AIM Asia Virtual
Masterclass 2025

Vinod Balakrishnan is the Senior Manager of Strategic Program Management at Micron Technology Malaysia, where he leads the design and implementation of productivity and AI transformation programs for the workforce, enabling operational excellence at scale. He also governs Micron Malaysia’s strategy on business enablement, talent, and sustainability, ensuring alignment with long-term organizational goals. In addition to these responsibilities, Vinod has overseen major site expansions and greenfield projects, contributing to Micron’s continued growth in the region. Prior to his current role, Vinod built a strong foundation in management consulting, driving operations transformation across a variety of industries throughout Southeast Asia. His expertise spans project management (PMP), lean manufacturing (Certified Lean Expert), supply chain management (MSc. Supply Chain Management), and industrial engineering, equipping him to deliver impactful organizational change.

Charlie Foo is a seasoned technology executive with a distinguished career at NVIDIA, where he served as Vice President & General Manager. He now brings his expertise to the forefront as a Council Member of the High Performance Computing ‑ Artificial Intelligence Advisory Council, guiding strategy at the intersection of HPC and AI. With deep operational experience and visionary leadership, Charlie empowers organisations to harness the power of emerging technologies and accelerate innovation for a smarter, more connected future.

Lijin is the founding chairperson of Circular Business Association, which is a leading non-profit ecosystem builder solving the climate crisis by accelerating business transition into the circular economy. Her work to align ecosystem players, included securing Memorandum of Understandings with notable organisations such as the Hainan International Carbon Emissions Exchange (China’s only outward facing carbon emissions exchange), the Smart Cities Network, the London Climate Tech Show the Malaysian Industrial Designers Association (PEREKA), Universitas Muhamadiyah Jember, and the MBA Association of Gadjah Madah University Indonesia, among others.

She is also appointed as a jury member for the Gulf Cooperating Countries Circular Economy Awards for 2024 and 2025 award cycles. She has completed her Fundamentals of Sustainability Accounting (FSA) Professional Qualification with IFRS Foundation to utilise the ISSB Sustainability Reporting Standards that is poised to be the global standard for sustainability reporting – used by jurisdictions that represent more than 55% of the global GDP. There are only 2,000+ professionals globally who have such qualification.

William Zhong is the Founder & CEO of Irista.AI, a cutting‑edge AI startup democratising visual intelligence for businesses. With over two decades of experience in enterprise-level R&D and more than a decade in senior technical leadership, William has spearheaded the development of scalable, high-performance AI systems. An alumnus of the University of British Columbia, he has cultivated deep expertise in machine learning, computer vision, and system architecture—skills he’s applied to drive Irista.AI’s mission of delivering powerful visual AI capabilities across industries.

As a visionary leader and entrepreneur, William excels at translating complex technology into real-world solutions. Under his guidance, Irista.AI has launched innovative products that automate and optimise visual data workflows, helping clients increase efficiency and accuracy. Active in the broader AI community, he frequently speaks on topics ranging from AI strategy to ethical deployment of visual intelligence. William’s unique combination of technical brilliance, business acumen, and leadership positions him as an engaging speaker on the future of AI-driven visual insights.

Renee Tan is the Founder and Managing Director of Hashtaqs®, which helps businesses to scale up and internationalise through brand transformation, omni-channel marketing and ecosystem development. She has more than 13 years of corporate experience in sales, marketing and ecosystem development for the MICE sector in various industries such as Life Sciences, Healthcare, Supply Chain & Logistics, Mining, Power Electricity, Private Banking, Hedge Funds, and recently been actively building the community in the technology, innovation, and sustainability arena.

She’s also the Founder of HER® Entrepreneur, an inclusive and diverse regional community and omni-channel media platform which inspires, educates, empowers and also connects the ecosystem of entrepreneurs, leaders, government and investors across Asia through online content, monthly LearnXNetwork sessions and the yearly summit that was held in Singapore and Malaysia. Her yearly conference gathers C-suites and Founders to discuss, connect and forge potential partnerships.

She’s the Chief Producer for the HASH Asia Summit which was recently held that gathers business owners, industry leaders, government and investors across Asia to discuss about innovation, technology and sustainability.

She’s also the Partner for Artificial Intelligence International Institute (AIII), a think thank that advocates Sustainable AI for Humanity, which is a strategic international partner to the World AI Conference (WAIC), that hosts the largest AI conference globally. AIII’s role is to build the ecosystem of the AI industry globally and venture build AI startups.

She was a recipient of the Brands For Good Award in 2019 and was featured in The Business Times. She’s also the recipient of the SME Excellence Business Award 2022/2023 and the Aspiring Woman Entrepreneurs 2022/2023.

She had been invited to speak in several SME events and events for the MICE industry across the region. Her business and herself was featured in several media platforms such as 938FM, Astro Radio, e27, The Economist, CNA, News5, Marketing in Asia, The Business Times, etc.

She is a Singapore certified management consultant by the certifying body, TUV SUD, an ACTA certified trainer, and a degree graduate who holds a Double Major in Psychology and Marketing from the Singapore Management University. She recently holds an advanced certificate in Venture Capital.