Contributors

Rachel Lee

She prides herself to be an unwavering advocate of inclusivity and empowerment. Her mission is to empower individuals to thrive in an ever-evolving world, ensuring that businesses not only succeed but also become beacons of positive change. With her career spanning diverse sectors such as hospitality, real estate, and food services, she earned a reputation for her visionary approach to talent management and development. She has built HR functions from scratch and transformed established functions to deliver the workplace of the future. Her journey is a clear demonstration of HR transformative power when guided by a passionate commitment to a people-first culture. She enjoys driving the evolution of HR practices and leaving an indelible mark on the businesses and professionals she touches.

Rakesh Agarwal

He is a Partner with KPMG Management Consulting and leads the Supply Chain & Procurement in ASPAC and Digital Transformation practice in Singapore. He has over 22 years of professional experience mainly leading large multi-year Business and IT Transformation projects within ASEAN.

Roxanne Uy

Santosh Reddy

Santosh Reddy is the VP of Sales and Marketing for Asia at Capillary Technologies and a recognised voice in modern loyalty. With over a decade of experience shaping enterprise loyalty strategies, he brings deep insight into how brands can evolve toward AI-first, customer-centric loyalty. 

Santosh advises CXOs, contributes at industry forums, and champions approaches that move loyalty beyond transactions to long-term customer value.

Simon Hague

He has over 20 years’ experience across multiple roles in innovation, commercial and marketing, working with some of the biggest global foodservice brands. His inquisitive mind for anthropology and cultural trends, passion for foodservice, and extensive travels, make him a sought-after expert in his field, and a strong supporter of Kerry’s ambition to provide sustainable food and beverage solutions to more than 2 billion consumers by 2030. His reputation extends to him being a notable champion of Kerry’s work in diversity and inclusion. In 2021, he was named Top 100 OUTstanding Future Leader of the Year by Yahoo Finance and Involve. He also received the 2023 Kerry Inspiring People Award for Courage, and sits on the Advisory Council and Steering Committee Member for the Partnership for Global LGBT Equality as the Kerry Group representative, in partnership with the World Economic Forum and UNHCR. Having previously lived in UK, Hong Kong and the Philippines, he is now based in Singapore.

Simon Hague

Simon Hague has over 20 years’ experience across multiple roles in innovation, commercial and marketing, working with some of the biggest global foodservice brands. His inquisitive mind for anthropology and cultural trends, passion for foodservice, and extensive travels, make him a sought-after expert in his field, and a strong supporter of Kerry’s ambition to provide sustainable food and beverage solutions to more than 2 billion consumers by 2030.

His reputation extends to him being a notable champion of Kerry’s work in diversity and inclusion. In 2021, he was named Top 100 OUTstanding Future Leader of the Year by Yahoo Finance and Involve. He also received the 2023 Kerry Inspiring People Award for Courage, and sits on the Advisory Council and Steering Committee Member for the Partnership for Global LGBT Equality as the Kerry Group representative, in partnership with the World Economic Forum and UNHCR. Having previously lived in UK, Hong Kong and the Philippines, he is now based in Singapore.

Sonya David

She is an integrated strategist who infuses an understanding of consumers, their attitudes and behaviours into media to create experiences and grow brands that consumers will seek out. She believes QSR needs to leverage all facets of communications strategy, and people-first planning to drive sustainable growth. As the Head of Strategy for media brands in Singapore, she helps clients like foodpanda, William Grant & Sons Mastercard & Hilton turn media opportunities into accelerators for business growth across the region.

Steven Yang

Prior to that he served as Area Vice President - APAC for Hard Rock International, he was responsible for Hard Rock Cafe & Retail Rock Shop’s Strategic Development, Operations and Overall Performance with expanded responsibilities in hotel development opportunities in APAC. Prior to Hard Rock, Steven served as the Head of Development for Bloomin’ Brands International which had over 1500 restaurants globally, including Outback Steakhouse, Bonefish Grill, Carrabba’s Italian Grill and Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar. He was responsible for a broad-based end-to-end market development strategy, including brand positioning and development, real estate strategy, site selection, design, and construction across Greater China with expanded responsibility in additional markets in Asia. Before stepping into the F&B realm, Steven’s core competence was in Commercial & Retail real estate, holding a Senior Director position at CB Richard Ellis in US & China, with expertise in Retail Strategies, Strategic Sales &; Partnerships, Acquisitions, Dispositions and Lease & Transaction Management.

Tessa Distor

Tim Charlton

Tim Charlton is the CEO of the Charlton Media Group, a leading business to business publisher based in Singapore that publishes titles including the Singapore Business Review, Hong Kong Business, Asia-Pacific Broadcasting+ and Asian Telecom. These publications cover a wide range of business issues facing executives and leaders in Asia.

Mr. Charlton oversees the editorial direction of these brands in both print, online, conferences, and events and takes a deep interest in the economics and business activities taking place in the Asia Pacific region.

Prior to founding Charlton Media Group in 2001, he worked in Hong Kong for News corporation, at Star television and the South China Morning Post. He holds a Graduate and Certificate and Management from the Australian Graduate School of Management and a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of New South Wales.