TECH EXPERTS

Dr Sowrirajalu Bhuvana is Senior Manager for Technology at EWTCOI. She specialises in new material based membrane development, membrane based processes for various applications such as water treatment, waste volume reduction, solvent recovery, air filtration, etc. She also possesses expertise in bio-nanocomposites and nanomaterial based product development. She has helped many companies to develop and apply membranes for specific applications. Dr Bhuvana holds a PhD in Applied Chemistry and has authored more than 20 refereed articles and patents.

Dr Ong Mei Horng is currently Adjunct Professor for the Food Science, Technology Department at NUS, and supporting the IPI Innovation Advisors Programme as a freelance consultant/mentor for Food & Beverage MNC, start-ups and SMEs. She has over 28 years of FMCG industry experience and know-how, having worked in food and beverage companies like Nestlé, Mars, Cadbury, F&N and Vitasoy, in Europe, Oceania and Asia. Dr Ong is also a certified Smart Industry Readiness Index (SIRI) assessor for digital and advanced manufacturing. Prior to this, she was the Director in the FMCG Cluster at Advanced Remanufacturing and Technology Centre and led in the development and implementation of A*STAR's R&D strategies. She developed the FMCG membership consortium ecosystem with local and global companies to facilitate public-private partnerships in Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering. She was also the principal investigator responsible for designing and curating the world's first Next Generation Hyper-Personalisation Line for Future of Manufacturing (FoM) to offer Industry 4.0, digital, automated and intelligent systems for the food sector. She was Chief Scientific Officer of F&N Ltd, where she focused on R&D and Manufacturing strategies by building R&D/Technical Teams, delivering innovative and sustainable products/services and developing advanced processing, affordable, quality, health and technology platforms. As a recognition for her contribution for food research and industries, Dr Ong was elected as a council member for Singapore Institute of Food Science and Technology 42nd Council in June 2018. She was an active member of the Singapore Standard Development.

A/Prof Jack Wong has over 20 years of experience in regulatory, quality, clinical trial and pharmacovigilance in Asia, for medical devices, pharmaceuticals, nutritional, consumer healthcare and biological products. He has received awards on improving processes, including reducing 20% of time required for a product launch, and grooming people to contribute to their fullest ability. A/Prof Wong plays a leading role among all the regional regulatory professionals in the Asian Harmonisation Working Party (AHWP). He has developed the first Asia Regulatory Affairs Certificate course, which has been held since 2007 with over 2800 students from the industry, government and universities. A/Prof Wong is the founder of ARPA, which was established in 2010 with over 3600 members to date. He also wrote the first Asian regulatory book, ”Handbook of Medical Device Regulatory Affairs in Asia: Second Edition”. A/Prof Wong has a Six Sigma Black Belt certified by International Association For Six Sigma Certification (IASSC); the license as a Qualified Auditor of ISO 13485, Japanese Regulations for Medical Devices; and qualifications as an ISO 9000 Lead Auditor by British Standards Institution (BSI).

Jeremy Sun heads an award-winning strategic design and research consultancy. Together with his team, he has been empowering clients' business through innovative strategies and product/service solutions. He has also been on both ends of design awards, as jury and as an award-winning team lead, with international accolades. Jeremy has been leading Design Thinking, ethnography research and innovation programmes for Fortune 500 companies and Singapore government agencies, guiding the stakeholders to reframe challenges, create compelling visions and propositions, and craft innovations that resonate with their target audiences. Since 2001, Jeremy has been active in design education and promotion through lecturing in various design institutions and international design camps, training and mentoring the new generation of designers and innovators. He has also lent his experience and insight to help sculpt Singapore's master plans in the creative industry.

With over 30 years of experience in the luxury cosmetics, skincare and personal care industry in Europe and Asia, Domenico Balassi possesses a deep understanding of the industry on a local and global scale. He is now part of a team of consultants, located in Singapore and Milan, that provides companies with support to expand their businesses between Asia and Europe through different segments, such as advising on product regulatory and registration, designing the right strategy and finding the best opportunities. Domenico offers a single point of contact for manufacturers and brand owners in Singapore to help facilitate their product registration in the European Union.

Dr Loke Wai Mun has accumulated substantive academic and industrial expertise in functional food/nutraceutical product R&D and validation. He has authored more than 30 scientific articles in international peer-review journals, and has involved in the design and development of numerous innovative functional food and nutraceutical products. He held a lectureship and R&D position in Food Chemistry and Human Nutrition at Nanyang Polytechnic. In 2013, Wai Mun set up the Centre for Functional Food & Human Nutrition at Nanyang Polytechnic, and has since worked with many local food companies to validate and develop novel functional food products. As a convenor with the Singapore Standard Development Office, he created guidelines for the Singapore food industry to design and develop functional food products. In 2017, Dr Loke started Innovprof to bring forth his R&D capability to the functional food industry. He obtained his PhD with distinction in Chemistry and Pharmacology at the University of Western Australia, and continued his postdoctoral training at the National University of Singapore.

Dr Cheah Li Kang specialises in surface modifications and coatings. He has shared his technical expertise with numerous companies, including an MNC, to build up their core competencies in post treatment for their products, namely metal or ceramic coatings on different types of substrate. He also provides surface treatment solutions for silicone rubber to bond on surfaces like plastic and metal. Dr Cheah obtained his PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering Nanyang Technological University. He has been granted more than 10 patents, and authored or co-authored more than 100 papers related to diamond like carbon thin film deposition and characterisation with vacuum related technology.

May Ng is the Global Director of ARQon, Asia Regulatory & Quality Consultancy for medical devices and drugs, assisting in product development and registration in Asia, CE and global approval. She is also an advisor for National Health Innovation Centre (NHIC) on all government hospital clinical trial funding in Singapore and sits on the main committee of Singapore Manufacturing Federation's Medtech Industry Group, ASEANMed and China-ASEAN Medical. May was in Singapore Health Sciences Authority (HSA) for almost 10 years to complete the implementation of the Singapore regulatory framework based on IMDRF/GHTF principles, and reviewing/approval of companies with ISO13485/GDPMDS and medical device/IVD. She joined Biosensors drug-coated stent manufacturing headquarter in Singapore for four years as Regulatory Director after two years working in the IVD industry. May has degrees in Biochemistry & Microbiology, Biomedical Engineering, and Medtech Manufacturing.

Dr Chandrasekaran Margam is a scientist with broad expertise in processing of materials for various applications such as biomedical implants/scaffolds, automotive applications, aerospace and similar applications. He is also experienced in additive manufacturing, tribology and characterisation, regulatory standards, business and operational strategies, transfer of technology from lab to commercialisation, market and technology analysis and evaluation. Dr Margam is currently the convener for three National Mirror Working Groups on ISO/TC 210 (Quality Management and Corresponding General Aspects for Medical Devices), ISO/TC 150 (Implants for Surgery) and ISO/TC 194 (Biological and Clinical Evaluation of Medical Devices). He is also the author of two books and a chapter for Metals for Medical Devices and ASM Handbook Vol 18 Friction Wear and Lubrication.