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SINGAPORE, July 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- AVPN, the largest network of social investors in Asia, announced the appointment of Achal Agarwal as the new Chair of its Board of Directors, effective 1 July 2025. He succeeds Veronica Colondam, who has served as Chair since 2021.
Achal has been a member of the AVPN Board since 2024, and previously from 2016 to 2019, providing strategic guidance during key phases of the organisation's growth and evolution. In his new role as Chair, Achal will steer AVPN's strategic priorities, further advancing its mission to move more capital towards impact in Asia.
"I am honoured to take on the role of Chair at AVPN," said Achal Agarwal. "This is a time of tremendous momentum for the impact sector in Asia. I look forward to building on the strong foundation laid by Veronica, while bringing fresh perspectives to scale our collective ambition. AVPN is uniquely positioned to drive meaningful change by connecting capital to need — and I am pleased to contribute more deeply to that journey."
Naina Subberwal Batra , CEO of AVPN, welcomed the appointment, noting Achal's long-standing contributions and their strong working relationship. "Achal has been a trusted board member and advisor. His deep expertise in business transformation and strong commitment to sustainability make him an ideal Chair for AVPN's next phase of growth. I am confident he will guide AVPN with both clarity and ambition." She added, "My sincere thanks to Veronica, whose steady leadership and passion were instrumental during a pivotal period of our expansion."
Achal is currently an Independent Non-Executive Director at Amcor PLC, serving on the Compensation Committee since 2021. He has also been an Independent Non-Executive Director at SATS Ltd. since 2016 and has served on its Executive Committee and the Remuneration and Human Resource Committee since 2017. In addition, Achal is a Council member of WWF Singapore's Conservation Fund and was previously Chairman of the Board of WWF Singapore.
Earlier in his career, Achal was a member of the Global Leadership Team at Kimberly-Clark Corporation, where he retired in 2020 as Global Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer. He also held the role of President for the company's Asia Pacific business. Before joining Kimberly-Clark, Achal held several senior roles at PepsiCo, including Chief Operating Officer of its China Beverage Business, as well as leadership positions in their Sub-Saharan Africa region, and in East and South India.
In 2016, Achal was named Asia Business Leader of the Year by CNBC and is widely recognised for transforming underperforming markets into regional leaders. He has also been part of the board of the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce and was a council member of the Singapore Business Federation. Achal is based in Singapore.
About AVPN
AVPN is the largest network of social investors in Asia, comprising over 600 funders and resource providers across 33 markets. With over a decade of expertise and deep understanding of regulatory and process requirements, our mission is to increase the flow and effectiveness of financial, human, and intellectual capital in Asia by enabling members to channel resources towards impact. As an ecosystem builder, AVPN enables its members to connect, learn, act, and lead across key pillars and improve the effectiveness of deployed capital, bringing local field needs, regional expertise, and policy insights to the forefront. For more information about AVPN, please visit our website and read our latest Annual Review 2023/24.
SINGAPORE, July 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- AVPN, the largest network of social investors in Asia, announced the appointment of Achal Agarwal as the new Chair of its Board of Directors, effective 1 July 2025. He succeeds Veronica Colondam, who has served as Chair since 2021.
Achal has been a member of the AVPN Board since 2024, and previously from 2016 to 2019, providing strategic guidance during key phases of the organisation's growth and evolution. In his new role as Chair, Achal will steer AVPN's strategic priorities, further advancing its mission to move more capital towards impact in Asia.
"I am honoured to take on the role of Chair at AVPN," said Achal Agarwal. "This is a time of tremendous momentum for the impact sector in Asia. I look forward to building on the strong foundation laid by Veronica, while bringing fresh perspectives to scale our collective ambition. AVPN is uniquely positioned to drive meaningful change by connecting capital to need — and I am pleased to contribute more deeply to that journey."
Naina Subberwal Batra , CEO of AVPN, welcomed the appointment, noting Achal's long-standing contributions and their strong working relationship. "Achal has been a trusted board member and advisor. His deep expertise in business transformation and strong commitment to sustainability make him an ideal Chair for AVPN's next phase of growth. I am confident he will guide AVPN with both clarity and ambition." She added, "My sincere thanks to Veronica, whose steady leadership and passion were instrumental during a pivotal period of our expansion."
Achal is currently an Independent Non-Executive Director at Amcor PLC, serving on the Compensation Committee since 2021. He has also been an Independent Non-Executive Director at SATS Ltd. since 2016 and has served on its Executive Committee and the Remuneration and Human Resource Committee since 2017. In addition, Achal is a Council member of WWF Singapore's Conservation Fund and was previously Chairman of the Board of WWF Singapore.
Earlier in his career, Achal was a member of the Global Leadership Team at Kimberly-Clark Corporation, where he retired in 2020 as Global Chief Strategy and Transformation Officer. He also held the role of President for the company's Asia Pacific business. Before joining Kimberly-Clark, Achal held several senior roles at PepsiCo, including Chief Operating Officer of its China Beverage Business, as well as leadership positions in their Sub-Saharan Africa region, and in East and South India.
In 2016, Achal was named Asia Business Leader of the Year by CNBC and is widely recognised for transforming underperforming markets into regional leaders. He has also been part of the board of the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce and was a council member of the Singapore Business Federation. Achal is based in Singapore.
About AVPN
AVPN is the largest network of social investors in Asia, comprising over 600 funders and resource providers across 33 markets. With over a decade of expertise and deep understanding of regulatory and process requirements, our mission is to increase the flow and effectiveness of financial, human, and intellectual capital in Asia by enabling members to channel resources towards impact. As an ecosystem builder, AVPN enables its members to connect, learn, act, and lead across key pillars and improve the effectiveness of deployed capital, bringing local field needs, regional expertise, and policy insights to the forefront. For more information about AVPN, please visit our website and read our latest Annual Review 2023/24.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
AVPN Appoints Achal Agarwal as New Chair of the Board
GUANGZHOU, China, Jan. 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Recently, GAC's independently developed Quark E-Drive power domain control system has achieved the world's first dual certification for deeply integrated ASIL D functional safety and information security, accredited by DAkkS, Germany's national accreditation body. The certification was evaluated and issued by SGS-CSTC Standards Technical Services Co., Ltd. (SGS), a globally recognized certification authority.
ISO 26262 is the internationally recognized core standard for automotive functional safety. Within this framework, ASIL D represents the highest automotive safety integrity level, requiring near-zero tolerance for safety-critical failures. Achieving an ASIL D certification accredited by DAkkS signifies that the certified product meets the highest globally accepted standards for automotive safety.
The certified Quark E-Drive power domain control system has been in production use since February 2025, and is now deployed across multiple models under GAC's brands - HYPTEC and AION. As the industry's first electric drive power domain system based on deep integration using a single main control chip, the solution significantly reduces chip count, minimizes risks associated with chip-level failures, and boosts motor controller efficiency to as high as 99.9%. The certification confirms that GAC has completed the system's full product development lifecycle in strict compliance with ISO 26262:2018 functional safety and ISO/SAE 21434:2021 information security standards.
Throughout the project, GAC Technology Research Center worked closely with SGS experts, strengthening safety design across all development phases while ensuring engineering feasibility and an optimal user experience.
Zhao Hui, Vice President of SGS China, commented: "The successful certification highlights GAC's strong team and robust development systems. We are pleased to support the safety of the Quark E-Drive and look forward to closer collaboration."
This milestone represents a major breakthrough for GAC in e-drive safety and sets a new global benchmark for the intelligent electric vehicle industry.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
GAC's Quark Electric Drive Achieves the World's First DAkkS ASIL D Functional Safety and Information Security Dual Certification
