Alfie Othman

Chief Executive Officer

“Social entrepreneurs are mavericks. But nothing great is achieved without a touch of madness.”

Alfie Othman heads the Singapore Centre for Social Enterprise, raiSE.

Alfie has had a successful banking career of over twelve years in the banking sector. Alongside his private sector work, Alfie has devoted significant time to the public sector and civil society. He founded his own social enterprise and has served as advisor and mentor to many social enterprises in Singapore and in the region.

Before raiSE, Alfie was the Executive Director of the Social Enterprise Association.

Alfie is recognised as a Social Enterprise practitioner within Singapore. Since 2016, Alfie has been appointed as a Fellow at SUSS, providing advice on the emerging Fin Tech phenomenon.

Tham Jierong

Deputy Director

“Social issues are multi-faceted. It is therefore important that policy makers (I supposed that’s me) understand the issues on the ground before taking out a quill to write some fanciful paper.”

Tham Jierong oversees the corporate, social finance, capacity building, and policy & development teams in raiSE.

Prior to raiSE, he sold antique books “pillaged” from the libraries of aristocrats to help finance his university education, before spending a decade of his youth with the Ministry of Finance handling various portfolios from economic (fiscal), security, to land and infrastructure.

Casper Ng

Head, Sector Engagement & Capacity Building

“I am opportunistic about turning possibilities into realities, and the SE ecosystem presents exactly the platform to make this happen.”

Casper Ng oversees the engagement of the SE ecosystem which includes the SE membership base of raiSE, and various partners and stakeholders who help contribute to the development of the sector. In addition, Casper also spearheads capacity building efforts with the aim of growing sustainable and impactful SEs. Before this, Casper served as Head (Social Finance) to oversee the evaluation of grants and investments in raiSE.

Casper’s professional experience spans across the public, private and the people sectors, the latter where he helped pioneer Pumpkin Lab under the National Council of Social Service and led a team in design-led Innovation to bring about human-centred, sustainable and scalable solutions to the social service sector. In the Ministry of Transport, Casper’s key roles were in land transport policy, international relations and organisational excellence. Before joining the social sector, he was the Executive Director in THR 454 Investment Pte Ltd where he managed a number of portfolios, ranging from start-ups, mature companies and properties.

In his personal capacity, Casper serves as the Chairman on the Board of a charity/society.

Apple Hay

Finance

“Yes, listening is more important than speaking. But the key is to listen with understanding and empathy, especially in the social sector.”

Apple Hay was seconded from MSF to oversee the finance and budget functions of raiSE. Her professional experience in external audit coupled with a decade in the Public Sector had built her an excellent foundation in managing financial operations conscientiously. Her fun-loving personality and approachable demeanour allowed her to develop good working relationships in her management of various finance portfolios over the years.

With Apple’s strong accounting knowledge and problem-solving skills, her key roles in MSF included managing and maximising the utility of budget and performing deep-dive analysis into the financials. She also ensured timely reporting of management accounts and worked closely with policy and operation departments by providing insights on financial feasibility of projects.

Jasmine Lim

Finance & Human Resource

“Working in this sector is indeed rewarding. It’s a sector where you get to work with people of different backgrounds with different life stories coming together for a common value, to impact the society.”

Jasmine Lim supports the Finance and HR team at Singapore Centre for Social Enterprise (raiSE) 

Prior to raiSE, Jasmine took up contract jobs in different industries during the school holidays to finance her tertiary education. Upon graduation, she worked as an external auditor.

Jasmine has a heart for the community and holds a strong belief in giving back to society.  

Siti Sarah Binte Zaine

Finance

"What you get by achieving your goals is not as important as what you become by achieving your goals”

Siti Sarah Binte Zaine supports Administrative and Finance, she ensures the smooth operation of raiSE and efficient handling of inquiries.

Prior to raiSE, Sarah worked in government agencies under Corporate Development & Services and has always been inspired by entrepreneurs who have an undeniable urge to make the world a better place.

Subashini Balakrishnan

Corporate Communications

“It is indeed rewarding to be serving a business community with a double bottom line and I am excited about the opportunity I have been given to articulate their value.”

Subashini Balakrishnan leads the development and implementation of marketing strategies to build brand awareness, raise thought leadership and advocate for philanthropic support. With more than 12 years of professional experience in enterprise development roles with a key focus on digital marketing and public communications, Subashini joined raiSE as she wanted to tap on her expertise to contribute to the social enterprise eco-system in a purposeful way.

Harnessing on her experience of having founded a fashion atelier in Singapore, Subashini’s core competencies include integrated communications strategy, brand development, public relations and enterprise development.

Subashini has a keen eye for aesthetics and is passionate about building narratives around raiSE’s key brand messages. Subashini graduated from the University of Queensland with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Computer Science.

Koh Wei Shan

Corporate Communications

“Social Enterprises find profitable and sustainable solutions to social problems. That’s exactly what excites me to be part of the sector!”

Koh Wei Shan supports the digital marketing and public relations work at raiSE 

Wei Shan began her journey with raiSE as a volunteer consultant from Ogilvy Singapore, guiding Social Enterprises with her digital marketing expertise at the raiSE MarComms Clinics. As a strong advocate of purpose driven businesses, she joined the raiSE team to contribute to the sector in a more sustainable and meaningful manner.

Wei Shan graduated with a Bachelor of Business Management degree majoring in Marketing and Strategic Management from Singapore Management University.

Chan Sze Min

Partnerships & Engagement

“Where else can you work that fills your heart and your stomach? Doing good shouldn’t be an afterthought, it should be embedded in your daily life and therefore I chose to work in this sector.”

Chan Sze Min leverages on her business acumen and understanding of social issues to consult and advise social entrepreneurs, corporates and industry partners in their journey to create a sustainable social enterprise eco-system.

Sze Min started her career in the social sector with Community Foundation of Singapore. She helped to set up and manage more than 100 charitable funds and gave out approximately S$ 10million in grants each year. She then joined National Council of Social Service to work closer with the social organisations to bring about human-centric and sustainable solutions. Before joining this sector, Sze Min spent couple of years in the education industry and even started a business in China.  

Harriet Lee

Partnerships & Engagement

“Chasing the next strategic opportunity to build up the social enterprise sector.”

Harriet Lee is an executive at raiSE, who supports various projects and partnerships in SE Engagement Team. She specialises in social value measurement, strategic collaborations and events coordination.
In university, Harriet analysed sustainable interventions in rural communities with World Vision and led student conferences with NUS CRU. At Asian Food Channel, she curated digital and social media content to increase consumer engagement.

Outside of work, Harriet plays ultimate frisbee and keeps up with the latest memes. Harriet has a B.Soc.Sci (Hons) in Sociology with National University of Singapore.

Chelsea Marie Kang

Partnerships & Engagement

"Social enterprises offer an interesting perspective in advocating for and addressing social needs. Being in this sector, I am excited for the opportunities to empower and enable the growth of social entrepreneurs."

Chelsea Marie Kang supports the Partnerships and Engagement Team at Singapore Centre for Social Enterprise.

Having a keen interest in addressing unmet social needs in society, Chelsea brings with her a nuanced understanding of social issues through her expertise in the social sciences. She strongly believes in the potential of social enterprises in championing for and alleviating social problems. Chelsea is passionate and dreams big for this sector in its capacity to offer more sustainable solutions in addressing social needs.

Mohamed Fairuz

Social Finance

“I am excited to be part of the team developing an emerging sector by supporting the growth of sustainable social enterprises to maximise social outcomes.”

Mohamed Fairuz is part of the Social Finance team at raiSE, to evaluate and support grant cases.

Fairuz has 11 years of accounting and finance experience in the local social service sector. He has worked closely with local Volunteer Welfare Organisations as well as directly with beneficiaries for various social enterprise projects, focussing on youths at risk and ex-offenders. In his previous position, he helped lead his organisation from an accumulated surplus of $2mil to $10mil in just 10 years. His professional background, coupled with his passion for the social sector, also prompted Fairuz to lead a number of fundraising events.

Mark Sayer

Social Finance

“Facilitating the growth of raiSE’s investment portfolio enables inspiring social entrepreneurs to achieve their social missions in a financially sustainable manner.”

Mark Sayer draws from his extensive experience and background in the social sector to help manage and grow raiSE’s investment portfolio.

Mark has over two decades of international investment banking and private equity experience. In recent years, he has provided advisory and investment services to many social entrepreneurs as well as managing a family office’s social enterprise direct investment portfolio. His understanding of both the social and economic drivers of social enterprises enables him to appreciate their challenges and work with them within the raiSE portfolio management structure to assist in their growth.

Mark is also the CFO of AVPN, a unique funders’ network based in Singapore committed to building a vibrant and high impact social investment community across Asia. He is a board member of various social enterprises and charitable organisations, including Halogen Foundation, a Singaporean IPC charity.

Farrell Tan

Social Finance

“Being part of such a dynamic team and sector is indeed exciting!”

Farrell Tan is part of the investments team which looks at providing impact financing to social enterprises.

He has spent some years learning the ropes in investments in the public and private sector, by evaluating growth-stage companies across a wide range of sectors for investment, conducting due diligence, deal structuring and execution, and was also involved in post-investment management activities to accelerate the growth of investees. He now spends his time at raiSE evaluating, structuring and executing investments into social enterprises, in ways that would allow them to grow financially and contribute to social impact in an ever increasing manner.

Gladys Hong

Social Finance

“Doing good should come as second nature; the end goal (for me at least) would be when doing good becomes just doing.”

Gladys Hong supports the Social Finance team at raiSE in its evaluation and management of grant cases. She also serves as Executive Assistant to the CEO.

A fervent believer of doing good, Gladys draws from her experience in the youth entrepreneurship scene to help elevate social start-ups that disrupt the traditional idea of a profit-driven business. Deeply passionate about being part of the change she wants to see, Gladys hopes to bring a fresh perspective to the team through her involvement in youth organisations. Key causes she is invested in are the migrant community, mental health and the arts.

Ong Hui Yu

Social Finance

“Social and environmental issues are traditionally sidelined, and for a long-time society has been operating with a blinkered view of success, which needs urgent revision.”

Ong Hui Yu supports the Social Finance team and finds fulfilment in forging cross-sector collaborations to advance social innovation.

Hui Yu is hugely inspired by businesses that stay committed to their social mission even when the going gets tough. She firmly believes that impact leads to sustained profit and profit helps one make a bigger difference.

She graduated from LSE and spent some years in the foreign service before joining raiSE.

Serene Tay

Capacity Building

“Harnessing the best of humanity by creating opportunities for growth, innovation, collaboration to achieve greater good while building sustainable businesses.”

Serene Tay plays a dual role in capacity building and SE engagement. She focuses on developing SEs' leadership and enterprise capabilities, implementing initiatives to build a vibrant community and providing advisory to entrepreneurs, C-suite level of corporations and industry partners.

Prior to joining raiSE, Serene spent ten years working with businesses to achieve profitable growth, create social value, and build their capabilities by providing strategic consultation on strategy and organisation transformation, corporate planning and development, strategic marketing, regional development, operational improvement and capacity development. Serene is familiar with social issues through her volunteering work with vulnerable women, children and youths, with a focus on learning and skills development.

Erwin Chan

Capacity Building

"What makes an Entrepreneur rich? Risk taking, Innovation, Can-Do Attitude and always asking themselves - How do I add value to society?"

Erwin Chan designs innovation and entrepreneurial capacity building programmes at raiSE that activates the Social Entrepreneur’s Head, Heart & Hands for transformation.

Erwin has a PhD in biomedical research and is interested in seeing systemic transformations in healthcare. During his post-graduate days, Erwin led medical and dental teams to Cambodia and facilitated social innovation projects in Indonesia and Australia. In 2012, Erwin co-founded a medical device startup that focused on developing solutions for chronic pain management. After failing, he became interested in understanding how the entrepreneurial experience can enrich the personal leadership journey. Erwin was part of the team that won first place at the MITx Entrepreneurship Bootcamp in 2016. He is a Certified Instructor for “Disciplined Entrepreneurship” for new venture creation. Erwin has taught in universities & polytechnics including Bioentrepreneurship at NTU. He also volunteers as a mentor in developing children & youths holistically.

Ho Yen Yee

Capacity Building

“Having received much support during my social entrepreneurship journey from many dedicated and inspiring people, I hope to do the same for aspiring social entrepreneurs.”

Ho Yen Yee manages Capacity Building programmes in raiSE to develop capabilities in aspiring social entrepreneurs and build the talent pipeline for the social enterprise sector through engagement with youths.

Yen Yee was a winner of the Singapore International Foundation’s Young Social Entrepreneurs programme in 2012. She co-founded a social enterprise - IMPad - to provide low-cost and biodegradable sanitary pads for women in rural India. Her previous internship at the World Toilet Organization and voluntary work with various non-profit organisations over the past 10 years gave her a good understanding of the social issues in Singapore and developing countries, and also strengthened her desire to help the less privileged.

Prior to joining raiSE, Yen Yee was part of the business development team of a start-up in the digital marketing field. She also worked as a Producer in the media and broadcasting industry, where she was exposed to diverse business industries, people and cultures. With her experience in startups and the social sector, she wants to support aspiring social entrepreneurs in creating sustainable solutions to address social needs.