Brand Finance Asia-Pacific Forum 2013

With a global career spanning over 20 years across brand, marketing, communications, consulting and financial Industry, Samir has a wealth of experience across global strategy, research, IP management, corporate communication, PR, global brand management, M&A branding, and advertising.Previously, as a global brand controller at Standard Chartered Bank, Samir managed the global brand agenda with strong focus on global brand strategy, global brand tracking research/KPIs, internal communication, brand and business integration and brand architecture & alignment during M&A.In his various roles across marketing communications and advertising, Samir has worked across industry segments including FMCG, retail, hospitality, industrial products, automobiles, electronics, beverages, mobile telephony, pharma & healthcare, NGOs, airlines etc.Samir is an i-advisor with IE Singapore, an external speaker, contributes to teaching and curriculum inputs at Marketing Institute if Singapore and at other reputed management institutes.In the past 12 months, Samir has been driving marketing and business acceleration strategies for B2B and B2C segments alike, across industry and consumer segments like pharma, insurance, banking and finance, education, retail, internet/on-line and advertising communications.

Alan joined the Intellectual Property Office of Singapore (IPOS) in October 2012 as Director, International Engagement Department. He currently spearheads efforts to establish linkages and relationships with IP stakeholders outside Singapore, as well as other cross-border initiatives that support Singapore's vision to be a Global IP Hub in Asia.

Alan has extensive experience in working with international organisations as well as facilitating overseas engagements for the local government.

Prior to joining IPOS, Alan was Advisor to Chairman, Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Director-General, and Board of Directors at the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development (ADFD), a national development-aid agency set up by the Abu Dhabi Government with a capital base of US$2.2 billion. He was also a founding Director at the Singapore Cooperation Enterprise, a specialized entity established by the Singapore Government to export public sector expertise. 

Alan pioneered the International Organisations Division at International Enterprise Singapore after covering the North and South America, and Japan Desks as well as lifestyle industry. In 2004, he was concurrently appointed Private-Sector Liaison Officer (PSLO) to the World Bank Group (WBG) after his secondment to Asian Development Bank (ADB) as Director’s Advisor to the Board of Directors. 

Pradeep is a highly experienced senior business leader, now involved in business consulting and education.

With over 37 years of experience in the FMCG industry, Pradeep is an expert in building businesses in both mature and emerging markets. He has managed a wide range of iconic brands across some of the world’s fastest-growing and complex emerging markets including China, India, Russia, Turkey, and Southeast Asia, as well as developed markets like Australia and New Zealand, Japan, and Korea. He has a deep understanding of market dynamics and cultural diversity. He has a proven track record and passion for turning organizations around.

Pradeep was Executive Vice President and President of Asia Pacific (AP) and Eastern Europe, Middle East and Africa (EEMEA) for Mondelēz International till end 2013. Launched on October 1, 2012, Mondelēz International consists of the global snacking and food brands of the former Kraft Foods Inc. Pradeep has served as President, Asia Pacific, since 2008 and he assumed his responsibility for the EEMEA region in 2012.

Previously, Pradeep was Regional Managing Director for Asia, Africa, and the Middle East for Fonterra Brands. He was a member of the Fonterra leadership team as well as the company’s global brands marketing group. Prior to Fonterra, he spent 19 years with The Gillette Company, working in India, Russia, Turkey and Asia Pacific. Pradeep has also worked with Nestle, J Walter Thompson and the Tata group.

Pradeep holds a Master of Management Studies degree from the Jamnalal Bajaj Institute of Management Studies, Bombay University, and a BA with Honors degree in Economics from Shri Ram College of Commerce, Delhi University. Pradeep is also the Founding President of Food Industry Asia (FIA), an advisory board Member of SMU's Lee Kong Chian School of Business and a senior advisor to Hay Group.

Dr. Srinivas K. Reddy is Professor of Marketing and Director, Center for Marketing Excellence, LeeKongChianSchool of Business, SingaporeManagementUniversity. Previously, he was the Executive Director and Group Head, Corporate Strategy and Leadership Development at Maytas Holdings.  Prior to his stint at Maytas, Dr. Srinivas K. Reddy was the Robert O. Arnold Professor of Business and the Director of the Coca-ColaCenter for Marketing Studies, Terry College of Business at the University of Georgia. He holds M.Phil and Ph.D. degrees in Business Administration from ColumbiaUniversity. Dr. Reddy was on the faculties of New York University’s Stern School of Business, Columbia University, and the University of California, Los Angeles and was a visiting professor at Stanford Business School.

Dr. Reddy's expertise is in new product development, marketing and competitive strategy involving new brands and services. Dr. Reddy’s research on brand and marketing strategy has been published in Journal of Marketing, Journal of Marketing Research, Management Science, Statistical Science, Marketing Letters, Journal of the Academy of Marketing Scienc,Journal of Probability and Statistics and Journal of Business Research. In 2006, he has been awarded the IBM’s presitigious SUR grant ($75,000) to study corporate innovativeness and innovation conversion. He has consulted and taught executive programs for IBM, Coca-Cola Company, Miller Brewing, Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Bristol-Myers-Squibb, Satyam Computer Services, Chase, Turner Broadcasting, Cox Interactive Media, United Parcel Service, Equitable, Ford Foundation and Price Waterhouse Coopers. He has been recognized for his outstanding teaching and was the recipient of Award for Teaching Excellence in 1994. He was nominated as the MBA Teacher of the Year in 1999, 2000, 2002 and 2005.

As the Founder and Group CEO of the education training instituteMindChamps, David has created a brand that is recognised as a leader in the education industry and synonymous with cutting-edge quality learning programmes.

In 2008, David was awarded the Entrepreneur of the Year by Rotary~ASME, while MindChamps was awarded Rising Star Brand by Brand Finance. In 2011, MindChamps was awarded Established Brand at the Singapore Prestige Brand Awards.

In 2012, MindChamps was presented with the Most Outstanding Achievement for Education award at the SME 500 awards in recognition of exceptional contribution to the education industry over the past 10 years in Singapore. Currently, MindChamps sits in the top 2% of Singapore/ SME companies (top 1000 out of 47,000 companies reviewed by ACRA).

David is also an established author, having written the critically acclaimed novels, ‘Only the Heart’ and ‘The Full Story’ which were nominated for three prestigious Australian literary awards between them. He has also written several bestselling parenting books including Deeper than the Ocean, hailed as the ‘parenting bible of the 21^st century’ and The 3-Mind Revolution, a new world-view for educators and leaders.

Nigel has been in the communications industry for more than 35 years. He joined DIA in 1983 as an Associate Director in London. He was head of DIA’s Corporate Branding division in Europe before establishing DIA’s Asian base in 1995. He is now CEO of DIA Group, an independent branding consultancy based in Singapore, with subsidiaries in Malaysia and Australia.

Nigel is a recognised expert in the field of branding and design innovation. He has been involved in the development and implementation of many leading corporate, consumer and retail brands, including some of the world’s top brands such as Honda, Unilever, Procter & Gamble, Nestle, IBM, Coca-Cola and many others. Nigel has also undertaken branding, communications and design programmes for some of Singapore’s leading companies and organisations including Olam, NTUC, Changi Airport, OCBC Bank, Singapore Airlines, CAAS, Singapore Power, Asia Pacific Breweries, F&N, and NLB. 

A Fellow of the Design Business Chamber Singapore (DBCS), formerly Designers Association Singapore (DAS), Nigel served as President of the DAS from 1999 to 2003, during which time he led many initiatives to help develop the Singapore brandingn and communications industry. He was a member of the IDF conference committee (Singapore International Design Forum) from 1996 to 2004, was a founding member of the Marketing Council of Asia and was Chairman of the technical judging committee of the Singapore Prestige Brand Awards (SPBA) from 2003 to 2005. He is also a regular speaker at conferences in the region.

Ms Karen Ngui joined DBS in June 2005 and is Managing Director and Head of Group Strategic Marketing and Communications.

She is responsible for corporate communications, brand management, corporate advertising, strategic marketing, internal communications, sponsorships and corporate social responsibility. She leads media and issues management efforts across the DBS Group and is responsible for managing and enhancing the bank's brand positioning and establishing a consistent brand identity across all businesses and markets, including Singapore, Greater China, South and Southeast Asia.

Karen has over 20 years experience in corporate branding, marketing and communications for financial institutions. Prior to joining DBS, she was the Global Head, Brand Management and Strategic Marketing for Standard Chartered Bank.

Karen holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Engineering from University of Southern Illinois and a Masters of Business Administration from University of Iowa. She is a Malaysian citizen and a Singapore Permanent Resident and is married with three children.