Meet the Xero Beautiful Business Fund judges

Meet our global judges

Our global judges will select one winner for each of the four categories, from the pool of regional winners across the globe.

Sukhinder Singh Cassidy

CEO, Xero

As CEO, Sukhinder leads the growth and performance of Xero globally. With more than 25 years in Silicon Valley as a CEO, digital leader and board member, she has experience building and scaling global companies including Google, Amazon, Yodlee, Joyus and StubHub.

James Bergin

EGM, Technology Research & Advocacy, Xero

James is responsible for exploring and understanding technology trends, and providing insight and advisory to senior leadership teams across Xero, as well as our customers and partners. His role entails keeping an eye on the future, and helping others understand how technology can unlock new opportunities and capabilities for people in small business, their advisors and communities around the world.

Mike Cohen

Global Head of Partnerships, Square

Mike is the Global Head of Partnerships at Square. In this role, he oversees the business development, partner management, and partner operations teams that are responsible for growing an ecosystem of partners that enable Square to reach and serve businesses around the world. Prior to Square, Mike held senior product and partnerships roles at Facebook, InMobi, Qualcomm and Nokia. He holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Science from UC Berkeley. Mike lives with his family in the San Francisco East Bay area.

Kate Dundas

Executive Director, UN Global Compact Network Australia

Kate is the Executive Director of the UN Global Compact Network Australia (UNGCNA), which is the Australian local network of the United Nations Global Compact. As Executive Director, Kate leads a team of experts across the fields of business and human rights, environment and climate change, anti-bribery and corruption and sustainable development. Kate is an experienced and well-regarded executive leader with 20 years of experience across the public and private sectors in sustainability, strategic foresight, strategy and city planning. She holds degrees in industrial design, landscape architecture and urban design, is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors, Cranlana Centre for Ethical Leadership, Harvard Executive Education for Sustainability Leadership program and is an Executive MBA candidate. 

Melissa Laurie

Founder & Managing Director, Oysterly

Melissa is the founder of Oysterly, a leading social video agency based in Singapore that specialises in creating User-Generated Content (UGC). The agency's innovative work led to Oysterly being selected as a winner in the 2023 Xero Beautiful Business Fund. Melissa has also been recognised as a Woman to Watch in Asia and was shortlisted for the Women Leading Tech Awards by Atlassian.

Lara Brennan

Partner, Advisory & Outsourcing, Forvis Mazars

Lara leads the mid-market advisory and outsourcing business for Forvis Mazars in the UK and is the global relationship lead for Xero. She specialises in working with fast-growing businesses, helping to develop strategy and drive business performance. Lara has a passion for innovation and enjoys building technology-enabled solutions for clients.

Meet our Singapore judges

Our Singapore judges will select one winner for each of the four categories, from the pool of entries across Singapore.

Koren Wines

Regional Director, Asia, Xero

Koren is Xero’s regional director for Asia, responsible for leading Asia’s go-to-market and growth strategy, working closely with financial institutions and governments in the region to bring value to the small business and partner community. She has over 20 years of global experience operating businesses, including leading marketing, sales, customer experience and business transformation teams across Australia, the Middle East and Asia.

Ken Leong

Director, 361 Degree Group

Ken Leong is the founder and director of 361 Degree Group which provides corporate professional and consulting services for SMEs. Ken has extensive experience in HR and accounting functions in MNCs, public-listed companies and local SMEs across Asia, including Thailand, Malaysia and China. He is a member of CPA Australia and holds a degree in accounting and information systems.

Vicky Hwang

CEO, ATLAS – Chyau Fwu Wine & Spirits

Vicky is the CEO of the award-winning ATLAS Grand Lobby and Bar in Singapore's Parkview Square. Renowned for its art deco elegance and prestigious gin and champagne collections, ATLAS consistently ranks among the world’s top bars, including fourth place in 2020. With 20 years in commercial redevelopment and real estate, Vicky is also redeveloping a twelfth-century French chateau and an ultra-luxury ski resort in Japan.

Matilda Chong

Onboarding Specialist, Xero

Matilda is an onboarding specialist at Xero Asia. In this role, she works closely with our small business customers and the SME community across multiple sectors and backgrounds to make the most of digitalisation and Xero to grow their businesses efficiently. Off duty, Matilda can be found spending her time at the gym or on outdoor runs, soaking in the sun and spending time with family and friends.

Lee Yee Fung

Chief Smart Technologies Officer, Singapore Business Federation

Yee Fung is the Chief Smart Technologies Officer overseeing the Singapore Business Federation’s Smart Technologies and Sustainability division. His current role focuses on pulling together public and private expertise to effectively support businesses on their tech and sustainability transformation journeys. Yee Fung holds an MBA from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University and a BSc in Economics from the National University of Singapore.