Laurence Lien

Asia Philanthropy Circle (Singapore)

Laurence Lien combines a number of roles in the philanthropic infrastructure of Singapore and of Asia generally. He served as CEO of the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre NVPC in Singapore (2004-8) and is co-founder and CEO of the Asia Philanthropy Circle (APC) and board member of the Lien Centre for Social Innovation at the Singapore Management University. He is a philanthropist himself, sitting on the board of his family foundation and helping to create the Community Foundation of Singapore, Asia’s first community foundation. He is an advocate for collaboration and a leader in implementing initiatives in this field. He believes that private philanthropists can play an instrumental role in creating a better community and, through APC, hopes to change the way private philanthropy is done in Asia and the role it plays in the region’s development. Following its first year of operation, APC has 21 members who have launched six collaborative projects. Follow him on Twitter @LaurenceLien.