Dr ROBERT BONG, Principal Partner

Dr Robert Bong, a former Chief Executive Officer, Managing Director and Director of a number of publicly listed companies, has more than 30 years of global experience in corporate leadership.  Some of the key appointments include Managing Director and Senior Vice President of Nortel Networks, ExCo Member of Lanka Bell, Managing Director of Keppel T&T, Director of SVOA Public Co, Director of CGS Inc. Director of Transmarco Limited (Sampoerna Co) and Director of Micronesia Registration Advisory Inc.

Dr Bong has special interest in the technology and education sectors within the emerging economies particularly China, India and the Islamic countries.  Prior to arriving in Malaysia, Dr Bong was based in Beijing China working with TsingHua University developing the entrepreneurship and career development program for young Chinese students and entrepreneurs.   Dr Bong also lived in India as the pioneer for the IT and software development business process outsourcing industry and later as an Angel Investor incubating Indian technology start-up ventures in Bangalore.

Dr Bong is currently the Vice Chancellor and Chief Executive of UCSI University.  He is an Advisor to the Malaysia Blue Ocean Strategy Institute (MBOSI); a non-profit organization set up by the Malaysian government.  He is a globally certified Blue Ocean Strategy Practitioner and the Entrepreneur-In-Residence with the INSEAD Business School in France and Singapore Management University, Institute of Innovation and Entrepreneurship in Singapore.  In India, Dr Bong is Co-Chairman for the India Blue Ocean Strategy Research Center TAPMI and he specializes in teaching and research case writing on Blue Ocean Strategy. He is also the Chairman of the Sampoerna University Supervisory Board in Indonesia and he sits on the Supervisory Board of the Putera Sampoerna Foundation managing one of the largest outreach programs in Indonesia.

Dr Bong comes from a diverse cultural background and is fluent in multiple languages including English and Chinese (Mandarin).

Mr POONACHA MACHAIAH, Principal Partner

Poonacha, a successful serial entrepreneur and intrapreneur, has more than 20 years of proven track records in building start-up businesses and forming strategic alliances with global players in the information technology, telecommunications, semiconductors, OEMs, network equipment vendors and ODMs, as well as leading the global sales, business development, operations management, strategic planning and technology design functions at senior leadership positions at Fortune 100 companies working and living in the USA, Europe, Middle East, Indian Sub-continent and most of the Asia Pacific countries.

Having schooled and worked in the USA for more than 12 years, Poonacha is a US citizen with deep Indian roots and wide network among the local and overseas Indian Diaspora.  Today, Poonacha is focusing on bringing the best of the global thought leaders to India with the view of stimulating the imagination of the local businesses and energizing the Indian economy beyond its exiting structural and cultural boundaries, and to help the local Indian companies grow and scale overseas.

Ms REBY JINDAL, Research Consultant and Client Relations Manager

Reby, is a research and marketing professional. She has previously worked with The Economist Intelligence Unit, The Economist Group as a Marketing Consultant where she was overseeing all marketing, advertising and promotional activities for the company and establishing marketing strategies to meet organisational objectives. She was also responsible for providing end-to-end relationship management services to EIU clientele.

Reby has a variety of interests. Her interest levels range from working with NGOs on education to learning about the fashion and retail industry. She is an International Business & Economics graduate from Lancaster University Management School.

She is a Blue Ocean Strategy enthusiast and truly believes that developed and developing economies alike can hugely benefit from it. She currently handles marketing and client relations for the Blue Ocean Strategy India Centre and is also assisting Dr Robert Bong with researching and developing Blue Ocean case studies.

Mr SURESH SOMASAMY, Director of Operations, New Delhi

Suresh is seasoned business executive with more than 10 years of experience in project management. He has worked with NGOs, Higher Education Institutions and retail franchises. He has coordinated and led series of project engagements in Europe and Asia and represented these institutions in a number of local, regional and international events. He has undertaken roles in market research, feasibility studies, sales support, and various training and development projects. Besides strong research and organisation skills, one of his key strengths is the ability to widen participation in the executive management education and execute outreach work in under-represented areas, especially in the outlying regions.

Suresh is an engineer by training and a business and marketing graduate from the UK. He is well versed with information technology. He is an associate of Chartered Institute of Marketing, United Kingdom and is conversant in English, Bahasa Malaysia and Tamil.