MENTORSHIP PROGRAM SEASON 10 : MENTORS
Meet Our Mentors! Read the summary and click their name to see their LinkedIn bio. When choosing your Mentor, keep an open mind to not limit yourself to a certain industry as our Mentors have a wealth of experiences and skills which are transferable across different industries. Their wisdom and guidance can be applied to various roles and career paths.
We will continue to update this list of Mentors, so stay tuned! This Mentorship Program is open to CanChamHK Members with a Corporate, Entrepreneur, Individual or Young Professional Membership. Please note that Affiliate Members and non-Members are not eligible to apply.
"Agnes has worked at Manulife for more than 10 years in multiple segments and in various functional roles including Finance, Strategic Initiatives, PMO, and Information Risk. She moved from Canada to Hong Kong about three years ago to take on the AVP, IT & Operations Performance role in the HK CIO/COO Office. She is a leader and coach with strong communication, analytical and organizational skills. She has a Bachelor degree in Commerce and an MBA as well as the following certifications, Chartered Professional Accountant (Canada), Certified Public Accountant (U.S.) and Project Management Professional. Her interests include traveling, golfing, tennis, skiing, architecture, interior design, and urban development."
"Alfred is a seasoned banker with an international horizon and insight, from his on-the-ground working experience in Hong Kong, Toronto, London and New York. He is experienced in management and leadership and is willing to share his knowledge with others. Alfred is outgoing, interested in the outdoors and was a Mentor for new immigrants in Toronto on behalf of the Government and a Career Counsellor for the Youth. He graduated with a MBA from the Schulich School of Business, York University, a Postgraduate Diploma (Banking & Finance) from the City University of Hong Kong and Bachelor of Social Sciences (Hons) in Economics from the University of Hong Kong."
"Alex is based in Hong Kong and is responsible for overall relationship management of Asia Pacific corporate and financial institutions, including senior executive coverage, corporate lending, deposit, correspondent banking, trade finance, and trading credit advice to institutional clients in Asia. Prior to joining CIBC Capital Markets, he worked in leadership and management roles with global financial institutions, in Hong Kong, Singapore, and Canada. Alex has 29 years of experience in regional positions with international banks and also serves on several community organizations including as Vice Chair External of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong, where he has proactively represented and advocated for members to governments locally and in Canada, as well as to the international business community. He is also a Male Ally of The Women’s Foundation, where he supports the challenging of gender stereotypes, and advancing women leaders in business and financial services. Alex received a Bachelor of Commerce degree from University of British Columbia and is a Certified Credit Risk Management Professional (CCRP), Commercial Lending (CL) and Credit Portfolio Management (CPM)."
"Antoine has been working at Intact for more than 10 years and relocated in Hong Kong in January 2020 to open the first international expansion of their Data Lab and built the team from 0 to around 25 AI professionals in Hong Kong. At work, he is very passionate about leadership and how Artificial Intelligence can transform the way we do business. In his personal life, he spends most of his time outdoors trail running and making the most of Hong Kong mountains, remote beaches, and islands. If he's not outdoors you will find him eating some of the delicious food available in this great city."
"Carmen is a corporate and commercial lawyer with over 14 years of experience in the legal industry. She is a dual-qualified solicitor in both Hong Kong and England and Wales. Carmen previously worked in major international law firms and was also an in-house lawyer for a Hong Kong listed company advising on acquisitions of international infrastructure assets. Carmen is an avid believer in building and nurturing strong relationships whether on a professional or personal level. She is passionate about giving back to the community and regularly volunteers at local charitable organizations. Carmen also takes a strong interest in supporting and helping the future generations in achieving their goals."
"Cassandra is a dual Canadian-Australian citizen and PR of Hong Kong. She is a proud mother of teenage twins, who are freshman students at University of British Columbia (UBC). Recently retired from the Global Banking & Markets industry after 30 years, she is pivoting to Board Directorships, Creative Writing and Adjunct Lecturing. Cassandra is a passionate dragon boat paddler, loves the outdoors, keeping fit, reading, socializing and paying it forward via charity work and mentorship programs."
"Catherine is currently the Chief Greater Bay Strategy Officer for Sun Life. She is responsible for spearheading the strategic expansion of Sun Life in the Greater Bay Area. In her role, she leads the strategy development, drives new partnerships, and oversees the execution of the strategy and key business initiatives for the organization. Catherine was previously the Head of Corporate Development and Mergers & Acquisitions (“M&A”) for Sun Life Asia. She was instrumental in managing M&A transactions and strategic investments for Sun Life across all the markets in Asia. She has over 18 years of experience in financial services spanning across insurance, wealth management, institutional and retail banking. Her expertise encompasses M&A, corporate strategy, transaction advisory, market-entry, business development, and partnership establishment and management. Catherine has strong business acumen and acute expertise in leading large scale, cross border M&A transactions and building long term relationships."
"Chris has over 15 years of experience in finance, banking, investment and investor relations. He is currently the Assistant Chief Manager (Planning and Investment) in CK Infrastructure, a global infrastructure company. He graduated from the University of Toronto with a BASc in Civil Engineering and is also a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA). He enjoys sharing his own experiences with young people and is happy to see them excel in their careers. In his leisure time, he likes to enjoy wine."
Christopher Ng
Assistant Deputy Director (External Affairs)
"Christopher possesses extensive knowledge of the education sector, with over 15 years of educational management experience across Hong Kong, Macau, Canada, Belgium and the UK. He specializes in education strategy, setup and consultancy, partner co-creation and fundraising, and development of teacher CPD and corporate training programmes. Chris has collaborated with numerous local schools, academics, government, NGO’s and the private sector. Currently, he is the External Affairs Assistant Deputy Director at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, where he leads on the university's internationalisation and global partnership strategy. In his previous role as Head of Programmes Development at the British Council, he supported the learning and development of 1500+ teachers, educators and employees and 20,000+ beneficiaries annually. He has set up and managed multiple language learning centres and film schools, operated a teacher recruitment agency, and supports a variety of EdTech companies!"
"Derek has over 30 years of combined consulting, leadership and management experience spanning finance and insurance, high-tech, major brands, education, and service industries. He is a certified executive coach and a passionate Mentor, and has supported the CanChamHK Mentorship Program for the past 7 years. He has deep expertise in helping Mentees with managing their careers - from current status to short-term and long-term goals! Derek is originally from Vancouver, Canada, and lives in Hong Kong. He has spent the last 36 years living in a number of Asia Pacific locations: Hong Kong, PRC (Beijing), Singapore, Taiwan, Japan, and Australia. His hobbies include skiing, hiking, running, swimming, and staying fit!"
"Ella Cheong is recognized as one of the best woman lawyers in Asia. She is a pioneer in Asia in IP practice and is respected worldwide with 100+ professional awards to date voted by many peers and clients. In 2018, Ella became the very first Asian woman to be inducted into the global prestigious IAM IP Hall of Fame, an award in recognition for her enormous contribution to the development of IP laws. Ella is renowned for her savviness and cross-Asia IP knowledge in all areas of IP, whether contentious or non-contentious matters. Given her profound experiences in representing multi-national corporations and advising on IP laws, Ella is quick in offering commercially viable and pragmatic solutions to her clients."
"Eugene is a seasoned professional in the banking industry with more than 13 years of working experience in multiple foreign banks focused on financial crime compliance/AML/KYC area. He is currently the MLRO of The Bank of Nova Scotia, HK Branch and headed the AML department. Eugene graduated from The University of Sydney and holds a Bachelor of Science degree. He also holds professional accreditations such as CAMS, CGSS and CAMLP."
“Fang has over two decades of experience in the financial industry leading and managing infrastructure and shared services for wholesale banking, wealth management and retail banking; including finance, operation, technology, procurement, corporate real estate and operational risk management. Prior to joining BMO, Fang was the COO at ANZ Bank (China) Co. Ltd. after progressive promotions within ANZ Banking Group in Melbourne, Australia. As the Chief Executive of BMO Hong Kong Branch (Designated), Fang provides leadership and oversight to develop and execute strategy to grow the banking business in the Hong Kong branch. Fang is also passionate about making a positive impact within her community. She is the Executive Ambassador leading BMO Employee Giving Campaign in Asia. Fang is a CPA and has a Bachelor of Commerce from University of Tasmania, Australia."
“Fiona joined Scotiabank in October 2015, and is the Head of Global Capital Markets Desk Hong Kong since February 2021 after being promoted from her role as the Head of North Asia (ex Japan) Global Fixed Income Sales. Prior to joining Scotiabank, she was the Regional Head of Fixed Income Sales with Erste Bank Hong Kong, Asia Head of Derivatives Sales & Managing Director with Bank of New York Mellon Hong Kong, Executive Director with BNP Paribas Hong Kong, Director of Fixed Income Sales with Dresdner Bank Singapore office & HK office. She is a holder of Chartered Financial Analyst and graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong with a B.B.A ( Hon) and Minor in German Studies. She is an active member of the WiFA (Women in Finance Asia) and 100WF (100 Women in Finance) in Hong Kong."
"Gary is a Canadian, who has been in the insurance industry- risk management - for many years. He has resided and worked in Canada, Bahamas, Singapore, Dubai and Hong Kong. He is a father to a 22-year-old who is currently studying microbiology in Canada. Gary enjoys his current role and when he's not working, he cycles up to 100 kms per week. He is a patron of the Hong Kong ballet and a collector of watches."
"Currently a private practice lawyer at a U.S. law firm. Gerald is happy to speak to anyone interested in litigation/arbitration and investigations work, about working at international law firms, or as an in-house lawyer generally. He previously acted as legal and compliance counsel (on secondment) for a NY-listed multinational pharmaceutical company for two years, and advised the company on its operations in Asia. Prior to law school, Gerald worked as an equities research consultant at a multinational investment bank in Toronto."
"Gordon has over 35 years in technology leadership at large financial institutions and great tech companies. Currently at Dell Technologies, he is leading a fantastic team of System Engineers that are out enabling and growing the business of Service Providers and Global Alliance Partners in the Asia Pacific region. Areas of expertise: Developing world-class SE teams, defining multi-cloud strategy, IT Risk Management, Cloud, ITaaS, VMware, z/VM, IBM, Core Banking, Investment Banking, Data Centers, FinTech, BC/DR, Change Management, Service Assurance, ITIL, IT Transformation. "
"A seasoned HR executive, Helen has held increasingly senior roles throughout her career in leading global organizations in both Asia and North America. She has developed strong expertise in various HR disciplines including organizational development, talent management, learning and development, executive development and HR Business Partnership etc. She recently moved to Hong Kong from Canada where she spent 22 years. Helen holds a MBA at McGill University and as a Certified Professional Coach, Helen has exhibited strong passion to coach and mentor people especially women and underrepresented minorities to help them integrate effectively with the society and find their paths to success. She speaks three languages: Mandarin, English and French and her international experiences greatly contribute to her global mindset and cultural sensitivity."
"Herbert is a passionate marketing practitioner with extensive experience in digital and data analytics. As a core member of the Sun Life Digital Transformation team, he's responsible for elevating the brand’s marketing presence across the region. His role is to drive engagement and champion innovation; ensuring new and existing clients discover their content and actively pursue Sun Life's market-leading solutions. Herbert is a leader in driving brand presence through digital transformation, making it easier for everyone to discover and engage with Sun Life, with a passion for digital innovation, digital experience, content marketing, partnerships and coaching."
"Hodson provides risk oversight of all BMO businesses in Asia (excluding China). In addition, Hodson was named Alternate Chief Executive for BMO Hong Kong Branch in March 2021 to assist in the supervision of the Branch’s key businesses, internal controls, and risk management. He has accumulated over 20 years of experience in the Canadian banking industry. Prior to joining BMO, Hodson was based in Singapore as Head of Market Risk for TD Bank. Before relocating to Asia in 2008, he spent 9 years at both TD and Scotiabank in Toronto, Canada. He graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Finance & Economics and completed the CFA program and was awarded the CFA charter."
"Hon has over 18 years' experience working in different functions of major international airlines: frontline customer services, cargo, operations, IR & trade unions, strategic projects and with a specialism in sales and marketing. Born in Macau and educated in the UK, he has a passion for travel, learning new languages and developing new talents, especially those who are considering a career in travel and aviation."
"Howard is a University of Waterloo graduate and is an executive of its Hong Kong alumni chapter. He was a consultant in IT technology in Toronto and Hong Kong until he became a practicing solicitor in Hong Kong. He's climbed the ranks within his law firm which he is currently a partner of. He has also been teaching part-time at the University of Hong Kong's Department of Professional Legal Education. In his line of work, teaching and social life, Howard regularly guides younger peers and people in their professional and daily lives and enjoys it. He strives to give someone at least one piece of practical advice to take home and think about."
Jeff was born and raised in Vancouver and graduated from Carleton University. Seeing how so many CanChamHK members share a sense of community and pay it forward, he was encouraged to be involved. Jeff is a certified IECL Coach (Institute of Executive Coaching and Leadership) and has a passion for real-estate and design. He is always seeking new ways to be inspired.
"Jeffrey is the Founder and Director of Building Narrative, an interior design and architecture studio with expertise in hospitality, F&B, and residential design. Jeffrey was born in Toronto and is a graduate of the University of Waterloo School of Architecture, Canada. He is the recipient of the Ontario Association of Architects Guild Medal and has trained for ten years with internationally acclaimed architects including Farrells, Atelier Zhanglei, REX Architects, and Buro Ole Scheeren."
"Jovan is a senior professional with over 15 years of experience, including Analytics, Business Intelligence, Predictive Modeling, Service Delivery, Digital Transformation, Project Management, Business Partner, Vendor Management, and Strategy functions across Telecom, Energy, Banking, Financial Services, Entertainment & Cinema, Transportation and Startup ecosystems in Canada, USA, and Hong Kong. He currently heads the commercial and partnership strategy across the Asia-Pacific region, Data Science project and client relationship management for key accounts"
"Kara is a Chartered Fellow of the CILT, A Certified Professional Logistician with a focus in the Asia and Pacific trade for more than 20 years. She entered the logistics industry after the successful completion of her undergraduate studies. Since then, she has completed various professional qualifications training and a post-graduate certificate in Logistics Management from the University of Sydney in 2008. Her passion, confidence, and her willingness to “take challenges” have all been reflected and evidenced through her progressive roles in the industry and in various organizations that she has been involved in. Her bilingual skills with fluency in English, Mandarin, and Cantonese provide her the necessary skills to bridge foreign brands and retailers from various regions across the globe to the APAC Market. From a functional point of view, Kara is very knowledgeable in logistics operation, supply chain management, Omni-Channel solutions, and Cross Border eCommerce. After a 10-year career development in Australia, it was obvious that Kara was ready for more challenges. Opportunity struck and Kara was given the chance to relocate to Shanghai with a multinational logistics company in 2009. During her time in China, Kara established her contacts in the industry including various leading eCommerce platforms, services providers, and government officials. With her innovative approach as an industry expert, her hardworking and proactive attitude has proven her as an excellent person in solution, implementation, and project management."
"Born in Hong Kong, grew up in Canada, now based in Hong Kong. Louis started his career as a Graduate Trainee at one of the largest transportation operators in the world. His experience across multiple functions enabled him to see things from different perspectives and most importantly, from the perspective of customers. Louis’ passion for Customer Experience can be felt by his colleagues, clients, and even friends. Outside of work, Louis devotes much of his time to his dogs, taking landscape snapshots during his travels, and occasionally disappearing into the world of Reddit."
"Noah is a compliance professional with a legal background and has worked in Hong Kong, Singapore and New York. He studied at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law, and McGill as an undergraduate. Noah grew up in Northern British Columbia and later moved to Alberta. Outside of work, he enjoys cycling, video games, and making cocktails."
"Ralph's journey to Hong Kong began almost 3 years ago when he decided to start a new chapter and left his precious cold city of Montreal. As a driven entrepreneur, starting his career in a Big 4 consulting firm specializing in cyber security and innovation and knowing 4 languages, enabled him to see every opportunity from several angles. His core beliefs are based on being open-minded and down-to-earth. Throughout his career, he was fortunate to have mentored and coached several people, both students and individuals in the workforce. By sharing his experience and the lessons he learned, he was able to encourage them to realize that anything is possible, no matter their academic background or current job. This allowed him to remain neutral, build trust and help individuals to excel. He looks forward to learning and growing together even more!"
"Roco is a retail design & project management professional with over 15 years of management experience. He recently set up his own boutique agency offering bespoke design & consultancy services to clients within the retail sector. He specializes in the creation & implementation of creative & technical initiatives for brands, as well as project management training for industry professionals. Prior to his current role, he was the head of regional store development and visual merchandising for The L'OCCITANE Group. Roco has a Bachelor degree in Environmental Design (UBC), a Masters degree in Project Management (UniSA), and is a Chartered Project Management Professional (MRICS) under The Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS). He is also a MBTI Certified Trainer & Practitioner. He enjoys basketball, cycling, having a good drink and bite and hopes he can share his experiences and knowledge in retail design & development in Asia to interested Mentees during these unique times."
"Simon is responsible for the strategy, direction and daily operations of the cybersecurity team. He has over 22 years of experience in Cybersecurity and Software Development. Before Serai, he was Director of Threat Vulnerability Surface of Attack at Block.one / Bullish where he was responsible for vulnerability assessments, periodic penetration tests, bug bounty, security configuration compliance and remediation efforts. He also spent 10 years with HSBC in various Information Security and Cybersecurity roles in Switzerland and Hong Kong. In his last role, he was leading Security Testing globally for the bank, managing over 70 internal pen testers. Previously, he was the Regional Head of Information Security Risk for Asia Pacific, where he led all information security related initiatives, projects and operations for HSBC Private Bank. Originally from Québec, Simon holds a B.Sc. in Computer Science Engineering Option from Université Laval. He is a Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), a Certified Secure Software Lifecycle Professional (CSSLP) and a Project Management Professional (PMP). Simon is also a seasoned public speaker who has presented at major events including BSIMM Europe, AppSec Forum Switzerland and DragonCon Hong Kong. He is fluent in multiple languages including French and Spanish. He currently lives in Hong Kong with his wife and son."
"Steven is a result-driven management executive with a strategic and analytical mindset, efficient and effective planning and execution ability and extensive experiences in both agency and partnership distribution training & business development. For leisure, he enjoys hiking, seeing movies and watching NBA games. He is passionate about people development and has been a Mentor for many Mentees internally and externally. As a Mentor for Season 9 of the CanChamHK Mentorship Program, it was an invaluable opportunity to not only share his experience with the next generation of talent but also learn from their perspectives and current trends."
Trinnie So
Director, Compliance and Government & Public Affairs
"Trinnie is the Director of Compliance and Government & Public Affairs - Asia for Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan. She graduated from the University of British Columbia and has been living in Hong Kong since 2000."
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