Corporate Governance Reform in Asia-Pacific – From Policy to Practice
Date: 17 March 2026 (Tuesday)
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM HKT / 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM JST
Format: Zoom Webinar
Language: English
Enrollment Fee: Free of charge
Across Asia–Pacific, corporate governance is entering a more demanding phase. Regulatory and stock exchange driven reforms are accelerating, expectations of board accountability and effectiveness are rising, and investors face growing pressure to demonstrate credible stewardship. This shift comes at a critical moment, as markets across the region seek to strengthen value creation and attract long-term, high quality, capital.
CFA Institute, together with CFA Society Hong Kong and CFA Society Japan, are hosting this webinar session to unpack the latest developments in corporate governance across the region. The session will explore how reforms are being implemented in practice, where bottlenecks and opportunities for improvements remain, and what the next phase of governance and stewardship expectations may look like future direction. The discussion will draw on a range of perspectives, including those of a stock exchange, an issuer, and an institutional investor.
This session is designed for issuers and board directors, institutional investors, governance and stewardship professionals, regulators, and market intermediaries seeking practical insights into evolving reforms and rising market expectations. Participants will gain a clearer understanding of implementation realities, emerging practices, and regulatory priorities shaping corporate governance across the region.
Key Themes
- Recent governance reforms across key Asia-Pacific markets, what they aim to achieve, and where expectations are still evolving.
- How reforms are playing out in practice, and how issuers, boards, and investors are responding.
- A forward-looking view of the next phase of regulatory and stewardship priorities.
About the Speakers
Chad Cecere, CFA
Senior Manager, Equities
Tokyo Stock Exchange
Chad Cecere currently serves as a Senior Manager and Vice President in the Equities Department at the Tokyo Stock Exchange since November 2023. Prior to this role, he worked at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank as an Engagement Consultant from April 2022 to November 2023 and held the position of Director of Investment Strategy, Stewardship & ESG at the Government Pension Investment Fund (GPIF) from July 2019 to March 2022.
Chad's earlier experience includes a tenure at the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Inc. as a Corporate Governance Specialist and Manager in Information Services (Indexing) from July 2010 to June 2019, as well as brief roles at J.P. Morgan as an Equity Research Intern in June 2009 and at the Tokyo Stock Exchange, Inc. as an International Advisor from September 2005 to August 2008.
Chad's career began at Hyogo Prefecture as a Coordinator for International Relations from July 2003 to September 2005. He holds an MBA in Economics, Finance, and Accounting from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business and a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Japanese from the University of Colorado Boulder.
Hajime Inoue
Joint General Manager, Corporate Governance Consulting Department
Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank
Hajime Inoue is a Joint General Manager of the Corporate Governance Consulting Department at Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Bank, which is the largest shareholder registrar in Japan and conducts the country’s largest Corporate Governance Survey. In this role, he oversees the Investor Relations & Shareholder Relations (IRSR) Consulting Team and the Nomination and Remuneration Consulting Team.
With extensive experience in investor relations, Hajime provides invaluable insights to the firm and its clients among Japanese listed companies by delivering services such as shareholder identification, engagement support, proxy advisory, and related consulting.
Prior to joining SuMi Trust, Hajime served as IR Office Manager at Resona Holdings. Before transitioning into the investor relations field, he held various positions at multiple branches of Resona Bank, where he was responsible for serving listed corporate clients and high-net-worth individuals.
Hajime is a Certified Member Analyst of the Securities Analysts Association of Japan and holds a BA in International Liberal Arts from the University of Tsukuba.
About the Moderator
Mary Leung, CFA
Senior Advisor, Research and Advocacy, APAC
CFA Institute
Mary Leung is a distinguished advocate and speaker for a range of capital markets-related topics, including fund raising, shareholder rights, corporate governance, diversity, sustainability, and ESG. She has over 20 years of experience in the global financial industry, with expertise in corporate finance, wealth management advisory and institutional fund management, having worked at institutions such as UBS and Coutts.
Prior to her current role as a Senior Advisor at CFA Institute, Mary served as Head of Policy, Registration and Oversight at the Accounting and Financial Council, the independent audit and accounting regulator in Hong Kong. In that role, she was responsible for policy development and the delivery of statutory functions relating to the registration of audit practitioners, and the oversight of the Hong Kong Institute of Certified Public Accountants. From 2016 to 2022, she was Head, Advocacy, Asia Pacific at CFA Institute, leading research and advocacy efforts that drive market integrity, investor protection, and industry professionalism.
Mary is a CFA Charterholder and a recognized thought leader in market integrity and investor protection.
CFA Society Hong Kong has participated in the CFA Societies Global Passport Program which allows CFA society members to enjoy local society member rate at selected events like this event. Members of non-CFA Society Hong Kong CFA Institute societies qualify to attend this event at CFA Society Hong Kong member rates. Please contact CFA Society Hong Kong at events@cfahk.org to register.
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Remarks
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