Mr. Stephen Lai

A China and ASEAN-focused serial entrepreneur, Mr. Stephen Lai is a former multinational executive with over three decades of cross-cultural business experience and extensive global networks. He has managed regional offices in Singapore (HQ), Hong Kong, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Kuala Lumpur, Bangkok, Saigon, and Mumbai, and has pioneered large-scale commodity and investment conferences across ten major Asian cities.

Stephen currently serves as Honorary Chairman of the Malaysia-China Silk Route Business Chamber, Secretary-General of the Belt and Road Initiative Caucus for Asia Pacific (BRICAP), and Founding President of the Penang-Chengdu Friendship Association.

From 2018 to 2021, he served as Strategic Advisor to the Penang State Minister for Trade, Industry and Entrepreneur Development, contributing to industrial policy and international investment promotion. He also served as International Advisor to the President of the China Chamber of International Commerce Shenzhen Branch, assisting in the internationalization of Shenzhen enterprises and fostering cross-border collaboration with ASEAN partners.

As CEO of Sino Union International Consultancy Sdn. Bhd., Stephen advises Chinese technology enterprises on international expansion, business development, and M&A opportunities across ASEAN. His firm works closely with both private and state-owned companies on projects related to AI, semiconductors, smart cities, and green digital industries.

Stephen’s diverse career spans the finance and technology sectors, including roles as Chief Representative (ASEAN) for one of China’s largest fintech firms listed on the Shanghai Stock Exchange; Regional Business Development Manager with global financial information giant Reuters; Investment Research Manager with Koeneman Capital Management, Asia’s first quantitative boutique investment firm founded by the former Head of Equities at Singapore’s GIC; and Business Consultant to Singapore’s premier ICT R&D Centre, Kent Ridge Digital Lab (later merged into A*STAR).

An Adjunct Professor at DRB-HICOM University of Automotive Malaysia and Guangdong Polytechnic of Science and Trade, Stephen also serves as Visiting Professor of Entrepreneurship at Cambodia University of Technology and Science (CAMTECH). He is Industry Research Advisor at Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) and Global Recruitment and Partnership Consultant to Han Chiang University College of Communication.

Stephen holds an MBA in International Finance from the Ross School of Business, University of Michigan (Ann Arbor), and dual bachelor’s degrees in Mathematics and Electrical

Engineering from the University of Texas at Austin.

A former ASEAN Scholar in Singapore and Vice President of the Chung Ling Alumni Association (Singapore), Stephen is an Accredited HRD Trainer in Malaysia. Passionate about developing the next generation, he regularly trains youths in Resilience, Leadership Development, and Social Entrepreneurship.