Profiles of Participants

Alex Tan Tiong Hee graduated with a law degree from England. Earlier in his career he assisted in managing his father’s business interests and particularly in managing the financial affairs of Nanyang Book Co. Ltd. which his father started in the 1930’s.

 He had on occasions, assisted his father, who is a historian, in the researching of materials whenever his father was invited to present Conference papers and writings for academic journals. 

In 1964 he was in charge of looking after and supervising his late father’s collection of rare books and materials on Oriental and Southeast Asian history. It was named “The Ya Yin Kwan Collection” or “Palm Shade Pavilion Collection” – and has since been donated to the National Library in the Lee Kong Chian Reference Room with specific instruction from his father – “that the Collection be utilized for research scholars of Oriental and Overseas Chinese history, thereby contributing to the rich repository of knowledge on the history of this region of the world.”

Alex Tan is a Trustee and Legal Advisor to the Settlement of Dr Lim Boon Keng (1921) which was set up by Dr Lim the social reformer, educationist and Legislative Councillor and who was the first local-born Queen’s Scholar in British Malaya in 1887. Dr Lim was the first President of Amoy University in Xiamen which was founded by Tan Kah Kee, Singapore’s own famous philanthropist.

Alex Tan was one-time the Honorary Secretary of the Singapore Heritage Society. He was a Committee Member of the Southeast Asian Ceramic Society which was established in 1969 by his father together with Prof William Willets of the former University of Singapore.

He has also served as a Council Member of the China Society which was founded by Dr Lim Boon Keng in 1949; and was also the past-Secretary of Goh Loo Club, an institution founded in 1905 by officials of the Qing Government for the purpose of providing a meeting place for local Chinese businessmen and community leaders.

He is also a member of the Leong Khay Huay Kuan, having inherited from his father who was a pioneer in this Hokkien Clan association. 

And finally, Alex Tan was a Co-Founder and Former Director of the Chronicles Research & Education Pte Ltd. – a company formed with the object of undertaking historical and heritage research and education.

Architectural and Urban Historian, Educator, Architect, Lianhe Zaobao Columnist. Before her doctoral study at the National University of Singapore, she was practising as a registered architect in China. After her doctoral degree was conferred in 2006, she joined the Asia Research Institute (NUS) as a post-doctoral fellow. From 2009 to 2018, she taught full-time as an assistant professor in the Department of Architecture (NUS). In 2018, she set up ON-LABO to promote research, education and conservation of overseas Chinese heritage while continuing her teaching at NUS to offer two electives. In 2022, she initiated the Overseas Chinese Cultural Heritage Programme at the College of Design and Engineering. Dr. Chen’s research interests centre around the history of treaty ports, overseas Chinese architecture, and urban and rural regeneration in Asia. She is known for her ground-breaking research on foreigners’ land rights in China and her multi-disciplinary approach to studying overseas Chinese heritage. Her latest English-Chinese bilingual books include Lim Clan Association Kiu Leong Tong: An Ancestral Bequest 林氏大宗祠九龙堂·祖德宗功 (2023) and Where Land Meets Sea: Hui’an Revisited 又见惠安·山海无垠 (2021).   

Architect and real estate developer Daniel Teo of Hong How Group and Tong Eng Group is a fervent lover of the arts

Daniel Teo is the chairman and managing director of Hong How Group, and a director of Tong Eng Group. Both firms are involved in various enterprises, ranging from investments to property development, in markets such as Singapore, Malaysia, Australia, the US, the UK, Sweden and Spain.

As a University of Melbourne alumnus with a Bachelor of Architecture (Honours) degree, Teo is a well-known figure in Singapore’s real estate and property circles. His leadership positions within the industry include president of the Real Estate Developers Association of Singapore, as well as world president of the International Real Estate Federation. He was also appointed honorary chairman of the Securities Investors Association Singapore in 2018.

Teo is an active supporter of Singapore’s arts and cultural scene. He was a founding member of the Singapore Cultural Foundation in 1981, which has since been subsumed by the National Arts Council. With his daughter, Rachel, he also founded The Private Museum in 2010—an independent art space that showcases his own extensive collection as well as works belonging to other collectors. Teo is married to Singapore Dance Theatre co-founder Goh Soo Khim, and sits on the ballet troupe’s board of directors.

Mr Teo has prior experience as director of public listed companies in Singapore. He served as an independent director of Courts (Singapore) Limited from 1993 to 2007 and Popular Holdings Limited from 1999 to 2005. He was also an independent director of Sunway City Berhad, a company listed on Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad from 2001 to 2010.

On top of being a developer, Mr Teo is also actively involved in conservation and adaptive reuse projects, retirement villages and elderly care facilities, performing and visual arts and has special interest in photography and philatelic. He has won numerous International Stamp awards especially his notable collections of Classic Sarawak, Mongolia and “Men Dreams to Fly” and rare stamps of the world.

Mr. Geoffry Smith is the Chairman of the Essential Micronutrients Foundation, a non-profit organization which addresses micronutrient deficiencies globally as a public health issue. He also serves as President of ILSI Southeast Asia Region based in Singapore, and co-representative to the global ILSI Assembly. He is a past Member of the Executive Committee of the global ILSI Board. Author of peer-reviewed papers on nutrition and dietary issues, he serves as a member of the editorial board of the journal Food and Nutrition Bulletin.

Prior to his current positions, Mr. Smith was the Global Director, Health Chelates for AkzoNobel Functional Chemicals. He was also responsible for the global project within AkzoNobel addressing iron deficiency anemia, which resulted in completely revised guidelines by the World Health Organization for flour fortification with iron. A thirty-year veteran of the chemical industry in Asia-Pacific and globally, Mr. Smith has resided in Singapore for more than 25 years. He is a member of the Nutrition Society of the UK, the American Society of Nutrition and the American Chemical Society. He is also the editor of the ILSI Nano Alert newsletter on nanotechnology in food and agriculture. 

Gerald Pollack maintains an active laboratory at the University of Washington in Seattle. He is the Founding Editor-in-Chief of WATER: A Multidisciplinary Research Journal; Executive Director of the Institute for Venture Science; co-founder of 4th-Phase Inc.; and founder of the Annual Conference on the Physics, Chemistry, and Biology of Water.  He has received numerous honors including: the Prigogine Medal for Thermodynamics; the University of Washington Annual Faculty Lecturer; the NIH Director’s Transformative Research Award; and the 1st Emoto Peace Prize.​  He is recognized internationally as an accomplished speaker and author.

Futurist, strategist, and large-scale change agent

John L. Petersen is considered by many to be one of the most informed futurists in the world. He is best-known for writing and thinking about high impact surprises—wild cards—and the process of surprise anticipation. He edits and publishes an internationally acclaimed e-newsletter, FUTUREdition, which highlights weak signals and early indicators of significant futures. John conceived of, designed and developed the world's first national surprise anticipation center for the country of Singapore. 

His current professional involvements include investing in and developing resources for both large, international projects and breakthrough technology start-up companies that have the potential of significantly changing the world.   He is also the developer of a multi-use real estate project. 

John has led national non-profit organizations, worked in sales, manufacturing, real estate development, and marketing and advertising, mostly for companies he founded. A graduate electrical engineer, he has also promoted rock concerts; owned and produced conventions; and worked as a disc jockey – among other things.

Mr. Petersen's government and political experience include stints at the National War College, the Institute for National Security Studies, the Office of the Secretary of Defense, and the National Security Council staff at the White House. He was a naval flight officer in the U.S. Navy and Navy Reserve and is a decorated veteran of both the Vietnam and Persian Gulf wars. He has served in senior positions for a number of presidential political campaigns and was an elected delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1984. He was twice the runner-up candidate to be the Secretary of the Navy.

In 1989 Petersen founded The Arlington Institute (TAI), a non-profit, future-oriented research institute. TAI operates on the premise that effective thinking about the future is impossible without casting a very wide net. The “think tank” serves as a global agent for change by developing new concepts, processes and tools for anticipating the future and translating that knowledge into better present-day decisions.

An award-winning writer, Petersen's first book, The Road to 2015: Profiles of the Future was awarded Outstanding Academic Book of 1995 by CHOICE Academic Review, and remained on The World Future Society's best-seller list for more than a year. His second book, Out of the Blue: How to Anticipate Wild Cards and Big Future Surprises, was also a WFS best-seller. His coauthored article, “The Year 2000: Social Chaos or Social Transformation?” was published in six different publication and was one of the most highly acclaimed writings on Y2K. His 1988 book-length report “The Diffusion of Power: An Era of Realignment” was used at the highest levels of American government as a basis for strategic planning. He has written papers on the future of national security and the military, the future of energy and the future of the media.  John's third book, A Vision for 2012: Planning for Extraordinary Change, presents a template for individuals and organizations for dealing with highly uncertain futures.

Petersen is a past board member of the World Future Society, writes on the future of aviation for Professional Pilot magazine and is a member of the board of directors of the Charles A. and Anne Morrow Lindbergh Foundation. He is a network member of the Global Business Network and a fellow of the World Academy of Art and Science. A provocative public speaker, he addresses a wide array of audiences around the world on a variety of future subjects.

John is a licensed pilot who enjoys aerobatic flying and an amateur radio operator.  He lives in the eastern panhandle of West Virginia with his wife, Diane.

Lee Khai born 1968 graduated from the University of Nottingham, England in 1992 and qualified as a Barrister-at-law in England in 1993. He is a member of the Honourable Society of Lincoln's Inn. He was called to the Malaysian Bar in 1994. He is the managing partner of Ong and Manecksha, a law firm in Penang. He is the legal adviser to several organizations, including Charis Hospice, D’Home Mental Health Association, Malaysian Buddhist Association and the Penang State Government owned Harmonico. He is the advisor to the Penang Art District, chairman of the Penang State Art Gallery and Charis Hospice, board member of Chung Ling High School and Dalat International School and an independent non executive director of PLB Engineering Bhd. He is an elder of the church Island Glades Gospel Centre.

Steve is a Singaporean, who is educated in English and is a second generation Chinese in Singapore,  who has been developing a passionate interest in the Chinese culture, arts and education. He had been in field of institutional banking most of his life with stints in UOB and the EDB. 

He has contributed in the greening of the environment in Malaysia. He is currently developing green energy projects in ASEAN and hopes to see a greener world for future generations. 

Founder and Director, HIGHLIGHT ART

Willa Dong is an eminent figure in China's art scene, known for her roles as a private art enterprise founder, independent curator, contemporary art market expert, and documentary film producer. Her career, enriched with over two decades of experience, positions her as a leading advocate and professional in modern and contemporary art.

Ms. Dong has successfully established galleries in key art and business hubs across Shanghai, Beijing, Shenzhen, and Singapore, creating a vast network of collectors, artists, and industry colleagues. Residing in Singapore, the United States, and China, she embraces a global citizenry approach, fostering significant international collaborations and academic exchanges aimed at promoting cross-cultural enrichment and advancing the global art narrative.

Ms Dong organized and chaired a new year forum - How Chinese* are you? (*culture? ethnicity? identity?).  In these days and age of horizontality, diversity, and decentering, what to make of "Chineseness"? Five artists/cultural workers share their views in this forum held on 17 Feb 2024 at Highlight Art, Singapore.

Yuen Kah Hay PhD

With over four decades of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, he is one of the pioneers of bioequivalence studies in Malaysia and is well recognized for his role in developing the generic pharmaceutical industry in Malaysia.

 His expertise spans drug formulation, product development and clinical research. As an academic, he has mentored many generations of pharmacists in Malaysia and abroad.

 Dr Yuen is one of the earliest Malaysians to study palm oil phytonutrients, with a keen eye for the potential of tocotrienols. He developed a patented formulation for enhanced absorption of tocotrienols. He led the human studies which showed the neuroprotective and liver protective effects of tocotrienols.