Our Board & Advisors

Dr. S Sathya Moorthy S Subramaniam (late)

Founder

Dr. Sathya Moorthy is a Malaysian of Indian origin, who has been working in China since 1989, having been involved in high-profile projects with the Chinese government. Mr. Moorthy is also the advisor to the China Foreign Expert Bureau, the Director of China National High-tech Development Zone, and the Advisor to the Hunan Personnel Organizing Committee. He is also on the board of the National Development and Reform Committee on Healthcare. He was appointed as the Chairman of the China-India Business Council, to develop education, policy initiatives, and business collaboration between China and India. He has spent the last twenty-odd years setting up international education linkages between China and foreign countries, and has established Chinese learning institutes overseas in foreign countries. He worked with Cambridge and Oxford universities to publish English-language learning materials for the Chinese education system and established training programs for government servants with the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University, and Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. He was awarded the China-Friendship Award for his valuable contributions towards social development in China. He has attempted to understand deeply the issues and problems in terms of pre-pandemic and post-pandemic, taking into account climate change occurrences and finding solutions to address the above-mentioned dilemmas, leading to the inception of CESDAsia.

Adj. Prof. Datuk Lim Sue Beng

Chairman

Datuk Lim Sue Beng received his B.Sc. in Civil Engineering from King’s College, University of London, and his M.B.A. from the Cranfield School of Management. Datuk Lim also serves as Adjunct Professor and Managing Director of Griffin Education Group, which is a major shareholder of Griffin College, Ireland. He has a diverse professional background, ranging from project management, property development, construction, investment, hotel management and hospitality, education, co-operative micro-financing, trading and serving as Sub-Lieutenant (Rtd) in the Royal Malaysian Navy Reserves. He has been instrumental in developing mass transport initiatives in Malaysia to Indonesia playing an integral role in environmental sustainability projects such as the IMT-GT Green Initiative Street Lightings Energy Efficiency Project and bioplastic industry with sustainable forest management. Datuk Lim volunteers his time with various humanitarian organizations, including United World College of South East Asia Foundation, World Youth Foundation, Science of Life Studies 24/7, Green Growth Asia Foundation, and a former South East Asian Advisor to the Principal of King’s College, University of London. Internationally, he is the Chief Representative of Invest Melaka and the Malaysia-China Friendship Association to Jiangsu and Hunan Provinces, respectively, participating as the Honorary Advisor of the 8th World Chinese Economic Summit 2016 held in Melaka.

Dato' Andy Zhao Guangming

Advisor

Dato Andy is currently serving as the Executive Vice President of Eurasian United International Economic and Cultural Cooperation Center, as well as being the Executive Vice President of the China-Asia Economic Development Association. He has held the position of the Managing Director of CRCC Malaysia Berhad, overseeing its global business operations in South East Asia. He is Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Building (UK) with nearly three decades of international experience in project management, construction and operation of high-rises, railways, urban transits, bridges and expressways. He has an established track record in high profile projects such as the National Grand Theatre and the 2008 Beijing Olympics Village (China), Al Mashaaer Al Mugaddassah Metro (Saudi Arabia), G-Tower (Thailand), Four Seasons Place. ETS (Gemas-JB) and ECRL (Malaysia).

Tan Sri Ong Tee Keat

Principal Advisor

Tan Sri Ong Tee Keat is the President of the Herald Vision Foundation Malaysia (or Yayasan Bakti Nusa Foundation). The NGO was founded in 1999 and later evolved into an entity of public diplomacy and studies on regional dynamics. ONG Tee Keat (knighted with the Malaysian royal honorifics awards Tan Sri and Datuk ), the founder of both think tank outfits of The Centre for New Inclusive Asia (CNIA) and the Belt and Road Initiative Caucus for Asia Pacific (BRICAP), is a multi-faceted personality well equipped with knowledge, connectivity and experience in such sectors as mechanical engineering, geopolitics, Chinese language creative writing and political commentary writing in both Chinese and English. Prior to the founding of his think tanks in Malaysia, he envisions the necessity for new value creation in shaping a new Asia characterized with openness and inclusiveness in the globalized world. Such ideals are rooted in his 25-year long experience in the Malaysian federal politics through such portfolios as Minister, Deputy Minister and Deputy Speaker of Dewan Rakyat (Lower House) of Parliament. Parallel to this, on the international front, he had once been elected to the Executive Council of the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA), representing the South East Asian region. Currently he continues to actively contribute to the development of inter-nations, inter-regions bilateral relations through trade, public diplomacy, culture and arts, especially in the Asia-Pacific region. 

Mr. Moses Manoharan

Advisor

Moses Manoharan is Chairman of the Global Dialogue Group, that includes Global Dialogue Forum, India’s only international think tank, Global Dialogue Review foreign affairs journal and Global Dialogue TV. Previously, he served for nearly two decades in Reuters. Born and raised in Singapore, he took Indian citizenship as a teenager. He has a Masters degree in English Literature and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. He is conversant in Mandarin, Malay, Bahasa Indonesia, Tamil and Hindi, with French being his second language at Madras Christian College. At Reuters, the world’s premier news organization, he reached an unrivalled, all round proficiency in political, economic, sports and diplomacy.

Mr. Terry Ghani

Advisor

Through his Sydney-based humanity.ink foundation, Terry elicits global positive change through a two-pronged strategy: by helping to inspire more youthful change makers to seek and solve humanity’s challenges; and by challenging public and private sector leaders to embrace a more conscious approach to capitalism by curating and showcasing breakthrough technologies that deliver sustainable solutions and inspire conscious development. As a successful entrepreneur in the world of strategic communications for global brands and progressive governments, Terry brings with him over 40 years of international business & brand development and in the more recent years, the business of sustainability. An advocate of of conscious leadership, Terry inspires leaders to capitalise on sustainable business practices that deliver sustained profit for all stakeholders, including the people and the planet. As a recognised TEDx & International Keynote speaker, Terry leverages on the world stage to further the cause of sustainable development through conscious capitalism.

Dato' Ramesh Kodammal

Principal Advisor

Dato’ Ramesh Kodammal is currently serving as Chairman of the ASEAN-India Economic Council, under the aegis of the ASEAN Economic Club, as well as being the Chairman of Goldtex Group of Companies, a company which he founded since 1973 specializing in import & export of garments and textiles, as well as manufacturing of home furnishings. He has served as the Chairman of ASEAN-India Business Council Malaysian Chapter (AIBC) from 2013-2024, appointed directly by the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) of Malaysia. He is a Council Member for the Malaysia Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (MAICCI), and a key Member of the Malaysia National Committee for Pacific Economic Cooperation (MANCPEC). He actively promotes the interests of the business community between ASEAN-India and he has been actively involved in the visits by Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi to Malaysia as part of this initiative. He has actively participated in various international forums and seminars representing Malaysia as a moderator and speaker. Among the posts which Dato’ Ramesh has held previously include the Deputy President of Kuala Lumpur Selangor Indian Chambers of Commerce (KLSCCI), Vice President of Malaysia Associate Indian Chambers & Industries and Treasurer of National Chambers of Commerce and Industries of Malaysia (NCCIM). He currently still holds various positions in other NGOs.

Dr. Seshadri Ramanujan Chari

Advisor
Dr. Seshadri Chari is a distinguished academic and expert in strategic, defense, and foreign policy matters, with a comprehensive background in research, teaching, and policy advisory. He serves as a member of the Governing Council at Research & Information Systems (RIS), an autonomous body under India’s Ministry of External Affairs. His academic qualifications include a B. Com, L.L.B., and M.A. in History from Mumbai Vidyapeeth (Bombay University), as well as a PhD from Manipal University (MAHE), Chairman of the China Study Centre and the Centre for Indo-Pacific Studies, in addition to being a member of the Planning & Monitoring Board. Dr. Chari holds the position of Professor Emeritus at Savitribai Phule Pune University, and was formerly the Ministry of Defence Chair Professor in the Department of Defense & Strategic Studies. In the policy domain, Dr. Chari serves as Secretary General of the Forum for Integrated National Security (FINS), and holds leadership positions at the Institute of National Security Studies and the Chronicle Society of India for Education & Academic Research. He has extensive experience in foreign policy, having been the Convener of the Foreign Policy Cell for the BJP and editor of the English weekly Organiser from 1992 to 2004. He worked as a consultant for the UNDP in Southern Sudan between 2006 and 2009, focusing on governance projects like capacity building for political parties, constitution drafting, and promoting women’s participation in post-conflict democratic processes.

Prof. Dr. Aruna Gopinath

Advisor
Prof. Dr. Aruna Gopinath is a distinguished academic and expert in Southeast Asian politics, Philippine politics, gender studies, and conflict resolution. Her work in conflict resolution and peace processes, particularly in the Philippines, earned her numerous honors, including being named one of the Great Women Leaders of the 21st Century by the International American Educational Biographical Board in 2005 and Woman of the Year for Malaysia in 2011. She was also awarded the Ambassador for Peace title by the UN in 2012. Prof. Aruna had a long academic career, teaching at the University of Malaya and later serving as a Senior Fellow and Consultant at the National Defense University of Malaysia. she was awarded the Southeast Asian Visiting Professor’s grant to teach at the University of Hanoi, Vietnam. She served as a Visiting Professor at the Center of South and Southeast Asian Studies, University of Madras in 2003 and the University of Cairo, Egypt in 2006.  She was a Fulbright Hays Scholar which took her to Cornell University, George Washington University, and the American University. She was the recipient of the prestigious British Chevenning Award which took her to Oxford, Cambridge, SOAS, Hull, and University of Warwicks at Coventry. She held visiting professorships at several prestigious institutions, including the Australian National University. She has published 6 books, 250 articles, and 4 monographs, and presented over 250 papers at international conferences, and is proficient in 9 languages. 

Dr. Rajan Sudesh Ratna

Chief Economic Advisor

Dr. Rajan Sudesh Ratna is working as an Economic Affairs Officer in South and South-West Office of UN ESCAP, New Delhi since August 2018. He worked in Trade, Investment and Innovation Division of UN ESCAP, Bangkok from July 2012 to August 2018. He has been working in the areas of research, policy advisory and capacity building on economic, environment and social pillars of sustainable development goals. He has also been providing technical assistance to ESCAP members in formulating development-oriented trade and investment policies and how to successfully negotiate trade and investment agreements.

During 2008 to 2010, he worked as Professor and Head, Centre for WTO Studies, Indian Institute of Foreign Trade, New Delhi. Dr Ratna is a former civil servant and worked for 25 years in the Government of India, mostly in the Ministry of Commerce handling trade policy issues and trade negotiations in WTO and FTAs. He negotiated the Uruguay and Doha Round negotiations in WTO and India’s Free Trade Agreements. He also formulated India’s Foreign Trade Policy and the Duty-Free Quota Free Scheme for LDCs. He has written many books on WTO, Regional Trade Agreements; Trade Facilitation and Poverty Reduction; Rules of Origin; Mainstreaming Gender through Trade Policy; has contributed chapters in several edited books and published several papers in peer reviewed journals.

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