Session 2: Making the Digital Leap: Innovation and Transformation

November 23 (US) | 15:00 HONOLULU / 21:00 WASHINGTON

November 24 (ASIA) | 09:00 SINGAPORE / 10:00 TOKYO/SEOUL

ABOUT THIS EVENT

A silver lining of the ongoing global pandemic for many firms has been accelerated digital transformation. According to a business survey by OECD, 70% of SMEs have intensified their use of digital technologies due to COVID-19. These changes will likely last given the investments made and business benefits of the new ways of working. Business surveys conducted worldwide in recent months confirm the shift: around 75% of SMEs in US surveyed agreed that digital tech was impacting how they did business; and 73% of mid- and large-size companies in Singapore have sped up digitalization to adapt to the new reality, whether by launching digital products or introducing digital payments to embrace e-commerce and automation. But COVID-19 is also widening the digital divide –  between those who were able to muster resources to pivot their businesses and those who were not. Unfortunately, smaller companies appear to be lagging behind.

In this session, Lydia Ng, Founder and CEO of Thinktechniq, and Michaela Wong, Senior Manager of Policy for Asia of the Information Technology Industry Council (ITI), will discuss how the US and Singapore can lead digital innovation and transformation in the region in fields such as e-commerce and manufacturing. It will shed light on how digital transformation positively affects these industries while highlighting concrete challenges faced, especially among Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. The discussion will be moderated by Sakshi Chadha, Digital Expert for Bangladesh at the UNCDF.

SPEAKER BIOS

Lydia Ng
Lydia Ng
Lydia Ng is the Founder and CEO of Thinktechniq, a digital full suite agency and marketing consultancy serving large and small clients in the Asia Pacific region. Her previous positions include Head of Marketing at Grab and Digital Strategist at SingTel. She was the winner of the Silver Award at the Digital Asia Festival 2012 as well as the winner of Best Use of Search at the Singapore Media Awards 2012 and Best SPOC Award from SingTel.

With 16 years of marketing experience in MNCs, SMEs and start-ups, she has amassed a host of insights and key success factors that can make or break a business. The first in Asia to pioneer high-precision tracking of individual elements on YouTube ads, Lydia founded a startup advisory, responded to market conditions and pivoted to become a full-service digital agency in its current form. Her ability to be at the forefront of new technology applications remains at the core of what she does.

Michaela Wong
Michaela Wong
Michaela Wong serves as the Senior Manager for Asia on the Policy team. She comes to ITI from the US-ASEAN Business Council, where she led the council’s work on financial services, customs and trade facilitation, and managed multi-industry initiatives in Indonesia. During her time at US-ABC, she also played a key role in bringing delegations of US companies to Thailand, Laos, and Indonesia for meetings with government officials and industry stakeholders.

She previously worked in government relations consulting, advising clients from a broad range of sectors, including ICT, cybersecurity, and telecommunications. She brings experience in government from her role at the Australian Embassy in Washington, DC as part of the executive support team for the ambassador, as well as from her work with the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.

Michaela holds an MA from Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) in International Economics and Southeast Asia Studies, and a BA from the University of Richmond in International Relations. She is proficient in Bahasa Indonesian.