The Race for Strategic Renewal: Building Resilient & Sustainable Businesses
The disruptive business landscape has forced companies to rapidly adjust and re-strategise to meet evolving market and customer demands. Leading the competition are companies who have re-built a flexible business model to design for a resilient and sustainable ecosystem. What are the winning strategies of these industry champions who have chosen to embrace flexibility in the environment of change?
Speakers
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Chia Kim Huat (Session Chair)Regional Head, Corporate and Transactional Group, Rajah & Tann SingaporeChia Kim Huat has extensive experience in corporate transactions across the Asia Pacific region. He is valued by clients for his legal acumen, commercial insights and deep understanding of the region. He is effectively bilingual and one of the few Singapore lawyers who can draft and negotiate in Chinese with ease. In recognition of his experience and achievements, Kim Huat is ranked as a leading lawyer by numerous legal directories, including “Eminent Practitioner” in Chambers, “Elite Practitioner” in Asialaw, “Leading Individual” in The Legal 500, and in Best Lawyers.
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John ChengFounder & Managing Director, Innovate 360
John Cheng is the Founder and Managing Director of Innovate 360, Singapore’s first venture capital food accelerator with facilities. It helps more than 80 agri-food tech startups in areas of mentorship, venture funding, expertise, and access to markets since 2018. It is an accredited mentor partner supported by the Singapore government and recognized as a technical partner by Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Policy Partnership on Food Security. In 2021, he launched foodculture.sg, an e-commerce platform that helps companies go digital, engage consumers, and go global. Prior to Innovate 360, he worked at his 75-year-old family business, transforming and modernizing the business for more than 12 years.
John is a key driver in the Singapore food innovation ecosystem. He is the co-founder and chairman of Feed 9 Billion, an open innovation ecosystem platform, that looks at promoting sustainability and innovation through collaboration to feed 9 billion people by 2050. Under his leadership, it launched the Good Food Startup Manual: Singapore edition to help food entrepreneurs in their startup journey and the alternative protein database. He is a member of the Ministry’s of Trade’s Pro-enterprise Panel (PEP) that helps companies overcome regulatory hurdles, as well as part of the Singapore Food Story (SFS) Thematic Scientific Evaluation Panel that helps scientists receive grants for their research. He also is an academic advisory committee member for Chemicals & Life Sciences at the Institute of Technical Education(ITE).
Outside of work, he is an active alumnus at his alma mater, the Singapore Management University(SMU). He is co-founder and president of the SMU Business Families Alumni Group. He was part of SMU “Imagine Better” project that raised funds to help students with financial needs in 2019 before joining the SMU Alumni Philanthropic Council, where he currently advises the school on raising funds. He has been a member of Club-100 @ North West Community Development Council since 2017 fostering the culture of community involvement and philanthropy. He holds position at the Singapore Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI)’s Youth Business Affairs Committee Executive Committee and the Singapore Manufacturer Federation’s Youth Network Committee. In 2019, he was recognized as The Peak’s “Future Shaper” and Prestige Magazine’s 40 Under 40. He is on the 2020 Gen.T list by Tatler Magazine recognizing leaders of tomorrow who are shaping Asia’s future. He was also a nominee for the Straits Times Singaporean of the Year for 2021.
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Joyce SeowGroup Executive Director, Watson E.P. Industries
As Executive Director in manufacturing company, Joyce is responsible for developing new sales, chart business directions and operations. The company has been established in 1977 and have plants in Singapore and China serving global companies in consumer and industrial products in various industries. Watson EP is a contract manufacturer providing R&D services from product designs, mechanical and electronics designs to mass production of products. Watson EP provides tooling, plastic injection molding, PCBA, audio loudspeakers wood cabinet manufacturing, spray painting, chrome plating & EMI shielding on plastic parts, printing, ultrasonic welding, product quality testing and full product assembly. Watson EP has achieved Singapore Quality Class in 2017 and is listed as one of Singapore’s Fastest Growing Company 2020 by The Straits Times.
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Murray KoFounder & CEO, Meridian International Holding
Murray Ko is a successful entrepreneur in Hong Kong and Cambodia. The two main core businesses among Mr Ko’s varied investments are real estate and textiles. He is the founding member of Meridian Industries Limited (Hong Kong) in 1982 and Meridian International Holding Limited (Cambodia) in 2015. Meridian International Holding Limited has a portfolio of quality land reserve in Kampong Cham, Chroy Changvar and Kandal Province. The highlights in its property development in Phnom Penh include CASA by Meridian, SKYLAR by Meridian and FLATIRON by Meridian.
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Ong Wee MinVice President, Conventions & Exhibitions, Marina Bay Sands
Ong Wee Min serves as the Vice President of Conventions & Exhibitions at Marina Bay Sands. Marina Bay Sands is an integrated property with 2,561 hotel rooms, 1.2million sq ft of Meeting & Expo space, 300 retail shops and 60 restaurants. Marina Bay Sands is the leader in the hosting of Business Events and is the main meeting facility in Singapore. As Vice President of Conventions & Exhibitions, Wee Min is responsible for the success of the Sands Expo & Convention Centre and the 3,600 events held annually at the main Meetings and Tradeshow venue in Singapore. Prior to joining Marina Bay Sands, Wee Min last served as the Chief Commercial Officer at Suntec Singapore where he oversaw all commercial activities, operations and strategic development for both Suntec Singapore as well as Suntec International (An international venue management consultancy firm that serves convention & exhibition facilities globally). Wee Min was the overall industry lead for the successful planning and execution of the Annual Meetings of the Governors of the World Bank & IMF (2006), the International BAR Association (2007), APEC Leaders’ Week (2009) and the Singapore 2010 Youth Olympic Games. Wee Min represents Singapore at various international tradeshows and works closely with international associations to position Singapore as a premier destination for global events.
