Since 2004, Ing Kantha Phavi, has been serving as the Minister for Women’s Affairs, where she is responsible for its management and leadership. In addition to her ministerial post, she has been the Chairwoman of the Cambodian National Council for Women since 2004. Prior to becoming Minister, Dr. Phavi served for 5 years as Secretary of State of Women’s and Veterans’ Affairs.

Susanne Becken is a Professor of Sustainable Tourism at Griffith University in Australia and the Principal Science Investment Advisor (Visitor) in the Department of Conservation, New Zealand.

She is also a Vice-Chancellor Research Fellow at the University of Surrey in the United Kingdom.

Susanne is a member of the Air New Zealand Sustainability Advisory Panel, a Fellow of the International Academy of the Study of Tourism, and the 2019 UNWTO Ulysses Award winner.

Montira Horayangura Unakul is a culture program officer at UNESCO Bangkok. She has managed various UNESCO programs within the Asia-Pacific region related to the safeguarding and sustainable development of cultural heritage, with a focus on world heritage. She has developed capacity-building programs, such as reviving traditional knowledge for conserving built heritage, sustainable heritage tourism, and collections management.

Maria Helena de Senna Fernandes came aboard in 1988 to engage in organizing various marketing and promotional activities at the Department of Marketing of Macao Government Tourism Office (MGTO).

In 1998, she became Deputy Director, carrying on her dedication to destination marketing, and was appointed as MGTO Director in December 2012. She received the Medal of Merit—Tourism from the Macao SAR Government in 2016.

Ms. Maimunah Mohd Sharif of Malaysia is the Executive Director of the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN‐Habitat), appointed by the Secretary‐General, following an election by the General Assembly on 22 December 2017. 

Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat is a product of the University of the Philippines where she graduated cum laude with her bachelor’s degree in Economics. She also pursued her master’s degree in Economics at the same institution.

From 1994 to 2006, she was a lecturer at her alma mater. She served as an Economic Consultant to the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council from 2001 to 2002, and to the Presidential Management Staff from 2005 to 2006. Furthermore, she served as Deputy Cabinet Secretary at the Office of the President in 2006.

Steven Schipani is based in the Asian Development Bank’s Viet Nam Resident Mission. He manages a portfolio of more than 50 public investment projects worth about USD 6.9 billion, covering transport, urban development, agriculture and natural resources, energy, and the education and health sectors. 

Wouter Schalken is a Senior Tourism Development Specialist. Wouter has around 28 years of experience in diverse and multi-faceted interventions in tourism market development and operations. Before joining ADB, Wouter worked for a wide variety of multi- and bilateral development agencies across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

Kimarli is the Chairperson of Sri Lanka Tourism, heading the Government’s four main Tourism entities; Sri Lanka Tourism Development Authority, Sri Lanka Tourism Promotion Bureau, Sri Lanka Conventions Bureau, and Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management. This is the first time that one Chairperson was appointed to all four Boards; she is also the first woman in the role. She has been a member of the Presidential Task Force for Prevention of COVID 19 since 2020.

Sanchita joined ADB in November 2018 and initially served as an Economist in the South Asia Regional Department. She was previously the Lead Researcher for Economic Affairs at the ASEAN Studies Centre of ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, Singapore. She was concurrently a Fellow of the Regional Economic Studies Program, coordinator of Singapore APEC Studies Centre, and a co-editor of Journal of Southeast Asian Economies (JSEAE), all housed under the same institute.