Team

The Gaia Team

At Gaia, we are bound by a shared ethos of professionalism, performance and integrity. Our team is comprised of seasoned private market investment professionals, contributing an array of experience from Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund, large family offices and private equity sponsors. The team is supported by a group of professionals and a reputable international fund administrator that ensures the integrity of our investors’ portfolios.

Serena Tan

Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder

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Serena Tan

Experience 

  • Serena is the CEO and Co-Founder of Gaia Investment Partners 
  • She has over 27 years experience in private market investments, corporate finance and restructuring, and financial services 
  • Prior to Gaia, she spent more than 17 years at Khazanah Nasional Berhad where her last role was Executive Director of Investments, Head of Private Markets, and Head of the Financial Institutions Group. Prior to Khazanah, she was with Boston Consulting Group and McKinsey & Co. 

 

Education and Qualifications

  • Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Finance (Macquarie University, Australia) 
  • Master in Business Administration (MIT Sloan Fellows Programme at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology) 
  • Aspen Institute’s Finance Leaders Fellowship 

Kheng Han Yap

Chief Investment Officer

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Kheng Han Yap

Experience 

  • Kheng Han is the CIO of Gaia Investment Partners and is responsible for investments and portfolio management 
  • He has over 25 years experience in private market investments across private funds, corporate finance, M&A and investment banking 
  • Prior to Gaia, he was a Director of Investments and Team Lead of the Private Funds Group at Khazanah Nasional Berhad. He was also previously with CIMB Investment Bank, Maxis Communications and Accenture 

 

Education and Qualifications 

  • CFA charterholder 
  • Bachelor of Business in Economics and Finance (RMIT University, Australia) 

Hafriz Abdul Rahman

Investments

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Hafriz Abdul Rahman

Experience 

  • Hafriz is responsible for investments and portfolio management at Gaia 
  • He has over 17 years experience in private market investments, portfolio management, corporate strategy, and audit 
  • Prior to Gaia, he was a Senior Vice President at Khazanah Nasional Berhad, overseeing investments in private markets, portfolio management and corporate strategy. He started his career with Ernst & Young as an external auditor in Auckland for 5 years and in Boston for 2 years 

 

Education and Qualifications 

  • Chartered Accountant with Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand 
  • Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) with a Major in Accounting (University of Otago, New Zealand) 

May Yee Lau

Investments and Operations

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May Yee Lau

Experience 

  • May Yee is responsible for investments and leads operations at Gaia 
  • She has over 18 years experience covering private market investments, corporate finance, M&A, corporate strategy, and portfolio management 
  • Prior to Gaia, she was a Senior Vice President of Investments in the Private Markets team at Khazanah Nasional Berhad. She had also served over 4 years in investment banking and corporate advisory with Maybank Investment Bank and QuantePhi Sdn Bhd 

 

Education and Qualifications 

  • CFA charterholder 
  • Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance (University of London) 

Kon Chao Kwek

Investments and Capital Formation

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Kon Chao Kwek

Experience 

  • Kon Chao is responsible for investments and leads capital formation and strategic partnerships at Gaia 
  • He has over 15 years experience in investment banking, corporate finance, M&A, and private investing 
  • Prior to Gaia, he served 6 years as Chief Operating Officer & Head of Stockbroking of Hong Leong Investment Bank, and 3 years managing private equity investments for the Hong Leong Group. He also spent 5 years in investment banking, corporate advisory and private equity with Tiro Capital and Morgan Stanley in Hong Kong 

 

Education and Qualifications 

  • Bachelor of Arts in Computer Science (University of Oxford)
  • MA (Oxon), University of Oxford

Jaryn Lim

Investments

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Jaryn Lim

Experience 

  • Jaryn is responsible for investments and portfolio management at Gaia 
  • She has over 6 years experience in investments 
  • Prior to Gaia, she was an Assistant Vice President in the Private Funds Group at Khazanah Nasional Berhad where she spent over 4 years in private funds investing and overseeing Financial Services and Airport private assets 

 

Education and Qualifications 

  • Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance (The London School of Economics and Political Science) 

Benjamin Bong

Investments

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Benjamin Bong

Experience 

  • Benjamin is responsible for investments and portfolio management at Gaia
  • He has over 7 years experience covering private equity investments and finance
  • Prior to Gaia, he was an Assistant Manager with The Employees Provident Fund of Malaysia where he spent over 4 years in the Private Equity team overseeing private funds investments 

 

Education and Qualifications 

  • Bachelor of Business in Accountancy (Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology)

Crystal Yong

Finance and Operations

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Crystal Yong

Experience 

  • Crystal leads finance at Gaia and is responsible for accounting, finance and reporting 
  • She has over 15 years experience in audit and finance 
  • Prior to Gaia, she was a Vice President of Finance at Tael Partners. She was also previously with Creador and EY Malaysia 

 

Education and Qualifications 

  • CPA Australia 
  • Malaysian Institute of Accountants 
  • Bachelor of Commerce with a Major in Accounting (University of Queensland, Australia)

Arinah Yusof-Hindmarsh

General Counsel

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Arinah Yusof-Hindmarsh

Experience 

  • Arinah oversees all legal and compliance functions at Gaia
  • She has over 13 years of combined legal experience, having previously worked at Ekuiti Nasional Berhad and Messrs Kadir Andri & Partners

 

Education 

  • Bachelor of Laws (LL.B. (Hons)) (Cardiff University)
  • Postgraduate Diploma in Bar Professional Training (Cardiff University)
  • Master of Laws (LL.M.) (University of Melbourne)

 

Qualifications

  • Advocate and Solicitor, High Court of Malaya (2012) [non-practising]
  • Barrister-at-Law (Lincoln's Inn) (2011) [non-practising]