Focus on Sustainable Finance, Singapore

Søren Nikolasen is Chief Executive Officer of Asia Pacific, NatWest Markets. He is responsible for bringing together NatWest Markets’ strategy in the region and overseeing the operations across its offices in Singapore and Tokyo. He is a member of ASIFMA’s Sustainable Finance Committee and its Carbon Markets Working Group, and an observer on Climate Impact X’s International Advisory Council. Søren has more than 30 years of industry experience in retail, corporate and investment banking and worked in Copenhagen, New York, London, Hong Kong, Riyadh and Singapore. Prior to joining NatWest Markets, Søren was CEO of Alawwal Bank in Saudi Arabia. Soren will be providing an introduction and update on the global ESG and Sustainable Finance scene.

Raymond is the Group CEO for Basel Medical Group (Nasdaq: BMGL), overseeing medical practices, medical supplies, medtech and pharmaceuticals in Asia. He is also founder of fintech PT Verde Kinetics in Indonesia and Director of CER Consultancy providing ESG trainings in ASEAN. Previously, he spearheaded Grab’s insurtech ecosystem for 8 countries. He was CRO for 2 (re)insurers from 2011 to 2014. Raymond conducts trainings in several tertiary institutions. He is a Chartered Actuary, an Associate of the Singapore Actuarial Society and a certified ACLP trainer in Singapore. Raymond will be sharing on how SMEs can embark on a transformative decarbonization journey supported by access to ‘Green Loans’.

Dennis is the CEO of Pengerang Infrastructure Development Sdn Bhd which is involved in a low-carbon Aromatics Plant and a Sustainable Aviation project in Johor. Before this, he was the CEO of Kinross Pte Ltd, a microbial technology company focused on providing solutions for soil regeneration. Kinross produces a bio-organic fertilizer that can sequester more carbon by breaking down organic matter. It is now working on a project to reforest 5,000 hectares in Mongolia for carbon credits. Through his involvement in fund management, he helped set up a fund to focus on decarbonization projects to generate carbon credits. Dennis will be sharing on the latest trends in carbon credits.

Desiree M. Tan in currently the Head of Asia Desk on Fidinam Singapore, a professional practicing in private client practice in the Trust and Corporate Services Industry. She is an active current member of Women In Business Committee for BritCham Singapore for about 5 years now and also a committee leading 'Of Family Businesses and Beyond' under Mandala's Women's Circle. Her experiences include setting of Trust, companies and SFO and in advisory roles to some of her clients. Desiree will be sharing her views on Family Offices showing growing interest in nature-friendly investments.

Ambika Behal is the Managing Partner with Circle Capital, a venture capital firm which looks at early-stage climate-focused investments across Southeast Asia. Ambika's professional career experience spans journalism, startups, and private equity - across several countries, spanning west to east. Sustainability has played a key role throughout her life and career. She is experienced in ESG strategy and solutions; deal-sourcing and due diligence processes for the private equity and venture capital industry. Ambika will be speaking on making climate-friendly investments in the venture capital space.