Leo YIP

Head, Civil Service, PS (PMO & PMO (STRATEGY GROUP)), Singapore

Leo Yip joined the Singapore public service in 1982 as a police officer. He holds degrees from Cambridge University, Warwick University and Harvard University.

In 2000 he was appointed Principal Private Secretary to Senior Minister Lee Kuan Yew till 2002 when he joined the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) as Deputy Secretary. He served concurrently as Chief Executive of Singapore Workforce Development Agency (WDA) from 2003.

Mr Yip was appointed Permanent Secretary of MOM in July 2005. He was concurrently appointed Deputy Chairman of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) in 2008 and became full time Chairman from 2009 to 2014.

Mr Yip was appointed Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in December 2014 and was concurrently appointed as Permanent Secretary, Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) and Permanent Secretary, National Security and Intelligence Coordination (NSIC) in 2016.

Mr Yip relinquished his MHA appointment on 1 September 2017 to become Head, Civil Service and Permanent Secretary, Prime Minister’s Office (Strategy Group).

H.E. Talal Bin Adullah Al-Subaie 

Deputy Director-General of the Performance Department, National Center for Performance Measurement of Public Agencies (Adaa), Saudi Arabia

Experienced strategic leader with over 15 years of expertise in enhancing performance management and developing effective strategies. Skilled at handling complex challenges in high-pressure situations using a balanced mix of technical knowledge and strategic insight. I have led more than 20 successful projects, showcasing strong team leadership, a results-driven approach, and excellent collaborative skills. Effective at communicating with stakeholders at all levels, I excel at building partnerships and driving project success with clear strategic thinking.

Dr Subho Banerjee

Deputy Commissioner, Australian Public Service Commission

Dr Subho Banerjee is the Deputy Commissioner, Head of APS Academy and Capability. Subho is an experienced SES Band 3 officer, with previous Deputy Secretary roles in the Education and Training, Industry and Climate Change portfolios. 

Subho was previously the Deputy CEO, Research and Advisory, at the Australia and New Zealand School of Government, where he worked on public sector reform issues at the interface of academia and practice.  He has previously held visiting and adjunct academic appointments at the ANU and at Griffith University, and has also worked for a private sector management consultancy, and an Indigenous policy think-tank.

Subho holds a BSc and PhD in Physics from ANU.  He also holds Masters qualifications in economic and social history, and environmental change and management, from the University of Oxford, where he was a Rhodes scholar. ​​

Ajman bin Haji Meludin

Permanent Secretary (Civil Service Governance), Prime Minister’s Office, Brunei Darussalam

Mr. Ajman bin Haji Meludin is the Permanent Secretary (Civil Service Governance) at the Prime Minister’s Office, a position he has held since 17th August 2022.

Prior to this appointment, he served as Deputy Permanent Secretary (Vision, Finance and Cabinet) at the Prime Minister’s Office from May 2020 to August 2022. He also held key positions as Deputy Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Home Affairs (November 2017 to May 2020), Commissioner of Labour at the Department of Labour (November 2016 to November 2017), and Senior Administrative Officer at the PENGGERAK Unit, Prime Minister’s Office (2014 to October 2016).

Mr. Ajman bin Haji Meludin holds a Bachelor’s Degree (Honours) in Economics and Mathematics from Universiti Brunei Darussalam in 1999 and a Master’s Degree in Economics from Macquarie University, New South Wales, Australia (2012).

H.E. Youk Bunna

Permanent Secretary of State, Ministry of Civil Service, Cambodia

YOUK Bunna is the Permanent Secretary of State of the Ministry of Civil Service with various responsibilities for public administration reform including functional review and analysis, recruitment, performance-based incentives, salary system reform, evaluation of best public service delivery agencies. He is also the President of the Royal School of Administration and member of the Supreme National Economic Council of the Royal Government of Cambodia.

He has been mostly involved in developing and implementing policies, strategies, regulations and reform activities related to public sector governance, public service delivery, institutional capacity improvement, performance-based management, compensation in the public sector, human resource management and development.

He had held multiple roles and professional activities such as deputy manager of the Secretariat of Public Financial Management Reform Steering Committee, director of the Personnel Department, Ministry of Economy and Finance, legal assistant at the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia (ECCC), national consultant on employment policy and capacity building, lecturer in public administration.

He graduated with Bachelor of law, Maîtrise of public law, Master of public administration (DEA) from Lumière Lyon 2 university, France and Master of Business Administration from Monash University, Melbourne, Australia.

Mr Chan Heng Kee

Permanent Secretary Ministry of Defence; Permanent Secretary (Special Duties), Prime Minister’s Office; Permanent Secretary, National Security and Intelligence Coordination, Singapore

Chan Heng Kee has been the Permanent Secretary (Defence) since December 2019. He is concurrently appointed Permanent Secretary (Prime Minister’s Office) (Special Duties) since May 2025 and Permanent Secretary (National Security and Intelligence Coordination), Prime Minister’s Office since December 2025. He had previously served as Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Social and Family Development and Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports.

Since joining the Singapore Public Service in 1996, he had held different appointments in various public sector organisations. These include the Workforce Development Agency; Civil Service College; Public Service Division, Prime Minister’s Office; Ministry of Manpower; and the former Ministry of Communications.

He holds Master’s and Bachelor’s degrees in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University, as well as a Masters of Business Administration degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Dasho Lobzang Dorji

Commissioner, Royal Civil Service Commission, Bhutan

Dasho Lobzang Dorji is a Commissioner at Bhutan’s Royal Civil Service Commission (RCSC), leading civil service reform to strengthen efficiency, accountability, and public service delivery nationwide. With two decades of experience in public administration, he has held key leadership roles at the Office of the Prime Minister, district governance in Sarpang and Zhemgang, and the Ministry of Health. His work has included inter-agency coordination, local development planning, HR reform, and strategic policy development. He holds an MBA, a Postgraduate Certificate in Financial Management, and a Bachelor of Commerce, and have been instrumental in driving regional development and enhancing institutional performance across government.

Gillian Dorner

Deputy Director, Public Governance Directorate, OECD

Gillian Dorner is Deputy Director in the Public Governance Directorate of the OECD. She has served at the OECD since December 2020, first as Senior Counsellor in the GOV Director’s Office and then as Deputy Director. The Directorate for Public Governance works to help governments at all levels design and implement strategic, evidence-based and innovative policies to strengthen public governance. This includes regulatory policy; open, innovative and digital government; public employment and skills; public sector integrity; budgeting and public expenditures; infrastructure and public procurement, monitoring and evaluation, risk management.

Gillian has an extensive knowledge of the work of the Public Governance Directorate, as well a strong strategic vision of its priorities, having led work to structure and enhance the Directorate’s impact over recent years, including through the design and delivery of the Public Governance Committee’s Building Trust and Reinforcing Democracy Initiative.

Prior to joining the OECD, Gillian served as a UK senior civil servant as Deputy Director Financial Services Regulation at Her Majesty’s Treasury. She also has deep international experience, having represented the UK on multiple boards and committees, including as Vice Chair of the OECD Financial Markets Committee and having held several positions focused on International and EU economic and finance policy, including as an Advisor to the OECD Secretary-General and in several positions in HM Treasury and the UK Cabinet Office, as well as a period on loan to the French Treasury.

Ms Dorner, a British national, holds a Master’s degree in French and European Studies from the University of Edinburgh (UK) and a Diploma in EU Construction from the Institut des Hautes Etudes Internationales (France).

Marie-Chantal Girard

President, Public Service Commission, Canada

Marie-Chantal Girard was appointed President of the Public Service Commission of Canada on January 2, 2024, the organisation dedicated to building tomorrow’s public service that is based on excellence and is representative of Canada’s diversity. It safeguards non-partisanship, promotes and protects merit in all staffing and recruitment-related decisions.

She had previously served as Senior Assistant Deputy Minister, responsible for the negotiations and legislations pertaining to Employee Relations and Total Compensation at the Treasury Board Secretariat of Canada.

Ms. Girard also held several senior leadership positions in the public service to support key policy priorities, program development, and communications in departments centered around economic and labour market development as well as income security support.

Over the course of her career, Ms. Girard has developed a regional, national and international perspective, including as Canada’s representative at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s Regional Development Policy Committee as well as a member of several commercial missions.

Thor Gudjonsson

Deputy Chief Executive, Enabling Services, Public Service Commission, New Zealand

Thor Gudjonsson is Deputy Chief Executive of the Enabling Services group at the Public Service Commission, which provides corporate services including finance, people, digital platforms and other corporate support to enable system leadership. His portfolio focuses on financial and non-financial performance management and the safe, effective adoption of digital and AI capabilities across the Commission.

Before taking up this role, Thor was Deputy Commissioner, System and Agency Performance, advising on chief executive appointments and their subsequent performance management, as well as governance across Crown entities. Earlier in his career, he held Chief Financial Officer roles in the New Zealand Intelligence Community, Ministry of Justice and Ministry for Primary Industries.

Martin Hehir PSM

Deputy Secretary Governance and Corporate, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, Australia

Martin Hehir PSM commenced as Deputy Secretary of the Governance and Corporate Group in January 2024.​ 

Before joining PM&C, Martin was the Deputy Secretary of Workplace Relations, where he led the delivery of key government legislation on workplace relations, family and domestic violence leave, protection of workers’ entitlements, and work health and safety measures.

Martin has held senior roles including Deputy Secretary of Employment Services at the Department of Employment and Deputy Secretary of Schools and Youth at the Department of Education. In these positions, he oversaw the implementation of the Jobactive employment services program and played a pivotal role in developing the Australian Education Act 2013.

Martin has also held leadership positions within the ACT Government, notably as Director-General of the Community Services Directorate.

He holds a degree in Economics from the Australian National University and a Graduate Diploma in Applied Finance and Investment.

Mr Chng Kai Fong

Permanent Secretary (Development), Ministry of Digital Development and Information; and Permanent Secretary (Development)(Smart Nation)(Cybersecurity), Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore

Mr Chng Kai Fong is currently Permanent Secretary (Development) of the Ministry of Digital Development and Information (MDDI) and Permanent Secretary (Development)(Smart Nation (Cybersecurity) in the Prime Minister’s Office.

He was previously the Managing Director of the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) for 4 years between 2017 and 2021. Before EDB, Kai Fong served various roles in the Singapore Public Service, including as Principal Private Secretary to the Prime Minister from 2014 to 2017. He was also seconded to Shell from 2008 to 2010 to Shell’s Downstream Strategy unit.

Kai Fong currently serves on the boards of DBS Group Holdings and DBS Bank, and the Singapore Symphonia Company Limited.

Kai Fong has a Master’s in Engineering from the University of Cambridge, and a Master of Science in Management from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, where he was a Sloan Fellow.

Keit Kasemets

Secretary of State, Estonia

Mr Keit Kasemets is the Secretary of State since 1st February 2025.

Before becoming the Secretary of State, he was the Secretary General of the Ministry of Climate from June 2023.

In 2022-2023, Kasemets was a member of the Council of the Tallinn Center of the Stockholm Environmental Institute.

In 2017–2022, Kasemets was the Head of the European Commission Representation in Estonia. 

From January 2016 to January 2017, Kasemets was the Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Communications, from 2012 to 2015 he worked as the Deputy Head of the SIGMA program in the Public Governance and Territorial Development Directorate of the OECD.

In the years 2001-2012, Kasemets worked in the Government Office of Estonia: starting as the deputy head of the European Integration Office, then as the Director for EU Affairs and after that as the Strategy Director.

He graduated from the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Tartu with a master’s degree in political science.

Keit Kasemets was born on March 24, 1976, in Tallinn.

Ben King

Secretary, Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet, New Zealand

Ben King is Secretary of the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet, a role he commenced in April 2024. As Secretary, Ben:

• provides advice and support to the Governor- General, Prime Minister, and portfolio Ministers
• works with his central agency counterparts in the Public Service Commission and Treasury to support the government to deliver on its priorities across the public sector
• oversees work to build New Zealand’s national security and resilience to risks. He is New Zealand’s lead official for national security and strategic crisis management.

Prior to his role at DPMC, Ben was Deputy Chief Executive (Policy) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT). He has also held various other roles at MFAT, including Deputy Secretary of the Americas and Asia Group. He has been New Zealand’s Ambassador to Thailand and the Foreign Policy Adviser at the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet.

In addition to his posting in Bangkok, Ben has also served at New Zealand missions in Washington DC, Riyadh, and Canberra.

Ben has a Master’s in Public Administration from the John F Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.  Ben was also Student President at the University of Waikato, where he graduated with a Bachelor of Social Sciences (Honours, First Class). 

Joseph Leong

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Digital Development and Information; and Permanent Secretary (Smart Nation)(Cybersecurity), Prime Minister’s Office, Singapore

Mr Leong joined the Singapore Armed Forces in 1990 and served in the Republic of Singapore Navy for 24 years. Mr Leong held several senior positions before taking on his current appointments, including Fleet Commander, Director Military Intelligence and Chief C4I and Director, Security & Intelligence Division. 

Mr Leong is currently the Chairman of the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech) Board.

Mr Leong was previously Permanent Secretary for Defence Development at the Ministry of Defence and concurrently Second Permanent Secretary for Communications and Information. He was Chairman of Defence Science and Technology Agency (DSTA), Defence Science Organisation National Laboratories (DSO-NL) and his past board appointments include Singapore Technologies Engineering Ltd, Housing and Development Board (HDB) and the Civil Service College.

Mr Leong graduated with a Bachelor of Arts (First Class Honours) in Engineering from the University of Cambridge, a Master of Arts from the University of Cambridge as well as a Master of Business Administration from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is also a Fulbrighter and Eisenhower Fellow.

Mr Leong is married to Linda and they have been blessed with four children.

Catherine Little CB

Chief Operating Officer for the Civil Service and Permanent Secretary to the Cabinet Office, United Kingdom

Cat started her career at the accountancy firm PwC, dedicated to Government and Public Sector finances, mainly working in assurance roles. Over more than a decade, Cat worked with clients across Health, Local Government, Higher Education and Central Government sectors.

Cat joined the Civil Service in 2013 first at the Legal Aid Agency where she worked on the digitisation of civil legal aid, and removing the long standing financial accounts qualification as the Director of Finance and Digital.

Cat went on to become the Group Finance Director at the Ministry of Justice overseeing all aspects of financial management and supporting prison reform, courts reform and transformation programmes. In 2017, Cat joined the Board of the Ministry of Defence as Director General Finance. In this role she was the primary financial advisor to ministers, the Defence Board and Accounting Officer and led the finance, commercial and analytical functions across Defence. During this time, Cat led the reform of Defence Acquisition and Procurement as part of the Modernising Defence Programme and instigated the Financial Improvement Programme. Cat led the oversight of the Defence portfolio, and was the Race Champion for the Department.

Cat joined HM Treasury in 2020 as Director General Public Spending. She took on the role of Acting Permanent Secretary in September 2022, and in October 2022 was appointed to Second Permanent Secretary. In this role Cat oversees public spending, international and national security policy. She combines this with her positions as head of the Government Finance Function and Chair of the Finance Leadership Group for Government. Cat is a chartered public finance accountant and represents the UK as a member of IFAC, PAIB and is also a co-opted member of CIPFA Council. Outside of work Cat lives in the Kent North Downs, enjoys running, cycling and walking the dog with her wife Ruth.

Tsedevsuren Lkhagva

Chairwoman, Civil Service Council, Mongolia

Ms.TSEDEVSUREN Lkhagva graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Law and Master’s degree in Public Administration. She also holds a Master’s degree in Law.

Her expertise lies in Public administration, particularly in Public service management. She has completed further professional training in Public administration, legal regulation, and Human resource management in the UK, Germany (2005), the Netherlands (2007), and South Korea (2016).

Her career started as a construction decorator from 1985 to 1987. She began her legal career in 1994 as an assistant to the Minister of Culture and later worked as a legal advisor at the Ministry of Enlightenment and the Ministry of Education, Culture, and Science. In 2004, she became the Director of the Public Administration Department and later served as Director of the Legal Department from 2017 to 2020. She also held the position of State Secretary then Minister at the Ministry of Education and Science from 2020 to 2021. Since January 2024, she has been leading the Civil Service Council of Mongolia.

Harri Martikainen

Director General, Government Strategy Department, Prime Minister’s Office, Finland

Harri Martikainen is a Finnish public servant and social science specialist currently serving as Director General of the Government Strategy Department at the Prime Minister’s Office. He was appointed to this key government leadership role on 2023 for a five-year term, following his tenure as Director of Strategic Steering and Development at the Ministry of the Interior.

He holds a Master’s degree in Social Sciences and has gained broad experience through various roles including Senior Ministerial Adviser, Head of Planning, Ministerial Adviser, and Senior Officer at the Ministry of the Interior. His career began in regional development as Coordinator for Rural Development at the Employment and Economic Development Centre for Satakunta, and as Structural Funds Coordinator at the Ministry of Education.

The Government Strategy Department is responsible for social policy foresight and planning and the Government’s analysis, assessment and research activities. It also coordinates the national implementation of sustainable development, supports the Government’s strategy work, reports on Government policy, and supports the Government in cross-administrative tasks requiring an understanding of the overall situation. The Director General manages the Department’s operations and is responsible for ensuring the effective discharge of its tasks and for the medium-term sustainability assessment of social policy.

Expertise: Strategic governance, social policy foresight, sustainable development, regional planning and security.

Louise May

Senior Managing Director, Health & Public Service Lead, ANZ, Accenture

Louise May is the Senior Managing Director of Accenture’s Health & Public Service business. She leads a team of dedicated professionals who assist businesses and government agencies across Australia and New Zealand, providing expertise in business and digital transformation, strategy, applied intelligence, industry and functional consulting.

Louise has over 30 years experience working with clients in Australia, New Zealand, Singapore and the US.  Working on projects and initiatives that focus on enterprise transformation, combining technology acceleration, process improvement and strategic change management to deliver improved staff and customer experiences and better outcomes.   Her success invariably includes working with clients and teams to build commitment and buy-in to the transformation strategy and to mobilise the team to execute on that vision.

With a strong background in change management and business architecture and a keen interest in the transformative power of technology, Louise is drawn to projects that have impact and has spent much of her career working with government and health organisations.  She now enjoys helping Australian and New Zealand clients and building a local workforce of skilled practitioners to support these clients.

Louise is a mother of 2, an enthusiastic gardener and practices yoga.  She is passionate about the environment and supporting inclusion and diversity in the workforce.

Louise holds a Bachelor of Science Hon (Statistics) from the University of Melbourne and is a member of Chief Executive Women (CEW).

Ms. Maha Masoud Al Marri

Director of the Institute of Public Administration, Civil Service and Government Development Bureau, Qatar

Maha Masoud Al-Marri serves as the Director of the Institute of Public Administration at the Civil Service and Government Development Bureau since 2023, where she leads a strategic transformation redefining the institute’s role as a national enabler for government talent development.

She founded the Future Skills Office in partnership with the World Economic Forum as a national platform for anticipating and developing future skills for the digital economy and launched the Kafaa AI Academy with Coursera to upskill government employees in artificial intelligence, technology, and future-focused competencies.

She has led strategic local and global partnerships that have strengthened knowledge transfer, enhanced national training programs, and elevated government human capital. Under her leadership, the institute has also expanded its research and knowledge role, producing studies and publications on institutional transformation and the use of artificial intelligence in the public sector.

Before her current role, she served as Director of Training and Career Development at the Bureau, and previously as Director of the Career Development Center at Qatar University, where she developed national programs for talent development and employability.

Simone Morandi

Senior Managing Director, SEA, Greater China, India and ANZ Lead, Accenture Song

Simone Morandi, based in Singapore, is a Senior Managing Director at Accenture, leading SONG in SEA, India, China and ANZ. Originally from Italy, Simone approaches his work with a ‘super global and super local’ mindset, aiming to blend international insights with local understanding. With a strong background in FMCG and Retail, Simone is deeply passionate about innovation and transformation, firmly believing in the power of teamwork to achieve goals.

Simone is married and a proud father of four boys, finding a balance between his professional and personal life while also emphasizing corporate social responsibility.

Innocent Bagamba Muhizi

High Commissioner of the Republic of Rwanda in Singapore

Innocent Bagamba Muhizi is the High Commissioner of the Republic of Rwanda in Singapore, accredited on 17th November 2025. Before his appointment, he served as the Chief Executive Officer of the Rwanda Information Society Authority (RISA), a public institution mandated to drive Rwanda’s digital agenda, where he spearheaded Rwanda’s e-governance, ICT skills development, cybersecurity, the adoption of new technologies and ICT infrastructure development.

An IT engineer by training, High Commissioner Muhizi holds a Master of Science in Information Technology from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, and a dual bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Systems & Business Management from Laroche University in Pittsburgh, USA.

High Commissioner Muhizi is a technology and business executive with around twenty years of experience in both the public and private sectors, notably in banking. Before joining RISA, he served as the regional Chief Information Officer (CIO) for Access Holdings Bank, where he led digital transformation across their outlets in Rwanda, Zambia and Liberia. He was also CIO and Head of Transactional Banking Services at I&M Bank Rwanda, where he played a pivotal role in launching Rwanda’s first e-tax services in collaboration with the Rwanda Revenue Authority. A devout Christian, High Commissioner Muhizi is married with two daughters and two sons.

Ryan Oakes

Global Health and Public Services Industry Practice Chair, Accenture

Ryan Oakes is Accenture’s global Health and Public Services industry practices chair. He is also a member of Accenture’s Global Management Committee.

In his more than 25 years at Accenture, Ryan has supported government and education clients in meeting their vital missions to educate, protect, nurture, and serve. His previous roles include leading the Global Public Sector, Global Human Services, and the North America Education practices.

Over his career he has worked with national, state, county and city governments, and universities around the world, helping them reimagine and redesign solutions for the digital age; design and implement complex, largescale and mission-critical solutions; and drive change across technology and service delivery.

Ryan also serves as a board member for the Business and Higher Education Forum, a non-profit focused on skilling diverse workforces in partnership between the business and education community. Ryan works with the NYC CEO Jobs Council to design and implement strategies for creating new pathways for underserved talent.

Ryan has a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and Government from Connecticut College.

Lord Gus O’Donnell

Former Cabinet Secretary and Head of the Civil Service, United Kingdom

Gus O’Donnell served Prime Ministers Tony Blair, Gordon Brown and David Cameron as Cabinet Secretary and Head of Civil Service from 2005 to 2011. He stood down from this position at the end of 2011 and was appointed to the House of Lords in January 2012. He played a leading role in the preparations for the 2010 election, which eventually resulted in the formation of the UK’s first coalition government since the Second World War. He was awarded the CB, KCB and GCB for his services to government.

Prior to his role as Cabinet Secretary, Lord O’Donnell served as Permanent Secretary of the UK Treasury from 2002 -2005 and as Press Secretary to Prime Minister John Major from 1990-1994 .

From 1997-98, he was the UK Executive Director on the boards of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank.

Lord O’Donnell spent most of his career with HM Treasury. In 1999 he was appointed Managing Director of Macroeconomic Policy and International Finance and was responsible for fiscal policy, international development, and European Union Economic and Monetary Union. During this period, he oversaw the production of the ‘five tests’ analysis for whether the UK should join the Euro.

He studied Economics at Warwick University and then Nuffield College, Oxford, before lecturing in political economy at the University of Glasgow. He has honorary doctorates from Warwick and Glasgow Universities.

Sir Brian Roche

Public Service Commissioner, New Zealand

Sir Brian became New Zealand’s Public Service Commissioner in November 2024, bringing to the role extensive experience in governance and leadership roles in the public and private sectors across a broad range of sectors.

He started his career as an accountant and was a senior partner at PriceWaterhouseCoopers before becoming the CEO of the New Zealand Post Group.

Sir Brian currently serves on several boards including Timberland Limited and the Hugh Green Group Limited.

He was awarded a Knight Companion of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2016 for services to the State and business.

Samuel J. Rose

Cabinet Secretary, Cayman Islands

Appointed Cabinet Secretary in February 2013, Mr Rose leads the Cabinet Office in providing politically neutral advice to the Premier and elected Government, while driving the coordination, communication and execution of cross-government public sector policy. He is frequently tasked with overseeing major local, regional and international initiatives, and directly reports to the Governor, Premier and Deputy Governor. 

As Chief Officer to the Premier and a senior strategic leader, Mr Rose provides executive oversight across a broad portfolio of key departments, including the Office of the Premier, the Department of Communications, the Cayman Islands Government Office in the UK, Radio Cayman, Hazard Management Cayman Islands and the Cayman Islands Weather Service.

Having commenced his distinguished civil service career in 2003, Mr Rose is a committed advocate for people-centered policy development. He holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the University of Texas, Arlington and is an internationally recognised proponent of Caymanian culture, heritage and identity.

Dr Martin Rushwaya

Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Republic of Zimbabwe

Dr Martin Rushwaya is the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet of the Republic of Zimbabwe. He was appointed to this position in 2023. As the Chief Secretary, Dr Rushwaya is Head of the Civil Service, Secretary to Cabinet, Chief Administrator and Advisor to His Excellency the President of the Republic of Zimbabwe, Dr. Emmerson D. Mnangagwa. Being Head of the Civil Service, he provides strategic leadership, oversight and guidance to all Permanent Secretaries of Ministries, in planning and implementation of policies, programmes and projects.

Prior to the current appointment, he held the following positions in Government;

• Deputy Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet responsible for Finance, Administration and Human Resources;
• Permanent Secretary for the Ministry of Defence;
• Provincial Administrator; and
• District Administrator among others.

Dr M. Rushwaya is a seasoned and experienced Senior Public Sector Official in Zimbabwe, with over 30 years of experience in solving complex challenges and providing transformational and results-based leadership in Government at both Sub-National and National Levels. He is also a team leader capable of building strategic partnerships within and outside the Public Sector.

Dr Piyawat Sivaraks

Secretary-General, Office of the Civil Service Commission (OCSC), Thailand

As the Secretary General of the Office of the Civil Service Commission, Dr.Sivaraks oversees human resource management and development policies across 19 ministries. In response to Thailand’s National Strategy, his responsibilities extend to strengthening human capital, and public sector rebalancing and development. He has introduced new forms of public employment to better respond to a rapidly changing context as well as to achieve the national development goal of building a more agile, results-oriented public sector that prioritizes public interest.

Dr.Sivaraks is a well-honed speaker with extensive experience, presenting at international conferences. He was also the team leader for the 20th ASEAN Cooperation on Civil Service Matters (ACCSM) during Thailand’s chairmanship. In addition, he has authored several academic publications, including “Digital Transformation and the Civil Service: Agility in Action” in the ASEAN Magazine in 2020 and “Civil Service System in Thailand” in the book Public Administration in Southeast Asia: Thailand, Philippines, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Macao.

In recognition of his exemplary contributions, he received the Prime Minister’s Award for Outstanding Civil Service Official in 2001, the Outstanding Thai Government Scholarship Student Award from the Association of the Thai Government Scholarship Students in 2022, and the Personnel Management Association of Thailand (PMAT) HR Award in 2025.

Rt. Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin

Speaker of Parliament, Ghana

Rt Hon. Alban Sumana Kingsford Bagbin is a teacher, lawyer, politician, statesman and a results-oriented transformational leader. He was elected Speaker of the Eighth Parliament of the Fourth Republic of Ghana on 7th January 2021. This made him the first person in Ghana’s history to become Speaker of Parliament from a political party that was neither in government nor controlled the majority of seats in Parliament. In 2024, after his party, the National Democratic Congress (NDC), was elected to power, the Rt Hon. Bagbin was again elected Speaker of the Ninth Parliament, an office he currently occupies.

The Rt Hon. Bagbin has notably served as Legal Counsel on the ongoing transformation of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), as Vice President of CPA from 2021 to August 2022, and as past President of CPA from 25th August 2022 to 6th October 2023. He is the current President for the Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of African Legislators (CoSPAL).

In recent times, he has championed the revision of the Standing Orders of Parliament to make the Institution more open, accountable and responsive to democratic values. He has also pioneered the Code of Conduct for Members of Parliament and, again, instituted the National Integrity Awards Scheme to highlight and reinforce INTEGRITY as a fundamental value of governance.

He was called to the Bar as a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of Ghana in 1982 and engaged in private legal practice between 1983 and 1993. In between those years, he travelled to Libya, where he taught English at a high school before proceeding to the Netherlands, Belgium and the United Kingdom. He returned to Ghana in 1986 to become a Partner and later rose to Senior Partner at Akyem Chambers, a firm of Advocates, Solicitors and Public Notaries in Accra. He later established a modern, cutting-edge law firm, the Law Trust, in 1994. With two other partners, the firm’s work ethic and reputation attracted the best law students who were called to the Bar in Ghana to do their pupillage under the tutelage of Rt Hon. Bagbin. He served as the firm’s Managing Partner until 2001, when his duties as the Opposition Leader in Ghana prevented him from continuing to manage the firm.

TAN Gee Keow

Permanent Secretary, Public Service Division, Singapore

Ms Tan Gee Keow is the Permanent Secretary of the Public Service Division, Prime Minister’s Office.

Prior to this, Ms Tan was the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth. She has also served as Deputy Secretary of Strategy Group in the Prime Minister’s Office, and the Deputy Secretary (Policy) at the Ministry of the Environment and Water Resources. In her public service career, she has also been in various government agencies such as the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Defence, the Central Singapore Community Development Council, Public Service Commission Secretariat, and the Ministry of Finance.

Ms Tan graduated from the London School of Economics and Political Science with a Bachelor of Science in Economics. She obtained her Master of Philosophy in Economics from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, and a Master of Science in Management at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business. #

Ms Tan is also Chairman of the Civil Service College (CSC).

Sonam Tobgye

Director, Office of the Prime Minister, Bhutan

Mr. Sonam Tobgye currently serves as the Chief of Staff to the Hon’ble Prime Minister and Director in the Office of the Prime Minister, Royal Government of Bhutan.

He began his civil service career in 2006 as an Assistant Program Officer in the Cabinet Secretariat, having been selected through the Royal Civil Service Commission examination and following the completion of a one-year Postgraduate Certificate in Development Management at the Royal Institute of Management. He has the rare distinction of serving closely under all four democratically elected Prime Ministers, representing different political parties, within the Prime Minister’s Office.

Over the course of his career, Sonam has held several key positions in the Cabinet Secretariat. These include serving as Private Secretary to the second Prime Minister from 2014 to 2018 and as Project Manager for the Electric Vehicle Initiative from 2021 to 2022. Most recently, he has been instrumental in conceptualizing and operationalizing the Bhutan Innovation Lab under the Prime Minister’s Office. He also spearheads public service delivery reforms and played a pivotal role in establishing Bhutan’s first Integrated Public Service Center in Thimphu.

Sonam has 19 years of professional experience in Bhutan’s civil service. He holds a Master of Public Policy, with a specialization in Economic Policy, from the Australian National University, Canberra. During his time in Australia, he also founded the Australia–Bhutan Association of Canberra Inc (ABAC).

He is married to Kelzang Lhamo, and they have a daughter. In his free time, he enjoys reading and playing soccer.

Amartugs Tsenddavaa

Chairperson of the Ethics Committee of Mongolia

Mrs.Amartugs Tsenddavaa has been Member of the Civil Service Council of Mongolia since 2022 and is currently appointed as Chairperson of the Ethics Committee of Mongolia, while holding the position of Member at the Civil Service Council of Mongolia.

She has over 28 years of extensive service in the Mongolian civil service, holds a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Flinders University, and has recently completed her doctoral studies, earning a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

She began her career in the Mongolian civil service in 1998, serving as a specialist at the Labor Coordination Agency of Mongolia. In 2020, she joined the Civil Service Council of Mongolia as Director of Public Administration and Head of the Office.

Appointed by the State Great Hural (Parliament) of Mongolia as a Permanent Member, she focuses on upholding the integrity of public policy management and promoting a culture of ethical governance within the civil service.

Mahesh Uttamchandani

Regional Practice Director for Digital and AI, East Asia and Pacific (EAP), World Bank

Mahesh Uttamchandani is the World Bank’s Regional Practice Director for Digital and AI in East Asia and Pacific (EAP) and South Asia (SAR) regions. In this capacity, he oversees the World Bank’s lending, advisory and knowledge programs in the area of digital transformation in all EAP and SAR countries and is a member of the Regional Leadership Teams for both EAP and SAR.

Mr. Uttamchandani joined the World Bank in April 2006, as Senior Counsel in the Legal Vice Presidency. He has since held various positions in both the World Bank and International Finance Corporation, including Global Manager for Financial Inclusion & Infrastructure where he led the Bank’s work on expanding access to finance through digital financial services and the financial sector aspects of digital ID and digital payments.

Prior to joining the Bank, Mr. Uttamchandani worked at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development in London, UK and as a commercial litigator at a leading law firm in Toronto, Canada. Mr. Uttamchandani has taught and lectured at universities around the world and has published extensively, including key World Bank publications on fintech and as an author in the World Bank’s flagship World Development Report, 2022.

Didi Esther Walson-Jack

Head of the Civil Service of the Federation, Nigeria

Mrs Didi Esther Walson-Jack, who was appointed the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation of Nigeria in August 2024 after 33 years of public service, began her career in the Civil Service as a State Counsel in the Rivers State Ministry of Justice, Nigeria.

In a career that has seen her traverse the Public Service of two States, two arms of government, and ultimately, two tiers of government, Mrs Didi Walson-Jack stands out as the only person in Nigeria to have served a State Government in the Offices of Solicitor-General and Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Justice; Deputy Chief of Staff; Hon. Commissioner of Science and Technology, and Manpower Development; and Chief of Staff, all in the service of the people and Government of Bayelsa State. Mrs Didi Walson-Jack joined the Nigerian Federal Civil Service in 2009 and rose through the directorate ranks before being appointed a Permanent Secretary in 2017. She served as Permanent Secretary of the Service Welfare Office in the Office of the Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (OHCSF), the Ministries of Niger Delta Affairs, Power; Water Resources and Sanitation, Education; and the Special Duties Office in the OHCSF.

Mrs Walson-Jack holds a Bachelor of Laws degree from the University of Lagos and was called to the Nigerian Bar in 1987. Her expertise in Legislative Drafting and her certification as a Mediator, Conflict Resolution and Peace-building practitioner has been brought to bear on her work in the Civil Service.

She is a Member of Nigeria’s prestigious National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies (mni). In 2023, she was awarded Nigeria’s National honour of Officer of the Order of the Niger (OON).

Mrs Walson-Jack is the author of one of the best-selling books, “Roses in the Thorns”, an autobiography and a true story of resilience and the triumph of faith over adversity.

Mr. Azamat Zholmanov

Rector, Academy of Public Administration, Kazakhstan 

Mr. Azamat Zholmanov, born on May 15, 1985, in Satpayev, Karaganda region, is the Rector of the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan. He graduated from the L.N. Gumilyev Eurasian National University in 2007 and obtained a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan in 2012.

He has more than 16 years of total professional experience, including over 6 years in public service. His career began at the Ministry of Agriculture of the Republic of Kazakhstan. He subsequently held a number of senior research and managerial positions at the Academy of Public Administration, including Deputy Director of its Research Institute and Director of the Academy’s Karaganda regional branch.

Since 2020, Mr. Zholmanov has worked at the Agency of the Republic of Kazakhstan for Civil Service Affairs, where he served as Director of the Department of Strategic Development and International Programs and, from February 7, 2022, as Deputy Chairman of the Agency for Civil Service Affairs. On February 27, 2025, he was appointed Rector of the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan.

He is fluent in Kazakh and Russian and English. Mr. Zholmanov is married and has three children. In 2022, he was awarded the commemorative medal “30 Years of the Judicial System of the Republic of Kazakhstan.”

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Ms Teoh Zsin Woon

Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, Singapore

Ms Teoh Zsin Woon is the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth in Singapore.

Prior to her current role, she was Permanent Secretary (Development) in Public Service Division (PSD) and Permanent Secretary (Development) in the Ministry of National Development.

In PSD, Zsin Woon drives public sector transformation, workforce development and HR policies and systems across the Public Service. She also drives the integration of public services to serve citizens better, through an omni-channel system.

During her stint in the Ministry of National Development, Zsin Woon oversees efforts to promote housing accessibility and affordability, the rejuvenation and upgrading of public housing estates, delivery of municipal issues and international cooperation.

Zsin Woon has also done previous postings in the Ministry of the Environment, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Manpower, Workforce Development Agency, People’s Association, Ministry of Health and Ministry of National Development.

Siobhan Benita

Facilitator, Global Government Forum

Siobhan was a senior civil servant in the UK with more than 15 years’ Whitehall experience. She worked in many of major delivery departments, including Transport, Environment, Health and Local Government. She also had senior roles at the heart of government in the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury, including supporting the then Cabinet Secretary, Lord O’Donnell, to lead work on civil service reform and strategy. Siobhan left to run as an independent candidate in the Mayor of London election. She subsequently joined her alma mater, Warwick University, as Chief Strategy Officer of Warwick in London and Co-Director of the Warwick Policy Lab.

Richard Johnstone

Executive Editor, Global Government Forum

Richard Johnstone is the executive editor of Global Government Forum, where he helps to produce editorial analysis and insight for the title’s audience of public servants around the world. Before joining GGF, he spent nearly five years at UK-based title Civil Service World, latterly as acting editor, and has worked in public policy journalism throughout his career.