Speakers

Overseeing a portfolio valued over RM700 million, Mohan Alagappar’s savvy marketing and sales capabilities have helped grow an array of brands for over 25 years. He and his team manage a portfolio of 60 international brands of which 20 are market leaders in its specific category. He continues to explore business opportunities to fit into GBA’s wide brand repertoire.

Mohammad Munzir Aminuddin is the Group Chief Executive Officer of Siti Khadijah and Enda Group, one of Malaysia’s most respected modest wear brands. A second-generation leader, he has guided the company’s evolution through disciplined execution, strategic clarity, and a strong values-led culture. He works closely with the Board and senior leadership to drive sustainable growth, profitability, and long-term value creation. He holds a Mechanical Engineering degree from Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN) and a Master’s in Marketing and Advertising from Coventry University, UK.

With over 25 years of experience across local and cross-market roles, Shel has built her career at the intersection of research, media, and data transformation. Starting as a trained consumer researcher, she built strong foundations in consumer understanding before transitioning into the media industry, where she progressed to a regional analytics role, spearheading research solutions and pioneering early social listening initiatives. Over the past decade, she has pivoted into data, technology, and analytics, focusing on marketing science, data visualization, and accelerating martech and adtech adoption, including clean room solutions. Today, she drives data-led transformation initiatives at that power measurable business growth across markets.

A seasoned strategist and thought leader, Ganesan Periakarruppan is the Lead of Strategy3 Malaysia. With a career spanning nearly two decades—starting in advanced R&D with British Telecom and evolving into high-level policy advisory—Ganesan offers a unique perspective on how technology and data drive national growth. He is a frequent moderator and commentator on topics ranging from the "Plus One" manufacturing migration to the digital economy. Ganesan is known for his ability to translate complex data into actionable strategy, as evidenced by his recent work related to the subsidy rationalization and the development of the National Food Security Blueprint (NFSB).

Julie is the CEO & Co-Founder of Vase.ai – an AI-powered consumer research platform that delivers fresh insights as fast as 24 hours, helping businesses make informed marketing and product decisions. She has worked on more than 100 research projects across FMCG, Telco, Retail and other B2C industries. She loves finding actionable insights by sifting through mass data and helping marketers to ideate, validate and track their marketing campaigns. She periodically writes on LinkedIn about her learnings on building remote-first teams, ways to increase productivity and the journey of being an entrepreneur while being a new mother.

In a career spanning 18 years, Kiron has spent the last 7 of those with Omnicom Media Group. He is currently the Chief Strategy Officer for the APAC region at PHD leading the strategy vision for the company across the region along with business growth, innovation, and digital transformation. Kiron has been a lifelong student of the why behind human behaviours and a firm believer in the power of creativity. It is not surprising everything that he loves doing has been at the crossroads of psychology and creativity (well, creativity does thrive at intersections, doesn’t it?) – be it advertising, short-filmmaking, acting, writing, workshop-design, or doing voice-overs. He is regularly invited to be a speaker, panelist and writer at various forums to offer his perspective on topics related to consumer behaviors, AI in marketing and behavioral economics. He has been a speaker at platforms like BFM Radio Podcasts, Singapore ATS, MDA d-conference and other industry forums.

Long Yun Siang is the Managing Partner of Roar Point, a marketing & branding consultancy specializing in growth strategy. With over 33 years of experience across leading multinational agencies and his own firm, he advises founders, CEOs and boards on building resilient, scalable brands. Known for his strategic rigour and practical insight, Long focuses on turning sound marketing fundamentals into sustained business performance.

Jonathan James is a strategic commercial and customer success leader with deep expertise across Adtech, Martech, and data intelligence in APAC. He works with global agencies and enterprises to unlock growth through data driven narratives, through traditional, digital and now, with AI actionable insights. Known for translating complex analytics into commercial impact, Jonathan brings practical leadership experience spanning partnerships, strategy and Go-To-Market teams.

With nearly two decades of experience in market research, Sawu Fang has spent her career understanding how people think, decide, and behave; and how these behaviours evolve as contexts and expectations change. She has worked across a wide range of categories and methodologies, partnering closely with marketers and brand teams to translate consumer insight into clear, actionable brand and communication strategies.
Specialising in branding and communication research, Sawu Fang brings a strong human lens to data, helping organisations navigate shifting consumer journeys in an increasingly digitalised environment. Her work reflects a deep understanding of contemporary behavioural trends, offering a grounded perspective on how brands can stay relevant in a constantly evolving landscape.

PiWo is the CEO and founder of IDEALOGIC, a brand strategy SWAT team supporting marketers and agencies across Asia Pacific. In just five years, IDEALOGIC has partnered with over 40 brands and 10 agencies across Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and Malaysia—often called in when progress stalls and the real issue isn’t execution, but the wrong question.
With more than 20 years’ experience across 17 industries, PiWo is one of Malaysia’s most awarded planners and serves as Head of Jury for the Effie Awards. Known for uncomfortably honest clarity, he helps teams cut through noise, challenge entrenched thinking, and make sharper, braver decisions that define real impact.

Ellana is a market researcher, data enthusiast, and self-proclaimed certified nerd, currently making sense of consumer behavior as the head of Market Research & Customer Success at Vase.ai. With a career that started in teaching (where she mastered the art of persuasion) and later evolved through media research, she now helps brands uncover the insights they need to make informed decisions. When she’s not analyzing data, she’s convincing people to watch The Lord of the Rings extended editions or humming Christmas carols out of season. Passionate about accurate research and great conversations, she’s here to talk about all things data, without too many Tolkien references… probably.