The Board of Directors
Lucy Carmody, Executive Director
Lucy is Executive Director of Responsible Research and is based in Singapore. Her responsibilities include operational management, business development and research coordination of the highly respected independent Asian ESG research company which produces thematic research highlighting sector trends and sustainability performance in Asian listed companies.
She was most formerly Director of The CSR Practice, a consultancy which advises on ethical investment, corporate philanthropy and governance in Asia, and previous to that, enjoyed over a decade of experience in Asian Equity Research and Sales with top tier global investment banks. Lucy was Vice President at the number one rated Asian investment banking team (Barclays de Zoete Wedd) and was also a partner of the pioneering Emerging Market Investment Bank, Caspian Securities, in New York.
Her entrepreneurial spirit has since led to senior roles in the United States, Hong Kong and Singapore in investment consulting, online community and social venture capital sectors. She is an Advisory Board member of the Impact Investment Exchange Asia and is the founder of the Asian Association of Independent Research Providers. She volunteers her time to the UNRPI backed Emerging Market Disclosure Project as part of her commitment to the principles of responsible investment. Her current interests include responsible forestry and preservation of marine resources in Asia.
Lucy holds a Masters from St John’s College, University of Cambridge and qualified for the NASD General Securities Principal License Series 24 in the USA.
Melissa Brown, Chair of The Board of Advisors
Melissa is Managing Director at IDFC where she looks at private equity and Fund of Funds investments in Asia. She was, until recently Executive Director of ASrIA, Asia’s leading SRI membership association. For over 5 years she has been the leading spokesperson for ESG issues for the investment community in Asia. She was lead author and editor of benchmark studies on ESG and climate change trends in Asia and has spoken widely at conferences on the Carbon Disclosure Project, which she managed in Asia.
Prior to joining ASrIA, Melissa spent 15 years undertaking Asian equity research including roles as the Regional Utilities Analyst for both JP Morgan and Salomon Smith Barney. She has held roles with Senior Research Management responsibility, including developing the South Korean operation for BZW. In the late1980’s she worked as an analyst covering emerging growth stocks for the investment managers Lord, Abbett & Co. in New York and she has worked for a speciality tax policy magazine in Washington, D.C.
Melissa holds an MBA from the Yale School of Management and a BA in Economics from Williams College, USA.
Richard Welford PhD, Director
Richard has over 20 years of experience working with companies on environmental management and social responsibility issues globally.
He currently combines a successful academic career as Professor at Hong Kong University with two businesses specialising in environmental publications and CSR consultancy and training. He is the Chair and Co-Founder of CSR Asia.
Richard has worked with some of the world’s leading MNCs and currently advises the Swire Group, adidas and Cathay Pacific. He has worked as a consultant to the MTR Corporation in Hong Kong and other clients have included the World Bank, the International Finance Corporation, Oxfam, the Business Environment Council, TXU Europe and The Body Shop. He has also acted as an advisor to the United Nations.
Richard is the author of 15 books on international business, environmental management and corporate social responsibility including Sustainable Development and Business Strategy. He holds a PhD from the University of Warwick.
Erin Lyon, Director
Erin is a qualified Solicitor in England & Wales. She worked for the international law firm, Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer both in Europe and Asia as a Corporate Law Associate advising clients on CSR and soft law in merger and acquisition transactions.
She is an executive director of CSR Asia and has over three years of consulting experience in advising MNCs and local companies on CSR strategy and implementation and led a team undertaking a CSR assessment and benchmark survey for the Malaysian Stock Exchange.
Erin is also currently an adjunct lecturer on Business Ethics and Social Responsibility at the Singapore Management University.
Erin holds BA from Exeter University and spent three years on the national executive of a trade union where her experience included campaigning, lobbying and policy development.
Stephen Frost, PhD, Director
Stephen is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Asian and International Studies at the City University of Hong Kong and executive director of CSR Asia. He has consulted for numerous companies, governments and multilateral organisations, and is widely published. He sits on the advisory boards of major corporations and CSR initiatives internationally.
Much of his work has focused on issues surrounding supply chains and workplace standards. He helped develop an innovative factory training program for Chinese factories, and led a team to develop capacity building for Chinese organisations to deliver services to companies in supply chains.
Stephen developed and taught the first CSR modules in MBA programs in Chinese universities, developed and taught the first undergraduate CSR course in Asia and is a recognised pioneer in CSR in Asia. He holds a PhD from Murdoch University and has been widely published on Labour Practices in Asia.
Melissa Ong, Director
Melissa Ong is a Research Fellow and heads the Public Roles of the Private Sector (PROPS) programme at the Centre on Asia and Globalisation (CAG), Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy. She was responsible for starting the programme and is in charge of its planning and strategy. Melissa conducts and oversees research on corporate social responsibility, business and human rights, social and environmental risks and opportunities in Asia. In addition to research, the PROPS programme engages in outreach by organising seminars, and executive education on business leadership and sustainability in Asia.
Prior to joining CAG, Melissa worked for three years in the international humanitarian sector in for organisations such as the International Rescue Committee and the United Nations in East Timor, Afghanistan and Sudan. She has been a consultant to other non-profits like Crisis Management Initiative and United States Institute for Peace. Before embarking on her work in the field, she spent ten months working Oxfam International’s advocacy office in New York. In 1999, she was also a contributing editor for Conde Nast Traveller magazine in London.
Melissa holds a Masters in International Affairs from the School of International and Public Affairs at Columbia University and a BA from the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London.
