ADFIAP International CEO Forum VXII

ADFIAP International
CEO Forum XVII

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EVENT SPEAKERS

Meet the Experts

  • Delegate of the Royal Government of Cambodia in charge as Chief Executive Officer/ADFIAP Chairman
  • Agricultural & Rural Development Bank / ADFIAP Chairman
  • President Director
  • PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur (Persero)
  • ADFIAP Board Member
  • Secretary General
  • Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific
  • Director, Risk Management
  • PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur (Persero)
  • Director of Public Financing and Project Development
  • PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur (Persero)
  • Deputy Managing Director, Finance & International Affairs
  • Bank for Industry and Mine
  • ADFIAP Board Member
  • Chief Executive Officer
  • Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional Berhad (PUNB)
  • Senior Researcher of the Center for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS), Brunei Darussalam Director
  • Ateneo Center for Economic Research & Development (ACERD)
  • Member of the Management Board European-Iranian
  • Handelsbank AG (EIH)
  • Chief Executive Officer
  • Development Bank / Sultanate of Oman
  • ADFIAP Board Member
  • Founder & President
  • ASKI Group of Companies/Philippines
  • Chief Executive Officer
  • Small Business Corporation/Philippines
  • Manager
  • Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) Jakarta
  • President & CEO
  • Development Bank of the Philippines
    ADFIAP Board Member
  • CEO/Managing Director
  • SYNAPSYS, DFCC Bank’s (Sri Lanka) FinTech subsidiary
  • Chairman
  • National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development
  • Head of Business Development and Marketing
  • ADFIAP
  • APAC Principal Consultant
  • Provenir
  • Executive Vice President
  • Land Bank of the Philippines
  • Chief Executive Officer
  • DFCC Bank
  • Country Director
  • Indonesia Resident Mission Asian Development Bank
  • Chairman of the Management Board
  • Eurasian Development Bank
  • Senior Banker
  • State Development Corporation “VEB.RF”
  • Vice President/Head Lending Programs Management Group
  • Land Bank of the Philippines

Opening Remarks

  • H.E. Dr. Kao Thach
  • Delegate of the Royal Government of Cambodia in charge as Chief Executive Officer
  • Agricultural & Rural Development Bank/ADFIAP Chairman

H.E. Dr. Kao Thach KAO is a Delegate of the Royal Government in charge as CEO of the Agricultural and Rural Development Bank (ARDB) in Cambodia. Concurrently, he is a member of Supreme National Economic Council (SNEC) with the rank to Secretary of State and Labor Arbitrator of the Arbitration Council since 2003.

Before holding ARDB’s portfolio, he was Deputy Director General of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Cambodia with the rank and privilege to Undersecretary of State and the Head of Financial Market Division, Financial Industry Department, Ministry of Economy and Finance. He used to be a Legal Officer in the Ministry of Justice and also in court. He was one of the key persons working toward the establishment of Securities and Exchange Commission of Cambodia and Cambodia Securities Exchange.

Since joining the Ministry of Economy and Finance in 2003, he has undertaken numerous assignments relating to financial sector development in Cambodia. These assignments include being a member of working groups responsible for drafting Law on Government Securities and Law on Issuance and Trading of Non-government Securities; and member of working group responsible for developing Financial Development Strategy 2006-2015 and 2011-2020. As a representative of the Ministry of Economy and Finance he has been involved in various ASEAN working groups in relation to capital markets development such Asian Bond Markets Initiative (ABMI), ASEAN Capital Markets Forum (ACMF), and Financial Services Liberalization.

Dr. Kao Thach holds a Bachelor of Law Degree (LLB-Faculty of Law and Economics) and Master of Laws from Bond University (Australia) with emphasis of International Trade Law System, WTO Legal Framework, Alternative Dispute Resolution, and Dispute System Design. He graduated Doctor of Business Administration (DBA) from EU Business School; and Doctor of Philosophy in Public Policy from the University of Cambodia.

Opening Remarks

  • Mr. Reynaldi Hermansjah
  • President Director
  • PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur (Persero)

Reynaldi Hermansjah, an Indonesian citizen, holds a Doctoral and Master’s degree in management from Pelita Harapan University and a Bachelor’s in Electrical Engineering from Trisakti University. He has over 20 years of experience in the financial sector, serving in leadership roles at PT Indonesia Infrastructure Finance, PT Pembangunan Jaya Infrastruktur, and PT Jasa Marga. Since August 14th, 2024, he has been appointed President Director of PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur (PT SMI) by the Minister of Finance Republic of Indonesia.

Opening Remarks

  • Mr. Enrique I. Florencio
  • Secretary General
  • Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific

Enrique is a Certified Sustainability Assurance Practitioner (GRI & Accountability 1000) and has extensive experience in sustainability reporting and management workshops. He is currently the Secretary General of the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific (ADFIAP).

Enrique has participated both as a Board of Trustee and Member of various national organizations and activities relating to the development and promotion of ICT and CSR in the country. One of which is the Philippine Society of Information Technology Educators, (PSITE) where he has been an active member and trustee for more than a decade.

An active technical member of the Human Capital Development Group of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), and has published a primer on ICT in Education. He has been an active technical member of Sustainability Strategic Consulting since 2006 and has published sustainability reports of known corporations in the country. He has also worked with CSR Asia in some of its CSR projects in the Philippines and Asian Development Bank as project consultant. Enrique has a Graduate Degrees in Business Administration from the De La Salle University and in Educational Technology at the Concordia College Graduate School.

Thematic Session 1 - Equitable Energy Transition: Pathways to a Just and Sustainable Future

  • Mr. Pradana Murti
  • Director, Risk Management
  • PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur (Persero)

Mr. Pradana Murti is the Director of Risk Management at PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur (Persero), where he has held various leadership roles since 2009. Previously, he worked as a consultant at Steer Davies Gleave, UK, and briefly served as Interim Commercial Analysis Manager at Great North Eastern Railway. He holds a Master of Science in Transport Planning from the University of Leeds and a Bachelor’s in Civil Engineering from the Institute Technology of Bandung.

Opening Remarks

  • Mr. Faaris Pranawa
  • Director of Public Financing and Project Development
  • PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur (Persero)

Faaris Pranawa is the Director of Public Financing and Project Development at PT Sarana Multi Infrastruktur (Persero), appointed in 2018. A law graduate from the University of Indonesia, he has extensive experience in law, governance, risk management, and public sector financing. Prior to this role, he served as the Risk Management Director and Head of Legal Division at PT SMI and held key positions at Indonesia Asset Management Company.

Session 3 – Sustainable Futures: The Role of Impact Investment in Building Resilient Infrastructure

  • Dr. Ali Heidari
  • Deputy Managing Director, Finance & International Affairs
  • Bank for Industry and Mine

Dr. SEYED ALI HEIDARI is a member of the Executive Board & Financial & International Deputy in BANK OF INDUSTRY & MINE (BIM.IR). Prior to this, he served in different capacities like, Financial Affairs Manager, Chief of Credit Assessment Dept., Financial Expert of Appraisal Department of the BIM.

Some of his notable accomplishments during his stint with the BIM include:

  • He has done several feasibility study reports of investment projects that led to assist in the establishment or development of feasible and entrepreneurial economic projects in different regions of country.
  • Guiding a lot of client’s validation reports leading to the establishment of several new cooperation models for the inclusive manufacturing and mining units for the use of bank credit services including working capital, LCs and guarantees.
  • Designed the integrated economic projects risk assessment of BIM for the bank’s credit agents as one of the important and effective parts of feasibility study reports for investment projects.
  • Secretary of the Asset-Liability Committee (ALCO) for optimal management of resources and liquidity of the bank.

Dr. Heidari has the following expertise in the field of writing, research and academic activities over the years: He was selected as Chief Research of the Bank of Industry & Mine by the Monetary & Banking Research Institute of Central Bank of Iran; University lecturer on banking & monetary subjects; Lecturer of feasibility study reports and principles in cooperation with training departments of different Iranian banks and other financial institutions; teach COMFAR software in Iranian banks and different organizations. Dr. Heidari recently published the following papers: (1) Extraction of clients financial behavioral model in Iranian developmental banks using multi-group modeling technique”; (2) “Role of developmental banks in water fresher projects financing in country”; (3) “Small and medium industries banking mechanism and its modeling in Iran”; (4) “A review on successful methods of developmental banking in developed and developing countries”.

Session 2 – Driving Economic Prosperity: Leveraging Digital Transformation Strategies

  • Mr. Izwan Zainuddin
  • Chief Executive Officer
  • Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional Berhad (PUNB)

Izwan Zainuddin is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Perbadanan Usahawan Nasional Berhad (PUNB) and Chairman of the Association of Development Finance Institutions Malaysia (ADFIM). He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance from Oklahoma State University and has extensive experience in corporate finance, having served in various roles across Malaysian government agencies, the private sector, and banking sectors.

Session 1 -Equitable Energy Transition: Pathways to a Just and Sustainable Future

  • Dr. Alvin Ang
  • Senior Researcher of the Center for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS), Brunei Darussalam Director
  • Ateneo Center for Economic Research & Development (ACERD)

Dr. Alvin Ang is Senior Researcher of the Center for Strategic and Policy Studies (CSPS) in Brunei Darussalam.   He is Professor (on-leave) at the Department of Economics of Ateneo de Manila University.   He was Chair of the Department from 2022 to 2024 and Director of Ateneo Center for Economic Research and Development (ACERD) from 2016-2021.  He was concurrently an ACERD Senior Fellow providing economic briefings to corporate as well as government clients.  He also is a favorite guest resource person on economic and policy matters on radio and television both in the Philippines and abroad. 

His professional experience spans more than three decades as an economic development specialist, investment analyst, corporate planner, program officer, lecturer, and officer in government, private sector and academic research institutions.    He has taught for last 34 years full time at the University of Santo Tomas and Ateneo de Manila University.  He has served as adjunct and visiting faculty at the Asian Institute of Management, Development Academy of the Philippines, Nazarbayev University in Kazakhstan and Chiang Mai University in Thailand.  He has been regularly consulted by the Philippine Government and various international development agencies such as the World Bank, International Labour Organization, Asian Development Bank and other UN agencies on policy matters pertaining to the economy, labor and migration, competitiveness, governance reforms and public finance.

He earned his PhD in Applied Economics at Osaka University Graduate School of Economics. as a Research Scholar of the Japanese Government in 2006 and his Master in Public Policy from the National University of Singapore as a scholar of the Singaporean government in 1999.  He is an alumnus of University of Santo Tomas, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics in 1989.  He was the President of the Philippine Economic Society in 2013 where he is a lifetime member.

He is a Fellow of the Institute for Money, Technology and Financial Inclusion at the University of California at Irvine and a Fulbright Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute for the Study of International Migration at Georgetown University.

He is an advocate on financial literacy and had taught on this topic in many circles within the Philippines and abroad especially for the Overseas Filipino Workers.

Thematic Session 1 - Equitable Energy Transition: Pathways to a Just and Sustainable Future

  • Mr. Ralf Vollmering
  • Member of the Management Board European-Iranian
  • Handelsbank AG (EIH)

Session 3 – Sustainable Futures: The Role of Impact Investment in Building Resilient Infrastructure

  • Mr. Hussain bin Ali Al Lawati
  • Chief Executive Officer
  • Development Bank / Sultanate of Oman

Since March 2024, Hussein Ali Al-Lawati has been serving as the Chief Executive Officer of the Development Bank in Sultanate of Oman. He brings over 18 years of experience in the banking and financial sector, having held the position of CEO and senior management roles in large Financial Institutions. Hussain Al Lawati is Harvard Business School Graduate (Alumni) and Certified Expert in SME Finance, beside his academic and professional certifications. He is serving as Committee member in several Governmental Committees in Oman.

Session 4 – Ensuring Universal Water Access and Sanitation: Strategies for Sustainable

  • Mr. Rolando Victoria
  • Founder & President
  • ASKI Group of Companies/Philippines

Mr. Rolando B. Victoria is a certified public accountant. He is the Founder and President of ASKI Group with 10 different strategic business units.

A former commercial banker. He has been with ASKI for 35 years. The organization he established is now touching the lives of around 1 million Filipinos by transforming their lives and building sustainable communities in Central and Northern Philippines and in Singapore helping the overseas migrant workers by providing them financial education and basic entrepreneurship training.

As a pioneer in the microfinance industry in the Philippines, he was invited to sit in the Board of various organizations like the Microfinance Council of the Philippines (MCPI), Microinsurance MBA Association of the Philippines (MiMAP), RIMANSI Mutual Solutions Insurance Agency Inc. (RMSI); Alliance of Philippine Partners in Enterprise Development (APPEND), PinoyAko Micro Insurance Services, Inc., Microfinance Data Sharing System (MIDAS) Credit Bureau for Microfinance; and Banking with the Poor Network (BWTP), among others.

In 2018, he was invited to become one of the Advisory Council members of the Sustainable Standards and Certification Initiatives for Value Driven Financial Institutions initiated by the European Organization for Sustainable Development (EOSD) based in Karlsruhe, Germany.

On several occasions, he was invited to speak to trainings and conferences in the Philippines and abroad.

In 2017, he was recognized as one of the Global Filipino Executive of the Year during the Asia CEO Awards held in Manila. In November 2018 he was conferred as the “Association Board Member of the Year” by the Philippine Council of Associations and Association Executives (PCAAE) and one of the Sustainability Leaders of the Year by the EOSD.

In 2020, the Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific or ADFIAP named him as the Outstanding CEO of the Year for his outstanding work in promoting and advancing the microfinance sector in the Philippines.

Thematic Session 4 – Ensuring Universal Water Access and Sanitation: Strategies for Sustainable Development

  • Mr. Robert Bastillo
  • Chief Executive Officer
  • Small Business Corporation/Philippines

Mr. Bastillo is currently the President and Chief Executive Officer of the Small Business Guarantee and Finance Corporation (SBCorp), also known as the Small Business Corporation, a government-owned and controlled corporation mandated to provide financing and other services to the country’s micro, small and medium enterprises. Prior to this post, he was Vice President for Innovation and Advocacy, and concurrently the Official Spokesperson of SBCorp.

Prior to his executive posts at SBCorp, Mr. Bastillo was one of the country’s recognized management experts, with more than 29 years of experience in management consultancy work in the business, government, non-government, grassroots and international development sectors in the Philippines and other countries.

His work in the Philippines spanned across all over the country, from Batanes to Tawi-Tawi, involving more than 170 organizations, programs, and companies.

Mr. Bastillo was an Associate Professor at the Asian Institute of Management from 1993 to 2000, where he was the Director of the Master in Development Management Program. He also had more than 15 years of experience as an entrepreneur and a business executive from 1985 to 2021. 

Mr. Bastillo graduated from the University of the Philippines at Los Banos in 1982 with a BS degree in Agricultural Economics, cum laude, and from the Asian Institute of Management in 1988, with a Master in Business Management degree. He also has a Diploma in Agribusiness Management in 1984 from UPLB-TLRC.

Session 4 – Ensuring Universal Water Access and Sanitation: Strategies for Sustainable

  • Ms. Luthfyana Kartika Larasati
  • Manager
  • Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) Jakarta

Luthfyana Kartika Larasati is a Manager at Climate Policy Initiative (CPI) Jakarta, specializing in financial modeling, investment, risk management, and sustainable business. She has managed key projects in energy efficiency and blended finance, with previous experience at Citigroup Securities Indonesia and Ernst & Young. Luthfyana holds dual master’s degrees in business management and accounting from Monash University and is a member of CPA Australia.

Session 4 – Ensuring Universal Water Access and Sanitation: Strategies for Sustainable

  • Mr. Michael de Jesus
  • President & CEO
  • Development Bank of the Philippines
    ADFIAP Board Member

Veteran banker Michael O. de Jesus takes the helm of the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) as its ninth president and chief executive officer, bringing with him a wealth of experience honed by more than four decades of local and international banking.

Prior to his appointment in DBP, de Jesus was head of the Corporate Bank of Rizal Commercial Banking Corporation (RCBC), Philippine National Bank (PNB), and United Coconut Planters Bank (UCPB). He also worked with both Citibank New York and Citibank Manila. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Economics from Union College in Schenectady, New York, and a Masters Degree in Business Administration (Finance) from The Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

Session 4 – Ensuring Universal Water Access and Sanitation: Strategies for Sustainable

  • Mr. Dinesh Joseph Fernandopulle
  • CEO/Managing Director
  • SYNAPSYS, DFCC Bank’s (Sri Lanka) FinTech subsidiary

CEO/Managing Director of SYNAPSYS, DFCC Bank’s (Sri Lanka) FinTech subsidiary. SYNAPSYS has pursued a vision of “Bank Different – Efficient Payments Networks – Financial Inclusion”. He brings over 30 years experience in Mission-Critical systems spanning multiple countries.

As Group Chief Information Officer (CIO) of DFCC Bank, Dinesh was responsible for the creation of a Shared Services Group IT operation revamping the entire IT Infrastructure and Core Banking Systems across the Group. His mandate was to unify disparate IT operations and uplift IT to a standardized unified platform.

Initiatives have spanned North America, Europe, the Middle-East, Africa, Asia and the Pacific Islands and he has bridged multi-national companies and local citizens, including financial services, telcos & regulators.

He has been responsible for Agent-based banking for rural areas, an AgTech platform for Credit/Payments & SupplyChain/Traceability and an innovative International Remittances.

Furthermore, he has led products across Mobile Payments, Micro & SME banking and Pre-Paid/Post-Paid initiatives for Telco and Public Utilities.
 

He is passionate about Financial Literacy, Community/Mentoring & Learning Management Systems and productizing Machine Learning/AI for Credit Origination and Credit Line Decisions.

Session 4 – Ensuring Universal Water Access and Sanitation: Strategies for Sustainable

  • Shaji Krishnan Vimalanandavally
  • Chairman
  • National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development

Mr. Shaji K V has been the Chairman of National Bank for Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) since December 2022.  NABARD is India’s government-owned apex bank for agriculture and rural development and acts as a development bank, regulator of agriculture credit, and Supervisor of Rural Financial Institutions in the country. Previously, he served as Deputy Managing Director of NABARD from 21 May 2020 to 06 December 2022.

Prior to joining NABARD, Mr. Shaji was associated with Canara Bank, a scheduled commercial bank in India. His area of expertise includes retail banking, SME banking and corporate banking in rural, urban, and metro areas. Mr. Shaji has also handled banking coordination and policy matters for over 6 years as in-charge of State Level Bankers’ Committee, Kerala. He was instrumental in the merger of Syndicate Bank a public sector bank in India with Canara Bank. He also handled amalgamation of two Regional Rural Banks (RRBs) to establish Kerala Gramin Bank, the then largest RRB in India.

A post-graduate in agriculture science, Mr. Shaji also holds a Post Graduate Degree in Management (PGDM) with specializations in Public Policy and infrastructure finance from the prestigious Indian Institute of Management (IIM), Ahmedabad, India. He is also a certified associate of the Indian Institute of Banking & Finance (IIBF) and holds a Diploma in Treasury, Investments and Risk Management.

Mr. Shaji currently serves as Chairman of subsidiaries of NABARD viz., M/s NABARD Consultancy Services Limited (NABCONS), M/s NABSanrakshan Trustee Company Private Limited, M/s NABVENTURES Limited and M/s NABFOUNDATION. He is also Chairman of the Governing Council of the Bankers Institute of Rural Development (BIRD) and a member of the Board of Directors of M/s Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation (DICGC), India.

As an industry leader, he was also Director of various organizations such as National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI), Canara HSBC OBC Insurance Company Ltd. and Canara Bank Securities Ltd.

 

Special Interest Session 2: “Navigating the Digital Landscape: ADFIAP’s Strategic Fintech Initiative for Sustainable Growth”

  • Mr. John B. Alianza
  • Head of Business Development and Marketing
  • Association of Development Financing Institutions in Asia and the Pacific

John Alianza serves as the Head of Business Development and Marketing at ADFIAP, where he champions the Association’s growth through digital transformation and fintech-driven initiatives. Beginning his management journey with ADFIAP as Head of the Information Technology unit, John was instrumental in advancing the Association’s early digital transformation. His previous work leading the digitization of one of the largest credit union associations in the Philippines set the stage for ADFIAP’s strategic move into fintech.

Currently the project lead of ADFIAPNET’s fintech strategies, John drives initiatives that promote financial inclusion, forging strategic partnerships that bolster ADFIAP’s role as a collaborative force in development finance. His goal is to continually enhance the Association’s offerings, broadening its impact across the sector. John holds a Master’s in Business Administration along with certifications in Information Management, blending his expertise in business strategy and technology — a foundation central to his role at ADFIAP.

Special Interest Session 2: “Navigating the Digital Landscape: ADFIAP’s Strategic Fintech Initiative for Sustainable Growth”

  • Mr. Kavinesswaran Karthigasan
  • APAC Principal Consultant
  • Provenir

Kavinesswaran Karthigasan, is the Principal Consultant driving business-value propositions for Provenir across the APAC Region. With a decade of experience in credit risk management solutions in the financial services sector, Kavines has worked with major banks and lenders in Southeast Asia, assisting them in optimising their business processes, automating their workflows, and complying with regulatory standards through the use of risk and decision management applications. Prior to joining Provenir, he spent nearly a decade as a key member of Experian’s Southeast Asia Decision Analytics group. Throughout his career, he has held a variety of positions, beginning as an implementation analyst, progressing to consultant, then pre-sales consultant, and finally customer success manager for the Southeast Asia region. He was born in Malaysia and graduated from Monash Australia.  Kavines’ aim is to help his clients achieve customer-level consistency, digital transformation, and data-driven decision making across their products and channels. customer-level consistency, digital transformation, and data-driven decision making across their products and channels.

Thematic Session 2 – Driving Economic Prosperity: Leveraging Digital Transformation Strategies

  • Ms. Leila Martin
  • Executive Vice President
  • Land Bank of the Philippines

Leila currently heads LANDBANK ‘s Digital Banking Sector and continues to explore new digital innovations in the aim of providing more inclusive, convenient and technologically advanced service to the bank’s growing clientele.

Leila obtained her Bachelor’s Degree in Mass Communication from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila and Post Graduate Degree in Business Administration from Colegio de San Juan de Letran. She further expanded her knowledge in the banking industry by attending a rural banking course in Japan and taking up International Study on Rural Banking and Finance at the Massey University in New Zealand.

Thematic Session 2 – Driving Economic Prosperity: Leveraging Digital Transformation Strategies

  • Mr. Thimal Perera
  • Chief Executive Officer
  • DFCC Bank

Mr. Thimal Perera is the Executive Director & Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of DFCC Bank PLC, Sri Lanka.

As a visionary leader, he has been instrumental in launching numerous industry first initiatives in the country. Currently, he is spearheading the bank’s transformation journey, ensuring that DFCC bank is future ready and placing sustainability and customer centricity at its core. With over three decades of experience in the financial services sector, both locally and internationally, Mr. Perera has held senior positions at esteemed institutions, including the HSBC Group, Commercial Bank of Qatar, Barclays Bank PLC, and large local commercial Banks.

He also holds Board positions and Chairmanships of subsidiaries and associates of the DFCC Group.

Special Interest Session 1 “Showcasing Indonesia Energy Transition towards Low Carbon Economic Development”

  • Mr. Jiro Tominaga
  • Country Director
  • Indonesia Resident Mission
    Asian Development Bank

Mr. Jiro Tominaga is the Asian Development Bank’s Country Director for Indonesia. He is responsible for developing and implementing ADB’s country strategy and operations in Indonesia. He assumed the position in September 2021.

Mr. Tominaga has more than 30 years of professional experience including over 9 years with the Asian Development Bank.

Prior to his current position, he was Director for the Strategy, Policy and Business Processes Division of the Strategy, Policy and Partnerships Department (SPD), where he was responsible for the division’s key deliverables including ADB’s major strategy and policy papers; policy and operations coordination; operational business process update; and inter- agency coordination with Multilateral Development Banks. During this period, the division developed and guided ADB’s response to COVID-19 pandemic, enhanced lending products and instruments, and updated the approach to developing and monitoring Country Partnership Strategy, among others.

From 2016 to 2018, he led the team to develop Strategy 2030, ADB’s long-term corporate strategy, in his capacity as Principal Planning and Policy Specialist.

From 2015 to 2016, he was the Principal Evaluation Specialist in the Independent Evaluation Department where he led the preparation of 2016 Annual Evaluation Review.

Prior to joining ADB in 2015, Mr. Tominaga worked at the World Bank, where he led a number of major independent evaluations assessing the development results of the World Bank Group’s country and corporate programs. In the World Bank, he also worked on promoting innovative use of information and communications technology for development.

Mr. Tominaga began his professional career as Country Officer for the Overseas Economic Cooperation Fund in Japan. He also served as Section Chief at the International Bureau of the Ministry of Finance, Japan, between 1997 and 1999.

Mr. Tominaga is a national of Japan. He holds a Master’s degree in Economics from London School of Economics, UK, and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Keio University, Japan.

Thematic Session 3 – Sustainable Futures: The Role of Impact Investment in Building Resilient Infrastructure

  • Mr. Nikolai Podguzov
  • Chairman of the Management Board
  • Eurasian Development Bank

Nikolai Podguzov has been serving as the Chairman the Management Board of the Eurasian Development Bank since 2020. In his role, he is responsible for implementing the EDB’s mission, which is to promote the development of the market economy of the EDB member states, facilitate sustainable economic growth, and expand trade and economic ties through investment activities.

Nikolai Podguzov is a highly accomplished executive and an expert in the economies of the CIS and Central Asia regions. With over two decades of experience in international cooperation, investment, and the banking sector, he has held key leadership roles in both the public and private sectors.

His extensive experience and leadership skills have made significant contributions to the development and growth of numerous organisations that play a crucial role in the social, infrastructure and green energy sectors.

Before joining the EDB, Nikolai Podguzov served as the head of Russian Post, the national postal and logistics operator, from 2017 to 2020.

Nikolai Podguzov holds degrees in technical sciences and international economics. He is a frequent speaker at international conferences and acts as an advisor to the governments of the CIS countries, particularly in Central Asia.

He is a member of the Foreign Investors Council under the President of Kazakhstan.

 

Thematic Session 2 – Driving Economic Prosperity: Leveraging Digital Transformation Strategies

  • Dr. Sergey Storchak
  • Senior Banker
  • State Development Corporation “VEB.RF”

Mr. Sergey Storchak is a Senior Banker at the Russian State Development Corporation VEB.RF in charge of engagement with international organizations, as well as global, regional and national development banks. Prior to joining VEB, he had a 15-year career as Deputy Minister of Finance, responsible for developing state policy in the area of public debt, management of state financial assets, cooperation with the International Monetary Fund, Multilateral Development Banks, G20 and other international forums.

Previously he held positions as Deputy Chairman of VEB.RF; Director of Division of the Foreign Credit and External Debt Department at the Ministry of Finance; Second Secretary of the USSR Permanent Mission to the UN Office and other International Organizations in Geneva at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Mr. Storchak graduated from the Moscow State Institute of International Relations of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the USSR, specializing in international economic relations. He holds a Ph.D. in Economics (“Candidate in Economics”).

Thematic Session 2 – Driving Economic Prosperity: Leveraging Digital Transformation Strategies

  • Mr. Eden B. Japitana
  • Vice President/Head Lending Programs Management Group
  • Land Bank of the Philippines

Mr. Eden B. Japitana serves as the Vice President and Head of the Lending Programs Management Group, bringing nearly 30 years of expertise in banking industry. His distinguished career at the Land Bank of the Philippines includes holding various leadership roles, with focus on branch operations, capacity building, rural credit and development finance.

Mr. Japitana holds a Bachelor’s degree in Fisheries, specializing in Inland Fisheries from the University of the Philippines. He also earned a Master’s Degree in Business Administration and has completed executive education programs at the Ateneo Center of Continuing Education, the Asian Institute of Management, and the Institute for Development of Agricultural Cooperation in Asia in Tokyo, Japan, under the scholarship from JICA.

In his current role, Mr. Japitana leads the development and management of comprehensive range of credit programs for both the agriculture and non-agriculture sectors. These programs are designed to empower farmers, fishers, micro, small and medium enterprises, cooperatives, countryside financial institutions, microfinance institutions, local government units, public utilities and large agricultural entities.

Session 2 – Driving Economic Prosperity: Leveraging Digital Transformation Strategies

  • Ms. Lynette Ortiz
  • President & Chief Executive Officer
  • Land Bank of the Philippines

Ma. Lynette V. Ortiz is President and CEO of the Land Bank of the Philippines, a government financial institution that strikes a balance in fulfilling its social mandate of promoting countryside development while remaining financially viable. She leads Landbank in implementing strategies that align with the development objectives of the National Government.

With over 30 years of experience in banking and finance, Lynette held various senior roles in Risk Management, Treasury, Corporate Finance and Capital Markets in foreign and local institutions.

Other than serving as the President and CEO of LANDBANK, she also holds key roles including: Vice Chairperson of LANDBANK’s Board of Directors; Chairperson of Overseas Filipino Bank; Member of the Board of the Maharlika Investment Corporation.

Prior to her appointment in LANDBANK, she was the first Filipino Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bank (SCB) Philippines and held the role for almost 7 years. She was also Regional Head of Capital Markets for SCB from April 2015 to June 2016. Lynette spearheaded several landmark transactions in both domestic and international capital markets for Philippine and ASEAN issuers.

She also served as First Vice President in the Board of the Bankers Association of the Philippines (BAP) from March 2020 to March 2024.

A strong advocate for diversity and inclusion, Lynette was named United Nations 2021 Philippine Women’s Empowerment Principles Awards Champion for Leadership Commitment, for her role in setting strong corporate commitments and inclusive leadership.

Session 4 – Ensuring Universal Water Access and Sanitation: Strategies for Sustainable

  • Mr. Saud A. Minam
  • Senior Private Sector Development Specialist
  • ADB Head Office/Manila
    former ADFIAP Chairman

Mr. Minam is Chief Executive Officer of the Fiji Development Bank. A highly accomplished professional with 30 years’ experience within the financial sector, he is a thoughtful leader and passionate knowledge sharer within the banking sector. He has grown with changes and technical advancements and is recognized for his ability to negotiate contracts and manage banking agreements with integrity and discretion.
He has extensive experience working with stakeholders to exceed client needs, assessing commercial needs, and acting as the conduit between operational practicalities and technical abilities. He enjoys working collaboratively, leading, and mentoring staff to ensure team effectiveness.