2008 Asia Business Center Conference Program

  8:00 to 8:45 a.m. - Registration and Coffee  

Rich Lyons (bio), Bank of America Dean, Haas School of Business

Rich Lyons holds a professorship at the Haas School and served as acting dean of the school in 2004/05. He succeeds Tom Campbell, an economist, a former Stanford Law School professor, and former Congressman, who led the Haas School since 2002. As chief learning officer of Goldman Sachs, Lyons' main responsibility was directing a part of Goldman Sachs called Pine Street, the group charged with developing leadership among the firm's managing directors and partners. Goldman Sachs is known for attracting and developing leaders, many of whom have gone on to public service or to run other firms. As dean, Lyons will oversee the Haas School's efforts to expand its faculty to its largest size ever; enhance student services; continue curriculum improvements; build the endowment; and plan for a new building. Lyons says he will continue to sharpen the school's strategic positioning, which he spearheaded as executive associate dean. As chief architect of the new strategy, Lyons built a strong consensus within the Haas School community and helped begin implementing new initiatives to make it a reality. Lyons was awarded the Haas School’s Cheit Award for Excellence in Teaching six times by his students in the Full-time MBA, Evening & Weekend MBA, and Master’s in Financial Engineering programs. In 1998, he received UC Berkeley’s highest teaching honor, the Distinguished Teaching Award. Lyons has been granted several National Science Foundation Awards, including a graduate fellowship from 1984 until 1987, the period when he earned his Ph.D. in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Lyons has consulted with the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Federal Reserve Bank, and Citibank. He has served as a director for Barclays Global Investors iShares and as chairman of the board of Matthews Asian Funds. He has held visiting appointments at the University of Toulouse, France; Stockholm University, Sweden; London School of Economics, UK; Foundation for Advanced Information and Research, Japan; and the University of Aix-Marseille, France. Lyons is fluent in French and is a talented musician with several musical copyrights. He is married. He and his wife, Jennifer, have two children.

Guest of Honor:
S Iswaran (bio), Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Trade and Industry

Educational Qualifications 1978   GCE `O' Level (St Andrew's Secondary School) 1980   GCE `A' Level (National Junior College) 1986   B Econ (1st Class Hons) (University of Adelaide, Australia) 1995   Master of Public Administration (Harvard University, USA)   Career 1987-1988   Ministry of Home Affairs, Deputy Director (Police, Security and Rehabilitation) 1988-1990   Ministry of Education, Deputy Director (School Planning and Development) 1991-1991   Deputy Director (Special Projects), National Trade Union Congress 1991-1994   Chief Executive Officer, Singapore Indian Development Association (SINDA) 1995-1996   Ministry of Trade and Industry, Director (International Trade) 1996-1998   Director, Singapore Technologies Pte Ltd (Strategic Development) 1998-2000   Senior Vice President, Direct Investments, Temasek Holdings (Pte) Ltd 1998-Jun 06   Managing Director, Temasek Holdings (Pte) Ltd   Awards and Decorations 1978   Dux Award, St Andrew's Secondary School 1980   ECA Award, National Junior College 1982   Colombo Plan Scholarship 1985   ECA Award, Aquinas College, University of Adelaide 1994   Post-Graduate Scholarship (PGS) for Management Training

Introduced by Teck H. Ho (bio), William Halford Jr. Family Professor of Marketing; Director, Asia Business Center; Chair, Haas Marketing Group, Haas School of Business

Teck-Hua Ho is the William Halford, Jr. Family Professor of Marketing at the University of California, Berkeley. Teck's professional leadership includes roles as Associate Editor of Management Science and Journal of Marketing Research and Editorial Board member of Marketing Science, Manufacturing and Service Operations Management, and Quantitative Marketing and Economics. Teck has published in American Economic Review, Econometrica, Journal of Economic Theory, Journal of Marketing Research, Marketing Science, Management Science, and Quarterly Journal of Economics and has been funded by National Science Foundation for his innovative research in experimental and behavioral economics since 1995. He won the Best Teacher of the Year Award three years in a row at University of California, Berkeley from 2004 to 2006.

Keynote speaker:
Robert Yap (bio), Chairman and CEO, YCH Group, Singapore

Dr Robert Yap is Chairman and CEO of YCH Group (www.ych.com), Singapore’s leading end-to-end Supply Chain Company with operations that span across the entire Asia Pacific region. YCH provides integrated logistics services and best-of-breed, award-winning SCM solutions to world-class companies such as Dell, Motorola, Canon, Rohm & Haas, LVMH and Frisian Foods. Robert was conferred the Asia Logistics Hall of Fame award for his significant contributions and thought-leadership to Logistics and Supply Chain Management (SCM) industry in 2003. Recently, he was also crowned as Country Winner of the 2007 Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year (Singapore) Award and has consequently been inducted to the World Entrepreneur of the Year Academy as a lifetime member in 2008. In addition, Robert is the Founding Chairman of the Supply Chain Asia Advisory Council formed in 2005 and has also advised on economic policies as a member of strategic elite think-tanks such as the Committee on Singapore’s Competitiveness 2001 and the Economic Review Committee 2003. More notably, he is currently advisor to regional Heads of Government as the Co-Chairman of the ASEAN-Business Advisory Council and Council Member of the Singapore Business Federation.

Intoduced by Whitney Hischier (bio), Assistant Dean, Center for Executive Education

Whitney Hischier is the Assistant Dean for Executive Education at the Haas School of Business, UC Berkeley. She facilitates the application of cutting-edge faculty research in both the business school as well as other professional schools across UC Berkeley to industry. As Assistant Dean, Whitney oversees the development and delivery of both custom-designed as well as open enrollment programs for executives. Prior to joining Haas, Whitney was a Senior Consultant with Deloitte Consulting with a focus on change management, learning and development. Whitney has also held consulting positions with KPMG London’s Systems Implementation Group, and ABN Amro Bank in Amsterdam. She holds an MBA from the Haas School of Business with a Certificate in Healthcare Management as well as a BA from Stanford University.

Moderator:
Bernard Yeung (bio), Dean, NUS Business School

Professor Bernard Yeung is the new dean of NUS Business School starting from 1 June 2008. He will hold the Stephen Riady Distinguished Professorship Chair at the Business School. Hailed from the New York University’s Stern School of Business where he is the Abraham Krasnoff Professor in Global Business, and a professor in Economics and Management, Prof Yeung’s extensive professional, research and teaching interests include international corporate finance; corporate strategy; foreign direct investment and multinational firm enterprises; the relationships between institutions, firm behaviour and economic development; the impact of cross border business activities on social economic development; and the international studies of capital market functionality. He has written more than a hundred research articles which have been widely published in top-rated journals in Economics, Finance, Strategic Management, International Business, and Accounting. Prof Yeung joined the New York University’s Stern School of Business in 1999, and distinguished himself as a scholar, teacher and administrator during his tenure. He is also the Director of the NYU China House, the honorary co-chair of the Strategy Department of the Peking University Guanghua School of Management, and Advisory Professor at the East China Normal University. He is currently a Senior Consulting Editor of the Journal of International Business Studies, serves on the Editorial Board of the Academy of Management Review and as an Associate Editor of Management Science. He is also an elected Academy of International Business Fellow. Prof Yeung received his bachelor of arts in economics and mathematics from the University of Western Ontario in 1979, and his MBA and PhD from the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago in 1981 and 1984 respectively. He had previously taught at the University of Michigan and the University of Alberta.

Introduced by Matthias Goertz (bio), Principal, Monitor Group

Matthias Goertz is a Principal at Monitor Group, a global firm of management consultants, where he heads the Communication and Technology Practice in S E Asia. He earned an MBA and an MA in Asian Studies from UC Berkeley.

Panelists:
- Gary Harvey (bio), Head of AXA Wealth Management, ipac

Gary Harvey has 20 years of experience in the financial services industry, including 13 years in AXA Asia Pacific Holdings Limited. He has worked in the United Kingdom, Australia, Singapore and other Asian markets. He is responsible for AXA’s integrated wealth management business in the Asian region, including the establishment and growth of the ipac advisory model. Immediately prior to his current position, Gary was CEO for AXA’s wealth management and financial protection business in Singapore. Gary is also CEO and Director of ipac financial planning Singapore private limited and holds a number of directorships including ipac financial planning Hong Kong Limited, ipac portfolio management Dubin limited and Sinopro Securities Investment Consulting Enterprise in Taiwan. Gary sits on the board of the Financial Planning Association of Singapore and is a Graduate Member of the Australian Institute of Directors. He holds a Master of Business Administration from Warwick Business School in the United Kingdom.

- H. Gifford Fong (bio), President of Gifford Fong Associates

H. Gifford Fong is President of Gifford Fong Associates, a firm specializing in fixed income, derivative product and asset allocation analysis. Independent valuation, model validation and portfolio strategy analysis are areas of emphasis. He is a graduate of the University of California where he earned his B.S., M.B.A. and J.D. (law). Mr. Fong is the editor of the Journal Of Investment Management (JOIM); founder of the JOIM Conference Series; member of the Advisory Group of the University of California Regents Committee on Investments; member of the North American Executive Board of the MIT Sloan School; member of the Advisory Board of the Finance Faculty of the MIT Sloan School; founding sponsor, member of the Steering Committee of the Masters In Financial Engineering Program at the University of California at Berkeley; member, Haas Hall of Fame, Haas School of Business, University of California at Berkeley; and member of the Board of Trustees, University of California, Berkeley Foundation; former editor of the Financial Analysts Journal; former member of the Board of Directors and Program Chairman of the Institute for Quantitative Research in Finance; former Vice Chair and member of the Research Committee of the Research Foundation of the CFA Institute and a contributor to a number of professional books and journals. In addition, Mr. Fong is co-author of "Fixed-Income Portfolio Management," a book published by Dow Jones-Irwin, co-author of "Advanced Fixed Income Portfolio Management, The State of the Art," a book published by Probus Publishing, editor of “The Credit Market Handbook: Advanced Modeling Issues,” a book published by Wiley Finance, editor of “The World of Hedge Funds: Characteristics and Analysis” and “The World of Risk Management,” books published by World Scientific. He is also the author of numerous professional journal publications. Mr. Fong has received a number of honors, including the Institute for Quantitative Research in Finance Award and the Financial Analysts Journal Graham and Dodd Award of Excellence. He also is on a number of boards of directors of non-related companies and non-profit institutions.

- Su-Shan Tan (bio), Managing Director, Morgan Stanley

Su Shan is a Managing Director at Morgan Stanley as Head of Private Wealth Management for Southeast Asia and Australia. Before re-joining Morgan Stanley in May 2008, she was a Region Head for Singapore, Malaysia and Brunei for Citi Private Bank. She was responsible for the private bank’s overall business and a board director of Citi Trust Singapore. She was also the Singapore Investment Centre Head. Prior to that, she was an Executive Director with Morgan Stanley in Singapore, serving from 1997 to 2005 as an investment adviser to high net worth families, corporates and institutions in the region. Before joining Morgan Stanley, she spent 7 years working in key financial hubs around the world. In London, Su Shan helped Baring Securities to develop its institutional equity business for Europe and the Middle-East region. She also spent 4 years working in Tokyo and Hong Kong covering the Asian and Japanese equity markets for ING-Barings. Su Shan is a board member of Aetos Security Management, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Temasek Holdings, the Singaporean government’s investment arm. She is also on the investment committee of Ministry of Health Holdings (MOH Holdings) and a board member of the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital. Married with two children, Su Shan is actively involved in fund-raising for various Singaporean charities and sits on the board of Singapore’s KK Hospital Health Endowment Fund, which provides financial support to needy patients. She also sits on the board of the National Museum. Su Shan was Chairperson of Citi Singapore’s Diversity Committee, which promotes the champions the welfare and development of female employees in the company. She is also the founder and past president of the Financial Women’s Association in Singapore, which champions financial literacy for women. She is a member of the Women Business Connections and the Singapore Chinese Orchestra Ladies’ League. She was also a member of the Women’s Leadership workgroup started by Singapore’s Ministry of Community Youth and Sports. Su Shan graduated with a MA from Oxford University in the United Kingdom, where she studied Politics, Philosophy and Economics. In February 2006, she was selected by Citi Private Bank to participate in the Senior Leadership Program at Harvard Business School.

- Amy Yip (bio), Managing Director and Group Head Wealth Managment, DBS Bank

Amy Yip was appointed Chief Executive Officer of DBS Bank (Hong Kong) Limited on 1 October 2006. She is a member of the DBS Group Holdings Management Committee and Chairman of DBS Asset Management Ltd. She is also the Managing Director and Group Head of Wealth Management in DBS Bank. Amy joined the bank in February 2006. In addition to her responsibilities for directing the development of Private Banking and Asset Management activities for DBS Group, Amy also oversees DBS Bank (Hong Kong)'s operations as well as its business strategy and development. Amy has some 30 years of experience in the financial markets. Before her appointment with the DBS Group, Amy was the Executive Director (Reserves Management) of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA) where she was responsible for the investment of the Exchange Fund (approximately USD130bn) in global markets. Prior to the HKMA, she held progressively senior positions at Citibank Private Bank, Rothschild Asset Management and JP Morgan Guaranty Trust, focusing on client advisory, business development and investment activities. Yip holds a BA degree from Brown University (Providence, Rhode Island) and an MBA from the Harvard Business School (Boston, Massachusetts).

Keynote Speaker:
Eli Manasseh (Nash) Benjamin (bio), Group Chief Executive Officer, FJ Benjamin Holdings Ltd

Born in Singapore in 1950, Eli Manasseh Benjamin is known in the fashion lifestyle industry as Nash Benjamin, the outspoken CEO of F J Benjamin Holdings Ltd. The younger brother of Frank Benjamin, Executive Chairman / Founder of F J Benjamin Holdings Ltd., Nash joined the Company in the late 1960s where he was involved with the sales and marketing for brands like Amco and Lanvin. In the mid 80’s, apart from his involvement in developing new businesses, Nash was also involved in setting up the Group’s overseas subsidiaries in his position as Finance Director of the Group and was responsible for all corporate and financial matters. Nash began to take a greater involvement in business development and in the marketing and sourcing of brands for the Group in the early 90’s. These brands later matured into key growth drivers for the Group. He was instrumental in securing rights for a number of franchises, including Girard-Perregaux in 1989, and GUESS? in 1991. Prior to his current position as Chief Executive Officer of the Group, Nash was appointed Group Chief Operating Officer in 1993, and subsequently Group Deputy Chief Executive Officer in 1996. Nash was also the lead member in the preparation of the Company’s public listing in 1996. During the Asian Financial Crisis and the SARS epidemic period, Nash played a pivotal role assisting Frank in steering the Group through the challenges, and consolidating and reorganising the business of the Group. In 2005, Nash led a team in a competitive bid and succeeded in clinching the franchising rights for Gap and Banana Republic in the region, making F J Benjamin Gap Inc.’s first-ever franchisee in the world. As a result of a number of decisive initiatives taken, the Group turned around its losses of S$40.9 million in financial year ended 2001 to show profits of S$21.5 million for the financial year ended 2007. In April 2006, Frank Benjamin handed the reins of Group CEO over to Nash. Nash has since aggressively grown the retail footprint by 50% in the last 12 months, which has effectively doubled the total square footage of the Group. Nash’s achievements in F J Benjamin, and in the industry, were recognised in November 2007, when he won the prestigious Ernst & Young Lifestyle Entrepreneur of the Year 2007 award. Nash is a Committee Member of Group Three - Singapore International Chamber of Commerce and also a member of the Singapore Institute of Directors. He also sits on the board of the National Museum of Singapore.

Introduced by Larry Lollar, Assistant Dean, Development and Alumni Relations

Moderator:
- Jitendra Singh (bio), Dean, Nanyang Business School

Jitendra Singh is currently Dean of the Nanyang Business School at Nanyang Technological University (NTU) in Singapore, one of the world’s leading science and technology universities. He is also Shaw Foundation Chair and Professor of Strategy, Management and Organization at Nanyang Business School. In addition, he is a member of the University Cabinet of NTU, and Chief Adviser, India Strategy to the President of NTU. He came to Singapore in 2007 after 20 years as a faculty member at the Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania, where he was most recently Saul P. Steinberg Professor in the Department of Management. During 1998-2001, he was Vice Dean, International Academic Affairs. In his Vice Dean role, he was charged with shaping and implementing the global strategy of Wharton and was a member of Wharton’s core administrative leadership team. These efforts culminated, in part, in the worldwide alliance between Wharton and INSEAD, the foundation of Indian School of Business in Hyderabad, India and the creation of Singapore Management University in Singapore. Earlier, he was Director of the Emerging Economies Program at Wharton from 1996-98. From 1991-1995, he was Research Director, Entrepreneurship at the Sol C. Snider Entrepreneurial Center at Wharton, the leading research center in entrepreneurship at any US business school. He was a faculty member at Wharton since 1987 and moved there from University of Toronto, Canada where he was an Associate Professor in the (now) Rotman School of Business. He received his Ph.D. from Stanford Business School in 1983. In 1991, he received an M.A. (honoris causa) from University of Pennsylvania. His earliest education was in natural and mathematical sciences and he received his B.Sc. (Physics, Mathematics, and Statistics) from Lucknow University, India in 1972. Subsequently, he received his MBA from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, India in 1975 (notably, a survey done by the Economist has rated IIMA as the most difficult business school in the world to get admission to; Which MBA Survey, 13th ed., October 2001.) He worked as a line manager at Voltas Ltd. in India for three years before coming to the US for his Ph.D. in 1978. His research and teaching interests center around strategy and organization, with a specific current focus on emerging global business models and business process outsourcing, and corporate governance. He has published over forty papers in most of the leading management journals and currently serves on the editorial boards of Organization Science, Strategic Management Journal and Strategic Organization! Earlier, he has also served on the editorial boards of Academy of Management Journal and Administrative Science Quarterly. He has edited two books - Organizational Evolution: New Directions (Sage Publications, 1990), and Evolutionary Dynamics of Organizations (co-authored with Joel Baum, Oxford University Press, 1994). Forthcoming are two other books: one edited work, Emerging Multinationals from Emerging Economies (co-authored with Ravi Ramamurti, Cambridge University Press) and another book on Indian business leadership, The Indian Way (co-authored with Peter Cappelli, Harbir Singh and Michael Useem, Harvard Business School Press). He was a co-founder of the Emerging Technologies Management Research Program, now housed within the Mack Center for Technological Innovation at Wharton. This is a very successful research program that involves participation from leading academics at Wharton and partnerships with blue chip firms across multiple industries. Some current and past partner firms are IBM, Reliance Industries, HP, Charles Schwab, Infosys, SmithKline Beecham, Proctor & Gamble, Bank of Montreal, 3M, McKinsey & Co., Knight Ridder, Cigna, Sprint, Xerox, and Dupont, among others. Recently, the Mack Center has also launched the Biosciences Crossroads initiative. Jitendra Singh has lectured worldwide (N. America, Europe, Asia, and S. America) to both executive and academic audiences. He is also active in advising firms and serves as a director or adviser for several startups and established firms. He recently served on the Boards of Directors of Fedders Corporation (FJCC), a global firm in the air treatment business and Emcure Pharmaceuticals, a privately owned biopharmaceuticals company based in Pune, India. Earlier, from 2000-2003, he was a member of the Board of Directors of Bangalore, India based Infosys Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: INFY) a world-class firm in the business of software services. He is also on the advisory board of EurIndia, a London, U.K. based venture capital firm which has investments in several software and business process outsourcing companies with back ends in India. Most recently, he has joined the Board of Governors of SAFTI Military Institute and the Board of Directors of SPRING Singapore, which is a government linked organization responsible for the affairs of all small and medium enterprises in Singapore. Jitendra Singh was earlier elected to membership in two leading professional organizations-- MOBS, a society of leading scholars in organization design and theory, and MESO, a society of scholars engaged in research linking individual and organizational issues. During 1994-96, he served an elected two-year term on the Senate Executive Committee of the Faculty Senate, University of Pennsylvania.

Introduced by Matthew Sinder, SVP, Business Development, Para Group
Panelists:
- Richard Eu (bio), Group CEO, Eu Yan Sang Group

Richard Eu is the Group CEO of Eu Yan Sang International Ltd (Eu Yan Sang). Eu Yan Sang, founded in 1879 by his great grandfather, is in the business of providing consumer healthcare products and services based on traditional Chinese and integrative medicine. Born in Hong Kong in 1947, he lived in Singapore since young and pursued his Secondary and University education in England. After graduating with a law degree from London University, he started his career as a merchant banker. Thereafter, he was a stockbroker before buying into and managing a group of companies involved in the marketing of computer equipment in SE Asia. The business was sold and he became a venture capital consultant before joining Eu Yan Sang in 1989. He successfully built Eu Yan Sang’s traditional Chinese medicine business to where it stands today, enjoying an unrivalled reputation as one of the leaders in this field in Asia. The Company is publicly listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange. In 2003, he was a finalist in the coveted Ernst & Young “Entrepreneur of the Year” Award in Singapore under the Master Category. Apart from his business interests, he is involved in non-profit and community organizations.

- Stephen Herrick (bio), Chairman, Continental Capital Corporation

Stephen Herrick was born in Berkeley. Third Generation to attend UC Berkeley. After working as an industrial engineer and in the computer industry, he started his own business with $100, importing automotive replacement parts for Japanese cars. The company was the oldest independent national distributor of Japanese parts in the USA. He sold the company 22 years later and pursued venture capital. Some of his investments that IPO’d include E*Trade, ISE, Genitope The Private Bank of the Peninsula, Giga-Tronics, Granite Computer Products, Iridex, Super Conductor Technologies and HS Resources. He investigated opportunities in Russia and China. His first effort in China was curtailed by the crisis in Tiananmen Square in 1989. Fourteen years ago, he became a partner in a Hong Kong VC firm making direct investments in China. While attending Berkeley, Steve pursued auto racing and was eighteenth in the nation professionally. During the mid ‘80’s and early ‘90’s Stephen lead a dozen professors and business executives annually to Japan for a symposium on competitiveness and cooperation with Japan. Speakers included Japanese and American Professors, CEO’s, and Government leaders. Stephen has served on the Board of the Haas School of Business for over twenty-seven years and has served as its interim Chairman. He was Chairman of the Development Council, Chairman of the Capital Campaign for the current building, Founding Chairman of the International Committee of the UC Berkeley Foundation, nine-year member of the UC Berkeley Foundation, fifteen years as judge at the California Management Review annual award and recipient of the Wheeler Oak Meritorious award from the University.

- Vincent Kho Yue Sern (bio), Managing Director, Singapore Asahi Chemical & Solder Industries Pte Ltd.

Vincent Kho, an honours mechanical engineering graduate from the National University of Singapore, joined Singapore Asahi Chemical & Solder Industries Pte Ltd as its Senior Marketing Executive in 1987. He was appointed as a Director of the company in 1990 and worked his way up to become the Managing Director in 1996. Mr Kho developed the manufacturing-based company into one with significant R&D capabilities having successfully registered 2 patents in the development of lead-free solder products. These products meet or surpass the stringent requirements of many major MNCs such as Matsushita, Sony and Sanyo. Concurrent with his efforts in driving new products development, Mr Kho has also led the regionalisation effort of Singapore Asahi Chemical & Solder Industries. Through its subsidiaries, the company now has physical manufacturing presence in Malaysia, Philippines, China, Indonesia and sales office in USA.

- Patrick Chuan Thye Kho (bio), Group Managing Director, Lian Huat Group

Patrick Kho joined the Lian Huat Group in 1996 as the Group Managing Director. A Singapore Armed Forces’ Scholar, Mr. Patrick Kho graduated with a Second Class Upper Honours in Bachelor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Cambridge University, UK in 1988. He obtained a Master in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Cambridge University in 1990. Prior to joining Lian Huat Group, Mr. Kho was a Major in the Singapore Air Force. Mr. Kho is also a Chartered Financial Analyst.

- Kenny Yap (bio), Chairman and Group CEO, Qianhu Corporation Ltd.

Qian Hu Corporation Limited, the only integrated ornamental fish service provider listed on the Singapore Exchange since November 2000, plays a key role in establishing Singapore as a major exporter of ornamental fish in the world, accounting for more than 30% of global output. At the helm of Qian Hu Corporation is Kenny Yap, Executive Chairman & Group Managing Director. This dynamic, extroverted 42-year-old entrepreneur who received the Public Service award (PBM) from Singapore Government and Medal of commendation from Singapore Youth award in Year 2004, was winner of Ernst & Young Service entrepreneur Award and most creative Entrepreneur, runner up by Singapore Business Times in Year 2003, Asian Young Entrepreneur Award 2002 by YAZHOU ZHOUKAN, named one of the 50 Stars of Asia by Business Week in 2001; won the International Management Action Award in 2000, and the Singapore National Youth Award in 1998, took over the company with two of his cousins, Alvin and Andy Yap when their fathers, who used to breed pigs in rural Singapore, had to give up their farm to make way for urban redevelopment. The Yaps decided to breed guppies for local fish exporters and converted the farm’s old pig pens into concrete fish ponds. A heavy thunderstorm in 1989, however, destroyed their entire fish stock. It was around this time that Kenny, Alvin and Andy decided to rebuild their fathers’ business and named the company Qian Hu, which means a thousand lakes in Chinese. This time they reared high-fin loaches, a popular fish at the time, despite knowing very little about the fish. In one fell swoop, their entire stock of 4000 loaches dies and the Yaps lost everything except their resolve, mettle and determination. This lesson was so valuable to them that the high-fin loach became Qian Hu’s corporate identity which serves as a daily reminder of where they were, and where they never want to be again. BUSINESS ACHIEVEMENTS Rising out of the ashes of two business failures, Kenny was more than determined to turnaround their business. Armed with a first-class honours business degree from Ohio State University in the United States in June 1990, Kenny – the only graduate in his large, extended family -- decided to heed the call of duty to manage the family business in 1991, which has since been expanding to include operations in Asia. He managed to turn a small, agrarian business to a public-listed company within a short span of 9 years. Not only did he inject professionalism, good quality-management into the business, he also infused his passion, drive and deep commitment to teamwork. It was this fire and passion for the business that contributed to the many awards and trophies that Qian Hu has amassed over the years, maintaining a track record of excellence and innovation that is unique to Qian Hu and the industry. Today, Qian Hu not only breeds, farms and exports ornamental fish to all parts of the world, it also includes the manufacture of aquarium and pet accessories, pet foods, medicines and even plastic bags into its vertically-integrated business model. Qian Hu today is a professionally-managed public-listed company that has made a name for itself among institutional and retail investors, as well as the public at large. For the past two years running, Qian Hu has won for itself the Most Transparent Company (in Sesdaq and Small Cap stocks category) awarded by the Securities Investors Association of Singapore – a public endorsement of its unwavering commitment to maintaining good corporate governance practices and transparency with its stakeholders. It also made to the honour roll by topping The Business Times’ Corporate Transparency Index for listed companies with December 2001 financial year-ends. Since 2002 till date, Qian Hu has been ranked the most transparent company by Singapore Business Times. After all, its corporate mission statement is “to create shareholders’ value by becoming a world-class ornamental fish and accessories company through innovative and quality products and services.” Not only has the Group received accolades for its corporate performance, Qian Hu’s ornamental fish varieties have consistently made it to the limelight in the top shows in the industry. For instance, at the Aquarama 2001 show, Qian Hu’s highly-prized Dragon Fish won first prize in the “Red” and “New Species/Varieties (Wild Caught)” categories, while its Goldfish Orandas took the runner-up spot. It also won third prizes in the “Goldfish Ryukin” and “New Species/Varieties (Bred-in-Captivity)” categories. LEADERSHIP ABILITY & INNOVATION Being the youngest in the family, Kenny had the daunting task of gaining credibility among his older family members who were already in the business. He decided that the best way of motivating them towards running a world-class corporation would be to introduce the ISO quality procedures into its daily operations. In 1995, a year after the move to its present location within the Sungei Tengah Agrotechnology Park, Qian Hu developed quality systems for its operations, leading to three ISO 9002 certifications for conditioning and packing of ornamental fish for export (1996); the training, quarantine and breeding of Dragon Fish (1997); and the retail and wholesale of aquarium accessories and pet products (2000). As if that wasn’t sufficient, Kenny initiated in 1998, an ISO 14001 certification for environmental management system by designing the landscaping of the farm in such a way that water runoffs from heavy rainfall would be recycled for use in the operations, instead of affecting the fish stock and breeding ponds. In 1997, Kenny took on a project to automate its fish-packing processes by designing a proprietary auto-packing machine with the support from the Agri-food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore and partially funded by the Singapore Economic Development Board’s Innovative Development Scheme. In that same year, Singapore Productivity and Standard’s Board (now known as Spring Singapore) admitted Qian Hu into its Promising Small and Medium Enterprises Programme, which helped Qian Hu formulate and develop its strategic business plans. As part of its efforts to promote the ornamental fish industry in Singapore, Qian Hu invested $200,000 in a community project to bring back the simple delights of “kampung days” such as catching “longkang” fish. Named the “Qian Hu Agro-Education Centre” this activity centre, reminiscent of its old farm in Nee Soon, complete with poultry, fruit tree, and garden spices, hopes to give younger urban-dwelling Singaporeans and tourists a taste of how life was like when the majority of the population stayed in villages or “kampungs”. As one of the few truly agricultural landmarks in Singapore, Qian Hu Fish Farm has also been recognized by the Singapore Tourism Board as an agro-tourism destination. From a small, local fish farm, Qian Hu has evolved to become a one-stop shop – that is engaged in the farming, breeding, and distribution of ornamental fish as well as the distribution and manufacturing of aquariums and related accessories like fish tanks, pumps, filters, fish food and medicines. Not content with just operating a fish farm in Singapore, Kenny went around the world to source for business and established his own distribution network in Malaysia, Thailand and China. Qian Hu now exports to more than 70 countries worldwide and has over 4% of the global market for ornamental fish. In Singapore, it has between 30% to 40% market share of the ornamental fish distribution, and 60% of the accessories market. Sales in 2007 reached $91.7 million, up from $76.11 million the previous year, while net profit improved from $2.6 million to $4.9 million. What truly sets Qian Hu apart from other successful businesses is the strong cord of teamwork, camaraderie and commitment that is a culture that is unique to Qian Hu. Kenny Yap’s amiable personality and infectious passion for work and life has pervaded the organization which truly has a happy environment. In fact, in its latest annual staff survey conducted in 2007, 98.5% of Qian Hu’s staff expressed that they were very happy and proud of the company. Qian Hu was certified to be a People Developer Organisation in Year 2007. Its achieving of the Singapore Quality Award in 2004 is only scratching the surface of where Kenny hopes the company will be one day. To be truly world-class, he envisions that their sense of commitment, camaraderie and teamwork must continue to be raised to even higher levels than before. FUTURE DEVELOPMENT PLANS OF QIAN HU Already with business hubs in Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and China, and a major player in establishing Singapore as the ornamental fish capital, Kenny is not about to sit on his laurels and trophies. Since 1999, Qian Hu began distributing aquarium and pet accessories to Malaysia, China and Thailand. Much growth was expected in this business segment as Kenny believed that for every dollar a hobbyist spent on ornamental fish, five more would be spent on accessories. As such, in 2001, a joint venture company, Wan Jiang Technology Co Ltd, was established in Guangzhou together with a Taiwanese partner, to produce proprietary brands of aquarium and pet accessories as well as other third party brands. These accessories were being distributed throughout the Group’s regional subsidiaries as well as to other countries such as Japan, Germany, United Kingdom and beyond. Qian Hu has recently increased its stake in this joint venture from 50% to 100% and changed the name to Guangzhou Qian Hu. In 2001, the Group set up a new subsidiary in Thailand – Thai Qian Hu Company Ltd – to export and distribute tropical fish, as well as a new fish division in its Malaysian subsidiary Guan Guan. In 2004, Qian Hu ventured into Pet Chain Stores called “ The Pet family”. Currently it has 12 stores in Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. While its Singapore operations would continue to grow organically, the bulk of Qian Hu’s growth in the next few years would be driven from its overseas operations as the Group seeks to extend and expand its value chain.

Berkeley Speaker:
David Vogel (bio), Solomon P. Lee Distinguished Professor in Business Ethics & Editor, California Management Review

David Vogel is the Solomon Lee Distinguished Professor of Business Ethics at the Haas School of Business and Professor in the Department of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley. Vogel is the author of several books on business-government—society-relations including The Market for Virtue: The Potential and Limits of Corporate Social Responsibility, (Brookings, 2005) Benefits or Barriers? Regulation in Transatlantic Trade (Brookings,1998), Kindred Strangers: The Uneasy Relationship Between Politics and Business in America (Princeton University Press, 1996), Trading Up: Consumer and Environmental Regulation in a Global Economy (Harvard University Press, 1995) and Fluctuating Fortunes: The Political Power of Business in America (Basic Books, 1989). He is also co-editor of Where’s The Beef? The Contested Governance of European Food Safety (MIT Press, 2006) and The Dynamics of Regulatory Change: How Globalization Affects National Regulatory Policies (UC Press, 2004). Vogel has held the Jean Monnet Chair and the BP Chair in Transatlantic Relations at the European University Institute. He has been a visiting professor at INSEAD in Fontainebleau, France, the Bren School of Environmental Management at UC Santa Barbara, Stanford University and the Hebrew University. Since 1982, he has been editor of the Haas School’s management journal, California Management Review.

Introduced by Stephen Herrick, Chairman, Continental Capital Corporation

Rich Lyons, Bank of America Dean, Haas School of Business