President of the United States of America

Address by Head of State
Shinzo Abe
Prime Minister of Japan

Address by Head of State
Narendra Modi
Prime Minister of India

There is now more focussed attention than ever, at last, on the micro, small and medium enterprises which form the backbone to the ASEAN economy. Increased awareness has led to the setting up and creation of multiple enablers and conduits to ease the challenges of operating a business. The SME Action Plan is being launched but more concretely the ASEAN Growth Accelerator is being set up by the private sector. There are various portals, platforms and websites being established. Things are finally happening in the MSME world. What more needs to be done though and how fast do we have to move in order to achieve success in the global marketplace?

Speech by Minister of International Trade & Industry Malaysia
YB Dato' Sri Mustapa Mohamed

Launch event of "ASEAN Strategic Action Plan for SME Development 2016-2025"
To be launched in the presence of:

1. YB Dato' Sri Mustapa Mohamed, Minister of International Trade & Industry Malaysia
2. Tan Sri Dato' Dr. Mohd Munir Abdul Majid, Chairman, ASEAN Business Advisory Council
   (ASEAN-BAC)
3. Dr. Wimonkan Kosumas, Chair of Small and Medium Enterprises Working Group
   (SMEWG)
4. Dato' Hafsah Hashim, Chief Executive of SME Corp

The number of women entrepreneurs in ASEAN is growing at an exponential level. Access to education, financing and a borderless technological world provides women with the tools to not only compete in the global marketplace, but also triumph. This session will unearth and showcase dynamic entrepreneurs in ASEAN, who just happen to be female, and are in fact ahead of the game in the ASEAN marketplace.

Moderator:
Sophie Kamaruddin, Anchor & Editor, Bloomberg TV Malaysia

Speakers:

1. Khine Thit Lwin, Executive Director, TMW Group of Companies
2. Violet Lim, CEO of LunchClick & Co-Founder of Lunch Actually
3. Shinta Widjaja Kamdani, Chief Executive Officer, Sintesa Group
4. Lilyana Abdul Latiff, Chief Executive Officer & Founder, Aleph One

ASEAN's population is becoming ever more urban. In 2013, the region had 317 million urban dwellers. By 2018, that number will rise to 345 million. That is around 5.5 million new urban dwellers in ASEAN every year-the equivalent of adding a new city with a population the size of Singapore every year. What do we need to do to manage this explosive growth? Is our planning and the infrastructures being rolled out robust enough? Are we ensuring responsible development and what lessons have we learned from cities that have failed? As we challenge ourselves to ensure quality of life for ASEAN's urban citizens, this begs the question: is growth with a conscience even possible?

Speaker:
Oliver Tonby, Managing Partner, McKinsey & Company in Southeast Asia

Digitalisation is changing the global landscape of how people do business, and ASEAN is no exception. Internet access is now a prerequisite in everyday life, despite more than 4billion people in the world yet to have internet presence. ASEAN, with its youthful population of more than 60% under 35 years old is widely recognised as the fastest growing internet and e-commerce market in the world. Digitalisation is said to level the playing field between existing bricks and mortar businesses and start-ups and micro businesses. As much as digitalisation is changing various aspects of business, ranging from financing requirements, access to market and transformation of operations, how is digitalisation promoting trade within the region? Are the young entrepreneurs capitalising on the regional market? What is needed to build a conducive ecosystem for ASEAN young entrepreneurs to capitalise on the 7th largest economy in the world?

Moderator:
Syed Nabil Aljeffri, Secretary-General, ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC)

Speakers:

1. Hun Monivann, Chairman of Mega Leasing Plc., Vice President of SROCC (Siem Reap &
   Oddar Meanchey Chamber of Commerce)
2. Dr. Chamnan Ngammaneeudom, Assistant Project Director of ASEAN SME Service
   Center
3. Richard Kok, Founder of iKargo

Growth in the world's second-largest economy has dropped to 7%, marking the slowest expansion in more than two decades. While Beijing seems keen to moderate growth to prevent the economy from entering a boom and bust cycle, is China's transition from the old to new growth models a sustainable one? How will this impact social stability? With the Chinese leadership under pressure to keep its economy on track, will current policy approaches be maintained? The million dollar question also remains: Is China's slowing down actually a blessing in disguise not only for its own good, but also ours?

Speaker:
Dr. Victor Gao, Chairman of China Energy Security Institute & Vice Chairman, Sino-Europe
United Investment Corporation

In Conversation With:
Ho Kay Tat, Group Chief Executive Officer & Publisher, The Edge Communications Sdn Bhd

By 2030, 60 percent of the world's population will live in cities, up from about 50 percent today. Over the same period, more than two billion people are likely to enter the middle class, with the majority of them living in cities in emerging markets. The number of megacities with more than ten million people will continue to grow. Congestion is also already close to unbearable in many cities and can cost as much as 2 to 4 percent of national GDP, by measures such as lost time, wasted fuel, and increased cost of doing business.

Even though these numbers are staggering, the fruits of development efforts can still be sustainable in nature, from the economic, social and environmental aspect. Whilst this is easier said than done how is Japan leading the way in ensuring sustainable development and growth for its country? Having shown tremendous courage after World War II, the Japanese government has tended to mobilise all possible policy resources to demonstrate to the world a model which will underpin a good balance between sustainable development and economic growth. What are the latest developments in Japan's journey and how much of an influence can Japan have on the rest of Asia, particularly ASEAN?

Introduction by:
Masayasu Hosumi, Chief Representative for ASEAN, President Bangkok Office, Japan
External Trade Organization (JETRO), Advisor for Chairman of Federation of Japanese
Chamber of Commerce and Industry in ASEAN (FJCCIA)

Presentations by:

1. Kazuya Kitae, Marketing Director, Panasonic Eco Solutions Malaysia Sdn. Bhd.
2. Datuk Takashi Hibi, Advisor to Executive Committee, UMW Toyota Motor
   Former Chairman of Federation of Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry in
   ASEAN (FJCCIA), Former President of Japanese Chamber of Trade & Industry, Malaysia
   (JACTIM)