Catalyzing action: 

Raj leads a global team of over 100 Devexers and serves a community of one million global development professionals. His experience in 50+ countries, including a childhood partly spent in India, informs his work. Raj is the author of The Business of Changing the World.

Herry Cho joined Singapore Exchange (SGX) as Managing Director, Head of Sustainability and Sustainable Finance on 8 February 2021. She drives SGX’s sustainability and sustainable finance strategic direction and implementation, with the aim of transforming SGX and its ecosystem into a world-class, trusted multi-asset sustainable exchange.

Ms Cho pioneered in the development of Asia Pacific’s sustainable finance markets, in her former role as the Head of Sustainable Finance APAC at ING Bank N.V. from 2017. There she led the origination and execution of sustainable finance transactions including green/social/sustainability bonds and loans, and delivered sustainability advisory to key clients. Furthermore, she shaped the international market standards having served on the Executive Committee Board of the International Capital Market Association (ICMA)’s Green/Social/Sustainability Bond Principles, was the sustainability lead on ICMA’s APAC regional committee and on the Loan Market Association’s Green Finance Committee. Ms Cho leverages on a broad financial background having previously worked for almost decade in Mergers and Acquisitions Advisory, Capital Structuring and Advisory, and Equity & Debt Capital Markets.

Koen Doens is a classical philologist, who was a professor of Latin and Greek in his early days. After joining the Belgian diplomatic service, he was posted as a diplomat in Syria, Iran and the Russian Federation. Back in Belgium, he joined the Cabinet of the Belgian Minister for Foreign Trade, Annemie Neyts, and subsequently the Cabinet of the Belgian Vice-Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs, Louis Michel.

In 2004, he joined the European Commission as Deputy Head of Cabinet of Louis Michel, Commissioner in charge of Development and Humanitarian Aid. In 2007, he became his Head of Cabinet. He continued as Head of Cabinet in 2009 when Karel De Gucht took over as Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid. On 1 February 2010, President Barroso nominated him as Head of the Spokespersons' Service, a job he occupied until the end of President Barroso's mandate on 31 October 2014.

On 1 November 2014, he took up his function as Director for EU-Africa Relations, East and Southern Africa in the Directorate General for International Cooperation and Development.

On 1 March 2018, he became Deputy Director General responsible for Africa, Asia, Middle East/Gulf, Pacific, Latin America and Caribbean in the Directorate General for International Cooperation and Development. As of 1 October 2019, he is occupying the function of Director-General for International Cooperation and Development.

Don Kanak is the Chairman of Prudential Insurance Growth Markets, and the Chairman of Prudence Foundation, the community engagement arm of Prudential in Asia and Africa. Don is based in Hong Kong and has lived and worked in Asia for over 30 years. From 2008 through 2015, Don served as Chairman of Prudential Corporation Asia. From 2012 to November 2020, Don was Chairman of Eastspring Investments, the Asia investment organisation of Prudential plc. From 1992 to January 2006, Don served in a number of senior positions at American International Group (AIG), ultimately as AIG’s Executive Vice Chairman and Chief Operating Officer. Prior to his career in insurance and investment, Don was a partner of an international strategy consulting firm.

Don serves as Chairman of the EU-ASEAN Business Council, the primary voice for European businesses within the ASEAN region. He is Co-Chair of the Steering Group of the ASEAN Hub of the Sustainable Development Investment Partnership, a joint venture between the World Economic Forum and the OECD. In 2011-12, Don chaired the World Economic Forum’s Global Agenda Council on Insurance and Asset Management and currently is a member of the Forum’s Global Futures Council on SDG Investments.

Don is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations; a Director and Senior Fellow of the Program on International Financial Systems, which is affiliated with the Harvard Law School; a Trustee of WWF-Hong Kong; and a member of the National Council of WWF-U.S. He was also a member of the United Nations Global Environment Facility’s Technical Advisory Group on its 2014-2018 climate change mitigation strategy.

Don holds a J.D. with honours from Harvard Law School, an M.Litt in Management Studies from University of Oxford (U.K.), a B.A. with highest honors in economics from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and the Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) designations from the American College.

Zoë Knight is a Managing Director and Group Head of the HSBC Centre of Sustainable Finance. She joined HSBC in 2010 and previously led the Climate Change Centre of Excellence within Global Research, having been an investment analyst at global financial institutions since 1997. For ten years she focused on equity strategy, before focusing on socially responsible investing. Since joining HSBC Zoë has co-authored reports on low-carbon opportunities in bond and equity markets, as well as long-term carbon and water risks. Previously, she contributed a chapter to ‘Investment opportunities for a low-carbon world’ (2009). Throughout her career she has been ranked in Extel and Institutional Investor. Zoë is a Commissioner on the Energy Transition Commission and is a Member of the WEF Global Future Council on Energy. In 2018, Zoë set up the HSBC Centre of Sustainable Finance. The Centre collaborates with colleagues across HSBC and with external partners to produce thought leadership on critical issues to scale up and mobilise capital to address sustainability challenges. Zoë co-authored ‘Managing Financial System Stability and Climate Change: A preliminary guide’ in 2018. She also sits on the Board of the World Energy Council UK and holds a BSc (Hons) Economics from the University of Bath.

Susanna Moorehead is the elected Chair of the OECD’s Development Assistance Committee (DAC) and took up her role in February 2019.

Before then, she was British Ambassador to Ethiopia and Djibouti and UK Permanent Representative to the African Union and the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa. Over a 30 year career in international diplomacy and development, Susanna has held senior executive, strategic, policy and operational roles - from the Board of the World Bank to famine relief in rural Africa. Susanna served as the UK’s Executive Director on the Board of the World Bank; was Director of West and Southern Africa at the UK Department for International Development (DFID); and Head of DFID India, when it was the UK’s largest development programme. She directed field-based famine and rehabilitation programmes in rural Mali for Save the Children and was Deputy Director of the Institute of Development Studies, Sussex until 1997.

Susanna has a BA from the University of York, an MSc (Econ) and PhD from the London School of Economics, as well as an honorary doctorate from the University of York.

Cherie Nursalim is Vice Chairman of GITI Group, a diversified group with real estate development, manufacturing and consumer lifestyle presence partnering with world‐renowned brands throughout the Asia Pacific region.

Cherie Nursalim earlier worked as a research associate at the Harvard Business School. She published an award‐winning book on an American‐Chinese Architect, and was among the co‐authors of a book ‘Indonesia Matters’ published by the World Economic Forum.

She serves on the International and Asia Advisory Boards for Columbia University and MIT Sloan School of Management respectively. She is Chairman of the United Nations Global Initiative SDSN in Southeast Asia that will be based in Kura Kura Bali Indonesia, serves on the Global Commission on Business and Sustainable Development and the University of Indonesia Research Center for Climate Change and the Singapore Science Center boards. She is the trustee of the Tsinghua University Institute for Sustainable Development Goals, Institute of Philanthropy and among the founding trustee of the United in Diversity Forum. She is among the co founding members of the Global Philanthropic Circle with Synergos Institute in New York and Asian Philanthropic Circle Singapore. Cherie Nursalim is a recipient of Baiyulan Award from the Shanghai government and won Ministry of National Development award from Singapore government. She initiated initiatives for HIV AIDS awareness in Indonesia for GT organization which won awards from UNAIDS, International Labor Organization and the Indonesian government. A new Orchid species of Dendrodium was named after her as founding board of ‘Gardens by the Bay’ Singapore. Ms Nursalim serves on the Executive Board of International Chamber of Commerce, ICC Research Foundation Board and ICC Academy.

She recently joined as advisory board to Teach for All and the Friends of the Oceans invited by the United Nations Envoy. Ms Nursalim is recently appointed on the advisory committee of One Belt One Road and as co‐chair of the Tri Hita Karana Forum on “Blended Finance and Innovation for Better Business Better World” co‐hosted with the Indonesian government.

She received her Bachelor in Engineering Science and Economics from Oxford University, her Masters in Business Administration from Columbia Business School and is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader alumni at Harvard Kennedy School.

She is a member of the World Future Council.

Leading a team of incredibly talented data scientists, AI experts, and data engineers, Meri Rosich is focused on transforming businesses with the strategic use of data.

She has had the privilege of leading global teams for great organizations such as Visa, Amex, Bertelsmann, Samsung, and Docomo; living in 6 countries; in NY, London, Barcelona; and for the past 15 years in Asia; in HK, Tokyo, and Singapore.

Recent recognitions include "100 Women in Tech" by SG Computer Society and IMDA Gov; "30 People Who Are Changing The World" by London Business Review magazine, and "Most promising Female Developer" award at SFO Conference.

Over the years she has served in the advisory board of the Data Literacy Project, as Fintech mentor for UNDP, Ambassador for the UN Women STEM program, board member of the United Nations Association of Singapore. Co-founded the Female Founders think-tank, the Women Data Leaders network, and serve as a committee member of SG Women in Tech.

Ms. Sinha was appointed the Executive Secretary of the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) in February 2021. Ms. Sinha is a globally experienced investment and development banker with a 30-year track record associated with raising and managing institutional public and private development capital. She served as CEO & President of FFD Financing for Development LLC, a specialist development finance firm focused on financing the UN SDGs.

Preeti managed the YES Global Institute, a practicing think-tank for socio-economic development and SDGs in New Delhi. She served in senior resource mobilization roles at the African Development Bank including managing the ADF-13 Replenishment. She was a pioneering Global Leadership Fellow at the World Economic Forum bringing public and private capital together. She was an investment banker at HSBC, Rabobank, Lehman Brothers and JP Morgan in London, Hong Kong, Mumbai and New York.

Preeti is a Harvard Kennedy School of Government Executive Education alumna in Public Financial Management. She has a Masters in Global Leadership from the World Economic Forum and a Masters in Public and Private Management (MPPM)/MBA from the Yale School of Management (SOM). She graduated from Dartmouth College with Bachelor of Arts in Economics and Computer Science.

Dominic Waughray is currently Managing Director, Centre for Global Public Goods; Member of Managing Board at the World Economic Forum.

Dominic holds a Degree (Hons) in Geography from Cambridge University and a Master's in Environmental and Natural Resource Economics from University College London. From 1994-98, he was Senior Scientific Officer, Natural Environment Research Council Institute of Hydrology for the UK Civil Service. From 1998-2005, he was Managing Partner of Environmental Resources Management. More recently, he served as Senior Director, Head of Environmental Initiatives, World Economic Forum, where he was responsible for the agenda on environment and sustainability issues, including events (Annual Meeting in Davos and regional meetings), analysis and initiatives (multistakeholder projects). His focus areas include resource scarcity (water-food-energy linkages); water security; climate change and green investment; sustainable production and consumption.

He is an International Fellow, IIED; Associate Fellow, Royal Institute of International Affairs; Trustee, The Climate Group, an international NGO; Vice-Chair, Water Resources Group Executive Committee, an international public-private partnership on water hosted by the World Bank Group; and a Member, UNFCCC Momentum for Change Advisory Panel, an initiative to select and showcase the world's most promising climate change mitigation and adaptation projects.