2024 Main Conference Speakers

Wayne Lloyd is the Founder & CEO of Smarter Contracts, the award-winning tech company responsible for building the Pulse Permissions Protocol® and the UK's first and only licensed data intermediary by the European Commission. Their patented software allows organisations to capture, securely store and automate the management of any type of data permission regardless of the laws and regulations underpinning them. This includes complex time bound, delegated, and multi-party permissions that underpin the movement of data in an open data economy. The company is reimagining the data economy and working with some of the biggest brands in the world, spanning multiple industry verticals including financial services, marketing and healthcare.

Mr. Wang has joined AntChain since August 2023. He joined Ant Group in September 2008. From September 2008 to July 2017, he successively served as a senior engineer, an expert, a senior expert and a senior advisor of Alipay business line of Ant Group. From July 2017 to January 2020, he was a senior director of Alipay business line of Ant Group. Mr. Wang was the Chief Software Architect of Ant Group from January 2020 to August 2023. He served as CTO of Alipay business line and was also a member of Alipay Strategy Team from August 2021 to August 2023, to lead the whole technology work of Alipay.

Mr. Wang obtained his bachelor’s degree in Computer Science from Wuhan University of Technology and master’s degree in Computer Science from Vaxjo University, Sweden in June 2006 and August 2006, respectively. He is an EMBA candidate of China Europe International Business School.

Mr. Wenhui Yang, is currently in charge of the business development of Tenpay Global, Tencent’s cross-border payment platform that bridges the world’s payment networks with Weixin’s ecosystem in China. Tenpay Global offers comprehensive, secure, and high-performance financial services for cross-border consumption, remittance, and e-commerce, facilitating international capital flows.

Prior to joining Tencent, Mr. Yang was the General Manager of UnionPay International Southeast Asia, where he led the team to actively participate in both domestic and cross-border e-Payment infrastructure building in the region. Before that, he was with American Express China and worked on business management and business development. He was deeply involved in the first batch of American Express issuing projects in China.

Wilfred Yiu was appointed Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited on 1 March 2024.

In addition to this role, Mr Yiu acts as Co-Chief Operating Officer and Co-Head of Markets, with oversight of HKEX’s Markets and IT divisions. He is also Chief Executive of HKEX’s wholly-owned subsidiaries, The Stock Exchange of Hong Kong Limited and Hong Kong Futures Exchange Limited.

Mr Yiu joined HKEX in 2019 as Head of Markets and was named Co-Chief Operating Officer in 2023. Since joining the Group, he has played a leading role in strengthening HKEX’s market infrastructure and diversifying its product and service ecosystem. He oversaw the launch of major initiatives including significant expansion to the Connect Programme, enhancement of Hong Kong’s role as Asia’s ETF marketplace, the rollout of Severe Weather Trading arrangements for Hong Kong market, HKD-RMB Dual Counter Model and Derivatives Holiday Trading, providing investors with greater opportunities and wider crossborder market accessibility.

Mr Yiu has nearly 30 years of experience in international capital markets and has worked at global banks in the US, Mainland China, and Hong Kong. Prior to joining HKEX, he had a 20-year career with Goldman Sachs, where he was last Deputy Chief Executive Officer and Chief Operating Officer at Beijing Gao Hua Securities Company, a joint venture of Goldman Sachs in Mainland China, and was responsible for the company’s China sales and trading businesses. Previously, Mr Yiu was Head of Credit Structured Products for Asia at Goldman Sachs in Hong Kong.

Mr Yiu is a member of the Supervisory Committee for the Tracker Fund of Hong Kong and a member of the Advisory Committee for the Securities and Futures Commission. He is also a member of the Hong Kong Academy of Finance, an advisory board member of Research Institute for Business, and a Professional Fellow of the Honours Academy of The Hang Seng University of Hong Kong. He served as a governor for the board of the Dalian Commodity Exchange in China from 2015 to 2017.

Mr Yiu holds a Master’s degree in Computer Science from Stanford University and an MBA in Finance from the Stern School of Business at New York University.

William Wong is the Senior Vice President at GienTech. He oversees the operations of GienTech in Hong Kong, ASEAN and new markets, driving the overall strategy and execution across these regions with a focus on digital transformation and innovation for the BFSI sector. His leadership has been instrumental in aligning GienTech’s offerings with the evolving demands of the market.

Previously, William served as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) at GienTech’s predecessor, Pactera. During this time, he managed the business operations for the Greater China FSI group, overseeing 15,000 employees and driving significant growth and operational excellence across the organization.

Earlier in his career, William co-founded two software product and IT solutions startups, Finesse Alliance and Fuziq.

William holds an Executive MBA from the Tsinghua-INSEAD program and a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science and Information Systems from the National University of Singapore.

With over 30 years of experience in the IT solutions and services industries, William is a seasoned leader with a proven track record in driving business growth, innovation, and operational efficiency.

Wilson Cheng is Head of East Asia, Institutional and VIP Business for Coinbase. Wilson helps institutional investors, corporates, and other large players invest, trade, and custody digital assets through Coinbase’s suite of institutional products, including Coinbase International Exchange, Coinbase Exchange, and Coinbase Prime.

Before joining Coinbase, Wilson was Chief Analyst at a Beijing-based crypto hedge fund, where he provided analyses for the firm’s macro and event-driven strategies. Prior to that, Wilson began his career in investment banking with Credit Suisse and Standard Chartered, where he covered Greater China and North Asia clients and was involved with a number of Asia’s most notable IPOs. He also founded a Hong Kong-based startup called Paperlss.

Wilson received his MSc in Management Research from the University of Oxford and his Bachelor of Science from University College London. Wilson speaks Mandarin, Cantonese, and English.

Ms Cheung is an accomplished professional with a diverse background in the banking industry, specializing in product management and project management. With over 20 years of extersive experience, she was working in several international banks and has established herself as an expert in personal banking and wealth management.  

She graduated from the University of Toronto with a Bachelor's degree in Science.  She joined BOCHK in 2010 and is currently the Deputy General Manager who is responsible for general banking services including accounts, deposits and payment.

Winnie is the Founding General Partner of Transcend Capital Partners. She has over 13 years of experience in investment banking at UBS, and is an expert in corporate finance and business strategy. Winnie graduated from HKUST with a degree in Global Business and Finance.

Transcend Capital Partners is a sector-agnostic VC fund based in Hong Kong founded by experienced entrepreneurs, investors and corporate financial professionals. Transcend currently has 2 Funds. Transcend Fund I commits >50% AUM on female led start-ups. Located in Hong Kong, it provides the best opportunities to capitalize on the fast- growing Asian start-up market which currently makes up 40% of the total unicorn startups’ value worldwide. Transcend Fund II is an ESG-conscious VC fund investing in Series Pre-A to Series B startups in Asia.

Transcend is a co-investment partner to the Hong Kong Government’s Innovation and Technology Venture Fund (ITVF), Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK).

Sector-agnostic, its portfolio companies span across semiconductor, AI, EdTech, HealthTech, PropTech, InsurTech, MarTech and Digital Assets, among others. For more information, feel free to visit its website at https://www.transcendcp.com/.

Winter Mead is the Founder and Managing Member of the investment firm Coolwater Capital, which exclusively focuses on emerging managers and technology investments. Coolwater is an academy for training, building and scaling emerging managers, a curated community of VC investors and early-stage investment specialists, and an investment firm. Coolwater has helped launch over 200 emerging managers in the last four years, establishing strong ties and trust with these managers, who form the foundation of the Coolwater community. Coolwater has made over 90 investments into its accelerator ecosystem supporting the next generation of founder investors and new technologies.

Winter is also the author of "How To Raise A Venture Capital Fund" and an upcoming book, "How To Set Up A Venture Capital Fund." Prior to Coolwater, he played a key role in an evergreen investment fund at SAP and co-founded the LP transparency movement called #OpenLP. Winter's extensive experience includes private equity and venture capital roles in San Francisco, institutional fund investments, direct technology investments for SAP, and angel investing. He also served as junior faculty at Stanford Graduate School of Business, holding degrees from the University of Oxford and Harvard University, and now resides in Utah with his family, passionately solving business challenges.

Ms Wivinia Luk holds the position of Senior Manager of Policy Research at the Financial Services Development Council (FSDC). She steers the Council’s research agenda, covering policy development across several key financial sectors. Her areas of focus include ESG, FinTech, asset and wealth management, insurance, and connectivity with the Mainland and international markets.

Prior to joining the FSDC, Ms Luk worked in the field of corporate strategic planning and development, with a series of commercial roles in the banking and financial services sectors.

Ms Luk graduated with a Bachelor of Social Science in Economics from The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Xiaofeng Xiao, male, FRM, Director of Overseas Banking Solutions from Tencent Cloud Smart FSI Industry. 21 years of experience in information construction projects in the financial industry. Expert in information technology solutions for traditional and Internet financial industries. Work experience covers traditional financial solutions, such as: Financial cloud solutions, ECIF, CORE Banking, AI Application .etc. In the field of Internet financial solutions, I am proficient in business middle platform, Internet finance service, channel business architecture, familiar with data middle platform architecture. I have rich knowledge of the financial industry and more than 21 years of experience in financial informationization implementation. The past job positions include software engineer, architect, pre-sales and solution expert. Xiaofeng has served internationally renowned companies such as Huawei, IBM, Oracle and leading domestic Internet companies such as Ant Financial and Tencent Cloud.

Born in colorful Mexico, Yamilette had a childhood full of creativity. She performed and had a career as a professional ballerina for over 20 years. Upon retiring, she acquired a bachelor’s in international relations, learned 5 languages, and moved to Hong Kong jumping into the Asian events industry as an entrepreneur. After planning thousands of events, she started her journey as a professional public speaker. She fell in love with the feeling of being on stage again and gracing audiences around the world. Having experienced the joys of confident and assertive communication, Yamilette wanted to serve and give others the ability to find their ideal frequency and communicate with confidence. And so, LOUDER® by Yamilette Cano (LOUDER Global) was born.

LOUDER® works with clients around the globe in person and virtually. Yamilette’s elegant style, combined with her passion and dedication, give her the drive to help empower and elevate brands to tell their story with boldness and impact!

Prof. Hongxia Yang, PhD from Duke University, has published over 100 papers in top-tier conferences and journals, and holds more than 50 patents in the USA and China. Her contributions to the field have been recognized through numerous prestigious awards, including the coveted Super AI Leader (SAIL) Award at the 2019 World Artificial Intelligence Conference, the Second-Class National Science and Technology Progress Award in 2020, which is one of China’s highest technological honors, the First-Class Science and Technology Progress Award from the Electronics Society in 2021 and the First-Class Science and Technology Progress Award from the Ministry of Education in 2022. Forbes China lauded her as one of the Top 50 Women in Tech in 2022, a testament to her trailblazing role in the tech industry. She has also been elected as AI 2000 Most Influential Scholar Award since 2023. Previously, she worked as a research staff member at IBM T.J. Watson research center, principal scientist at Yahoo!, an AI scientist and Director at Alibaba DAMO Academy, an adjunct professor at Zhejiang University’s Shanghai Advanced Research Institute and the Head of Large Language Models at ByteDance US.

Hoyan is the Managing Director of Abu Dhabi Blockchain Center, spearheading its five pillars including Incubation and Acceleration Hub, Venture Capital, Education and Research and Development (R&D), Consultancy, and Events

Hoyan has an impressive track record of investing in successful web3 projects since 2017, including pioneers like Flow (Dapper Labs) and YGG (Yield Guild Games). Her early involvement establishes her as one of the first female angel investors in the industry.

Prior to her investment career, Hoyan co-founded and exited one of Hong Kong's first private digital assets trading desks. She presently serves as an LP at Kraken Ventures, the venture arm of Europe's largest cryptocurrency exchange.

Currently based in the UAE and Hong Kong, Hoyan strategically positions herself to explore opportunities at the crossroads of global digital finance. She holds an LLB from Durham University, which has equipped her with a strong foundation in law and business.

Ying Yan is the chief scientist of Digital Technology of Ant group, taking the leadership of core technology of Blockchain platform and privacy computing. She is also an expert of the Blockchain Entrepreneurship Institute, on the Committee of Blockchain Experts of China Software Industry Association. The 19th Asian Games (Hangzhou 2022) torchbearer. She was named as Forbes China’s Top 50 Women in Tech in 2019. She used to serve as the lead researcher and the head of the Blockchain at Microsoft Research Asia. She has a number of international patents and over 100 patent applications in the Blockchain field. She has published more than 40 papers at top international conferences and journals on databases and cloud computing. She was the Editor-in-Chief of "Ethereum: Detailed Explanations and Practices".

Yingying Li is a dynamic global entrepreneur with over 15 years of operational and business development experience across the U.S., China, Brazil, India, Turkey, Indonesia, and Singapore. As the Founder of Yingfluence, Inc., she leads a pioneering management consultancy specializing in cross-cultural leadership, empowering professionals to excel in crisis-solving scenarios. Currently serving as President of the Green Expertise Council (GEC) in Southeast Asia, Yingying bridges cultural divides to promote progress toward Net Zero and cultivate the next generation of leaders in the green economy.

In her role as Public Relations and Branding Director at Gotion High-Tech (Indonesia), a leader in renewable energy solutions, Yingying has successfully elevated brand visibility through strategic public relations initiatives. Her unique blend of East-West cultural intelligence enables her to craft compelling narratives that resonate globally, driving growth for innovative companies.

Yingying's diverse background includes serving as a Communication Coach at Own the Room and as a trilingual correspondent at Caixin Media. She is dedicated to enhancing global project effectiveness through stakeholder relationship management and cross-cultural entrepreneurship. As a mentor at Founders Space in Silicon Valley and Unreasonable in the UK, she champions cross-cultural leadership in today’s complex global landscape. With expertise in cross-cultural communication, AI and Cultural Intelligence (CQ), strategic branding, and energy transition, Li is committed to nurturing sustainable practices and identifying opportunities for improvement within organizations. Her mission is to build bridges of leadership and trust to foster a more sustainable future.

Yolanda Chung is the Partner at PANONY and PANews, she is a seasoned marketing and finance executive that has served in leadership positions for large companies such as Circle and GMO, where she helped USDC establish its brand presence and user acquisition in Asia, and served as one of the core members to set up yen-backed stablecoin. She has also started one of the most well-known and influential marketing agencies for finance and blockchain companies (MagicFew) which has successfully helped hundreds of clients achieve their goals.

Prior to that, Yolanda has served as media analyst at Brunswick Group, where she advised on multiple high-profile global and regional M&A and IPO transactions and capital markets programs.

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Mr. YU Bin currently serves as vice president of CPIC, chairman of CPIC Technology and director of CPIC P/C. Mr. YU previously served consecutively as deputy general manager of the Non-marine Insurance Department and Underwriting & Claims Department of CPIC P/C, general manager of the Market R&D Centre and the Market Department of CPIC P/C, chief marketing officer and deputy general manager of CPIC P/C, and assistant president of the Company. Mr. YU has a master’s degree.

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Appointed as SWIFT Director in June 2021, Yvonne is a seasoned cash management executive with over 25 years of experience in the industry, spanning country management, product management, business strategy and sales in Asia. She is currently Regional Co-Head for Global Payments Solutions in Asia. Prior to that, she was Regional Head of International Markets led the cash management businesses in Bangladesh, Japan, Korea, Macau, Maldives, Mauritius, New Zealand, Philippines, Sri Lanka, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Zak Allom is CEO and Co-Founder of BetaSmartz, global B2B wealth & asset management technology business offering financial institutions a full range of software solutions that reduce cost & maximise efficiency through automation and optimise business outcomes by enhancing all aspects of investment management and client engagement. Having spent several years as a professional musician, Zak started his financial services career in 1997 as an equities trader in London. Since then, he has spent 25+ years specialising in the wealth and asset management sector, and co-founded BetaSmartz in late 2016 with John James, with whom he had co-founded a European wealth & asset management business in the early 2000s.

Accenture ：2011-2015
• Strategic Consultant

Qihoo 360：2015-2017
• Strategic investment director

Meeture Tech：2017-2019
• Founder & CEO

360Digtech (NASDAQ listed): 2019-2021
• CEO of the Southeast Asia business

Finture Pte.Ltd：2021-Now
• CEO &Co-Founder

Zhang Xiaojun joined the Company in 2005 as the Company's Chief Strategy Officer and later as the Company's CTO. Before that, he worked in Huawei for 18 years, responsible for the maintenance of multiple products, such as firewalls, routers, switches, VoIP, and desktop servers, and the management of solutions. We have accumulated a wealth of experience in research, development, marketing, and production. He is currently working on Digital Essentials, Web3.0, Technology, CBDC and low-altitude computing technologies, solutions, landscape and business.

Mr. Zhao Qingyuan graduated with a master's degree from Tsinghua University. After graduation, he joined GE and has been working in the R&D department. In 2016, Zhao Qingyuan joined Alibaba Cloud Intelligent Group as a Solutions Architect and currently serves as the Chief Solutions Architect for the New Finance sector, bringing extensive experience in cloud and AI solutions. Mr. Zhao has served leading clients in China's financial services industry, including payment, securities, and Web3 sectors, helping them leverage Alibaba Cloud's cloud-native capabilities to achieve ultra-low latency, high availability, and low-cost cloud architectures. Additionally, by utilizing Tongyi's large model capabilities, he has assisted financial clients in implementing numerous use cases in areas such as customer service, marketing, financial analysis, and internal efficiency improvements.

2018-现在 阿里云智能集团新金融行业线首席技术官。负责新金融事业部混合云相关解决方案的开发和支持，领导华东大区解决方案团队支持六省两市金融客户的数字化转型相关项目。领导了包括人行大数据智能云平台、交行新一代分布式云计算平台、工行分布式架构咨询规划和分布式数据库、太保数据中台、上交所行业云等多个重要项目的建设。

• 2015-2018 恒丰银行信息科技部副总经理。负责全行信息科技规划；分管PaaS、DevOps平台的建设和运维，数据库和中间件的建设和运维；部门组织和人力事务等。
• 2003-2015 历任IBM中国工商银行首席架构师、IBM System z新兴市场区解决方案总监等职。曾作为IBM技术负责人参与了工行两地三中心规划建设等一系列行业重要项目。
• 2014-2016 MBA，光华管理学院，北京大学1996-2000 本科，计算机科学与技术系，北京航空航天大学省部级奖项2个，专利5个。