Our People

Our multinational team has in-depth experience in the philanthropic and nonprofit sectors and a shared belief in the importance of civic engagement.

Our work is entirely based on rigorous, evidence-based research. Our team is committed to providing world-class research and advisory services.

Our Governors and Advisory Board members are leading philanthropists from Asia. They share a deep understanding of how philanthropy and other types of private social investment can bring about important positive impact in our communities and in the larger world.

Our Governors and the members of our Advisory Board guide the strategy, integrity, and vision of our organization as we work to improve the quality of life for those living in Asia.

Staff photography by Cheung Chi Wai of Moon 9 Image

  • Our Team

    • Ruth A. Shapiro
      Co-Founder and Chief Executive

      • Ruth A. Shapiro

      Co-Founder and Chief Executive

      Dr. Ruth A. Shapiro is the Co-Founder and Chief Executive of the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society (CAPS). In this role, she developed the vision and strategy followed by recruiting a strong board and professional team to help realize the creation of the Centre.

      Dr. Shapiro is the primary author of Pragmatic Philanthropy: Asian Charity Explained, published by Palgrave Macmillan in January 2018. She is the editor of The Real Problem Solvers, a book about social entrepreneurship in America. She also co-authored the book, Building Energy Efficiency: Why Green Buildings are Key to Asia’s Future. She has published articles in the Nikkei Economic Review, the South China Morning Post and Philanthropy Impact and is a regular speaker on issues related to private social investment in Asia.

      Dr. Shapiro founded the Asia Business Council and served as its Executive Director since its inception in 1997 until May 2007. As founder, she recruited CEOs and chairpersons in Asia and internationally to create Asia’s premier business leaders’ forum. Subsequently Dr. Shapiro was the Principal of Keyi Strategies, a consultancy specializing in increasing understanding through relationships and expertise sharing among leaders in Asia, Europe and the United States.

      Dr. Shapiro spent the early part of her professional career in the field of international development. Within this field, she held management positions and built new program areas at the Academy for Educational Development, the Harvard Institute of International Development and Global Outlook. She holds a doctorate from Stanford University and Master’s Degrees from Harvard University and George Washington University. She completed her undergraduate work at the University of Michigan.

    • Jennifer Cheong
      Director of Operations & Strategic Partnerships

      • Jennifer Cheong

      Director of Operations & Strategic Partnerships

      Ms. Jennifer Cheong is the Director of Operations & Strategic Partnerships with nearly 15 years of experience in finance and capital markets capacity across corporate and banking sectors in Toronto, Singapore and Hong Kong. Prior to joining CAPS, Jennifer worked as a debt capital markets professional advising various development banks and government agencies in Asia on raising public and private funding. As part of CAPS’ management team, Jennifer oversees financial, legal and talent management in addition to philanthropic and research partnerships alongside the CEO. Jennifer is an advocate for women’s empowerment and is actively engaged in various networks and communities in Hong Kong. She holds a Master of Business Administration from HEC Paris in France, and a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Toronto in Canada.

    • Annelotte Walsh
      Director of Research

      • Annelotte Walsh

      Director of Research

      Dr. Annelotte Walsh, who joined the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society (CAPS) in 2018, leads the creation of evidence-based insights geared towards maximizing private social investment across Asia. In her capacity as Director of Research, she is responsible for designing, managing and overseeing CAPS’ research projects across the region including the Doing Good Index, a globally cited resource and policy guide identifying enabling and impeding factors for philanthropy and private social investment for 18 Asian economies. She helps nurture and grow research partnerships across Asia and participates in conferences, events and meetings across the region to disseminate research findings.

      Annelotte has over 14 years’ experience in policy research, data analysis and management across academia, INGOs and nonprofit organizations in Hong Kong, Australia, the Netherlands and Tanzania. She engages with policymakers, business leaders and social sector practitioners to create system change and disseminates thought leadership on issues related to private social investment on various platform.

      Prior to joining CAPS, Annelotte worked as honorary lecturer at the Faculty of Politics and Public Administration at the University of Hong Kong teaching several undergraduate and postgraduate courses including international relations, international organizations and foreign policy decision-making. She has previously worked as advocacy manager at UNICEF Australia where she advocated for and built awareness of more comprehensive child-friendly policies, practices and legislative frameworks.

      Annelotte completed her PhD in Law at the University of Hong Kong and holds a master’s in International Relations from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and a master’s in Peace and Conflict Studies from the University of Sydney.

    •

    • Natalee Hung
      Senior Research Associate

      • Natalee Hung

      Senior Research Associate

      Natalee Hung is a Senior Research Associate at CAPS. She works on a number of research projects at CAPS, including the Doing Good Index (DGI), which is CAPS’ flagship study. The project spans 18 economies in Asia, and Natalee works with CAPS’ partners in each economy to facilitate data collection. A key part of her role is end-to-end management of the data, including survey design, data cleaning, analysis, and calculation of the Index.

      As a quantitative researcher, Natalee is also creating a multiyear dataset for the DGI to facilitate cross-year data comparisons and improve long-term data management.

      Prior to joining CAPS, Natalee spent two years at The University of Hong Kong working on longitudinal research to understand healthy ageing across different national contexts. She has also worked with International Care Ministries, a Philippine-based NGO that works to support extreme low-income households, on monitoring and evaluation research. Natalee has published a number of articles on the factors that promote equitable access to health, including in academic journals such as Journal of Global Health and BMC Public Health.

      Natalee holds an MSc in Public Health from McGill University and an MA in Social Policy with Quantitative Methods from the University of Edinburgh.

    •

    • Amy Au
      Accountant and Administration Manager

      • Amy Au

      Accountant and Administration Manager

      Amy has over 20 years of experience in the areas of accounting and finance, administration and human resources. Prior to joining CAPS, Amy has worked at Deloitte and multi-national asset management firms in the capacity of a Financial Controller. Amy holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne in Australia and is a certified accountant of CPA Australia and a member of HKIPCA.

    • Stephanie Chiang
      Research Analyst

      • Stephanie Chiang

      Research Analyst

      Ms. Stephanie Chiang works within CAPS’ research team to deliver evidence-based insights into Asia’s social sectors. Prior to joining CAPS, she worked in several non-profits and industry bodies, including at the Business Council for Co-operatives and Mutuals. She has also worked in journalism, including for major Japanese masthead The Asahi Shimbun, covering Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands.

      Stephanie holds a double degree in social science and international studies from the University of Technology Sydney. She has lived, studied and worked in Japan, Thailand and Italy, and is now located in Hong Kong.

  • Board of Governors

    • Ronnie C. Chan
      Chair
      Hang Lung Properties Limited
      (Hong Kong)

      • Ronnie C. Chan

      Chair
      Hang Lung Properties Limited
      (Hong Kong)

      Mr. Ronnie C. Chan is Chair of Hang Lung Group Limited and its subsidiary Hang Lung Properties Limited, both publicly listed in Hong Kong. Founded in Hong Kong in 1960, the Group expanded into mainland China in 1992, developing, owning and managing world-class commercial complexes in key tier one and tier two cities.

      Mr. Chan co-founded Morningside, an international investment group established in 1986 with venture capital and private equity investments in manufacturing, TMT, and biotechnology. In 1996, he co-founded the Morningside Center of Mathematics at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and helped establish the triennial International Congress of Chinese Mathematicians where Morningside Medals of Mathematics are awarded. In 1997, he helped found the North America based Morningside Music Bridge for young classical musicians.

      Mr. Chan is active in many other non-profit and educational organizations. Mr. Chan is Chairman of the Executive Committee of The Better Hong Kong Foundation. He founded and chairs the China Heritage Fund, is a co-founding Director of The Forbidden City Cultural Heritage Conservation Foundation in Beijing, and is former Vice President and former Advisor of the China Development Research Foundation in Beijing. He is Co-Founder and Chair of the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society, and founding Chairman Emeritus of Asia Business Council. He is also former Chairman of the Hong Kong-United States Business Council, and former Chairman of the Executive Committee of One Country Two Systems Research Institute. Mr. Chan is Chairman Emeritus of Asia Society and Chairman of its Hong Kong Center, a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, the National Committee on United States-China Relations, and Committee of 100.

      Mr. Chan serves or has served on the governing or advisory bodies of several think tanks and universities, including Peterson Institute for International Economics, World Economic Forum, East-West Center, Pacific Council on International Policy, Eisenhower Fellowships, The Maureen and Mike Mansfield Foundation, University of Southern California, Indian School of Business, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Yale University, Tsinghua University, and Fudan University.

      Mr. Chan is a frequent speaker at international conferences and has published numerous articles in Financial Times, International Herald Tribune, Newsweek, Fortune, Asian Wall Street Journal, Far Eastern Economic Review, and Japan Times.

    • Elizabeth Eder Zobel de Ayala
      Co-Founder and Chairman
      Teach for the Philippines
      (Philippines)

      • Elizabeth Eder Zobel de Ayala

      Co-Founder and Chairman
      Teach for the Philippines
      (Philippines)

      Ms. Elizabeth Eder Zobel de Ayala (Lizzie) is a socio-civic entrepreneur in the Philippines. She is Co-founder and Chairman of Teach for the Philippines, country partner of Teach for America. Teach for the Philippines is a nonprofit organization that enlists some of the most promising young leaders in the Philippines to teach in the public school system for two years. Ms. Zobel continues to advocate for access to responsible family planning in the Philippines and contributed to the passing of the Reproductive Health Bill in the Philippines in 2012. As part of these efforts, she is a founding Board Member of Friendly Care Foundation, the Philippine Center for Population and Development, and, the Forum for Family Planning and Development. Lizzie serves on the Board of the Population Council in New York City. She also sits on the Board of Regents of Boston College. Ms. Zobel is a Trustee of the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society.

      Ms. Zobel is married to Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala and mother to their children Mariana, Jaime Alfonso, Eugenia and Mercedes. She graduated with B.A. degree in Philosophy and Economics from Boston College in 1987.

    • Jamshyd N. Godrej
      Chairman
      Godrej and Boyce
      (India)

      • Jamshyd N. Godrej

      Chairman
      Godrej and Boyce
      (India)

      Mr. Jamshyd N. Godrej is the Chairman of the board of Godrej & Boyce Manufacturing Co. of India, which manufactures and markets home appliances, furniture, security equipment, precision tools, and chemical, metal, and plastic products.

      Mr. Godrej is the former Chairman of Ananta Aspen Centre (previously known as Aspen Institute India), Chairman and Trustee of Ananta Centre. He is the President of World Wide Fund for Nature – India. He is the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation, India Resources Trust and Council on Energy, Environment and Water. He is a Director of World Resources Institute and also a Trustee of the Asia Society. Mr. Godrej is a member of Toyota Motor’s Global Advisory Board and Asia Pacific Regional Advisory Committee. He is the Past President of Confederation of Indian Industry and also the Past President of the Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association.

      Mr. Godrej is the Chairman of the CII Sohrabji Godrej Green Business Centre (“Centre”). The Centre is housed in a LEED Platinum demonstration building which is the first green building in India and the greenest building in the world at the time when it was rated. The  Centre is a Centre of Excellence for green buildings, energy efficiency, energy conservation, non-conventional energy sources, water policy, and water conservation.

      Mr. Godrej is an ardent yachting enthusiast and has done extensive cruising along the west coast of India and in the Baltic and North Sea, the Atlantic Ocean, and the Mediterranean Sea.

      The President of India conferred on Mr. Godrej one of its highest civilian awards, the Padma Bhushan, in 2003. He graduated in mechanical engineering from the Illinois Institute of Technology, United States.

    • Daniel M. Tsai
      Chairman
      Fubon Group
      (Taiwan)

      • Daniel M. Tsai

      Chairman
      Fubon Group
      (Taiwan)

      Mr. Daniel M. Tsai is Chairman of the Fubon Group. Originated in 1961 when Fubon Insurance was founded, Fubon Group has grown into a financial conglomerate and its business interests have expanded to include real estate, telecom, media, creative arts and culture, and charitable activities. Group members Fubon Financial Holdings, Taiwan Mobile, and Momo.com Inc. are TWSE-listed companies and hold leading positions in their respective fields.

      Joining Fubon Group in 1981, Mr. Tsai has grown the company in Taiwan and led Fubon’s expansion into Greater China during his 37-year tenure. He is now Vice Chairman of Fubon Financial Holdings, which has been the most profitable financial holding company in Taiwan for eight straight years. He is also Chairman of Taiwan Mobile, a leading convergent service provider on mobile communications, cable television, fixed network, and digital content.

      Mr. Tsai graduated from National Taiwan University in 1978, and received his Master’s degree in law from Georgetown University in 1979. He has served on the USC Board of Trustees since April 2012 and is a Trustee of the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society.

    • Chey Tae-Won
      Chairman
      SK Group
      (Korea)

      • Chey Tae-Won

      Chairman
      SK Group
      (Korea)

      Mr. Chey Tae-Won serves as the Chairman of SK Group. He oversees the 125 companies primarily focused on the energy, chemical, telecommunications, semiconductors, bio-pharmaceutical, trading, and service industries that as of 2020 comprised SK Group. He began his career in 1991 as Managing Director at Yukong Ltd., now known as SK Innovation, and was appointed Chairman and CEO of SK Group in 1998.

      Mr. Chey continues to expand the group, which had combined sales of $120 billion in 2019, beyond the Asia-Pacific region. SK was ranked 73rd in the Fortune Global 500 list of the world’s largest enterprises in 2019.

      Mr. Chey was recently named Chairman of the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the Seoul Chamber of Commerce and Industry, and is an active member of numerous other business and civic organizations, including the Council of Advisors at the Boao Forum for Asia. Mr. Chey previously co-chaired the World Economic Forum’s East Asia Economic Summit and served as the Director of the Advisory Board of the United Nations Global Compact. He was also a member of the International Council of Advisors at the Brookings Institution.

      Mr. Chey holds a B.A. in physics from Korea University and a Ph.D.in economics from the University of Chicago.

  • Advisory Board

    •

    • Nirvana Chaudhary
      Managing Director
      CG Corp Global
      (Nepal)

      • Nirvana Chaudhary

      Managing Director
      CG Corp Global
      (Nepal)

      Despite his family’s achievements, Nirvana Chaudhary is no stranger to working hard for his own success. He founded his own company within the CG Corp Global conglomerate, CG Finco, when he was only 19-years-old and became the managing director of the Chaudhary Group before reaching 30.

      CG Corp Global is a multi-dimensional conglomerate with a complementary business portfolio that comprises over 80 businesses on five continents and in 30 countries. It has a workforce of over 15,000 people and a net worth in excess of US$2.5 billion.

      Mr. Chaudhary’s drive and determination to expand his great-grandfather’s business across the globe has catapulted him into the position of Nepal’s ultimate role model, where he uses his power to motivate youth, teach them leadership skills, and give back to his country.

      In 2010, Mr. Chaudhary began leading CG’s philanthropic organization, Chaudhary Foundation, which focuses on improving the lives and strengthening the communities of Nepal. Through the foundation, he is dedicated to creating socially responsible businesses and sustainably developing Nepal.

      Mr. Chaudhary has been one of the foundation’s driving forces and has helped it open Nepal’s largest spiritual institute, Shashwat Dham, and partner with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to improve health and sanitation in Nepal. He also runs his own private philanthropy initiative in the name of his parents, Binod & Sarika Chaudhary Foundation.

      Beyond his business and philanthropic endeavors, Mr. Chaudhary is passionate about collecting art that promotes young Nepali artists, he was a former national squash player and an avid trekker who has summited some of the tallest mountains in the world.

    • Shin Dong-Bin
      Chairman
      Lotte Group
      (Korea)

      • Shin Dong-Bin

      Chairman
      Lotte Group
      (Korea)

      Mr. Shin Dong-Bin is the Chairman of Lotte Group, Korea. Prior to joining Lotte Group in 1988, Mr. Shin spent six years as Executive Director of Nomura International Ltd. in London where he served in the institutional research and sales department. With his insight and interest on the Asian economy, he serves as Vice-Chairman of the Federation of Korean Industries, as Vice-Chairman of the Korea-Japan Economic Association, as Board Member of the Asia Business Council, and as Co-Chairman of the Korea-Indonesia Partnership Council.

      To foster links between Western and Eastern society, he participates as a Global Trustee of the Asia Society, and as a Member of the Board of Overseers Columbia University Business School. Mr. Shin has also co-authored a Korean-language volume ‘Learning Retail Leads You to be CEO’ introducing the innovation strategy of convenience store. His expertise and contribution to the society was well recognized.  In 2005, he has been honored with the Order of Civil Merit of Moran Medal by the President of the Republic of Korea,Knight First Class of the Order of the White Rose of Finland in 2006, the Officier de la Légion d’Honneur by the President of France in 2007, the Commander of the British Empire (CBE) by the Queen of the United Kingdom in 2014, the Order of Friendship by the President of Russia in 2015 and the Officer’s Cross of the Order of Isabel La Catolicain 2016.

      He earned an M.B.A. from Columbia Business School in 1981 after graduating from Aoyama Gakuin University in Japan with a B.A. in Economics.

    • Nazir Razak
      Chairman
      Ikhlas Capital
      (Malaysia)

      • Nazir Razak

      Chairman
      Ikhlas Capital
      (Malaysia)

      Dato’ Sri Nazir Razak is currently a Fellow at the University of Oxford University’s Blavatnik School of Government and Chairman of Ikhlas Capital, a new ASEAN private equity firm.

      In October 2018 he retired from CIMB Group after 29 years, where he served in various capacities before becoming Group CEO in 1999 and then Chairman in 2014. Dato’ Sri Nazir spearheaded the Group’s transformation from a mid-sized Malaysian merchant bank into the 5th largest ASEAN universal bank.

      He was the youngest recipient of Finance Asia’s ‘Lifetime Achievement Award’ in 2009 and was awarded Euromoney’s ‘Outstanding Achievement Award’ in 2012. In 2015, he was the winner of the ‘Asia House Asian Business Leaders Award’.

      A strong advocate of the ASEAN economic integration, he was the inaugural Chairman of the World Economic Forum ASEAN Regional Strategy Group. He also led the establishment of the ASEAN Business Club and the CIMB ASEAN Research Institute.

      After graduating from the University of Bristol with a B.Sc. (Hons) in 1988 and University of Cambridge with an M.Phil in 1989. In 2011 he was the Chevening Fellow at the Oxford Centre of Islamic Studies.

    • Ratan N. Tata
      Chairman
      Tata Trusts
      (India)

      • Ratan N. Tata

      Chairman
      Tata Trusts
      (India)

      Mr. Ratan N. Tata was the Chairman of Tata Sons, the holding company of the Tata Group, from 1991 until his retirement on December 28, 2012. Effective December 29, 2012, Mr. Tata has been conferred the honorary title of Chairman Emeritus of Tata Sons, Tata Industries, Tata Motors, Tata Steel, and Tata Chemicals.

      Mr. Tata was the Chairman of the major Tata companies, including Tata Motors, Tata Steel, Tata Consultancy Services, Tata Power, Tata Global Beverages, Tata Chemicals, Indian Hotels, and Tata Teleservices, and during his tenure, the group’s revenues grew manifold, totaling more than US$100 billion in 2011–12.

      Mr. Tata serves on the international advisory boards of Mitsubishi Corporation and JP Morgan Chase.  Mr. Tata is also associated with various organizations in India and overseas. He is the Chairman of the Tata Trusts, which are among India’s oldest, nonsectarian philanthropic organizations that work in several areas of community development. He is the Chairman of the Council of Management of the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research. He also serves on the board of trustees of Cornell University and the University of Southern California. He is an advisory board member of the Centre for Asian Philanthropy and Society.

      Mr. Tata joined the Tata Group in 1962. After serving in various companies, he was appointed Director-in-Charge of the National Radio & Electronics Company Limited in 1971. In 1981 he was named Chairman of Tata Industries, the group’s other holding company, where he was responsible for transforming it into a group strategy think-tank, and a promoter of new ventures in high technology businesses.

      Mr. Tata received a B.Arch. degree from Cornell in 1962. He worked briefly with Jones and Emmons in Los Angeles before returning to India in late 1962. He completed the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 1975.

      The government of India honored Mr. Tata with its second-highest civilian award, the Padma Vibhushan, in 2008. He has been appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire and the Rockefeller Foundation has conferred him with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Among his other achievements, Mr. Tata is also an honorary fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers and the Royal Academy of Engineering, and a foreign associate of the National Academy of Engineering. He has received honorary doctorates from several universities in India and overseas.