The Ambassadors

Inspired to lean in and support

Our Ambassadors are at the heart of Mental Health in Finance Ltd. They bring lived experience from the industry and know how a small act of support can change a life. As trusted “guardian angels”, they help direct funds from the Kevin Milne “Giving Back” initiative to current and former finance professionals who need it most. We are deeply grateful for their wisdom, integrity, and commitment.

Meet our Ambassadors

Alejandro Nicolas Aguzin is an Argentinian-born global financial markets executive who served as Chief Executive Officer of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX) from May 2021 to February 2024, becoming the organization’s first non-Chinese CEO. Before joining HKEX, he spent more than three decades at J.P. Morgan, where he held a series of senior leadership roles across Latin America and Asia, including CEO of Latin America, CEO of Asia Pacific, and CEO of the International Private Bank, overseeing businesses in over a dozen markets and playing a key role in building the firm’s China platform.

Under his leadership, HKEX focused on strengthening Hong Kong’s role as a global gateway to mainland China by deepening Stock Connect and other cross-border channels, while he also contributed as a board member to companies such as Mercadolibre and Globant, reflecting his strong interest in technology-enabled financial innovation. Known to many colleagues as “Gucho,” he is recognized for his international outlook, fluency in Spanish, Portuguese and English, and his track record of leading complex businesses across Latin America and Asia

A leader of leaders, an inspiration, an innovator and a friend. The foundations he layed at HKEX are seeing thier fruits now and for years to come.

John Buckley is a senior financial markets and operations executive who has held leadership roles across Asia, Europe and the US over more than 30 years in the industry. He previously served as Chief Operating Officer for Asia at Citadel and Citadel Securities, and later as Head of Exchange Operations and Transformation and Co‑Chief Operating Officer at Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX) before leaving the group in 2022.

He currently sits on the boards of J.P. Morgan Chase Bank (China) as an independent non‑executive director and chair of the Risk Committee, and is an independent non‑executive director on ASX’s clearing and settlement boards in Australia. Earlier in his career, he held senior roles at J.P. Morgan, including Asia Pacific Chief Risk Officer and Asia Pacific Chief Financial Officer, as well as positions at Citadel’s Omnium business and Lehman Brothers

Wei Hopeman is co‑founder and Managing Partner of Arbor Ventures, a leading venture capital firm focused on investing in high‑growth FinTech companies globally. Arbor is one of the largest women led venture fund in the world with over $1B under management. Prior to Arbor, she held senior roles in innovation and investing, including serving as Managing Director and Head of Asia for Citi Ventures and earlier positions at Goldman Sachs and Jefferies in technology investment banking. Wei sits on several corporate boards and is recognized as a leading investor at the intersection of financial services and technology, with deep experience across the US and Asia. Wei is incredibly humble despite her major achievements and is an inspiration to all.

Walt (Walter L.) Lukken is an American lawyer and market policy expert, currently serving as President and CEO of the Futures Industry Association (FIA). He is known for his work as a former acting chairman and commissioner of the U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).

Early career in Congress:

- Began working for U.S. Senator Richard Lugar, focusing on derivatives markets and contributing to the Commodity Futures Modernization Act of 2000.

Walt was appointed by President George W. Bush as a CFTC commissioner in 2002, serving until 2009.

- Acted as chairman during the global financial crisis, frequently testifying before Congress.

Later he Joined NYSE Euronext in 2009 as senior vice president and later became CEO of New York Portfolio Clearing in 2010.

Presently Walt is the President and CEO of FIA in March 2012, advocating for resilient derivatives markets and representing industry stakeholders globally.

Paul Durrant is the co‑founder and CEO of Conduit Group, a Singapore‑based independent investment and execution firm serving private wealth, family office and institutional clients across global equity and fixed income markets. Drawing on more than 30 years in international fixed income and currencies, he has held senior trading and leadership roles at Commerzbank, BNP Paribas, Bear Stearns, Drexel Burnham Lambert and Merrill Lynch, working in major financial centres including London, New York, Tokyo, Hong Kong and Singapore. Known for his deep product knowledge and client‑focused approach, he now focuses on helping sophisticated investors access institutional‑grade pricing, liquidity and execution, while advising on portfolio construction and market strategy.

Paul was also an above average rugby player representing the Hong Kong Football Club on more than 100 occasions. His leadership came to the fore in the aftermath of losing so many in the Bali Bombing. Paul was a beacon of strength when thousands were grieving. He became a big brother to so many during that time. He is still the man most turn too in the rugby community when tough times come calling.

Anne Llewelyn inow retired was a Singapore‑based marketing leader with extensive experience shaping brand, client and product marketing for global financial institutions across Asia. She has held senior regional roles at firms including Standard Chartered, ANZ, Bank of America Merrill Lynch, Omgeo, IPC and Dow Jones, where she focused on institutional, wholesale and markets businesses.

Through her work, Anne has led go‑to‑market strategies, thought‑leadership programmes and integrated campaigns that support sales, relationship management and market positioning across the Asia‑Pacific region. She now leads The Marketing Collective, advising financial and technology clients on marketing strategy, brand development and execution, helping them translate complex offerings into clear, compelling propositions for their target audiences.

James A. Fok is currently Chief Commercial Officer of CMU OmniClear Limited, where he helps lead the commercial strategy for the HKMA’s Central Moneymarkets Unit platform and supports the next phase of development in Hong Kong’s fixed income and collateral market infrastructure

From 2012 to 2021, James was a senior executive at Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX), playing a key role in landmark initiatives such as Shanghai‑Hong Kong Stock Connect, Bond Connect and major listing reforms that advanced the internationalization of China’s capital markets. Earlier in his career, he worked as an investment banker in Europe and Asia, focusing on financial institutions, and he now also serves as an advisor to global firms, a board member of companies including Ardmore Shipping Corporation and Hex Trust, and the author of Financial Cold War, in which he examines geopolitical tensions through a financial‑system lens.

Jim Woods has spent over three decades in Hong Kong in regional and global leadership roles and is a long-standing advocate for mental health, fitness, and sustainable well-being in high-pressure professional environments. He brings first-hand experience of what it takes to sustain mental resilience and physical health while operating in demanding, performance-driven cultures.

Jim has served on the board of Mind Hong Kong for more than seven years, raising awareness, improving access to support, and securing significant sponsorship funding for Mind Hong Kong and Mind UK, including through multiple international marathons. He is also involved in initiatives focused on wellness, sustainable lifestyles, and long-term vitality.

His personal approach blends endurance sport, strength training, and dance, reflecting his belief that mental health is inseparable from how we live, move, and connect. With deep experience alongside senior leaders in financial and professional services, Jim understands the unique pressures facing bankers, traders, and investment professionals, and channels that insight—and his values of vitality, perseverance, and gratitude—into supporting organisations working to improve mental health across the finance ecosystem.

Marise Dunlop-Stewart Haefner is a senior media, communications and public-affairs strategist whose career spans Africa, Europe and Asia, working where leadership, policy, finance and social impact intersect. Born in Lusaka and shaped professionally in London, Geneva and Hong Kong, she brings a rare global perspective from some of the world’s most demanding institutional environments.

With roots in journalism, Marise has advised senior leaders operating under intense public scrutiny and high-stakes decision-making. She worked closely with the President of Zambia from opposition through election victory and into government, later joining the Presidential Communications Team to support strategic messaging, narrative alignment and organisational resilience.

Marise has held governance and advisory roles within international NGOs, including as a Governing Board Member of International Social Service (ISS) in Geneva and an advisory board member of ISS-Hong Kong, deepening ties across finance, philanthropy, professional services and civil society. Fluent in five languages and deeply networked across three continents, she is particularly committed to advancing honest conversations about wellbeing and sustainable leadership in high-pressure professional environments.