Jesu was born in Singapore in 1979. He grew up enjoying homecooked sambar and tofu sambal. He played badminton, police and thief, and cycled with a tight knit group friends in Serangoon Gardens. His parents never set rules and brought him up on strong values by allowing him to make his 
own choices guided by their overarching value of “do the right thing”.
own choices guided by their overarching value of “do the right thing”. It was this upbringing that instilled a sense of independence and discipline. Jesu was a curious student and shared, “I was never a bad student. I see myself as a late bloomer. I was very playful in my primary school days. I only became a serious student in my secondary school and college days. I believe I drove some of my teachers crazy, because I always had lots of questions”.
Since junior college, Jesu knew he wanted to study law. He enjoyed it because it broke down complex issues with logic and order. After completing his National Service in the Singapore Air Force, Jesu studied at Leeds University and received his Master of Laws from New York University (NYU).
Jesu’s impressive career which spans close to 2 decades, began with him working in a one of Singapore’s largest law firms, before he was appointed a District Judge. Subsequently, he joined the Singapore Attorney-General’s Chambers (AGC) as a criminal prosecutor and Deputy Senior State Counsel where he oversaw and led the prosecution of criminal matters and advising the Government on a variety of matters including countering non-proliferation.
Whilst at AGC, Jesu pursued and was awarded the Fulbright scholarship to do his LLM in NYU. While at NYU he explored his interest to address the increasing number of white-collar crimes and corporate scandals.
When Jesu returned to the AGC, drawing from his time in the US and his past experiences, he designed a course on Compliance & Risk Management, which he continues to teach at the National University of Singapore and the Singapore Management University.
Jesu explained, “compliance is really about doing the right thing, even when no one is watching. A culture of compliance provides a competitive edge. It is a business imperative. The complexities that enterprises have to confront in the area of anti-bribery, anti-money laundering, fraud, export controls, ITT threats are several and at the very heart of it lies human behavior and creating that spirit of compliance.”
Jesu is a widely sought a
fter expert in the area of export controls, and UN sanctions, with a special focus on Iran and the DPRK. Recently, Jesu was recognized as an expert by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA). He also serves as Singapore’s representative to the European Union’s P2P’s working group in connection to a global publication on dual-use goods trade controls.
fter expert in the area of export controls, and UN sanctions, with a special focus on Iran and the DPRK. Recently, Jesu was recognized as an expert by the United Nations Office for Disarmament Affairs (UNODA). He also serves as Singapore’s representative to the European Union’s P2P’s working group in connection to a global publication on dual-use goods trade controls. To follow his passion in the field of compliance, Jesu decided he wanted to go out on his own in 2023 and he founded TradeKins, a global consultancy specializing in compliance training, capacity building, crisis management, and internal investigations. In August 2023, he was also elected the President of the Centre For Trade Excellence, Singapore; a non-profit focused on capacity building initiatives in the field of international trade.
Outside of work, Jesu and his family are passionate about exploring nature.
In addition to spending time outdoors, Jesu is also a member of the Rotary Club of Marina City. He joined RCMC in 2010 and his favourite activities are spending time with Rotarians during fellowship. Jesu shared “I joined Rotary to meet like-minded people who want to make a real difference. When I think about Rotary and what it means for me; It means hope!”