Tetsuya Watanabe is the President of ERIA (Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia), located in Jakarta, Indonesia. Before joining ERIA, he was the Special Advisor to the Japanese Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry. In his public service career of over 30 years, Watanabe has held the positions of Director General for the Trade Policy at the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) and Counsellor of the TPP Headquarters at the Cabinet Secretariat, where he was engaged in Japan’s major trade policy initiatives and negotiations in the TPP, RCEP, Japan-US Trade Agreement, Japan-UK Comprehensive Economic Partnership, and the WTO Reforms, among others. He has also served as Vice President of the Research Institute of Economy, Trade, and Industry (RIETI), one of Japan’s most prominent policy think tank. Watanabe is an alumnus of the University of Tokyo and Columbia Law School.

*ERIA is an International Organization established by the Leaders of East Asia Summit (EAS) Member countries in 2008. ERIA provides research and policy support to governments, businesses, and civil society in the ASEAN and East Asia region. ERIA works closely with the ASEAN Secretariat and other multilateral organisations.

Akimoto Uchikawa earned Master of Fiber Chemistry of Shinshu University. He joined Teijin Limited in 1990, starting his career in the Fiber and Textile Research Institute. After serving in various roles, he was seconded to Teijin Twaron B.V. in the Netherlands. Became the Manager of Aramid Product Development Section, Teijin Techno Products Limited in 2008, and from 2014 he served as the General Manager, Production, Research and Development Division, High-Performance Fibers Business Unit. He was appointed as Teijin Group Corporate Officer and Management Coordinator for the President, Material Business of Teijin Group in 2017. Became Executive Officer, Member of the Board and President, Material Business of Teijin Group in 2021, and in April 2022, assumed the position of President and CEO, Representative Director of the Board of Teijin Limited.

Since 2003, Yuki Isogai has been involved in private sector development in Eastern Europe, Asia and Africa, promoting investment by Japanese companies in private companies and government organizations. Her focus has been to engage in private sector development and public-private partnership projects in developing countries. Before joining a PwC member firm in 2011, she served as a private sector development specialist at the Africa Bureau of the World Bank. As technical lead of the PwC Japan Group’s Sustainability Center of Excellence, she is responsible for supporting clients in developing their sustainability vision and strategy, promoting sustainable business transformation, and building sustainability risk management systems, as well as addressing social issues through business and providing sustainable investment and financing support in developing countries. As a member of the Type II Financial Instruments Firms Association, she took the position of deputy chair of its working group on SDGs promoting discussion in this area. She was also an expert on the “Study Group on Impact Investing,” co-sponsored by the Financial Services Agency and the GSG Domestic Advisory board. In addition, she has supported financial sector organizations in the area of climate change risk and opportunity evaluation, and sustainability-related disclosures.

Mr Gan Kim Yong was appointed Minister for Trade and Industry on 15 May 2021. One of his key priorities is to identify new growth opportunities in support of Singapore’s continued economic development. Mr Gan is also Deputy Chairman of the Monetary Authority of Singapore Board, and was co-chair of the Multi-Ministry Taskforce which directed and coordinated Singapore’s COVID-19 response until it stood down on 13 February 2023. From May 2011 to May 2021, Mr Gan was Minister for Health. He oversaw efforts to drive Healthcare 2020, a masterplan to ensure accessibility, quality and affordability of healthcare in Singapore. Under his leadership, the Ministry of Health invested significantly in building new healthcare infrastructure, and expanded the polyclinic and General Practitioner networks. Enhancements to long-term care financing measures were also launched, and a universal lifelong medical insurance was introduced. As Minister for Manpower from April 2008 to May 2011, Mr Gan led the ministry’s efforts to minimise mass retrenchments during the economic recession in 2009. He also played an instrumental role in the development of manpower policies to meet the challenges of a rapidly changing business environment, and in building a Continuing Education and Training system for a globally competitive workforce. Mr Gan’s other previous appointments include Minister of State for Education and Minister of State for Manpower.

Mr. Thavisin was born on February 15, 1962. He’s a former Chief Executive Officer and President, Sansiri Public Company Limited, the main driving leader of the organization.

Before joining Sansiri, Mr. Thavisin worked for Procter & Gamble, a large multinational corporation manufacturers and distributors of fast-moving consumer products (FMCG).

While running Sansiri with a broad vision and a comprehensive approach to business management, Mr.Thavisin had driven Sansiri strength to strength for almost 40 years and had also created confidence in the Sansiri brand among consumers along with being a leader in the creation of various standard settings.

Mr. Thavisin has always been a keen observer of the country's social agendas and has given ideas to create various activities to strengthen the economic and social foundation for the nation in many aspects, especially in pushing for social changes, supporting equality and diversity including in many projects related to children and youth.

Mr Zandanshatar has served as the Chairman of the State Great Hural (Parliament) of Mongolia since February 2019. Under his leadership in 2020, the State Great Hural (Parliament) of Mongolia adopted national long-term development policy Vision-2050 which sets out a new direction of development for the next 30 years in line with the sustainable development goals and its fundamental principles.

His other previous roles include the State Minister & Chief of the Cabinet Secretariat, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade and the Vice Minister of Agriculture in the Government of Mongolia. He has been elected as a member of the parliament for the 4th term in 2020.

Mr Zandanshatar was trained in economics and finance at the Institute of National Economy (now Baikal State University) in Irkutsk, the Russian Federation. He was a visiting scholar at Stanford University’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law from 2015-2016 where his research focused on the democratic process and political development of Mongolia.

Miki Sugimura is a professor of Comparative and International Education, Faculty of Human Sciences of Sophia University. She received M.Ed. and PhD from University of Tokyo. UNESCO Chair Holder on Education for Human Dignity, Peace and Sustainability. She is also a visiting professor of the United Nations University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability (UNU-IAS), a research fellow of Japan International Cooperation Agency Ogata Institute, a senior program officer of Research Center for Science Systems at Japan Society for the Promotion Science, Vice Chair of Promotion of Sustainability in Postgraduate Education and Research (ProSPER.Net) and an associate member of Science Council of Japan. She was a member of Japanese National Commission for UNESCO (2016-2022), President of Japan Comparative Education Society (JCES) and a co-opt member of executive board of World Council of Comparative Education Societies (WCCES) (2017-2023). She was also appointed to a member of the International Expert Group on the revision of the 1974 Recommendation by UNESCO in 2022. Her research topics are international higher education, multicultural education, and Education for Sustainable Development (ESD).

Mr. Tae-won Chey serves as the Chairman of SK Inc which is the holding company in SK Group.

He oversees the 213 companies primarily focused on the semiconductors, telecommunications, energy, materials and bio-pharmaceutical industries that as of February, 2024 comprised SK Group.

He began his career in 1991 as Managing Director at Yukong Ltd., now known as SK Innovation, and was appointed Chairman and CEO of SK Group in 1998.

Mr. Chey continues to expand the group, which had combined sales of $150 billion in 2022, beyond the AsiaPacific region. SK was ranked 92nd in the Fortune Global 500 list of the world’s largest enterprises in 2023.

Mr. Chey also chairs the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry (“KCCI”), the Korea Foundation for Advanced Studies (“KFAS”), the Chey Institute for Advanced Studies and the Korea Handball Federation.

Mr. Chey holds a bachelor’s degree in physics from Korea University and undertook postgraduate work in economics at the University of Chicago.

Tak Niinami is the Chief Executive Officer of Suntory Holdings, one of the world's leading consumer products companies with operations throughout the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceania.

Tak spent the first 20 years of his career at Mitsubishi Corporation, where he held a number of management positions and founded Sodex Corporation (now LEOC Co.), a hospital food service joint venture between Mitsubishi and Sodexo of France, ultimately taking the company public in 1999. Prior to joining Suntory in 2014, Tak was CEO of Lawson, Inc., which he grew into one of Asia’s major convenience store operators, posting profit growth for 12 consecutive years and quadrupling its market capitalization during his tenure.

Deputy Prime Minister Le Minh Khai was born on December 10, 1964 in Bac Lieu Province, Vietnam. He has an educational background in Economics and was awarded the Second-Class Labor Order. He has held various positions in the Party Central Committee and the National Assembly. His working history includes roles in LIKSIN Corporation, Foreign Trade and Development Center of Ho Chi Minh City, State Audit of Vietnam, and Bac Lieu Provincial Party Committee. In October 2020, he became a member of the Party Central Committee, Government Chief Inspector, and deputy to the 14th National Assembly. He was later elected as Deputy Prime Minister during the 11th working session of the 14th National Assembly.

Angeline Tan is an Analyst in the Foreign Policy & Security Studies Programme at ISIS Malaysia. Her research covers East Asia’s international relations, with a particular focus on China. She is interested in China’s foreign policy, Japan’s strategic approaches to Southeast Asia, and the impact of the US-China’s tech rivalry on the region. Angeline contributed to “Focus in Continuity: A Framework for Malaysia’s Foreign Policy for a Post-Pandemic World”, published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2021. Her work has also been featured in local and international media, such as The Diplomat, South China Morning Post and The Edge Malaysia. Angeline was a Visiting Research Fellow at the Japan Institute of International Affairs (JIIA) in 2023.

Kitti is Professor of international relations at Thammasat University in Bangkok and an advisory committee for the International Studies Center (ISC) at the Thai Ministry of Foreign Affairs. He used to serve as a strategic committee at the Thai Ministry of Defence (2014-19). Kitti is currently among the editorial board of the journal Global Studies Quarterly (published by the International Studies Association, U.S.).

His work experiences include Vice Rector for International Affairs (2018-2021) and Director of the Institute of East Studies (2013-2018) at the university. Kitti was director for the ASEAN Watch Project, funded by the then Thailand Research Fund (2011-2020). He served as an advisory committee, representing Thailand, of the Asia Center under the Japan Foundation (2015-2021).

Earning an M.A. from Keio University and a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley, Kitti has a wide range of publications, including those on Japan – Southeast Asia relations, U.S. – Thailand security alliance, ASEAN, soft power in East Asia, maritime security, and Thai politics. His recent interest is on public diplomacy. He was selected as a CPD-SIF Southeast Asia Fellow (2023 – 2024) at the Center on Public Diplomacy, University of Southern California.

Kitti was a visiting professor at UC Berkeley, teaching “International Relations in Southeast Asia,” and gave lectures at various universities, such as Waseda, ANU, Munich, Peking, Korea, and Yonsei. He was invited to speak, including at Nikkei Forum, Beijing Forum, Jeju Forum, the Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA), ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, and Columbia University.

Maria Monica Wihardja is a Visiting Fellow at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute and an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the National University of Singapore. She was a former World Bank Economist in the World Bank’s Poverty and Equity Global Practice and the recipient of the Nikkei Asian Scholar 2023. She is a member of the East Asia Forum’s Editorial Board and the Center for Indonesian Policy Studies’ Board of Directors. In 2017, she was seconded to the Executive Office of the President of the Republic of Indonesia as a senior advisor to the Deputy Chief Staff in charge of strategic economic issues. From 2012 to 2014, she represented Indonesia at the Think20 meetings at the Los Cabos, Saint Petersburg and Brisbane G20 Summits. Her main research topics are digital economy, labour market, food security and agricultural reforms, regional and global architecture, and disinformation and electoral propaganda. She has a PhD in Regional Science from Cornell University, a MPhil in Economics from Cambridge University, and a BA in Applied Mathematics-Economics from Brown University.

Kei Koga is Associate Professor/ Head of Division at the Public Policy and Global Affairs Programme, School of Social Sciences, Nanyang Technological University (NTU). Concurrently, he is a Nonresident Fellow at The National Bureau of Asia Research (NBR), the United States, and a member of RIPS Research Committee, the Research Institute for Peace and Security (RIPS), Japan. His research focuses on International Security, International/Regional Institutions (particularly ASEAN), and East Asian/Indo-Pacific security.

Previously, he was Japan Scholar at the Wilson Center in 2022; visiting fellow at Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in 2017; a Japan-U.S. Partnership Fellow at the RIPS, Tokyo, in 2012-2014; Postdoctoral Fellow in the International Studies Program, The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School, in 2012-2013; a Vasey Fellow at the Pacific Forum CSIS in 2009–2010. His recent publication includes "Tactical hedging as coalition-building signal: The evolution of Quad and AUKUS in the Indo-Pacific" (British Journal of Politics and International Relations, 2024) and "Managing Great Power Politics: ASEAN, Institutional Strategy, and the South China Sea" (Palgrave Mcmillan, 2022).

He received his Ph.D. in International Relations at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University.

Iqbal Muslimin is the Co-founder, Chief of Sustainability, and Director of Evermos, the leading social commerce platform in Indonesia. Evermos provides SMEs access to underserved consumers in lower-tier cities through Indonesia's largest reseller-based distribution network. Iqbal leads Evermos' commitment to sustainability practices and aims to amplify social impacts for women micro-entrepreneurs. The approach has been instrumental in not only creating jobs and economic independence for many individuals in rural areas of Indonesia but also in fostering access, opportunity, and business education and empowerment through a systematic approach and tech-driven solution. Additionally, Iqbal endorses ESG principles and the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to small businesses in Indonesia, focusing on raising sustainability awareness among Evermos’ SME partners and ecosystems.

Iqbal has over ten years experience in the Indonesian tech and internet industry, both an entrepreneur and a social entrepreneur. He was recently named as part of the 2022 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia and as a member of the Global Innovators at the World Economic Forum.

Sue Mi Terry is senior fellow for Korea studies at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR).

Most recently, Terry was director of the Asia program and the Hyundai Motor-Korea Foundation Center for Korean History and Public Policy at the Wilson Center from 2021 to 2023. Previously, she was a senior fellow with the Korea chair at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, managing director for Korea at Bower Group, senior research scholar at Columbia University’s Weatherhead East Asian Institute, and CFR’s National Intelligence Fellow.

In the U.S. government, Terry was deputy national intelligence officer for East Asia at the National Intelligence Council, the director of Korea, Japan, and Oceanic Affairs at the National Security Council under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama, and a senior analyst at the CIA, where she produced hundreds of intelligence assessments.

She has taught at Tufts University, Georgetown University, the Johns Hopkins University’s School of Advanced International Studies, Seoul National University, and the University of Chicago, where she was a 2019 Pritzker Fellow at the Institute of Politics.

Terry is a producer of Beyond Utopia, an acclaimed documentary film about refugees escaping North Korea that won the 2024 DuPont-Columbia Award for excellence in broadcast journalism, was shortlisted for an Academy Award and nominated for a BAFTA Award.

Terry received a BA in political science from New York University and an MA and PhD in international relations from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University.

Cheol-Hee Park (born in 1963) is currently Chancellor of the Korea National Diplomatic Academy (KNDA). Before being appointed as Chancellor of KNDA on 31 March 2023, he held the position of Professor at the Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS) at Seoul National University since 2004. Also, his previous posts include serving as Director of the Institute for Japanese Studies (2012-2016), Dean of GSIS (2016-2018), and Director of the Institute of International Affairs (2019-2023) at Seoul National University.

Park earned his Ph.D. from Columbia University in New York, following completion of his B.A. and M.A. degrees at the Political Science Department of Seoul National University. He held the position of Assistant Professor at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS) in Japan (1999-2002), and subsequently at the Institute of Foreign Affairs and National Security (IFANS) (2002-2004). He also served as President of the Korean Association for Contemporary Japanese Studies (2017). Additionally, he served as a visiting professor at Colombia University, the University of Tokyo and Keio University. In 2022, he worked as a senior staff member at the Subcommittee on Foreign Relations and Security of the Presidential Transition Committee of South Korea.

Park has authored numerous papers covering topics such as Japanese politics, Korea-Japan relations, as well as international relations of East Asia.

Park held positions as a board member of various organizations including the Korea-Japan Forum, SETO Forum, Seoul Forum for International Affairs, Asan Institute for Policy Studies, and East Asia Foundation. In 2005, he was honored with the First Nakasone Yasuhiro Award.

Dr. NISHINO Junya is a Professor, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Law, Keio University in Tokyo, Japan. He also serves as Director of the Institute of East Asian Studies and Director of the Center for Contemporary Korean Studies at Keio University. His research focuses on contemporary Korean politics, international relations in East Asia, Japan-Korea relations, and Japan-US-ROK relations.

Dr. Nishino was a Japan Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and a Visiting Scholar at the Sigur Center for Asian Studies, George Washington University in 2012-2013. He was also an Exchange Scholar at the Harvard-Yenching Institute in 2011-2012.

Previously he served as a Special Analyst on Korean Affairs in the Intelligence and Analysis Service of the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in 2006-2007, and was a Special Assistant on Korean Politics at the Japanese Embassy in Seoul in 2002-2004.

Dr. Nishino received his B.A. and M.A. from Keio University, and Ph.D. in Political Science from Yonsei University in South Korea.

Arifin Tasrif (born 19 June 1953 in Jakarta) is the current Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources. He was previously appointed as Indonesia's Ambassador to Japan in 2017 until October 2019.

Minister Tasrif has extensive experience in the fertilizer industry. Prior to his appointment as Ambassador, he held the position of Chief Officer in three different state-owned companies in the fertilizer industry, namely PT. Pupuk Indonesia, PT. Pupuk Sriwidjaya, and PT. Petrokimia Gresik.

Minister Arifin studied chemical Engineering at the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), graduating in 1977.

WanSeok Chang is an Economist at the ERIA (Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia) where he contributes to economic research in the Economic Research Department. Before ERIA, he worked as an Associate Research Fellow in the Office of SDG’s Innovation Research at the Science and Technology Policy Institute (STEPI) where he extensively researched on the national innovation system in developing countries and water-energy-food nexus in Mekong based countries with UNIDO and UNOSSC, respectively.

Wan's academic experience includes PhD in Agricultural and Resource Economics from the University of Connecticut, with a research focus on micro-development economic issues. His dissertation deals with a variety of economic topics including media family planning messages, ageing, and cyberbullying victimization in East Asia. He holds a master’s degree in Agricultural Economics from Purdue University with a special focus on energy economics and a bachelor’s degree in economics from Pennsylvania State University, where he graduated with Superior Academic Achievement.

Throughout his academic and professional journey, Mr. Wan has showcased expertise in economic research, particularly in areas related to micro-development economics, health, education, innovation, and industrial policy. His doctoral dissertation and research titles demonstrate his proficiency in analyzing diverse topics within economics. His current research focuses on the effect of new emerging technologies (AI, big data, IoT, block chain) on innovation and labor productivity in micro-, small- and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) in the context of emerging economies.

H.E. Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad was Prime Minister of Malaysia from 1981 to 2003. During this period he opened up the country to foreign investments, reformed taxation, reduced trade barriers, oversaw the privatisations of numerous state-owned enterprises and created a world-class physical infrastructure. He also sought to bridge Malaysia’s ethnic divide by increasing general prosperity.

In 1991, he launched the New Development Policy, which emphasised industrial and commercial development and the elimination of poverty. Under Tun Dr. Mahathir’s leadership, Malaysia developed into one of the most prosperous and dynamic economies in Southeast Asia, with a burgeoning industrial sector, an expanding middle class and enhanced quality of life.

In 1995, the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) initiative was introduced to make Malaysia a global player in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) industry.

Malaysia also played a more active role in the international arena, acting as the voice for developing nations in Asia and Africa. Always with one eye on the future, Tun Dr. Mahathir unveiled Vision 2020 in 1991, a blueprint for Malaysia’s journey towards becoming a developed economy and a mature democracy by the year 2020.

Despite his retirement, Dr Mahathir has been kept busy with numerous invitations and speaking engagements locally and abroad.

He is the Honorary President of Perdana Leadership Foundation (PLF), a think-tank set up to preserve, develop and disseminate the intellectual heritage of past leaders. Tun Dr Mahathir is also the Chairman of Kuala Lumpur Foundation to Criminalise War (KLFCW) and President of Perdana Global Peace Foundation (PGPF). Both these organisations aim at promoting global peace and criminalising war.

In 2015, Tun Dr. Mahathir decided to come out of his political retirement and spearheaded a campaign to oust Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak from office. Following that, Tun Dr. Mahathir and several like-minded political leaders had formed Parti Pribumi Bersatu Malaysia (PPBM) in which he is the chairman.

Other political parties opposed to the Prime Minister had also rallied around him and elected Tun Dr Mahathir to be the chairman of Pakatan Harapan (Coalition of Hope) as well as naming him as the Prime Minister designate if they won the 14 th general election.

On 9 th May 2018, the result of the 14 th Malaysian General Election declared the Pakatan Harapan as the winner. Tun Dr Mahathir wins sworn in as the 7 th Prime Minister the following day.

In February 2020, Tun Dr. Mahathir resigned Prime Minister.

Tun Dr. Mahathir is married to a doctor, Tun Dr. Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali, and they have seven children and sixteen grandchildren.

Dr. Romyen Kosaikanont is highly committed to fostering a collective learning as well as co-creating the higher education common space for equitable and sustainable development of this region. She is leading various key regional initiatives supporting regional harmonization and internationalization through policy dialogue, leadership, mobility and linkages and knowledge maximization. Some of the flagships include the annual policy dialogue among SEAMEO higher education policy makers (SEA HiEd SOM), the intra-regional mobility program of the Asian International Mobility for Students (AIMS) Program, the Southeast Asian higher education knowledge hub platform of RIHED-SHARE, and projects with the British Council on Higher Education Leadership and Good Governance on Gender Equity, Diversity and Inclusivity, and with DAAD(German Academic Exchange Service) on strengthening research ecosystem through the Horizon Southeast Asia Pushing the Frontier of Research for Sustainability. During her tenure as former Vice President for International Affairs of Mae Fah Luang University, Thailand and her background on gender studies, she served as expert for DAAD International Deans’ Course; Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund (JAIF) for the Capacity Building Project; CIDA(The Canadian International Development Agency) Sustainable Environmental Management Project and represented women major group at RIO+20. She is currently a member of Global Research Council: Gender Working Group.

Birty Place: Bukit Mertajam, Penang
Education: BA for Malay Studies, Universiti Malaya

Sushil was officially appointed as Chief Executive Officer with effect from 16 January 2023. Sushil is a well-recognised industry leader with nearly 30 years of overall experience in the energy and power business, as well as a passion to drive the global transition towards a decarbonised future.

Prior to Gentari, Sushil spent over 24 years with Wärtsilä Corporation, a global leader in innovative technologies and lifecycle solutions for the marine and energy markets. His last position was as President of Wärtsilä Energy, and Executive Vice President and Member of the Board of Management at Wärtsilä Corporation.

Sushil’s expertise and experience in the energy sector spans across the globe, with held other key positions in Wärtsilä Group including as Vice President for Energy Business (Americas), Vice President for Energy Business (Middle East, Asia and Australia) and Vice President for Renewables and Energy Storage (Global).

Under his leadership, the growth of its Energy Business established Wärtsilä as a top balancing technology provider in grid balancing engine power plants and battery energy storage systems, and eventually securing its position as a key player in the grid scale energy storage market. Wärtsilä’s decarbonisation services business, launched under his leadership, also enabled its customers to decarbonise rapidly, economically and in a reliable manner.

Sushil holds a graduate degree in Business Administration from the Institute of Management Technology, India and a Bachelor of Engineering in Mechanical Engineering from Bangalore University, India.

Serey Chea is the Governor of National Bank of Cambodia. She is passionate about financial inclusion and women economic empowerment. Achievements under her leadership include the establishment of Credit Bureau Cambodia in 2012 that propelled Cambodia’s Ease of Access to Finance to number 7 worldwide in 2017 by the World Bank, the introduction of Bakong, a national backbone payment system using DLT allowing interoperability amongst all financial service providers making financial services more accessible and affordable, and the introduction of financial literacy into the general education program. Serey holds a PhD in economics and is currently a member of the Board of Directors of the Alliance for Financial Inclusion (AFI) and a member of the Alumni Community of the Young Global Leaders of the World Economic Forum (WEF).

He was appointed to Murdoch University from University College Dublin (UCD), where he was the first Australian to lead an Irish university. Since joining Murdoch University, he has overseen an academic restructure, a refresh of the senior leadership team, and the development of a new strategy, Ngala Kwop Biddi: Building a Brighter Future, Together, which has been warmly embraced by the university community.Andrew was President of UCD from January 2014 to March 2022, and developed a strategy which led to significant improvements across a range of areas, including student satisfaction; quality, quantity, and impact of research; and local, national, and international engagement.Prior to his role at UCD, he was a Pro-Vice-Chancellor at Durham University, where he led the Science, Engineering and Technology division and contributed to the development of extensive international and industry partnerships. Before joining Durham, he was the Winthrop Professor in Civil and Resources Engineering at The University of Western Australia and was Head of School from 2004 to 2009.Professor Deeks’ research has focused on structural dynamics, mechanics and dynamic soil structure and he has published more than 150 research papers in this area. He is a Fellow of the Irish Academy of Engineering, the Institution of Engineers Ireland, and the Institution of Engineers Australia.

Dr. Kao Kim Hourn is the 15th Secretary-General of ASEAN. Prior to assuming his current position on 9 January 2023, Dr. Kao had served as a two-term Minister Delegate attached to the Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia, from 2013 to 2022, and Secretary of State of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, from 2004 to 2013. Dr. Kao’s career has focused on strengthening Cambodia’s international relations, particularly in ASEAN, driving policy advocacy and promoting research, education, and development. He has authored dozens of books and articles on Cambodia and ASEAN. Dr. Kao received BA in Asian Studies from Baylor University, MA in Political Science and MA in International Studies from Ohio University, and PhD in Political Science from the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Currently, he is a Vice Chairman of China-Japan Friendship Association and a member of the 12th National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference.

Han nationality, a native of Jilin Province, born September 1954, undergraduate.