Myanmar: resilience, risk and the long-term view
Melvyn Pun, Chief Executive Officer, Yoma Strategic Holdings
Myanmar remains one of Asia’s most challenging business environments. Years after the military coup, ongoing fighting with rebel ethnic groups, sanctions and economic disruption continue to reshape the country’s outlook. But many investors still see long-term potential in its strategic location, natural resources, young population and underdeveloped economy. To learn more about how multinationals should approach Myanmar, we’ll be joined by Melvyn Pun, CEO of one of the country’s most significant business conglomerates, Yoma Strategic Holdings. With operations in real estate, financial services, mobility, food and beverages and consumer goods, the company is listed on the Singapore Stock Exchange and also has regional operations outside its core Myanmar base. Melvyn, who is based in Yangon, will share an on-the-ground perspective on leading through prolonged uncertainty. From managing operational risk and currency volatility to maintaining investor confidence and supporting employees through crisis, the session will examine what it really takes to operate in fragile markets.
What does Asia’s next generation really want?
Lee Haoming, Chief Executive Officer, Louken Group
Yuliana Frederika, Founder, Lepak Conversations
Afsheen Jae, fresh graduate, Nanyang Business School
“What do young people nowadays actually want?” was never going to be an easy question to answer, particularly in a region as diverse as ours. But in ambitious Global CFO Network style, we’re going to try. In this free-ranging panel discussion, we’ll look at how the values, identity and expectations of Asia’s Gen Z and Gen Alpha have skewed dramatically from their parents and grandparents, and examine what they weant from work, society, brands and life. Our panel includes consumer and a brand expert, a youth social activists and a fresh graduate, and we’ll attempt to unpick the conundrum facing multinational companies in Asia: how to leverage economies of scale, while delivering products and services that speak to local consumers. Lee Haoming is CEO of Louken Group, a brand-led consultancy and venture-building platform that helps businesses clarify their market position and strengthen their growth narrative. His work explores the values, behaviours and cultural dynamics driving generational change across Southeast Asia, including how the post-COVID period and the rise of AI are reshaping the way young people think about work, identity and their relationship with organisations and institutions. He also tracks the generational transition underway in the region's family-run businesses, where a new cohort of owners and decision-makers is bringing a different set of priorities to commercial relationships, with significant implications for multinationals operating across ASEAN. Yuliana Frederika is an advocate and researcher with an extensive network among youth in Southeast Asia. Through Lepak Conversations, she and her team aim to provide a platform for respectful discussion of Malay/Muslim issues while fostering racial harmony. More broadly, Yuliana’s areas of interest include youth affairs, building briodges across communities and generations, and people-centred deployment of technologies such as AI in workplaces and society. Yuliana is also a consultant to the National Malay/Muslim Youth Taskforce. They’ll be joined by Afsheen Jae, who recently took up a graduate role in banking, having graduated from Nanyang Business School. Afsheen will share her own perspectives on what young people want from the workplace and from a career, and how they prioritise employment versus entreprenerialism in their career ambitions. Prior to taking up a full time role, Afsheen interned at ICBC Standard Bank, and worked for IRAS.
Progressive growth, and how Asian regional businesses are building scale
Leong Yung Chee, Group Chief Financial Officer, UOB
What does progressive growth look like, and what can major regional players teach multinationals? The Global CFO Network will be joined by UOB Group Chief Financial Officer Leong Yung Chee for a discussion on what he’s seeing in the Asia Pacific region, and how his Finance team is positioning the bank to grasp the oppoetunities it sees across Asia. Yung Chee joined UOB, one of Singapore’s biggest banks, with total assets of SGD572 billion, in 2016, and led the Corporate Banking division before stepping into the CFO role in 2025. He brings more than 25 years of experience in financial services, including leadership roles in corporate and investment banking, mergers and acquisitions, strategic transformation, and restructuring. We’ve asked Yung Chee to outline how he sees Asia as a market, and where the opportunities lie. He will also discuss how the Finance function is structured at UOB, how roles are evolving, and where the real pressure points sit. We will look at how UOB is building capability in data and analytics, how Finance partners with the business, and how the function is being reshaped to deliver greater insight.
Additional session to be advised.
This session will incorporate morning tea and an informal networking luncheon. Members may attend with a member of their Finance team.