Event
Description
Although Asia has been the quickest to recover from the shock of the 2008 global recession, this crisis has still provided important lessons to the region. (1) The Asian economy is still export-driven and vulnerable to external shocks; (2) this vulnerability is further exacerbated by the lack of alternatives to the dollar as a regional trade currency; (3) the growth that Asia has enjoyed for the past 10 years is likely not sustainable for long if Asia remains simply the “World’s Factory.” So the question arises, how can we build a more sustainable, stable regional economy in Asia? We must consider this issue from multiple angles: what is the optimal macroeconomic policy for the region? How can businesses help create and stimulate domestic demand in the region? How should issues of intra-regional equity be taken into account? And with Asia in such dynamic flux, where do the best business opportunities lie?
Speakers
Sandip DasChief Executive, Maxis CorpSandip Das is the Chief Executive of the Maxis group of companies and looks after the group’s interests across Malaysia (Maxis), India (Aircel) and Indonesia (NTS). He is also a Director on the Boards of Sri Lanka Telecom and its mobile subsidiary Mobitel. Maxis was voted in 2008 as the “Mobile Operator of the Year” in Malaysia by the Asian Mobile News, voted as the “Service Provider of the Year” in Malaysia by Frost & Sullivan, and recognised by the Asian Wall Street Journal to be among Asia’s Most-Admired Companies. The Maxis brand in 2008 and 2009 was also recognised as the fourth most valuable brand in Malaysia by Brand Finance. He has over 30 years of work experience in the telecommunications, automobile, and consumer durable industries. Prior to joining Maxis, he was deputy managing director and a director on the board of Hutchison Essar Limited (now known as Vodafone Essar Limited, India), one of India’s largest mobile operators. He joined Hutchinson Essar, then known as Hutchinson Max Telecom, and started that company’s operations in India in 1994. Before working at Hutchison Essar Limited, he spent 5 years as franchise head of Al Futtaim Motors, the Toyota franchise of the Al Futtaim Group, in Dubai, the UAE, and 10 years with the Indian consumer durable giant Usha International, a part of the renowned Shriram Group, where he started as a management trainee and left as joint divisional manager. He holds a Masters of Business Administration degree from the Faculty of Management Studies, University of Delhi in India and a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Regional Engineering College (now known as National Institute of Technology), Rourkela in India.
Chris EllisHead of Jeep Product Line Management, Chrysler LLCChris Ellis is Head of Product Management for the Jeep Brand, and is responsible for the Wrangler, Liberty and Cherokee product lines world-wide. He is responsible for the business results of the current products and the development of future products in those segments. Prior to his current position, Chris was President and Representative Director of Chrysler Japan, LLC, in Tokyo, Japan, responsible for all Japanese operations of Chrysler. Chris has also worked at Mitsubishi Motor Company in Tokyo, and at various positions at Ford Motor Company, including President of Land Rover, Japan and Head of Global Brand Management at Mazda Motor Company in Hiroshima, Japan. Chris holds a dual MBA/MA degree (Japanese and Asian Studies) from the Wharton-Lauder Program at the University of Pennsylvania, and a BA in Economics and Japanese at the University of Utah. He also served on the Board of Governors of the American Chamber of Commerce in Japan from 2008–2009.
Jonney ShihChairman, ASUSTeKSince assuming chairman duties in 1993, Jonney Shih has led ASUS to global leadership in numerous technology sectors, including motherboards, graphics cards and optical drives. In 1999, ASUS began producing notebook PCs, becoming the 6th largest brand in this segment globally by anticipating and accommodating emerging trends. With the 2007 introduction of Eee PCTM, Mr. Shih ushered in a previously unheard of concept—the netbook. This has revitalized and shaken the PC industry, earning Mr. Shih global recognition from leading media as one of the top and most influential people in IT. His accolades include honors from silicon.com (2008), laptopmag.com and T3 (both 2009). Mr. Shih’s dedication and guidance have steered ASUS as an organization devoted to making products that enhance digital life through persistent perfection and inspired innovation—a philosophy reflected in the corporate motto. By 2007, one out of every three PCs sold in the world featured an ASUS motherboard. Revenue reached USD23 billion – a 330-fold increase compared to the year Mr. Shih assumed his role as chairman. No single resource is more important than people, a conviction Mr. Shih continues to highlight as he challenges and encourages every member of the ASUS team to discover their potential to the fullest. He further believes that an organization must focus on fundamentals and attainable end results in order to flourish. Mr. Shih holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering (National Taiwan University) and a master's degree in business management (National Chao-Tung University).
Lakshmi Iyer (Moderator)Assistant Professor of Business Administration, Harvard Business SchoolLakshmi Iyer is an economist in the Business, Government and the International Economy (BGIE) Unit at Harvard Business School. Her primary research fields are political economy and development economics, with a special emphasis on property rights in emerging markets. Her research has examined historical and current property rights institutions in several countries, including India, Vietnam, China and the Philippines. She has also studied many dimensions of the quality of government in developing countries, including the legacy of colonial rule, the division of authority between politicians and bureaucrats, and the link between poverty and conflict. She holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Bachelors and Masters degrees from the Indian Statistical Institute.
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