Conference Overview
The Institute for Capital Market Research Malaysia (“ICMR”) in collaboration with the Securities Industry Development Corporation hosted an inaugural industry-university talent bridging conference at the Securities Commission Malaysia on the 25th of July 2023. The forum attracted over 300 guests from industry captains, regulators, policymakers, and academia, serving as a platform to drive greater interdisciplinary discourse and collaboration.
Themed “Reshaping Markets and Finance: Thought Leadership, Technology, and Talent as Levers of Change”, the conference aimed to facilitate knowledge transfer through the deliberation of new ideas and perspectives, as well as enable the sharing of data and academic research on how Malaysia can propel its capital market during an unprecedented age of transformation. This includes a particular focus on talent as a critical lever for greater capital market development.
Reimagining The Role of Markets
This session will explore the challenges and opportunities of a rapidly evolving financial landscape and examine how the role of markets can be redefined to better meet society’s needs. The discussion will start off with a re-think of how current debt-based capital markets may not be serving the real economy in terms of addressing environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues.
Our Speakers
Tan Sri Andrew Sheng
Tan Sri Andrew Sheng served as Chairman of the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong from 1998 to 2005, having previously been a central banker with the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and Bank Negara Malaysia. He writes regularly on international finance and monetary economics, financial regulation and global governance in leading economic magazines and newspapers including AsiaNewsNet and Project Syndicate, as well as Caijing and Caixin magazines in China. A chartered accountant by training, Tan Sri Andrew Sheng holds a First-Class Honours in Economics from Bristol University and Honorary Doctorates from University of Bristol and University of Malaya. As part of ICMR’s Distinguished Fellow programme, his appointment will further provide value by delivering a combination of in-depth research and practical ideas built on a collaborative process. His links to academia will be critical for bridging the gap in terms of realworld applications of academic research.Amarjeet Singh
Mr. Amarjeet Singh, working with Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) for the last 29 years, has extensive experience in development and regulation of securities markets. He is presently working as Executive Director in charge of Market Regulation Department responsible for policy formulation and supervision of Market Infrastructure Institutions (MIIs). He also heads the Office of International Affairs at SEBI apart from dealing with securities market issues relating to financial stability. Previously, Mr. Singh headed the Corporation Finance Department dealing with primary market reforms and made impactful contribution in the areas of issuance and listing of securities, Sustainability Reporting, Corporate governance etc. He also led SEBI’s initiative on conceptualizing and implementing the Social Stock Exchange in India. In his earlier roles, he has headed the front office of Chairman, SEBI as his Executive Assistant, the Office of International affairs and the Northern Regional Office of SEBI. Mr. Singh has been involved in various international regulatory initiatives, including that of International Organization of Securities Commissions (IOSCO). He played a leadership role in the Assessment Committee of IOSCO since its formation in 2012 till 2018 (vice-chair:2012-16; chair 2016-18). He steered several thematic reviews on FSB driven reform areas post GFC and designed a new assessment program for monitoring implementation of IOSCO Principles and Standards at the global level. He has also represented SEBI on numerous Committees set up by Reserve Bank of India and Government of India. He currently represents SEBI on the Board of Governors of the Indian Institute of Corporate Affairs, set up by the Ministry of Corporate Affairs. He is a Member of the India Advisory Board, Newcastle University Business School, UK. Apart from an MBA, he holds a Master’s degree in Economic Policy Management from Columbia University, NY, USA.Dr. He Ping
Dr. He Ping is an Associate Dean, Professor and Chair in the Department of Finance, School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing, China since 2016. Prior to his current position, he held the position of Associate Professor at the same institution from 2008 to 2016. His research areas now focuses on banking and financial institutions, monetary policy and macro-finance. Before joining Tsinghua, Dr was an associate in the Fixed Income Division of Lehman Brothers from June 2006 to December 2007. Besides, he was the Assistant Professor in Finance Department of University of Illinois at Chicago from 2004 to 2006. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from University of Pennsylvania in 2004, Masters in Economics from University of Pennsylvania in 2002, and BA in Economics from Tsinghua University in 1997.Charika Channuntapipat
Dr. Charika Channuntapipat is currently a Research Fellow at Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI). At TDRI, she is leading a Business and Sustainable Development research team, where the research focus is on instruments and policies that can be used to encourage and support businesses to be more responsible for society and nature, as well as to enhance their value creation. Prior to joining TDRI, she was a lecturer and researcher at the Department of Accounting, Birmingham Business School, The University of Birmingham (2017-2021). Her research interest focuses on the broad areas of responsible and accountable business practices; governance mechanisms that promote corporate accountability and sustainable development; and the role of the accounting profession and education in sustainable development. In particular, she is interested in the development of non-financial accounts and the roles of corporate communications, as well as the corporate materiality assessment process and assurance practices for non-financial information. Beyond her academic experience, Charika also has a professional background in business advisory services and corporate banking.Evolution of Technology & Impact on Markets
The rise of new technologies has proven time and time again that it will continue to threaten conventional and established industries. Lessons from history has also shown that embracing new technologies (hardware) will need to be complemented with new software or ways of thinking about work, lifestyles and markets.
Our Speakers
Datin Aida Jaslina Jalaludin
Datin Aida Jaslina Jalaludin is the head of research development at ICMR, responsible for the design and development of its research programmes with the aim of promoting intellectual discourse between stakeholders to ultimately shape the Malaysian capital market. With over 20 years of experience in economic policy making, capital market policies, business planning and process re-engineering, she was instrumental in the formation of ICMR, having worked on its conceptualisation as well as led the Project Management office to spearhead ICMR’s establishment. Prior to this she headed the management of the Capital Market Development Fund (CMDF), an independent statutory fund established to promote the development of the Malaysian capital market – a stint which gave her greater insights into the needs of the industry and rendered her better equipped for her role in ICMR. Before CMDF, during her tenure in the Strategy and Research Department of the Securities Commission (SC), she was responsible for research works to facilitate economic and capital market policy making as well as managed the SC’s strategic business planning process. Amongst others, her expertise was employed in the development of national economic plans and she played a key role in drafting the Capital Market Masterplan 2 together with several blueprints across the capital market. Previous work experiences include managing business plans and treasury operations at the Hong Leong Group as well as process re-engineering and business turnarounds for the various subsidiaries of PETRONAS, providing her with a strong understanding of company structure and operations. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.Dr. Wong Huei Ching
Dr Wong Huei Ching is an Executive Director at the Malaysia Securities Commission (SC). She leads the Digital Strategy and Innovation division, overseeing the Innovation, Digital Strategy, Analytics, Cyber Security and Technology departments. Her appointment serves to further the potential of digital and innovation in the area of alternative fundraising and investments, towards shaping a capital market that is more inclusive and sustainable for businesses and investors. Dr Wong joined the SC in 2017 and has been involved in various market development initiatives ranging from facilitation of market vibrancy to greater industry digitisation efforts. She was also instrumental in the development of the recently launched Capital Market Masterplan 3. Dr Wong is currently a member of the Labuan Financial Services Authority as appointed by the Minister of Finance. Prior to joining the Securities Commission, she was with a global management consulting firm as part of their strategy practice, and one of Malaysia’s largest bank. Her experience in financial services sector spans across consumer, wholesale and international banking, particularly in strategy development and transformation. Dr Wong Huei Ching holds a Bachelor in Electronic and Communications Engineering and a PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from the University of Bristol, UK.Sanjay Sarma
Dr. Sarma is the President and Dean of Asia School of Business and a Professor of Mechanical Engineering and the Sloan School of Management at MIT. ASB is a business school, based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in collaboration with MIT Sloan School of Management. Prior to that, he was the Vice President for Open Learning at MIT for nearly 10 years, during which he oversaw OpenCourseWare and led the creation of MITx, MicroMasters, the MIT Integrated Learning Initiative and the Jameel World Education Lab. As a researcher, he co-founded the Auto-ID Center at MIT and developed many of the key technologies behind the EPC suite of RFID standards now used worldwide. He was also co-founder and CTO of OATSystems, which was acquired by Checkpoint Systems (NYSE: CKP) in 2008. His current research interests are Internet of Things, street scanning, sensing, RFID, autonomy, cybersecurity, logistics, manufacturing and education. He is the Author of 3 books including The Inversion Factor, Grasp, and Workforce Education. Dr. Sarma received his Bachelors from the Indian Institute of Technology, his Masters from Carnegie Mellon University and his PhD from the University of California at Berkeley.Su Ann Lim
Su Ann Lim is Head of Government Affairs and Public Policy for the Southeast Asia Cluster at Google Cloud. She collaborates with policymakers, Google Cloud's partners, industry trade groups and NGOs across Southeast Asia on policy issues critical to the technology industry, such as cybersecurity, cloud computing, data privacy, AI and emerging technologies. Prior to this role, Su Ann spent 10 years in the global business organization of Google, where she led C-suite partnerships in the telco, technology and media sector and Google's expansion to frontier markets in Southeast Asia. Su Ann graduated from Columbia University with a BA in Political Science and Economics.Talent – The Critical Lever in The AI Age
Adapting to emerging technology and addressing concerns from the younger generations are only two means of creating a viable workplace. Furter action is needed in the form of early engagement with future talent to instill a better understanding of the role of capital markets to serve the wider economy with a purpose beyond profits.