MEET OUR SPEAKERS

Mike Walsh is the leader’s futurist. A best-selling author of three books and a

regular contributor to the Harvard Business Review, he helps leaders and

organizations answer the question - ‘where do we go from here?’ - in this age

of accelerating technologies and disruptive change.

Mike is the CEO of Tomorrow, an innovation research lab focused on preparing

leaders for the 21st century. For the past twenty years, he has been a leading

authority on disruptive innovation, digital transformation and new ways of

thinking. A global nomad, futurist and author of three bestselling books, Mike

advises some of the world’s biggest organizations on reinvention and change in

this new era of machine intelligence.

Mike’s latest book, The Algorithmic Leader: How to Be Smart When Machines

Are Smarter Than You, offers a hopeful and practical guide for reinventing

leadership and organizations. Translated into Japanese, Chinese, Korean,

Arabic, German and Polish - The Algorithmic Leader has been an international

publishing success and was selected to be given to the world leaders and

executive attendees of the Ambrosetti Global Forum at Villa d'Este in

Cernobbio, Italy.

Futuretainment, Mike’s first book, was published by Phaidon and was the

winner of the design award by the Art Director’s Club in New York. Released in

2009, it predicted the impact of the smartphone on reshaping the media and

marketing industry, and the imminent rise of social media, digital influencers

and streaming entertainment. In The Dictionary of Dangerous Ideas, published

in 2014, Mike anticipated breakthroughs in micro satellite networks,

cryptocurrencies, self-driving cars, drones and digital biology.

A dynamic and engaging keynote speaker, Mike has given over a 1,000 talks

over the last decade, from strategic briefings for the boards of companies to an

employee summit for a healthcare corporation, that filled a sports stadium with

an audience of over 25,000 people. In addition to both in-person and virtual

presentations, Mike also works with enterprise learning and development leaders to create compelling programs to up-skill teams for a world of AI-

powered competition.

In 2023, Mike was the keynote speaker for the Global Police Summit in Dubai,

and also for the Reddington IT Summit which is the largest gathering of IT

companies in the Middle East region. Earlier in the year, he was invited to

conduct a fireside chat with the CTO of AT&T with their key enterprise

customers, and also hosted a private briefing for the CEO and his top 15 global

leaders of PepsiCO. Previously in 2019, he led a leadership transformation

program for the top 300 leaders at Verizon in conjunction with McKinsey &

Company, and was further invited to address the global board on the subject of

the future transformation of the business. He was also invited to run a session

on the future of organizations for the senior logistics team of Amazon.com at

their global HQ in Seattle.

Chief Scientist & Chief Advisor for Digital Economy, Sarawak Government, Malaysia Professor Jugdutt (Jack) Singh is acknowledged as one of Australia’s leading ICT researcher and thought leader with extensive senior level academic & research leadership and consultancy experience both in Australia and globally. Jack has considerable experience in initiating and leading large-scale initiatives collaboratively with industry, government, universities and community driving high impact economic and social outcomes of global significance.

Prior to his current appointment, he held various positions in Australia, including Victorian Director of the National Centre for ICT Excellence Australia; Director of SenseT - a partnership program between Fed Govt., Tasmanian State Govt., CSIRO, University of Tasmania and industry to transform Tasmanian economy; Director of Innovation and Translation at Swinburne University amongst others.

He has also served on the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Transport Expert Group and member on number of Boards, including Sarawak Multimedia Authority (SMA), Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation (SDEC), Centre for Technology Excellence Sarawak (CENTEXS), Oceania Cybersecurity Centre, Australian Microelectronic Network, National Networked Teletest Facility, amongst others.

Dato’ Sri Idris Jala is a world-renowned transformation guru in driving performance for both Governments and the private sector through his Big-Fast-Results Methodology. He is currently the Chairman of PEMANDU Associates, a multi-disciplinary consultancy based in Kuala Lumpur that specializes in public sector transformation, business turnaround, and strategic communications. In 2014, Bloomberg placed him amongst the top-10 most influential policy makers in the world. Under his leadership, PEMANDU was also named as the top-20 most innovative Government agencies globally by Bloomberg Philanthropies and NESTA UK.

Dato’ Sri Idris Jala served as a Cabinet Minister under the Prime Minister’s Department between 2010 and 2017, taking helm of Malaysia’s National Transformation Programme (NTP), a roadmap designed to spearhead the nation’s transition towards high income status by 2020. Prior to PEMANDU, Dato’ Sri Idris was the CEO of Malaysia Airlines, and also held various senior positions in the Shell Group for 23 years.

On top of his role in Pemandu, he currently serves as the non-executive co-Chairman of Sunway Group, the Chairman of Heineken Malaysia, and the pro-Chancellor of Sunway University. Dato’ Sri Idris also lectures annually at Harvard University under the Harvard Ministerial Programme, continuously sharing his secrets for effective transformation to Ministers and CEOs worldwide today.

Sanjay Sarma is CEO, President and Dean of the Asia School of Business, and a professor of mechanical engineering and the Sloan School of Management at MIT. Sarma was one of the founders of the Auto-ID Center at MIT, which, along with a number of partner companies and its "spin-off", EPCglobal, developed the technical concepts and standards of modern RFID. He also chaired the Auto-ID Research Council consisting of 6 labs worldwide, which he helped set up. Today, the suite of standards developed by the Auto-ID Center, commonly referred to as the EPC, are being used by over a thousand companies on five continents. Sarma serves as chairman of EPCglobal, the worldwide standards body he helped create. Between 2004 and 2006, Sarma took a leave of absence from MIT to found the software company OATSystems, which was acquired by Checkpoint Systems (NYSE:CKP)in 2008. He is a consultant and board-member at several companies, and also serves as a permanent guest of the board of GS1 and a member of the board of governors of GS1US. He also served on the board of Hochschild Mining (LON: HOC), and was involved in the IPO of the spinout, Aclara Resources(TSE:ARA). He has also served on the boards, founded or advises several companies including Cleanlab (an AI startup), Alsym (a battery startup), IFM Investors and Jimco. Sarma received his bachelor’s from the Indian Institute of Technology, his Masters from Carnegie Mellon University and his PhD from the University of California at Berkeley. In between degrees, Sarma worked at Schlumberger Oilfield Services in Aberdeen, UK. Sarma's Masters thesis was in the area of operations research, and his PhD was in the area of automation. His current research projects are in the areas of radio frequency identification, manufacturing, design and energy, especially applied to energy and transportation. He has over 150 publications in computational geometry, manufacturing, CAD, RFID, signal processing, security, sensors and automotive systems. He is one of the key author's of India's Aadhaar unique ID system which underlies its digital ecosystem. Sarma's research has been recognized with several best paper awards. He is a recipient of the MIT MacVicar Fellowship, National Science Foundation CAREER Award, the Daniel and Fort Flowers Chair at MIT, the Den Hartog Award for Excellence in Teaching, the Keenan Award for innovations in undergraduate education, the New England Business and Technology Award, and the MIT Global Indus Award. He was selected on 2003's Business Week ebiz 25, Fast Company Magazine's Fast Fifty and the RFID Journal's Special Achievement Award. Between 2010 and 2012, Sarma helped establish a new university in Singapore called the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD). Since 2012, he served as the first Director of Digital Learning at MIT and the VP of Open Learning there. His Office, the Open Learning, oversaw MIT’s Open CourseWare project and the development of MIT’s pioneering Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC’s), MicroMasters, the MIT Integrated Learning Initiative, the Jameel World Education Lab, MIT xPro and Horizon. Sarma also served on the board of edX, the global MOOC provider.

Jasmine leads Microsoft's Corporate External and Legal Affairs for the ASEAN region. With over 30 years of award-winning experience, she brings extensive expertise in legal, policy, regulatory engagement, and communications. Prior to Microsoft, Jasmine held leadership positions at Dell, the UNDP, and the United Nations Executive Office of the Secretary-General.

She is a recognized advocate for marginalized communities and plays a crucial role in advancing policies on accessibility and promoting women in the field of technology. Jasmine is the first Malaysian appointed to the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) by UN Secretary General. Her achievements have also earned her prestigious accolades such as the inaugural WIM's Tan Sri Napsiah Omar Women Leaders Award and the Global Leadership Award for ICT Excellence.

Jasmine holds a double degree in Law from the International Islamic University in Kuala Lumpur, pursued post-graduate studies in the UK, and earned a Ph.D. in business and human rights. With admission to practice law in Malaysia, UK and State of Washington, she is currently an Adjunct Professor in several Universities across the region and has received an Honorary Doctorate for her outstanding leadership and contributions in Public Policy and Governance from UNITAR International University

Dr. Ermo Täks is a highly skilled IT professional, known for his pivotal role in shaping the success of Estonia's e-Government initiative as one of its founders. Throughout his career, Ermo has spearheaded numerous development initiatives within the government sector, including the creation of the world's first Estonian Government Cabinet Meeting System in 2001. Inspired by this project he became an academic researcher in the field of AI and law, teaching and developing projects in Estonian and European Union level. Today he is working in the domain of healthcare data, responsible for implementation of the new IT security standard in the domain of Ministry of Social Affairs. Beyond his technical expertise, Ermo boasts a wealth of experience as a business consultant, collaborating with a host of globally recognized companies and governmental institutions.

Dr. Non Arkara is an award-winning innovator, urban designer and thought leader recognized globally for his human-centered approach to smart city development. With a diverse background spanning architecture, urban planning, anthropology and public policy, Dr. Non brings multidisciplinary expertise to addressing complex urban challenges. He holds a PhD in Anthropology from Harvard University, a Master’s in Architecture Studies from MIT, and a Bachelor’s in Architecture.

As a Smart City Expert at Thailand's Digital Economy Promotion Agency, Dr. Non has spearheaded numerous digital transformation and smart city initiatives nationally. This includes launching Thailand's first smart city program, delivering training to 5000+ officials, and winning an award for an AI platform managing water infrastructure.

With over 15 years of experience spanning 6 countries, he is a frequent speaker at global conferences and events. Dr. Non also gives back through academic reviewing, educational mentoring and pro bono consulting. Driven by a passion to create equitable, resilient and people-centric cities, Dr. Non is a solutions-oriented visionary constantly pushing the boundaries of what’s possible. He thrives on leveraging technology responsibly to improve lives worldwide.

Mahadhir Aziz is a prominent veteran of visionary and strategic national initiatives. He is a strong advocate for digital transformation and social digital inclusion and often shares his insights and thoughts on digital economy at various speaking engagements and events including the Smart City Expo World Congress, UN Habitat World Urban Forum and Mobile World Congress.

He spent the past 20 years developing and leading strategies and initiatives such as the Cyberjaya Global Tech Hub, the National Regulatory Sandbox (which later gave birth to the NTIS of today), and the Malaysia Digital (MD)national initiative that succeeds the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC)Malaysia – giving it a refresh in many critical areas. Mahadhir also serves as a member of the board of Malaysia Board of Technologists (MBOT), Johor Land Group (JLG) including state digital economy councils.

Mahadhir is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), a keynote speaker, and someone who enjoys sports.

Encik Sudarnoto Osman earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Tohoku, Japan in Electronic Engineering. After graduating he started his career with Matsushita Air-Conditioning R&D Sdn. Bhd (Electrical and Electronics Development) in 1993

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His mobility career started in 1994 with Celcom Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. whereby he was instrumental in expanding Celcom network and initiated the 2G network rollout throughout Sarawak. He left Celcom Malaysia Sdn. Bhd in September 2000 to join Maxis Mobile Sdn. Bhd. and he embarked on Maxis network rollout in East Malaysia. He left as Regional Network Head at Maxis Broadband Sdn. Bhd. in March 2013.

He continued his career by venturing into telecommunication infrastructure business when he was appointed as Chief Executive Officer at SACOFA Sdn. Bhd. (“SACOFA”) in April 2013. During his tenure at SACOFA, he expanded SACOFA’s business and network beyond Malaysia. He was also appointed in various capacity in other organisations such as PT SACOFA Indonesia, PT BINA Indonesia, DSTA Sdn. Bhd., Malaysian Access Forum Bhd., Persatuan Infrastruktur Telekomunikasi Malaysia, and Konsortium Rangkaian Serantau

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He was later appointed by the Sarawak Government to spearhead Sarawak digitalisation initiatives as Chief Executive Officer of Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation Berhad on 15th May 2020.

Hong Eng started his career with the Singapore Police Force (SPF), and served the nation through

various roles in investigation, crime prevention, public affairs, operations, training and technologies.

He subsequently took an active role in the early years of the Singapore Government’s

computerisation initiatives, including the international award-winning Public Services Online, the first-

generation e-government project of Singapore. Thereafter, he spent 16 years in Sun Microsystems

and Oracle (which acquired Sun), on various regional and global leadership roles in the government,

education and healthcare segments.

In 2016, Huawei hired Hong Eng to setup the industry experts’ office for its fast-growing public sector

business globally. This team engages top public sector agencies globally to help with their digital

transformation efforts and strategic ICT design. Hong Eng is a well sought-after speaker and

workshop facilitator globally. He is also a member of the Singapore National Transplant Ethics Panel,

and a member of the National University Health System’s Bioethics Committee.

Hong Eng graduated from the National University of Singapore with an Honours Degree in

Mathematics. He obtained his MBA with Distinction from the University of Leeds (UK) and a

Specialist Diploma in eCommerce from the Nanyang Polytechnic (Singapore). He also completed an

executive program with the MIT on Artificial Intelligence.

Fabian Bigar assumed the role of CEO at MyDIGITAL Corporation 19 April 2021 overseeing the implementation of the Malaysia Digital Economy Blueprint (MDEB) and the National Fourth Industrial Revolution Policy. MyDIGITAL Corporation is the secretariat for the National Digital Economy and 4IR Council (MED4IRN), chaired by the Prime Minister. Concurrently Fabian is the Head of the Malaysia Centre for 4IR, a collaboration between the Malaysian government and the World Economic Forum. His previous roles include Undersecretary for Policy, Ministry of Health, Director Civil Service Delivery Unit in the Prime Minister's Department, Director Performance Management and Delivery Unit (PEMANDU) and a brief assignment with the Presidential Delivery Bureau in Tanzania. Fabian holds a BSc. from Case Western Reserve University and a Masters in Public Policy from the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies in Tokyo.

Zakaria Polit is the Head of Technology Services for Sarawak Digital Economy Corporation since 2021 and has been in the IT industry for almost 20 years.

Ruslan bin Abdul Ghani was appointed as the Group Chief Executive Officer Designate of Bintulu Port Holdings Berhad (BPHB), effective from 1 September 2022, and subsequently as the Group Chief Executive Officer of BPHB on a contract basis, effective from 1 March 2023, until 28 February 2026.