The Board and The Management

Ronald Stride is the Chairman of Food from the Heart. He holds several board of director positions at companies as well as non-profit organizations. Mr. Stride is also currently Chairman of the Board of Supervisors, Afghanistan International Bank. He was President of the American Association of Singapore for the past five years.

He and his wife, Janet, have lived in Singapore for the past 25 years. Mr. Stride spent most of his career at Booz and Company, the management consultancy, where he retired as a senior partner in 2000. He holds a BA degree from Providence College, USA.

Mahesh Buxani is the director of various companies of the M.Bux Group and also a director of lifestyle companies Temptations Jewellery Pte Ltd, Temptations (HK) Ltd and Ka Shing Diamonds. He is also the Chairmain of Indian Chamber of Commerce, Hong Kong and has been a board member there since 1991. He has been recently appointed on the School of Design and Environment Advancement Advisory Council (SAAC).

Deeply compassionate and inspired by spiritual teachings throughout his life, Mahesh follows a disciplinary life of strict vegetarianism and daily meditation. Despite his vast accomplishments in the corporate world, Mahesh does not lose sight of the value that lies within happiness and peace, and supports efforts to help others achieve the best version of themselves.

Dr Knut Unger was born in 1970. He studied law at the Universities of Jena and Freiburg in Germany, where he also did his PhD in the field of environmental liability law. From 1999 to 2000 he worked for the FARE – Project of the European Community in Estonia, supporting the development of the judicial systems of the reform countries in Eastern Europe.

Dr Unger has been a Registered Foreign Lawyer in Singapore since 2001, where he is currently a Partner of Luther LLP, the Singaporean branch of internationally operating, multidisciplinary German law firm. He is member of many occupational organisations, among them the Inter-Pacific Bar Association and the International Bar Association.

Knut primarily advises on European investments in Southeast Asia, the drawing up and negotiation of joint ventures, M&A, group and distribution structures. He focuses on the documentation of international transactions and trans-national tax configuration. Performing the role of an “external legal department”, Knut is member of supervisory boards of several German and Austrian investments in Singapore and Hong Kong.

Alex Chua is the Chief Operating Officer of Goldbell Group, Singapore’s market leader in distribution and leasing of commercial vehicles. He leads Leasing, Aftersales, Business Intelligence, and Information Technology. Alex is also the MD of Goldbell Financial Services, the financial services arm of the Goldbell Group.

Prior to joining Goldbell, Alex was working in JP Morgan (HK) from 2005 to 2012. His last held position was Head of Equity Derivatives Retail Structured Products Distribution S.E.A before deciding to return to the family business.

Alex holds a Bachelor Degree in Industrial Engineering from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. He is an avid Brazilian Jujitsu competitor, a foodie and traveler. He rarely says no to gourmets and expeditions.

Dato’ Andy Kuek is the founder, Chairman and CEO of the Grand Columbia Group of Companies. Its interests include the Finance and banking , Property Development , Insurance and Manufacturing industries. He sits on various government and non-government boards such as the Patron of Citizens Consultative Committee, Chairman of Senior Advisory Council of School, President of Bentley Owners Club Singapore, Honorary Chairman of Cheng Hong , Honorary Chairman of Hokkien Kong Huay in Singapore and Vice President of Guo Association in Singapore .

He is also a great believer in doing things right the first time, assisting those in need and giving one’s space and advice for one live up to their full potential.

Chin Chelliah Bottinelli is the Singaporean founder of Asiatique Collections, a furniture and home accessories boutique that blends contemporary designs with Asian and European influences. She entered the home furnishings industry in 1995 to pursue her passion for interior design and decor, after a brief stint in advertising following her studies.

She started out developing home décor gift ideas with hotels and expanded this into gift collections supplied to department stores and retailers. Within three years, she decided to launch Asiatique Collections. Chin Bottinelli is married to Oliviero Bottinelli who is in the watch industry.

Eugene Yang is currently Managing Director of the Ultra High Net Worth (UHNW) Group, at EFG Bank in Singapore. In this role, he and his team focus on managing the wealth of the UHNW segment, encompassing individuals, families, family offices, trusts, endowments, charities and institutions, utilizing the full global platform of the Bank. He also works closely with corporate and investment banks, as well as other financial intermediaries to help bring about holistic solutions to the UHNW clients.

Prior to EFG, he was Principal Director of the Key Clients Group – Asia, for Standard Chartered Private Bank, where he managed a team that covered the UHNW sector. Previous appointments include BNP Paribas Wealth Management, where he headed up the Premium Group for South Asia, and Credit Suisse, as Head of Singapore Market.

Eugene started his career in Private Banking in 2003, as a Director of the Megawealth Group at Citigroup Private Bank. Earlier, he was Head of Investment Banking – Asia, for Societe Generale, in Singapore, after spending several years based in Hong Kong as Group Managing Director of Standard Chartered Securities Group. Before moving to Hong Kong, Eugene spent almost 10 years in New York, as Global Head of Asian Equity Trading with Salomon Brothers, Morgan Stanley, and Merrill Lynch. He graduated with a BBA (Honors), in Marketing, from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.

Khushroo Dastur is Managing Director of Sirrus Advisory, which specializes in Governance, Operational Risk and Compliance consulting and training activities.

In December 2013, he retired from Deutsche Bank Wealth Management where he was Managing Director responsible for a team of Private Bankers covering South East Asia, since 2009.

Prior to that he spent 34 years with Citibank. His last assignment was Managing Director and Regional Compliance Director for Citibank, where he was responsible for consolidating the Control, Compliance and Risk Management function for all Citibank entities in ASEAN into a single function.

He joined Citibank in Canada in 1976, and held various management positions with the Bank in Belgium, Hong Kong, Philippines and Indonesia. For his last twenty years at Citi, he was with Citigroup Private Bank CPB) in Singapore, holding various Division responsibilities, and Country Head positions, including Regional Operations and Technology head, Regional Compliance Head, Country Head – Australia, Singapore Investment Center Head and Chief Operating Officer for CPB-Asia Pacific and Middle East. In 2007, he was appointed Chief Business Risk Officer for Citigroup Private Bank for Asia Pacific and International businesses.

Mr. Dastur is an authority on Private Banking and Business Risk Management and has been invited as guest speaker at various conferences across Asia Pacific. He has also been lecturing at The Wealth Management Institute, The International Compliance Association and The Financial Training Institute (set up by SMU and MAS). Mr. Dastur has a Bachelors Degree in Commerce (B.Com) as well as in Law (LLB) from Bombay University, and is also a Chartered Accountant. He is married with two boys.

Since 2008, he has been an active Rotarian with the Rotary Club of Tanglin (RCT). In 2011, as Community Services Director he was instrumental in raising 50,000 for their sister club in Japan for the relief of tsunami victims. He was the President of RCT for the year 2013/2014 and is currently the Assistant Governor for Rotary District 3310. He is also on the Boards of the Foundation of Rotary Clubs in Singapore (FRCS) and Food from the Heart (FFTH). He is also on the Audit Committee for the Yellow Ribbon Fund.

Linda Soo-Tan has been involved in community service for many years. Even though she was a former president of the Ikebana International Singapore Chapter 135, she is still active in the organization. She has served in many charity projects, such as the Dover Park Hospice, the Bone Marrow Donor organization, and the Red Cross Gala Committee. She is a Life member of the Chinese Women’s Association.

She was honoured for her role as one of three exemplary leaders of the community by Singapore Tatler. Her experiences in the different committees will serve her well in the Board and she hopes to bring new ideas in implementing various aspects of fund-raising.

Ooi Huey Tyng is a highly accomplished professional with a Master of Science in Finance from Purdue University and dual certification as a CPA in Singapore and the United Kingdom. She is an alumni of INSEAD and has attended the Advanced Management Programme and International Directors Program at INSEAD in France and Singapore.

Currently, Ms. Ooi serves as an Independent Director, chair of the Risk Management Committee, member of the Audit and Remuneration Committee at AIG Asia Pacific Board. She is also an Independent Director of Maxis Berhad, serving on the Transformation Committee, Audit Committee and Renumeration Committee. In addition, she is a member of the Board of Governors at Raffles Institute and an Independent Director of Pacific Century Group Bridgetown 3 SPAC.

Ms. Ooi has over 30 years of experience in senior positions at global banks, leading payment technology provider and fintech. Her most recent executive role was Managing Director for GrabPay Southeast Asia, where she also served on multiple joint venture boards at Grab. Before joining Grab, she was the Country Manager for Visa Singapore and Brunei, and held senior leadership positions at UOB, DBS, and Citibank.

Originally from Los Angeles, Christopher Martin has lived in Hong Kong and now Singapore, since 1994. He has an investment banking background and was most recently a senior executive in private equity for a major NYSE-listed finance and investment firm. Mr. Martin holds a BA in Political Economy of Industrial Societies from the University of California at Berkeley. His interests include classical piano lessons, literature, history, trading the stock market, and travel.

Robin C. Lee has over 30 years of experience in business and financial management, with a proven track record of success across a wide range of sectors including FMCG, pharmaceutical, healthcare, lifestyle, automobile, and construction. He brings extensive expertise in business transformation, development, marketing, and logistics management.

Prior to joining Food from the Heart, Robin held senior management positions in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Thailand, working with organizations like Li & Fung Group, Toys”R”Us Asia, Sime Darby Group, Piaggio Asia Pacific, Rentokil Initial Asia, Bok Seng Group, and Tat Hong Holdings. He holds a B.Sc in Business Administration (Management & Marketing) from the University of Oregon’s Charles H. Lundquist College of Business.

In addition to his impressive career, Robin has a passion for giving back to the community. He has been actively involved in grassroots work since the 90s and has received recognition for his dedication and service, with awards from the Ministry of Education and People’s Association. Robin C. Lee combines a strong background in business with a heart for service.