Beng Seng has extensive experience in the financial services sector. He was with the Monetary Authority of Singapore from 1973 to 1998 where he held various positions, spanning from monetary policy to banking supervision and financial sector development. His last appointment at MAS was Deputy Managing Director responsible for banking supervision and financial sector development.

After leaving MAS in 1998, Beng Seng was appointed an Advisor to the International Monetary Fund to assist in the reform of Thailand's financial sector, from 1998 to 2000.

Prior to joining Octagon, Beng Seng was the Deputy President of Singapore's United Overseas Bank Ltd (UOB), a leading banking group in the country. He was responsible for UOB's Risk Management, Operations, Information Technology, Delivery Channels and Corporate Services. He was a member of the Executive Committee, and sat in all the various management committees of the Bank. Beng Seng played a key role in UOB's 2001 acquisition of Overseas Union Bank, which is to-date Singapore's largest M&A transaction. As the Director of Integration following the merger Beng Seng successfully led the operational integration of the 2 banks ahead of schedule in a record 8 months to derive synergies from the acquisition.

Beng Seng is a member of the Expert Committee, formed by the China Banking Association under the auspices of the China Banking Regulatory Commission, to provide advice and guide the development of the Chinese banking professional certification program.

Beng Seng holds a Bachelor of Commerce (First Class Honours) from the former Nanyang University, Singapore and a Master of Business Administration from Columbia University, New York, USA.

Michael brings with him both private sector and regulatory experiences. Prior to joining Octagon, Michael was Executive Vice President, International at United Overseas Bank, a leading banking group in Singapore. He was responsible for the governance and administration of UOB's banking business and operations outside Singapore, including maintaining relationships with regional bank regulators. Michael was also involved in developing the bank's business outside Singapore both organically and via acquisitions. He was a key member of the team for the evaluation of acquisition opportunities in the region, including due diligence efforts and execution. Michael was responsible for the integration of the overseas operations during the merger between UOB and Overseas Union Bank in 2002.

Michael held positions at the Monetary Authority of Singapore, including Senior Deputy Director (Domestic Institutions and Development). His responsibilities included the supervision of domestic banks and financial institutions, the development of Singapore as a financial centre and the development of Singapore's financial payment infrastructure.

Michael also has experience in the securities industry. He was an institutional stock broker with a leading Singapore securities company and was the Executive Vice President of Singapore's Central Depository, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Stock Exchange of Singapore (now Singapore Exchange).

As a key member of Octagon Advisor's consulting team, Michael leads the firm's corporate and business strategy practice. He has advised several of our clients on their strategies to participate in various financial services markets in Asia including identification of strategic opportunities and opportunities for alliances.. He has also successfully undertaken and overseen a number of consulting projects for Asian banks and financial institutions in the areas of Basel II, enterprise risk management and internal control organization and process reviews and development of consumer banking and wealth management businesses.

Michael graduated from the National University of Singapore with a First Class Honours degree in Business Administration. He is also a holder of the Chartered Financial Analyst charter.

Before joining Octagon, David was the Executive Vice President for Risk Management & Compliance at Singapore's United Overseas Bank (UOB), the country's leading banking group. Responsible for all aspects of UOB's risk management & compliance functions, David drove the bank's policies on Credit, Market and Operational Risks, Quantitative Research, Compliance and collections. David was also head of UOB's Steering Committee to implement the systems and processes necessary for Basel II compliance, and a member of the bank's Asset/Liability Committee.

As a senior risk management practitioner in Singapore, David also participated in various industry committees. He chaired the Market Risk Task Force of the Association of Banks in Singapore (ABS) and was also a member of ABS' Risk Management Standing Committee.

David was previously a member of the senior management team at the Singapore International Monetary Exchange (SIMEX, now part of the Singapore Exchange), and last held the position of Senior Vice President, Regulatory and Risk Management, responsible for the supervision of the broking and trading members of the Exchange and the management of SIMEX's clearing house and overall risk exposure. In an earlier appointment with SIMEX, he was the Senior Vice President of Business Planning, and was responsible for the Exchange's strategic planning and new product development. David has also held positions with the Monetary Authority of Singapore and the Australian operations of UOB.

As lead of Octagon Advisors' risk management practice, David has successfully undertaken and overseen a number of consulting projects for large regional banks in the areas of Basel II, internal credit rating model development and validation, market risk management, asset liability management, and funds transfer pricing.

David holds a First Class Honours degree in Psychology from the University of Birmingham, UK and an MBA from the Australian Graduate School of Management at the University of New South Wales. He is also a holder of the Chartered Financial Analyst charter.

Prior to joining Octagon Advisors, Poh Kiat was the Senior Vice President and the China Country Officer for Singapore's United Overseas Bank, the country's leading banking group. Based in Hong Kong, Poh Kiat was responsible for UOB's corporate banking relationships in the Greater China region, a key region targeted by the bank for expansion.

Before joining UOB, Poh Kiat held various appointments in Singapore's DBS Bank, with his last held appointment being that of Managing Director and General Manager of DBS Bank's Hong Kong branch. Concurrently, Poh Kiat was also an Executive Director and a member of the Executive Committee of DBS Kwong On Bank, the Supervisory Director of DBS Asia Capital Limited which is the investment banking subsidiary of DBS Bank in Hong Kong. Poh Kiat was also instrumental in the setting up of DBS Securities Hong Kong and had served as its Executive Director in the early 90's.

As a key member of Octagon Advisor's consulting team, Poh Kiat was actively involved in several of our clients' major M & A transactions in the region. Based in Beijing and as Managing Director of Octagon Advisors Shanghai Limited, Poh Kiat has an oversight responsibility for the company's consultancy projects in China.

Poh Kiat holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) degree from the former Nanyang University, Singapore.

Before joining Octagon Advisors’, Say Keong was a First Vice President in Singapore’s United Overseas Bank, the country’s leading banking group, where he headed its Retail Banking Division.  His responsibilities included managing UOB’s mass market retail customer segment, the bank’s deposit product portfolio and also driving the bank’s multi-channel strategy. 

Say Keong also served as a member of the Project Management Office for several strategic projects within UOB, including the Customer Relationship Management (CRM) implementation project where he played a key role in the development of the bank’s CRM Blueprint and was responsible for the implementation of various strategic initiatives as defined in the CRM Blueprint.

In prior UOB appointments, Say Keong served as an IT project manager in the bank’s IT Sector, where he was responsible for the management, design, development, and implementation of various systems, including UOB’s loan origination system, retail electronic delivery channels (ATM, Call Centre, Internet, etc) and risk management systems, as well as IT and process hubbing/rationalization efforts and the review and enhancements of various platforms to meet Basel II requirements.

As a key member of Octagon Advisors’ consulting team, Say Keong successfully managed and completed a number of consulting projects for large regional banks in the areas of Customer Relationship Management, Wealth Management and Basel II.

Say Keong holds a Second Class Upper Honours degree in Computer Science from the National University of Singapore. He also has a Graduate Diploma in Marketing from the Marketing Institute of Singapore.