How Building an Innovative Corporate Culture Can Lead to Better Sustainability Results

Ariel Shtarkman is Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Undivided Ventures, VC platform investing in early-stage technology companies, identifying a pathway to a more sustainable future for the built environment – real estate, infrastructure and cities. She is also the Founder of Orca Capital, single family office focusing on real estate and technology.

Previously, Ariel was with Citibank Real Estate Structured Finance in Hong Kong, where she structured debt instruments for real estate developers, REITs and private equity funds. She also worked in real estate private equity funds sponsored by ING Clarion in New York and ING Real Estate Investment Management in Hong Kong.

Ariel holds an MBA from Columbia Business School with a concentration in Real Estate, and BSc from Tel Aviv University with double major in Computer Science and Business Administration. She serves as Urban Land Institute (ULI) Global Governing Trustee and as co-Head of Technology and Innovation Committe of ULI Hong Kong.

My Sustainability Goals for 2025:

I hope to see definite and scalable action from both the private sector embracing technology to solve sustainability challenges, and the government taking steps to ensure a clear path to Hong Kong’s sustainable future

With the purpose of moving people forward in life, Aldric currently leads Cathay’s efforts in data science and analytics, enterprise technology innovation and digital transformation across the organisation. Aldric started his career with Cathay’s inflight services team in 2008. As part of the Swire Management Programme, he has held a number of managerial positions in customer relationship and retail, e-commerce and Lean process improvement in Hong Kong, and overseas as the airline’s Country Manager in Sri Lanka and the Maldives. Aldric graduated from MBA programme at The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Susheela Rivers is a real estate lawyer with over 28 years’ experience of helping clients with complex, multi-faceted cross-border and domestic real estate transactions throughout Asia (including China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Korea, India, Indonesia, and Vietnam) and the UK.

She advises on all aspects of structuring real estate investment and development portfolios including acquisitions and disposals, joint ventures and developments for stand-alone assets and portfolios across all asset classes.

Susheela helps clients with a wide range of real estate matters, focusing particularly on M&A transactions, financings, developments, leases, and fractionalising real estate including real estate tokenisation. She has in-depth knowledge of the hospitality and leisure spheres and a particular focus on real estate with operational aspects.

Gene Soo is Head of Ecosystem at MTR Corporation’s Global Innovation Department, where he supports innovation initiatives across Hong Kong and MTR’s international operations. His work focuses on turning ideas into practical pilots, with the aim of scaling solutions that improve urban mobility, enhance passenger experience, and contribute to more sustainable operations.

Gene is personally committed to environmental sustainability and is an active recycler. He regularly uses MTR’s Carbon Wallet and Hong Kong’s Green@Community network to reduce waste and support circular practices in daily life.

At MTR, Gene helps drive digital transformation, supports the development and commercialization of new solutions, and fosters collaboration across departments and with external partners. He also works to encourage a culture of experimentation and openness to new ways of working.

Prior to joining MTR, Gene brought Citymapper to Hong Kong and co-founded StartupsHK, contributing to the city’s growing tech and startup community. He holds a BS and MS in Electrical and Computer Engineering from Carnegie Mellon University and an MBA from Columbia University.

My Sustainability Goals for 2025:

Connect Innovation with Impact
Share real-world examples of how emerging technologies—especially AI, digital tools, and platform thinking—can drive measurable progress in sustainability, from smarter resource use to more efficient urban systems.

Make AI Tangible for Sustainability
Help audiences understand how AI is transforming the way we live, work, move, and consume, and how we can harness it to make more informed and responsible decisions as individuals, communities, and organizations.

Demystify the Intersection of Tech, Mobility, and Climate
Simplify the narrative around sustainability and innovation by sharing stories that show how new approaches—like behavior nudges, digital incentives (e.g., Carbon Wallet), and circular practices—can shift systems and culture.

Encourage Systems Thinking and Cross-Sector Collaboration
Advocate for breaking down silos and building ecosystems of collaboration across public, private, and civic sectors to scale sustainable solutions more effectively.

Champion a Mindset Shift
Inspire corporate and civic audiences to adopt a mindset of agility, experimentation, and long-term thinking, using innovation not just for efficiency but for positive societal and environmental change.

As the General Manager of Technology & Innovation, Ben manages and drives New World Development’s open innovation platform and proptech strategy that empowers technology startups to co-create within the group’s ecosystem of culture, creativity, and innovation. In addition, Ben oversees early-stage investments and venture build exercises.

Ben launched Impact Kommons, the first UN SDG accelerator in APAC focused on accelerating impact with purpose-driven startups, and the GBA Accelerator, a supply chain, logistics, and robotics startup accelerator designed to help companies scale across the Greater Bay Area.

Ben founded Startup Launchpad, now Asia’s largest I.o.T. startup trade event. He has helped startups raise more than $2 million on Kickstarter and Indiegogo. He is an angel investor and regularly mentors in startup support programs.