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Overview

From January to April 2026, the SGFIN–Singlife Sustainable Finance Case Competition engaged students across Singapore through a full journey of sustainability learning, industry exposure, and innovation - with Q&A sessions, practitioner-led workshops, weeks of proposal development, preliminary submissions, and a live final presentation round held at NUS.

Centered on real-world sustainability challenges across community and corporate contexts, the competition provided participants with valuable opportunities to translate sustainability ambitions into actionable, industry-relevant strategies.

Teams Registered
Student Participants
Group Submissions
Finalist Teams

Case Statements

Problem Statement Selection

Theme 1

Sustainable Actions by Individuals and Communities

How can we bridge the gap between sustainability awareness and real-life action, while encouraging large-scale behavioural change across diverse communities?

Preliminary Phase

Theme 2

Corporate Value Creation by Sustainability Initiatives

How can businesses and financial institutions create sustainable value while overcoming consumer cost barriers, operational challenges, and investment adoption gaps?

Competition Winners

Pistachio Island
First Place

Plantastic 5
Second Place

SusT
Third Place

Final Presentation Judges

On 22 April, SGFIN and Singlife proudly hosted the Final Round of the SGFIN-Singlife Sustainable Finance Case Competition. This event featured the top nine finalists teams who have demonstrated a profound understanding of the sustainability themes and delivered exceptionally innovative solutions. Finalists presented their solutions live to our distinguished panel of experts, who bring a wealth of specialised experience to the evaluation process to select this year's winners.

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Ashley Tan

Group Chief Risk Officer
Singlife

Ashley Tan

Group Chief Risk Officer
Singlife

Ashley is responsible for risk management across the group’s business operations. His primary role is to ensure the group operate in a risk-controlled manner that supports business growth while keeping within our risk appetite and delivering good customer outcomes. He has led the implementation of the risk and compliance framework in Singapore and other regional operations for Singlife. His career spans more than 30 years and covers risk management, compliance, financial crime and internal audit. Ashley is chairman of the Singlife Group Sustainability Management Committee.

Ashley holds a professional qualification from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, United Kingdom. He is a chartered accountant with the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants.

Prof Weina Final
Assoc. Prof Zhang Weina

Associate Professor, NUS Business School
Deputy Director, SGFIN

Associate Professor Zhang Weina

Assistant Professor, NUS Business School
Deputy Director, SGFIN
National University of Singapore

Associate Professor Zhang Weina is Deputy Director of the Sustainable and Green Finance Institute (SGFIN) at NUS and also the Academic Director for the MSc in Sustainable and Green Finance Programme. She is an Associate Professor in Finance with the Department of Finance at the NUS Business School.

Weina’s current research and teaching focus on sustainable and green finance, fixed income securities, asset pricing and investment. She examines how environmental, social and governance (ESG) factors are priced in financial securities and investment decisions. She also explores how differences in informational efficiency across various financial markets and the impact of different policies on financial instruments. Weina has published widely including within leading journals such as Management Science and Review of Finance. She has also published more than 30 business cases with IVEY. Her papers have received several best paper awards.

Weina is a dedicated educator and currently teaches courses such as Sustainability and Finance, Sustainable and Green Investment at the master's and undergraduate levels. She also teaches lifelong learning modules and conducts executive training in related areas. Weina is the recipient of numerous teaching excellence awards both at the NUS Business School and the University levels. She obtained her Ph.D. in Finance from Kellogg School of Management at the Northwestern University, USA.

Sue Meng
Chan Sue Meng

Deputy Director, Sustainability & Capability-Building
UN Global Compact Network Singapore

Ms. Chan Sue Meng

Deputy Director, Sustainability & Capability-Building
UN Global Compact Network Singapore (UNGCNS)

Sue Meng has 20 years experience in strategy, sustainable development and strategic communications. At UNGCNS, her work encompasses training, partnerships development and management, thought publications, and events that inspire businesses to engage in and deepen sustainability efforts. In September 2025, she was appointed as an APAC Regional Council member of the Taskforce on Inequality and Social-related Financial Disclosures to contribute to the shaping of its development over the next two years. From August 2026, she will also be an adjunct lecturer on social sustainability at the Singapore University of Social Sciences’ Master’s Programme in Sustainability Management.

Innovative yet practical and solution-oriented, since 2010, she helped businesses to develop or co-create strategies and solutions that consider impacts, dependencies, risks and opportunities over short, medium and long terms, also supporting implementation and operationalisation of sustainability programmes that create inclusive outcomes - concurrently for people, planet and profit. Her strategic communications capabilities are applied to her work as a trainer, writer, speaker and in relationship-management.

She has a glocal orientation, having lived, studied and worked in Singapore where she is a permanent resident, Malaysia her native country, and in England and China. She holds an M.A. in Asia Pacific Studies and is a published author, with a heritage project in her home town, Ipoh - on the mission to contribute to a peaceful, safe and harmonious world, her project leverages untapped history to advance responsible tourism and advance pressing sustainable development goals like education, job creation, living wage, health and wellbeing and circular economy.

Hu Ching
Hu Ching

Head | Net Zero Transition Programme Office
Singapore Business Federation

Hu Ching

Head | Net Zero Transition Programme Office
Singapore Business Federation

Mr. Hu Ching heads the Singapore Business Federation’s Net Zero Transition Programme Office. His team spearheads initiatives to support enterprises with their sustainability journey, such as the Council for a Competitive Climate Transition (C3T), Singapore Emission Factors Registry, NetZeroHub.SG, Cost and Carbon Reduction Programme, Queen Bee Enabled Sustainability Transition (QUEST) Programme, sustainability advisory, and policy advocacy.

Hu Ching marries his passion for climate action and education by serving as adjunct trainer for sustainability-related executive education programmes. He was previously Climate Regulations and Reporting Specialist at climate tech startup Terrascope and launched the Singapore office of global corporate sustainability ratings agency EcoVadis. Hu Ching has a deep interest in public policy, having started his career with the Singapore Government. He graduated from the London School of Economics, SciencesPo Paris, and Oxford University.

Lucas Tan
Lucas Tan

ESG Specialist
Brandes Investment Partners

Lucas Tan

ESG Specilalist
Brandes Investment Partners

Lucas Tan is an ESG Specialist at Brandes Investment Partners, where he contributes to the firm’s ESG integration strategy across global equity portfolios. He advises portfolio managers and investment committees on material environmental, social and governance risks and opportunities to enhance ESG decision-usefulness within investment research.

Lucas has previously held sustainability and impact investment roles at Deutsche Bank and Schneider Electric, with experience across climate reporting standards, green finance instruments, real estate decarbonisation and clean energy investments. He holds a Master of Science degree in Sustainable & Green Finance from the National University of Singapore (NUS) and professional certifications in sustainable investing and climate risk.

Training Workshop Speakers

On 25 Feb, SGFIN hosted a Training Workshop which was 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_mandai
Rohaya Saharom

Vice President, Sustainable Solutions
Mandai Wildlife Group

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.

Unchanged:

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.

fanmingxuan_research_affiliate
Dr Fan Mingxuan

Assistant Professor, Dept of Real Estate
NUS Business School

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.

chia-ko-wen
Ko-Wen Chia

Head of Sustainability
Singlife

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).

Gail Chai_Singlife
Gail Chai

Assistant Vice President, 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.

Gallery

Event Timeline

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SFCC2026_timeline_mobile4

What’s in it for participants?

Panel 3
Enhance your knowledge and real-world insights

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

sgfin05_green finance for the built environment
Generate novel ideas

to address real and immediate industry challenges
 

green-bonds
Apply sustainability concepts

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

impact-investing
Compete for attractive prizes

including cash prizes and internship opportunities
 
 

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.

Participants are required to choose one of the two case statements below:

Theme 1
Sustainable Actions by Individuals and Communities

While Singaporeans possess high levels of knowledge and awareness regarding sustainability, there is a persistent failure to translate these intentions into consistent, real-life behaviors.

Sustainability engagement is not uniform across the population, with significant differences in awareness and action scores appearing between different generations.

This structural divide between what people say they value and what they actually do highlight the need for strategies that lower barriers of entry and foster large-scale behavioral change.

Theme 2
Corporate Value Creation by Sustainability Initiatives

Companies face pressure to adopt sustainability for capital and value, yet most consumers refuse to pay the price premiums needed to cover the higher costs.

Without consumer financial support, businesses may struggle to sustain expensive operational changes like clean technology, leading to a potential rollback of green initiatives.

Financial institutions struggle to channel capital effectively because a lack of clarity and investor understanding hinders the adoption of sustainable investment and insurance products.

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.

The event has concluded. Thank you for joining us for SGFIN-Singlife Sustainable Finance Case Competition 2026.

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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