Kok Song is Chairman at Avanda, an absolute return investment manager he founded. He presides over Avanda's $6BN of assets, and leads a team of 42, managing global multi-asset and Asia-centric investment strategies for long-term asset owners. Prior to founding Avanda in 2014, with GIC's President and CRO, Kok Song was GIC's CIO. In his 27 years at GIC, he built GIC's in-house public and private markets capabilities, and external managers sourcing. He led GIC through the October 1987 market decline, Asian currency crisis, dot-com bust and GFC. The Singapore Government awarded him the Meritorious Service Medal; the CFA Institute conferred on him the Thomas L Hansberger Award for Leadership in the global investment profession. He was a member of the Strategic Committee of Agency France Tresor; the Government of France conferred on him the award of La Croix de Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur. He founded the SIMEX derivatives exchange, and was inducted into the Futures Hall of Fame for his contribution to the global futures industry. He is Chairman Emeritus of the Wealth Management Institute at the Nanyang Technological University, and serves on PIMCO's Global Advisory board.