People
Our people
Board of
directors
Our Board of Directors is a team of highly experienced leaders and professionals in their respective fields, who are committed to the organisation’s cause. Many of our board members have been wish granters with Make-A-Wish Singapore for several years.
Mr David Ong
Chairman
David is a partner with EY Singapore where he leads the ASEAN Corporate Services practice. He has more than 20 years of experience advising companies on the set up of businesses and their back-office support like accounting, payroll and corporate secretarial functions. His extensive portfolio of clients comprises multinationals and local businesses, spanning various industries such as general trading, shipping, manufacturing and assembly, retail, PE funds, pharmaceutical and property development.
David and his family have been actively involved in fund raising and wish granting activities for Make-A-Wish Singapore. Being a father of three young children, it means a lot to him to be able to contribute and help bring hope and happiness to children with critical illnesses.
Date of Appointment: 28 November 2016
Mr Rajendra Pai
Vice Chairman
Raj is a Partner and Investment Committee Member at Navis Capital Partners, a US$ 5 billion private equity firm specialising in direct equity investments in growth, buyouts, recapitalizations, and financial restructurings in Asia, focussing on enterprises with a strong presence in Southeast Asia. Raj has an extensive investment and portfolio management experience, both in Asia and the US, across industry sectors such as food, consumer, infrastructure, financial services, logistics, TMT and healthcare.
Raj started granting wishes in 2007. Over the years, he has contributed to Make-A-Wish in increasing capacities. Currently, he is Vice Chairman of the Board of Directors, chairs the HR Committee and continues to be an active wish granter.
Date of Appointment: 11 June 2015
Mr Ivan Chang
Treasurer
Ivan is currently a Programme Director and Adjunct Faculty Mentor at the Singapore Management University. He specialises in Internationalisation, with particular focus on innovation, entrepreneurship and strategic management. He is also a Council Member and Co-chair of the Talent Committee at SGTech, as well as Advisory Committee Member at Youth Corps Singapore.
Ivan’s journey with Make-A-Wish Singapore began in 2007, when he was motivated to do his part for children with critical illnesses. He serves on the Board, chairs the Wish Granting Committee and is an active wish granter. He has now granted the most number of wishes the organisation has ever seen, helping the dreams of 80 children come true.
Date of appointment: 12 Mar 2018
Ms Anastasia Ling
Director
Anastasia is an entrepreneur who is passionate about all things health and wellness. She is also a certified health coach and recently started her wellness brand, Re:Well Rebels. Equipped with skills built over a decade of managing global luxury lifestyle brand, Quintessentially in Singapore, and now their Asia Brand Ambassador, she hopes to use her knowledge and networks to empower people in their pursuit of health and well-being.
Anastasia started with Make-A-Wish Singapore in 2018 as a volunteer with the Community Partnership Committee and subsequently became their board advisor. She is also an active wish granter. She saw how the power of wishes has created hope and joy for the kids with critical illnesses and their families, and truly believes in the transformative work Make-A-Wish does in the community.
Date of Appointment: 15 September 2020
Dr Claire Tan
Director
Claire is a communications professional blessed with diverse career experiences traversing academe, media, government/public relations, marketing, branding, editorial, and research. Experiences that had allowed her to reside in Singapore, Australia, and the USA. She is passionate about what she does and strongly believes that each of us is put on this earth with a purpose.
Claire joined the Make-A-Wish Singapore family in 2018. It has been a joy and privilege for her to be part of a strong, passionate and dedicated community relentlessly rooting for a cause that is larger than themselves.
Date of Appointment: 19 June 2019
Dr Jeremy Lin
Director
Jeremy is a paediatrician with special interests in child neurology at the National University Hospital (NUH), Singapore. His postgraduate qualifications include Master of Medicine (Paediatrics), Master of Clinical Investigation, Membership to the UK Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, and American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine. As part of his daily work, he takes care of children with various neurological conditions such as brain and nervous system injuries.
Jeremy has been working closely with Make-A-Wish Singapore for several years since he was a junior doctor, referring his patients for their wishes to be granted. He saw how the wishes impacted on his patients and families in terms of providing happiness, hope and inspiration, in intangible ways that medicine alone cannot provide.
Date of Appointment: 9 May 2019
Ms Nuraliza Osman
Director
Nuraliza is an attorney qualified in Singapore and New York and is presently the Managing Counsel for Mergers and Acquisitions for a large MNC where she leads a team of lawyers across Asia. During her 20-year career, she has been posted and worked in Singapore, London, The Netherlands and Nigeria where she found volunteer opportunities in each country to stay connected with the children of the communities locally, ranging from orphanages to running parties for children at refugee camps for Syrian migrants in The Netherlands. Her home and heart though remain in Singapore and she is committed to assisting children in need to bring them a smile in any way possible.
Nuraliza joined the Board of Make-A-Wish Singapore in 2020, having been a volunteer wish granter since its establishment in 2002.
Date of Appointment: 15 September 2020
Mr Sean Hesh
Director
Sean joined Citibank in 2010. His responsibilities currently span across Network Management, Merchant Acquiring, Digital Payments, and SME Commercial Cards in Asia Pacific and EMEA. As the Regional Head of Network Management, he is responsible for Citi’s Issuing and Acquiring relationship with all of the Payment Networks including Visa, MasterCard, Amex, CUP, Diners and JCB as well as a variety of domestic National Payment Systems.
Sean’s connection with Make-A-Wish goes back several years. He has been on the Board of Directors previously from 2011 to 2015 and most recently since 2018, and chairs the Nominations Committee. He is also an active wish granter. His greatest joy is to see the faces of children light up when their wishes come true.
Date of appointment: 26 September 2018
Sean joined Citibank in 2010. His responsibilities currently span across Network Management, Merchant Acquiring, Digital Payments, and SME Commercial Cards in Asia Pacific and EMEA. As the Regional Head of Network Management, he is responsible for Citi’s Issuing and Acquiring relationship with all of the Payment Networks including Visa, MasterCard, Amex, CUP, Diners and JCB as well as a variety of domestic National Payment Systems.
Sean’s connection with Make-A-Wish goes back several years. He has been on the Board of Directors previously from 2011 to 2015 and most recently since 2018, and chairs the Nominations Committee. He is also an active wish granter. His greatest joy is to see the faces of children light up when their wishes come true.
The
team
Our growing team of committed staff at Make-A-Wish Singapore works tirelessly behind the scenes to bring wishes for children with critical illnesses to life.
Neil Dyason
Chief Executive Officer
Richard Teo
Director, Admin & Finance
Janet Goh
Executive, Admin & Finance
Leanora Lyn Gaffar
Director, Wish Granting
Sarah Lek
Assistant Manager, Wish Granting
Conan Teo
Senior Executive, Wish Granting
Jeneve Lim
Director, Community Partnership
Charlene Koh
Senior Executive, Community Partnership
Jenifer Loh
Senior Executive, Community Partnership