Our Board of Directors

Dato’ Syed Naqiz has been practising law for more than 19 years and has acquired in-depth knowledge not only on legal intricacies but has also gained a solid knowledge-base on various industries ranging from finance, power, construction, automotive, defence, IT, telecommunications, hospitality, retail, manufacturing, FMCG, and shipping/transport.

He has represented and acted against some of the largest multinational companies, public listed companies, governmental, and regulatory bodies as well as government linked companies. Dato’ Syed Naqiz is also a senior partner of Naqiz & Partners. He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws in 1997 from Australian National University in Australia.

Mr Seow Voon Ping has been with Newfields Group since its inception in 2004. He is one of the Directors of Newfields Investments Sdn Bhd and Newfields Land Sdn Bhd (“Newfields Land”). His current areas of focus are managing business development of Newfields Land, and direct investments on behalf of the Newfields Group.

Since 2005, he has spearheaded the growth of Newfields Land to become a prominent developer of commercial and residential real estate in and around Kuala Lumpur. Mr Seow Voon Ping holds a Bachelor of Science (Economics) from the London School of Economics, and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.

Mr Andy Cheah has been with UOB Group for 13 years, and since 1st August 2022 he has been responsible for managing and driving the growth strategy for UOB Malaysia’s Wholesale Banking business which covers Corporate Banking, Commercial Banking, Business Banking, Financial Institutions, Transaction Banking, and Investment Banking.

Andy was previously based in Bangkok as the Country Head of Wholesale Banking for UOB Thailand. During his 4.5 year tenure there, his role involved driving the growth of the Wholesale Banking business in Thailand, and navigating the business through the Covid-19 Pandemic. Before UOB Thailand, Andy was managing the European operations of UOB out of London, as well as heading the Oil and Gas Centre of Excellence based in UOB Singapore.

Prior to UOB, Andy worked for Royal Dutch Shell in its regional offices in Singapore and global offices in The Netherlands, covering the Gas and Power and Chemicals sectors. Andy holds a BSc (Econs) degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science, a MBA from IMD, Lausanne, Switzerland and is a qualified Chartered Accountant from the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).

Mr Thio Boon Kiat is the chief executive officer of UOBAM. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst charter holder and graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration (First Class Honours) degree from the National University of Singapore. In 2004, he attended the Investment Management Program at Harvard Business School. In 2006, he also attended the Mastering Alternative Investments programme by Insead University.

Mr Thio has over 20 years of investment management experience. He joined UOBAM in 1994 from the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation (GIC), as a portfolio manager managing Singapore, and subsequently Asia Pacific and global equity portfolios. Over the years, he also headed the International Equities and Global Technology teams. In 2004, Mr Thio was appointed as the Chief Investment Officer of UOBAM, a position he held until 2011 when he was promoted to his current appointment of chief executive officer.

Ms Elaine Fan was appointed as Head, Retail and Brand of United Overseas Bank (Malaysia) Bhd (UOB Malaysia) on 1 November 2022. Elaine has 40 years of banking experience. She started her career with Citibank Malaysia in 1983 where she has served for 39 years. During her tenure with Citibank Malaysia, Elaine held various management and senior roles across Consumer Banking, Corporate Banking, and Global Transaction Services. In 2014, she was appointed Head of Consumer Banking, a position she held until her appointment as Head of Retail and Brand of UOB Malaysia.

Suet Ling graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration (Hons) from the National University of Singapore in 1989 and is also a chartered financial analyst. Suet Ling has more than 30 years of experience in the industry and has particular expertise in Malaysian and Asia ex-Japan equities. She has held senior positions including the Malaysia equity team head of UOB Asset Management Ltd and portfolio manager of regional funds in both Malaysia and Singapore.

Besides, growing the business in Malaysia, Suet ling also oversees regional marketing, working together with UOBAM regional offices (Japan, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia, and Vietnam) in offering new product ideas and collaboration with new partners. She is also a board member of The Federation of Investment Managers Malaysia (FIMM) and holds a Capital Markets and Services Representative's Licence (CMSRL) for the regulated activity of fund management.

Puan Zalinah has more than 30 years of relevant experience in the Capital Market. She was the Head of the Domestic Equity Department at the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) before she retired in April 2021. She was the CEO of ASM Asset Management Sdn. Bhd. before joining EPF in September 2005. She has experience managing unit trusts, private mandates, asset allocations, risk management, ESG, corporate exercises, and research. In addition, she has played a key role in developing and setting up the EPF’s Global Listed Equity Investment.

Puan Zalinah holds a Master in Business Administration in International Business and a Bachelor of Science in Accounting from New Hampshire College, USA. She also has a Diploma in Accountancy from the Mara Institute of Technology. She is currently serving as an Independent Non-Executive Director of Perak Transit Berhad, Skyworld Berhad, and UOB-related firms.