the Hughes-Rogers Professor of Economics at Princeton University (2006-2014). Prior to Princeton, he was Professor of Finance at the London School of Economics (2000-2006). He earned his DPhill (1988) and MPhill (1987) in Economics from Nuffield College, Oxford, and a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics, also from Magdalen College, Oxford, in 1985.
Jonathan Serbin has over 25 years of leadership experience in the music and media business in Asia. He has served as President of Asia, as well as CEO of Greater China, for a number of music’s most iconic companies. Currently, Jonathan is CEO of Pacific Music Group, a pan-Asian record label he co-founded with music legends Ne-Yo, Sonu Nigam and MC Jin. Previously, Jonathan was Co-President of Asia for Warner Music where he was responsible for growth, operations and artist repertoire across Asia. Jonathan was responsible for launching Warner Music’s first dedicated K-pop imprint. Prior to Warner Music, Jonathan was the Head of Asia for Billboard, where he was responsible for the launch of the iconic music brand in China, Thailand, Philippines, Vietnam and Indonesia.
Joseph Chan, Founder and CEO of AsiaPay Group, has spent over two decades transforming digital payments across Hong Kong, Australia, and Asia. Since founding AsiaPay in 2000, his visionary leadership has driven rapid expansion into 17 markets, serving over 5,000 enterprises alongside leading banks. Under his guidance, AsiaPay introduced innovative, integrated payment solutions leveraging AI, blockchain, and contactless technologies to enhance security, conversion, and customer experience. Strategic partnerships with over 150 banks and digital wallets across 12 Asian markets have solidified the company’s competitive edge. Recognized with multiple industry awards, Joseph remains committed to customer-centric, localized service. Looking ahead, he foresees key trends including mobile payment growth, AI integration, e-wallet expansion, regulatory shifts, and a focus on cybersecurity and sustainability. His journey reflects enduring dedication to innovation, shaping the future of fintech across Asia.
Kulapat Yantrasast is the founder and creative director of WHY Architecture, an internationally recognized practice dedicated to the design of cultural institutions.
His recent work includes the transformation of The Metropolitan Museum of Art's Michael C. Rockefeller Wing, the Dib Contemporary Art Center in Bangkok, and the ilmi Science Discovery & Innovation Center in Riyadh. WHY has been selected by the Musée du Louvre to design its new Department of Byzantine and Eastern Christian Art, and is currently leading the design of the National Museum of India in New Delhi — projected to become the largest museum in the world.
Raised in Bangkok and educated at the University of Tokyo, Yantrasast approaches each project as an act of cultural translation — creating spaces where architecture, memory, and human experience converge.
He is the recipient of Thailand's Silpathorn Award and serves on the boards of the Pulitzer Arts Foundation and The Noguchi Museum.
Strategic advisor, risk educator, and author Michele Wucker coined the term “gray rhino” as a call to decision makers to better respond to obvious, probable, impactful threats and opportunities. She is founder of the Chicago based advisory firm Gray Rhino & Company. Her work in risk-based policy and decision making, governance, and behavior draws on decades of experience in global economic policy and capital markets and as a media and think tank CEO and leader. Her four books include the influential global bestseller, 'The Gray Rhino', and the sequel, 'You Are What You Risk'. She teaches graduate students at the University of Virginia’s Center for Public Safety and Justice and at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.
Yongey Mingyur Rinpoche is a teacher, best-selling author and the Spiritual leader of the Tergar Sangha worldwide. He uniquely presents the ancient wisdom of Tibet in a fresh, engaging manner. Rinpoche’s teachings weave together his own personal experiences, and traditional Buddhist practice and philosophy, with the current scientific understanding of the mind and mental health — making the practice of meditation relevant and accessible to students around the world. He currently travels and teaches with Tergar organizations and meditation centers on six continents. His social engagement projects include: education, women’s empowerment, environmental and medical projects. Mingyur Rinpoche has authored several books including two best-sellers: The Joy of Living: Unlocking the Secret and Science of Happiness, and In Love with the World: A Monk’s Journey Through the Bardos of Living and Dying. His new book, A World of Difference: Finding Peace and Freedom in Times of Fear and Chaos will be released in February, 2027.
Hailing from a background not accustomed to the lavish, Indian-born Gaggan Anand has ironically become the most awarded chef in Asia in the highest echelon of fine dining. As one of the fastest rising culinary phenomenons in the world, Gaggan Anand is all about the juxtaposition. One could say disruption is the recipe of his rebel DNA. While he may have been the first to succeed at combining the words “Indian” & “Moleculargastronomy” in the same sentence; he didn’t stop there. His flagship restaurant’s success, (the synonymously named Gaggan,) led scores of press to report that “For the fourth year in a row, Gaggan Anand’s eponymous Bangkok restaurant takes the no. 1 spot” (Eater) or more simply: “Gaggan is still Asia’s best.” (Bangkok Post). Armed with two Michelin stars and an endlessly-rotating list of globetrotting foodies waiting months to get in the door, who wouldn’t agree?
Ms Tan Su Shan is the CEO and Director of DBS Group. DBS is the largest bank in Southeast Asia. Su Shan was previously the Deputy CEO and Group Head of Institutional Banking, and before that, Group Head of Consumer Banking and Wealth Management for close to a decade. She was also the President Commissioner
for PT Bank DBS Indonesia from 2014 to 2024.
Su Shan has over 35 years of experience in consumer banking, wealth management and institutional banking. Besides Singapore, she has experience in major financial centres such as Hong Kong, Tokyo and London. Before joining DBS, Su Shan had worked at Morgan Stanley, Citibank and ING Barings.
Su Shan sits on the advisory board of Dyson’s family office, Weybourne Holdings, as well as on the boards of the Singapore Economic Development Board and Climate Impact X Pte Ltd.
Makiko Ono is Member of the Board, Senior Managing Executive Officer and Chief People & Culture Officer of Suntory Holdings Limited, one of the world’s leading consumer products companies.
Since joining Suntory in 1982, she has built more than four decades of experience across business development, marketing, human resources, sustainability, and corporate management in both Japan and international markets.
A trailblazer within the company, she became Suntory’s first female expatriate in 1991 when she was assigned to France to help manage the local operations. Since then, she has played a leading role in growing the company’s international business across alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages. As President and CEO of Suntory Beverage & Food, the Suntory Group’s listed food and non-alcoholic beverages company, from 2023 to early 2026, she led the company’s global growth transformation by strengthening its portfolio and advancing sustainable management.
She holds a degree in Portuguese from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and completed the Advanced Management Program at IMD.
Dr Ai Peng Tan is a clinician-scientist, paediatric neuroradiologist and developmental neuroscientist at the National University of Singapore and National University Hospital. Her research uses advanced neuroimaging to understand how early-life experiences shape the developing brain and influence children’s learning, behaviour and mental health. She has led studies examining how screen exposure relates to brain network development, socio-emotional competence and later anxiety, while also investigating how parenting, sleep and other modifiable environments may support resilience. As Research Director of Diagnostic Radiology at NUS and NUH, she leads multidisciplinary programmes translating brain imaging into practical tools for early identification and precision intervention. Her work reflects a strong commitment to making neuroscience accessible and relevant to families, educators and policymakers.
Appointed Deputy Prime Minister in March 2026, Carlos Cuerpo also serves as Minister of Economy, Trade and Business, where he leads economic policy design and implementation in continental Europe´s fourth largest economy.
Prior to his appointment as Economy Minister in 2023, Cuerpo held two senior positions within the ministry. As the Secretary General of the Spanish Treasury, he oversaw the country’s public debt management in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic and represented Spain in international institutions and fora, including the G20 and the International Monetary Fund. Prior to that, he was Director General of Macroeconomic Analysis, leading the ministry´s economic forecasting and research unit.
Cuerpo began his career as a civil servant in 2008 as a member of the Spanish Corps of State Economists. He also worked for the European Commission in Brussels and Spain’s Independent Authority for Fiscal Responsibility (AIRef), the national fiscal watchdog. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics from Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Universidad de Extremadura.
Anthony Tan is Group CEO and Co-Founder of Grab, Southeast Asia's leading superapp. Since co-founding the company in 2012 as a taxi-booking service, Anthony has led Grab's growth into a regional technology platform and ecosystem serving over 900 cities across eight markets. Grab creates economic empowerment by connecting millions of consumers, driver-partners, and businesses to mobility, deliveries, financial services, and digital tools.
Under Anthony's leadership, Grab has grown from a startup into a Nasdaq-listed, profitable technology company - and is now pursuing an ambitious expansion into new technology frontiers such as autonomous vehicles and into new markets beyond Southeast Asia.
Anthony has also spearheaded Grab's transformation into an AI-forward company, guided by his philosophy of "AI-First with Heart": building AI-first to solve the hardest problems, and building it with heart so that it benefits more people, especially the underserved. It reflects his conviction that cutting-edge technology should not just move technology forward, but move people forward.
Helle Søholt is Co-Founder and Board Chair of Gehl, the global urban strategy and design consultancy she founded with Professor Jan Gehl in 2000. As CEO for 25 years, she led Gehl’s growth into an internationally recognized practice advancing more liveable, equitable and sustainable cities. Her work has helped shape major urban transformations around the world, from Copenhagen’s revitalized harbour and New York’s Times Square to Shanghai’s Huangpu Waterfront. Rooted in Copenhagen—today recognized as one of the world’s most liveable cities—Helle has spent her career championing a people-first approach to urban development. She is a prominent voice on public life, urban design and urban leadership, pioneering approaches to public life data, social infrastructure, mobility and healthy cities. Helle also serves as Chair of BLOXHUB and holds several board and advisory roles within architecture, real estate and the built environment.
Martha Sazon is the CEO of Mynt, the parent company of GCash, the Philippines’ #1 Finance Superapp. Appointed CEO during the COVID-19 pandemic, she led GCash through a defining period, growing it into the country’s first and only $5B unicorn and a platform now embedded in everyday Filipino life. Martha built a 30-year career spanning various industries like food, consumer pharma, personal care, telco, and now, fintech. Prior to Mynt, she spent 12 years at Globe Telecom, where she pioneered many breakthroughs and achievements as head of Mobile Postpaid, SME and Broadband. Martha finished her undergraduate studies in Business Administration and Accountancy, cum laude, at the University of the Philippines Diliman, and later completed postgraduate programs at IMD, INSEAD, and Harvard Business School.
Professor Amanda Third (PhD) is Professorial Research Fellow and Co-Director of the Young & Resilient Research Centre in the Institute for Culture & Society at Western Sydney University. An expert in child-centred participatory research, she has led projects in more than 80 countries exploring children's digital lives and has advised governments, industry and civil society, including the Australian Government, YouTube Kids and Families, Snap’s Safety Advisory Board, Spotify’s Safety Advisory Council and AIChildSafety.org. She serves on the Office of the Australian eSafety Commissioner’s Expert Advisory Group for the longitudinal evaluation of Australia's social media age restriction legislation and is a Director of the Online Safety Exchange and a Faculty Associate at Harvard University's Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. Professor Third co-authored the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child's General Comment No. 25 on children's rights in the digital environment and is a leading international researcher on children's rights, online safety and digital wellbeing.
Gabriela Ramos is a global leader shaping international action on artificial intelligence, climate change, and gender equality. She is a Senior Fellow at the Institute for AI Policy and Strategy and Affiliate Professor of Tech and Global Affairs at Sciences Po, Paris.
As UNESCO Assistant Director-General, she drove the adoption by 194 nations of the landmark Recommendation on the Ethics of AI and led AI Readiness Assessments in more than 80 countries. Earlier, as OECD Chief of Staff and G20/G7 Sherpa, she helped shape global responses to the financial crisis, COVID-19, tax transparency, and climate. Since 2024, she co-chairs the Task Force on Inequalities and Social Financial Disclosure (TISFD).
A Fulbright Scholar and Harvard Kennedy School graduate, she holds France's Order of Merit, the Forbes Excellence Award, and an honorary doctorate from the University of Wales Trinity Saint David. She serves on Danone's Mission Committee, has overseen more than 20 publications and writes regularly for Project Syndicate.
Alan Lau works at the intersection of technology, finance, and culture. His deep experience spans the two technologies reshaping our world: AI and tokenisation.
He builds and scales technology businesses. As Executive Chairman of Growhill Wealth, he leads an AI-native wealth platform that uses agentic AI to empower independent financial advisers serving high-net-worth investors across Asia.
Earlier, as founder-CEO of Tencent WeSure, he built one of the world's first AI-native regulated insurance carriers. It went from a standing start to over 100 million customers and a 500-person team in under three years, with machine learning designed into underwriting, distribution, claims, and service. More recently, at Animoca Brands, he led the build-out of tokenisation infrastructure that brings real-world and virtual assets on-chain. That work gives him a current, practical read on how stablecoins and tokenised money are changing payments, settlement, and the rails beneath finance.
Before Animoca, he spent nearly two decades at McKinsey. He led McKinsey Digital across Asia-Pacific, running large-scale transformation programmes in big data, e-commerce, and digital user experience design for the region's biggest companies.
His non-executive roles give him a governance perspective from both sides of the Pacific. He is a director of Tapestry (NYSE: TPR), the $30bn S&P500 owner of Coach and Kate Spade, where he sits on the Audit and Technology committees; earlier, he served on the Digital Advisory Board at Burberry (LSE: BRBY). These roles, alongside his operating work, have given him an unusually close understanding of Gen Z consumers, the cohort that will define the next decade of consumption and customer experience across multiple sectors.
Alan is also deeply engaged in the cultural world. He is Vice-Chair of M+, Asia's flagship museum of visual culture in Hong Kong; Co-Chair of the Asia-Pacific Acquisitions Committee at Tate in London; and Co-Chair of the Asia Art Circle at the Guggenheim in New York. These roles connect him to artists, collectors, and institutions across Asia and the West, and shape how he thinks about culture, technology, and the creative economy.
He holds an MEng from the University of Oxford.
Bo Li has been Deputy Managing Director of the IMF since August 2021. He is responsible for the IMF’s work on about 90 countries as well as on a wide range of policy issues.
Before joining the IMF, Mr. Li worked at the People’s Bank of China, most recently as Deputy Governor. He earlier headed the Monetary Policy, Monetary Policy II, and Legal and Regulation Departments, where he played an important role in the reform of state-owned banks, the drafting of China’s anti-money-laundering law, the internationalization of the renminbi, and the establishment of China’s macroprudential policy framework.
Mr. Li served as Vice Mayor of Chongqing—China’s largest municipality, with a population of over 30 million—where he oversaw the city’s financial-sector development, international trade, and foreign direct investment. Mr. Li was also Vice Chairman of the All-China Federation of Returned Overseas Chinese. He started his career at the New York law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell, where he was a practicing attorney for five years.
Mr. Li holds a Ph.D. from Stanford University and an M.A. from Boston University, both in economics, as well as a J.D., magna cum laude, from Harvard Law School. He received his undergraduate education from Renmin University of China in Beijing.
Danny Marti is the Head of Public Affairs and Global Policy at Tencent, where he also serves as a member of the Tencent Americas Management Committee and as Chairman of Ironhide Studios (Uruguay), among other boards. Earlier, Mr. Marti served as Head of Global Government Affairs at London-based RELX; the Vice Chairman of the Global Innovation Policy Center; and the U.S. IP Enforcement Coordinator under President Obama. Prior to the White House, Mr. Marti was the Managing Partner of the Washington, D.C. office of Kilpatrick, Townsend & Stockton. He is a graduate of Georgetown University (BA) and Emory University School of Law (JD).
Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala is the Director-General of the World Trade Organization, the first woman and the first African to hold this position.
She is an economist and international development expert with over 40 years of experience. Dr. Okonjo-Iweala was Chair of the Board of Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, and African Risk Capacity, and Co-Chair of the Global Commission on the Economy and Climate. She has also served as a Senior Advisor at Lazard and sat on the boards of Standard Chartered and Twitter (now X). She is currently Co-Chair of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, a Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution, and a Harvard Kennedy School Global Public Leader.
She served as Nigeria’s first female and longest-serving Finance Minister (seven years) and was also the first female Foreign Minister. Her 25-year career at the World Bank culminated in her appointment as Managing Director, Operations, the number two position in the institution.
Dr. Okonjo-Iweala is the recipient of numerous honours and has authored several books. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Harvard University and a PhD in Regional Economics and Development from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Jane Sun is the CEO and a member of the board of directors of Trip.com Group Limited, a leading global travel services company. She joined the company as CFO in 2005, and subsequently served as COO and Co-President, before being appointed CEO in 2016.
Ms Sun was named one of Fortune’s Top 50 Most Powerful Women in Business for consecutive years and was recognized in various Forbes awards, including its World’s Most Powerful Women List and Asia’s Power Businesswomen List. She received an Asia Society Asia Game Changer Award and was appointed a member of the Asia Society Board of Trustees. Other prestigious awards include the Singapore Business Awards' Outstanding Overseas Executive of the Year, the Institutional Investor Awards for Best CEO and Best CFO.
Ms Sun earned her Bachelor’s degree (High Honours) from the business school of the University of Florida, and completed her Master of Laws (LLM) degree at the law school of Peking University. She is a graduate of the Stanford Executive Program and an Alumni of Stanford University's Graduate School of Business.
Arundhati Bhattacharya is the President and Chief Executive Officer, Salesforce - South Asia, covering India & ASEAN. In her role, Arundhati oversees the growth strategy of the company and plays an integral role in defining Salesforce’s relationship with the ecosystem of customers, partners and community across South Asia. Recently awarded the Padma Shri, one of India’s highest civilian honors for contributions to Trade and Industry, she embodies leadership, innovation, and impact.
Throughout Arundhati's 40+ years in the financial sector, she has also earned a string of accolades to her name, which include "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women" by Forbes, “Top 50 globally most powerful women in business” and “World’s 50 Greatest Leaders" list by Fortune.
Kiran Mani is Managing Director for Asia Pacific at OpenAI, leading the company’s regional strategy and operations. Before joining OpenAI, Kiran was Chief Executive Officer at JioStar, where he led its digital platforms across sports and entertainment, as well as its consumer and advertising businesses. He oversaw strategy and execution across product, technology, content, marketing, and monetization.
Kiran spearheaded the launch and transformation of JioHotstar, establishing it as India’s leading destination for premium entertainment, live sports, and digital-native content across mobile, web, and connected TV. Under his leadership, JioStar reached more than one billion app downloads, 450 million monthly active users, and 250 million subscribers.
Over more than 25 years, Kiran has built and scaled multibillion-dollar technology businesses. Before JioStar, he was Managing Director for Android and Google Play in APAC and held leadership roles at Microsoft and IBM. He has worked across India, the United States, and Asia Pacific and has also founded and scaled a technology startup. Kiran is a CFA charterholder and holds an MBA.
Malobika Banerji is Vice President of Content for Southeast Asia, overseeing Netflix’s content slate across Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia and Philippines. Under her leadership, Netflix has brought hits such as Bangkok Breaking, Cigarette Girl, Mad Unicorn and Ali & Ratu Ratu Queens to global audiences.
She has spent over 15 years as a legal professional specializing in intellectual property and media before taking up her current role at Netflix. She began her career at top Singapore law firm Wong Partnership and has since worked at Baker & McKenzie and as regional in-house counsel at media company A+E Networks Asia before joining Netflix. She has significant experience in the television and media industry in the Asia Pacific region.
