OneConnect forms inaugural advisory panel

OneConnect forms inaugural advisory panel with appointments of:

Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Jalan Besar GRC, Member of Parliament, and Professor of Engineering and Advisor to President, Singapore Institute of Technology
Dr Steven Miller, Vice Provost of Research at Singapore Management University
Dr David Lee Kuo Chuen, Professor at Singapore University of Social Sciences and Vice President of Economic Society of Singapore

Singapore, 05 February 2020 – OneConnect Financial Technology Co. Ltd. (NYSE: OCFT) (“OneConnect”), a leading technology-as-a-service platform for financial institutions, has appointed three veterans from the corporate, technology, and academic sectors – Dr Yaacob Ibrahim, Dr Steven Miller and Dr David Lee Kuo Chuen – to its newly formed advisory panel in Singapore. The three advisors will be instrumental in bringing OneConnect to its next phase of growth in the region. The advisory panel also provides independent oversight and ensures best corporate governance is in place.

Dr Yaacob is currently a professor of engineering at the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) and the Advisor to President, SIT, and serves as a Member of Parliament for Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency. Dr Yaacob also served as Minister of Communications and Information, Minister of Environment and Water Resources and Minister of Community Development and Sports between 2002 and 2018. In 2015, Dr Yaacob was appointed Minister-in-charge of Cyber Security where he built up the Cyber Security Agency and in 2018, passed the Cybersecurity Bill in Parliament to strengthen the protection of Critical Information Infrastructure against cyber-attacks in 11 sectors.

On joining OneConnect’s advisory panel, Dr Yaacob said, “I am deeply honoured to be part of OneConnect’s advisory panel. As the leading technology-as-a-platform serving more than 3,700 financial institutions in China, collectively reaching hundreds of millions of end users, OneConnect has demonstrated how financial institutions can transform and digitize their business. I look forward to advising the OneConnect team as they embark on a high growth trajectory in the region.”

Dr Miller is the Vice Provost of Research at Singapore Management University (SMU). He was the founding Dean of SMU’s School of Information Systems (SIS) from 2003 through mid-2016, and he continues to serve as Professor of Information Systems (Practice). As the founding Dean of SIS, Dr Miller was known for his passion for developing young talents in the computing and Information Technology (IT) areas. In recognition of this, SMU established the Steven Miller Scholarship to help deserving students complete their education despite financial hardship.

Dr Miller is concurrently serving on various government advisory panels and committees under Singapore’s Ministry of Communication and Information, Ministry of National Development, National Research Foundation, Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and AI Singapore, where he advises on infocomm R&D, infocomm manpower developments, and university-industry collaborations.

Speaking in his capacity as OneConnect’s advisor, Dr Miller said, “SMU and OneConnect have always enjoyed a strong industry relationship as both institutions constantly champion new innovations and talent development. I look forward to serving on the panel and advising on how OneConnect can bring practical and industry ready versions of the latest technologies to financial institutions and enable them to grow sustainably as they embark on their digital transformation journey.”

Dr Lee is a Professor at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) and Vice President of the Economic Society of Singapore. As founder of several entities including BlockAsset Ventures and Ferrell hedge fund, and Independent Director of listed and technology companies, Dr Lee will lend his expertise in blockchain, fintech and technology innovations. Dr Lee is also a prolific thought leader who has more than 60 cited articles and nine books on Asian economics, digital currency, blockchain, and inclusive fintech.

Speaking of his appointment as OneConnect’s advisor, Dr Lee said, “I am honoured to be one of OneConnect’s advisors. I look forward to contributing my wealth of knowledge and experience in the boardroom as well as in the fintech and scalable technologies that will help OneConnect’s pursuit in its open platform and ecosystem strategies towards a financially inclusive Asia.”

The appointments underscore the significance of OneConnect’s accelerated growth strategy. Tan Bin Ru, CEO (APAC & UAE) of OneConnect Financial Technology said, “I am pleased to welcome Singapore’s top line luminaries to our advisory panel. Under the guidance and leadership of Dr Yaacob, Dr Miller and Dr Lee, I, along with my executive team, look forward to benefiting greatly from their wisdom and acumen in the technology and business spheres as OneConnect continues making inroads into key markets of Asia.”

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Biography of Dr Yaacob Ibrahim

Dr Yaacob Ibrahim is currently a professor of engineering at the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) where he is also the Advisor to President, SIT.

He holds a Doctor of Philosophy from Stanford University in 1989. He has been a Member of Parliament (MP) since 1997 and is the current MP for Jalan Besar Group Representation Constituency. He served as a Minister in the Ministries of Communications and Information, Environment and Water Resources and Community Development and Sports over a span of 16 years since 2002.

In April 2015, Dr Yaacob was appointed as the Minister-in-charge of Cyber Security and built up the Cyber Security Agency (CSA). In February 2018, he passed the Cybersecurity Bill in Parliament, which gives CSA the mandate to strengthen the protection of Critical Information Infrastructure in 11 sectors against cyber-attacks.

Biography of Dr Steven Miller

Dr Steven Miller is the Vice Provost of Research at Singapore Management University (SMU). He was the founding Dean of SMU’s School of Information Systems (2003 through mid-2016), and is also a Professor of Information Systems (Practice).

Dr Miller has held senior positions in technology, management and consulting with Fujitsu Ltd in both Japan and the US; RWD Technologies in the US; and IBM Global Services, where he was Chief Architect Executive for Business Innovation Services, Asia Pacific. Earlier in his career he was a faculty member at Carnegie Mellon University, appointed in both the College of Engineering and the Business School.

As Vice Provost (Research) for SMU, Dr Miller is responsible for central oversight of SMU’s Institutes, Centres, and Labs, for research strategy and planning at the university level, and for facilitating deeper and more innovative research interactions across Management, Social Science and Computing. He also serves as an advisor to Changi Airport Group, supporting their initiatives in artificial intelligence, analytics, digital transformation and organisational learning.

Biography of Dr David Lee Kuo Chuen

Dr David Lee Kuo Chuen is a Professor at the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) and Vice President of the Economic Society of Singapore. He is the founder of several entities including BlockAsset Ventures, the external advisor to Stanford University’s Distributed Trust Initiative, a Fulbright Scholar, and an Independent Director of listed and technology companies.

He graduated with BSc, MSc, and PhD from the LSE in Econometrics. He was the Director of the Sim Kee Boon Institute for Financial Economics, Group MD of OUE and Auric Pacific. He founded Ferrell hedge fund in 1998 and was a property developer. He has more than 60 cited articles and nine books on Asian economics, digital currency, blockchain, and inclusive fintech.

About OneConnect Financial Technology

OneConnect Financial Technology Co., Ltd. is a leading technology-as-a-service platform for financial institutions in China. The Company’s platform provides cloud-native technology solutions that integrate extensive financial services industry expertise with market-leading technology. The Company’s solutions provide technology applications and technology-enabled business services to financial institutions. Together they enable the Company’s customers’ digital transformations, which help them increase revenue, manage risks, improve efficiency, enhance service quality and reduce costs.

The Company’s 12 technology solutions strategically cover multiple verticals in the financial services industry, including banking, insurance and asset management, across the full scope of their businesses — from sales and marketing and risk management to customer services, as well as technology infrastructure such as data management, program development, and cloud services.

Media Contact:

Alicia Neo
Public Relations Manager
OneConnect Financial Technology
Mobile: +65 8200 0022
Email: alicianeo@ocft.com