Emcee Singapore Ivan Goes International – From Singapore FinTech Week to Philippines CFO Summit 2026
Date - 16th and 17th September 2026
Location - Crowne Plaza Changi Airport by IHG
Event - Fintech Week Awards and Expo Singapore Date - 18th September 2026
Location - Manila, Philippines
Event - Philippines CFO Summit 2026
When companies look for an Emcee Singapore professional who can host corporate conferences, international summits and business events, experience on different stages and with different audiences matters. For Emcee Singapore Ivan, September 2026 became an exciting example of exactly that — three consecutive days, two countries and two major events, beginning with FinTech Week Awards & Expo Singapore 2026 before continuing overseas to the Philippines CFO Summit 2026 in Manila.
Three Days. Two Countries. One Remarkable Journey.From Singapore to Manila. From FinTech to Finance.As I collect international stages and connect with audiences across the world, I’m shaping a journey that knows no borders.
Emcee Singapore Ivan Hosts FinTech Week Awards & Expo Singapore 2026
The international journey began in Singapore on 16 and 17 September 2026, when Emcee Singapore Ivan hosted the FinTech Week Awards & Expo Singapore 2026 at Crowne Plaza Changi Airport by IHG. Held under the theme “Finance. Innovation. Future.”, the two-day conference brought together fintech founders, banking leaders, investors, technology specialists, academics and industry decision-makers from the financial technology ecosystem.
For Emcee Singapore Ivan, hosting a major fintech conference required more than making stage announcements and introducing speakers. The programme covered artificial intelligence, digital banking, payments, tokenisation, financial inclusion, regulatory innovation and next-generation financial infrastructure. Each topic involved different speakers and areas of expertise, requiring the event host to understand the programme, connect one discussion naturally to the next and keep an international business audience engaged throughout the event.
The conference featured senior industry leaders including Vadim Timokhin, Founder and CEO of XChangeLab; Josh D’Ambrosio, Chief Commercial Officer of Finmo; Annabelle Lin, Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Nextvestment; Anna Zotova, Chief Risk Officer and MLRO at xpate; Najla Albarrak, CEO of Wazin International Investment Consulting Company; Daniel Minarik, Managing Director for Data and AI at Accenture; Alvin Yeoh, Senior Product Manager at HSBC; Avalon Ingram, Digital Assets Business Lead at Swift; Henry Zhang, Founder and Group CEO of DigiFT; and other distinguished leaders from the financial and technology sectors.
When an Emcee Singapore Has to Become the Moderator
Live events do not always follow the original plan, and this became one of the most memorable parts of the conference for Emcee Singapore Ivan. When the scheduled moderator for “Fintech & Banking – Bridging the Divide” had to leave because of a flight, Ivan was asked at short notice to step beyond his role as event emcee and take over the panel moderation.
Without allowing the unexpected programme change to interrupt the audience experience, Emcee Singapore Ivan transitioned into the moderator role and facilitated the discussion involving Annabelle Lin, Co-Founder and Chief Revenue Officer of Nextvestment; Anna Zotova, Chief Risk Officer and MLRO at xpate; Najla Albarrak, Chief Executive Officer of Wazin International Investment Consulting Company; and Josh D’Ambrosio, Chief Commercial Officer of Finmo. The discussion explored the evolving relationship between fintech companies and traditional banks, including AI, risk and compliance, investment, data analytics, payments and future bank-fintech collaboration.
Later in the programme, Emcee Singapore Ivan was again called upon to moderate another specialist panel at short notice. “The Future of Banking: Reinvention in the Digital Age” featured Dr. Victor Tay, Group CEO of Global Catalyst Advisory, and Sam Kapil, CEO of Sync Global Technologies. The conversation explored the future role of banks, embedded financial services, cross-border payment infrastructure and how banking could continue evolving in an increasingly digital financial environment.
These unexpected changes demonstrated an important part of professional conference hosting. An experienced Emcee Singapore needs to be prepared for more than what appears in the programme script. Listening to speakers, understanding the subject, reacting to developments on stage and remaining composed when a programme changes can be just as important as delivering a polished introduction.
Celebrating FinTech Innovation in Singapore
The FinTech Week Awards & Expo Singapore 2026 was also a celebration of people and organisations contributing to financial technology and innovation. With Emcee Singapore Ivan guiding the awards ceremonies, recognition was given across areas including financial leadership, fintech technology and infrastructure, cross-border payments, risk and compliance, customer solutions and AI-driven financial solutions.
Networking was another important part of the conference experience. As Emcee Singapore Ivan moved the programme between presentations, panel discussions, awards, networking and the lucky draw, the objective was to maintain the energy of the event while ensuring that speakers, VIPs, award recipients and guests remained at the centre of the experience.
After two days on stage in Singapore, the journey was not over. Instead of winding down after FinTech Week, Emcee Singapore Ivan was preparing for the next international event. The destination was Manila, Philippines, where a very different group of senior business leaders would gather to discuss the future of finance.
From Emcee Singapore to an International Stage in Manila
On 18 September 2026, Emcee Singapore Ivan hosted the Philippines CFO Summit 2026 at Diamond Hotel Philippines in Manila. Just one day after hosting the fintech community in Singapore, Ivan was now welcoming senior CFOs, finance leaders, business executives and industry specialists in the Philippines.
Under the theme “The CFO Vision 2030,” the Philippines CFO Summit examined how the responsibilities of CFOs are evolving beyond traditional financial management. For Emcee Singapore Ivan, the Manila event meant moving from conversations about fintech and banking into discussions about strategic financial leadership, transformation, forecasting, workforce planning, technology and organisational resilience.
One of the important sessions introduced by Emcee Singapore Ivan was the keynote address “CFO 2030: Is the Filipino CFO Ready? Where We Are Today, How We Compare with ASEAN and the World, and How We Catch Up.” The keynote was delivered by Eugene Eligio Velasquez, CFO of Trans World Trading Co., Inc., Board Member of Technopark Industrial Laboratory Inc., and Board Member of Asian Chemical Corporation-Philippines.
Hosting Senior CFOs and Finance Leaders in the Philippines
The Philippines CFO Summit brought Emcee Singapore Ivan onto a stage shared by senior finance leaders from a wide range of organisations. The programme included Julius Sulit, Global Head of Financial Reporting, Planning and Analysis at East-West Seed; Daniel Penkian, Senior Director – Finance & Procurement and Treasurer at R1 RCM; Anuj Aggarwal, President and CEO and former CFO of Canon Marketing (Philippines) Inc.; Mariel Chan, Finance and Supply Chain Director at Getz Pharma; Geoffrey Ogang, Vice President for Finance at Sprout Solutions; and Atty. Renee Tirones, CFO of TPC Energy Corporation.
Technology and digital transformation were equally important parts of the programme. Emcee Singapore Ivan connected sessions featuring Mohammed Farhan, Business Head – SEA at ClearTax; Kranthi Kumar Pallamala, VP at JustPerform; Anil Rajanala, Business Head at Cygnet.One; Rui Yuan, Regional Head at Lucanet ASEAN; and Vinod Punnamaraju, SVP – Global TCOE at Skill Quotient Technologies. Their sessions explored e-invoicing, AI, financial data, digital finance, compliance and cybersecurity.
Another major discussion focused on “CFOs in Finance 5.0: Leading with AI, Data & Digital Innovation.” Emcee Singapore Ivan introduced a programme featuring Dominique Thollon, CFO PMFTC (Philip Morris Philippines) at Philip Morris International; Joy Olivo, Group Corporate Controller at D.W. Morgan Company; Aldrin Dulig, GVP Finance at Concentrix; Stefan Yordanov, CFO at DHL Global Forwarding; Devendra Singh, Chief Information Officer at Atlantic, Gulf & Pacific Company (AG&P); and Arda Cetiner, General Manager at Ericsson Philippines. The discussion was moderated by Isaac Cancino, Head of Finance and Accounting at McCormick Philippines Inc.
The summit also examined how CFOs can help organisations navigate uncertainty and build stronger businesses. Emcee Singapore Ivan supported the programme as Elmer Sarmiento, Vice President – Head of Finance & Accounting Operations at eClerx, moderated a panel featuring Avnish Bhavsar, Financial Controller at Torrent Pharma Philippines Inc.; Franc Ramon, Group Financial Controller (VP) at Medtecs Group; Joanne Guantero, Finance Director at TMX Philippines Inc.; Frankie Endriga, CFO at GET Philippines Inc.; and Arnold Alvaro, Finance Director / Head of FP&A at DBDOYC Inc. (Angkas).
An Emcee Singapore Connecting with International Audiences
Hosting FinTech Week Awards & Expo Singapore 2026 and the Philippines CFO Summit 2026 back-to-back highlighted the versatility required of a professional Emcee Singapore working across corporate and international events. Although both events were connected to finance, their audiences, objectives and conversations were different. One focused heavily on fintech, banking and innovation, while the other centred on CFO leadership and the changing future of the finance function.
For Emcee Singapore Ivan, adapting to those differences meant understanding who was in the room and what mattered to them. Hosting an international business conference is not simply about speaking confidently on stage. It is about respecting VIPs and speakers, understanding the purpose behind each session, keeping the programme moving and creating a connection between the people on stage and the people in the audience.
The Singapore-to-Manila journey also reflects how Emcee Singapore Ivan is bringing his event hosting experience beyond Singapore. International events require an emcee to work comfortably with speakers and audiences from different countries, industries and professional backgrounds while still creating a consistent and welcoming event experience.
Three Days, Two Countries, One Emcee Singapore Journey
Three consecutive days took Emcee Singapore Ivan from the FinTech Week Awards & Expo Singapore 2026 at Crowne Plaza Changi Airport to the Philippines CFO Summit 2026 at Diamond Hotel Philippines in Manila. Along the way came keynote presentations, senior VIPs, international delegates, awards, panel discussions, networking, unexpected programme changes and two last-minute opportunities to step into the role of panel moderator.
For organisations searching for an Emcee Singapore for a corporate conference, financial event, awards ceremony, business summit or international event, these experiences show the range of situations that professional event hosting can involve. Preparation matters, but so does the ability to adapt when the programme changes and continue delivering a smooth experience for guests, speakers and organisers.
From Singapore to Manila, the journey continues for Emcee Singapore Ivan. Each conference creates an opportunity to meet new audiences, work with industry leaders and represent Singapore on another stage. Whether hosting at home or travelling overseas for an international corporate event, the goal remains the same: to connect the room, respect the occasion and make the event experience memorable.
For Emcee Singapore Ivan, three days and two countries represented more than a busy event schedule. They became another chapter in a growing international hosting journey — taking the experience of an Emcee Singapore from local stages to audiences around the world.
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