Trailblazers - Grand Finals Judges

Shirley is a results-driven business leader and entrepreneur with over 30 years of experience in the IT and Technology industry. She currently serves as the Managing Partner at TNF Ventures Pte Ltd, a seed and early-stage venture fund focusing on technology startups.

From 2013 to 2016, Shirley was the Chairman of Singapore Infocomm Technology Federation, now known as SGTech. In 1994, she co-founded Frontline Technologies, which was listed on the Singapore Exchange in March 2001. Under her leadership, the company grew from a team of 8 to a 5000-strong workforce spread across 11 countries in Asia Pacific, before being acquired by British Telecom Global Services in March 2008.

Since 2013, Shirley's focus has shifted to investing in and mentoring technology-based startups. She actively helps startups secure funding and gain market access while remaining passionate about entrepreneurship and innovative technology. Shirley is also the Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Singapore Management University's Institute of Innovation & Entrepreneurship, where she assists in developing a world-class incubation program.

Shirley has been the Chairperson of the President’s Technology Award from 2017 to 2019, recognizing outstanding contributions to R&D in Singapore. Shirley has chaired the Lee Kuan Yew Global Business Plan Competition for the past three editions, a platform that empowers the next generation of innovators from universities worldwide to develop sustainable urban innovation!

In addition, Shirley serves on the boards of Assurity Trusted Solutions, DSO National Laboratories, Netlink NBN, National Kidney Foundation, and Yellow Ribbon Singapore. She is a member of the CAAS authority committee on Cybersecurity and Data Governance, PDPA Advisory, and SIA Engineering Technology Advisory Board. Shirley was recognized as one of Singapore's 100 Women in Tech 2020 for her significant contributions to the tech sector.

Shirley Wong
Chief Judge & Chair, 12th LKYGBPC, Advisory Committee; Entrepreneur-in-Residence, SMUIIE; Managing Partner, TNF Ventures Pte Ltd

As Chief Sustainability Officer of A*STAR, Prof Yeoh is responsible for the strategic positioning of A*STAR’s capabilities and curation of A*STAR’s contributions to address national demands and opportunities in sustainability. He represents and promotes A*STAR as a leading organisation for sustainable solutions and technology development globally. He led the design and development of a modular decarbonisation translational testbed that will transform the manufacturing processes of the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. 

Prior to that, Prof Yeoh worked in National Research Foundation, Prime Minister’s Office, as Senior Director, Urban Solutions and Sustainability where he was responsible for developing R&D strategy and managing Singapore’s national R&D programmes in urban systems to meet national needs in areas such as energy, water, and land & liveability. Prof Yeoh also initiated our national decarbonisation R&D strategy to support the energy transition towards a low-carbon future and achieve Singapore’s decarbonisation goals. 

Prof Yeoh spent 30 years in DSTA where he worked on large scale systems engineering projects in command and control systems, and as a systems architect in integrated defence systems. He developed the systems architecting methodology framework that guided programme managers frame systems solutions. As an active systems architect, he continues to develop case studies in architecting communications system, education system, water system, energy system, as well as urban system. 

 As an adjunct professor in NUS, he conducted systems thinking and architecting for the Young Engineers Leadership Programme since 2015 and had trained more than 800 young engineers. 

 Prof Yeoh has been active in the Singapore engineering professional and academic circles. He served as the President of the Institution of Engineers (IES) from 2018 to 2020 and is currently a Chartered Engineer, Chairman of Awards Committee and Emeritus President of the Institution. Prof Yeoh served also as the President of the International Council on Systems Engineering (INCOSE), Singapore Chapter from 2009 to 2011, and in 2009, he was conferred a Fellow of INCOSE, the first such Fellow in Singapore, for his contributions and achievements through technology, leadership, and teaching systems engineering. 

Prof Yeoh received his Bachelor of Science (with Honours) and Master of Science degrees from the National University of Singapore (NUS) in 1983 and 1987 respectively. He further obtained two Masters (with distinction) in 1990 and a PhD degree in Electrical Engineering in 1997 from the Naval Postgraduate School (NPS). He attended the Program for Management Development at Harvard University in 2003. 

Prof Yeoh is a recipient of the Singapore Public Administration Medal in 2001 (Bronze) and 2008 (Silver). He was conferred the Defence Technology Prize in 1992, 2004 and 2007, the last of which was an individual award for C4I development, large scale systems engineering and technology leadership. 

Prof Yeoh recently received the prestigious IES/IEEE Joint Medal of Excellence Award on 15 Oct 2024 from Institution of Engineers, Singapore (IES) and Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). 

Prof. YEOH Lean Weng
Chief Sustainability Officer
Agency for Science, Technology & Research (A*STAR)

Catia Cesari is the Managing Partner of Volta Circle, the early-stage investment platform of the single-family office of the Lohia Family, who are the largest shareholders of Indorama Venture Ltd. Volta Circle is focused on technologies enabling the circular economy and regenerative systems. 

 Additionally, she is a non-executive board member of companies operating in the consumer industry.   

 Previously, Catia was SVP Corporate Development of Coty, a NYSE listed company, belonging to JAB Holding, where Catia held multiple executive roles.  

Instrumental in the creation of Gucci Group (renamed Kering), Catia co-lead the acquisitions of multiple iconic brands such as Boucheron, Bottega Veneta, and  Balenciaga.   

Catia started off at General Electric, where she was involved in structuring complex transactions and in integrating newly acquired businesses as part of the GE Corporate M&A team in the US.  

 An art lover originally from Florence, she currently resides in Geneva.  

Catia CESARI
Managing Partner
Volta Circle

Professor Ng Huck Hui is the Assistant Chief Executive for Research and Talent Development, Agency for Science, Technology and Research.  

Prof Ng is renowned in the field of gene regulation and genomics. His laboratory is developing diagnostic and therapeutics modalities for brain and liver diseases. Prof Ng had held several administrative positions. He was the Executive Director of the Genome Institute of Singapore and the Executive Director of the A*STAR Graduate Academy.  

 Prior to joining A*STAR, Professor Ng was a postdoctoral fellow with Harvard Medical School under the prestigious Damon Runyon-Walter Winchell Postdoctoral Fellowship. Professor Ng is renowned in the field of stem cells, having spent more than a decade in research to understand and uncover the intricacies of gene regulation and how they relate to cell biology. He was also the President for the Stem Cell Society Singapore, which is a major platform for educating the public on stem cell research. In 2016, Professor Ng was elected to be an Associate Member of the European Molecular Biology Organization, making him the only associate member to be based in Singapore.  

 In recognition of his scientific contributions, Professor Ng has received numerous local and international honours and awards, including the Young Scientist Award in 2004, Singapore Youth Award in 2005, National Science Award in 2007, Junior Chamber International (JCI) The Outstanding Young Persons Singapore Awards in 2009, Singapore Youth Award (Commendation Medal) in 2010, President's Science Award (Team Award) in 2011, President’s Science Award (Team Award) in 2018 and The Public Administration Medal (Silver), National Day Awards 2019.  

 Outside of A*STAR, Professor Ng is very active in the local universities and organizations, and holds adjunct positions at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS Faculty of Science, Nanyang Technological University (NTU) School of Biological Sciences, and the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI). He also sits on the Board of Science Centre Singapore and NUS High School. 

NG Huck Hui
Assistant Chief Executive, Research and Talent Development
Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)

Melvyn Yeo is the Founder and Managing Partner of TRIREC, a pioneering Singapore-based venture capital firm focused on global decarbonisation investments since 2015. He began his career at Goldman Sachs (Asia), later co-founding Thirdrock Group, which was acquired by Schroders in 2019, where he held senior leadership roles. Melvyn sits on the board of the Singapore Land Authority and is active in the sustainability ecosystem as a Council Member of SEAS, Chairman of the Sustainable Energy StartUp Network, and founding member of SVCA’s Climate Solutions Committee. He also serves on advisory boards including the University of Michigan’s Accelerate Blue Fund and Halogen Foundation. Melvyn holds a BBA from the University of Michigan. 

Melvyn YEO
Founder and Managing Partner
TRIREC

Dr Kwa is an Independent Non Executive Board member of Sembcorp Industries and Chair of the Technology Advisory Panel of the Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore.  

She is currently a Panel member of the Ministry of Education’s Quality Assessment Framework for the Universities in Singapore and National Environment Agency’s  Steering Committee of the Singapore Certified Energy Managers’ Programme.  

Dr Kwa was formerly the Chief Executive Officer of NSL Ltd and during her 23 year tenure, served as Chief Operating Officer and Executive Vice President of Technology, responsible for the R&D, IT, Energy & Environmental investments and strategies of the NSL Group. She was a member of the Board of the Groups companies in Australia, Thailand, China and Malaysia. 

Dr Kwa served as Chairman of Raffles Marine Holdings Ltd for 12 years and also served as Chairman of the National Energy Efficiency Committee for Industries in Singapore from 2000 to 2009. She was a member of the Management Board for Agency for Science and Technology (A*Star) and the Science and Engineering Research Council from 2017 to 2024.  

Dr Kwa holds a BSc (Honours) in Mechanical Engineering and a PhD from the University of Leeds, United Kingdom. 

Dr Josephine KWA
Independent Non Executive Director
Sembcorp Industries Ltd

Harvey Toor is a globally recognised Chief Investment Officer with over 20 years of experience in investment management, overseeing permanent wealth funds exceeding $50 billion. He currently manages the Endowment Fund of Singapore Management University.

Previously, as a C-suite executive and Investment Committee member at the Abu Dhabi Investment Council, Harvey played a pivotal role in evolving the Yale Model into one of the world's most sophisticated endowment-style portfolios. His work has had direct application to both Family Offices and large institutional investors.

Harvey proposed, designed, and led the implementation of a formal, institution-wide Investment Process. He served as Chairman of the Due Diligence Committee and sat on several senior governance bodies. His experience spans the management of global, multi-asset class portfolios—both internally and externally—leveraging deep relationships with leading investment managers.

His portfolios have included all major traditional and alternative asset classes: global equities, fixed income, FX, and derivatives, as well as Private Equity, Real Estate, Infrastructure, Hedge Funds, direct and co-investments, and Venture Capital.

Harvey is known for his ability to envision optimal investment structures, build genuine consensus through interpersonal and cross-cultural skill, and deliver solutions that align with stakeholder goals. He has published several investment articles and holds a Master's degree in Theoretical Physics from the University of Cambridge.

Harvey Toor
Chief Investment Officer
Singapore Management University

B. Paul Santos is the Managing Partner of Wavemaker Partners and spearheaded the launch of the firm’s Southeast Asia office in 2012, headquartered in Singapore. Wavemaker Partners has since become the region’s go-to venture capital firm for early-stage investments in enterprise, deep tech, and sustainability startups.

Since its Southeast Asia inception, Wavemaker has invested in over 180 startups, with more than 160 (85%) focused on enterprise, deep tech, or sustainability. The firm manages over US$300 million in assets across four regional funds and has achieved 10+ exits with a combined enterprise value exceeding US$700 million. Notable exits include TradeGecko(acquired by Intuit) and Moka and Coins.ph (both acquired by Gojek). Among its active portfolio companies are standout names such as eFishery, Growsari, GudangAda, Silent Eight, Borneo, and Iterative Scopes. Currently, 75% of Wavemaker's active portfolio in Southeast Asia aligns with at least one UNDP Sustainable Development Goal (SDG).

Paul is also a founding partner of Wavemaker Impact, a Southeast Asian climate-tech venture builder in partnership with Enterprise Singapore (ESG) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), focused on co-founding startups tackling climate change. He additionally serves as Chair of the Investment Committee for ADB Ventures, the Asian Development Bank’s venture arm.

Prior to his career in venture capital, Paul was a serial entrepreneur, co-founding six companies and successfully exiting three. He began his professional journey as a Product Manager at Procter & Gamble. Paul holds a B.S. in Management Engineering from Ateneo de Manila University, with a Joint Minor in International Management through a program with the University of Antwerp.

B Paul Santos
Managing Partner
Wavemaker Partners

Rufus joined Antler's SEA team in 2018, where he helps build, launch and invest in new startups out of Singapore. Previously, he was an innovation manager at Metro Group's digital strategy and CVC arm. At Metro, he led various projects across the European retail and hospitality startup ecosystem. He holds an MSc degree in Business Management from the National University of Singapore where he graduated with the highest distinction.

Rufus Sorsa
Associate Partner
Antler

Mr Soh Leng Wan is Assistant Chief Executive Officer of Enterprise Singapore, overseeing the growth of Singapore companies in the Manufacturing & Engineering industries.

Prior to this, Leng Wan spent seven years in the Ministry of Trade and Industry. As Senior Director (Industry Division) between 2017 and 2021, he led this team to formulate policies and initiatives to ensure the competitiveness of the Singapore economy as well as the vibrancy of Singapore as a global city and tourism destination. Between 2006 and 2009, he was Deputy Director (Resource Division) where he led his team to develop manpower initiatives to support enterprises to meet their labour and talent needs.

Between 2012 and 2017, Leng Wan was Senior Director (Strategic Planning) in the Ministry of National Development in charge of reviewing Singapore’s land use plans and development strategies.

Leng Wan had also served in various portfolios dealing with public policy formulation in the Ministry of Defence and the then-Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports.

Soh Leng Wan
Assistant Chief Executive Officer
Enterprise Singapore