Transforming Lives With a Discerning Vision
Dr Victor Tay is a man of mettle and innovation and, most of all, a leader who, when he sets a vision towards his goal, channelizes the way to the victory line. He is a CXO specializing in Investment Banking for his initiatives across Greater China and South East Asia. Gathering experience over the years in diverse areas of the industry, he began as a Strategy Consultant with the Big 4, specializing in the deep technology sector. After this, he had a tech firm at Nasdaq during the dotcom era. Then, he did a stint with the Singapore government, where he was the Group Director overseeing the economic development of key technology industries: Biomedical, Chemical, Aerospace, Marine, Oil and Gas, Environmental, Logistics, and Engineering Services. At the same, he played a pivotal role in developing a globally competitive companies program to help grow local global champions and uplift the internationalization efforts of Singapore’s local businesses.
Besides this, Dr Victor has been a part of many public and private sector boards, including national-level committee boards covering sustainability, economics, data privacy, environmental protection, and manpower. He also specializes in and has significantly contributed to syndicating ventures, finances, funds for various companies and projects, and equity financing for start-ups. He has also chaired the United Nations Global Compact NS, advocating for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ESG issues.
Dr Victor is the Chief Catalyst and Founder of Global Catalyst Advisory (GBA). At this foremost strategic advisory firm, academic excellence, thought leadership and in-depth research are done by analyzing issues with insights into thriving business intelligence. This is done with a proven, evidence-based approach with short- and long-term benefits for economic, social, and enterprise progress. The company’s motto has been ‘Resolving World’s Challenges,’ its clientele includes the public, private sector, and non-governmental organizations spanning South East Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas. Besides consultation, the company also operated a venture studio whose hallmark lies in brainstorming innovative ideas and making them a reality to solve global industry problems.
Having received a scholarship at the University of Oxford Executive MBA program, Dr Victor has inculcated his educational institution’s vision for all the workings of his company. He has always stressed that any venture must fulfill the triple bottom line—people, planet, and profit. He hand-picks the projects that meet these criteria, whose core lies in preserving the planet and meeting societal expectations. This is exemplified in the corporate tagline, “Catalysing Sustainability.” To see that his ideas can be cascaded with a meaningful societal implementation, he chairs various business thematic fora at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. He has been appointed the Honorary Advisor and Governing Council member at the Singapore Digital Chamber of Commerce, the ASEAN Business Alliance, and the International Intellectual Properties Council. His recent speech at two-panel discussions at the COP28 in Dubai highlighted the recognition of his commitment to sustainability.
In recent years, his company has taken up a sustainability project addressing the challenges faced by small-hold farmers in Southeast Asia, who are often exploited by middlemen and cannot escape the vicious circle of poverty. Through its in-depth research and analyses, the Global Catalyst created a landmark project that revolutionizes traditional farming practices using closed-loop and zero-carbon footprint multi-ponics technologies. This also puts forth containerized aquatic farming, creating a closed-loop system where discharged water irrigates the vegetation plot and fertilizes the soil with organic poultry farm wastes. This effort was made to educate the farmers on practices that will reduce environmental pollution and uphaul recycling.
Looking through the perspectives of his staff and clients yielded the following commentaries: “Victor is staunch on principles and has a lot of integrity. He has great kindness and concern for the welfare of the people around him. He is sharp, thinks well, and is strategically able to get the most mileage from any work assigned to him. His input always gives a more strategic direction to work.”
On working hard, the client remarked, “Victor pushes his team to achieve results. Though the team “complains” about the hard work, they seem to wear it as a badge of honor—they sounded motivated, probably seeing that he pushes himself harder than others.”
“Victor is generally a good superior to work with. He can adjust himself to the different personalities of his various staff, and his approach is always to make the most of each person’s strengths rather than focus on weaknesses.”
Dr Victor Tay has been bestowed with multiple awards throughout his profound career, including a prestigious UK award as “The Most Influential Sustainability CEO in South East Asia” and the US-based FinNext’s “Excellence in Financial Leadership Awards.” His company has also been awarded the “Green Asia Initiatives Leadership Awards” and “Most Innovative Leaders to Watch in 2023” at the Asia Sustainable Leadership Awards.