Agenda

7th Edition of ET Edge Asian Business Leaders Conclave 2023

(Virtual Summit)

10:00–10:05

Welcome Address

10:10- 10:25

Guest Address: Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam: Collaborative Efforts for a Shared Future of Asia
  • Jyotiraditya M. Scindia, Union Minister of Civil Aviation and Steel, Government of India

10:30- 11:20

Panel Discussion: Addressing Global Energy Transition and Energy Security Needs for a Sustainable future

The session will assess the Current Status, Future Prospects, Challenges, Technologies and   Investment Opportunities in Renewable energy for a sustainable future.

Sustainable development is possible by use of sustainable energy and by ensuring access to affordable, reliable, sustainable, and modern energy for citizens. Secure, resilient and sustainable energy technology supply chains are central to successful clean energy transitions. The race to net zero emissions will redefine global energy security and shift the focus from the supply of fossil fuels to the supply of the minerals, materials and manufacturing capacity needed to deliver clean energy technologies.

  • Making large scale investments in the Renewable Energy sector
  • Current and future needs for key technologies including solar PV, batteries for electric vehicles and low emissions hydrogen.
  • Strengthening a nationwide Smart grid infrastructure
  • Supply chain disruptions in various sectors due to Russia-Ukraine war
  • Policy support in boosting manufacturing of PV cells
  • New age technological interventions to boost processes.

Confirmed Speakers:

  • Simon J Stolp, Practice Manager – South Asia, Energy and Extractives Global Practice, World Bank(Singapore)
  • Stefan Kaufmann, Hydrogen Executive Advisor, Thyssenkrupp (Germany)
  • Ashish Khanna, CEO, Tata Power Renewable Energy (India)
  • Jan Teichmann, SVP & President APC, Fluence (A Siemens company) (Singapore)

Session Chair:

  • Somesh Kumar, Power & Utilities Leader, EY India

11:25- 11:40

Special Address: Tech for Good: Making the digital economy accessible to all sections of society
  • Armida Alisjahbana, Executive Secretary, United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) (Thailand)

11:45- 12:35

Panel Discussion: Averting a Hunger Catastrophe: Ensuring Food & Nutrition Security by 2030

Global conflicts, drastic climate change, economic slowdown among other factors have led to a food crisis of a humongous nature. According to a report of the World Food Programme, as many as 828 million people go to bed hungry every night. The number of those facing acute food insecurity has soared – from 135 million to 345 million – since 2019. A total of 49 million people in 49 countries are teetering on the edge of famine. In light of the critical situation, the session will deliberate on-

  • Aiding food security interventions by multilaterals
  • Using AI in farming to augment productivity.
  • Improving soil health & quality
  • Moving beyond the goal of No Hunger (SDG 1)
  • Ensuring basic nutritional needs (especially of children and lactating mothers) are met

Confirmed Speakers:

  • Dr. Pietro Antonio Tataranni, MD, Chief Medical Officer, Senior Vice President, Life Sciences, PepsiCo (USA)
  • Simon George, President, South Asia, Cargill
  • Lawrence Haddad, Executive Director, Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN), British economist, Author and World Food Prize Laureate (Britain)
  • Purvi Mehta, Global Head for Climate Adaptation Programs, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation (India)

Session Chair:

  • Basanta Kumar Kar, Nutrition Man and Global Nutrition Leadership Award Recipient

12:40- 13:10

Fireside Chat: Impactful Investing: Driving initiatives which spur social prosperity and transformative change

Development across the world is driven by investments in initiatives which drive a societal transformation. From infrastructure to social welfare schemes to direct benefits transfer, every initiative has a people centric element to it.

To further discuss how the right strategic investments can usher in a better tomorrow, this session will deliberate on-

  • Investing in sustainable projects
  • Community engagement in development initiatives
  • Using cutting edge technology to drive growth at the grassroots.

Confirmed Speakers:

  • Suzanne Gaboury, Director General- Private Sector Operations Department, Asian Development Bank (ADB Bank) (Philippines)
  • Yoshiki Sasaki, CEO, Japan Strategic Capital (Japan)
  • Ravi Lambah, Head, Investment Group; Head, India, Temasek (Singapore)

Session Chair:

  • Gopal Sarma, Partner, Bain & Company

13:15- 13:30

International Case Study: Reimaging Cities and Transforming Lives – Infrastructure for a Resilient Economy!

A lot of focus is being given worldwide to the development of built infrastructure, which plays a major role in anchoring the economic and social development of a nation. From industries to residences to common spaces, all developed and developing economies have a vast network of superlative infrastructure which allows them to push their population towards prosperity. This massive push is a win-win situation for everyone as it involves usage of large amounts of industrial output, labor, technology and skilled manpower and propels every section of society to the next level of societal ladder.

The key focus areas of the session will be-

  • Strategies for Designing Greener, Healthier, More Equitable Communities
  • Sustainability in construction practices
  • Architectural aesthetics
  • Cost effective models for emerging markets.
  • Durability keeping in mind adverse natural phenomenon.
  • Building greenfield smart cities with integrated digital infrastructure

Confirmed Speaker:

  • Yeo Choon Chong, CEO-ASEAN, Surbana Jurong, (Singapore)

13:35- 14:25

Panel Discussion: Enroute to a Greener Future: The Way ahead to Asia’s Sustainable, Equitable and Secured Tomorrow

The human race has made path breaking progress in recent times across all spheres. People are living longer and prosperous lives. This progress, though, is threatening the delicate balance of the natural ecosystem and will have drastic effects if immediate actions are not taken. The socio-economic impact of environmental degradation is radical. The Asian region is home to five of the ten largest emitters and needs to put its act together in order to adhere to the 2015 Paris Agreement. The discussions in the session will revolve around-

  • Policies implemented to tackle climate change.
  • Building sustainability into corporate DNA
  • Transboundary cooperation to cut emission levels.
  • The road ahead to the region’s Net Zero commitments

Confirmed Speakers:

  • Lene Bjorn Serpa, Head of Corporate Sustainability & ESG, P. Moller Maersk (Denmark)
  • Kazunari Fukui, Decarbonization leader for Asia, GE Gas Power (Singapore)
  • John Timson, Vice President Sustainability and Safety – South-East Asia, Japan and Korea, Accor (Singapore)
  • Mark Christie, Commissioner, FERC, United States Federal Agency, Government of USA

Panel Chair:

  • Sachin Kotak, Partner, Bain & Company

14:30- 14:45

Closing Keynote Address: Reimagining an Equitable Society: Social entrepreneurship as a catalyst of global growth 
  • Muhammad Yunus, Nobel Peace Laureate, Social entrepreneur, Banker, Economist and Founder, Grameen Bank, (Bangladesh)

14:50- 14:55

Vote of Thanks/Closing Address

*Agenda is a work in progress and subject to changes