State of Nations - APAC Edition

Wendy Cheong Managing Director – Regional Head of Asia Pacific Moody's Investors Service

Wendy Cheong is a senior management and strategy professional with over 22 years of experience in leading and transforming international business operations.

She is currently Managing Director-Regional Head of Asia Pacific for Moody’s Investors Service (MIS), based in Hong Kong. In this role, Wendy develops and leads Moody’s growth strategy in both developed and emerging markets in the region. Wendy is the senior representative for Moody’s in Asia Pacific and is responsible for managing regional operations, overseeing policy and regulatory outreach, coordinating Moody’s global initiatives, and providing oversight of affiliates, joint ventures and MIS domestic market strategies in the region.

Wendy joined Moody's in 2010 as an Assistant Director at Content Strategy in Moody’s Analytics, and has since held senior positions in strategy and management roles across business lines in Hong Kong and New York to build strategic vision, drive business growth and enhance market impact. She has served as Chief of Staff to the President of Moody’s Investors Service; Representative Director for MIS in Hong Kong, while also serving as Senior Vice President – Head of APAC Strategy & Business Management; and Director and Senior Product Strategist at Moody’s Analytics. Wendy sits as a Director on the boards of a majority of Moody’s Asia entities and affiliates in the region.

Wendy is a member of Moody’s Global Diversity Council and founded the Moody’s Women’s Employee Resource Group in Asia Pacific. She held leadership roles in several external women in finance organizations, including 100 Women in Finance and the Women in Finance Association of the Asia Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (ASIFMA). She is currently a member of the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN), a leading network of over 600 organizations across 34 countries that mobilizes capital for impact investing.

Before joining Moody’s, Wendy held senior strategy, sales and marketing positions at Prudential PLC, as well as at Singapore Telecoms in Hong Kong and Singapore.

She holds a BA in Southeast Asian Studies from the National University of Singapore.

Michael Taylor Managing Director – Chief Credit Officer, Asia Pacific Moody's Investors Service

Dr. Michael Taylor is a Managing Director for Moody’s Investors Service. He is also Moody’s Chief Credit Officer for the Asia Pacific region.

Michael leads regional research, particularly with a cross-sectoral and macro credit focus, as well as coordinating major regional analytical initiatives.

Michael joined Moody’s after a distinguished career in several leading central banks and international financial institutions, including roles at the Bank of England, the IMF — where as Resident Representative, he was closely involved in the resolution of the Indonesian financial crisis in the late 1990s — and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority as Head of Banking Policy. He was also the Advisor to the Governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain.

Michael has also had a distinguished academic career, including as Reader in Financial Regulation at Reading University. He has published widely on financial stability and financial regulation, and given seminars and lectures at the Said Business School at Oxford University, at Harvard Law School, Columbia University, and The University of Hong Kong.

Michael holds a bachelor’s degree as well as a doctorate from Oxford University. He also holds a master’s in International Business Law from the University of London.

Jin Liqun President Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

Jin is the inaugural President and Chair of the Board of Directors. Prior to this, he served as Secretary-General of the Multilateral Interim Secretariat tasked with establishing the Bank. Jin has rich experience across the private and public sectors and with MDBs. He served as Chair of China International Capital Corporation Limited (China’s first joint-venture investment bank), Chair of the Supervisory Board of China Investment Corporation and Chair of the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds. He previously served as Vice President and then Ranking Vice President of the Asian Development Bank and as Alternate Executive Director for China at the World Bank and at the Global Environment Facility. Jin spent nearly two decades at the Chinese Ministry of Finance, reaching the rank of Vice Minister. He holds a master’s degree in English Literature from Beijing Institute of Foreign Languages (now Beijing Foreign Studies University) and was a Hubert Humphrey Fellow in the Economics Graduate Program at Boston University from 1987 to 1988. Jin is a national of the People’s Republic of China.

Atsi Sheth Managing Director - Credit Strategy, Credit Strategy & Standards Moody's Investors Service

Atsi Sheth is a Managing Director in Moody’s Credit Strategy and Research team. She serves as the Chief Credit Officer for the Americas. Prior to this, she was Managing Director in Moody’s Sovereign Risk Group, responsible for the teams covering the Americas, Asia Pacific and Middle East. Before rejoining Moody’s in 2011, she was Chief Economist at Reliance Capital. During Atsi’s previous tenure at Moody’s from 1997 to 2007, she worked in the Credit Policy and Sovereign Risk groups, covering countries in Asia, Africa and Europe.

Atsi has taught International Political Economy and Emerging Markets at Columbia University in New York, and has been associated with non-profit agencies in micro finance and housing. Atsi has a PhD from Northwestern University and a B.A. from Bombay University.

Gene Fang Associate Managing Director, Sovereign Risk Group Moody's Investors Service

Gene Fang is an Associate Managing Director in the Sovereign and sub-sovereign Ratings Group in Asia. Based in Singapore, he manages the team that is responsible for sovereign credit ratings in the Asia Pacific region.

Before joining Moody’s, Gene worked as an investment banker, covering financial institutions for J.P. Morgan and Citigroup in Hong Kong and Singapore. In this role, he managed client relationships across Asia and advised on debt, equity, and M&A transactions.

Gene graduated from Columbia University in political science. He also holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Master in Public Policy from Harvard

University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Christian de Guzman Senior Vice President, Sovereign Risk Group Moody's Investors Service

Christian de Guzman is a Vice President – Senior Credit Officer with Moody’s Sovereign Risk Group. Based in Singapore, he covers a portfolio of sovereigns and multilateral development banks in Asia Pacific, including Japan, Korea and a number of Southeast Asian credits. Christian joined Moody’s in 2009, after working as a Senior Economist for the Monetary Authority of Singapore, covering ASEAN economies.

Christian has also held various positions with the Research Department at the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC, and Procter & Gamble in Singapore.

Christian was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate in Economics and Political Science at the University of Georgia and received his M.A. in International Economics and Southeast Asian Studies from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

Martin Petch Vice President – Senior Credit Officer, Sovereign Risk Group Moody's Investors Service

Martin Petch is a Vice President – Senior Credit Officer with Moody’s Sovereign Risk Group. Based in Singapore, he covers a portfolio of sovereign credits in the Asia Pacific region – including China, Australia, Hong Kong - as well as credits in Central Asia and the Caucasus. Martin joined Moody’s in 2017, after working as the Manager of Economic Analysis and Research with BHP Billiton covering its key commodity markets, China, Japan and India, economies in the South East Asian region, and the major advanced economies.

Martin also held various positions with the Australian Commonwealth Treasury, the Commonwealth Bank and the Australian Industry Group.

Martin was a graduate in Economics from the University of Western Australia.

Anushka Shah Vice President – Senior Analyst, Sovereign Risk Group Moody's Investors Service

Anushka Shah is a Vice President with Moody’s Sovereign Risk Group. Based in Singapore, Anushka covers a number of countries in Asia Pacific, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, the Maldives and Mongolia.

Prior to joining Moody’s, Anushka worked for more than seven years at Citi Investment Research in Bombay, where her focus was on the South Asian economies.

Anushka has a Master’s in Economics and Finance from the University of Warwick and a Bachelor’s in Economics from the University of Bombay

Jin Liqun President Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank

Jin is the inaugural President and Chair of the Board of Directors. Prior to this, he served as Secretary-General of the Multilateral Interim Secretariat tasked with establishing the Bank. Jin has rich experience across the private and public sectors and with MDBs. He served as Chair of China International Capital Corporation Limited (China’s first joint-venture investment bank), Chair of the Supervisory Board of China Investment Corporation and Chair of the International Forum of Sovereign Wealth Funds. He previously served as Vice President and then Ranking Vice President of the Asian Development Bank and as Alternate Executive Director for China at the World Bank and at the Global Environment Facility. Jin spent nearly two decades at the Chinese Ministry of Finance, reaching the rank of Vice Minister. He holds a master’s degree in English Literature from Beijing Institute of Foreign Languages (now Beijing Foreign Studies University) and was a Hubert Humphrey Fellow in the Economics Graduate Program at Boston University from 1987 to 1988. Jin is a national of the People’s Republic of China.

Wendy Cheong Managing Director – Regional Head of Asia Pacific Moody's Investors Service

Wendy Cheong is a senior management and strategy professional with over 22 years of experience in leading and transforming international business operations.

She is currently Managing Director-Regional Head of Asia Pacific for Moody’s Investors Service (MIS), based in Hong Kong. In this role, Wendy develops and leads Moody’s growth strategy in both developed and emerging markets in the region. Wendy is the senior representative for Moody’s in Asia Pacific and is responsible for managing regional operations, overseeing policy and regulatory outreach, coordinating Moody’s global initiatives, and providing oversight of affiliates, joint ventures and MIS domestic market strategies in the region.

Wendy joined Moody's in 2010 as an Assistant Director at Content Strategy in Moody’s Analytics, and has since held senior positions in strategy and management roles across business lines in Hong Kong and New York to build strategic vision, drive business growth and enhance market impact. She has served as Chief of Staff to the President of Moody’s Investors Service; Representative Director for MIS in Hong Kong, while also serving as Senior Vice President – Head of APAC Strategy & Business Management; and Director and Senior Product Strategist at Moody’s Analytics. Wendy sits as a Director on the boards of a majority of Moody’s Asia entities and affiliates in the region.

Wendy is a member of Moody’s Global Diversity Council and founded the Moody’s Women’s Employee Resource Group in Asia Pacific. She held leadership roles in several external women in finance organizations, including 100 Women in Finance and the Women in Finance Association of the Asia Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association (ASIFMA). She is currently a member of the Asian Venture Philanthropy Network (AVPN), a leading network of over 600 organizations across 34 countries that mobilizes capital for impact investing.

Before joining Moody’s, Wendy held senior strategy, sales and marketing positions at Prudential PLC, as well as at Singapore Telecoms in Hong Kong and Singapore.

She holds a BA in Southeast Asian Studies from the National University of Singapore.

Michael Taylor Managing Director – Chief Credit Officer, Asia Pacific Moody's Investors Service

Dr. Michael Taylor is a Managing Director for Moody’s Investors Service. He is also Moody’s Chief Credit Officer for the Asia Pacific region.

Michael leads regional research, particularly with a cross-sectoral and macro credit focus, as well as coordinating major regional analytical initiatives.

Michael joined Moody’s after a distinguished career in several leading central banks and international financial institutions, including roles at the Bank of England, the IMF — where as Resident Representative, he was closely involved in the resolution of the Indonesian financial crisis in the late 1990s — and the Hong Kong Monetary Authority as Head of Banking Policy. He was also the Advisor to the Governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain.

Michael has also had a distinguished academic career, including as Reader in Financial Regulation at Reading University. He has published widely on financial stability and financial regulation, and given seminars and lectures at the Said Business School at Oxford University, at Harvard Law School, Columbia University, and The University of Hong Kong.

Michael holds a bachelor’s degree as well as a doctorate from Oxford University. He also holds a master’s in International Business Law from the University of London.

Atsi Sheth Managing Director - Credit Strategy, Credit Strategy & Standards Moody's Investors Service

Atsi Sheth is a Managing Director in Moody’s Credit Strategy and Research team. She serves as the Chief Credit Officer for the Americas. Prior to this, she was Managing Director in Moody’s Sovereign Risk Group, responsible for the teams covering the Americas, Asia Pacific and Middle East. Before rejoining Moody’s in 2011, she was Chief Economist at Reliance Capital. During Atsi’s previous tenure at Moody’s from 1997 to 2007, she worked in the Credit Policy and Sovereign Risk groups, covering countries in Asia, Africa and Europe.

Atsi has taught International Political Economy and Emerging Markets at Columbia University in New York, and has been associated with non-profit agencies in micro finance and housing. Atsi has a PhD from Northwestern University and a B.A. from Bombay University.

Gene Fang Associate Managing Director, Sovereign Risk Group Moody's Investors Service

Gene Fang is an Associate Managing Director in the Sovereign and sub-sovereign Ratings Group in Asia. Based in Singapore, he manages the team that is responsible for sovereign credit ratings in the Asia Pacific region.

Before joining Moody’s, Gene worked as an investment banker, covering financial institutions for J.P. Morgan and Citigroup in Hong Kong and Singapore. In this role, he managed client relationships across Asia and advised on debt, equity, and M&A transactions.

Gene graduated from Columbia University in political science. He also holds an MBA from Harvard Business School and a Master in Public Policy from Harvard

University’s Kennedy School of Government.

Martin Petch Vice President – Senior Credit Officer, Sovereign Risk Group Moody's Investors Service

Martin Petch is a Vice President – Senior Credit Officer with Moody’s Sovereign Risk Group. Based in Singapore, he covers a portfolio of sovereign credits in the Asia Pacific region – including China, Australia, Hong Kong - as well as credits in Central Asia and the Caucasus. Martin joined Moody’s in 2017, after working as the Manager of Economic Analysis and Research with BHP Billiton covering its key commodity markets, China, Japan and India, economies in the South East Asian region, and the major advanced economies.

Martin also held various positions with the Australian Commonwealth Treasury, the Commonwealth Bank and the Australian Industry Group.

Martin was a graduate in Economics from the University of Western Australia.

Anushka Shah Vice President – Senior Analyst, Sovereign Risk Group Moody's Investors Service

Anushka Shah is a Vice President with Moody’s Sovereign Risk Group. Based in Singapore, Anushka covers a number of countries in Asia Pacific, including Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, the Maldives and Mongolia.

Prior to joining Moody’s, Anushka worked for more than seven years at Citi Investment Research in Bombay, where her focus was on the South Asian economies.

Anushka has a Master’s in Economics and Finance from the University of Warwick and a Bachelor’s in Economics from the University of Bombay

Christian de Guzman Senior Vice President, Sovereign Risk Group Moody's Investors Service

Christian de Guzman is a Vice President – Senior Credit Officer with Moody’s Sovereign Risk Group. Based in Singapore, he covers a portfolio of sovereigns and multilateral development banks in Asia Pacific, including Japan, Korea and a number of Southeast Asian credits. Christian joined Moody’s in 2009, after working as a Senior Economist for the Monetary Authority of Singapore, covering ASEAN economies.

Christian has also held various positions with the Research Department at the International Monetary Fund in Washington DC, and Procter & Gamble in Singapore.

Christian was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate in Economics and Political Science at the University of Georgia and received his M.A. in International Economics and Southeast Asian Studies from the Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.