Dr. Nadir Ali Zafar is Chief Experience Officer (CXO) of the Human Capital Leadership Institute (HCLI) and concurrently Director of the Singapore Leaders Network, a national movement managed by HCLI and supported by EDB. He joins HCLI from UAE-based education technology company Alef Education where he was Chief Operating Officer. During his time, the company grew from a start-up to an award-winning organisation that serves several hundred thousand students.Nadir was one of the founding leaders of Alef Education and set up and oversaw the marketing, finance, human resources, legal, audit, procurement, and business support departments. He also spearheaded the company’s expansion into Asia, set up a healthcare program, and launched a new schools management business that was spun off into an independent entity.Nadir’s experience spans over 20 years. Prior to Alef Education, he was at GEMS Education, where he reported directly to the Group CEO and served on the senior leadership team. He was then posted to Singapore as Director of Corporate Development, leading admissions and marketing for their Singapore school. In previous roles, Nadir has worked closely with the CEO of one of the largest shipping companies in the world and the CEO of one of the Middle East region’s largest media companies. Nadir has worked in UAE, India, Thailand, and Singapore.Nadir graduated with a Bachelor of Business Management (Marketing) from the pioneer batch of the Singapore Management University and holds an MBA from INSEAD. He has also completed a Doctor of Education in Leadership and Innovation at New York University. His past and current leadership experience extends to serving on the Board of a London-listed global education company, President of the Singapore Business Council in UAE, alumni leader for both his alma maters, and founder of an EdTech venture.

Mr Ho Kwon Ping is the Founder and Executive Chairman of Banyan Group and Laguna Resorts and Hotels, and Executive Chairman of Thai Wah Public Company. All three family-owned companies are listed in Singapore and Thailand. He was the founding Chairman of Singapore Management University (SMU), and has chaired Singapore Power and MediaCorp Singapore. He has served on the boards of Standard Chartered Bank, Diageo, Singapore Airlines, and GIC.Among various awards, Mr Ho has received the London Business School Entrepreneurship Award; CEO of the Year at the Singapore Corporate Awards; CNBC Travel Business Leader Award; Distinguished Alumnus Award from the National University of Singapore; and Lifetime Achievement Awards from the American Creativity Association, China Hotel Investment Summit, Australia Hotel Investment Summit and School of Hotel and Tourism Management, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University.Honoured for his contributions and accomplishments in the hotel industry in the Asia Pacific region and globally, Mr Ho is the only two-time recipient of Hotel Investment Conference Asia Pacific - HICAP’s Innovation Award (2003) and Lifetime Achievement Award (2019) in its 30-year establishment. For his services to the country, he has been decorated with the Meritorious Service Medal and Distinguished Service Order by the Singapore Government. Mr Ho has also been conferred honorary doctorates by Johnson & Wales University and Hong Kong Poly University.