In-house legal teams are no longer just advisory, risk management and regulatory compliance. Today`s General Counsel is expected to lead the Corporation through times of change and achieve its business objectives by acting as a business facilitator and key advisor to the Board of Directors. If Ms. Pek was so gullible and indifferent to her own money, and so willing to be tricked into a shady ploy that was undoubtedly marketed on the basis that he exploited legal or regulatory “arbitration” (a euphemism for breaking the law), what does that say about her ability to act as steward of the nation`s reserves? How jaded was she when she approved Temasek`s reckless and dubious investments? It would be interesting to know if Ms. Pek was alone or if she or another Temasek board member implicated other senior executives of our sovereign wealth fund in the fraud. If Ms Pek could so easily fall victim to an industrial scam involving her own money for amounts that most ordinary Singaporeans find difficult to understand, then she is not a suitable person for the post of general counsel and should be removed. Ms. Pek Siok Lan joined Temasek in 2012 and is currently General Counsel. As a member of the senior management team, Ms. Pek oversees Temasek`s legal, regulatory and compliance affairs and is a member of Temasek`s Investment and Management Committees. Prior to joining Temasek, Ms.
Pek was Executive Vice President, General Counsel and Corporate Secretary at ST Telemedia, where she helped shape the strategic direction of the company and the portfolio Board of Directors, in addition to global mergers and acquisitions. Previously, she was General Counsel and Head of Legal at Singapore Technologies Group, responsible for legal strategy and operations. Ms. Pek began her career in the private legal profession. She holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the National University of Singapore. This brings me to my second concern. As General Counsel at Temasek, Ms. Pek plays a central role in compliance and due diligence. It would presumably be responsible for verifying that Temasek`s investments were excessive and comply with legal requirements and are likely to play a central role in due diligence and risk. To quote Price Waterhouse UK, prior to joining Temasek, Siok Lan was Executive Vice President and General Counsel at ST Telemedia, responsible for the company`s legal, regulatory and corporate secretary. She has over 25 years of experience in the legal services industry and has completed a variety of complex mergers and acquisitions. Prior to Temasek, Dilhan was Managing Partner of WongPartnership LLP.
He has over 20 years of legal experience with a focus on mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance and corporate law. After all, the fact that Ms. Pek had so much money to invest that she was able to give $5.5 million to a pure scammer without thinking twice, is a strong indication that the stories that Ho Ching pocketed $100 million a year are probably true. Presumably, Ms. Pek “invested” only a small portion of her cash in Mr. Ng and had so much money in her pocket that she was in a hurry to give it away. She is only General Counsel and on Temasek`s org chart only in the fifth row, well below the gods in the front row (Ho Ching, Dilhan Pillay, Lee Theng Kiat and Song Hwee). The website doesn`t even mention her qualifications, which strongly indicates that they are poor, and simply states that she has 25 years of legal experience, most recently at ST Telemedia, a company owned by Temasek.
She doesn`t even appear to be a former government fellow, although, given the quality of the other researchers, it wouldn`t be surprising if she was. Like Ho Ching, she seems to have spent her entire career in the public sector. Jaime Augusto ZOBEL from AYALA Director (since January 2022) This immediately raises several concerns. First, how did one of Temasek`s most senior management fall victim to a scam that should have sounded the alarm even among the most inexperienced retail investors? Alleged fraudster Ng Yu Zhi promised investors guaranteed returns of 15% over a three-month period, an astonishing return when global interest rates are close to zero. A cunning scammer like Bernie Madoff didn`t promise a 15% return, but attracted investors with consistently high single-digit returns but low volatility. So this crook tied greedy rich people with money who burned a hole in their pockets with the most brazen lies. The old adage that if a return on investment is too good to be true, then it`s usually not the one that has proven true time and time again doesn`t seem to have gotten into Ms. Pek`s brain if even a schoolboy should have seen the scam. Fools, soon, goodbye and money are words that come to mind. Peter R VOSER Director (since January 2015) Chair, Risk and Sustainability Committee Chair, China; Chief, Enterprise Development Unit, China; Co-Head, Technology and Consumers, North America; Co-Head Technology & Consumer Rohit joined Temasek in 2008.
Prior to Temasek, Rohit spent 11 years at Morgan Stanley in senior positions in the Mumbai and Hong Kong offices before being appointed Managing Director and Head of Southeast Asia Investment Banking in Singapore. Rohit started his first career at Citibank in India and McKinsey & Co in India. Prior to Temasek, Fidah was a partner at Innosight Ventures Pte Ltd, a venture capital fund that invests in disruptive innovation. He was Director of Strategy, Policy and Communications at Singapore Health Services Pte Ltd and then Chief Executive Officer of Ministry of Health Holdings Pte Ltd. His career also spanned nearly a decade in social entrepreneurship, where he founded several programs and businesses that addressed previously unmet patient health needs. Sherlock Holmes and the Fall of the Missing (or Hidden) Reservists Gregory joined Temasek in September 2010. He retired from Bank of America in March 2010 after more than 35 years of banking career in a variety of leadership positions, including Vice President of Corporate Development and, most recently, Chief Risk Officer. Dilhan Pillay SANDRASEGARA Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer (since October 2021) Dilhan has held various leadership positions at Temasek, including leading the investment, portfolio management and corporate development groups. He also led Temasek`s market teams in Singapore and the Americas. Deputy Head of Portfolio Development; Chief, Transport and Logistics Deputy Chief, Singapore Market Bobby CHIN Director YC (since June 2014); Chairman of the Audit Committee Prior to joining Temasek, Uwe was Chief Executive Officer of WS Atkins plc.
He began his career as a project manager at A.T. Kearney. Uwe also held management positions at Hochtief AG, OC Oerlikon Management AG and TPG Capital before joining Cleantech Switzerland as President. Prior to Temasek, Michael was CEO of Dynam.AI, an AI consulting and solutions firm. He has over 20 years of experience as an entrepreneur, executive and consultant to technology-driven organizations. Prior to Temasek, Benoit was Partner and Head of the Paris office and Co-Head of the Industrial Sector at Cinven. Benoit has over 20 years of experience in investment banking and private equity investing, including 12 years at Goldman Sachs in London and Singapore. Affinidi is a core technology company focused on digital identity. We enable institutions to issue verifiable credentials to individuals and companies that acquire ownership and control of their data. We work with governments and stakeholders in travel and aviation, healthcare and technology to create a trusted ecosystem that enables safe travel around the world through Affinidi Travel. We also use decentralized technology and verifiable credentials for global financial services companies, including financial institutions, regulators, fintechs and more, to redefine how they serve organizations and individuals through Affinidi Finnovate.
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