The DAS Board of Directors for FY2025-2026 was re-elected during the Annual General Meeting on 18 October 2025. Our Board is made up of volunteers who give their time and expertise for the benefit of helping dyslexic people and those with specific learning differences. Except for the CEO who is an ex-officio board member, all members are not paid any remuneration or director’s fees. The Board and the committees oversee the Dyslexia Association of Singapore and its subsidiaries, DAS Academy Ltd and DAS International Services Ltd.
Appointed: 18 October 2025
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.
Appointed: 18 October 2025
Building Committee, Finance & Investment 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
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.
Finance and Investment Committee
Mr Lam Kun Kin joined the DAS Finance Committee on 17 March 2025.
Mr Lam is currently the Chairman of Reach Community Services Ltd. He was previously the Senior Executive Vice President and Head of Global Treasury & Investment Banking at OCBC Bank. During his tenure at OCBC, he oversaw the Global Markets businesses and had oversight of the Global Investment Banking businesses.
Prior to OCBC, Mr Lam held senior management roles at GIC, Citibank Singapore, and Temasek Holdings. He was also appointed by MAS to chair key financial market industry committee SFEMC and rate indices reform.
Mr Lam had served on the Gic Board Risk Committee and Boards of Adira Finance (Indonesia), OCBC Securities (Singapore), Bank of Singapore, and AVIC Trust (China).
He currently serves as:
* Board Member, Singapore Chinese Orchestra
* Honorary Advisor, Financial Market Association of Singapore
* Emeritus Advisor, Gic Board Risk Committee
Mr Lam holds a Bachelor of Accountancy (Honours) from the National University of Singapore. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst, a Fellow Chartered Accountant of Singapore, and an Institute of Banking and Finance (IBF) Distinguished Fellow.
Audit and Risk Committee, Building Committee, Human Resources Committee, Programmes and Services Committee
Mr Low was appointed as a member on 15 November 2023. He has more than 25 years of experience in the corporate world mainly holding Finance leadership roles in major multinational organisations. Most recently, he was Chief Operating Officer of a regional professional services firm operating in South-East Asia markets.
Fundraising Committee, Finance and Investment Committee,
Eng Hong is a Deloitte Exco Member & Head of Large & Strategic Deals across ASEAN. He is an experienced thought leader with a wide range of financial, risk, MIS, and operations management experiences. He started his career as a Corporate Finance Banker across NY, Tokyo and HK with Merrill Lynch for 15 years before becoming an Advisor and CEO of Lippo China Business and its Consulting Practice for 3 years. Thereafter, he spent another 15 years with Atos Origin, EY and Oliver Wyman as Head of Risk & Technology Advisory before joining Deloitte.
Eng Hong has worked on various business advisory and system integration projects throughout the Asia Pacific. His involvement in these projects ranged from Forensic to Program Director, covering large-scale projects. He is also actively involved in public policy work in Singapore. He is currently also Board of Directors for Trailblazer Foundation and Art:Dis.
Finance and Investment Committee, Programmes and Services Committee
Mr David Ellison was appointed as a member on 23 May 2026. He is currently the Managing Director, Education Deals Advisory at PwC Singapore. With more than 30 years of international experience in the education sector, he has held senior leadership roles in education strategy, business transformation and organisational development. Prior to joining PwC Singapore, Mr Ellison served as Chief Executive Officer of The Learning Lab, Singapore. Earlier in his career, he spent almost 15 years with the British Council, including as Regional Director, English and Exams for East Asia.
Appointed: 18 October 2025
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.
Appointed: 18 October 2025
Building Committee, Finance & Investment 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
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.
Finance and Investment Committee
Mr Lam Kun Kin joined the DAS Finance Committee on 17 March 2025.
Mr Lam is currently the Chairman of Reach Community Services Ltd. He was previously the Senior Executive Vice President and Head of Global Treasury & Investment Banking at OCBC Bank. During his tenure at OCBC, he oversaw the Global Markets businesses and had oversight of the Global Investment Banking businesses.
Prior to OCBC, Mr Lam held senior management roles at GIC, Citibank Singapore, and Temasek Holdings. He was also appointed by MAS to chair key financial market industry committee SFEMC and rate indices reform.
Mr Lam had served on the Gic Board Risk Committee and Boards of Adira Finance (Indonesia), OCBC Securities (Singapore), Bank of Singapore, and AVIC Trust (China).
He currently serves as:
* Board Member, Singapore Chinese Orchestra
* Honorary Advisor, Financial Market Association of Singapore
* Emeritus Advisor, Gic Board Risk Committee
Mr Lam holds a Bachelor of Accountancy (Honours) from the National University of Singapore. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst, a Fellow Chartered Accountant of Singapore, and an Institute of Banking and Finance (IBF) Distinguished Fellow.
Audit and Risk Committee, Building Committee, Human Resources Committee, Programmes and Services Committee
Mr Low was appointed as a member on 15 November 2023. He has more than 25 years of experience in the corporate world mainly holding Finance leadership roles in major multinational organisations. Most recently, he was Chief Operating Officer of a regional professional services firm operating in South-East Asia markets.
Fundraising Committee, Finance and Investment Committee,
Eng Hong is a Deloitte Exco Member & Head of Large & Strategic Deals across ASEAN. He is an experienced thought leader with a wide range of financial, risk, MIS, and operations management experiences. He started his career as a Corporate Finance Banker across NY, Tokyo and HK with Merrill Lynch for 15 years before becoming an Advisor and CEO of Lippo China Business and its Consulting Practice for 3 years. Thereafter, he spent another 15 years with Atos Origin, EY and Oliver Wyman as Head of Risk & Technology Advisory before joining Deloitte.
Eng Hong has worked on various business advisory and system integration projects throughout the Asia Pacific. His involvement in these projects ranged from Forensic to Program Director, covering large-scale projects. He is also actively involved in public policy work in Singapore. He is currently also Board of Directors for Trailblazer Foundation and Art:Dis.
Finance and Investment Committee, Programmes and Services Committee
Mr David Ellison was appointed as a member on 23 May 2026. He is currently the Managing Director, Education Deals Advisory at PwC Singapore. With more than 30 years of international experience in the education sector, he has held senior leadership roles in education strategy, business transformation and organisational development. Prior to joining PwC Singapore, Mr Ellison served as Chief Executive Officer of The Learning Lab, Singapore. Earlier in his career, he spent almost 15 years with the British Council, including as Regional Director, English and Exams for East Asia.
