SGFIN Case Competition 2026 Banner_SGFIN

Preliminary Submissions Deadline - 29 Mar 23:59

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About the Training Workshop

Held on 25 Feb, this workshop is designed to provide students with practical insights on designing and executing credible sustainability initiatives across public, community, and corporate contexts. Through practitioner sharing, participants can explore how behavioural, institutional, and economic levers can translate sustainability ambitions into implementable, value-creating proposals.

Rohaya Saharom

Vice President, Sustainable Solutions
Mandai Wildlife Group

Rohaya brings 35 years of extensive experience in the environmental sector, having commenced her career in Singapore's public sector with the Ministry of the Environment before transitioning to the Singapore’s National Environment Agency in 2002. Her work has been instrumental in shaping and implementing national policies and programs across areas such as industrial pollution control, ambient air and water quality monitoring, hazardous waste management, climate change, and sustainability. Rohaya played a key role in ensuring Singapore's adherence to various multilateral environmental agreements, collaborating with ASEAN and global organizations including UNEP and UNFCCC. She was also a climate negotiator, being a part of Singapore’s delegation at the UNFCCC Conference of Parties from 2016 to 2019.

In 2021, Rohaya joined Mandai Wildlife Group, where she now leads efforts to achieve net-zero commitments. Mandai Wildlife Reserve was certified as a sustainable tourist destination by the Global Sustainable Tourism Council in May 2024, and more recently, the Group’s carbon reduction and net-zero targets have been validated by the Science Based Targets initiative, underscoring their commitment to sustainability and responsible tourism. For their sustainability efforts, the group received the World Association of Zoos and Aquarium environmental sustainability award in 2024. More recently, the President’s Award for the Environment was conferred to MWG in Oct 2025. The same month, MWG became the Apex Winner for the Singapore Apex Corporate Sustainability Awards 2025.

rohaya_mandai
Rohaya Saharom

Vice President, Sustainable Solutions
Mandai Wildlife Group

Dr Fan Mingxuan

Assistant Professor, Department of Real Estate
NUS Business School

Mingxuan Fan is an assistant professor in the Department of Real Estate (RE) at the National University of Singapore (NUS) Business School.

Her research interest lies in the field of environmental and urban economics. Her current research focuses on (1) the effectiveness of environmental and urban policies and regulations; (2) the effect of environmental factors on human capital and economic outcomes. Her research on the effectiveness of urban water conservation measures in Singapore has been published in Nature Human Behaviour and Nature Water.

She holds a Ph.D. in Applied Economics from the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

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Dr Fan Mingxuan

Assistant Professor, Dept of Real Estate
NUS Business School

Ko-Wen Chia

Head of Sustainability
Singlife

Chia Ko Wen is Head of Sustainability at Singlife, a leading homegrown financial services company in Singapore. Ko Wen is responsible for implementing the environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) strategy for the Singlife Group, including its net zero commitments. He has over 23 years of experience in the insurance industry, covering both Life and General insurance in local and regional capacities, overseeing cross jurisdictional and functional Legal, Compliance, Financial Crime, Risk Management and Sustainability teams. Prior to Singlife, Ko Wen held various senior regional roles at Aviva Plc and Tokio Marine Asia.

He has been a committee member of the Sustainability Reporting Advisory Committee (SRAC), set up by ACRA and SGX RegCo, since 2022 as a representative for the insurance industry, as well as the Life Insurance Association’s (LIA) Sustainability Sub-Committee and the General Insurance Association’s (GIA) Sustainable Underwriting Group.

Under his leadership, Singlife was the first local entity to be recognised as a United Nations (UN) Principles for Sustainable Insurance (PSI) signatory within its first year of operation, as well as the first insurer in Southeast Asia to be a signatory of the UN-supported Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) and to participate in the UN-led and convened Forum for Insurance Transition (FIT). Singlife was also conferred the Champion of Good recognition by the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC) in 2024 for its commitment to responsible business practices and positive social impact.

Ko Wen graduated from the National University of Singapore with a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and a Master of Laws (LLM) and is admitted to the Singapore as well as England and Wales Bar. He was the first batch of Compliance professionals in Singapore to be admitted as a Fellow of the International Compliance Association (ICA).

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Ko-Wen Chia

Head of Sustainability
Singlife

Gail Chai

Assistant Vice President, Sustainability
Singlife

Gail Chai is a dedicated sustainability professional and currently at Singlife, a leading homegrown financial services company in Singapore. Since beginning her career in 2016, Gail has gained broad cross-industry experience, working in diverse roles that have shaped her strong foundation in communications, strategic development and stakeholder engagement.

Gail’s journey into sustainability began in 2019 when she transitioned into roles focused on environmental, social and governance (ESG) agendas. She has previously contributed to sustainability efforts at major organisations including Singtel and Prudential Assurance Company Singapore, where she helped shape internal initiatives and learning events that advanced ESG awareness and integrated sustainability into organisational culture.

At Singlife, Gail plays a key role in leading social sustainability and sustainability reporting, as well as driving key strategic projects, including the development of the Sustainable Future Index and collaborations with academic partners like the Sustainable and Green Finance Institute at the National University of Singapore. Through this work, she seeks to translate data into meaningful impact, partnering with educational institutions and industry stakeholders to drive actionable outcomes.

Gail holds a degree in International Relations with Criminology and continues to champion continuous learning and development as integral to effective sustainability leadership. She is an active voice in the professional community, regularly sharing insights on sustainability, leadership, and career development across her network.

During her free time, she enjoys volunteering, diving, reading and spending time with her two year old, who keeps her on her toes daily.

Gail Chai_Singlife
Gail Chai

Assistant Vice President, Sustainability
Singlife

What’s in it for you?

Panel 3
Enhance your knowledge and real-world insights

from sustainability practitioners and results from Singlife’s Sustainable Future Index

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Generate novel ideas

to address real and immediate industry challenges
 

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Apply sustainability concepts

by developing creative, feasible solutions that bridge sustainability and business value for long-term impact

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Compete for attractive prizes

including cash prizes and internship opportunities
 
 

Prizes

Winning teams stand a chance to be awarded:

Internship opportunities with Singlife or acceleration to Singlife Management Associate Programme.

$8,000 in cash prizes shared among the top 3 teams.

How the Competition Works

Problem Statement Selection

Problem Statement Selection

Select one of two industry-relevant problem statements and develop an innovative, feasible intervention strategy designed to address the challenge.

Preliminary Phase

Preliminary Phase

Teams will have 6 weeks to ideate and submit a proposal deck outlining the concept, rationale, and key details of their strategy.

During this period, participants will have access to a Virtual Q&A session to clarify questions, as well as a curated industry workshop, where they can learn directly from sustainability professionals tackling similar challenges in practice.

Final Phase

Final Phase

Shortlisted finalists will have 2 weeks to further elaborate and strengthen their strategy to be industry-applicable.

The finalist teams will present their idea to a jury of leading industry experts at the Final Round presentation on 22 April 2026.

Event Timeline

UP NEXT: Participating teams' Preliminary Submissions are due on 29 Mar, 23:59!

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Frequently Asked Questions

You may find below a compiled summary of the key questions raised and clarifications provided during the Q&A Session on 11 Feb.

This year’s competition draws on insights from the Singlife-SGFIN Sustainable Future Index (SFI) survey, which examines sustainability behaviour among Singaporeans across four pillars:

  • Responsible investing
  • Acting on climate change
  • Inclusive and sustainable solutions
  • Society and culture

Participants are challenged to design initiatives that either:

  • address intention–action gaps in sustainability behaviours for individuals or communities, or
  • enhance how corporations integrate sustainability into products, services, or strategies in ways that create real value.

Teams are encouraged to think creatively, but proposals should remain practical, realistic, and implementable, grounded in a clear strategy that would persuade the chosen organisation to seriously consider pursuing the initiative.

We will not be providing a granular scoring breakdown beyond what is outlined in the case statements. At a high level:

  • We do not prioritise short-term impact over long-term impact.
  • Strong submissions will demonstrate feasible, practical, and realistic ideas that could plausibly be implemented.

As a guiding principle, teams should approach the submission from a consultant’s perspective, using the following question as a north star:

To what extent does the submission present a clear, well-reasoned, and impactful initiative that would justify further consideration by the organisation?

  • Submissions must consist of five content slides only, in PDF format.
  • Reference slides, appendices, or additional slides beyond the first five will not be considered.
  • Judges will assess only the first five slides, so teams should prioritise clarity and substance within this limit.
  • We are currently planning for eight finalist teams.
  • This number is indicative and may change if the overall quality of submissions is exceptionally strong.

Have any questions?

If you have questions about the competition or participation details, reach out to us at sgfincasecomp@nus.edu.sg and our team will get back to you.

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