Board of Directors

Appointed on 20 November 2021

Mr Dickon Addis joined the Dyslexia Association of Singapore (DAS) as an Audit and Risk Committee Member in September 2020. He is now nominated a full member of the Executive Committee Board. Mr Addis also chairs the Audit Committee and he is a member of the Human Resources Committee. He has spent the last 14 years as the Group Finance Director of an Asian focused shipping agency and previously had Finance & Accounting roles in both industry and consulting.
Mr Addis holds a Bachelor of Social Science from the London School of Economics, University of London and a Master of Business Administration from INSEAD. He is an Associate of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales.

Ms Alicia Tan was driven to volunteer as her daughter benefited from DAS programmes and has since graduated. She contributed a chapter to and shared her experience in the book Narratives From Mothers of Children with Dyslexia by Dr Shawn Anthony Robinson. Ms Tan is the joint chair of the DAS Fundraising Committee, a member of the Audit Committee and the Programme & Services Committee.

Alicia is a company director in the oil and gas industry. She has over 20 years of experience in business development, public relations, events, publishing, advertising and sponsorship marketing, working in and with organisations like Keppel, Prima Group, Singapore Tourism Board, Singapore Airlines and United Overseas Bank.

She believes in giving back and serves in church, school, sports and grassroots.

Appointed on 19 March 2022

Mr Andy Lim is Group CEO of JLFO. Under his leadership, JLFO currently has investments in multiple sectors across the globe, including real estate, private equity, credit and venture capital. Mr Lim is also the founder of The Land Managers, an institutionally managed boutique real estate investment firm under JLFO. With an initial capital commitment of S$250m, The Land Managers invests in value-added and development real estate in gateway cities globally, with a focus in Singapore, Greater China and Europe, across all asset classes.

He also leads the philanthropic efforts of JLFO through the Lim Hoon Foundation Limited (LHF). He has led LHF to provide bursaries and scholarships to underprivileged students from primary to tertiary levels.

Mr Lim began his career as a lawyer in Allen & Gledhill LLP (A&G) and holds a Bachelor of Laws (Honours) from the University of Liverpool. He was admitted to the Singapore Bar in 2011.

Appointed on 26 April 2021

Siang joined DAS on 15 December 2001 and assumed the post of CEO on 1 September 2014. He also sits on the Board of DAS subsidiaries, DAS Academy and DAS International.  Siang was on the Board of the US-based International Dyslexia Association and Chair of their Global Partners Committee from 2016 to 2018, he still remains a member of the Global Partners Committee representing Singapore.  He has been awarded the International Dyslexia Association’s Excellence in Leadership Award 2020.  Reflecting the significant overlap between dyslexia and other specific learning differences, Siang was on the SPARK (Society for the Promotion of Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Research & Knowledge) 2.0 Steering Committee.  Siang contributes regularly to the DAS CEO BLOG.  He is co-author of the book titled “International Book of Dyslexia In Education” to be published by Routledge (2022).  In 2023, Siang was invited to join the Board of the African Dyslexia Organization to share Singapore’s experience.

Siang has played a key role in the rapid growth of DAS into a thriving social enterprise with a multi-disciplinary professional workforce that provides a continuum of services for an evolving spectrum of clients.  He emphasizes that DAS “must strive to fulfil our social mission by combining entrepreneurial and business skills with the philanthropic objectives of non-profits”.  Siang has placed great emphasis on building a pool of expertise in dyslexia and other learning differences in Singapore.  He has encouraged programme evaluation and research to ensure that DAS programmes are evidence-based.  Additionally, Siang promises that DAS will strive to ensure that children with dyslexia from lower-income families are able to access much-needed DAS programmes and services through the provision of bursaries which are enabled by generous donations from sponsors and supporters of DAS.

Siang obtained his BA from the National University of Singapore via the sponsorship of the Singapore Armed Forces. He also has a Certificate in Dyslexia Studies, a PGC in Teaching and Learning in Higher Education and a PGC in Specific Learning Differences from London Metropolitan University, a PGDip in Financial Management from the Singapore Institute of Management and an MBA from the University of Western Australia. It is this unique balance of experiences and qualifications that has allowed Siang to oversee the diverse services and functions of the DAS family.

Nominations Committee, Human Resources Committee, Programmes and Services Committee, Fundraising Committee

Dr Cynthia Tan Guan Hiang stepped down from the DAS Executive Committee after 26 years of service to DAS in September 2021. Dr Tan is still a member of the DAS Sub Committees and serves as a member of the Nominations, Human Resources and Programmes and Services Committee. She is joint chair of the Exco's Fundraising Committee and took the lead in organising the very successful Charity Gala Dinner at the Singapore Island Country Club in September 2012 which raised $1.3 million for the DAS.

Dr Cynthia is a member of the OCBC Group Management Team. She was appointed as Executive Vice President in April 2005. Being the Head of Group for Human Resources, she is responsible for the management as well as training and development of OCBC's human capital. Dr Cynthia has over 29 years of experience and has held senior-level positions with DFS Ventures, Mentor Graphics, Apple Computer and National Semiconductor.

Dr Cynthia was also a former lecturer in Business Studies at Ngee Ann Polytechnic and holds a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Hull, UK.

Fundraising Committee, Building Committee, Child Safety Committee, Finance and Investment Committee

Ay Wen is an active member of the DAS Committees, she has a child with dyslexia, therefore she is keen to help other parents and children coping with Dyslexia (or other learning difficulties) get access to the support DAS offers.

As M&A Partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers Advisory Services, she advises clients on strategic solutions and turnaround and has led complex integrations, divestments and restructuring programs. Her clients vary from startups to global multinational companies, Private Equity and Sovereign Wealth Funds. Before moving to Singapore, Ay Wen lived in the Netherlands and worked at PwC Netherlands as a Strategy and Operations consultant.

Ay Wen holds a Master's degree in Business Administration from the University of Groningen in the Netherlands and followed the Advanced Program in International Management at the Copenhagen Business School in Denmark.

Finance Committee and Programmes and Services Committee

Richard is a social impact advocate. He is passionate about community work in pursuit of achieving financial inclusiveness, youth empowerment, and quality education. He currently advises impact businesses with their business strategy, revenue model, and financial planning. He also helps corporations in defining their Sustainability policy as well as helping them identify ways to implement this policy. At the same time, he also serves with non-profits, NGOs, and charities advising on operational efficiency, donor engagement, fundraising, and stewardship.

Richard is a seasoned banking and investment professional with over 25 years of international experience. He held senior managerial responsibilities at various institutions. Most recently, he was Chief Executive Officer of an alternative asset manager where he oversaw risk, operations, regulatory, and technology matters to ensure the fund management company ran smoothly, efficiently, and in compliance. He was also the face of the firm to regulators, investors, and service providers.

He served as a core member of the firm Philanthropy Committee; and, currently gives his time to mentor university students and young entrepreneurs. He also participates as a business coach and mentors in the venture circle to assist businesses that are financially minded and socially conscious.

Richard is a Doctor of Business Administration from the City University of Hong Kong where his thesis was grounded theory on the social impact landscape in Hong Kong. The thesis was later featured and published in a Science Citation Index (SCI) journal. He was a Beta Gamma Sigma from New York University, Stern School of Business where he studied finance in his MBA program.

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/richardyap1

Audit & Risk Committee, Building Committee, HR Committee, & Programmes and Services Committee.

Mr Paul Lim has been a member of the Dyslexia Association of Singapore since 1992. He has a child with dyslexia. Mr Lim became Honorary Secretary of the DAS Exco in 2002. He also played a key role in initiating the Parent-Teachers Group which has now evolved to become the Parent Support Group. Mr Lim continues to be an ardent supporter of DAS. He is an engineer by profession.