Mr. Ferdinand (‘Ferry’) de Bakker is an adjunct lecturer at Nanyang Technology University’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information in Singapore. He is chairman of Cognac Grosperrin in France; and managing director of La Croisette, a boutique consulting firm in Singapore. He serves on boards and committees of multiple non-profits in Singapore and is a council member at the Singapore Institute of Directors. He had a two-decades long career at the international public relations firm Burson-Marsteller, first as a country manager, and later as CEO of its European and Asia-Pacific operations. He has served as an independent director on boards in several European countries. He has written for various publications The Netherlands, the UK, France and Singapore on education, corporate communication and lifestyle matters.

Ms. Marieke van Raaij’s career as a Human Resources Consultant spans well over two decades, with the last 15 years spent in Hong Kong and Singapore.

In the course of her career Marieke has led a boutique consulting firm, focused on designing, implementing and brokering HR solutions to enable clients’ digital transformation journey. She has also worked with a technology company with a focus on gamification, where her role included designing solutions for assessment, development or engagement, leveraging technology and gamification to create an immersive employee experience. The large part of her career was with a large HR consulting firm, leading the team focused on driving employee engagement and a positive organisational culture.

During her career Marieke has had the opportunity to work closely with many prestigious companies across industry and geography, often with a focus on organisational culture and climate. Working with clients to establish and deliver on their employee value proposition entails touching upon many aspects of the business, providing Marieke with deep insight into the multi-faceted role of the Human Resource function.