As a versatile and innovative CXO specializing in Investment Banking, Victor Tay is renowned for his proficiency in new practice development and groundbreaking initiatives across Greater China and South East Asia. Victor’s diverse skill set evolved from his early days as a Strategy Consultant with the Big 4 specialising in deep technology sector. Post strategy consulting career, he has also listed a tech firm at Nasdaq during the dotcom era. While with the Singapore government, Victor was the Group Director overseeing the economic development of key technology industries, namely, Biomedical, Chemical, Aerospace, Marine, Oil and Gas, Environmental, Logistics and Engineering Services. He was instrumental in developing a globally competitive company programme to help uplift the internationalization efforts of Singapore local enterprises.
With an extensive background, Victor has held positions on multiple public and private sector boards, as well as national-level committee boards covering areas such as sustainability, economics, data privacy, environmental protection, and manpower. His contributions extend to syndicating ventures, finances, and funds for various companies, projects, and equity financing for start-ups. As the Chief Catalyst and Founder of Global Catalyst Advisory (GBA), Victor plays a pivotal role in driving transformative initiatives.
Notably, Victor Tay chaired the United Nations Global Compact NS, advocating for Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and ESG issues. Addressing the challenges in sustainability, he highlighted the inequities in global efforts, emphasizing the need for a more technology-driven mechanism to ensure fair rewards for all stakeholders, especially those at the lower echelons. Victor’s commitment to addressing climate change and promoting equitable practices underscores his leadership in the realm of sustainable development.
The Firm Committed to Resolve World’s Challenges
Global Catalyst Advisory emerged as a boutique strategic advisory firm, distinguished by its fusion of strategic advisory, technological expertise, thought leadership, and academic rigor. The firm stands firmly on the belief in a scientific and evidence-based approach when analyzing clients’ challenges, presenting innovative yet sustainable solutions. With a commitment to “Resolving World’s Challenges,” Global Catalyst Advisory has provided its services to a diverse clientele, including public, private sector, and non-governmental organizations spanning South East Asia, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas. Beyond traditional advisory roles, the firm operates a venture studio dedicated to incubating innovative ideas aimed at solving prevalent industry problems. This dual focus on strategic consultation and proactive innovation positions Global Catalyst Advisory as a dynamic player in addressing global challenges through a comprehensive and forward-thinking approach.
A Holistic Approach to Leadership
As a scholarship recipient in the University of Oxford Executive MBA program, Victor aligns the firm’s mission with prestigious institutions like Oxford and Oxfam, aiming to “Resolve World’s Problems” through strategic, long-term client solutions. Differentiating the firm from others, Victor stressed the importance of transformative solutions that fulfill the triple bottom line—people, planet, and profit. Only projects meeting this equilibrium are selected, emphasizing the need for businesses to provide value while preserving the planet and meeting societal expectations. Victor’s commitment to sustainability is further evident in his role as the chair of business forums at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policies and as the Honorary Advisor and Governing Council member at the Singapore Digital Chamber of Commerce and the ASEAN Business Alliance. He advocates for the integration of digitalization solutions, innovative mindsets, and regulatory forces to drive industry and business transformation.
Philosophically, Victor draws inspiration from unlikely everyday heroes like David the shepherd in its battle against the monstrosity of Goliath and sees the potential for innovative solutions in seemingly small details left by a higher and divine power. His experiences, including chairing the Global Compact at the United Nations, have taught him the value of symbiotic natural pairings, such as housing retired villages with childcare centers, creating a harmonious environment between retirees and children. Reflecting on agricultural practices, he recognizes the potential of treating farm discharge and wastes as closed-loop resources, resolving environmental and resource issues. Victor emphasizes the importance of learning from nature’s systems and harmony, where many innovators have drawn creative solutions. His holistic approach to problem-solving embraces the interconnectedness of human activities with the environment and the insights gained from observing nature’s patterns and pairings.
Revolutionizing Agriculture for Social Impact
More recently, Global Catalyst Advisory has embarked on a transformative sustainability project to address the challenges faced by small-hold farmers in Southeast Asia, who often find themselves exploited by middlemen and trapped in a cycle of poverty. These farmers, constituting 17% of the global workforce, were struggling with diminishing profits and adverse conditions. In response, Global Catalyst initiated a groundbreaking project that revolutionizes traditional farming practices using closed-loop and zero-carbon footprint multiponics technologies.
The project introduces containerized aquatic farming, creating a closed-loop system where discharged water irrigates the vegetation plot and fertilizes the soil with organic poultry farm wastes. This innovative approach ensures that all resources and wastes within the farm are recycled, minimizing environmental pollution. The vertical farm, utilizing racks for vegetables and containerized aquatic farms, addresses the issue of infertile land, allowing for the cultivation of vegetation without dependence on traditional soil.
Victor explains that the initiative originated from a Philippines mayor’s concern about wasted farmland in a township. The mayor highlighted the challenges farmers faced, leading to their abandonment of land due to fertility loss or prolonged drought. By leveraging Design Thinking and Systems Tools, Global Catalyst developed a solution that not only rejuvenates abandoned land but also addresses the nomadic nature of farmers stuck in a poverty loop.
The project, codenamed “Plenitude” after an ancient Celtic God symbolizing abundance and wealth of food, was proposed to the University of Oxford. This collaboration aimed to disintermediate middlemen and distributors, allowing farmers to sell directly to restaurants. In Southeast Asia, distributors were known to exploit small farmers, leading to substantial losses for the farmers. The improved system aligns with nine Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and disrupts the poverty cycle while ensuring a continued food supply with zero hunger in the region. The “Plenitude” project stands as a testament to Global Catalyst Advisory’s commitment to sustainable and impactful solutions for pressing global issues.
Leading the Charge in Environmental Conservation
Global Catalyst Advisory is at the forefront of environmental conservation by employing dynamic monitoring, reporting, and validation technologies (DNRV), which amalgamate web3 technologies like blockchain. This integration ensures the traceability of nature-based afforestation projects. The company utilizes a combination of Internet of Things (IoT), satellite imaging, drones, and blockchain to guarantee the permanence and immutability of implemented afforestation initiatives. Upon pledging to carbon reduction projections and credits, these projects are securitized by blockchain, safeguarding the trees and providing transparency in carbon credit trading. Concurrently, the monetary incentives through carbon credits are reserved to the often marginalized farmers.
Global Catalyst Advisory’s innovative approach involves leveraging web3 technologies to fractionalize carbon credits, enabling consumers to participate in carbon reduction projects. Traditionally, carbon credits were traded based on full tonnage, predominantly as an institutional play. Victor states that by fractionalizing the tonnage through web3 technologies, consumers can aggregate credits to inject greater liquidity into the carbon credit market. Simultaneously, this approach ensures full transparency and traceability for each carbon certificate, thereby authenticating the carbon value chain and mitigating the risk of greenwashing. This groundbreaking initiative empowers consumers to actively contribute to carbon reduction efforts and aligns with Global Catalyst Advisory’s commitment to sustainable practices and environmental stewardship.
Bridging Virtual and Physical Ecosystems for Sustainable Growth
In a groundbreaking initiative, Global Catalyst Advisory is collaborating with a vast 50,000-acre plantation, introducing a novel approach to link consumer participation through growing digital trees in the metaverse while simultaneously connecting to the growth of real trees at the plantation. This innovative concept allows carbon credits to be accrued to all involved parties, creating a unique synergy between virtual and physical ecosystems.
Victor emphasizes the commitment to ensuring that farmers actively engaged in the plantation have their carbon credits interests securely protected through blockchain technology. This approach aligns with Victor’s holistic ideology of balancing the triple bottom line—“People, Planet, and Profit.”
Highlighting the significance of innovation in maintaining the interests of all stakeholders, Victor states, “We believe that innovation is the key to maintaining the interests of all stakeholders. Many organizations have sought the easy way out of using only financial metrics as a narrow guiding principles in decision-making. This approach has often resulted in the marginalization of vulnerable groups. Technologies, especially blockchain, can bridge the gap, balance all stakeholders’ interests, and facilitate breakthroughs in prevalent industry processes, ensuring a sustainable and equitable future.” This commitment underscores Global Catalyst Advisory’s pioneering efforts to integrate cutting-edge technologies with sustainability, creating a model that benefits the environment, communities, and economic stakeholders alike.
Recognized Globally for Innovation, Sustainability, and Financial Leadership
Global Catalyst Advisory has garnered prestigious international recognition, attesting to its exemplary leadership and impactful contributions. The firm has been honored with several awards, including the “Most Innovative Leaders to Watch in 2023,” the ‘Asia Sustainable Leadership Awards’ in both the Game Changer and Innovation categories, and the Brands for Good Awards.
Notably, the Game Changer awards highlight the transformation of Social Enterprises and Agricultural industries toward sustainable business models, leveraging Web3, blockchain, and tokenization. Victor has received individual accolades, including being recognized by a UK award organization as “The Most Influential Sustainability CEO in South East Asia” and the US-based FinNext ‘Excellence in Financial Leadership’ Awards for his lifelong dedication to providing financial advisory services, strengthening small and medium enterprises, NGOs, the United Nations Global Compact, and various charitable organizations. These awards underscore Global Catalyst Advisory’s commitment to innovation, sustainability, and financial leadership on both a corporate and leadership level.
