IBF Awards

Biography

Mr. Sam Cheong is the Managing Director and Head of Group Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) Advisory at UOB, where he began his banking career in 1994. Over three decades, he has held leadership roles across retail, wholesale, and international banking, including nearly 14 years in Indonesia and China.

Recognizing the growing FDI momentum in Southeast Asia, Sam established FDI Advisory unit in 2011, making UOB the first Singapore bank to offer dedicated FDI support in the region. Under his leadership, the unit has expanded to 11 markets across Asia, facilitating cross-border investments for over 5,000 companies through UOB’s regional network and local expertise.

Sam has built an extensive network of strategic partnerships with key regional government investment agencies such as EDB, ESG, MIDA, BKPM, BOI, and FIA. UOB became the first bank in Southeast Asia to sign an MOU with the China Council for the Promotion of International Trade (CCPIT) in 2012, strengthening investment and trade flows between China and Southeast Asia. Closer to home, Sam also played a pivotal role in pioneering the ‘Green Lane’ initiative between Invest Johor and UOB to accelerate investments into the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone.

In 2015, Sam co-founded the ASEAN Conference alongside the Singapore Business Federation, RSM, and Rajah & Tann. Now in its 9th edition, the conference is a flagship event that convenes public and private sector leaders to explore business opportunities in ASEAN.

When the pandemic hit in 2020, 9 million jobs were lost in Southeast Asia. Sam steered the team on a mission to create 1 million job opportunities as a motivational pivot to bring in quality FDIs that would create meaningful jobs to uplift the livelihoods for the region that the bank operates in. Since 2020, the unit has enabled the creation of 300,000 job opportunities.

Beyond UOB, Sam serves as First Vice Chairman of the Singapore Business Federation’s China and North Asia Business Group EXCO and is a member of the China-Singapore Business Council. He was Singapore’s representative to the East Asia Business Council (2019–2024), and in 2024, was appointed to the board of Ping An Fund Management Company and the China-ASEAN Business Council (CABC) Expert Committee—recognizing his deep expertise in ASEAN-China trade and investment.