The Speakers

Ms Teo assumed the post as Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia on 4 January 2021. She last served as Director of Strategic Communications at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs from 2017 to 2020. Ms Teo has also held other appointments at the Ministry’s headquarters, covering Southeast Asia, Public Affairs and ASEAN. From 2009 to 2013, Ms Teo was part of the pioneer team at the Singapore Permanent Mission to ASEAN in Jakarta, serving as Deputy Permanent Representative. Prior to that, she was at the Singapore Embassy in Bangkok, completing her tour of duty as Deputy Chief of Mission. Ms Teo graduated with a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours) from the National University of Singapore. She was awarded the Public Administration Medal (Bronze) in 2009. 

Neak Oknha Sear Rithy is the founder and chairman of WorldBridge International Group, which holds more than thirty companies across a diversity of sectors including logistics, property development, technology, food and beverage, media, hospitality, e-commerce, banking, and security. Personally, Rithy has also launched the country’s first significant venture capital fund, Ooctane, which has $55M (USD) under management for investment in technology startups and SMEs. His charitable works in Cambodia include numerous public-private partnership programs, the Cambodian Red Cross, and the Mekong Futures Initiative (MFI). In 2020, Rithy was granted the title of “Neak Oknha” by the King of Cambodia in recognition of his status as a leader in the community.

Jacqueline Wong is the founder and Managing Director of Sequoia Group, a Leadership and Organisation Development consultancy whose mission is to create organisations that are worthy of people’s commitment. Bringing together a rich blend of knowledge and skills from the fields of strategic planning, leadership development, strengths-based change and organisation learning, Jacqueline has designed and facilitated  many leadership and organisation and development interventions in the past two decades as a strategic planning facilitator, leadership consultant, trainer and coach.  More recently, this includes the National Healthcare Group, Keppel Group, Economic Development Board, NTUC First Campus, Singapore Polytechnic and Sports Singapore. She is also a steering committee member of the IPEN Festival 2018, and a board member of the Appreciative Inquiry Practitioner’s Journal.

Richard Yim is the CEO of Cambodia-Japan Digitalized Manufacturing Centre (CJDM) and CEO of Quantum Engineering, which is a company that build innovative product to solve the world most challenging problems. His works in the landmine clearance sector was recognized globally as the first robotic solution that can dig out landmine and other explosives without human intervention. Richard Yim was featured in ASEAN Top 40 Under 40 in 2018 and Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2019 for his works and dedication to the mining sector. Richard was born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia before immigrating to Canada with his family in 2006. He graduated from the University of Waterloo in Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering and Master of Business Entrepreneurship and Technology. In 2020, Richard was appointed by His Majesty Norodom Sihamoni, the King of Cambodia as an advisor to the National Council of Science Technology and Innovation.

Chem Srey Oeun has over 10 years of extensive cross-disciplinary and cross-culture working experience, including NGOs, Education, Research, Think-tank, and her last employment prior to joining Smart Axiata was one of the leading fintech companies in Cambodia, TrueMoney Cambodia. Srey Oeun graduated with a Master’s degree in Social Policy and Social Development at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. In 2010, she signed up to be a representative and became a Tiger Ambassador of WWF. Additionally, she is also an author of the report “Cambodian Millennial Trends” published by Kantar TNS Cambodia. Srey Oeun is extremely passionate about people’s development and environmental issues; she has a passion to help the communities where she lives in.

Dr Wai Chiong has 30 years of experience as innovator and transformation leader, policymaker and educator, operator and investor. He started his career as a practicing physician, then on increasingly large roles to make broader systemic impact – at hospital and regional health cluster levels, and finally at national level with the Ministry of Health and Singapore Economic Development Board. In the private sector, he has been operator and trusted advisor, to global investors, governments, NGOs, hospitals and life sciences companies. In the philanthropic and community arena, he is a board director of a social service agency, district councillor, and serves as executive mentor and advisor to social enterprises, impact investment funds, professional associations.  As Clinical Director at MOH Office for Healthcare Transformation, where he is currently Senior Consultant. 

Ms Cheryl Chung was the Head of Singapore Kantar Public and previously also Co-Director of the Executive Education department at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. She also headed the School’s Strategic Planning department and together with a team, was building the futures research and teaching capabilities at the School with the “Future Ready Singapore” project.  Her interests focus on the intersection of technology, economic and regulatory policy and on capability development in futures thinking for policy makers. Before joining the School in 2015, Chung worked in the Singapore Government where she led futures projects across several ministry portfolios for 8 years. She entered the world of public policy futures as part of the pioneer team for the Ministry of Trade and Industry’s Futures Group.