ACES
Summit

A visionary entrepreneur and workforce transformation leader, he founded PEOPLElogy in 2001 with a mission to transform lives and organisations through learning, talent development, and innovation, and the company became Malaysia’s first publicly listed Digital Workforce Transformation company.

With over 25 years of industry leadership, Allen has built PEOPLElogy into a leading digital workforce transformation ecosystem serving government agencies, multinational corporations, SMEs, and educational institutions. Guided by a bold mission to impact 10 million lives, he champions AI readiness, future skills, and lifelong learning to prepare individuals and organisations for the future of work.

Under his leadership, PEOPLElogy has received 32 innovation and business excellence awards, reinforcing its position as a trusted partner in shaping future-ready workforces across Asia.

Driven by purpose and sustainability, Allen continues to advocate for technology-enabled workforce transformation that empowers people, strengthens organisations, and builds future-ready teams—creating lasting economic and societal impact across the region.

Dr. Thanavath Phonvichai, occupies a rare position in Thai public life simultaneously - a rigorous academic, a nationally trusted institution builder, and one of the country's most recognisable economic voices. As President of the University of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, he leads an institution that sits at the intersection of private enterprise, academic research, and national development, making him one of the few leaders in the region whose decisions shape both the classroom and the boardroom at the same time.

As a nationally renowned economist, Dr. Thanavath has translated complex macroeconomic realities into actionable insight for Thailand's business community - from trade policy and SME competitiveness to sustainability transitions and the human impact of technological disruption. His research has informed policy discussions at the highest levels of Thailand's public and private sector leadership. As a regular economic commentator and spokesperson on national television, he has built a reputation for communicating with clarity, honesty, and calm authority - translating what is happening in the global economy into terms that business owners, students, and policymakers can act on.

Dr. Thanavath brings to this conversation not theory, but testimony: the experience of a leader who has had to decide, in real time, what an institution owes its people when the world changes faster than any curriculum can keep pace with.

Atty. Allan Barcena is a senior executive and sustainability leader with over three decades of experience in environmental management, renewable energy, corporate social responsibility, and strategic communications.

He is Assistant Vice President and Head of Corporate Support Group at First Gen-owned Energy Development Corporation (EDC), the largest pure renewable energy company in the Philippines, and concurrently the Executive Director of the Net Zero Carbon Alliance, the country’s first private sector-led initiative towards net zero.

First Gen maintains a broad portfolio of CSR programs that cover education, environment, and community development. He is also the current President Keitech Educational Foundation, Inc. (KEFI). Prior to EDC, he worked with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources in the Philippines for 20 years where he served in various leadership positions.

David Lim is the Founder, and Chief Vision Officer of Calibr8 Systems Inc., with more than 25 years of experience in IT infrastructure, solution architecture, business development, and digital transformation. His career includes leadership and technology roles with global companies such as Microsoft, Cisco, HP, and Novell.

Under his leadership, Calibr8 has expanded across Southeast Asia, delivering integrated IT/OT solutions that help industrial organisations improve performance, resilience and sustainability through data and advanced analytics. David brings deep expertise across critical sectors including energy, water utilities, and oil and gas. He has also applied Calibr8’s technology capabilities to environmental protection, partnering with the ABS-CBN Foundation on mangrove and coral reef conservation in the Verde Island Passage. The initiative earned Calibr8 the inaugural AVEVA Sustainability Impact Award in Paris in October 2024.

A graduate of De La Salle University with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Engineering, David combines a process-driven approach with a strong focus on innovation and sustainable growth. He is committed to advancing intelligent, data-driven infrastructure that enables industries to optimize operations, reduce environmental impact, and build a more resilient future.

Dominador L. Subang is Chief Executive Officer of AGRIDOM and Chairman of SF Group of Companies, leading the company’s mission to make digital agriculture accessible, affordable, and available to Filipino farmers. Under his leadership, AGRIDOM has grown from a pilot project into a nationwide precision-agriculture platform, delivering drone-enabled crop services, satellite analytics, and on-farm training. His farmer-first approach combines technology with practical, hands-on support, helping farmers improve productivity, efficiency, safety, and profitability.

Beyond AGRIDOM, he leads an integrated agritech ecosystem spanning agri-inputs, IoT solutions, farm and value-chain processing, education, and drone distribution. Through this ecosystem, Dom champions wider adoption of agricultural technology while building farmer capacity, supporting sustainable practices, and contributing to a more resilient Philippine food system.

Dr. Teekakirikul is a distinguished leader in medicine. His extensive background includes an MD from Chulalongkorn University and clinical pathology training at Mahidol University, Bangkok, where he was an instructor. He further honed his expertise through an internship and residency in internal medicine, followed by a fellowship in clinical molecular genetics at Harvard-affiliated Hospitals and Harvard Medical School.

His cardiovascular training continued at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC), with a focus on the clinical management of genetic cardiomyopathy and cardiac MRI. His special clinical interests include Cardiovascular Genetics & Genomics, Inherited Cardiomyopathy, Clinical Molecular Genetics, and Precision Medicine.

Before his current pivotal roles at VitalLife & Esperance and Bumrungrad Hospital, he was an Assistant Professor in the Division of Cardiology at Prince of Wales Hospital and Hong Kong Children's Hospital, Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Dr. Clement Arul is a cybersecurity and AI Security leader, entrepreneur, strategist, and thought leader with over two decades of experience in cybersecurity, cyber resilience, digital forensics, threat intelligence, cloud security, and AI security. He is the Founder and CEO of Cybertronium, helping organisations strengthen cyber resilience and securely adopt emerging technologies. Dr. Arul is a strong advocate for secure, responsible, and trusted AI, with expertise in AI Security, AI governance, adversarial AI, and Agentic AI security. He was ranked #2 in the IFSEC Global Top 20 Cybersecurity Professionals & Influencers and has received multiple international recognitions, including Cybersecurity Professional and Educator of the Year in Asia, Cybersecurity Entrepreneur of the Year 2025, and AI Security Innovator of the Year 2026.

As a sought-after speaker and advisor, Dr. Arul brings a practical, executive-level perspective to the rapidly changing AI security landscape - connecting emerging threats and technologies with business risk, governance, resilience, and real-world security implementation. His presentations are designed to help leaders and security professionals understand not only what AI can do, but how to secure AI in an increasingly autonomous and adversarial digital world.

Johnny is presently the Advisor to the Chairman and the Head of Sustainability Department at Henderson Land Development Company Limited. He joined in 2020, bringing with him 31 years of extensive experience across multiple disciplines, including sales and marketing, investment advisory, accounting, tax, and risk management and control. Prior to joining the Company, Mr Yu held various senior positions at UBS, Credit Suisse, and PricewaterhouseCoopers in both Hong Kong and London.

Johnny successfully led the Company to achieve the prestigious Business Leadership in Sustainability Award at the Asia Pacific Leadership in Green Building Awards 2022, organised by the World Green Building Council. Additionally, he won the Sustainability Leader of the Year as well as the Distinguished Sustainability Leadership Award in Hong Kong Sustainability Award 2024, organised by the Hong Kong Management Association. He was also named ESG Elite at ESG Leading Enterprises 2025, organised by Bloomberg Businessweek/Chinese Edition.

Johnny graduated from The London School of Economics and Political Science, University of London with a Bachelor’s degree in Management Science and attained his MBA degree in Finance with City University of London. He is a member of The Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales, Chartered Financial Analyst Institute and Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Mr Yu is currently a director of Hong Kong Green Building Council Limited.

Mahesh has more than 33 years of experience in the global energy industry, spanning strategy, business development, commercial management, operations and project execution across multiple international markets.

Since joining McDermott more than 20 years ago, Mahesh has held a series of senior leadership positions spanning project management, business development and operations. He was instrumental in building McDermott’s deepwater business from its foundations in Australasia into a global business line, delivering subsea field development solutions, large offshore platforms and floating production facilities, including FPSOs, for energy majors across key markets worldwide.

Today, as Senior Vice President and a member of McDermott’s Executive Committee, Mahesh oversees strategy, growth, operations, project execution, assets and organizational performance for the company.

Before joining McDermott, Mahesh held project and commercial leadership positions with Saipem, Reliance Industries and Kvaerner John Brown.

Melissa Tan is a TV host, actress, climate activist and zero waste advocate. She writes and creates digital content on sustainable living and fashion, climate action and other areas of environmentalism on her social media and website, heymelissatan.com.

A passionate environmental speaker and a community organiser, she produces events such as Green Day Out, The Conscious Market and clothes swaps to engage the public in sustainable living.

Melissa champions grassroot efforts and impact-driven businesses, regularly collaborating with major brands, BCorps and non-profits on local and regional campaigns. She was named an Ambassador for EARTHDAY.ORG and is a trained Climate Reality Leader and the Country Coordinator for Fashion Revolution in Malaysia. She was also selected as the only Malaysian delegate to the Antarctica Climate Expedition with Sylvia Earle.

Mharicar Castillo-Reyes is a seasoned leader with deep expertise in human resources, talent acquisition and shared services. She began her career in HR consulting and headhunting, later rising to Chief Operating Officer before moving to Globe Telecom, where she led Talent Acquisition and subsequently served as Director of HR Shared Services.

Her academic and executive development background includes Psychology from the Philippine Normal University, the Ayala Group Leaders Program under Harvard Business Publishing, Digital Business Strategies under Columbia Business School, and the Executive Development Program at Kellogg School of Management.

Under her leadership, Asticom expanded across IT-BPO, engineering and staffing solutions, and reached a PHP 3 billion revenue milestone in 2022. A visionary and people-focused leader, Mharicar is driven by creating opportunities for Filipinos while helping businesses grow through innovation, transformation and strong organisational leadership.

Nicki heads the Carelon Global Solutions in the Philippines, and is currently the Vice Chair of the IT & Business Process Association of the Philippines (IBPAP), the voice of the IT-BPM industry in the country. Nicki brings with him over 20 years of solid industry experience in Business Process Outsourcing and Management, leading diverse teams across multiple regions. He has been recognized with the Executive of the Year Award at the Asian Management Excellence Awards 2026, the Nation Builder Award by Asia Leaders Awards and Rising Tigers Magazine, as well as the Pinuno Award by the Healthcare Information Management Association of the Philippines (HIMAP), in honor of his outstanding efforts in generating employment opportunities for Filipino talent. His leadership reflects a sustained commitment to advancing the Philippine IT-BPM industry and creating greater opportunities for the community he passionately serves.

Nikki Dizon has over 20 years of experience in the consumer goods industry, with a career spanning brand building, innovation, commercial strategy, and business transformation. She currently heads the Next Nutrition and Naturals Business Unit of Century Pacific Food, Inc., where she leads the company’s plant-forward portfolio and its growth across domestic and international markets.

She is passionate about building brands and businesses that respond to changing consumer needs, with a particular focus today on making better nutrition choices more accessible and mainstream. Her work brings together commercial growth, innovation, and the challenge of building a more sustainable food future.

Beyond her corporate role, Nikki serves on the Board of Generation Hope, a social enterprise that harnesses business to create impact across education, agriculture and the environment.

FVP Mantaring currently serves as Officer-in-Charge (OIC) of the Strategic Planning Group (SPG) under the Office of the President and Chief Executive Officer. He joined DBP in January 2020 and has since held key leadership roles, including Head of the Corporate Planning Department prior to his assignment as SPG’s OIC.

He is responsible for ensuring the effective formulation, implementation, and monitoring of the Bank’s strategic objectives, providing institutional guidance through the departments under the Group. He likewise oversees the operations of the Congenerics Affairs Unit and the Management Committee Secretariat, contributing to sound governance and executive decision-making.

Mr. Mantaring is a member of several DBP management committees, including the Management Committee, Assets and Liability Committee, Information Technology Steering Committee, Organizational Review Committee, and the Bids and Awards Committee.

Prior to DBP, he held senior executive positions in leading private-sector organizations.

Sharon is the COO and Business Development Director of Long Advance, a Taiwan-based functional textile developer specialising in high-performance fabrics for the global outdoor and apparel industry. Working across international brands and Taiwan’s specialised textile supply chain, she focuses on translating complex product requirements into scalable material, manufacturing and commercial solutions.

As a second-generation leader, Sharon has been driving the company’s transformation from experience-driven textile development into a more structured, data-enabled operating model. Her work spans product development, supply-chain coordination, organisational design and the application of AI to improve how teams capture knowledge, evaluate risk and make decisions.

Her current work centres on the intersection of human judgement, organisational knowledge and AI. She is particularly interested in how leaders can introduce AI without reducing people to task executors and how organisations can instead use technology to strengthen judgement, develop capabilities and redesign the way work is done.

Sriram is the Country Head at India and he heads the product and engineering charter. His focus is transforming auto retail through AI, data, and digital technology. He builds AI-powered platforms that improve dealership performance, and data-driven systems that turn operational data into real-time intelligence and faster decisions. He brings more than 15 years of engineering leadership at Amazon, Walmart, and Nike, where he scaled high-performing teams, architected mission-critical customer platforms, and drove operational excellence across global e-commerce ecosystems.