Dr Shawn Lum

Nature Society (Singapore)

Keynote Speaker

Dr Shawn Lum is a Senior Lecturer at the Asian School of the Environment, Nanyang Technological University. Trained as a botanist and ecologist, he has spent most of his academic career studying the resilience and long-term viability of fragmented and disturbed forest ecosystems. He has also been active in nature conservation in Singapore and the region, serving for two decades as Vice-President and President of the Nature Society Singapore. Shawn has collaborated with colleagues in academic institutions, government agencies, NGOs and schools. He serves in an advisory capacity to various agencies, institutions and civil society groups on biodiversity and environmental management. Born in Japan, raised in Hawaii and having spent his entire working career in Singapore, Shawn’s life has an unshakeable affinity for islands.

Mr Koh Min Ee

Group Director, Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment

Speaker

Mr Koh Min Ee has over 20 years of experience in the environment and infrastructure sector within the Singapore Government. His career has spanned diverse areas, including pollution control and meteorological services at the National Environment Agency, before moving to his current role overseeing environmental policy at the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment. In his current portfolio, Min Ee leads policy work across vehicular and industrial emissions, waste management, recycling, and public health. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in Chemical Engineering and a Master of Science (Environmental Management), both from the National University of Singapore.

Ms Edris Boey

Associate Director, Eastspring Investments

Speaker

Ms Edris Boey is an ESG leader with experience across professional services, industrial and manufacturing, and multi-family office environments. She specialises in integrating ESG considerations into business practices and investment decisions, recognising their relevance to risk management, long-term value and performance. At Eastspring Investments, Edris initially focused on identifying, assessing and managing sustainability risks across an enterprise spanning Asia and Europe. Her strong sustainability risk expertise enabled her to expand her remit beyond sustainability risk to cover the broader spectrum of enterprise-wide non-financial risks. In her expanded role, she applies her expertise gained from being a sustainability practitioner for more than a decade to a wider risk landscape, collaborating closely with Operational Risk, Investment Risk, Compliance and Sustainability teams. This progression reflects the breadth and transferability of her skills across risk disciplines.

A/Prof Marvin Montefrio

Associate Professor, NUS Department of Sociology and Anthropology

Speaker

A/Prof Marvin Montefrio is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology at the National University of Singapore. He researches food, agrarian and environmental issues in Southeast Asia. He is currently working on a project examining coastal precarity in the context of extreme weather events in the Philippines. Marvin was trained in political ecology, environmental sociology, environmental anthropology, environmental policy and ecological economics at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry and Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. While he considers himself primarily an ethnographer, he also employs quantitative surveys, historical analysis and cultural studies approaches in his research. Marvin earned his Master of Science (Environmental Management) degree from NUS in 2008.

Ms Anbarasi (Anbu) Boopal

Former Co-CEO, Animal Concern Research & Education Society
Adjunct Research Fellow, NUS Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law

Speaker

MS Anbarasi (Anbu) Boopal is a MEM 2007 graduate. Anbu has served in the animal protection movement for 20 years in Singapore, through ACRES where she stepped down recently as its Co-CEO. She currently serves as Research Manager at Welfare Matters, conducting regional research into farmed animal welfare in Southeast Asia to support its 2026 incubation programme. She has also just started her research on animal welfare policies as an Adjunct Research Fellow at NUS Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law. She believes that every life matters and is powered by plants and her interests lie in systems-level changes, and empowering individuals to make an impact too.

Mr Ajay Pathania

Chairperson, MEM Alumni Committee
Director, APCME

Moderator

Mr Ajay Pathania is a business leader and educator with over 25 years of experience in business strategy, sales and management. He currently focuses on teaching and developing global learning programmes for corporations and universities. He holds an MBA and an MSc in Environmental Management from NUS and serves as Chairperson of the NUS MEM Alumni Committee.

Professor Bernard Tan

Senior Vice Provost (Undergraduate Education)
Shaw Professor in Information Systems and Analytics

Guest of Honour

Professor Bernard C Y Tan is Senior Vice Provost (Undergraduate Education) at the National University of Singapore (NUS). He assists the Provost in setting educational directions and policies, and in assuring educational quality for the University. He has oversight of Office of the University Registrar, Office of Admissions, Centre for Future-Ready Graduates, Centre for Holistic Inquiry Into Lifelong Learning, The Logistics Institute-Asia Pacific, NUS Libraries, Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Centre and NUS Teaching Academy.

Ms Jessica Cheam

Founder & Managing Director, Eco-Business

Lecture Speaker

Ms Jessica Cheam is the Founder and CEO of Eco-Business, Asia Pacific’s leading independent media and business intelligence organisation focused on sustainable development. A globally recognised sustainability pioneer, she brings over two decades of experience spanning media, sustainable development, and sustainable finance. A trusted advisor on strategy and governance, she serves on Boards of a wide range of public and private organisations, and works with governments, multinationals, and financial institutions across the region. Her contributions have been recognised through regional and global accolades, including the Women of the Future Southeast Asia Awards, Gen.T List, The Peak Power List, Tatler Asia and LinkedIn Power Profiles. A multidisciplinary storyteller, Jessica is also the author of 'Forging a Greener Tomorrow: Singapore's journey from slum to eco-city.'

Mr Tony Oposa

Environmental Lawyer

Special Guest

Mr Antonio A. Oposa Jr. is one of Asia’s leading voices in the global arena of environmental law. He pioneered the practice of Environmental Law in the Philippines, and his work is known locally and internationally for establishing, in the highest court of law, the principle of inter-generational responsibility – that this present generation has a responsibility to protect the environment for future generations. He is an environmental law and policy consultant; an expert in environmental policy and law, governance and litigation; an effective and respected activist for forest and marine protected areas in his native country; and a true warrior for the environment.

Ms Melissa Low

Head, NUS Sustainability Academy
Research Fellow, NUS Centre For Nature-based Climate Solutions

Moderator

Ms Melissa Low is a Research Fellow at the National University of Singapore’s (NUS) Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions and Head of the Sustainability Academy under the university’s Sustainable Futures initiative. Under her stewardship, the Centre’s sustainability-related continuing education training programmes have benefited over 500 government officers and private sector individuals. She previously worked at the Energy Studies Institute, NUS where she carried out research projects on a range of energy and climate issues of concern to Singapore and the region. She has participated in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) Conference of Parties (COP) for over a decade and is an active sustainability thought leader, authoring, publishing and presenting at various forums.