World Economic
Forum on ASEAN 2017
Global Shapers
Participant List
Phnom Penh, Cambodia 10-12 May
Profile
Country
Australia
Jordan Duffy
Co-Founder, Buckham and Duffy Consultants, Australia
Jordan Duffy is a millennial serial entrepreneur, technology innovation expert and at the age of 22 co-owns Buckham
and Duffy – an innovation and rapid development firm with 14 employees. B&D consults and partners with some of
Australia’s largest enterprises and builds strategy for all levels of its government. B&D’s services focus on innovation
methodologies, governance and strategy as well as custom software development and prototyping. Jordan has been
growing businesses for 8 years, meanwhile making impactful influence to policy and government with several G20
groups and as a speaker at the 2014 Brisbane G20.
Australia
Benjamin Gill
President, Australian National University Students’ Association, Australia
Benjamin Gill is a Director of REELise Incorporated, a youth health promotion charity which empowers youth through
mobile phone film-making with a focus on cyber-bullying and mental health. Prior to this Benjamin was the President/
CEO of the ANU Students’ Association (ANUSA) and a member of the Australian National University Council. In 2016,
Benjamin graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Engineering (Hons) and Science, with his engineering honours thesis
focused on the design of smart-phone applications as a tool to improve the efficiency of the youth mental health sector
in Australia. In 2017/18 he intends to commence a PhD at the University of Sydney, researching innovation ecosystems
in the mental health sector and the impact and potential use of emerging technologies in the delivery of care.
Australia
Sarah Tesar
Project Leader, Advancy, Australia
Sarah is a corporate strategy consultant at Advancy. She also consults at the International Trade Centre, a joint United
Nations and World Trade Organization agency and holds fellowships with the Centre for Corporate Responsibility
and the Ash Centre for Democratic Governance at Harvard University. Sarah has extensive experience across the
private, government and non-profit sectors, advising multinationals on growth, compliance and cost management for
Deloitte. She has also worked with the Australian government and private companies to identify business opportunities
in the Asia-Pacific region. Sarah graduated from Monash University in 2010 with academic honours, and dual
undergraduate degrees in business and law. She is a Masters graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School where she was
a PEO International Peace Scholar. Her primary academic focus was on the relationship between business strategy,
government and civil society, looking at how data, private capital and innovative business sustainability practices can
create long-term shared value and tripple-bottom-line results. Her formal teaching appointments span the Melbourne
Business School, Latrobe University Law School and the Leo Cussen Centre for Law. She has also assisted in teaching
multiple leadership and economics courses at Harvard University.
Australia
Aaron Young
Associate, Teach for Australia
Currently an associate of a not-for-profit organisation called Teach for Australia, Aaron Young works with students from
predominantly low socio-economic backgrounds with an aim to bridge educational disadvantage experienced by those
in these areas in comparison to those in high socio-economic areas. Aaron is passionate about contributing to his
community in order to affect change, not only through education, but also in relation to environmental initiatives such as
renewable energies to combat the impact of climate change. He is also the Vice Curator of the Perth Global Shapers
Hub and a director at a not-for-profit called FNTS Movement that works with young people from refugee backgrounds
by using performing arts to help them find their place in the community. Previous to this, Aaron left a career as an
Architect to fulfil a desire to work with young people to alleviate the effects of poverty in our community. He ran a social
enterprise called Creating Freedom Australia, an organisation that existed to enable youth across Western Australia
to express themselves through music and performance, share their stories in an authentic way, and connect with
one another in a supportive environment, receiving a scholarship to undertake training in an incubator program with
the School of Social entrepreneurs. As a part of this enterprise, Aaron also founded an event to encourage action by
young people to alleviate poverty in Western Australia called Expresstival, which has grown to be the highlight event of
Anti-poverty in Western Australia.
Indonesia
Andi Taufan Garuda Putra
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Amartha Mikro Fintek, Indonesia
Andi Taufan Garuda Putra is Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Amartha, a P2P lending marketplace that
modernizes micro-lending sector and provides alternative channels to capital for the unbanked population in Indonesia.
Amartha empowers over 30,000 micro-entrepreneurs who need loans of around $250 for working capital. Taufan is
also a former Consultant with IBM and the recipient of numerous of awards including: Young Change-Maker (2010),
Ashoka; Satu Indonesia Award (2011), Astra; Laureate Global Fellow (2013), International Youth Foundation; Ganesha
Innovation Champion Awards (2014), ITB Alumni. Taufan holds an MPA from Harvard Kennedy School where he was
an Edward S. Mason Fellow and bachelor’s degree in business from Institut Teknologi Bandung.
Global Shapers 1
Profile
Country
Indonesia
Nadya Saib
Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Wangsa Jelita, Indonesia
Nadya Saib earned her degree in Pharmacy at the Bandung Institute of Technology, Indonesia. Nadya currently
serves as the Co-Chief Executive Officer at Wangsa Jelita, a social enterprise that offers natural beauty products to
consumers, while simultaneously supporting local communities, organic farmers, and female artisans across Indonesia.
Her interests include, social entrepreneurship, women’s empowerment, community development, and mobilising youth
movements.
Indonesia
Stefy Santoso
Chief Operating Officer, Akselerasi Edukasi Internasional, Indonesia
Stefy Listiani Santoso is passionate about social issues, especially education. As a student at Parahyangan Catholic
University, she initiated and led “Akar Hidup”, a community development program where she built play grounds and
learning centres for low-income communities in Bandung, Indonesia. The project was rewarded with a grant from the
Ministry of Education and Culture and Stefy was chosen as a ‘Young Leader’ from McKinsey & Co and the winner of
Personal Leadership Project in 2013. In addition, her dedication and passion for social entrepreneurship and education
was well-appreciated; she won a 2nd Rank for Social Idea Project in Indonesia Leadership Camp at University of
Indonesia. She also was awarded as a Youth Peace Ambassador by American University of Souvereign Nation and
Eubios Ethics Institute in Arizona, USA (2014), Danamon Young Leader Award, Nutrifood Leadership Award and also
Global Shapers by World Economic Forum. Currently, Stefy works as the Chief of Partnership Officer at an education
technology company called PT Akselerasi Edukasi International in Bandung. The company’s first product is Financial
Wisdom, an artificial intelligence platform and education apps about financial literacy with online courses and online
consultation, triggered by the fact that about 75% of Indonesian lack knowledge on financial literacy. Currently, she
also works as the Deputy Director of the Centre for Innovation, Entrepreneurship and Leadership in Bandung Institute
of Technology (CIEL).
Indonesia
Amanda Witdarmono
Founder and Executive Director, We the Teachers, Indonesia
Amanda Witdarmono initiated ‘We The Teachers’ out of a research on Indonesian teachers’ professional
circumstances; the organization not only houses Amanda’s passion in education but also serves as an avenue for the
expertise in classroom teaching and experience in business operations. Entering its third year, WTT has reached out
to more than 3,000 teachers, spread out in over 100 schools throughout Indonesia. WTT’s activities revolve around
teachers’ training, module development, and classroom observations that could methodically map out more effective
pedagogy and therefore empower teachers to become more relevant to the ever-changing context of children’s
development. Prior to that, Amanda’s experience includes working in the editorial and research team of a children’s
media and assisting the Office of the Governor of Jakarta with its then-new cash transfer initiatives for students.
She holds a bachelors degree in Elementary Education from Boston University and a masters degree in Education
Development from Teachers College, Columbia University. Her research has been acknowledged by UNESCO, the IMF,
as well as CIES, Comparative and International Education Society.
Japan
Yuichi Kobayashi
Leading Graduate School Research Assistant, Keio University, Japan
Yuichi Kobayashi is passionate about Japanese Calligraphy (shodo). He has earned 6 championships in the national
Japanese calligraphy contest and has been awarded the Incentive Award from the President of Keio University in 2011
and 2013 for his achievements. Yuichi aims to introduce Japanese Culture to the world through shodo, especially the
important role of connections in traditional culture. In addition, he also volunteers in nursing and personal care facilities
across Japan providing Japanese calligraphy therapy, a way to create compassion and trust as well as to build strong
communities. Currently, Yuichi is also working on a new venture with MIT media lab to establish new characters/
typography for internet business transactions that can be read by artificial intelligence. The demand of internet business
transactions is increasing. However, there are only 100 characters in the digital world recognized by AI. By creating new
characters and typography, especially used by leading technology companies, Yuichi hopes to produce new, more
convenient services through art and culture to close the digital divide.
Japan
Yu Nakamura
Founder and Food Curator, 40 Creations, Japan
A culinary researcher, cook and writer, Yu Nakamura joined the Global Shapers Community in 2016. Having spent
time in kitchens in over 35 countries, Yu Nakamura speaks Japanese, English and Spanish. She recently published a
book “Grandma’s Happy Recipes,” a collection of recipes collected globally from over 100 sets of grandparents in 15
countries over 3 years. After graduating from college, Yu was hired by the publishing firm, Taraxacum Company. She
also polished up her cooking skills at the restaurant, Kitchen Watarigarasu in Ebisu, before becoming freelance in 2012.
Basing herself as a freelance chef in Harajuku, she also publishes articles for the newspaper, NORAH. Yu has also
made appearances as a speaker for TEDxTokyo, and also consults for various food related companies. In 2015, she
founded 40 Creations, a global collaboration and research network to develop new, fun and unique food styles.
Global Shapers 2
Profile
Country
Laos
Benjamin Soo
Business Owner, Blu. At The Mandala & Modern Lao Homes, Laos
Benjamin Soo is a serial entrepreneur. He currently owns and operates a modern restaurant and does real estate
development in Vientiane, Laos. He was born Malaysian-Lao and holds a Bachelor’s degree in International Business.
Ben chairs the team that hosted the first TEDx in Vientiane, which achieved commendable success. Ben has a passion
for start-ups and is interested in the development of Laos and how to enable it to become a well known innovation hub in
South East Asia for the betterment of future generations in terms of employment, arts, culture and a high quality of life.
Malaysia
Kal Joffres
Chief Executive Officer, Tandemic, Malaysia
Kal is the CEO and co-founder of Tandemic, an innovation lab based in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. Tandemic
focuses on applying new approaches to addressing social challenges ranging from preventing diabetes to improving
the quality of vocational education and works in partnership with the social organisations, the private sector, and
governments. Through his work, he has served clients and partners such as UNICEF, UNDP, Standard Chartered,
Microsoft, Novo Nordisk, and Sime Darby. Kal is the key architect and facilitator behind ‘MakeWeekend’, the
region’s largest series of make-athons. He has nearly a decade of experience running collaborative, open innovation
programmes with both technical and non-technical communities. He is also the author of the Design Thinking Tool-kit as
well as the Social Business Model Canvas, which is used in 22 countries and taught at universities including as Oxford
and UC San Diego. For his social impact work, he has been recognised as part of the Purpose Economy Asia 100,
100’s Asia leading social innovators. Kal formerly worked in management consulting, investment, and guiding clients in
innovation and business strategy. He has experience working across Asia, North America, and the Middle East.
Malaysia
Chia Wei Lim
Lecturer, INTI International University, Malaysia
From a linguistics background, Chia Wei has a strong interest in languages, cultures and social causes. She has long
been fascinated by sign language and has been involved in building a more inclusive deaf community in Malaysia,
particularly through storytelling, short films and performances. She is the co-founder of silentSHOUT, where she
organised the first deaf-themed short film festival in Malaysia (also the first in Southeast Asia) in 2011. Now, her nonprofit organization continues to design short film festivals, film workshops and photography contests for the hearing
impaired across Southeast Asia. Chia Wei was one of the guest speakers at the Hong Kong International Deaf Film
Festival in 2012 and 2015, and she is also a lecturer in INTI International University, Malaysia.
Malaysia
Weng Marc Lim
Associate Director, Swinburne University, Malaysia
Dr. Weng Marc Lim is a multi-potentialite who wears many hats—i.e. Associate Director, Program Leader, and
Senior Lecturer at Swinburne University (Sarawak Campus), Global Shaper at World Economic Forum Global
Shapers Community (Kuala Lumpur Hub), and Senior Fellow at Nation Building School, among others. He received
his doctorate in business and economics (management and marketing) from Monash University and post-doctoral
professional certificates in the area of leadership and strategic management from Cornell University. Dr. Marc warmly
welcomes international research, industrial collaboration, and intellectual speaking opportunities on the following topics:
1. How to create and manage disruptive innovation (e.g. creative destruction, technology proliferation); and 2. How to
induce desired behavioural change among non-believers and resisters to change (e.g. people who resist sustainable
development and practices).
Mongolia
Anar Bayarsaikhan
Academic Adviser, Orchlon International School, Mongolia
Bayarsaikhan Anar was born in Ulaanbaatar city, Mongolia. She was educated at the Faculty of Education of The
University of Hong Kong and completed a Bachelor of Education degree. Anar has completed the “E-Teacher
Scholarship Program” awarded from the U.S. Embassy in Ulaanbaatar. She has interned at the National Commission
of UNESCO in Mongolia and UNICEF Hong Kong offices. While studying in Hong Kong, she completed her teaching
practicums at Sha Tin College (ESF), YMCA of Hong Kong Christian College and Sir Ellis Kadoorie Secondary School.
After returning to Mongolia, Anar has been working at Orchlon International School as a member of the school
administration. Anar has been contributing to education sectors across the world. She has taught public education
and English to underprivileged children in Africa, Vietnam, Hong Kong and Mongolia. In 2015 she founded a teaching
program called “Passion Teach Learn,” which gathers 20 volunteer-students to teach English to visually impaired
students. She has conducted research on the “Use of macrobiotic food of children from the ages of 14-18,” where
she received the “Excellent Youth Scholar” award from the National Research Centre for Gifted and Talented Education
sponsored by the Korean Educational Development Institute. Anar has represented Mongolia at the “Human Rights
Day” ceremony organised by the National Human Rights Commission of India in New Delhi, India. For her commitment
to academic integrity she was awarded an Honourable Mention in the “Global Innovation Awards 2016” in the Student
Engagement category from Turnitin, UK.
Global Shapers 3
Profile
Country
Mongolia
Tana Jambaldorj
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Our Mongolian Dream, Mongolia
Tana Jambaldorj is the founder and CEO of the non-profit Our Mongolian Dream, which aims to define Mongolians’
shared values through grassroots civic engagement. She is also the founder and CEO of Tana Global Solutions,
through which she does advisory and consulting work on various strategic projects in Mongolia. Tana has expansive
experience working in the mining industry, most recently as a Value Chain Strategy Analyst for Oyu Tolgoi, the Rio
Tinto managed copper and gold mining project in Mongolia. Prior to that she worked as a Business Analyst in Australia
for both Rio Tinto’s Northparkes Mines (a copper and gold mine in New South Wales, Australia) and the Technology
& Innovation division. Tana holds an A.B. in Economics and East Asian Studies from Harvard University and an MBA
from the University of Oxford’s Said Business School where she was a recipient of the Global Shapers Community
Scholarship. She founded the Mongolian Young Scholars Program in 2011 to identify and prepare outstanding
Mongolian high school students for admission to top universities abroad. The not-for-profit program has run
successfully since 2011 and has helped numerous students attain their dreams of studying at top universities.
Myanmar
Min Htin Kyaw Lat
Co-Founder and Managing Director, Nexus Solutions Co., Myanmar
Min Htin Kyaw Lat co-founded and currently serves as Managing Director of Nexus Solutions Co., Ltd. Founded in
2012 and initially started as a company specializing in Wi-Fi technology, the business has expanded to encompass all
aspects of computer networking services. Nexus Solutions designs, builds, monitors and maintains wired and wireless
networks for residential, commercial and industrial use. Min Htin Kyaw Lat joined the Global Shapers Community in
June of 2013 and served as Curator of the Yangon Hub from 2016 to 2017.
New Zealand
Shruthi Vijayakumar
Head of Learning and Development, Inspiring Stories, New Zealand
Shruthi Vijayakumar has extensive experience working at the intersection of education, youth development and social
enterprise. She is currently the Head of Learning & Development for Inspiring Stories in their mission to unleash the
potential of young New Zealanders to change the world. She runs a social enterprise accelerator, Live the Dream and
leads programme design and delivery for New Zealand’s largest social entrepreneurship/ innovation gathering, Festival
for the Future. Shruthi also works as a Leadership Coach and Trainer, developing the capabilities of young people.
Shruthi previously worked for a number of organisations in the youth development sector, leading P3 Foundation
as CEO, in its mission to empower young New Zealanders to end extreme poverty, building a global social change
education curriculum, Better World Ed, and founding The Plastic Bottle Kayak which engages young New Zealanders in
environmental issues through adventure. Shruthi was previously a management consultant with the Boston Consulting
Group advising clients in the education, finance, and energy sectors. Shruthi has a Bachelor of Arts double majoring
in Economics and Politics from the University of Auckland, has been recognised as a Semi-Finalist for the Young New
Zealander of the Year Award.
Philippines
Janvie Amido
Founder and Executive Director, Youth First Initiative Philippines, Philippines
Janvie Amido is a global-multi-award-winning Filipino. Has over fifteen years of community development work
experiences. Was a former sponsored child of World Vision Development Foundation and currently serves as an
ambassador and as a child sponsor. He was formerly the program officer for Visayas and Mindanao of the Family
Planning Organization of the Philippines, where he worked to address the sexual and reproductive health and rights of
adolescents and youth in the Philippines. Functioned as program managers for various programs to meet the unmet
needs of reproductive health and rights. He is part of the technical team developing national reproductive health laws in
the Philippines, where he spearheads the integration of sexuality education in primary and secondary school curriculum.
Chairperson of the committee on gender and development of the National Anti-Poverty Commission. He has intensive
background working closely and collaboratively with various government, local government and non-government
institutions. After working on several national projects, he went back to his city - Iloilo - to start a start an organization
called Youth First Initiative Philippines, Inc. that later gave birth to various initiatives that shape the city of Iloilo. He is the
creator and founder of Produkto Lokal, a program of Youth First Initiative that consolidates local products to the global
Philippines
Michaela Tanjangco
Management Consultant, Accenture, Philippines
Michaela Tanjangco is currently working in management consulting in Accenture, helping companies improve their
operations, services, and strategy in telecommunications, heavy equipment, social enterprise and INGOs. Michaela has
worked with Accenture with capabilities in strategy (strategic partnerships, retail strategy, cost transformation) and digital
(omni-channel, and systems integration of different platforms and systems). Michaela takes part in integrating different
innovations in business and technology to enable seamless experiences and improved effectiveness and efficiency.
Michaela is also apart of Accenture’s development partnerships, where she works with leading international development
organizations to address the world’s social, economic and environmental issues. In addition, she is also an advocate for
inclusive healthcare, having left medical school and having previously co-founded a healthcare company called Harambee
Vision, which empowered out of school youth to create and sell low cost prescription glasses for those in need (children,
the elderly, and workers). She has a Master’s Degree in International Management from ESADE Business School in
Barcelona, a Psychology Degree from Ateneo de Manila University, Manila, and 1 year of medical school experience.
Global Shapers 4
Profile
Country
Singapore
Amanda Mah Yi-Xin
Educator, Ministry of Education, Singapore
Amanda Mah Yi-Xin teaches at the National Junior College, Singapore, where she specializes in the General Paper,
a multidisciplinary subject focusing on the intersection of the various domains of knowledge such as the Arts, the
Sciences, Philosophy, Religion and Mathematics. Being apart of the Global Shapers Community has given her the
privilege and opportunity to observe how the subject of General Paper is played out in the world today: never has it
been more important to develop an inquisitive and critical mind; to synthesize information so as to make meaning out
of them; to continue exploring, especially so in the context of the Fourth Revolution, a phenomenon the Forum is quick
in identifying. An amateur astronomer, Amanda is constantly amazed and humbled by creation within and beyond the
“pale blue dot”. She is a keen fan of Carl Sagan and Bertrand Russell.
Singapore
Thammika Songkaeo
Social Impact Project Manager, The HEAD Foundation, Singapore
After receiving a M.S.Ed in Higher Education from The University of Pennsylvania and a multidisciplinary B.A. in Asian
Studies and French at Williams College, Massachusetts, Thammika Songkaeo now manages projects at The HEAD
Foundation (THF). After completing two research projects at Penn, on how to incentivize professors to teach about
sustainable development, as well as the effects of American scholarships on Chinese students in the late-nineteenth
century, she became a fellow at The Penn Social Impact House. She continues to actively bridge research and practice
through her research at THF, which is on higher education in ASEAN. She also plays an intrapraneurial role to make
THF more forward-looking and a grant-maker for projects with social impact in Southeast Asia. Having lived in India,
Thailand, Uganda, Rwanda, and various cities in the United States,Thammika integrates an international and global
perspective into her work.
Thailand
May Sripatanaskul
Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Asian Leadership Academy, Thailand
May Sripatanaskul is an entrepreneur with a passion for design-led innovation, education and policy design. Currently,
she is CEO and Co-founder of Asian Leadership Academy and LUKKID, which seeks to promote the use of Design
Thinking to help organizations innovate and grow. She is also the Education Research Project Manager of Thailand
Development Research Institute and Director of Academy of Business Creativity. Her current path in innovation cocreation is a career switch from her past career in investment banking and micro-finance. May received a Bachelor
of Sciences in Engineering from the University of Pennsylvania (2009) and Master of Business Administration from
Stanford Graduate School of Business (2013).
USA
Bok Yeon Hwang
Market Associate, Expedia, USA
David Hwang was born in Seoul, Korea and recently graduated from Carnegie Mellon University, located in
Pennsylvania, United States. He aspires to be a pioneer that takes action, and is eager to be another value creator in
the Global Shaper Community. While studying, David devoted his last two years in college creating and operating a
textbook reselling website with an automatic price checker that enables fellow students to compare the lowest rate
for used textbooks on Amazon.com. He is open to new ideas, and eager to talk to fellow Global Shapers and World
Economic Forum constituents about anything and everything!
USA
Edward Thai
Partner, 500 Startups, USA
Edward Thai has prior experience in strategy and finance for companies ranging from start-ups to Fortune 500
corporations in technology, media, telecommunications, finance and manufacturing. He is also a partner at 500
Startups (the prominent Silicon Valley venture capital fund and accelerator). He currently is facilitating investment in
Vietnam’s next generation of great tech start-ups and helping to develop 500 Startups’ corporate innovation and
ecosystem development offerings. Edward serves on Harvard Alumni Association board of directors. His work has
been covered by Bloomberg, BBC, Forbes, TechCrunch, and various leading Asia regional and local Vietnamese
outlets.
Global Shapers 5