Building partnerships in Asean and beyond

Throughout history, the Philippines has always relied on its Asean neighbors to see it through the best of times and the worst of times. Over the past 50 years, our Asean neighbors have been our partners in growing and learning, and despite our differences, we are always united by a unique bond strengthened by common experiences and shared values.

This year, Asean marks its 50th year and it is an opportune time to look at how we can further deepen our neighborly ties with fellow member countries. As we face a fast-changing world, characterized by protectionism and uncertainty, it is but right to invest time and effort in building partnerships and breaking barriers, within Asean and beyond.

For quite some time now, Asean governments have been discussing the way forward for the region and its people, especially with the Asean Economic Community now a reality.

The Philippines, as this year’s Asean chair, has been hosting summits and meetings where Asean is discussing its way forward.

Driving conversations

As a key partner of governments, the business community has always contributed to the conversation about Asean’s future, and we are again pleased to share our experiences and insights to the wider Asean community, as our way of supporting the region as it forges ahead to attain sustainable growth and regional cooperation.

To create the space for these conversations to proceed, the Management Association of the Philippines (MAP) , the foremost business organization in the country, has chosen the theme “Asean in Business: Building Partnerships in a Growth Network” for its 15th International CEO Conference 2017, to be held on Sept. 12 at the Makati Shangri-La.

The Conference has three tracks: driving inclusive and innovation-led growth; building a people-oriented and people-centered Asean; and positioning Asean as a model of regionalism and a global player.

Through information and knowledge sharing, the MAP hopes to encourage innovative thinking, collaboration, and cooperation among the citizens of Asean, while keeping a global perspective at all times.

Leading the list of global thought leaders is international economist and risk expert Dr. Thierry Apoteker, who will give a keynote address on building partnerships in an environment of heightened protectionism and uncertainty.

Driving inclusive growth

Uber General Manager for Southeast Asia Chan Park, the game changer who transformed the way people commute around the world, will share his thoughts on what businesses can do to embrace innovations and to survive and grow in the digital world.

Reflecting on the emergence of financial unicorns and the stratospheric rise of start-ups in the past decade, Y3 Technologies CEO Marc Dragon of Singapore draws from his experience in the start-up scene to speak on what it takes to build a culture of innovation in the business sector.

The changing Asean consumer landscape and their demands will take the spotlight as KPMG Hong Kong’s Anson Bailey shares highlights from available data and turn these into actionable insights.

Adding a new perspective is a specially commissioned MAP-PwC survey, highlights of which will be discussed by Isla Lipana/PwC Managing Partner Mary Jade Roxas Divinagracia.

Model of regionalism

What does the future hold for Asean?

David Wijeratne, Partner and Growth Markets Center Lead of PwC Singapore, will touch on the developments that have greatly affected the Asean economic community, and identify growth markets in the region.

Talking from personal experience, J.P Ellis, Group CEO of Indonesia’s C88 Financial Technologies, will share what he learned while making his mark in the Asean financial industry, hoping to inspire others to become global players.

People-centered Asean

All conversations should include people, and WWF South Africa’s Dr. Andrew Baxter will speak on doing good while doing well, including sustainable processes that are good for both businesses and communities.

Last but not the least, the Asean Foundation’s Elaine Tan of Indonesia will then share her insights on what makes the Asean people unique as individual nations and as one integrated region, and how we can work together to leverage on our uniqueness to promote growth across the region.

Learning together

It makes me proud as an Asean citizen that we are taking an active part in these conversations, as we work together to envision Asean’s destiny beyond the 50-year mark.

Holding on to the values that have defined Asean from its earliest days—the values of respect, trust, and cooperation—I have no doubt that we can build and strengthen our partnerships within and beyond Asean. We have been partners in growing and learning over the past 50 years, and we will definitely continue to do so in the years ahead.