John Wood
John Wood is the Founder and CEO of U-GO. Prior to U-GO, he was Microsoft’s Director of Marketing for the Asia-Pacific region and the Director of Business Development for Greater China. John left Microsoft in 1999 to found Room to Read, where he was the founding CEO and later Board Chair, leading the teams that raised over $750 million in philanthropic capital and bringing their award-winning education programs to over 30 million children in 20 low-income countries.
John has five published books, including Leaving Microsoft to Change the World (described by Publisher’s Weekly as “an infectiously inspiring read”) and the children’s classic Zak the Yak with Books on His Back. The former was named a Top ten book of the year by both Amazon and Hudson’s Booksellers. Translated into 20 languages, the book was featured in hundreds of outlets including Bloomberg, CNBC, Fox News, MSNBC, the New York Times, and The Wall Street Journal. His appearance on the Oprah Winfrey Show to announce “Oprah’s Book Drive” for Room to Read raised over $3 million.
John has been named by Goldman Sachs as one of the world’s 100 Most Intriguing Entrepreneurs. At the invitation of Bill Clinton, he served three terms on the Advisory Board of the Clinton Global Initiative. John was named an “Asian Hero” by Time magazine and is a five-time winner of Fast Company’s Social Capitalist Award. He was selected by the World Economic Forum for its inaugural class of Young Global Leaders. The Tribeca Film Festival made him a Lifetime Achievement Honoree. John is a Henry Crown Fellow at the Aspen Institute and was twice selected by Barron’s as one of the “25 Best Givers.” In 2014, Queen Silvia of Sweden awarded John with the World’s Children’s Prize, also called the Children’s Nobel Prize.
John holds an MBA from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management, a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Colorado and has received four honorary Ph.D.’s. He is a founding Advisory Board member for both Asia Partners -- a $1 billion Singapore-based private equity fund focused on emerging technology firms -- and XA Network, the leading Southeast Asian angel investing platform. He is the Asia Partner for FIC Concentric Equity, a $2.5 billion Chicago-based private equity fund for whom he co-leads Asian investment strategy. John previously served on the Board of Directors for Net Impact and One Acre Fund and is currently on the Advisory Boards of New Story and Flight School.
Carrie Burke
Carrie Burke is a seasoned finance professional with nearly two decades of experience in banking and asset management. She has held senior leadership roles at Deutsche Bank and Barclays and most recently co-founded one of Singapore’s top Asia macro hedge funds, serving as Chief Risk Officer and Head of Investor Relations. Originally from China, she studied in the U.S. before making Singapore her home. A strong believer in the transformative power of education, Carrie is passionate about empowering underprivileged young women through university scholarships and is thrilled to serve on the global and Singapore boards of U-GO.
Tim Caflisch
Tim is a Partner of Finepoint Capital, a Boston based value-focused investment firm, where he runs the firm's equity business, with a core focus on Japan. Prior to joining Finepoint in 2015, Tim was a Principal at KKR & Co., where he worked in the company's Special Situations business in London and San Francisco from 2008-2015.
Tim graduated with a BA in Economics from Stanford University.
On joining U-GO:
“Education is the key to unlocking every young person’s potential. By giving young women the financial help to attend university, we give them a chance to chase their dreams and realize that potential. That opportunity is the best gift we can give to these young bright minds.”
Ben Happ
Ben Happ, CFA is a Partner at BERA PARTNERS, a Chicago-based investment consulting firm that helps institutional investors invest in the future of food. Prior to this, Ben was the Head of Marketing and Investor Relations at Myriad Asset Management, a Hong Kong-based hedge fund. Ben joined Myriad in 2015 from Credit Suisse, where he had senior Prime Brokerage roles in New York, Boston, and Hong Kong. He joined Credit Suisse in 2009 as the Hong Kong-based Head of Capital Services for the Asia Pacific region.
Prior to Credit Suisse, Ben served as Head of Business Development for Abax Global Capital, a Hong Kong-based hedge fund and private equity manager seeded by Morgan Stanley. His previous roles included Morgan Stanley and Allianz Hedge Fund Partners.
Ben earned a B.A., summa cum laude, from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and an M.A. in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley.
On joining U-GO:
“The thing that excites me most about U-GO is its potential. The benefits of educating young women doesn’t stop with the individual, her family and future generations will also benefit from her potential earning power and life skills, and ultimately break the vicious cycle of poverty.”
Patricia Horgan
Patricia currently serves as an independent member of the Board of Directors of Goldman Sachs Bank AG. During her 38-year career in senior positions at some of the world’s leading financial institutions, Patricia has served as European Head of Leveraged Finance at UBS; European Head of Corporate Banking at UBS; Global Head of Private Wealth Management Lending at Deutsche Bank; Head of Investment Products at Credit Suisse; and Head of One Bank Collaboration at Credit Suisse.
She previously served as Chairperson of the Switzerland Development Board of Room to Read, and currently is a member of the Advisory Board of StrategieDialog21, a Swiss think tank devoted to fostering political dialogue in Switzerland.
A native of New Jersey, Patricia holds both US and Swiss citizenship and has resided in Zurich for 36 years.
On joining U-GO:
“Education has the incredible power to change lives and transition girls and their families out of poverty. We will make that change a reality with the support of friends and supporters of U-GO, and I’m confident that we can begin to make an impact by sending girls to school as early as this year.”
Martina Lauchengo
Martina spent 30 years as a marketing and product leader. She started her career working on market-defining software, Microsoft Office and Netscape Navigator. She teaches what she’s learned with SVPG and is a lecturer at UC Berkeley's graduate school of engineering. As a partner at Costanoa Ventures, she sits on multiple boards and coaches startups. She is the author of LOVED: How to Rethink Marketing Tech Products, a #1 Amazon Best Seller. Martina holds a B.A. in Political Science and M.A. in Organizational Behavior from Stanford University. She's a native Californian, mother of two, and proud wife to Chris.
Nicholas Nash
Nicholas Nash is the Managing Partner and a co-founder of Asia Partners and brings decades of experience in finance and strategy to the role.
Nick served as the Group President of Sea, Greater Southeast Asia’s leading internet company with an over $150 billion market cap, from 2014 to 2018. Among his achievements, Nick led Sea’s landmark initial public offering on the New York Stock Exchange, which raised approximately $1 billion of primary capital and which was the largest ever U.S. IPO of a company from Southeast Asia. Nick joined Sea after more than a decade with General Atlantic, most recently as the co-founder and head of GA’s Southeast Asia business. Three of Mr. Nash’s successful investments while with GA are now multibillion dollar NYSE publicly traded companies.
Prior to GA, Mr. Nash was a management consultant with McKinsey & Company in New York. He was a member of the World Economic Forum’s ASEAN Regional Strategy Group from 2017-2018, is a member of the global Kauffman Society for leadership in venture capital, is a member of the Young Presidents Organization, and is a board member of Endeavor Indonesia. Nick received an MBA from Stanford University’s Graduate School of Business, where he was an Arjay Miller Scholar. He received his undergraduate degree from Harvard University in Chemistry and Physics, magna cum laude.
On joining U-Go:
“We don’t know where Asia’s next unicorn might come from, I like to think that it might come from budding entrepreneurs that we haven’t even started out yet. Let’s support young ambitious talents who have the potential to shape and contribute back to their nation and communities, leaving lasting impact.”
Mariana Zobel
Mariana Zobel de Ayala is Senior Vice President at Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) Consumer Bank overseeing Consumer Bank Marketing and Digital Platforms. Ms. Zobel de Ayala also serves as a board director and/or advisory committee member for a number of Ayala Group companies, across Ayala Land, AC Health, Ayala Group’s ACTIVE Fund and BPI’s Asset Management and Trust Company. She also serves as advisor on the board of Asia Partners.
Before this role, Mariana was Deputy Head of Ayala Malls, a subsidiary of Ayala Land responsible for just under two million square meters in leasable retail space around the country. In addition to directly overseeing Leasing Strategy & Development across the malls, Mariana was responsible for the build-out of Ayala Malls Labs / Digital & Data -- a new unit focused on commercializing synergistic opportunities leveraging technology and data.
Prior to this, she worked in Project Development for Alveo Land, and as a Corporate Strategy and Business Development Associate with Ayala Corporation, where she supported portfolio review across the conglomerate and business development interest in the healthcare sector. Mariana started her career at J.P. Morgan in New York City. She graduated from Harvard College with a BA in Social Studies (Philosophy, Politics, and Economics), and an MBA from INSEAD in 2020.
Tom Monroe
Tom is a retired biotech executive. Most recently, he was a founder and the CEO of Vaxxilon (Berlin and Basel), a company developing prophylactic vaccines to target anti-microbial resistant pathogens. Prior to Vaxxilon, he worked for Actelion in Basel, Sydney, Shanghai, and San Francisco in a variety of roles including starting subsidiaries in several locations. He also worked for Roche, Syntex, Piedmont Clinical Labs, and Economic Analysis Corporation.
Tom earned a BA from Pomona College (Economics, International Relations) and an MS from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (Management – Finance and Operations).
Amy Powell
Amy Powell is a wine entrepreneur with an extensive background in marketing, communications, and sales for luxury hotels and the food and beverage industry. Amy founded TOASST in 2019, quickly growing it to be the premier wine club in Hong Kong, helping consumers discover small and independent winemakers from around the world. Prior to TOASST, Amy ran PR and Communications for the Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong leading them to a record 8 Michelin stars under one roof, as well as launching an urban wellness program widely adopted throughout the brand properties in Asia.
Prior roles included regional sales positions across the beverage industry from water to tea to wine.
Amy has a long passion for education philanthropy. She began volunteering for Room to Read as a part of the Los Angeles chapter later co-heading the New York City chapter and joining the Hong Kong board.
Amy holds a B.A. in Hospitality Administration from Cornell University as well as her Professional Diploma from the French Culinary Institute.
Kirsten Sansom
Kirsten Sansom has over 20 years of non-profit experience in Asia and the US, supporting children in developing countries to gain access to a quality education. For almost two decades, she lived and traveled throughout Asia, witnessing firsthand the barriers children face to reach their potential. In Shanghai, she led fundraising efforts for Operation Smile, Habitat for Humanity, The Jane Goodall Institute, and the Li Ming Migrant School. In Singapore, she was the Executive Team Leader for Room to Read’s signature gala event, raising millions of dollars to support Room to Read’s literacy and girls’ education programs. In addition, she was an executive consultant to Room to Read’s gala events in Hong Kong and New York.
Prior to her philanthropic work, Kirsten was an Advanced Systems Engineer for Electronic Data Systems, applying creative information technology solutions to solve business problems in the manufacturing, telecommunications, and point-of-sale industry sectors in the US and Europe.
Now, as the Senior VP of Storytelling, she is eager to share the compelling stories of the U-Go scholars so that more young women can achieve the next vital step in their educational and personal development.
Kirsten earned a B.S. in Applied Mathematics from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. She serves on the Natural Resources Committee at Black Butte Ranch, Oregon. Currently, she is based in New York City but is often found back in Oregon, monitoring western bluebirds and hiking in her beloved Ponderosa pine forest.
Dinesh Shrestha
Dinesh Shrestha is a highly accomplished management and organization development expert with an impressive 40 years of experience. He is perhaps best known as the Co-founder of Room to Read, a global non-profit organization dedicated to promoting literacy and gender equality in education. Room to Read believes that all children should have access to quality education and the opportunity to reach their full potential
Dinesh has had an extensive career in international development, working with organizations such as the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), the GTZ, and the World Health Organization. He has played a critical role in Room to Read's success across Asia, serving as Country Director for Laos, Sri Lanka, India, and Nepal.
Aside from his professional achievements, Dinesh is also a dedicated social worker and has been an active member of Lions Clubs International for many years. He is currently serving as a District Governor of one of the districts in Nepal.
Dinesh's contributions to society have been widely recognized. He has received numerous awards for his work in Nepal, including the Silver Jubilee of HM King Birendra’s Accession to the Throne Award and the prestigious highest national award in Cambodia bestowed by His Majesty the King of Cambodia. He was also recently honored with the “Pradesh Deep” Award from Nepal Government (Bagmati Province).
Dinesh holds a master's degree in business administration with a specialization in human resource management from Kathmandu University.