Welcome Address

Mr LIM Ming Yan
Chairman
Singapore Business Federation

Opening Keynote

Mr WEE Ee Cheong
Deputy Chairman & CEO
United Overseas Bank​ Limited

In Conversation with Guest-of-Honour, Mr GAN Kim Yong, Minister for Trade and Industry

Moderated by Mr KOK Ping Soon
Chief Executive Officer
Singapore Business Federation

Plenary 1: Driving Innovation and Sustainability through Human Capital

Synopsis:​

In the recent decades, ASEAN has made exceptional economic and social progress, yet development gaps within its human capital continue to persist. With over 650 million in population, ASEAN demonstrated significant variation in the development of their human capital as some countries have made substantial progress while others experienced challenges. To bridge these gaps, the building of ASEAN human capital index is essential for identifying areas of improvement as well as tracking process.​

With the continuous impact of technological innovation and recent covid-19 pandemic, it has never been timelier for businesses to start shifting their focus to invest on human capital, in order to forge a sustainable economy growth and greater social equity in the future. ​

This panel aims to discuss the ASEAN human capital landscape in order to maximize both productivity and efficiency on the workforce. Ultimately, by concentrating on enhancing human capital development, more inclusive and sustainable economies can be established.

Moderator:
Mr TAY Woon Teck
Partner, Head of Private Client Services
RSM Singapore

Panellists (in alphabetical order of surname):​
Ms Betul GENC
SVP & Head of ASEAN
Adecco

Mr Frank KOO
Head of Asia, Talent and Learning Solutions
Linkedin

Mr Ian WONG
Managing Director, Group International Management
United Overseas Bank Limited

Dr Robert YAP
Executive Chairman, YCH Group Pte Ltd
President, Singapore National Employers Federation
Chairman, ASEAN Business Advisory Council Singapore
President, ASEAN Confederation of Employers

Plenary 2: Positioning for the Shift in ASEAN's Global Supply Chain

Synopsis:​

ASEAN, with its rich natural resources and home to more than 600 million population, coupled with its trade and manufacturing capabilities, is set to become the world's fourth largest economy by 2030.​
​
Though ASEAN was impacted by the pandemic, the black swan event has also demonstrated how resilient global supply chains can be, with manufacturing production bouncing back quickly after lockdowns were eased. This was particularly true in ASEAN, where trade was about 30% above pre-pandemic levels by 2022, despite China’s earlier lockdowns and ongoing geopolitical tensions. At a time when trade headwinds are still prevalent, the commercial benefits for companies operating in a large prosperous economic region like ASEAN are more relevant than ever.​

This panel seeks to discuss what are the emerging shifts and trade patterns that ASEAN is seeing, formation of new trade corridors and how businesses should position for the road ahead to seize opportunities in the region, while integrating sustainability, digitalisation and innovation in their supply chain business model.​

Moderator:

Ms Kala ANANDARAJAH
Head, Competition & Antitrust and Trade
Rajah & Tann Singapore LLP

Panellists (in alphabetical order of surname):​
Mr Willy KOH
CEO
Racer Technology​

Ms Michelle SHI
Chief of Supply Chain
Dyson​

Ms SO Lay Hua
Managing Director, and Head of Group Transaction Banking
United Overseas Bank Limited

Ms Gloria WU
CEO
Commodities Intelligence Centre​

Plenary 3: ASEAN’s Road to Sustainable Digitalisation – Balancing the Odds

Synopsis:
In Southeast Asia, the digital economy is forecasted to hit USD 300 billion by 2025. To harness the potential of digitalisation for the benefit of businesses and consumers, ASEAN has developed the ASEAN Digital Integration Framework and its Action Plan (DIFAP) and the Bandar Seri Begawan Roadmap to guide the member states in their digital integration journey. Negotiations on the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement (DEFA) aim to deepen existing cooperation and improve the interoperability of digital systems like the ASEAN Single Window and digital payments.

It is crucial to address the potential negative consequences of digitalisation while leveraging its benefits to drive sustainable development. Striking a balance between digitalisation and sustainability requires a holistic approach to ensure inclusive and sustainable growth for the region.

This panel will discuss ways to leverage technologies to generate advantages for the ASEAN economy and businesses, while delivering sustainable impact to the society and environment.

Moderator:
Mr WONG Wai Meng
Chief Executive Officer (Data Centres)
Keppel Data Centres and Networks Division
Chairman of SGTech and Chair of SBF Digitalisation Committee

Panellists (in alphabetical order of surname): ​
Mr Gavin CHUA
Head of Stakeholder Engagement, APAC
Meta​

Mr QUEK Siu Rui
CEO and Co-founder
Carousell Group

Ms Grace SAI
Co-Founder and CEO
Unravel Carbon

Mr Kevin WALSH
Senior Vice President
Oracle​