Our board members

Our Board members come from a wide range of backgrounds to guide the work of New Life Stories and chart its growth.

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Graham Kelly

Graham has been the Executive Creative Director at some of the world's leading advertising agencies including Ogilvy, Saatchi & Saatchi, BBH and TBWA. Graham’s creative work has achieved international recognition across all media, winning major awards for his print, TV, direct marketing and digital campaigns. Graham is also a regular speaker at key advertising events, such as The Asia Pacific Advertising Festival, AdAsia, The Media Spikes and The One Show (where he spoke in the Great Hall of the People).

Jag Sekhon Arora

Ms. Jag Sekhon Arora held numerous leadership roles across the Energy, Manufacturing and Infrastructure sectors internationally before returning to Singapore. She now finds purpose by channelling her global experience, expertise and passion into community development and social change. Jag is actively involved in volunteer work across a variety of organisations and beneficiaries, focusing on initiatives that empower families, uplift marginalised communities and enhance children's education.

At the board level, Jag strives to drive meaningful impact with strategic insight. Her dedication goes beyond the boardroom, as she actively engages in committees and grassroots initiatives. With intention, she bridges the gap between big-picture decision-making and on-the-ground action, aiming to create a tangible difference

Jag is also a qualified mentor, providing guidance to individuals and organisations to foster growth and leadership development. She holds an MBA from Nottingham Business School and a BSc Hons in Accounting and Financial Analysis from Warwick Business School.

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K. Veerapandiyan

K. Veerapandiyan is an educator with more than 15 years of experience in the teaching profession. He teaches students from the ages of 13-18 in subjects including Knowledge & Inquiry, Media Literacy, Design Thinking and Project Work. In his previous stint, he worked in the media industry producing current affairs programmes and documentaries. Furthermore, he worked with the United Nations Mission in Kosovo and led a team in registering and organizing the first post-conflict elections. He has also experience being a Programme Manager of an NGO in Kosovo, which was tasked with minority protection. Veerapandiyan also has a Masters in International Relations from the International University of Japan.

Zakiah Halim

Zakiah Halim has over 30 years of experience in the media and broadcasting Industry with professional expertise in programming, editorial, training, events and promotions.  She started as a Producer-Presenter before heading the Malay TV and Radio stations. Under Zakiah’s stewardship, Suria’s commissioned programmes won International Awards including Asian Television Awards and New York Festivals. Zakiah sat on several advisory boards, mainly in the fields of Education, Arts, Media and Broadcasting. She was the Chairman of the Asian Broadcasting Union (ABU), Radio Working Party and was a regular speaker at ABU Conferences. Zakiah received the ‘Patron of Music’ Award given by COMPASS for her contribution in the music industry and the inaugural ‘Friends of MCCY’ Award given to those active in the arts, heritage, community and Youth sectors.  Zakiah graduated from the National University of Singapore, NUS with a Bachelor Degree in Arts & Social Sciences. She last served as Head, Malay Community, Mediacorp Pte Ltd, before leaving the company in 2018.

Azmeen Moiz

Azmeen heads the Field Compliance at the Office of Ethics and Compliance in SAP, in Asia Pacific and Japan. She started her legal career in 1990 in Drew and Napier and is well known in the legal sector. Azmeen has taken on leadership legal roles in private practice,  multinational companies and in government, statutory boards and government linked companies. She is deeply passionate about the role of civil society, and has applied her combination of legal skills and knowledge on various projects for the betterment of society over the years including CEDAW (Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination Against Women), Trafficking, Foreign Brides and Sex Tourism, and has also worked with Family Services Centres and other NGOs. Azmeen was also nominated by the US State Department to represent Singapore in 2011, in the International Visitor Leadership Program on The Role of NGOs and Global Women issues, in Washington DC with NGOs, federal and state agencies.

Mike Troemel

Mike Troemel had been in the data-storage industry for 35 years and held leadership positions in product development and manufacturing for Seagate. Throughout his career, he also held various engineering and operations management roles in the US, Asia, and Europe, building an extensive set of global management skills. Mike holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Chemical Engineering; a Master's of Science in Materials Science; and an MBA — all from the University of Minnesota.

Alwi Hafiz

An engineer by training, Alwi Hafiz has almost 30 years of experience in professional services, consulting, and IT. He is a founding partner of Rekanext Capital Planners and co-founder of Intuitif Technologies. Alwi was appointed as Trustee Emeritus of Nanyang Technological University in 2018. He also serves on the boards of Mendaki Social Enterprise Network (SENSE), Mercy Relief, and the Malay Heritage Foundation. In the past, he has served on the Boards of the Land Transport Authority, Yayasan Mendaki, and the Association of Muslim Professionals. Currently, Alwi holds the position of Sustainability Advisor at Golden Veroleum Liberia and is also the Head of Strategic Partnerships, Group Sustainability and Communications at Golden Agri-Resources.