Be Well, Lead Well: Mental Wellbeing as a Business Strategy

Based in Singapore, Boudewijn Pesch is Vice President for Axis Communications Asia Pacific. In this role, he is responsible for developing Axis’ strategy, accelerating business growth, and overseeing the expansion of Axis’ portfolio in the Asia Pacific region.

Boudewijn is a global telecom veteran with more than 25 years of experience and a proven track record managing multiple business transformations with strong growth.

Prior to joining Axis in 2019, Boudewijn was head of business operations and strategy for the Japanese and Asia Pacific theatre of Oracle Communications.

Before that, he served as Chief Representative at CMG, successfully expanding the company’s presence to China. His contributions resulted in a promotion to Managing Director of CMG Asia-Pacific (later known as LogicaCMG and now CGI) and relocation to Singapore, where he managed the regional offices. As Managing Director for LogicaCMG’s telecom products, Boudewijn expanded business presence in new emerging markets, including Pakistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam and Thailand.

Boudewijn holds a master’s degree in management studies and a bachelor’s degree in engineering. He regularly speaks at industry conferences and CxO meetings.

With over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Suyeon is an established healthcare leader who has built a strong track record of success in brand management and in the market access space. Her extensive experience spans across both in-country as well as international markets, including regions such as Asia, Latin America and Middle East and Africa. She has been keenly involved in driving access to life-saving drugs and diagnostics and managing patient advocacy groups to develop a favourable access environment for patients. With her extensive knowledge and experience in brand management and market access, Suyeon has built exceptional teams, successfully launched new products, and achieved reimbursement expansion for key products, especially in oncology.

Driven by her passion to co-create the innovative pharma future with like-minded organisation, Suyeon actively seeks out transformative partnerships that can effectively address healthcare challenges and drive value-driven healthcare initiatives, all while upholding sustainable access frameworks. Her passion lies in fostering a healthcare ecosystem that embraces innovation and delivers tangible benefits to patients and the broader community.

Suyeon’s diverse leadership experiences, her collaborative and inclusive leadership style, and her previous commercial leadership positions at Novartis and Pfizer have further strengthened her industry acumen.

Suyeon holds an M.B.A. from Korea University, specializing in Pharmaceutical Management and Business Strategy, and a Bachelor's degree in Life Science from Sogang University.

A Nominated Member of Parliament in Singapore from 2018-2020, Anthea is an experienced board member and board chair backed by a proven track record as a C-level executive of 30 years. A sought-after advocate and speaker on human-centred leadership, mental health and social entrepreneurship, she has also published numerous commentaries in The Straits Times, CNA, Today and Mothership. Her wood-cover memoir, 50 Shades of Love, was shortlisted for the Best Illustrated Non-Fiction Title in the 2019 Singapore Book Awards. A podcast series, Shades of Love, followed in 2021. Her latest book The NMP Scheme: Are Unelected Voices Still Necessary in Parliament?, foreworded by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, was launched on 9 Sep 2022 in Parliament by former Prime Minister, ESM Goh Chok Tong. Anthea is also a member of the ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights and has spoken to global audiences on mental health and wellbeing.

Often described as a ‘maven of influence’, ‘trailblazer’ in social impact and ‘thought leader’ in diversity & inclusion, Anthea prefers to describe herself as a 'full time human being and part time everything else' since her personal brush with depression in 2007. A creative and dynamic leader, she divides her time, energy and love across many different communities and has founded several impact initiatives in her focus areas of mental health, marginalised communities and environmentalism, including Hush TeaBar, WorkWell Leaders, SG Mental Health Matters, A Good Space Co-operative and Welcome In My Backyard. Her varied experience, including an ICF Certified Professional Coach, provides valuable perspectives to boards and executive teams.