Initiated by Ms. Faye Lo from Social Impact Division at Sky9 Capital, The Good Soil Foundation’s mission is to support innovation in philanthropy. She hopes to inspire compassionate individuals to join in charitable activities, spreading and sharing love.
Our name, “Good Soil,” draws inspiration from the biblical passage in Matthew 13: “Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” This imagery underscores our belief that with Singapore’s supportive backdrop, philanthropic initiatives can flourish, creating significant social impact.
Explore our past projects here
Who We Are
Our Vision
Our team
Faye Lo
Ms. Faye Lo is a visionary in philanthropy, dedicated to transforming lives through environmental protection, children’s education, and poverty alleviation. During the 2020 pandemic, Ms. Faye Lo exemplified global leadership by organizing a donation drive for relief supplies at the National University of Singapore, mobilizing a vast network to support eighty hospitals worldwide.
In 2016, Ms. Faye Lo's creative approach led her to initiate a poverty alleviation project in Sichuan’s Daliang Mountains with investigative journalist Chen Jie. This initiative captured public attention and spurred significant government and societal action, demonstrating the power of innovative philanthropy to incite broad-scale change. Starting with an initial seed fund of 50,000 yuan for visits, inspections, and reporting, she leveraged over 700 million yuan in social and government resources. This enabled the construction of cliff villages and steel ladders in Daliangshan, as well as road construction, fiber optic installation, and network improvements within the vicinity of over ten schools. It also attracted significant attention and resources from numerous charitable organizations. This became the most influential charity project of 2017 in Tencent's philanthropy rankings. By founding the Sky3 Seed Foundation in 2013, Ms. Faye Lo nurtured 52 charitable projects, showcasing her exceptional ability to foster growth and innovation in philanthropy.
Her journey began in 2012 with the pioneering co-founding of the Maitian Education Foundation, China’s first legally registered charity by a grassroots organization, setting a precedent for impactful philanthropic work. She completed the Executive Master of Philanthropy programme jointly run by the China Philanthropy Research Institute of Beijing Normal University and the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy in 2015. And, she was awarded a scholarship to attend the Executive Leaders in Philanthropy at the Harvard Kennedy School in 2017. Faye is one of Yale
Cindy Chen
Ms. Cindy Chen offers a rich tapestry of marketing expertise, honed over 20 years with giants like Pepsi, Unilever, Gillette, and Revlon, where she led in brand management, product development, media and public relations, consumer research, and market development.
Her background, fortified by a Bachelor's degree in Advertising from Shanghai University, equips her with a nuanced understanding of market dynamics and consumer behavior, making her a key player in driving impactful initiatives.
Tracy Chen
Ms. Tracy Chen is a finance professional with over 10 years of audit experience at Ernst & Young, specializing in sectors such as retail, automotive, medical, luxury, and manufacturing. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in law and a second degree in accounting from Shanghai Jiaotong University, equipping her with a strong understanding of accounting, tax, and audit standards.
Her background utilizes her financial expertise to support the mission of cultivating future philanthropists and entrepreneurs. She is committed to driving impactful initiatives that promote social change and empower the next generation to make a positive difference in their communities
Charis Cai
Ms. Charis has experience in AIGC commercialization, advertising, and content communications. At ByteDance, she contributed to AIGC advertising products for global markets, focusing on generative AI applications in creative development, video production, and communication strategy optimization. Through data analysis, user feedback, and strategy iteration, she helped improve creative content and product experiences.
She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Xiamen University and is pursuing a Master’s degree in Management Science and Engineering at Zhejiang University. She received a Finalist Award in an international mathematical modeling competition and has earned national recognition in modeling, entrepreneurship, and business strategy competitions. She has also held a leadership role in an international volunteer organization, initiating a cross-cultural arts education project for children with special needs. She combines business analysis, AI, and communications to promote youth development and social innovation.
David Steel
Corporate reputation leader across global communications, public affairs and marketing for the fifth most valuable brand in the world. More than two decades of increasingly senior roles with Samsung as the company became the worldwide market leader for TVs and smartphones.
Significant career achievements include: • Positioning Samsung to become #1 in the consumer electronics market as head of global marketing • Leading global communications during major product and reputation crises • Building a world-class Corporate Affairs organization in the U.S. • Being named as the first non-Korean corporate officer in Samsung history • Leading the company's response to the Covid-19 pandemic in the U.S.
Multiple external roles as a board member of the National Association of Manufacturers and Manufacturing Institute, as well as the Global Business Alliance. Volunteering as a member of the Executive Committee of the Agitos Foundation, the development arm of the International Paralympic Committee.
BA in Physics from Oxford University, MBA from the University of Chicago, PhD in Physics from MIT
Advanced Leadership Fellow at Harvard.
Areas of expertise include: Global Communications | Public Affairs | Corporate and Product Marketing
Olivia Wu
Olivia Wu received her B.A. in Molecular and Cell Biology from the University of California at Berkeley, M.B.A. from Columbia Business School, and M.S. in Public Health from the National Taiwan University.
Olivia is currently working as the Board Member of Shin Kong Financial Holdings. In this position, she oversees the financial conglomerate and its subsidiaries and actively works with stakeholders to help drive digital and sustainability issues in the firm.
Olivia has board experience serving on both non-profit and for-profit entities. In the non-profit sector, she was a board member for Shin Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial hospital and two government think tanks the Taiwan Institute for Sustainable Energy and the Chinese International Economic Cooperation Association.
Chunyan Wu
Chunyan Wu, a seasoned legal professional, graduated from Southwest University of Political Science and Law, earned an LL.M from Northwestern University Pritzker School of Law, and an EMBA from the National University of Singapore. Licensed to practice law in China, she also holds certifications as a Master Practitioner of the Energy Leadership Index and a professional coach from IPEC.
She served as legal counsel for BASF China for 11 years, handling major mergers, acquisitions, anti-dumping investigations, and various foreign direct investment issues. Chunyan has spent over 13 years at Johnson & Johnson, currently as the legal director for R&D clinical trials in the Asia Pacific Region.
Rick Lee
Rick Lee is a Senior Manager at Midea Group, where he has dedicated 14 years to advancing the globalization of smart home appliances. His experience includes leading global channel management, overseeing marketing and sales in the Americas, and serving as Director for the SDA APAC region. Rick holds an EMBA from the National University of Singapore and has played a pivotal role in leading the Midea-NUS Marketing Strategy Programme. He has also completed two years in the Midea Leadership Programs I & II, further enhancing his strategic and leadership skills within the company.
Richard Buttrey
Richard Buttrey is a Director in the Developer Eco-system Group at Arm, the world leader in semiconductor designs, and its IPO case is the largest in global history. Arm's primary business involves designing central processing unit (CPU) cores that implement the ARM architecture family of instruction sets, positioning it at the forefront of the industry chain.
In particular, he helps clients work their way through the strategy, innovation and leadership challenges that emerge when circumstances change, sometimes in an unpredictable way. Richard has designed and delivered a wide variety of largescale leadership programmes for both corporate clients and professional service firms. He draws inspiration from exemplars he has seen or been involved in. both successful and not, to show how humility in leadership is vital and that those organizations that are genuinely curious to learn always beat the rest.
Richard Buttrey is presently an instructor at the Moller Institute Cambridge, where his practical approach has earned him widespread praise from students. He possesses extensive experience in teaching youth scholarship programs and is deeply passionate and patient in fostering an exceptional younger generation.
Viswa Sadasivan
With 30+ years in media and public policy analysis, renowned for independent thinking and incisive interviewing style, he's moderated 300+ policy forums worldwide. Specializing in corporate strategy, policy engagement, crisis leadership, and innovation, he holds a Master's in Public Administration from Harvard University, excelling in Negotiation and Conflict Resolution.
Ta-Wei CHAO
Ta-Wei CHAO, Senior Fellow at ESSEC IRENE, is an accomplished professional with extensive experience in negotiation research and education in Asia Pacific. He serves as Executive Director of ESSEC IRENE ASIA and is an Adjunct Professor at multiple prestigious universities.
With a background in management consulting at Accenture, he specializes in Negotiation, Cross-Cultural Management, Innovation, and Leadership. Mr. Chao has conducted workshops globally, including "Negotiate Business Deals in China" and "Cross-Cultural Negotiation" sponsored by the European Commission. He is also set to launch an executive workshop on "Strategic Negotiation for PE and M&A Deals." As an editor and media figure, Mr. Chao is recognized for his contributions to negotiation literature and has been featured in various international media outlets.
He holds a master's degree in transportation engineering from National Taiwan University and is fluent in Chinese, Taiwanese, English, and French.
Cynthia Wu
Shin Kong Group scion Cynthia Wu is a business executive, philanthropist, and the leader of a non-profit. After working as an investment analyst at Merrill Lynch in London, Wu moved back to Taipei and joined the family business. Founded in 1945, Shin Kong Group has a diverse portfolio covering financial services, real estate, energy, retail, security, and health care.
Wu is currently the CEO of its philanthropic arm, Shin Kong Life Foundation, which focuses on women’s health, children’s education, oral history, aboriginal education, and disaster relief. Under Wu’s leadership, the foundation has earned multiple awards.
What We Do
Seeding Social Change
We aspire to be a seed fund that catalyzes positive societal change, focusing on investing in innovative public welfare projects with the potential to solve social challenges. By planting seeds of hope in key areas such as education, environmental protection, and poverty relief, we not only hope these projects will take root and sprout but also grow robustly to become a powerful force driving social progress.
Charitable Leadership
We are dedicated to cultivating charitable leadership, aiming to shape the next generation of leaders in the philanthropy and charity sector. By providing professional training, leadership development programs, and practical opportunities, we strive to nurture young talents with innovative thinking, moral courage, and a sense of social responsibility, preparing them to lead the future of philanthropic and charitable endeavors, and create a more just and sustainable world.