Meet the Founder

Boon Pei Ya

Pei Ya started The Shoal Co. with a vision of fostering collaborative leadership and expanding inclusive participation in decision-making to co-create a just and regenerative world.

With over 16 years of experience across the private and non-profit sectors, including environmental consultancy, corporate sustainability and biodiversity conservation, Pei Ya has dedicated her career to advancing solutions at the nexus of nature positivity, climate action, and social justice.

Before establishing The Shoal Co., Pei Ya served as the Regional Conservation Finance Program Lead at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS). In this role, she spearheaded innovative projects that mobilized public and private capital, driving conservation and social impact throughout Southeast Asia and the Pacific.

Her commitment to inclusive, systems-informed strategies led her to explore systems thinking and social arts tools for awareness-based systems change. Today, she applies these approaches to help impact-driven organizations shift mindsets from ego to eco.

Pei Ya has an MSc in Applied Ecology and Conservation from the University of East Anglia, UK and a BSc in Life Sciences from the National University of Singapore. She is also a member of the International Association of Facilitators, collaborating with a global network of experienced practitioners as needed.

Based in Singapore, Pei Ya lives with her husband and two boisterous children , balancing her professional work with family life — and continuing to learn, explore, and grow alongside the organizations she serves.

Systems Practice (The Omidyar Group)

We draw on The Omidyar Group’s Systems Practice as a core foundation for our work, using it to map complex systems, surface dynamics, and identify leverage points for change. This participatory approach helps stakeholders build shared understanding and co-create strategies that are adaptive, systemic, and grounded in real-world complexity.

Theory U

Theory U, developed by Otto Scharmer of Presencing Institute, is an awareness-based systems change framework that guides organizations and leaders through a transformative process of observing, reflecting, and co-creating solutions by shifting from ego-centric to ecosystem-centric thinking to address complex societal challenges.

Future Search

Future Search is a structured, large-group planning method where stakeholders from all parts of a system come together to review the system’s history, map current trends, envision preferred futures, find shared priorities, and create action plans collaboratively.

Social Presencing Theatre

Social Presencing Theatre is an embodied practice that deepens ability of participants to sense and shape the dynamics within complex systems. By engaging the body as a tool for inquiry and transformation, this practice invites individuals and teams to explore the subtle, interconnected layers of experience. It cultivates a heightened awareness of relationships, power dynamics, and hidden patterns—elements often overlooked in conventional strategy development.

Theatre of the Oppressed

Theatre of the Oppressed developed by Augusto Boal, is a dynamic methodology aimed at societal change through theatrical techniques. It focuses on encouraging critical dialogue, and challenging oppressive systems. By utilizing playful experimentation and physical metaphors to uncover hidden dynamics and reframe social relations, It allows participants to become more conscious of their roles in societal structures through our systems thinking workshops and actively work toward positive change.

Pei Ya's practice is informed by an array of participatory and innovative approaches that continually enrich and inspire her work. Here are a few.

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