Meet our founder

Dr. Pheakdey Heng is a strategic, results-driven public policy expert with over 15 years of experience in policy governance, public-private partnerships (PPPs), and high-impact program execution across Southeast Asia. His career spans leadership roles in global organizations, government advisory, and academia, with a focus on data, AI, the digital economy, and sustainable development.

As the Chairman of the Mekong Center for Data Protection, he leads regional efforts to advance data privacy by driving policy advocacy, delivering training, and fostering cross-sector collaboration to shape robust digital governance across the Mekong subregion. He is also an advisor to the Digital Economy and Business Committee, the National Assembly of Cambodia and the Ministry of Post and Telecommunications. Previously, he held leadership roles at Meta in Singapore for six years and at the Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) in Seoul for three years. Prior to that, he served as Deputy Executive Director at the NGO Forum and later as Executive Director at the Enrich Institute. He has also provided consultancy services for The World Bank, USAID, DFAT, UNDP, UNESCAP, The Asia Foundation, and Konrad Adenauer Stiftung. He was also selected as a member of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers community and the U.S. State Department’s International Leadership Visitor Program (ILVP), recognizing his leadership and subject-matter expertise.

Dr. Heng holds a Ph.D. in Social Science from VU University Amsterdam, the Netherlads, and a Master in Public Policy from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, National University of Singapore. He has also obtained numerous certifications from Google, Microsoft, IBM, Nvidia, Johns Hopkins University, and the University of Pennsylvania in data-related specializations such as data analytics, data privacy, cybersecurity, generative AI, AI for business, AI strategy and governance, and managing AI projects.