Catherine Chen
FRM
Founder and CEO
Management Team
Our management team is responsible for managing investment and operating our company. The Investment Committee, Risk Management Committee, Operating Committee are chaired by different managing partners to ensure proper segregation of duties.
Catherine is a seasoned impact investor, a serial entrepreneur and a public policy advocate for impact investment, carbon neutrality and Sustainable Development Goals. She founded the AvantFaire Group companies with a strong Asia presence in China, Hong Kong SAR and Singapore focusing on impact investing and providing impact solutions and strategic advice to asset owners. Her investment style is top down and oriented towards secular trends including decarbonization, technology applications in ESG and green businesses. Catherine’s investment experiences span across smart buildings and design, AI applications in ESG, city and community planning and infrastructure transitions, to sustainable supply chains in the food and fashion industry. Catherine is also well connected to regional sustainability development councils in the Greater China Region and Southeast Asian countries. She is active in advocacy concerning environmentally efficient smart communities and villages, common prosperities for the middle class, and is keen on building multilateral collaboration with both public and private sectors.
Prior to the establishment of AvantFaire, Catherine helped run her family business in Asia and managed various projects on the Belt and Road Initiative. She built a strong and broad network with many countries’ trade commissions, local champion enterprises and culture bureaus.
Catherine is the annual juror for the Hong Kong BENCHMARK Awards and the UK HFM Awards for mutual funds and unit trusts. Catherine is also a frequent speaker in ESG and countryside revitalisation at the Wall Breaker – a Chinese podcast focusing on key opinion leaders in finance and banking industry. Catherine has been selected as one of the 100 Women in Finance since 2020.
Catherine holds BSc (Econ) and MSc (Econ) degrees at the University College London, an MBA at the University of Toronto, and an MA International Affairs (with merit) at the King’s College London. Catherine is also the president of the Hong Kong Chenjieqi Institute and the director of Hong Kong – Cambodia Advancement Association.
Ron Chiong
CAIA, CFA, FRM, PRM
Managing Partner
Ron joined AvantFaire in 2018 as a managing partner focusing on portfolio management and investment research. As an engineer by training, Ron is keen on the technology aspect of impact investment, with particular interest in the application of space technology and data analytics to the design and management of smart cities and meeting UN Sustainable Development Goals. He also manages his family office portfolio which invests in private equities and stocks in the semiconductor and space technology sectors.
Ron previously worked for the Securities and Futures Commission in Hong Kong and was responsible for policy development and regulation in financial technology and crypto assets. Before his regulatory role, Ron held senior derivatives trading and portfolio management positions in various financial institutions including Standard Chartered, BNP Paribas, KBC, Nomura and Allianz/Dresdner.
Ron has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in mechanical and industrial engineering from the University of Toronto, an MBA from the University of Western Ontario, and a master’s degree in space systems engineering from Johns Hopkins University. Ron also takes on advisory roles to further his professional engagement in areas with good development potential in Asia. He has a management advisory role at Space Analytics, a not-for-profit organization in the U.S. specializing in satellite and geodetic data analytics for sustainability applications, and is actively building up Asia-based space technology ventures and collaborations.
Ron is passionate about nurturing young investment and entrepreneurial talent both locally and overseas. He is a chartered member of the Orion Astropreneur Space Academy (OASA) and acts as a mentor to young professionals interested in space ventures. He also serves as a startup advisor for “The Entrepreneurship Hatchery” accelerator program at the University of Toronto’s Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering.
Joseph Leung
CAIA, CFA, FCPA, CESGA
Managing Partner
Joseph joined AvantFaire in 2017 as a managing partner overseeing investment operations in Hong Kong. He is a member of the investment committee in Hong Kong and the executive director of the Company. Born in an ordinary family in Hong Kong, Joseph has planted the root to help the underserved community, and had served as the president in Rotaract, and embarked on the path to impact investment. He also has an entrepreneurial mindset and started his first IT start-up during his high-school times. With extensive experience in both IT and investment, Joseph focuses mainly on impact investments concerning information technology, healthcare, sustainable food, and financial technology. As a leader of impact investment, he also helps underlying portfolio funds to design KPIs and metrics for impact measurement and reporting.
Joseph previously worked for several licensed corporations, listed companies, and a family office in Hong Kong focusing on investment management, and also private equity funds investing in health care, real estate, and information technology. Before his investment role, Joseph started his career in Deloitte as an auditor, focusing on real estate, and as a financial controller in a pre-IPO company in the hospitality industry.
Joseph has a BBA degree in Accounting and Finance from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology. He also takes on voluntary roles as a mentor in his Alma Mater and the CFA Society Hong Kong. He sits on the board of the listed company – Modern Chinese Medicine Group Co., Ltd. (1643.HK) as an independent non-executive director.
Lesley Cheng
Investment Manager
Lesley joined AvantFaire in August 2023 as an investment manager. Her current focus is on expanding AvantFaire’s operations in Mainland China, investment management and value enhancement in investment projects.
With nearly ten years of experience in equity investment and financing, Lesley has worked at notable firms including Ernst & Young, China Renaissance, and iQIYI, etc. Through roles ranging from professional consultancy to financial investment and strategic corporate investment, she has gained profound insights into equity investment and corporate sustainable development. She had been involved in investment projects with entities such as M Woods, Wajijiwa Entertainment, Mewe Media, CHOCDAY, Mountain Top, and GHY Culture & Media.
Lesley earned her bachelor’s degree in management from the University of International Business and Economics. She is certified by the Asset Management Associate of China and has successfully cleared all the examinations offered by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA).
Lynn Liu
Investment Manager
Ms. Lynn is the investment manager with 8 years of experience, having held positions as a senior auditor at one of the Big Four international accounting firms, a senior consultant at a leading international consulting firm, and the head of strategy and investment at a leading domestic technology and innovation company.
In the field of technology, Lynn is committed to the development of technology and AI. She has collaborated with business and technical partners to build a comprehensive knowledge base for the entire company, optimizing both external communication and internal management system. Additionally, she has been deeply involved in various aspects of the company’s operations in emerging technologies, intelligent manufacturing, artificial intelligence, and robot technology. Her involvement includes market research, product positioning, sales strategy, and strategic analysis, demonstrating a profound understanding of the implementation of technology operations and intelligent technology in the both Chinese and international market.
In the professional fields of finance and consulting, Lynn has demonstrated outstanding performance by leading teams to successfully complete audit and consulting projects. She has completed audits for more than 10 international groups, large state-owned enterprises, and well-known companies over nearly 20 cycles. And then she transitioned from finance to strategy, serving multiple government departments in East, South, and Central China. She has led and participated in the drafting of industrial planning and standard-setting work for several regions, demonstrating a deep understanding of the pain points and challenges in government-led industrial development.
Advisors
Alex Nicholls
Professor of Social Entrepreneurship, University of Oxford
Professor Alex Nicholls is the first tenured professor in social entrepreneurship appointed at the University of Oxford and was the first staff member of the Skoll Centre for Social Entrepreneurship in 2004. His research interests range across several key areas within social entrepreneurship and social innovation, including: social and impact investment; the nexus of relationships between accounting, accountability, and governance; public and social policy contexts; and Fair Trade.
To date Alex has published more than ninety papers, working papers, book chapters and articles and six books. Most appear in a wide range of peer reviewed journals and books, including five papers in Financial Times Top 30 journals. He is the General Editor of the Skoll Working Papers Series and the Editor of the Journal of Social Entrepreneurship.
Alex has held lectureships at a wide variety of academic institutions including: University of Toronto; Leeds Metropolitan University; University of Surrey; Aston Business School and the University of Oxford. Nicholls also sat on the regional social enterprise expert group for the South East of England and is a member of the Advisory Group for the ESRC Social Enterprise Capacity Building Cluster. He has been an Honorary Fellow at the Third Sector Research Centre at the University of Birmingham and a Research Fellow at the Centre for Social Impact, University of New South Wales. He also currently sits of the Board of several social enterprises.
Alex earned a BA (Hons), MA and PhD in English Language and Literature from King’s College, London and an MBA from Lady Margaret Hall, University of Oxford.
Richard Nesbitt
Professor of the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto
Mr. Richard Nesbitt is an Adjunct Professor of the Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto, and chair of the Advisory Board of the Mind Brain Behavior Hive at the same University. Richard is now based in London, United Kingdom where he is working with the London School of Economics on the creation of a new research institute called The Inclusion Initiative at LSE dedicated to improving diversity and inclusion within industry.
Richard recently completed his tenure as CEO of Global Risk Institute in Financial Services, which is building a globally recognized research organization in the management of emerging risks.
Richard was previously the Chief Operating Officer of Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce until he retired from that position in September 2014. He joined CIBC in 2008 following his more than 20 years of experience in the securities industry which included CIBC Wood Gundy from 1987 to 1997. From 2004 to 2008 Richard was Chief Executive Officer of the Toronto Stock Exchange, having joined TSX as President of TSX Markets in 2001.
Richard, who serves on a variety of corporate and community boards, was recognized in 2014 by the organization Women in Capital Markets with its Visionary Award. He also received the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for community service, the Arbor Award from the University of Toronto for his work with the school, and the 2019 Lifetime Achievement Award from Rotman School of Management.
In 2017 Richard published a book (with Barbara Annis) titled “Results at the Top” on the issue of men’s responsibility for gender diversity to improve their organizations (Wiley 2017). His new book (with Michael King) titled “Technological Innovation in Financial Services” will be available in early 2020 (UTP 2020).
Richard is an HBA graduate from the Ivey Business School at the University of Western Ontario and holds an MBA from the Rotman School of Management at the University of Toronto and a MSc from London School of Economics.
Maud Savary-Mornet
Founder and CEO of Beyong Finance Consulting Ltd.
Maud supports the GIIN with strengthening the impact investing community and building engagement with institutional investors in South East Asia. She brings over twenty-five years of experience in impact investment, international development and in the private and public sector to the GIIN.
Maud brings a track record of 12 years in ESG and impact investment in emerging economies. She grew successfully responsAbility in Asia Pacific, one of world’s leading asset managers in ESG and impact investments. She led the investment team in private debt in financial inclusion and climate finance for 8 years before becoming regional director of Asia Pacific with teams in Hong Kong, Mumbai and Bangkok. She conducted more than 100 due diligences in SME banks and microfinance institutions, closed multiple deals and opened several Asian countries for investment, ranging from Indonesia and China to Samoa in the Pacific Islands. She also developed a network of impact investors in Asia Pacific looking at private debt and private equity as well as capital market solutions.
Maud started her career at the French Central Bank as analyst in charge of the financial rating of SME and large corporates, being then seconded at the French Banking Commission to prepare and negotiate banking regulations and then posted at the French Trade Commission in Hong Kong.
Maud is a very strong supporter of Gender lens investing. She led the gender diversity initiative at responsAbility and worked extensively on a gender bond initiative for Asia Pacific.
French and Australian citizen, Maud graduated in 1991 from Sciences Po Paris, with a major in economics and finance. One of her personal goal is to open minds to sustainable finance and she is frequently invited to speak in conferences. She has published several articles on microfinance, impact investment and ESG. She also serves as advisor and Board member in several companies, networks and NGO, including Alygne Inc in California and the French Foreign Trade Advisors in Hong Kong.
Bénédicte Nolens
Head of Regulatory Affairs for Asia and Europe & CCO for Asia, Circle