Inaugural BT South-east Asia Growth Forum seeks to help firms looking to scale in the region

[SINGAPORE] For companies that are looking to scale, South-east Asia – a thriving region with a combined population of nearly 700 million – presents a complex landscape to navigate.

With that in mind, the inaugural The Business Times South-east Asia Growth Forum – jointly organised by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and The Business Times – will be held on Nov 18 at the Hilton Singapore Orchard hotel.

This half-day event will bring together business leaders, policymakers and industry experts from across the region to unpack growth strategies and connect delegates with the right partners to accelerate their expansion.

A highlight will be curated business-matching sessions designed to help companies take practical first steps towards expanding into South-east Asia. 

The event will bring together partners from The Workshop – an EDB-facilitated initiative – along with professional services firms within EDB’s broader network. The aim is to provide firms with tailored advice and practical guidance on market entry, regional expansion strategies, company incorporation, talent, banking, financing and other business needs.

The Workshop partners are Rajah & Tann Singapore; UOB; Asia Market Entry; Globalization Partners; Acclime; FOZL Group; DBS; OCBC; Hawksford; Accenture; and Maersk.

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The forum will kick off with an address by EDB’s executive vice-president Lim Wey-Len.

This will be followed by a fireside chat with three of South-east Asia’s next-generation business leaders – Ryan Yap, the head of Cambodia, Malaysia, Laos and Vietnam and head of growth and partnerships at YCH Group; Patrick Aritonang, the chief operations officer and managing director of Panbil Group; and Do Quang Vinh, vice-chairman of the board of directors and deputy CEO of Saigon-Hanoi Commercial Joint Stock Bank.

There will be two panel discussions to round off the forum. The first is on accessing the South-east Asia market, with the two speakers being Frank Debets, the Asia-Pacific customs and trade leader at PwC Singapore; and Alroy Chan, deputy head of Rajah & Tann Singapore’s corporate commercial practice.

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The second session will look at South-east Asia as a resilient supply base, with the two speakers being Mads Lauritzen, Accenture’s chief strategy officer for South-east Asia and supply chain lead for Asia-Pacific; and Jez McQueen, the area had of sales (South-east Asia) at AP Moller-Maersk.