Asia Honorary Advisers

HE Mr Amris Hassan served as Indonesian Ambassador to New Zealand from 2006 to 2010. He has also served in parliament (2004-2007) and as chairman of a family business (PT Pelangi Niaga Mitra Internasional, which provides offshore services to the oil and gas industries. He has also been a lecturer at the University of Indonesia. Mr Hassan was a member of the PDIP (Indonesian Democratic Party for Struggle), but was selected by the current president (Democratic Party) to serve as ambassador to New Zealand. In parliament, he was deputy chair of Commission 1, the group responsible for foreign affairs and defence. His New Zealand connections are strong and he has continued to work closely with the country. He is chair of the Indonesia New Zealand Council, launched in Jakarta in 2009.

Mr Nakasone is the son of former Japanese prime minister Yasuhiro Nakasone. Nakasone himself followed a career in politics, and served as the Minister of Education, Science, Sports and Culture and Minister of State for Science and Technology from 1999 to 2001. He was foreign minister of Japan from August 2008 until September 2009, and is currently a member of the House of Councillors. His professional career began in 1986 when he was elected as a member of the House of Councillors (Liberal Democratic Party). In 1990, he served as the parliamentary vice-minister at the Ministry of International Trade and Industry. In 1993, he became chairman of the Standing Committee on Commerce and Industry, and in 1995, he served as committee chairman on women' s issues, social education and religion.

Professor Han Sung-Joo is professor emeritus at Korea University. He previously served as the Minister of Foreign Affairs (1993-94), UN Secretary-General' s Special Representative for Cyprus (1996-97), as a member of the UN Inquiry Commission on the 1994 Rwanda Genocide (1999), chairman of the East Asia Vision Group (2000-2001), Ambassador of the Republic of Korea to the United States (2003-2005), and acting president of Korea University (2002, 2006-2007). Prof Han is a graduate of Seoul National University (1962) and received a PhD in political science from the University of California, Berkeley (1970). Previously, he taught at City University of New York (1970-78) and was a visiting professor at Columbia University (1986-87) and Stanford University (1992, 1995). His English publications include Korean Diplomacy in an Era of Globalization (1995), Korea in a Changing World (1995), and Changing Values in Asia (1999). He has many publications in Korean, including Nam Gwa Puk, kurigo Sekye (The Two Koreas and the World) (2000).

Dr Supachai served as Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) from 2005 to 2013. He received his PhD (in economic planning and development) from the Netherlands School of Economics. In 1973, he completed his doctoral dissertation on Human Resource Planning and Development. In 1986, he was elected a member of the Thai Parliament and appointed deputy minister of finance. In 1988, Dr Supachai became director and adviser, and subsequently president, of the Thai Military Bank. In 1992, Dr Supachai was appointed senator, and that same year he became deputy prime minister with oversight of the country's economic and trade policy. He was active in shaping regional agreements, including Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) and the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In 2001, he was appointed visiting professor at the International Institute for Management Development in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Hon. Rafidah Aziz serves as the non-executive independent chairman of AirAsia X. She is a member of the Malaysian Parliament and was country’s longest-serving Minister of International Trade and Industry, having served in that capacity from 1987 to 2008. She was Minister of Public Enterprises from 1980 to 1987 and Deputy Minister of Finance from 1977 to 1980. In 1976, she was appointed as Parliamentary Secretary in the Ministry of Public Enterprises. She has also lectured at the Faculty of Economics and Administration at the University of Malaya.

Mr Guillermo M. Luz is an associate director of the Ayala Corporation, one of the biggest business conglomerates in the Philippines. Up until June 2018, Mr Luz was the private sector co-chairman of the Philippine National Competitiveness Council (NCC) – a public-private sector body tasked to develop a strategy for the long-term competitiveness of the Philippines through policy reforms, project implementation, institution-building, and performance monitoring. Mr Luz was executive director (from 1987-2006) of the Makati Business Club, one of the most influential business associations in the Philippines engaged in advocacy, information services, publishing, and investment promotion. Mr Luz graduated with a BA Social Sciences degree from Ateneo de Manila University.

Ms Heekyung Jo Min is the executive vice president and executive director of CSV Management of CJ Corporation in South Korea. She has vast experience in the financial sector and has worked in New York, Tokyo and London for various companies. She was previously the director general of the Business Opportunity Bureau at the Incheon Free Economic Zone (IFEZ) in Incheon, South Korea, in which role she was responsible for promoting South Korea to the world. She holds an MBA in Finance and Accounting from Columbia University, and a BA in Music from Seoul National University.

Dr Pavida Pananond is an Associate Professor of International Business at the Thammasat Business School at the Thammasat University. She is a researcher in various business areas including emerging multinationals, competitiveness of Thai business, and foreign direct investments to and from Thailand. Dr Pavida received her Bachelor of Accountancy from the Chulalongkorn University, MBA from McGill University in Canada, and Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Reading in the United Kingdom.

Thitinan Pongsudhirak is director of the Institute of Security and International Studies (ISIS) and professor of International Relations at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok. His research and publications focus on Asia’s geopolitics and geo-economics, with reference to Asean. He engages in regional think-tank activities, writes regular columns for regional newspapers, such as The Straits Times and The Bangkok Post, and provides comments for leading international media. He also provides public lectures and private briefings to leading financial institutions, multinational corporations, international chambers of commerce, and diplomatic missions, and lectures widely at local and international universities, military colleges, and international organisations. Thitinan received his master’s degree from the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and PhD from the London School of Economics.

As a serial entrepreneur, Le has worked in the following areas: human resources, social media, software development and vocational training. Le’s current job is at L & A Investment Corporation where she leads the strategy and coordinates resources to support the growth of group’s companies. Le was a valedictorian graduate of Hue University Pedagogy School. She also earned a B.A. in Business from HCMC Open University. In 2007, Le was selected by the U.S. States Department to represent Vietnam in the Program of Woman Leadership Mentoring. Le co-founded and since 2015 has served as Vice President of External Affairs of Ho Chi Minh City Association for Women Executives and Entrepreneurs (HAWEE). Since 2012, she has been Initiator and Mentor in SME Mentoring Program for start-ups in Vietnam. Previously, Le co-founded and served as Vice Chair of 2030 Businessmen Club – a Saigon Times Group of 250 business and executive members and from 2006 to 2011 was Vice Chair of the Young Business Association of Ho Chi Minh City (YBA).

Mme Li Xiaolin is the president of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC). She is also the honorary president of the Friendship Foundation for Peace and Development (affiliated to the CPAFFC), president of the Friendship Art Exchange Association (affiliated to the CPAFFC), president of the China International Friendship Cities Association and the vice-president of the China-US People' s Friendship Association. Mme Li Xiaolin graduated with a Bachelor' s in English language from Wuhan University in 1975 and then joined the Chinese People' s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), where she assumed the post of chief of the Division of US Affairs, deputy director general and director general of the Department of American and Oceanian Affairs. From 1990 to 1992, she served as first secretary of the Chinese Embassy in the United States. In 2003, she was elected into the National Committee of the Chinese People' s Political Consultative Conference.

Stanley Tan Poh Leng founded Magazines Incorporated in 1978, and under his leadership the company became the largest media representation house in Southeast Asia. He is currently the executive director and chief executive officer of the Global Yellow Pages. Tan also holds several key volunteer positions. He is chairman of the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre and the Community Foundation of Singapore. He is also president of Beyond Social Services, vice-president of the MILK (Mainly I Love Kids) Fund, a board member of the Alola Foundation in Timor Leste and chairman of Opportunity International (Singapore).

Prof Zhou is a highly respected physicist. His life's work, including advancing the theory of spiral amplitude of particles, has earned him widespread recognition and numerous awards. Prof Zhou is a graduate of Beijing University, and has spent most of his professional life as a teacher or administrator in the sciences. From 1957 to 1960, Professor Zhou was a research fellow at the Dubna Institute of Nuclear Research in Moscow. In 1961, he returned to China and worked as the chief engineer at the Ministry of Nuclear Industry. He became director of the Theoretical Physics Institute from 1982 to 1984, and president of the CAS from 1987 to 1997. Dr Zhou was elected to the Standing Committee of the 9th National People's Congress in 1998, and later became vice chairman of the committee. He serves as a fellow of various scientific institutes and academies around the world and is accredited with describing the helical state amplitude of particles for the first time in 1958. The asteroid 3462 Zhouguangzhao is named after him.

Dr Victor K Fung is group chairman of The Fung group and chairman of the advisory board of the Asia Global Institute at the University of Hong Kong, a multi--disciplinary think-tank co-established with the Fung Global Institute in 2015. Dr. Fung holds a number of civic and professional appointments. He is a member of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, adviser of the Infrastructure Financing Facilitation Office of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, a member of the Economic Development Commission of the Hong Kong Government, and the chairman of the steering committee on the Hong Kong Scholarship for Excellence Scheme. He is a former chairman of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council (1991-2000); a Hong Kong representative on the APEC Business Advisory Council (1996-2003); chairman of the Airport Authority Hong Kong (1999-2008), chairman of the Council of The University of Hong Kong (2001-2009) and chairman of the Greater Pearl River Delta Business Council (2004-2013). In addition, he served as chairman of the Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce from 2008 to 2010. Born and raised in Hong Kong, Dr. Fung holds bachelor and master degrees in electrical engineering from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and a Doctorate in Business Economics from Harvard University. He was a professor at Harvard Business School for four years before returning to Hong Kong in 1976.

Dr Ng Eng Hen of the People's Action Party was elected into Singapore's parliament as MP for the Bishan-Toa Payoh Group Representation Constituency in 2001. In August 2004, he became the Minister of Manpower and Second Minister for Education, later assuming the role of Deputy Leader of the House. In April 2008, he was appointed Minister for Education and Second Minister for Defence. After the 2011 elections, he became Minister for Defence. He became general surgeon with a Masters of Medicine (Surgery), NUS and a Fellowship from the Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh. He did additional training in surgical oncology in the United States. Ng was a consultant surgeon at Singapore General Hospital from 1992 to 1997, and maintained a private practice in Mount Elizabeth Hospital as a surgical oncologist from 1997 to 2001.

Dr Raghupati Singhania is the chairman and managing director of JK Tyre & Industries Limited. He is also the chairman of JK Tornel, S.A.de C.V., Mexico and is a member of the one of India's most prominent and highly regarded business families. Dr Singhania holds prominent roles in a number of companies and is pro-chancellor of JK Lakshmipat University, Jaipur, India. Aside from his business interests, Dr Singhania has been involved with leading government bodies in India, including the Confederation of Indian Industry (member of the national council); the Associated Chamber of Commerce and Industry (past deputy president); the PHD Chamber of Commerce and Industry (past president and senior member of managing committee).

Reuben Abraham is CEO of IDFC Foundation and IDFC Institute, a Mumbai based think/do tank focused on state capability and political economy issues. He is a non-resident scholar at the Marron Institute at New York University, and a senior fellow at the Milken Institute in Singapore. In addition, he is a Senior Advisor to Swiss Re and an Honorary Advisor at the New Zealand Asia Foundation.

Before IDFC, Dr Abraham was a professor and executive director of the Centre for Emerging Markets Solutions (CEMS) at the top-ranked Indian School of Business (ISB).

In 2012, he was named to Wired Magazine’s “Smart List 2012: 50 people who will change the world.” In 2013 and 2016, he was a Fellow at the Legatum Institute in London. He was selected as a Young Global Leader for 2009 by the World Economic Forum, where he currently serves on the Global Futures Council on The Future of Cities and Urbanisation.

Dr Abraham is a member on the boards of India’s Centre for Civil Society; Advocata, a Sri Lankan think tank; THNK, The Amsterdam School of Creative Leadership; Climate Policy Foundation India; and on the investment committee of Endiya Partners, an Indian deep-tech venture fund.

He completed his M.A., M.Phil and Ph.D. at Columbia University in New York.

Senaka Silva has been a long-standing advocate of Sri Lanka-New Zealand relations, having served as New Zealand’s Honorary Consul in Sri Lanka since 2009, as Chair of the Australia New Zealand Business Council and through business and other connections. He has supported a number of high-level delegations from New Zealand including by the Prime Minister, and has been actively involved in a number of trade, sports and other delegations. Mr Silva is a keen photographer and advocate of stronger ties between the New Zealand and Sri Lankan education sectors. 

Helianti Hilman is the founder and CEO of Javara, a social enterprise focused on sustaining Indonesia’s food biodiversity heritage by introducing and bringing indigenous food products from Indonesia to the world. Ms Hilman was named social entrepreneur of the Year by EY (Earnst and Young) Indonesia in 2013 and was one of Schwab Foundation’s 35 social entrepreneurs of the year in 2015. She has a Master of Laws from the University of London. Ms Hilman has been involved in the Foundation’s ASEAN Young Business Leaders Initiative both as a participant and a host and in 2017 the Foundation brought her to New Zealand to be a keynote speaker at the Social Enterprise World Forum in Christchurch.

Ambassador Adaljiza Albertina Xavier Reis Magno, known as Adaljiza Magno, was born in January 7, 1975 and spent her early childhood early with her parents on Timor-Leste's Matebian Mountain, where her parents were involved in the struggle for independence. In 2001, she was elected as a member of Constituent Assembly in Timor-Leste at age 25 and four years later, she was appointed as the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs and Cooperation. She is deeply concerned about the importance of good-governance for a new democratic society like Timor-Leste. In addition to her political role, Ms Magno has worked in the areas of human rights, democracy, women’s leadership and good governance. In 2013, she successfully concluded her Master’s Degree in Public Management from Victoria University of Wellington. In January 2016, Ms Magno was appointed as an Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Singapore, and in October 2017 she was re-appointed to Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cooperation of the Seventh Constitutional Government. She has recently worked closely with the New Zealand Embassy on WTO accession and women in leadership issues. Adaljiza Magno’s mother tongue is Tetum, while she is fluent in Bahasa Indonesia, English and fair in Portuguese. 

Annie Wu Suk-ching is a senior businesswoman, educational philanthropist and women’s leader. Her many titles include vice-chairperson of the All-China Federation of Industry and Commerce, general manager of Hong Kong World Trade Center, and first Chinese board member of the World Trade Centers Association (WTC).

Ms Wu has a keen interest in education, advocating for closer ties between Hong Kong universities and universities in mainland China. She has a longstanding relationship with New Zealand.