Eye on Asia Forum 2021 - Looking to Asia with a Global Mindset
Gain key insights and leverage growth opportunities in a post-pandemic Asia. Join the dialogue and be inspired by the stories of Singaporeans who have ventured into new environments in the region. Change your perspective of Asia and adopt a global outlook.
Session 1 - ASEAN-Mekong Region and the United Arab Emirates
3 March 2021
6.00 pm to 7.15 pm (SGT)
Conducted via Zoom (online)
Watch the full programme:
About the Speakers
ASEAN-Mekong Region
Ian Yeo
Senior Vice President, Financial Institutions & Structured Finance
DZ BANK AG Singapore Branch
Ian Yeo is a Primary Relationship Manager for Financial Institutions covering ASEAN and the Indian sub-continent, with an emphasis on the Vietnam, Bangladesh and India markets. Prior to joining DZ BANK, he was in investment banking, with a focus on Islamic finance.
What opportunities are there within the Mekong region? What’s in store for Singaporeans interested in venturing there? Join Ian as he shares his experiences and insights on three ASEAN countries within this region – Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar.
United Arab Emirates
Dr Brian Shegar
President, UAE Singapore Business Council and CEO & Founder, ME Asia Consultancy Pte Ltd
Dr Shegar has had an extensive career in international banking, with a focus on Asia-Pacific and the Middle East. He was the CEO of major international banks in the region, including Emirates NBD. He is currently the CEO and Founder of ME Asia Consultancy Pte Ltd. In March 2018, Dr Shegar established the UAE Singapore Business Council as Founding President which was recognised in a G2G agreement signed in 2019 as a platform to promote trade and investment flows between the United Arab Emirates and Singapore. He has a BSc (Hon), MSc (Finance) and a Doctorate in Business Administration and currently sits on the Board of International Advisors of CASS Business School, City, University of London. Dr Shegar has presented and moderated at various local and international talks, panel discussions and conferences on the topics of finance, banking and the Middle East.
The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is Singapore’s largest trading and investment partner in the Middle East, with bilateral trade last year reaching SG$20 billion. Founded in December 1971 as a federation of seven emirates including Abu Dhabi and Dubai, it has a diversified economy with oil and gas comprising about 30 percent of its GDP and a strong services sector centered in Dubai. Whilst the UAE was not spared from the COVID-19 pandemic, the country has handled the pandemic’s challenges effectively and is poised for a good recovery. Come and learn about the country from Dr Shegar as he shares the trends and opportunities in the UAE.
About the Moderator
Amy Wee
Country Head – Vietnam
SBF Global Division, ASEAN
Singapore Business Federation (SBF)
GlobalConnect@SBF
Amy Wee has spent more than 10 years in Vietnam and has forged good networks and relations with Vietnamese and foreign business communities. Her experience with and understanding of the Vietnamese business culture has allowed her to impart valuable market insights and instil confidence into Singapore companies venturing into Vietnam.
Session 2 - China and India
4 March 2021
6.00 pm to 7.15 pm (SGT)
Conducted via Zoom (online)
Watch the full programme:
About the Speakers
China
Aik-Ping Ng
Engineer turned finance professional based in Greater China
Aik-Ping Ng is a seasoned finance and investment professional with close to 20 years of international and China-based experience spanning private equity, strategic M&A and private wealth management. He currently works at a large financial institution and is a part-time author, mentor and Enneagram coach. A Terman scholar at Stanford University in the United States, Aik-Ping also teaches finance at Renmin University in Beijing, China. He is also an avid golfer, claims to dance salsa, and struggles at the piano.
How should young Singaporeans gear up to embrace the opportunities presented by China and the rest of Asia? What are the emerging trends and opportunities in a post-pandemic China? Come draw inspiration from Aik-Ping as he shares his personal story and provides an insider’s view into China’s transformation through the lens of an overseas Singaporean.
India
Shobha Tsering Bhalla
Managing Director, India Se Media and Director, Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry Board
Shobha Tsering Bhalla is a veteran journalist and media entrepreneur with extensive experience as a senior print and online journalist. In 1989, she joined The Straits Times as a business correspondent and was the first non-resident Indian journalist to have an opinion column in The Sunday Times. In 2007, she founded India Se Media, the first magazine/media company catering to the India diaspora in Singapore and Southeast Asia. Shobha is also on the board of the Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (SICCI) and is the Chairman of SHE@SICCI, which helps socially and economically vulnerable Singapore Indian women entrepreneurs grow their businesses in the post-COVID era.
Although India is not a signatory to the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), its “Act East” policy forms an important part of its Indo-Pacific vision, which places ASEAN its core. With India’s strategic northeast set to play a big role in connecting the subcontinent with Southeast Asia, enhanced by India’s liberalised labour market, how can Singaporeans gain a first-mover advantage in Northeast India? What are the possibilities of tie-ups and cooperation between Singapore and Northeast India? Join Shobha as she shares the cultural similarities between Singapore and Northeast India, as well as how Singapore SMEs with interests in labour-intensive sectors could explore opportunities in India.
About the Moderator
Alan Tan
Director – Africa, Middle East, Central and South Asia
SBF Global Division
Singapore Business Federation (SBF)
GlobalConnect@SBF
Alan Tan has been engaged in the Singapore Business Federation’s (SBF) global market development activities in ASEAN, Africa, Middle East, Central Asia and South Asia for the past 12 years. Prior to joining SBF, he served two overseas postings as First Secretary Commercial-cum-Centre Director in Bangkok and New Delhi, as well as a Consultant in STDB Consulting while in Enterprise Singapore. He was also with the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), where he worked on growth triangle projects in Batam and Bintan, Indonesia with Singapore Technologies Industrial Corporation (STIC).
This webinar is organised by the National Library Singapore and in collaboration with:
Business China
GlobalConnect@SBF
Ngee Ann Polytechnic
Singapore Business Federation
Singapore Indian Chamber of Commerce and Industry
UAE Singapore Business Council
