RISE’s flagship event offered a lineup of powerful C-suite executives, global thought leaders, and insights on the tech world today and post-COVID-19.
The Corporate Innovation Summit (CIS) 2020 LIVE was held on September 15-17, 2020. The event welcomed over 200 speakers and 4000 attendees covering corporate, creative and social innovation, deep tech, sustainability, and the post-COVID-19 future of work.
The three-day ‘hybrid experiential conference’ was hosted by RISE Corporate Innovation Powerhouse, a Southeast Asia-based platform that facilitates innovation growth in corporate and governmental organizations, with workshops, keynote speeches, discussions, startup showcases, an innovation exhibition, live networking opportunities and a booth chat for virtual attendees to interact with each other and inquire about event proceedings.
“We want you to get out there and make things happen,” said CEO and Co-founder of RISE Dr. Kid Parchariyanon in his opening speech.
Eric Ries, a keynote speaker at the conference and famed author of The Lean Startup and The Startup Way, spoke about how to create a ‘lean organization’. Contrary to making multi-year business plans, Ries argued that short-term plans represent necessary miniature pivots for companies seeking to ensure continuous innovation.
Another talk featuring William Bao Bean–General Partner at venture capital firm SOSV, which invests in and supports early stage startups–predicted a bright outlook for the Chinese tech industry, and described AI as the “single most important driver” for technological advancement in China.
The development of Southeast Asian startup ecosystems following the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic dominated multiple talks. Digital Economy Promotion Agency Director and CEO Dr. Nuttapon Nimmanphatcharin described COVID-19 as a driving force for Thailand’s digital economy. He also stressed the necessity of big data as a means of accelerating future economic growth.
Eric Chan, Chief Public Mission Officer at Hong Kong-based digital community Cyberport, said that in mitigating the effects of the pandemic, Cyberport brought together member companies like logistics company GOGOX to collect saliva specimens for Department of Health (DoH) centers in Hong Kong, claiming that the project has already gained 20,000-30,000 users.
Similarly, Surina Shukri, the CEO of Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) – a government agency leading Malaysia’s digital revolution – observed a high demand for digitized solutions after the novel coronavirus outbreak. Shukri noted that Malaysia is witnessing exciting changes like “greater dialogue and consultation” between public and private sectors to harness innovation.
The speakers agreed that collaboration played a vital role in improving the management of the COVID-19 crisis, and highlighted its key role in building the Asian economy.
Good Talk: How to Design Conversations that Matter author and self-styled conversation designer Daniel Stillman highlighted the value of conversational leadership within the self, team, product, community and culture, to cultivate an innovative, dynamic company culture. Additionally, he emphasised the need for organizations to level the “power playing field” and design transformative conversations.
“Our lives are defined by the conversations that we can or can’t have,” Stillman iterated.
With lively activity in the virtual booth chat throughout the event, CIS came to a close on Day 3, September 17. The conference has been confirmed to return in 2021.
