November 3, 2017 / Manila, Philippines. His Excellency Dmitry Medvedev, Prime Minister, Federation of Russia and His Excellency Narendra Modi, Prime Minister, Republic of India, will be headlining this year’s ASEAN Business & Investment Summit (ABIS) happening from November 13-14, 2017 at the Solaire Grand Ballroom in Parañaque City. With the theme World Leaders’ Roadmap Towards Prosperity for All, the event seeks to become the catalyst for closer cooperation between the public and private sector to boost inclusive growth in the region.  

ABIS, hosted by the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ABAC), is expected to draw more than 1,700 guests representing top level executives from diverse sectors; distinguished thought leaders; champions and leaders from across the region coming from government, business, the academe, and research entities; and entrepreneurship mentors and enablers.

“ABIS is the biggest and most prestigious business event in ASEAN. We would like to invite everyone, most especially the MSME’s, to attend and take advantage of this fantastic opportunity to gain valuable insights from industry leaders that will help their respective businesses grow and be competitive in today’s ever-changing landscape,” said Joey Concepcion, ABAC Chair.

The two-day event shall cover topics ranging from ASEAN Build, Build, Build – Infrastructure Development: A Perspective (Building for the Future) – This forum aims to facilitate discussions on current and upcoming initiatives of the public and private sector in strengthening infrastructure development across ASEAN. Leading the discussion are Enrique Razon, Chairman and CEO International Container Terminal Services Inc.; Diwakar Gupta, Vice President of the Asian Development Bank; Shinya Ejima, Senior Vice- President of Japan International Cooperation Agency; Jaime Augusto Zobel de Ayala, CEO, Ayala Corporation; Tony Fernandes, Group Chief Executive Officer, AirAsia; and moderated by Maria Ressa, Founder and CEO of Rappler. Unleashing Women Economic Power and Human Capital Development – this forum aims to provide insights on key areas of governance and business that can leverage on the brilliance of women and other minorities. Leading the discussion are Teresita Sy-Coson, ASEAN BAC Council Member and Vice Chair of SM Investments; Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and the tenth Executive Secretary of the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific; Datuk (Dr.) Hafsah Hashim, Chief Executive Officer of SME Corporation; Ma. Fe Perez-Agudo, President and Chief Executive Officer, Hyundai Asia Resources Inc.; Sirina Sisombat-Hervy, Sinuok Coffee, ASEAN Business Award 2017 Winner; and moderated by Chloe Cho, Presenter and Executive Producer of Channel News Asia. Right Money, Open Markets – This forum is a global dialogue led by renowned policy leaders in finance and key players in the market who will uncover the current realities regarding the accessibility and distribution of money and markets which are imperative to the roadmap towards Prosperity for All. Leading the discussion are Gov. Nestor Espenilla, Governor, Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas; Anthony Thomas, Chief Operating Officer of Mynt; Tan Sri Rebecca Fatima Sta. Maria, Senior Policy Fellow of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia; Alexander Feldman, President and CEO of US-ASEAN Business Council; Robbie Antonio, CEO of Revolution Precrafted; David Foote, Founder and CEO, Zennya; and moderated by Dato Timothy Ong, Chairman of Asia Inc. Forum. On to ASEAN 100: Perspectives of the World Today and Beyond -- In this panel, multilateral leaders, former heads of governments and states, and citizens share their outlook on ASEAN’s position for growth and leadership. Shared Economy -- Home to over 663 million people, the ASEAN region offers one of the most promising markets for shared services. Integral to the development of this emerging market, today’s leading ASEAN game changers will tackle pragmatic approaches to harness the sharing economy’s potential and to address the challenges that comes with it. Leading the discussion are Dr. Robert Yap, Chair of ASEAN BAC Singapore and Chairman of YCH Group; Mario Pezzini, Director of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development Centre; Lito Villanueva, Managing Director of FINTQ; and moderated by Robert Yap Min Choy, ASEAN Business Advisory Council Singapore Member and Deputy Chairman and Executive Director of Y3 Technologies. Entrepreneurship in the Digital Economy – In this panel, global disruptors from the new world economy will discuss the impacts of innovation and disruptive technology on small businesses and the rest of the world. Leading the discussion are Manny Pangilinan, Chairman, PLDT Group; Nick Nash, Group President, Sea Group; Dr. Yuri Sato, Executive Vice President of Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO); Goh Peng Ooi, Founder and Executive Chairman of Silverlake Axis Limited; Richard Eldridge, CEO of Lenddo; and moderated by Yasu Ota, Editorial Writer and Columnist of Nihon Keizai Shimbun Singapore. With Her Excellency Maria Leonor ‘Leni’ Robredo, Vice President of the Republic of the Philippines, to deliver the Closing Keynote Address to officially end ABIS 2017.