NextGen
PHILANTHROPISTS
Founder / Entrepreneur and Philanthropist
Ms. Faye Lo is the Founder of the Good Soil Foundation. Faye believes in harnessing the transformative power of private capital to inspire and empower youth to drive meaningful change.
Faye founded the Good Soil Foundation Next Generation Future Philanthropy Leaders Program for students to learn about the philanthropic sector and to incubate student projects with a focus on ensuring positive social impact to communities in Singapore.
In 2012 Faye co-founded China’s first legally registered charity by a grassroots organization – the Guang Dong Mai Tian Education Foundation. Faye next founded the Sky3 Seed Foundation in 2013. In 4 years, she supported the growth of over 55 charitable projects. In 2017, Faye began a poverty alleviation project in Sichuan’s Daliang Mountains through investigative journalism. Starting with an initial seed fund of 50,000 yuan, she fundraised over 700 million yuan in social and government resources leading to improvements within the vicinity of over ten schools. The project became the most influential charity project of 2017 in Tencent’s philanthropy rankings.
Faye’s keen ability to innovate saw her organise a donation drive for relief supplies at the National University of Singapore during the 2020 pandemic, mobilizing a vast network of volunteers to support eighty hospitals worldwide.
Faye has earned an Executive Master of Philanthropy by the China Philanthropy Research Institute of Beijing Normal University and the Indiana University Lilly Family School of Philanthropy in 2015. In 2017, Faye also attended the Harvard Kennedy School for the Executive Leaders in Philanthropy Program as a scholarship recipient. Faye is one of Yale University’s alumni interviewers, serving as part of the Yale Sinovation Fellows network.
Ryan is the co-founder of the Next Generation Philanthropy Leadership Program. For Ryan, inclusion is not just an ideal but a personal mission shaped by his own experiences. Having faced social challenges growing up, he understands the impact of exclusion and the importance of creating welcoming spaces for everyone. These experiences instilled in him a profound empathy for those who feel isolated and a determination to foster environments where everyone feels valued and supported.
A vivid memory from his junior high years, after moving to a new school in a foreign country, exemplifies this. During lunch breaks, Ryan often found himself alone, observing groups of students effortlessly engaging while he felt the weight of distant stares and struggled to belong. This challenging period taught him the critical value of inclusivity and inspired his mission to ensure no one else feels the same isolation.
To Ryan, inclusion means building spaces where every individual is seen, heard, and valued, while actively embracing diversity. His commitment to inclusion has driven him to step beyond his comfort zone, connecting with others and cultivating a sense of belonging.
Ryan’s journey in philanthropy began at the age of eight, traveling each summer with his family and volunteers to impoverished rural areas. Meeting children in need of support left a lasting impact, transforming him from a young volunteer into a dedicated advocate for meaningful change. Ryan believes in the power of collective action and aims to inspire young people to join him in creating a more inclusive and connected world, proving that united efforts can drive positive change on a larger scale.
Zack Ruize is the co-founder of the Next Generation Philanthropy Leadership Program, where he empowers youth to engage in impactful philanthropic initiatives and create meaningful change. Zack has been deeply passionate about philanthropy from a young age, inspired by his parents, particularly his mother, who worked extensively with communities in rural China. A pivotal moment in Zack’s journey was a trip to Guangxi, China, which profoundly changed his understanding of poverty. Before that experience, he associated poverty with homelessness or a lack of basic needs. However, visiting the village revealed a deeper level of hardship. Despite their struggles, the villagers greeted Zack and his family with warmth, offering them a simple meal of rice and bread, and teaching Zack a powerful lesson about resilience and kindness.
Over time, Zack began volunteering alongside his mother during these visits, helping verify families’ financial situations to ensure that donations reached those most in need. These experiences instilled in him a deep sense of gratitude for the privileges he once took for granted—education, food security, and stable living conditions—and inspired him to view these advantages as opportunities to drive meaningful change.
His ambition is to follow in his mother’s footsteps, using the knowledge and resources he gains to give back to communities similar to those he encountered in Guangxi. He is committed to supporting education initiatives in under-resourced areas and providing resources for future generations. This dedication to service drives Zack’s active involvement in projects aimed at improving education and supporting underserved communities, with the goal of creating real, lasting change.
2024 Cohort Class Leader
Judy Xu is a graduate of the Andy Rose 2024 cohort of the NextGen Program, where she was selected as a student leader representative and received the Future Social Leader distinction. She continued her involvement over the following two years as a Senior Teaching Assistant, inspired by a desire to grow alongside and support the next generation of changemakers.
A graduate of Shanghai American School, Judy will pursue a Bachelor of Arts at the University of Hong Kong with a focus on the humanities. Her passion for philanthropy stems from a lifelong curiosity about people and their stories. Since her freshman year, she has dedicated herself to teaching in underserved communities in Henan and has participated in diverse service initiatives across different age groups and communities.
To Judy, philanthropy is not defined by the distance between a giver and a receiver, but by the relationship built between two equal participants in a shared journey. She sees it as a reciprocal process of exchange, one where support flows in both directions, and where both sides have the opportunity to contribute, learn, and grow. Across every community she serves, Judy finds herself receiving just as much—invaluable lessons, perspectives, and inspiration. And along the way, philanthropy has become her mirror for self-discovery, as it continues to crystallize the leader she wants to become.
2025 Cohort Class Leader
For Mohammad, philanthropy is using what he has, what he knows, and what he continues to learn to expand human possibility. That belief guides everything he does as a student leader, innovator, and global learner. Driven by curiosity, he believes that technology should strengthen, not replace, human potential. He co-led the Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Committee at Shanghai American School, where he helped promote the ethical integration of AI to deepen student learning. Beyond school, leading Aeris (formerly Uncloud) has taught him that meaningful change is never the work of one person. Solving complex problems requires people united by a shared purpose, willing to embrace uncertainty, challenge one another’s thinking, and persevere long after the excitement of a new idea has faded. Having attended school across North America, Europe, and Asia, and traveled to more than 25 countries, Mohammad witnessed that meaningful leadership begins with listening. These experiences have taught him to appreciate diverse perspectives and to create solutions that are grounded in empathy, understanding, and human connection. Service isn’t something he hopes to do alongside his career, it’s the reason behind everything he hopes to build. Whether through artificial intelligence, medicine, or future humanitarian work, he hopes to use innovation as a force for lasting, meaningful impact.
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.
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.
Richard Buttrey is a Director in the Developer Eco-system Group at Arm
Founder & CEO, Strategic Moves,
Former Nominated Member of Parliament
Social Impact Manager (APAC), TikTok
Executive Director, Vancouver Island Counselling Centre for Immigrants and Refugees
Assistant Professor, Carnegie Mellon University
Founder and Chief Consultant,
East-West Institute of Applied Etiquette
National Registered Auctioneer,
Honorary Lecturer, Future Media School, The University of Hong Kong
Senior Tech Instructor, Perface AI
Founding Partner,
Shanghai Yingzhile Education Technology Company
Founder,
Jade Life & Wellness Coaching Academy
Director of Research and Development, 51WORLD
Volunteer Advisor
Sinchita serves as a Volunteer Advisor to the NextGen Philanthropy Leadership Program, supporting the team on social media strategy and partnership development. Drawing on her background in education, philanthropy, and stakeholder engagement, she advises on initiatives that strengthen the program’s outreach, visibility, and connections with schools, organisations, and community partners. Passionate about youth leadership and social innovation, she contributes her expertise on a voluntary basis to help expand opportunities for young people to become thoughtful and socially conscious changemakers.
