Day 1 Key Takeaways from the 39th edition of ASEAN Innovation Business Platform (AIBP) Conference & Exhibition Bangkok, Thailand

Crafting The Story Of Effective Digital Innovation In Thailand?

The conference started with the government keynote address from Dr. Nattapon Nattasomboon, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Digital Economy & Society of Thailand. Dr. Nattapon focused on the importance of creating an inclusive digital society and economy. To achieve this goal, government agencies like Ministry of Digital Economy & Society of Thailand will need to provide a support system to Thai enterprises, such that funding and knowledge, to create a robust collaboration between the public and private sectors in Thailand.?

The keynote discussion connected leaders from government agencies and enterprises from Thailand who shared their views on the importance of effective digital innovation.?

Uday Gill , Group Chief Strategy Officer, Indorama Ventures talked about how innovation should be measured by the potential to develop the initiatives in the long-run future, and not simply just by the successes achieved in the short run. In addition, he also argued that the digital infrastructure of Thailand should be built and improved so that it will be able to support new ideas and digital innovation. Echoing this sentiment, Dr. Supakorn Siddhichai , Senior Vice President, Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa) of Thailand shared that improving current digital infrastructure system in Thailand, such as 5G and digital payment infrastructure, will help to further promote productivity and innovation. Dr. Siwate Rojanasoonthon , Chief Corporate Officer, Asset World Corporation also concurred that investing on human capital will prove to be essential to the long-term growth of digital innovation. In addition, all panelists also agreed on how?innovation is a human process; it should be led by humans, and technology is simply a tool to help humans execute their vision.

Promoting A Digitally-Inclusive Mindset Among Thai Enterprises

The day continued with a panel discussion on the topic of Maximizing the Value of Technology in the Age of Digital Transformation. The panelists agreed that the presence of the COVID-19 pandemic has helped to promote the digitalization process within their organizations: Natthawan Apiratanapimolchai , Executive Vice President, Head of Retail Strategy and Omni Channel Experience, TMBThanachart Bank ( ttb bank ) shared on how the pandemic has further promoted the transition from physical to mobile banking, while Natasak Rodjanapiches , Vice Chairman, Creative Digital Economy Committee, Board of Trade Thailand agreed that the pandemic has created opportunities for Thai enterprises to be more resilient. In addition, the panelists also agreed on the importance of human capital and mindset shaping in transforming the digital journey in their respective organizations: Suthipa Panyamahasup , Chief PC & HCC Business Officer, Osotspa Public Company Limited shared that process and people are two fundamental bases for digital transformation, while Natasak Rodjanapiches , Vice Chairman, Creative Digital Economy Committee, Board of Trade Thailand highlighted the importance of education in inculcating a digitally-inclusive mindset among Thai enterprises, via means of micro-learning strategy and workshops on cybersecurity, just to name a few.

“3Ps” In Digital Innovation – Bolstering The Banking And Retail Sectors

The conference continued with conversations on digital innovation in the Banking sector. The session kicked off with a presentation from Budsakorn Teerapunyachai, Senior Director, Payment Systems Policy Department, Bank of Thailand , on the topic of financial inclusivity in Thailand. The presentation highlighted the importance of?collaborations between banking corporations, government agencies, and citizens, to promote a more inclusive banking environment.

Next up was a robust panel discussion from our panelists from the Banking Sector. The panelists concurred on the importance of making data-driven decisions in their respective enterprises: Dr. Monchai Lertsutthiwong , Principal Research Engineer, Head of Deep AI Technologies, KASIKORN Business-Technology Group [KBTG] shared how they have leveraged the power of data to develop their cognitive banking system, while Anshera Chumchaivate , Senior Vice President, Head of Data Intelligence & Customer Insights, Krungsri Consumer, Bank of Ayudhya spoke on the importance of real-time data in creating up-to-date and informative decisions. The panelists also found themselves agreeing on the importance of human capital in improving and upscaling the digital infrastructure in banking. Dr. Anyarat Boonnithivorakul , Chief Commercial Officer, ABACUS digital emphasized on the importance of investing in upskilling the current human capital. More specifically, Dr. Lisa Patvivatsiri , Chief Operating Officer & Business Transformation, Thai Group Holdings shared her ‘3Ps’ in digital innovation – Process, Platform, and People, highlighting the importance of these factors in contributing to a successful digital innovation roadmap.

The final panel discussion on the Retail sector focused on the central theme of using data sights to improve the understanding of customer experience. Hansa Wongsiripitack , Head of Marketing, The 1 Central shared the importance of collecting real-time data to analyze and understand consumer spending behaviour. In agreement, Dr. Chatchai Unahabhokha, Head of Strategy, JV and Channel Management, Central Restaurants Group also agreed that a data-driven decision-making process will prove to be essential in tailoring their platforms to better suit consumer’s needs, especially as consumer’s tastes and preferences changed due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Similarly, Axel Winter , Chief Digital Officer, Siam Piwat Group and Jirayoot Karnjanamayoon , Chief Information Officer, The Mall Group both stressed on the importance of aligning?front-end and back-end processes as part of creating a seamless?consumer journey.?

Celebrating Innovation Success Stories In ASEAN: Krungthai Bank & SCGC Chemicals – 2022 AIBP Enterprise Innovation Awards Winners?

Day 1 of the conference also saw us celebrating and handing the awards to the winners of the 2022 AIBP Enterprise Innovation Awards – Krungthai Bank & SCGC - SCG Chemicals .

The annual ASEAN Enterprise Innovation Awards was established in 2017 by AIBP , with the key objective of giving recognition to organizations that have embarked on projects to digitally transform their business through the adoption of innovative technology. The awards are held annually in the following ASEAN countries: Indonesia, Malaysia, Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Out of more than 180 nominations across ASEAN this year, Krungthai Bank & SCGC Chemicals have been selected as winners for Thailand.

Krungthai Bank won the judges over with their project on their Paotang mobile application to allow customers to have equitable access to financial products; while SCG Chemicals’ project of crafting a unified solution for asset operation and optimization was highlighted to be an innovative project this year.

Presenting the enterprises with their plaques and winner’s certificates was?Dr. Nattapon Nattasomboon, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Digital Economy & Society of Thailand.

Stay tuned as we continue the discussions on transformation in the electric vehicles (EVs), manufacturing and smart cities in Thailand!