2019 Plenary Sessions
Plenary Sessions
Dhaka – The 33rd CACCI Conference in Dhaka included four Plenary Sessions that featured eminent speakers who shared their perspectives on the following timely and relevant issues. As follows, a brief description of each session:
Plenary session 1 “Asia Pacific in a Changing Global Order: The Next Decade”
The session addressed issues from a international and strategic perspective, including: What are some of the other global trends that will shape the global order? How will the Asia Pacific respond towards these trends? What are some of the trade policies and alliances the region should pursue?
The invited speakers were Dr. A. K. Abdul Momen, M.P. Honorable Foreign Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Bangladesh, Mr. Muhammed Aziz Khan, Chairman of the Summit Group, Mr. Dilip Chenoy, Secretary General of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), and Mr. Max, Lobachev, General Manager of Japan Tobacco Bangladesh. The moderator was Dr. Pedram Soltani, First Vice-President of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) and CACCI Vice-President.
Plenary Session 2 “Technologies Transforming Economies”
With the technology trends for 2019 dominated by areas such as AI, Industry 4.0, and the role of 5G, amongst others, this session featured invited speakers who explored and identified emerging technologies that could have an impact on industries in the region.
The invited speakers were Mr. Mustafa Jabbar, Honrable Minister of the Ministry of Posts. Telecommunications and Information Technology, Government of Bangladesh, Dr. Lin Chun-Hsu, Research Fellow and Deputy Director of the Center for Green Economy, Chung-Hwa Institute for Economic Research, Mr. Hiroshi Matsumara, Vice-President and Managing Director of the Center for International Economic Collaboration (CIEC), related to Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, Mir Nasir Hossain, Former President of FBCCI, Managing Director of Mir Telecom Ltd., and Mic Ceramic Ltd., and Mr. Ahmad Ad, CEO of Hungrynaki.com.
The moderator was Mr. Bryan Clark, Director at the International Chamber of Commerce Australia, Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Plenary Session 3 “In Pursuit of Equitable and Sustainable Growth”
Invited experts were requested to share their insights and recommendations on measures to be undertaken by Asian countries to meet the SDGs by 2030, including reducing powerty, increasing renewable energy growth, addressing ageing population, and improving regional migration in a bid for increased development.
The speakers were Mr. Abul Kalam Azad, Principal Coordinator for SGD Affairs to the Honorable Prime Minister, Prime Minister’s Office, Government of Banglades, Dr. Pai-Po Lee, Deputy Secretary-General, International Cooperation Development Fund of Taiwan (TaiwanICDF), Mr. Ragnar Gudmundsson, Resident Representative in Bnagladesh, International Monetary Fud, Dr. Pedram Soltani, First Vice-President of Iran Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture (ICCIMA) and CACCI Vice-President, and Mr. Ashish Goupal, Managing Director fo Marico Bangladesh, Ltd.
The moderator was Mr. Pradeep Kumar Shrestha, CACCI Vice-President and Former President FNCCI.
Plenary Session 4 “Building and Enabling Environment for Inclusive Digital Transformation in the Asia Pacific”
Speakers invited by the Washington-based Center for International Private Enterprise (CIPE) shared their perspectives on how to engage entrepreneurs and businesses and other stakeholders regarding digital empowerment and how to encourage chambers/associations to play an active role in achieving this objective.
The speakers were Mr. Syed Mohammad Kammal, Country Manager of Mastercard, Bngladesh, Mr. Aref R. Bashir, Managing Director of DMoney, Mr. Sujit Baksi, President – Corporate Affairs and Business Head APAC, Tech Mahindra, and Ms. Frei Snagil, CEO of Layertech.
The moderator was Ms. Subhashini Abeysinghe, Director of Research, Trade Facilitation and Trade Policy, Verite Research, Sri Lanka.