Global Catalyst Advisory, founded on 28 March 2018 in Singapore, is an advisory firm dedicated to advancing environmental sustainability through innovative solutions. The firm employs cutting-edge technology and strategic consulting to assist organizations in reducing their environmental impact and carbon footprint while ensuring business monetization of high-quality carbon credits. Across US, Singapore, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Kazhakstan, the company focuses on real-time monitoring, using tools such as IoT, satellite imagery, and blockchain to secure meaningful and measurable results for sustainability projects.
Dr. Victor Tay, Group CEO of Global Catalyst Advisory, leads the firm with a philosophy of “people-planet-profit,” ensuring each initiative delivers value across these three pillars. With over 25 years of experience in government and industry, Tay combines business acumen with environmental stewardship, driving sustainable innovation and long-term value creation. His leadership ensures that every project not only reduces environmental impact but also aligns with business goals. Under his direction, the company sets ambitious targets for its clients, aiming to cut carbon emissions by 15-35% per project while transforming sustainability efforts into meaningful economic opportunities.
Dr. Victor Tay’s career reflects a lifelong commitment to sustainability. Before leading Global Catalyst Advisory, he served as Group Director for the Singapore Economic Development Board and Enterprise Singapore. He played a key role in founding the Singapore Sustainability Alliance and the Singapore Sustainable Development Group, which drive regional environmental initiatives. Tay also impacted the business community by leading the development of the Singapore Sustainability Awards in 2010, promoting sustainable innovation across the region.
His influence reaches beyond Singapore, advocating globally for sustainable practices and financial solutions tied to carbon credits. Dr. Tay has presented at international platforms, including COP28 in Dubai, China and ASEAN Forum sharing insights on topics such as carbon credits as financial instruments and ESG strategies for small and medium-sized enterprises. His leadership has not only elevated the profile of Global Catalyst Advisory but also challenged outdated perceptions of Southeast Asia, showcasing the region’s potential to lead in environmental technology and innovation.
Internally, Dr. Tay fosters a collaborative and innovation-driven culture. He encourages employees to propose sustainability initiatives during regular sharing sessions, ensuring that fresh ideas continually contribute to the firm’s evolving service offerings. Promising concepts receive financial and manpower support, allowing them to develop into new technologies or services for clients. Performance metrics within the company reflect this holistic approach, with every employee evaluated based on their contributions to people, planet, and profit, ensuring alignment with the firm’s core values at all levels.
Through the corporate 360 degree review, his staff and client comments on his leadership style were:
“Victor is staunch on principles and has a lot of integrity. He has great kindness and concern for the welfare of the people around him. He is sharp, thinks well, and is strategically able to get the most mileage from any work assigned to him. His input always gives a more strategic direction to work.”
“He is approachable and contemporary: I admire Victor’s tenacity in getting things done”
“Victor dares to stick by what he feels is the appropriate solution and perseveres to the end. He is inspiring, caring and yet task oriented. He is energetic, courageous and confident”
On working hard, the client remarked, “Victor pushes his team to achieve results. Though the team “complains” about the hard work, they seem to wear it as a badge of honour—they sounded motivated, probably seeing that he pushes himself harder than others.”
“Victor is always very controlled, calm. One who can survive and still function in adversity. He has his own way of building team spirit and offering guidance and coaching”.
“Victor is generally a good superior to work with. He can adjust himself to the different personalities of his various staff, and his approach is always to make the most of each person’s strengths rather than focus on weaknesses.”
Dr. Tay’s leadership philosophy extends to his involvement in shaping financial models for sustainable projects. Recognizing the challenges many organizations face when investing in sustainability, he developed a blended financing approach that combines government grants, carbon credits, and revenue-based models. This strategy accelerates the payback period for sustainable initiatives, making them more attractive to businesses while ensuring environmental impact. His ability to seamlessly integrate business growth with sustainability has earned him numerous accolades, including recognition as one of the region’s most influential sustainable business leaders.
Global Catalyst Advisory, under Dr. Tay’s stewardship, continues to expand its influence beyond Southeast Asia, with projects reaching as far as Central Asia, including Kazakhstan. Through its advanced technologies and innovative financing models, the firm enables clients to transform their sustainability efforts into financial assets. This approach not only ensures long-term environmental impact but also positions the company as a leader in sustainable business practices.
With Dr. Tay’s unwavering focus on innovation, advocacy, and sustainable growth, Global Catalyst Advisory exemplifies how modern businesses can balance profitability with environmental and social responsibility. Anchoring on the philosophy of “Resolving World’s Issues and Challenges”, his leadership has positioned the company as a thought leader in the region, setting new standards for sustainability in the advisory sector and inspiring other organizations to follow suit.
