David R. Hardoon, PhD
Group Chief Data and AI Officer at Union Bank of the Philippines
Chief Executive Officer at Aboitiz Data Innovation
Chief Data and Innovation Officer at Aboitiz Group

Concurrently David is an external advisor to Singapore's Corrupt Investigation Practices Bureau (CPIB) in the capacity of Senior Advisor (Artificial Intelligence) and to Singapore's Central Provident Fund Board (CPF) in the capacity of Senior Advisor (Data Science).

Prior to his current roles, David was Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) first appointed Chief Data Officer and Head of Data Analytics Group reporting to the agency Deputy Managing Director for Financial Supervision and subsequently Special Advisor (Artificial Intelligence) reporting to Deputy Managing Director for Markets and Development. In these roles he led the development of the AI strategy both for MAS and Singapore’s financial sector as well as driving efforts in promoting open cross-border data flows.

David holds a PhD in Computer Science in the field of Machine Learning from the University of Southampton and graduated from Royal Holloway, University of London with First Class Honors B.Sc. in Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence.

Brenda is an economist and Head of Research Insights for Asia Pacific. She leads a team of modellers and data scientists that design and implement quantitative risk management solutions for ESG and climate change, Asset Liability Management (ALM) and corporate credit risk. Brenda is also actively involved in providing research insights to support our customers, developing content for thought leadership in the region and promoting our solutions in globally.

Throughout her time at Moody's, she participated in initiatives that involved developing award winning risk models. In addition, Brenda led numerous consultancy projects with banks, fintech, regulators and investment firms worldwide, focusing on stress testing and model design.

Before joining Moody's Analytics in 2015, Brenda worked for SITA in Prague as a Treasury analyst responsible for the cash flow, currency risk management and bank relationship. In addition, she worked as a Senior Transfer Pricing consultant for EY in Mexico. Furthermore, she worked in the Mexican Ministry of Finance focusing on the liability management of the public debt in local and international markets.

Brenda holds a BA in Economics from Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México, and MA degree in Economics and Finance with honors from Charles University in Prague. Currently she is pursuing a PhD in Accounting and Financial Management at University of Reading in the U.K.

Jewel Myrtel Bautista is a Subject Matter Expert at Moody’s Risk and Finance Analytics, specializing in end-to-end credit risk assessment, risk optimization, and climate risk. She brings a strategic perspective on how Generative AI is reshaping banking operations throughout the Asia Pacific region, and she is well-versed in designing and implementing AI-powered, data-driven solutions that help financial institutions gain sharper insights and greater efficiency.

Jewel is recognized for her practical, hands-on approach - she actively assists banks in automating their credit assessment processes, delivering measurable improvements in decision-making and operational workflows. Before joining Moody’s, she provided credit risk and operational solutions for major banks in Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam, focusing on process efficiency and regulatory compliance.

Earlier in her career, Jewel worked as a consultant in the credit assessment space, partnering with financial institutions and regulators across Asia Pacific and the Middle East to design and implement a variety of credit solutions. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science, specializing in Systems & Software Engineering.

Steven G. Cochrane, PhD, is Chief APAC Economist with Moody’s. He leads the Asia economic analysis and forecasting activities of the Moody’s research team, as well as the continual expansion of the company’s international, national and subnational forecast models. In addition, Steve directs consulting projects for clients to help them understand the effect of regional economic developments on their business under baseline forecasts and alternative scenarios. Steve’s expertise lies in providing clear insights into an area’s or region’s strengths, weaknesses and comparative advantages, relative to macro or global economic trends. 

A highly-regarded speaker, Dr. Cochrane has provided economic insights at hundreds of engagements over the past 20 years and has been featured on CNBC, CNA, Bloomberg TV, Wall Street Radio, and the PBS News Hour. Through his research and presentations, Steve dissects how various components of the macro and regional economies shape patterns of growth. His extensive expertise on U.S. and global economic issues makes also him a popular speaker at client conferences and executive briefings.

Steve holds a PhD from the University of Pennsylvania and is a Penn Institute for Urban Research Scholar. He also holds a master's degree from the University of Colorado at Denver and a bachelor's degree from the University of California at Davis.

Eugene Tarzimanov is a Senior Vice President in the Financial Institutions Group in Asia. Based in Singapore, he is the Lead Analyst for banks in Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. 

Eugene is also responsible for coordinating banking research across Asia Pacific, and actively represents Moody’s to regulators, investors and the media on analytical and methodological views. Eugene moved to Singapore from Moody’s Moscow office, where he covered the largest banks in Russia, as well as financial institutions in Europe and the Middle East.

Before joining Moody’s in early 2009, Eugene held senior positions during his five years with Standard & Poor’s, where he was responsible for the analysis of banks in Europe and the Middle East. He has also worked at the CEO’s office of Bank VTB, where he was responsible for inhouse research.

Eugene holds an MBA in financial management from New York’s Pace University, and a BSc in international economics from Moscow’s Finance Academy.