For all the people out there who are involved in the technology and innovation industries, there is the upcoming GREAT Festival of Innovation 2018 taking place in Hong Kong from 21st to 24th March 2018.
What is the GREAT Festival all about ?
The GREAT Festival of Innovation, to be held at Asia Society Hong Kong Centre from 21 to 24 March 2018, is the third of its kind after the success of the GREAT Festivals of Creativity in Istanbul (2014) and Shanghai (2015). Its vision is to share innovation and create life-long partnerships that will drive the future of free trade and prosperity between the UK, Hong Kong and the region.
The Festival will explore the latest in cutting-edge innovation and the future of how we work, live, play and learn through a series of talks, panels and interactive workshops over four days. Bringing together some of the world’s brightest minds, business leaders and policy makers, the Festival will provide a unique platform for powerful future partnerships.
There is a extensive and impressive list of speakers lined up for the upcoming GREAT Festival of Innovation 2018 in Hong Kong. I visited their website and looked through their programme, a series of talks, panels and interactive workshops over four days. There are very interesting and would definitely appeal to technology and innovation sectors professionals and enthusiasts. This festival would also be a good time for networking too!
Attending the Festival will be a strong delegation of business leaders and decision makers from Singapore looking to create new business partnerships with their Asia and UK counterparts.
The first round of confirmed speakers from Singapore joining the GREAT Festival of Innovation 2018 include:
- Steve Leonard, Founding CEO of SGInnovate, the Singaporean government tech start-up accelerator
- Sanjay Aurora, Managing Director of Asia Pacific of Darktrace, responsible for leading the expansion of the company and its award-winning Enterprise Immune System technology for cyber security in the Asia Pacific region
- Junny Lee, Founder of The Work Project, award-winning Singapore and Hong Kong based co-working spaces centred around the concept of design thinking to drive productivity and work happiness
- Martin Haines, Managing Director, Asia, First Derivatives – provider of products and consulting services to some of the world’s largest finance, technology and energy institutions – will discuss the impact of AI on businesses of today and tomorrow
- James Cameron, Managing Director, Head of Project and Export Finance, Asia Pacific at HSBC, will be sharing the stage with a panel of experts to discuss China’s Belt & Road initiative and the power of the people and digital innovation behind it
Speaking ahead of the Festival, Steve Leonard, Founding CEO of SGInnovate says:
“I am thrilled to represent Singapore at the GREAT Festival of Innovation in Hong Kong. This event is a great platform to share views on how technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain will increasingly impact societies and economies. At SGInnovate, my team and I work with scientist-founders who are building companies in these and other deep-tech areas. We enjoy a close working relationship with many founders and investors in Britain, and the GREAT Festival of Innovation will bring us closer together,” said Steve Leonard, Founding CEO, SGInnovate.
Singapore and the UK have a mutually beneficial relationship, with strong links long maintained between the countries:
- In 2016/17, Singapore was the UK’s 20th largest trading partner (representing 1% of total UK trade), its 16th largest export market (1.3% of UK exports), and its 25th largest import market (0.8% of UK imports)
- At a regional level, Singapore is the UK’s 5th largest export market in Asia Pacific (total goods and services), receiving more UK exports than India and South Korea and accounting for over half of the UK’s exports to Southeast Asia
- UK-Singapore bilateral investment is worth almost GBP30bn, while inward investment from Singapore was worth over GBP4bn in 2016, the third highest globally after Luxembourg and the US
- Many major UK MNCs have bases in Singapore, with the top 20 firms hiring around 25,000 people. There are over 50 British retail brands in Singapore, who are also the UK’s third largest global market for whisky
Zoe Fitzsimmons, Director Trade & Investment Singapore, Department for International Trade says:
“Singapore and the UK have a deep and broad relationship, with strong cultural ties, mutually beneficial partnerships and a shared vision for the future. Taking part at an historic moment for UK and Asian economies, the GREAT Festival of Innovation highlights that the UK is open for business and committed to Asian trade partners. We are delighted to be also welcoming innovators and thought leaders from Singapore to the Festival, highlighting the importance of the UK’s relationship with the city state. The GREAT Festival of Innovation will serve as a platform for creating new life-long partnerships while strengthening relationships between British and Asian business leaders and investors that will drive a future of free trade and prosperity.”
For more information please visit great.gov.uk/innovation or follow the hashtag #GREATinnovation.
* Information and details courtesy of Sinclair Comms *