About Us

We shape multi-sector partnerships across the world, as a force for good

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    Introducing the Alliance

     

     

    The PAA Difference (A-S-I-A)

    Through collaborative philanthropy, we drive innovation, momentum and social impact, going further, faster, together.

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    Amplify

    Leverage multi-sector relationships to catalyse and scale Asian solutions for global challenges

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    Scale

    Access venture funding and impact investing opportunities through our global network and ecosystem

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    Innovate

    Mobilise sustainable, outcomes-focused financing through blended finance models

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    With An Asian Focus

    Cross-pollinate Asian and global solutions through co-funding, collaboration and learning opportunities

    Our Leadership

    Board of Directors
    Lim Boon Heng

    Chairman

    Lim Boon Heng

    Chairman

    Mr Lim Boon Heng is the Chairman of the Philanthropy Asia Alliance. Mr Lim was appointed Chairman of Temasek Holdings on 1 August 2013, after having served as its Director since 1 June 2012.

     

    Mr Lim is the Chairman of NTUC Enterprise Co-operative Ltd. He was previously a Cabinet Minister within the Prime Minister's Office. Mr Lim’s career spans the private and public sectors, having led Singapore’s National Trade Union Congress, and having served as a Member of Parliament (1980 to 2011) and Cabinet Minister for Trade and Industry. Before entering the public sector, Mr Lim spent a decade at NOL (Neptune Orient Lines).

    Mr Lim holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree in Naval Architecture from the University of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK.

     

     

    Janet Ang

    Director

    Janet Ang

    Director

    Ms Janet Ang is the Chairman of SISTIC.com Pte Ltd and an Independent Director of the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) Ltd and Swire Shipping Pte Ltd. She is also a Senior Advisor of the RGE Group.

     

    Ms Ang serves as Chairman of the Public Transport Council, the NUS-ISS and the Singapore Polytechnic Board of Governance. She is also the Deputy Chairman of the Singapore Business Federation Foundation and a council member of the Singapore Business Federation and the Council of Board Diversity. Besides serving on several other statutory boards and CLGs, she is also Singapore’s Non-Resident Ambassador to the Holy See and a former Nominated Member of the Parliament of Singapore (Feb 2021- July 2023).

     

    Ms Ang was awarded The Public Service Medal in 2019. She was also awarded the Singapore Computer Society IT Leaders Award – Hall of Fame in 2018, the NUS Distinguished Alumni Service Award in 2015, the NUS Business School Eminent Alumni Award in 2014 and most recently, the NUS Outstanding Service Award 2021. Janet graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration (Honours) from the National University of Singapore, and is an alumni of the INSEAD International Directors Program. She is married to Mr Anthony Cheah Kia Heng and they have four daughters.

     

    Dominic Barton

    Director

    Dominic Barton

    Director

    Mr Dominic Barton is Chair of Rio Tinto and the Chair of LeapFrog Investments, an impact-investment firm focused on emerging markets. He is also a Senior advisor and partner at Radical Ventures a leading AI investment firm.

     

    Mr Barton completed his role as the Ambassador of Canada to the People’s Republic of China in 2021, appointed by the Right Honourable Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2019. He was a Senior Partner at McKinsey & Company and served as Global Managing Partner for 3 terms from 2009 to 2018.

     

    Mr Barton was previously Chair of Teck Resources, from 2018 to 2019, and, in 2019, served as a Non-Executive Director at Singtel. He brings a wealth of global business experience, as well as a deep insight of geopolitics, corporate sustainability, and governance.

     

    Børge Brende

    Director

    Børge Brende

    Director

    Mr Børge Brende is president of the World Economic Forum (2017). Previously he was the Norwegian minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Trade and Industry, and Minister of Climate and the Environment.

     

    He served as Deputy Chairman of the Norwegian Conservative Party as well as MP. He was also Vice-Mayor in his hometown Trondheim. He was Chairman of the UN Commission on Sustainable Development and Secretary- General of the Norwegian Red Cross. He was board member of Statoil and the Norwegian School of Economics. He has been the Chair of Mesta, Norway’s largest contracting group in the area of road and highway maintenance.

     

    Mr Brende is a member of the Advisory Council, Harvard International Negotiation Program, the China Council for International Cooperation on Environment and Development (CCICED), the Strategic Committee of Sciences Po, and is currently on the board of the Bilderberg Meetings.

     

    Michael ByungJu Kim

    Director

    Michael ByungJu Kim is Founder and Chairman of MBK Partners. MBKP is a leading Asian private equity firm, with over $30 billion in capital under management and offices in Seoul, Tokyo, Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai. Prior to MBKP, Mr. Kim was President of Carlyle Asia and a member of The Carlyle Group’s Management Committee. Before Carlyle, Mr. Kim was Managing Director and COO of Asia-Pacific Investment Banking for Salomon Smith Barney and an Executive Director at Goldman, Sachs & Co.

     

    Mr. Kim has a BA with Honors from Haverford College, where he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, and an MBA from Harvard Business School. He was also a Fulbright Scholar.

     

    Mr. Kim has served or serves on the boards of directors of KorAm Bank, China Network Systems, Universal Studios Japan, Tasaki, Coway, ING Life Korea and Homeplus. He also has served or serves on the boards of trustees of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Carnegie Hall, the New York Public Library, Haverford College, Harvard Business School, the Asia-Pacific Foundation of Canada and the MBK Scholarship Foundation.

     

    Mr. Kim has been named one of Bloomberg's “50 Most Influential People in the World,” CKA’s “Philanthropist of the Year” and Forbes’ “Asia’s Heroes of Philanthropy.” He is the author of the national bestseller, Offerings.
    Edmund Koh

    Director

    Edmund Koh

    Director

    Mr Edmund Koh is a career banker with more than 30 years of experience in the financial services industry in Singapore and the Asia Pacific region during which time he garnered a deep understanding of Asian markets and developed a strong track record in leading and building successful businesses in Asia.

     

    A strong advocate of talent development and community involvement; he is always in the front line of providing mentoring to juniors, knowledge sharing and nurturing the next generation of leaders.

     

    Mr Koh is a board/council member of various committees including the MAS Financial Centre Advisory Panel, the Wealth Management Institute, the Asian Bureau of Finance and Economic Research, and the University of Toronto International Leadership Council. He holds a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Toronto, Canada.

     

     

    Desmond Kuek

    Director

    Desmond Kuek

    Director

    Mr Desmond Kuek is the CEO of Temasek Trust.

     

    Prior to this, Mr Kuek was UBS Global Head of Sustainable Finance and Chairman of UBS Optimus Foundation Singapore from 2019 to 2022. He was President and Group CEO of SMRT Corporation Ltd from 2012 to 2018; and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment and Water Resources from 2010 to 2012. He served in the Singapore Armed Forces in his earlier years, and was appointed Chief of Army from 2003 to 2007, and Chief of Defence Force from 2007 to 2010.

     

    Mr Kuek holds a Master of Arts (Engineering Science) from Oxford University, and a Master in Public Administration from Harvard University.

     

    Lubna S Olayan

    Director

    Lubna S Olayan

    Director

    Lubna S. Olayan is Chair of the Executive Committee of Olayan Financing Company (OFC), Chair of Olayan Saudi Holding Company (OSHCO) Corporate Board and Chair of the Shareholders Board of The Olayan Group. 

     

    In 2004, Ms. Olayan became the first woman to join the board of a Saudi publicly listed company when she was elected to the board of Alawwal Bank, and she went on to serve as its Deputy Chair. Following the merger in 2019 of Alawwal with SABB, the Saudi affiliate of HSBC, she became Chair of the newly merged entity, now known as SAB.

     

    She has served on several corporate boards over the years, including Maaden - the largest multicommodity mining and metals company in the Middle East (2016-2020) and Schlumberger (2011-2021).

     

    Ms. Olayan is currently a member of several international advisory boards, including those of Akbank, Allianz SE, Bank of America, Hakluyt, Sir Bani Yas, McKinsey & Company, KIMC and TotalEnergies.

     

    She also serves as a trustee of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), the WEF Board of Trustees and has served as a KAUST Founding Board member (2008-2020). In addition to serving as President of the Suliman S. Olayan Foundation, Ms. Olayan chairs Alfanar, a UK based charity that is one of the first venture philanthropy organisations in the Arab world.

    Christina Ong

    Director

    Christina Ong

    Director

    Ms Christina Ong is Chairman and Senior Partner of Allen & Gledhill. She joined the Firm as a Partner in 1987, and has for many years headed the Financial Services Department. Her areas of practice include banking, securities offerings, securities regulations, investment funds, capital markets, and corporate finance.

     

    Ms Ong is a member of the Corporate Governance Advisory Committee (a standing committee established by The Monetary Authority of Singapore) and the SGX Catalist Advisory Panel. She also sits on the Board of Directors of Singapore Telecommunications Limited, Oversea-Chinese Banking Corporation Limited, Hongkong Land Holdings Limited, and is an Authority Member of the Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore.

     

    Ms Ong regularly reviews and provides feedback on legal and securities developments, particularly amendments to Singapore company and securities law and the listing rules. Ms Ong holds a Bachelor of Laws (Second Upper Honours) from the University of Singapore. She is a member of the Law Society of Singapore and the International Bar Association. She was called to the Singapore Bar in 1975.

     

     

    Mildred Tan

    Director

    Mildred Tan

    Director

    Ms Mildred Tan is the Chair of Singapore Totalisator Board (Tote Board) and Chair of Singapore University of Social Science (SUSS) Board of Trustee; Co-Chair for Council for Board Diversity (CBD) and Co-Chair for Global Future Council on the Future of Philanthropy for Climate and Nature, World Economic Forum. She is also Board Director of National University Health System (NUHS), Wing Tai Holdings and AIA (Singapore).

     

    In addition, she sits on the Council of Presidential Advisers as a Member.

     

    Ms Tan was conferred Justice of Peace in 2008 and was awarded PBM (Public Service Medal) in 2007 and BBM (Public Service Star) in 2014 for outstanding community service by the Singapore Government. She was nominated Member of Parliament in Singapore from 2009 to 2011.

     

    Dr Ya-Qin Zhang

    Director

    Dr Ya-Qin Zhang is Chair Professor of AI Science at Tsinghua University, and Dean of Institute for AI Industry Research of Tsinghua University (AIR). He was the President of Baidu Inc. from 2014 to 2019. Prior to Baidu, Dr Zhang was a Microsoft executive for 16 years with different key positions, including Managing Director of Microsoft Research Asia, Chairman of Microsoft China, and Corporate Vice President and Chairman of Microsoft Asia R&D.

     

    Dr Zhang was elected to the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), the American Academy of Arts and Sciences (AAA&S), the Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE), the National Academy of Inventors (NAI), and the Euro-Asia Academy of Sciences. He is a Fellow of IEEE and CAAI. He is one of the top scientists and technologists in digital video and AI, with over 500 papers, 60 granted US patents, and 11 books. His original research has become the basis for start-up ventures, new products, and international standards in digital video, cloud computing, and autonomous driving.

     

    He serves on the Board of Directors of four public companies. He is on the industry board of United Nation Development Program (UNDP), and AI global council of the Davos World Economic Forum. He is the Chairman of the world’s largest open autonomous driving platform “Apollo” alliance with over 200 global partners. He has been an active speaker in global forums including APEC, Davos, United Nations, and Bo’Ao Asia Forum.

     

    Management
    Lim Seok Hui

    Chief Executive Officer

    Lim Seok Hui

    Chief Executive Officer

    Seok Hui is CEO of the Philanthropy Asia Alliance (PAA), a Temasek Trust initiative focused on collaborative philanthropy. PAA aims to catalyse collective action for a better world, and prime Asia as a force for the greater good.


    Prior to joining Temasek Trust, she was CEO of the Singapore International Arbitration Centre (SIAC). During part of her tenure at SIAC, Seok Hui served concurrently as the first CEO of the Singapore International Mediation Centre (SIMC), and as a member of the board of SIMC.  


    Over the years, Seok Hui has worked in Singapore and Hong Kong with local and international law firms as a corporate, mergers and acquisitions, and securities lawyer, and has also served as General Counsel at multinational corporations. She is a graduate of the London School of Economics, qualified as a barrister, and is admitted as a solicitor in Singapore, Hong Kong SAR and England and Wales.

    Donald Chan

    Lead, Programmes

    Donald Chan

    Lead, Programmes

    Donald is the Programmes Lead of PAA. Prior to this, he was the Managing Director, Asia Pacific for CDP, a non-profit which manages the global disclosure system on environmental matters. In this role, he led the region’s business and operations in its six offices across Japan, China, India, Southeast Asia and Oceania.

     

    Previously, Donald had a diverse career in investments and governments. In addition, he has been part of founding management teams of an infrastructure finance company and a digital telecommunications technology start-up.

     

    Donald holds an MBA from Macquarie University and a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce from University of Sydney.

    Grace Lee

    Director, Legal & Compliance

    Grace Lee

    Director, Legal & Compliance

    Grace currently holds the position of Director, Legal & Compliance at PAA. Prior to this, she was part of the Singapore legal team supporting the investment and development business units of a leading international property and investments group with operations in Australia, Asia, Europe, and the Americas. 

     

    Grace has extensive experience in supporting global businesses from various industries, including technology, banking and real estate, to manage their legal, compliance and commercial risks, alongside their objectives for growth and profitability within Asia Pacific and Japan.

     

    Grace holds a Bachelor of Laws (Second Upper Honours) from the National University of Singapore, and is admitted as an advocate and solicitor of the Supreme Court of Singapore.

    Ryan Tan

    Director, Corporate Development

    Ryan Tan

    Director, Corporate Development

    Ryan currently holds the position of Director, Corporate Development at PAA. Prior to this, he was the Chief Operating Officer of several early-stage companies, where his responsibility was to run operations, capital raise, as well as grow top and bottom lines. 

     

    Ryan was also previously the Head of Mergers & Acquisitions with StarHub; and prior to that, he held various corporate development roles, in addition to being a management consultant.

     

    Ryan holds a dual Executive MBA from UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, where he was named a John Wooden Leadership Fellow, and the National University of Singapore. He also has a Masters in Quantitative Methods from Columbia University, and a Bachelors of Arts in Economics and Government (High Honours) from Dartmouth College.

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    Strategic Partnership

    The Alliance’s initiatives aim
    to build ecosystems, ignite knowledge, prime projects, and drive impact