Singapore

With more than 15 years’ experience working with the Chief Financial Officers of multinationals in multiple countries, Simon is an experienced strategy advisor, leadership consultant, mentor and connector of people. Simon leverages his extensive network in business, finance, policymaking, defence and diplomacy to enable member success.

Simon is a Trustee of the Royal Society for Asian Affairs, a Fellow of St George’s House, Windsor Castle, a Member of the Adjudication Panel of the Australian Press Council, and a Non-Executive Director of Dara School. His prior roles include strategy consulting and journalism. He is a member of the UK Institute of Directors and the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Singapore

A highly experienced corporate events leader, Ee May creates the environment in which members and their Finance teams share ideas and experience as peers. With a focus on generating successful interactions, Ee May’s team facilitates unique experiences in both Asia and Europe.

Prior to joining the Global CFO Network, Ee May was an event organiser, musician and educator. She has extensive global experience, having lived in three countries.

London

A former British Army officer, Katherine was appointed as the first-ever female equerry to the British monarch. Before that she held numerous roles across government including in Downing Street, advising the UK Prime Minister, and the Cabinet Office, working for the National Security Adviser. With a deep interest in geopolitics and foreign affairs, she is passionate about shaping policy and fostering international collaboration.  

Before joining the military, Katherine qualified as a barrister, training in corporate and commercial law. She is a member of the Inner Temple and in her spare time enjoys mountaineering and inspiring others through the great outdoors.

Singapore

Taimur Baig, Ph.D., heads global economics as well as macro strategy for interest rate, credit, and currency at DBS Group Research. He also advises the bank on risk management and investment strategy.

Prior to joining DBS, Dr. Baig was a Principal Economist at the Economic Policy Group, Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS). Earlier, he spent nine years at Deutsche Bank’s Singapore office, where his last position was Managing Director and Chief Economist, Asia.

During 1999-2007, he was based in Washington, DC, at the headquarters of the International Monetary Fund, where his last position was Senior Economist.

Dr Baig has published extensively for both specialists and a general audience, on areas including monetary policy, digital currency, financial technology, climate change, demographics, frontier markets, and fiscal policy efficacy. He is the host of “Kopi Time,” a widely followed podcast series on markets and economies.

Dr Baig holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He attended London School of Economics and Wabash College for his B.A. in Economics.

London

As a British Army officer, James has had the privilege of commanding Grenadiers for the last twenty years. His career has taken him to Bosnia, Iraq, Afghanistan, and other conflicts zones around the globe. He has also been fortunate to meet, engage and train soldiers from different nations and teach Officer Cadets and the globally renowned Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst.

His greatest privilege was commanding 1st Battalion, Grenadier Guards from July 2020 – December 2022, which included providing support to the funerals of HRH Duke of Edinburgh and HM Queen Elizabeth II. He also participated in the coronation of HM King Charles.

More broadly, James attended US Army Staff College 2010-12, became part of the Army’s membership of the Forward Institute and continues to expand his understanding of military and civilian leadership methodologies. His leadership perspectives have been received on various talks, both internally to the military.

Singapore

Mary Ann is an accomplished executive with a solid track record of success in financial planning and strategy, revenue management and analytics, and business development. She is currently the Global Chief Financial Officer for The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, which has 1200+ locations across 20+ markets globally, a position she took at age 36.

Prior to joining The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, she led Revenue Management and Analytics at Hong Kong Disneyland (The Walt Disney Company) and was the Controller and Head of Business Development and Planning for Philip Morris International in the Philippines. She began her career at Procter & Gamble, holding numerous corporate and divisional finance leadership roles within Asia, with bases in the Philippines, Vietnam, and Singapore.

Mary Ann is a Certified Internal Auditor and a Certified Public Accountant. She graduated Cum Laude from the De La Salle University with a degree in BS Accountancy.

Kuala Lumpur

Syaza Shukri is an associate professor at the International Islamic University Malaysia, where she also earned a PhD in 2018. She also serves as a Visiting Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore and as a Non-Resident Research Fellow at the European Centre for Populism Studies.

Her specialisation is comparative politics, particularly political Islam and democratisation. She has written widely for both academic and mass media publications on populism, identity politics, and geopolitics. Bloomberg, Germany's ARD, Channel News Asia, South China Morning Post, Turkey's Anadolu Agency, New Straits Times, the Malay Mail, Free Malaysia Today, Malaysiakini, Bernama and BFM, among others, have all sought her expert advice.

She received her Bachelor's degree with highest honours from the University of Pittsburgh, where she majored in both history and political science. Her Master's degree is from the London School of Economics and Political Science.