Prof Mak Yuen Teen

Mak Yuen Teen is a professor (practice) of accounting and former Vice Dean of the NUS Business School, National University of Singapore, where he teaches corporate governance. He holds first class honours, master and PhD degrees in accounting and finance and is a fellow of CPA Australia. He was the founder and director of the first corporate governance centre in Singapore at the National University of Singapore. Prof Mak has also held positions of Asia-Pacific or Singapore head of research in major consulting firms.

Prof Mak has served on key corporate governance committees in Singapore developing and revising codes of corporate governance for listed companies and not-for-profit organisations. He has also been involved in developing several corporate governance ratings and scorecards and has chaired judging panels for corporate governance-related awards in Singapore and the region.

Prof Mak is an active researcher, commentator, speaker and advocate on corporate governance. He has published reports on topics such as corporate governance of banks and insurance companies, board diversity, governance of company groups, annual general meetings, and executive and director remuneration. Each year, he edits a collection of corporate governance case studies published by CPA Australia, and a selection of these cases have also been translated to Chinese and Vietnamese. He has also co-produced three volumes of corporate governance cartoons, with all proceeds from these donated to charities.

Prof Mak’s recent reports and research on sustainability cover topics such as linking ESG factors to executive remuneration, sustainability governance structures and practices, board oversight of climate risks and opportunities, materiality assessment of ESG factors, and sustainability assurance.

He has published research on corporate governance and accounting in academic journals such as Accounting Horizons, British Accounting Review, International Journal of Accounting, Journal of Accounting and Public Policy, Journal of Business Finance and Accounting, and Journal of Corporate Finance. Prof Mak has also edited a book on corporate governance in Asia and adapted US financial accounting textbooks for Singapore.

He is regularly engaged by regulators, companies and other organisations to teach/facilitate workshops for directors, regulators and other industry professionals in Singapore and the region, and has also led governance reviews for listed companies and not-for-profit organisations.

Prof Mak has served on boards of several large not-for-profit organisations in Singapore, including as board chairman, and on audit committees of large not-for-profit organisations in Singapore and in UN funds based in New York. He also served as a member of the Governing Council of the Singapore Institute of Directors from 2000 to 2005. He is currently a member of the international advisory board of the Hawkamah Institute of Corporate Governance in Dubai and senior adviser and member of the advisory board of the Vietnam Independent Directors Association.

In 2014, he received the Corporate Governance Excellence Award from the Securities Investors Association (Singapore) for his contributions to corporate governance in Singapore, becoming only the second individual to receive this award. In 2015, he received the Excellence in Corporate Governance Award from the Minority Shareholders Watchdog Group in Malaysia for his contributions to corporate governance in the region. That same year, he was recognised by the Singapore Institute of Directors as a Corporate Governance Pioneer in Singapore.