Melissa Ong Suan Ing

Melissa has a wealth of over 25 years APAC regional experience in International Trade, Brand Communications, Market Research and Social Strategy. Melissa joins Thought For Food (TFF) in September 2020 after serving for almost five years as CEO of Asian Strategy and Leadership Institute (ASLI), an independent, non-partisan think tank governed by the not-for-profit Jeffrey Cheah Foundation, which is Malaysia’s largest education-focused social enterprise.

Thought For Food is the world’s entrepreneurial innovation engine for food and agriculture. They work with more than 20,000 next-generation leaders from over 175 countries, empowering them to generate and scale breakthrough business ventures that build sustainable, inclusive, and resilient food systems. Melissa started her career with HSBC, before moving on to IOI Group, KL Sentral (MRCB), and TNS (Kantar) where she was responsible for multiple portfolios covering 33 countries across Asia Pacific, Latin America, Middle East and Africa.

In driving various efforts to create a better society, Melissa received the Distinguished Australian Alumni Award in December 2019. She holds an MBA from the University of Sunshine Coast, Australia and is a strong and passionate advocate of workplace gender equality, women empowerment, and women’s inclusion agenda.

She currently is a member of Board of Advisors of NEXT GEN LINK.