The World CIO 200 Roadshow 2020 sweeps through APAC region

After touring Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and Kuwait, the World CIO 200 Roadshow 2020 moved to the APAC region. This edition of the roadshow unfolded on December 3 in a virtual convention and brought together digital leaders in the region. It was organised by the Global CIO Forum and supported by IMDA and Rosettanet Singapore GS1 digital standard consortium. Event partners were Lingaro, C2FO and Techneplus. Also supporting the event were  SealNet, Global eTrade Services, Seeburger, OpenText and Intelizest.

About the APAC edition

The opening note was by Malavika Shanker, President GEC Media Group, who welcomed the CIO community across the APAC region. She handed the stage over to Manoj Saxena, Chairman, RosettaNet Singapore GS1 digital standards consortium. He is also a member of the Global Advisory Board, Global CIO Forum. Saxena presented the CIO Research Insights 2020, which is a part of Global CIO Forum’s continued efforts to reinforce the vision of One industry, One Voice. This research has a technology 360-degree approach. Outcomes are key as they will bring leaders together to create industry framework. The research will help the industry and technology leaders to assess the level of maturity and readiness on where they stand, the risks of being left behind and guide them build a customer centric roadmap specific to their industry and geography to stay competitive. The research outcomes will be used to deliver actionable programs by technology thought-leaders and consortiums globally through webinars, round-table discussions, training programs, etc.

Next up was Loh Sin Yong, Director, Trade Sectoral Transformation Group Infocomm Media Development Authority. He talked on the topic of Trade – Adapting to Present and Future Challenges, by IMDA. He discussed cross border issues, digital standards, new technologies that are prevailing, blockchain as a trusted service, and how governments are playing part in creating standards.

The next presentation was by Bhaskar Vetrimani, Head, Business Development, APAC, Lingaro, a disruptive innovator in data and analytics, and a professional services company helping clients succeed in the data-driven world.

Dr Sanjay Tyagi, Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, Government Of India then delivered a keynote on Startup Ecosystem and STPI Focus in India; contribution to India’s digital push in terms of supporting startup ecosystem and establishing centre of excellence in fintech in a collaborative environment at Chennai.

Up next was Saket Sarda, Head Enterprise Sales, C2FO, who took up the topic of Digital Working Capital Transformation: Unlocking value and insights of your Supply Chain. C2FO is the world’s largest marketplace for working capital and works with more than 250 enterprise corporates worldwide.

The presentations gave way to an engrossing panel discussion on the topic of Digital Trends in Trade and Sustainability Financing. It was moderated by Manoj Saxena, Chairman, RosettaNet Singapore GS1 digital standards consortium. Panellists included Dr Sekar, Jaganathan, Director, Digital Strategy, Kenanga Investment Bank; Ashokraj, Vadivelu, CEO, Intelizest Consulting; Matthew Burns, Senior Business Development Manager, Seeburger; and Nishchay Chadha, CEO, Ace Recycling.

After the panel discussion, Manju Jalali, VP and CIO IMIT, GLOBALFOUNDRIES presented a case study on digital twins, a success story. How planning and adaptability helps in managing crisis like Covid pandemic and safeguard business processes.

This was followed by a panel discussion on Cross Border Supply Chain, Logistics and Digital Standards. It was moderated by Manoj Saxena. Panellists included Nithyanandan, Anthony, Chief Solutions Officer, SealNet;  Thirumal Raj, C, Group IT Director, Elite Digital Logistics; NG Chee Keong, Vice President, GeTS Asia; and Vinay Sharma, Group IT Director, Gulftainer.

After the panel discussion, Winnie Rebancos, Chief Information Officer, Coca-Cola Beverages Philippines, presented her case study on success story of employee engagement and a culture of empathy and well- being. This way gave to an engaging panel discussion on Leadership, Culture and New Ways of Working. It was moderated by Malavika Shanker and panellists included Juliana Chua, Regional Director and Head, Digital Transformation, Essilor; Nirupam Das, Director Global Digital Transformation, Liberty Insurance; Ramesh Munamarty, Group CIO, NTUC Enterprise; and Anil Menon, General Manager IT Innovation, Tata Starbucks. The panel discussion concluded with a rapid fire round.

And the winners are

The final highlight of the APAC session was the CIO 200 Country Awards, given to CIOs who have been the catalyst in bringing about change in this challenging year. The winners also received blockchain certificates.

About CIO 200 Summit

Established in 2017, The CIO 200 Summit is a multi-country CIO felicitation ceremony that recognises achievements of digital leaders. The CIO 200 Awards are not a competition but a celebration of the amazing lives of CIOs and their game-changing careers.

The 2019 edition of the event toured 15 countries and gathered over 3000+ delegates over a span of three months. Key stakeholders tabled roadmaps for strategic decision making and identified yardsticks that are the key drivers of growth in the digital world. The World CIO 200 Summit 2019 concluded over December 09-10 with a gala event at the Double Tree Hilton in Ras Al Khaimah. The highlights from the 2019 edition can be seen here.

About Global CIO Forum

The role of a CIO is one of the most critical one in today’s business and industry. Today, CIOs hold the future of innovation, productivity and competitiveness in their hands. At the Global CIO Forum, we not only provide our members with an exchange forum for best IT leadership strategies and practices to enhance business results, but we are also developing a strong voice to ensure that CIOs are represented at key industry and government decision tables. In other words: Integrate. Influence. Impact.

The Global CIO Forum’s mission is to represents IT Executives and CIOs globally. Currently working in META region and with expansion plans globally, the Global CIO Forum is a non-profit community of CIOs and IT leaders whose mission is to facilitate networking, sharing of best practices and executive development, and to collaborate on issues faced by the CIOs and IT executives.