Singapore’s Deputy Prime Minister and Minster for Finance, Tharman Shanmugaratnam, this year’s Guest of Honor, opened the Forum. Lunch keynote speaker is Yam Tunku Ali Redhauddin Ibni Tuanku Muhriz , the Tunku Besar Seri Menanti of Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. The Forum also features Allan Lindo, better known as apl.de.ap from the popular international hip-hop group, “The Black Eyed Peas” as the keynote speaker at the dinner, sharing his experience as a successful musician, artist and philanthropist. Drawing from his own life experiences with his Filipino roots and putting action behind his words, the Apl. de. ap’s Foundation is committed to helping children in the Philippines to improve their quality of life by leveraging advances in education, technology and music.



On November 15, the Forum will hold four panel sessions -- Key Philanthropic Needs in Asia - Opportunities to Shape the Future, Role of the Donor - A Roadmap, Social-Business Convergence - Opportunities for Business Philanthropists and Mission Measurement - Maximizing Impact . They look at areas of opportunity for Asia-focused philanthropists to have a meaningful and lasting impact on the growth and development of societies in the region, and how donors can collaborate with the charities they support to ensure that intended philanthropic goals are realised. They also provide insights on trends in the fields of social entrepreneurship, social enterprises, and impact investing, as well as donor strategies for ensuring accountability and the achievement of promised results following disbursements of charitable contributions.



Prominent speakers among many noted philanthropists and opinion leaders include: Sabina Brady , Principal Advisor, US – China Energy Cooperation Program; Patrick Cheung , entrepreneur and Chairman, Hong Kong Social Entrepreneurship Forum; He Jin , Senior Program Officer of Education (Beijing), Ford Foundation, USA; Laura Lau , Head of Philanthropy for The Swire Group Charitable Trust, Hong Kong; Christopher MacCormac , Senior Advisor (Knowledge Enterprise) Office of the Vice President for Knowledge Management and Sustainable Development, Asian Development Bank; Professor Kishore Mahbubani, Dean, Professor in the Practice of Public Policy, Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore; J erry Ng , Chief Executive Officer and President, Bank BTPN, Indonesia; Jose Luis Oquiñena , Executive Director, Gawad Kalinga (GK), Philippines; Dr Surin Pitsuwan , Secretary-General, ASEAN; HRH Raja Zarith Sofiah binti Almarhum Sultan Idris Shah , a strong advocate of philanthropy in Malaysia; Sandiaga Uno , Managing Director, Saratoga Capital, Indonesia; Wong Lin Hong , Executive Director, SE Hub Ltd, Singapore.



Workshop in partnership with NUS
On November 16, Credit Suisse is partnering the National University of Singapore (NUS) in organizing a workshop for attendees, to showcase the impact philanthropic contributions have on research, education and public policy. The discussions are led by NUS academics and faculty who have demonstrated excellence in their respective fields and impact in their work and research, as well as successful fundraisers. These include among many others, Dr Rob John , Senior Visiting Fellow, Asia Centre for Social Entrepreneurship & Philanthropy, NUS Business School; Deval Sanghavi, Partner & Co-Founder, Dasra; Ken Ito , Japan Advisor, Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN);  Dr Allen Yeoh, MBBS, MMed (Paediatrics), Associate Professor and Senior Consultant, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, NUS; Professor Leo Tan, Professor Leo Tan, President and Fellow of Singapore National Academy of Science; Professor Peter Ng, Director, Raffles Museum of Biodiversity Research, NUS.



Lito Camacho, Vice Chairman Asia Pacific at Credit Suisse and Director SymAsia Foundation, said, “Credit Suisse is pleased to hold our Philanthropists Forum in Singapore for the second year running. We believe that Singapore is poised to be a hub and springboard for philanthropic activity in Asia Pacific. As the philanthropic sector grows in its ambition and scale, new channels for allocating resources may be required to ensure that transformative results are achieved in individual lives, and that key initiatives can be successfully executed as well as scaled up and replicated. At the Forum, we examine not only ways to enhance the effectiveness of charitable giving, but new approaches to address social problems through market-based solutions.”



Francesco de Ferrari, Credit Suisse’s Head of Private Banking Asia Pacific, said, “At Credit Suisse, we believe that we are at a juncture of significant promise in which committed philanthropists can play a key role in shaping the direction of inclusive economic growth in Asia. We are committed to working with our clients to achieve their aspirations in the charitable and social enterprise sectors, and through our Philanthropy Advisory service, provide them with solutions to address their philanthropic needs and ambitions. The annual Credit Suisse Philanthropists Forum is an important opportunity to expand our partnership with clients in the philanthropic space. Our commitment is further reflected in the SymAsia Foundation, the umbrella client charitable foundation we launched at our inaugural Philanthropists Forum last year. In the 18 months since SymAsia was established, we have had the privilege of supporting many clients in fulfilling their philanthropic ambitions.”