Board of Directors

Mr. Wang Zhi was appointed as the Executive Chairman and Executive Director of our Company on 15 September 2022.  He is currently a member of Nominating Committee. Mr. Wang has been an expert in the water and wastewater treatment industry for the past 20 years.

Mr. Wang was the Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Future Development Group Limited, Future International Investment Limited, and Future Holdings Group Limited from 2008 to 2022. In 2006, Mr. Wang worked as the Group Senior Vice President and General Manager of China Business at Salcon Berhad, specializing in business development of water supply and wastewater treatment projects in China. Prior to that, Mr. Wang was with Salcon Limited, Singapore as the General Manager of Beijing Office.

Mr. Wang holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Chemical Engineering from Nanchang Aeronautical University and completed the Manufacturing Management Training Course at the University of Southern California Business School.

Dr. Zhang Zhenpeng was appointed as the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer of our Company on 2 November 2022. Dr. Zhang has around 20 years of domestic and overseas experience in the environmental and renewable energy industries.

Prior to joining Darco, Dr. Zhang was the Chief Executive Officer of Tianjin Ruiyuan Business Management Partnership Enterprise (LLP) in China since 2021. In 2016, Dr. Zhang worked as the President Assistant at Beijing Enterprises Clean Energy Group, a company listed on the main board of Hong Kong. In 2014, Dr. Zhang was the Managing Director of Beijing Enterprises Water Group International Pte Ltd in Singapore, responsible for overseas business development, project construction, and asset operation. Prior to that, Dr. Zhang was with Beijing Enterprise Water Group, China as the Vice/General Manager of the Overseas Business Unit, exploring investment opportunities in the overseas water industry.

Dr. Zhang holds a Ph. D., in Environmental Engineering from Nanyang Technical University.

Mr. Zhao Yong Chang was appointed as Executive Director on 30 June 2021. He is currently the Chairman of Investment Committee. Mr. Zhao is a veteran in the water and environmental business. During his 30 years professional experience, he was involved in the proposal, design, construction, commissioning, and operation of various projects and plants. As Chief Operating Officer, Mr. Zhao is responsible for supervising the group’s operation in terms of project sales and execution. Mr. Zhao also takes the lead in the development of new investment projects for the Group. In addition, he assists the CEO in the formation of the Group’s policies.

Mr. Zhao holds a Bachelor’s degree from Tsinghua University and a Master’s degree from National University of Singapore. Mr. Zhao contributes to the steady growth of the Group by leveraging on his extensive networks in China, Singapore and other ASEAN countries.

Mr. Sim Guan Seng was appointed as the Lead Independent Director of our Company on 6 July 2019. He was re-designated as the Independent Non-Executive Chairman from  13 July 2021 to 14 September 2022. He is currently the Chairman of the Audit Committee and a member of the Nominating and Remuneration Committee.

Mr. Sim has over three decades of experience in accounting and auditing-related fields. He started his career in 1983 at Arthur Andersen as an auditor, then he joined GK Goh Stockbrokers (S) Pte Ltd as an operations manager in 1987. In 1992, he established a sole proprietorship to practice as a public accountant and merged his practice with Baker Tilly TFW in 2004. He was the Managing Partner of Baker Tilly TFW from 2010 to 2019 and retired as a partner of Baker Tilly TFW LLP in September 2022. Mr. Sim is currently the Managing Director of Cohen Assurance PAC.

Mr. Sim has a Bachelor of Accountancy from the National University of Singapore. He is also a practicing member of the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants and a certified internal auditor (as conferred by the Institute of Internal Auditors).

Ms. Gn Jong Yuh Gwendolyn was appointed as the Independent Director of our Company on 2 May 2019. She is currently the Chairman of the Remuneration Committee and a member of the Audit and Nominating Committee.

Ms. Gn has more than 20 years’ experience as a Corporate Lawyer, specialising in corporate finance and capital markets in Singapore and the Asian region. Ms. Gn is currently an Equity Partner in ShookLin & Bok LLP where she actively advises both Main Board and Catalist listed companies, SMEs, MNCs and financial institutions on areas of fund raising, IPOs / RTOs / dual listings, mergers and acquisitions, corporate structuring and corporate governance. Ms. Gn graduated with LLB Hons (Second Upper) from the National University of Singapore in 1994 and was called to the Singapore bar as an Advocate and Solicitor in 1995. Ms. Gn is a winner of the International Law Office and Lexology Client Choice Award 2014 in Singapore for Capital Markets and has been recognised as a leading capital markets and corporate finance lawyer in Asialaw Leading Lawyers. She has been named as an expert in Euromoney’s Guide to the World’s Leading Women in Business Law and World’s Leading Capital Markets Lawyers.

Mr. Wang Yingyang was appointed as an Independent Director of our Company on 30 August 2022. He is currently a Chairman of Nominating Committee and a member of the Audit and Remuneration Committee.

Mr. Wang started his career as a Chartered Accountant with PricewaterhouseCoopers with professional expertise to auditing and corporate disclosure of listed companies in Singapore and Hong Kong. Mr. Wang has extensive financial controllership, fund management, capital allocation, and reinsurance experience of more than two decades during his distinguished career with global firms such as Citibank. Mr. Wang has served as Chief Financial Officer and a member of the senior management committee for listed companies and pre-IPO companies in Singapore and Asia.

Mr. Wang has a Bachelor of Accountancy from the Nanyang Technological University (NTU). He served as a board member for Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) Singapore for many years. He is also a non-practicing member of the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA).

Mr. Lai Hock Meng was appointed as the Independent Non-Executive Director of our Company on 18 July 2023. He is currently the member of the Audit Committee, Nominating Committee and Remuneration Committee.

Mr. Lai started his career with the Monetary Authority of Singapore in 1980. He has more than 40 years of experience in regulatory agency, treasury management, education, investment banking, asset management, corporate governance, mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring, and real estate investment trust.

Mr. Lai has extensive experience in retail financial services as Executive Director of Tat Lee Securities from 1991 to 1993, and then moved on to be Managing Director of Morgan Grenfell Asia & Partners Securities over the next 3 years developing and managing its highly successful retail and institutional stockbroking business. He was also a senior private banker in OCBC in 2006 to 2007 before starting his own corporate advisory business. Managing his own corporate advisory firm since 2007, he succeeded in managing company turnarounds, resolved complex shareholders disputes, guided management on regulatory compliance and financial audit issues, restructured corporate debts, managed mergers and acquisitions and rebuilt companies after major business disruptions.

Mr. Lai holds a B. A. (Honours) and MA degree from Cambridge University, UK majoring in Economics, and a CFA charter holder.