(Guest Judge)

Hans has been in the communications industry for over two decades from being a finance reporter for a television station before migrating to the corporate sector. He is currently the Senior Manager, Corporate Communications at CK Hutchison Holdings. He is also a member of the company’s Sustainability Working Group.
Graduating with a Biology-Government Major from Claremont McKenna, Hans later obtained an MBA from the Chinese University of Hong Kong and a postgraduate diploma in EC Competition Law from King’s College.
Hans has a passion for community work participating in a number of non-profit organisations and industry forums.

(Guest Judge)

Karena Belin, CEO of WHub and COO/CFO/RO of AngelHub, is passionate about technology & innovation and helping startups succeed. She successfully cofounded WHub and AngelHub with her associate Karen Contet. Together they are on a mission to empower startups to drive wealth and economic growth and foster the growth of the tech & innovation ecosystem.

Since 2013, Karena has been a leader in the global start- up scene and a pillar of the Hong Kong ecosystem. She acts as ambassador, consultant, speaker, mentor and judge at events and organisations such as the APK (Asia Pacific Conference of the German Industry), Startup Asia Berlin (SUAB) of the Senat to Berlin, Chicago Booth GNVC, Google EYE, RISE Conference and Web Summit, Jeju Peace and Prosperity Conference, FinTech Valley Vizag India, Techsauce Thailand, Tech Open Air Berlin, IFLR, Nexchange, Techstar’s StartupWeekendHK, global YPO YNG+ and more.

Karena is also a member of the Global FinTech Core Group at the Government of Andhra Pradesh, Ex-Com member and Vice President of The Indus Entrepreneurs Network (TiE) HK, ambassador to the German Senat in Berlin through SUAB (Startup Asia Berlin), member of the FinTech Association of Hong Kong (FTAHK), President of the board of the parent organisation (PFO) at Hong Kong International School, as well as driving diversity and inclusion as board member of WOW at the American Women’s Association.

In addition, Karena holds a double diploma in business and administration from the University of Mannheim and the MBA business school ESSEC in Paris. She has worked 15 years for Procter & Gamble in various roles including Finance, Sales and Strategy across Europe, North East Asia and Greater China before co-founding WHub & AngelHub. She has extensive background in business and financial planning, business acquisition and integration.

(Guest Judge)

Priyanka is very passionate about women empowerment and believes change is the one constant in life. As a trailing spouse for over 20 years, she views every move as an opportunity to explore new cultures and find purposeful avenues. Originally from India, she has lived in Japan, Singapore, Venezuela, Chile and now Hong Kong.

Priyanka is a Chartered Accountant and has worked for corporate and non-corporate sectors. Before moving to Hong Kong, she ran a flexible talent solution company with her founder partner where they were trying to create an online matching platform. Her past experience includes working as s Project Manager providing tailored accounting software solutions.

She has also worked as Director in a US grant organization, where she set up their Singapore office and ran service learning programs for children. She is currently the President for AWA, American Women’s Association, a not for profit organization, finishing her second year for the term. She also is on the board of a food education start up based in Hong Kong, giving them strategic consulting support.

(Guest Judge)

Tara Dermott is the Head of the UN Migration Agency, IOM Hong Kong SAR, China Sub-Office where she leads a dynamic team committed to supporting diverse migrant populations and the communities wherein they live. Current priorities include: promoting ethical recruitment of migrant workers; strengthening access to justice for trafficked persons; facilitating safe movement of vulnerable migrants; and continuing engagement with public and private sectors to realize the many positive benefits of labour migration.

As a strategic and experienced leader, Tara works with governments, civil society and industry leaders to collaboratively design and deliver innovative programs to prevent human trafficking, modern slavery and forced labour. Before joining the UN, Tara worked with a number of NGOs including the MTV EXIT Foundation, The Asia Foundation and World Education. From high profile media campaigns with positive messaging, through to the facilitation of practical training at the factory level, her work is grounded in over 15 years of technical experience and fueled by a passion for identifying and sustaining people-centred solutions.

(Judge)

Robert T. Grieves is Founder and Chairman of Hamilton Advisors Limited, a strategic communications firm established in Hong Kong in 2009. Following a career in journalism for The Times (London) and The Economist, both in Beijing, and Time magazine and Forbes, in New York, Robert served in top-tier regional and global communications roles. His communications career includes senior positions at Burson-Marsteller, Head of Marketing and Communications for Merrill Lynch Asia Pacific, Global Head of Communications for The Bank of New York and President, Hong Kong, for Edelman.

Robert is Chairman of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong and a former Chairman (2015-2017) of the Council of Public Relations Firms of Hong Kong. He has lectured at Tsinghua University in Beijing, at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C., and in Nanjing as a speaker at the Hong Kong Trade Development Council conference on Chinese brands.

Robert graduated from Hamilton College magna cum laude with a B.A. in British literature and East Asian history, and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He received his M.S. in journalism from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and a concurrent certificate from Columbia’s East Asian Institute.

(Speaker)

Gregory has been successfully leading multiple categories at Logitech since 2013, such as desktop speakers and Enterprise Headsets. He drove turnaround for these categories through product innovations, P&L management, and Go-To-Market Strategies. Prior to that, he was the Managing Director of a Marine Electronics Equipments Manufacturer in Sweden where he had full P&L responsibility, which he successfully turned around leading to a sale to market leader brand Garmin Ltd.

(Speaker)

Jen Flowers is currently the global head of strategy and business management for partnership development and innovation for HSBC Retail Banking and Wealth Management. She is an expert in design thinking helping companies think outside the box to innovative. Jen has over 15 years experience across marketing, business development, innovation and change. As co-­chair of the TEDx TinHau committee, Jen oversees all facets of the planning and running of multiple non-­profit TEDx conferences and events in her free time. Jen has a masters degree in Chinese Literature, speaks Mandarin and spent over 10 years living across Mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong. Jen currently serves as the Innovation & Technology Committee Co-Chair at AmCham Hong Kong.

(Speaker)

As a strategy and Board advisor, Todd Bryan helps companies transform through new business models and digital strategies. His experience spans Software, Digital Media, Networking Hardware, Consumer Electronics and Durables, Industrial Goods, and Telecommunications.
Previously, Todd has held leadership positions on corporate strategy teams at Philips Lighting, Adobe Systems, and Cisco Systems. Todd was also a strategy consultant with BCG in San Francisco, and an equity analyst with Morgan Stanley in Singapore.
Todd earned a BS from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an MS from the University of California at Berkeley, and an MBA from the Kellogg (Northwestern University).

(Featured Speaker)

Based in Hong Kong, Ming Lai Cheung works as Manager for Illicit Trade Prevention – Asia at Philip Morris International. Among her many responsibilities, she is tasked to devise and execute strategies against illicit trade in selected markets in Asia Pacific which include engaging relevant stakeholders in business and the wider community to bring about legislative and regulatory changes in governments and law enforcement. She has a research interest in terrorism, organized crimes, and human trafficking.

Ming Lai established and chairs the Shadow Economy Sub-Committee (SESC) within the Trade and Investment Committee of the American Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong (AmCham), leading a team of experts in three areas: Financial Crimes and Anti-Money Laundering, Trade Technology, and Intellectual Property Rights Protection and Enforcement to address illicit trade issues in the region.

Ming Lai volunteers as a Charities Reporter for the American Women’s Association (AWA) magazine AWAre and researches, interviews and writes about community projects in Hong Kong. Further, she serves as a Director and Company Secretary for C3 Church Hong Kong providing strategic direction and governance, and overseeing its external relations and charity programs.

Ming Lai was formerly a Director of Government Relations and Public Affairs at AmCham. She is a qualified lawyer of the New South Wales Supreme Court, Australia. She holds a Master of International Law from the University of Sydney and a Bachelor of Government & Public Administration from the Chinese University of Hong Kong.