Deena Chauhan
Director - Managed Investment Solutions, HSBC
Deena is a Director in the Global Strategy and Proposition team, Investment Products Group within HSBC Private Banking. Deena has been with HSBC since 2010 and has worked in 4 countries - Hong Kong, London, Geneva, and Singapore. Her current role is helping to build a best-in-class product and investment service across the client segments including strengthening the ESG proposition. Prior to HSBC, Deena worked with Goldman Sachs in the Commodities Principal Investments Team in London. Deena studied Economics at University College London (UCL) and is a CFA Charterholder. Outside of work, Deena enjoys yoga, travel and exploring all things new – food, music, culture. She sits on the 100 Women in Finance Singapore Committee and is fluent in English, German and Gujarati.
Kathy Matsui
Former Vice Chair, Goldman Sachs Japan
Kathy Mitsuko Matsui is the former vice chair of Goldman Sachs Japan, co-head of Macro Research in Asia and chief Japan equity strategist. She was a member of the Asia Pacific Management Committee and Goldman Sachs Japan Co., Ltd. Executive Committee. Kathy has been ranked No. 1 in Japan Equity Strategy by Institutional Investor multiple times. She was chosen by The Wall Street Journal as one of the "10 Women to Watch in Asia" for her work on the "Womenomics" theme and was also named to Bloomberg Markets magazine’s “50 Most Influential” list in 2014. Prior to joining the firm, Kathy was chief Japan strategist for Barclays de Zoete Wedd Securities for four years and worked at the Export-Import Bank of Japan’s Washington, DC office for two years. She is a policy commentator for Japan’s Cabinet Office and has served on numerous Japanese government committees aimed at promoting gender diversity. Kathy is a board member of the Asian University for Women (AUW) Support Foundation, chair of the Board of Councilors (Japan) of the US-Japan Council, director of the Fast Retailing Foundation, member of the Council on Foreign Relations, The Nature Conservancy Asia Pacific Council, the Bretton Woods Committee Advisory Council, Keizai Doyukai, and the Japan Society Fund Against Breast Cancer.
Alexandra McGuigan
Global Development Director, 100 Women in Finance
Alexandra McGuigan is the Global Development Director for 100 Women in Finance and is responsible for all business development and corporate engagement. A sales and marketing strategist with a specialisation in alternative investments, Alexandra has successfully helped international fund managers navigate and develop a presence in the APAC region, raising over $2.5 billion AUM from institutional investors. Based in Singapore, Alexandra was previously APAC Director for 100 Women in Finance, responsible for the organisation’s activities in the region. She has also held senior roles at Tribeca Investment Partners, SHED Enterprises, and Investec, where she was responsible for developing and implementing sales and marketing strategy for products and new business opportunities. Alexandra has worked with international fund managers, across asset classes including GAM, Adveq, Och Ziff, Diamond Asset Advisors and Qblue Balanced. She started her career in Asset Management at BNY Mellon Asset Management. Alexandra is a Chartered Alternative Investment Analyst and a CAIA Singapore Chapter Executive. She holds an MBA majoring in International Business from UTS and has a BA Media Communications, Sydney University. She has studied in Australia, France and the USA.
Yumiko Murakami
Head, Tokyo Centre, OECD
Since Yumiko joined OECD in 2013 as the head of OECD Tokyo Centre, she has been at the forefront of policy discussions between OECD and governments, businesses and academia in Japan and Asia, covering a wide range of economic policy issues. She has been leading discussions with various stake holders in Japan and Asia, particularly in the areas of Corporate Governance, tax guidelines, gender diversity, education, international trade and innovation. Prior to joining the OECD, Yumiko held a number of leadership positions as a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs and Credit Suisse. Yumiko has diverse professional experiences, ranging from banking in New York and London to UN Peace Keep Operations in Cambodia. Yumiko has an MBA from Harvard University, MA from Stanford University and BA from Sophia University. She sits on the Japan Advisory Board of Harvard Business School as well as several advisory committees of the Japanese Government. She is the author of a bestseller book, “Turning Demographic Challenges into Economic Opportunities”. (Japanese only) Ranked #1 at Amazon Japan, economics category.
Kara Owen
British High Commissioner, Singapore, British High Commission
Kara has been the British High Commissioner to Singapore since 26 June 2019. Before becoming High Commissioner, Kara was most recently Director for the Americas at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. - Deputy Head of Mission at the British Embassy in Paris (2011 to 2016) - Head of Strategy, Communication and Training Department, Consular Directorate, FCO (2011) - Head of Diversity and Equality at the FCO (2009 to 2011) - Deputy Head of Mission in Hanoi (2005 to 2009) - Private Secretary to the Foreign Secretary (2003 to 2005)
Natalja Sesterikova
Head, Distribution Business Planning and Performance, Prudential Assurance Company
Natalja is an investment professional with expertise in private equity, banking and insurance, and former advisor to Finance Ministers and EU negotiator. With over 13 years of experience across Asia and Europe, she has a strong track record of delivering impact through consensus building and advice to investors, executives and policymakers. Currently at Prudential, she focuses on value creation and leading the team in identifying revenue growth opportunities and building analytical capability to create insight into competitive advantage of the business. She is a creative contrarian, curious status quo challenger and a consensus-builder, she speak 6 languages and is a CFA® and CAIA charter holder. In addition, Natalja is a passionate champion for economic empowerment of women, she aims to uplift young female talent in finance as a NextGen Chair on the 100 Women in Finance Singapore Committee. She also helps to design the standards of investor education by volunteering at the CFA Institute's Practice Analysis Working Body.
Clarence Singam-Zhou
Head of International, First Abu Dhabi Bank
Clarence is the Head of International at First Abu Dhabi Bank, leading the bank’s business growth across the FAB’s International network. He was previously from Westpac Banking Corporation where he was the Chief Operating Officer, Asia and the Chief Executive, Singapore. He spent his entire career in the financial services industry, primarily in Structured and Corporate Finance, and has previously worked at PwC, Rabobank, Macquarie Securities and Temasek Holdings. Clarence speaks English, Malay and Chinese. He studied Organizational Leadership at Oxford University and holds Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Economics degrees from Monash University, Australia and a Master’s in Applied Psychology from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Outside of work, Clarence sits on the board of Aidha, a charity focused on empowering blue collar migrant workers through financial and personal development education.
