The SACEOS Executive Committee is formed by an elected board representing the breadth and depth of the MICE & Events ecosystem.
With their combined experience and expertise, we hope to go even further in our efforts to rejuvenate the industry in these challenging times.
A Master’s graduate from the University of Sydney, Richard has been involved in ‘live events’ for the past 25 years. He has launched numerous exhibitions, conferences, training events and digital communities over a broad range of industries throughout Asia Pacific.
Richard is currently the CEO of Clarion Events Asia and his role is to expand Clarion’s footprint in the region via organic growth, launch and via acquisition. He has held this role since 2014. He has oversight of Clarion’s Shanghai business, Clarion’s Indonesian business and the Clarion business in Singapore. He was previously the CEO of Terrapinn Asia Pacific. He has lived and worked in Singapore since 1995 and has been a permanent resident since 2004.
Richard is also the President of the Singapore Association of Convention & Exhibition Organisers & Suppliers (SACEOS). He has led the association and industry through the re-opening post pandemic, helping drive key initiatives and events such as the MICE Sustainability Roadmap, MICE Internship Best Practices Guidelines and the Asia CEO Summit. He was a committee member of the TR 84 Standards Committee and led the rolling out of the SafeEvent Management courses. Over 3200 certified SG SafeEvent Ambassador have been trained during Covid-19.
As a strong advocate for training and education, Richard has regularly trained both exhibition and conference management to industry, and previously served as Vice President for Professional Development at SACEOS.
He has also provided consultation to a number of business media companies in Asia Pacific focusing on strategy and performance improvement.
Richard has pitched, won and managed joint venture partnerships with some of the region’s and world’s largest trade associations and governments and has led various M&A transactions in the region.
Veemal Gungadin is the founder & CEO of GlobalSign.In Pte Ltd (GSI), the company behind the fast growing event tech platform, GEVME. Veemal Gungadin graduated from the National University of Singapore in 2003 with a Bachelor in Computing.
Veemal founded GSI in 2007, architected and coded the very first software platform of the company. GSI is today a leading event tech company in Asia. Veemal remains at the forefront of technology and spearheads the product vision of the company’s core platform, GEVME. As COVID-19 changes the nature of events and marketing forever, more than a software tool, GEVME has transformed into a platform and community to power the next generation virtual & hybrid events.
Veemal also invests in and advises several startups in other areas such as MarTech and Fintech. Some examples are: 1) Singapore-based, Synchestra, a fast growing InsurTech company, 2) Sweden-based, Severalnines, a leading database management product for highly-available database clusters.
Veemal volunteers his time at SACEOS as Honorary Secretary and previously served as VP of Digital and Innovation, where he drives national level initiatives in Singapore to help enterprises and individuals in the events industry digitally transform themselves to be future ready.
He also volunteers his time on other causes such as the Migrant Workers issues, working with the National Volunteer and Philanthropy Centre in Singapore.
Aloysius Arlando is currently the Immediate Past President of SACEOS (Singapore Association of Convention and Exhibition Organisers and Suppliers). He was President of the International Association of Convention Centres (AIPC) from 2017 to 2021, the association’s first Asian president and Vice-Chairman of the Asia-Pacific Chapter of The Global Association of the Exhibition Industry (UFI) in 2013-2014. He also sits on the Industry Advisory Committees of the Singapore Institute of Technology and Temasek Polytechnic for their hospitality and events business course programmes.
He is an active member of the Tourism Recovery Action Committee and the Emerging Stronger Taskforce, which are public-private sector efforts to restart Singapore’s tourism and business travel & MICE industries in a Covid-endemic world.
Aloysius is the former Chief Executive (Venues) of Constellar Holdings, a merger of MICE players SingEx and Sphere Exhibits, and owned by Temasek Holdings and Singapore Press Holdings. Prior to the merger in 2021, Aloysius was Chief Executive Officer of SingEx.
Under his leadership, Singapore EXPO, Singapore’s largest purpose-built MICE venue was temporarily converted into a Community Care Facility in support of the nation’s COVID-19 containment efforts. He also oversaw Constellar Holdings’ role as a key partner in Connect@Changi, a short-stay facility located within Singapore EXPO for the safe business exchange between international travellers and Singapore residents.
At SingEx, he has built up a portfolio of MICE-related ventures in Singapore and the Asia-Pacific region, as well as developed the organisation’s suite of hybrid event solutions and venue management services to new standards. Singapore EXPO & MAX Atria was awarded Best International Venue 2016 by UK’s Exhibition News (EN) and Best Business Event Venue 2018 by Singapore Tourism Board. The exhibitions arm of SingEx was awarded Best Trade Conference Organiser and Best Exhibition Organiser for the world’s largest fintech festival, Singapore FinTech Festival 2018 and 2019 and Industrial Transformation Asia-Pacific – A Hannover Messe tradeshow in 2018 respectively.
Prior to SingEx, Aloysius spent 18 years in various leadership positions in Singapore’s public sector, principally at the Singapore Tourism Board and Ministry of Trade & Industry where he oversaw the development plans for Singapore’s business travel and MICE industries. He was a key member of a multi-agency committee responsible for the MICE development aspects of Singapore’s Integrated Resorts projects and the organizing committee for the inaugural Singapore Grand Prix, the world’s first night race. He also served in the Ministry of Manpower where he spearheaded lifelong learning and workforce development efforts.
In 2004, Aloysius received a Public Administration Award in recognition of his achievements. Aloysius capped off his stint in the public sector as the Assistant Chief Executive of Business Travel and MICE in STB, where under his watch, Singapore emerged as the Top International Meetings City and Asia’s Top Country and City for Meetings by the Union of International Associations for the first time. He was also concurrently serving as the Executive Director of the organising committee for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Singapore 2009 high-level meetings.
Dylan Sharma is a seasoned event professional with over 20 years of experience in the MICE industry.
His journey in event management began after he graduated from university and joined a reputable local firm focusing on events and exhibitions; where he honed his project and business management skills. In six years, he secured key accounts and market share, working his way up to the position of General Manager leading the event management division, whilst also playing a significant role in enabling the organisation to become publicly listed.
In 2006, Dylan, together with his co-Founder, embarked on the path of entrepreneurship and started TRICOM Events. Today, TRICOM is a proud homegrown event agency that focuses on high level business events. The passionate and dynamic team at TRICOM is dedicated to creating meaningful events for their clients, and delivering perfection through strategic plans tailored to clients’
needs. In 2020, this also included spearheading the return of the first large scale event in Singapore since the pandemic; working closely with various governing bodies to ensure the safe resumption of events.
Navigating the pandemic, Dylan believed that the way forward was for all players in the MICE industry to collaborate, and not compete. This spurred his active involvement in SACEOS, where he co-led the hybridisation segment of the Industry Resilience Roadmap (IRR) and moderated a webinar on Safe & Innovative Events.
To this end, Dylan was then elected as the Vice-President of Advocacy and Communications at SACEOS where he seeks to represent the diverse voices and views of MICE industry players, fostering a more inclusive and vibrant landscape.
His insights and perspectives have been highly sought after and have been featured on both local and international news media, Channel News Asia, The Business Times, The Straits Times, and BBC News. He was also featured in the Emerging Stronger Taskforce (EST) which convened the Alliance for Action on Enabling Safe and Innovative Visitor Experiences.
Ian Wu is the CEO and Co-owner of HUONE Singapore, part of the HUONE International Group of thematic meeting venues with locations in Denmark and Finland. Overseeing and directly involved in all aspects of the business, Ian has championed digital transformation efforts, preparing HUONE for scalability and expansion. His unique perspective, having been on both sides of the “fence” as an organizer and venue owner, allows him to understand the industry from multiple angles. In addition to his role in Singapore, Ian also serves as the Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) for the HUONE Group, contributing to the global strategy and growth of the company. He is an active board member of the Finnish Business Council and the incumbent president of SKAL Association Singapore.
Before joining HUONE, Ian held multiple positions at SingEx Exhibitions over five years, with his last role being Director (Healthcare – Tech). In this capacity, he led the growth of a diverse portfolio comprising six events across healthcare, automotive, and rubber commodities sectors. Ian’s earlier experience includes several years with Informa Exhibitions and 13 years with the Singapore Armed Forces, where he held various training and doctrine development positions, including Organising Secretary of the 2010 National Day Heartland Celebrations.
Ian holds a First-Class Honours Degree in Business Administration and a Post Graduate Diploma in Business Administration from the University of Wales, Cardiff. His extensive background in various sectors, commitment to innovation, and unique perspective as both an organizer and venue owner make him a valuable member of the SACEOS community. With his global perspective and concurrent role as CCO for the HUONE Group, Ian brings valuable insights and experience to drive forward the vision and objectives of SACEOS.
Anthea Tan serves as the Director of Sales, Expo at Marina Bay Sands. Her role involves driving exhibition lead events into Marina Bay Sands. As a per-opening team member, Anthea has served over 15 years in Marina Bay Sands, exceling in different roles within the team over the years.
Prior to joining Marina Bay Sands, Anthea was a tradeshow and conference organizer for 6 years and worked in key exhibition organizing roles across operations, project management, marketing and sales.
Anthea holds a Bachelor in Business from Royal Melbourne University of Technology majoring in Marketing and Certified Exhibition Management (CEM) global accreditation from the International Association of Exhibitions & Events (IAEE) and Certified Meeting Planner (CMP) from the Events Industry Council. Most recently certified Digital Experience Strategist (DES) by PCMA.
Adeline comes with over 20 years of experience and institutional knowledge in the business events industry for both public and private sectors locally and overseas. Her past experience in STB has built up her strength in partnering stakeholders from different backgrounds, including the government, associations, academia and the business sectors; thus fostering the growth of the MICE industry.
While managing one of Singapore Government’s most significant events at MND, she understands and appreciates how taking an integrated systems approach is crucial to the development of large scale events. Being part of one of Singapore’s largest and most creative MICE venues at RWS, has also horned her appreciation of working hand in hand with venue partners to create meaningful business conversations at the events.
Now that she is part of the Messe Munich family as Exhibition Director, she is glad to be able to continue contributing to the growth of the MICE industry in Singapore. Not forgetting the rewarding experience she had being the program curator at the 2023 Singapore MICE Forum!
With close to two decades of experience, Yew Jin is an experienced marketer and digital transformation champion. At Constellar, he is responsible for marketing, customer experience and festivalisation at Singapore EXPO, and has a proven track record in tech enablement and commercial partnerships. He was previously Head of Marketing & E-Commerce at Qatar Airways Singapore, leading best-in-class campaigns and driving exponential e-commerce revenue.
Energetic, resourceful and consummate event professional with 20+ years engaged in a multitude of roles in commercial strategies, promotions, communications, operations management and event development. Drives portfolio growth in regional play by building strategic partnerships. Provides client leadership to help organisers and brands alike navigate the Singapore and ASEAN marketplace via in-depth local knowledge and best practices.
Works with international Fairs, Meetings & Conventions organisers and Brand marketers on implementation of their events program. Orchestrates all disciplines of the eco system to ensure successful delivery of flagship activations. Advances the commercial interests and brand visibility of clients while addressing marketplace challenges and trends. Skilled in leveraging experiential thinking, digital marketing, content & community engagement with operational efficiency. Seeks to constantly hone the activation playbook.
Eunice is an Associate Professor, Hospitality Business, Business, Communication and Design Cluster at Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT). Prior to that, she was a ERASMUS Visiting Professor at La Rochelle Business School, France and Lecturer in Hospitality and Tourism at University of Surrey, UK.
Priscilla Leong is a commercially-minded networker, likes to engage with people and create win-wins by connecting the dots and exploiting opportunities.
Priscilla is currently the founder and Managing Director of Expotrans Pte Ltd. A company established with a clear vision of leveraging technology to enhance efficiency in logistics management of exhibitions and events in the New Now. The company is an affiliate of Expotrans SpA, a company established since 1990 operating as official freight forwarder at major Italian venues in Italy.
Prior to this, Priscilla was the Global CEO for Agility Fairs & Events Logistics (“Agility”). She spent 16 years with Agility, started as CFO rising to role of CEO. In Agility, she had oversight of a network of offices in over 30 countries covering Americas, Asia Pacific, Europe and Middle East.
Through the years, Priscilla is very much plugged into the Events industry through her involvement with other industry associations like AFECA, IELA and UFI, keeping abreast of developments in the industry globally.
Sukumar is Managing Director for Informa Market’s Maritime & Energy group in Singapore. His 20+ years of MICE experience includes 14 years with Informa in Singapore where he
• Is directly responsible for Singapore Maritime Week, Sea Asia, OSEA and the Singapore International Bunkering Conference and Exhibition
• Leads the Food and Hotel Asia (FHA) event operations team that works closely with venues and contractor partners
• Drives partner acquisition, sales management and strategy for
various Maritime and Energy shows in SE Asia and China
Sukumar leads sustainable events implementation for Informa across ASEAN and its Global Maritime vertical. He is Convenor for Enterprise Singapore’s Technical Committee on MICE Task Group for sustainability in business operations. These roles allow him to work with industry players to progress sustainability in a concerted approach.
He led Informa’s participation in IMDA’s open innovation platform to support SMEs and enable event tech innovation in Singapore.
In collaboration with STB and SACEOS, Sukumar launched the highly regarded TSEA (The Special Event Show and Awards) in Singapore in 2019, to open up collaboration and opportunities across MICE sectors. He contributed to the digital event playbook checklist as part of the IRR and has been a speaker at the Singapore MICE Forum and STB / Web In Trave webinar series on rethinking business events.
Mathias is the Managing Director in the Asia-Pacific region at Koelnmesse Pte Ltd. Based in Singapore, he oversees the offices in Singapore, Thailand, Taiwan and Japan, and his management activities focus on the staging of the company’s regional events, as well as the expansion of business activities in the region’s markets.
Mathias has 20 years of experience in the MICE industry, and has held the role of Managing Director at Koelnmesse since June 2016. He first joined the company in 2002 as the Regional Operations Manager for APAC, was appointed to be the General Manager for Hong Kong in 2006, and held various positions in Koelnmesse’s China subsidiary between 2008 and 2014.
Apart from being actively involved in project and business management, Mathias also engages stakeholders across Asia-Pacific through the establishment of sustainable and profitable partnerships. He graduated with a Master’s Degree in Economic Geography from Leibniz Universität Hannover and Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration.
Christine is currently the Marketing Director – Asia at Terrapinn. She is a highly adaptable marketing and digital project management professional with 19 years of experience in the B2B events industry. She joined the exciting world of events as a Conference Coordinator at Reed Business Information (now part of LexisNexis Risk Solutions) in 2005.
She has extensive experience in delivering small, medium, and large scale in-person and hybrid events in Southeast Asia across multiple industries from food & hospitality to electronics manufacturing to technology and aviation.
The highlight of her marketing career was securing the UFI Marketing Award for Brand New Brands for IoT Asia in 2016.
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