We are excited to welcome two new staff members to Stepping Stone’s team in Singapore, adding to our experience and knowledge base including in corporate finance and tax.

Together with opening our Hong Kong office earlier this year, this demonstrates our commitment to building our breadth and depth of expertise as well as our global footprint.

Ivan Woods is a new director and our Market Lead in the Singapore office. 

As well as assisting our existing clients and growing our client base, Ivan’s focus is on building Stepping Stone’s investment business in Singapore and around Asia.

Ivan specialises in advising startups and growth stage companies on corporate finance and fundraising transactions.  He helps companies in preparing for, structuring, and negotiating deals to a successful close. Sectors he has worked on include technology, F&B, hospitality and energy, including an US$11m capital raised for a Singapore medical technology company.

He has worked in London, where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant with PWC, and since 2000 in Tokyo, Hong Kong, Dubai and now Singapore.  Ivan has held senior positions with financial institutions such as the World Bank and HSBC and is an experienced independent advisor. He previously specialised in infrastructure finance, working on deals across a range of sectors in Asia and the Middle East with valuations from US$50m to over US$10bn.

Ivan is the proud father of two young boys who are thriving in Singapore. When he’s not showing them the region’s cultural highlights (or just trying to keep them under control), he’s happily watching Chelsea cruise to the Premier League title again.

Ivan’s full profile can be seen here.

Kalaai Araasi joined the firm late last year as an accountant. 

Kalaai graduated from Ngee Ann Polytechnic with a major in Accountancy, and is currently pursuing her ACCA.

Since graduation she’s worked in a range of tax and finance roles, starting as a tax intern in Deloitte & Touche and working up into corporate tax roles. She has helped small businesses, start-ups and global brands, and as a tax accountant has seen how changes in tax compliance have impacted positively on new and growing businesses.

When she’s not looking after her clients, Kalaai enjoys being with her family and friends. Give her an ingredient and offer her an idea, that’s enough for her to begin her magic in the kitchen. Apart from spending weekends trying out new recipes, Kalaai enjoys travelling: she believes it shows that despite our many differences, we are still people with the same hopes and dreams.

Kalaai’s LinkedIn profile can be found here.