Business Disruptions – Priorities for Boards

Chari TVT
Business / Financial Consultant

Chari is currently a Business / financial consultant and has been a board member of a number of listed and non-listed companies. He was also Group CFO of Malaysia’s Axiata Group up until December 2016. Axiata is one of the largest telecommunications groups in Asia with more than 250 million customers and a market cap of approximately RM 50 billion then.

Chari has also served as the CFO of Celcom Axiata since mid-2009 and was responsible for a series of new initiatives which helped Celcom to receive an Award for generating the highest ROIC within Malaysia.

Prior to joining the Axiata Group, Chari spent 20 years working for HP, 10 of which spent in senior finance positions within Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand and Singapore. The balance 10 years, he was responsible sales and marketing for different business units at the SEA and APAC level. He was also the Corporate Vice President of a business unit generating revenue of US$ 1 Billion for South East Asia and Taiwan.

He currently serves as a Senior consultant for Duff and Phelps, a global organisation focused on valuation and business intelligence and investigations. And in his “down time” enjoys presenting papers at many external forums and assisting the next generation by mentoring and coaching. He is one of the mentors for Endevour Malaysia, Board advisory member of “Centre for Applied Data Sciences” (CADS) and a member of the MIA Subcommittee.

Manoj Menon
MD/Founder, Twimbit

Manoj Menon, is founder and MD of Twimbit – a new age research firm focused on helping improve business outcomes for every company and every career. He is a futurist and an authority in the area of digital transformation. He helps individuals, society and businesses make sense of the fast changing world that we live in. His presentation and workshops provide a unique view of how the world is transforming and how we can be better prepared to participate in this new era. He has spoken at over 1000 seminars and private conferences in the last decade across all continents.

Prior to founding Twimbit, he spent 21 plus years building Frost & Sullivan (a global consulting firm) from its inception in Asia to its current presence across 15 major markets and over 1000 employees. Until September 2018, he was the MD for Asia Pac & Senior Partner for the firm. He led the business across the region with full ownership of P&L. He was the youngest person to be made Partner and the first one from Asia. He is also highly regarded as a distinguished technology analyst who has worked with leading global companies and government organizations.

He has positions as Board Member in established organizations in Asia. He is an angel investor and a professional keynote speaker.

Erik P.M. Vermeulen
Professor • Lawyer • Content Creator • Restaurant Owner

Erik’s work can be broken down into four categories.

First, Erik is a Professor of Business and Financial Law and the Director of the International Business Law program at Tilburg University in The Netherlands. He teaches business organizations and governance, law and technology, and business innovation and finance at Tilburg Law School, TIAS School for Business and Society, and at other universities around the world. Erik also offers classes specifically tailored to an online audience. His research, including chapters of his academic books, can be downloaded from the Social Science Research Network. Erik has appeared at numerous conferences as a featured or keynote speaker.

Second, Erik works at the intersection of the academic and corporate worlds. He is a Senior Legal Counsel at Signify (formerly known as Philips Lighting). He works on corporate matters, mergers & acquisitions, and reorganizations. He is an Innovation Advisor at a law firm (Pels Rijcken) in The Hague (focusing on digital transformation), and a board/advisory member of several companies/organizations, including a healthcare provider in The Netherlands.

Third, Erik can be described as a content creator. He has a blog at medium.com/@erikpmvermeulen, where he shares insights in how emerging technologies are creating new opportunities across all areas of the economy and society. In our fast-changing world, Erik revisits long-held assumptions and theories, and seeks to develop new models more appropriate to the next normal. He is a top writer in innovation, education, and entrepreneurship on online publication platform Medium.

Erik’s thought-provoking and innovative views on business, technology, education, and the law have attracted international attention. He regularly serves as an expert advisor to international organizations, such as the European Commission, the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), the United Nations, the World Bank, the Institute of Corporate Directors Malaysia, and national and local governments around the world.

Finally, he is a co-owner of a Michelin star restaurant in The Netherlands.