Lionel Choi is Head of Wealth Planning Singapore at LGT Bank. He has had close to 20 years of experience in assisting families locally and internationally on all aspects of succession and estate planning, having entered the private client wealth management industry as a wealth planning advisor for a major US-based financial institution. Prior to joining LGT, he led the Singapore trust company of a reputable global, bank-owned trust business as its resident director and manager. He specialised in establishing and administering trust and fiduciary structures. He was responsible for the operation and supervision of a client relationship team and managing private clients’ estate planning interests. He also took an active role in business development. Lionel began a career in law after graduating from the National University of Singapore with an LL.B (Hons) degree. He qualified as an advocate and solicitor in Singapore in 2000, practising in an international law firm. He also qualified as a solicitor in England and Wales in 2003.

Dr Mandy Tham Tze Minn is the Associate Professor of Finance (Education) at SMU’s Lee Kong Chian School of Business (SMU LKCSB) and Academic Director of both the Master of Science in Wealth Management (SMU MWM) programme and the Business Families Institute (SMU BFI). A strong advocate for education and change leadership, she holds a Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Michigan – Stephen M. Ross School of Business.

Her expertise spans Behavioural Finance, Investments, Wealth Management, Curriculum Development, Talent Development, and Stakeholder Engagement. She has won numerous teaching awards and teaches across a wide spectrum of learner segments, from undergraduate programmes, post-graduate programmes, doctoral degrees, to executive development programmes, in both English and Chinese.

Dr Tham is also a Fellow of the SMU Academy, former BNPP fellow, former Sino Suisse Fellow, and an Adult Education Specialist recognised by SkillsFuture Singapore.

Mr Ng Yi-Xian is the Group Chief Executive Officer of EtonHouse International Education Group, leading a team of over 5,000 staff and providing education to more than 25,000 students across over 100 schools in Saudi Arabia, Singapore and seven other countries. As a second-generation entrepreneur and son of founder Ng Gim Choo, he is dedicated to taking the group to greater heights. Under his leadership, the brand has expanded, with the creation of Middleton International School, providing affordable international education, and The Eton Academy, which offers high-quality academic enrichment for students from preschool to primary. He is also the driving force behind EtonHouse’s digital transformation, positioning it as a digital-first organisation with innovation at its core. Mr Ng’s achievements have earned him recognition as one of the winners of The Next ICON Awards 2024 by ICON Singapore, celebrating his outstanding impact on the education landscape.

Before joining EtonHouse, Mr Ng worked in the finance sector in the United States, starting his career as an investment banking analyst at Credit Suisse’s New York Global Industrials Group, where he specialised in mergers, acquisitions, and financial strategy. He then joined North Run Capital, a hedge fund in Boston, where he gained further expertise in investment sourcing, research, and execution.

In his personal life, he enjoys outdoor activities, adventure sports, and is a strong advocate for mindfulness, a value he actively promotes within the organisation. As a father of twin boys and a daughter, Mr Ng navigates the joys and challenges of parenthood while overseeing the education and well-being of over 25,000 students in EtonHouse schools worldwide.

Rawlinson & Hunter’s Singapore office is headed by our Senior Partner Peter Milnes. He has over 20 years of international experience focused in Asia and the Middle East. Peter has extensive experience in statutory accounting in Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, UK, US, UAE and France, as well as in depth knowledge of trust accounting and tax structuring in various jurisdictions. Familiar with management reporting in both large MNC’s and smaller organisations, Peter has a unique skill base and understanding of the accounting and structuring requirements of large organisations, family offices and boutique enterprises. Peter is a Fellow Management Accountant (FCMA/CGMA) and a Chartered Accountant of Singapore, with degrees in Economics and Economic History, and has wide-ranging experience working for family offices and major financial institutions. Peter is also TEP qualified and a member of the STEP Professional Standards Committee.

Education

July 1998
Ph.D, Operations Management,
The University of Texas at Austin

July 1993
M.S., Electrical and Computer Engineering,
Louisiana State University

July 1991
B.Tech., Electrical Engineering,
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Bombay, India

Current Position(s) Held

July 2020 – to date
Lee Kong Chian Professor of Operations Management
Deputy Dean (Education)
Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University

July 2017 – June 2020
Professor of Operations Management
Lee Kong Chian Fellow
Associate Dean (PG Programmes)
Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University

July 2018- to date
Academic Director (PhDGM Program)
Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University

July 2017- July 2019
Academic Director (EMBA Program)
Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University

July 2015- July 2017
Academic Director (DBA Program)
Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University

July 2015- July 2017
Academic Director (DINN Program)
Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University

July 2015 – June 2017
Associate Professor of Operations Management
Lee Kong Chian Fellow
Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University

July 2014 – June 2015
Visiting Associate Professor of Operations Management
Lee Kong Chian School of Business, Singapore Management University

Sept 2002 – June 2014
Associate Professor of Operations Management
INSEAD

Sept 1998 – Aug 2002
Assistant Professor of Operations Management
INSEAD

Aug 1997 – May 1998
Instructor
Department of Management, The University of Texas at Austin

Awards, Recognition and Honors

• Honorable Mention, The 1996 Alden G. Clayton Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship Competition, Marketing Science Institute. One of five winners out of 57 entrants.
• Excellence in Teaching Award, SMU Executive Education, 2017.
• IE-SMU MBA Best Teacher Award, 2017.
• Deans Teaching Honour List, SMU, 2015-2017, 2019.
• Nominated for Best Core Teacher Award, INSEAD (December 2004, December 2007 promotions)

Research Interests

• New Product Development, Innovation
• Supply Chain Management
• Closed-Loop Supply Chains
• Sustainability
• Humanitarian Logistics

Selected Book Chapters

• Linton, J., and S. Bhattacharya, “Reuse and Technology Diffusion”, Chapter in Business Perspectives in Closed-Loop Supply Chains, 2001, D. Guide, Jr., C. Corbett, R. Dekker and L.N. Van Wassenhove, eds., Carnegie Bosch Institute.
• Bhattacharya, S., “Delivering the Product: Defining Specifications”, Chapter 14 in Handbook of Research in New Product Development Management, 2007, C.H. Loch and S. Kavadias, eds., 327-348, Butterworth/Heinemann (Elsevier), Oxford UK.
• Hasija, S. and S. Bhattacharya, “Contracting for New product development”, Handbook of Information Exchange in Supply Chain Management, Albert Ha and Christopher Tang, Eds, Springer Series in Supply Chain Management, 2016.

SIM Bock Eng is WongPartnership LLP’s Head of the Specialist & Private Client Disputes Practice and a Partner in the Private Wealth Practice. Her main practice areas are in private wealth and civil litigation, which include family, matrimonial law, succession trusts and probate law, banking and finance, property and employment. Bock Eng has over 20 years of experience in trust, estate and family laws – both front-end as well as litigation. She regularly advises ultra-high-net-worth individuals and families on succession and estate planning and business continuity. She is recognised as one of the leading probate, trusts and private wealth management lawyers in Singapore and has been involved in several landmark decisions. Bock Eng is the Vice Chairman of the Wealth Management Institute’s Global-Asia Family Office (GFO) Circle Committee, a member of the Probate Practice Committee of the Law Society of Singapore, and secretary of STEP Singapore. She is also the course co-ordinator for Probate in the Preparatory Course Leading to Part B of the Singapore Bar Examinations.

Over the past decade, William has enhanced grants, awards, incubators, and accelerators by integrating the communities they serve into the selection process. His work centres on a critical idea: that the best decisions are made with the community, not for them.

Having partnered on over 100 campaigns with leading organisations like Temasek Trust CIIP, Djarum Foundation, and Aidha, William enables program owners to select better, reduce adoption risk, and scale impact with confidence.