Institute on Asian Consumer Insight and Financial Times Present the 2015 Smarter World Summit

HONG KONG, Oct. 1, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- International business leaders will gather on 8 October 2015 in Singapore at the 2015 FT-ACI Smarter World Summit, for a forward-looking assessment of the impact of emerging technologies on Asian markets in the next 15 years, and the business opportunities presented by hi-tech breakthroughs of the 21^st century.

Organised by the Financial Times in partnership with the Institute on Asian Consumer Insight (ACI), the landmark one-day Summit subtitled 'Showing businesses how to engage with emerging technologies' will explore what it takes to become a smarter business, cultivate a smarter workforce, and execute smarter practices.

The event will be held at the InterContinental Singapore and will feature panel discussions, case studies and keynote presentations on the following topics:

• Robots in a commercial environment - How are robotics optimising practices and processes in healthcare, education and the services sector? What will these industries look like in 15 years' time? As robots' capabilities grow, what sorts of job roles will humans assume, and what new skills will be required?
• Drawing on big data and connecting with consumers - How are firms looking to leverage big data for product design and refinement, marketing and product launches? For consumer-focused corporates, how is the Internet of Things transforming the customer experience?
• Tackling emerging cyber-security threats - What new cyber-security threats might we expect to encounter over the next 15 years? How can governments work with the private sector to combat cyber-terrorism and develop effective cyber-security solutions? 
• The evolving role of the marketing manager - How should marketers think about their role? How can they work with the IT team to integrate strategies and maximise productivity? And how can those without a tech background be better educated to fill the demands of the role?
• Transforming industries with disruptive innovation

Disruptive technologies and transformative businesses are always going to face resistance from their traditional counterparts. So where are the biggest opportunities for transforming businesses with disruptive technologies and what does the commercial pathway look like?

The Summit will be co-chaired by David Pilling, Asia editor of the Financial Times, and Bernd Schmitt, Special Advisor, ACI.

The keynote speaker is Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for Foreign Affairs and Minister-in-charge of the Smart Nation Initiative, Singapore

Confirmed Speakers include:

• Vidit Agrawal, Strategic Finance Manager APAC, Uber
• Eddy Chan, Marketing Technology Leader, Asia-Pacific, Kimberly-Clark
• Chng Tien Wei, Director, Risk Management, Visa
• Joanna Flint, Country Director, Singapore, Google
• Nitin Mathur, Senior Director Marketing, APAC, Yahoo!
• Amy Shi-Nash, Chief Data Science Officer, DataSpark, Singtel
• Claus Nehmzow, Digital Innovation Organisation, BP
• Candice Ong, Managing Director, Zalora
• David Ong, Executive Director, Head of Business Insights, UBS
• Nilesh Shah, Chief Marketing Officer, Asia-Pacific, GE Healthcare
• Junyang Woon, Chief Executive Officer, Infinium Robotics

Bernd Schmitt, Special Advisor of ACI, and co-chair of the 2015 Smarter World Summit, said, "Technology is driving business now and going forward. This event will debate the key technology and business issues of our time.  It will equip managers in any industry with the tools to lead their organisation and make key decisions for the future of their business."

David Pilling, Asia editor of the Financial Times, and co-chair of the 2015 Smarter World Summit, said, "Digitisation is all around us, especially in business. Data analytics, social media and mobile have all become crucial tools for driving growth, fundamentally changing the way businesses operate. This Summit will investigate the various ways in which companies across the board are adapting to the new digital landscape."

For more details and the conference agenda, please visit live.ft.com/smarterworld

For further information, please contact:

Financial Times
Rhonda Taylor
Communications Manager, Asia Pacific
T: +852 2905 5519
E: rhonda.taylor@ft.com

Institute on Asian Consumer Insight
Samantha Wan
Senior Executive, Marketing & Events
T: (65) 6592-7910
E: s.wan@ntu.edu.sg

About the Financial Times:

The Financial Times, one of the world's leading business news organisations, is recognised internationally for its authority, integrity and accuracy. Providing essential news, comment, data and analysis for the global business community, the FT has a combined paid print and digital circulation of 737,000. Mobile is an increasingly important channel for the FT, driving almost half of total traffic.

About the Institute on Asian Consumer Insight (ACI)

The Institute on Asian Consumer Insight (ACI) is a world-class, one-of-its-kind, national-level research institute focused on Asian consumers.  Started as an initiative of the Singapore Economic Development Board in 2011, ACI serves as a bridge between academia and industry, and its mission is to help companies grow their business in Asia based on profound market and consumer insights gathered through state-of-the-art research methodologies.

ACI conducts extensive research and help companies to develop customer-focused strategies based on insights about Asian consumers.  Catered to each company's needs, ACI recognizes the importance of understanding Asian consumers and the Asian market, and strives to provide relevant and impactful information to aid businesses understand Asian consumers and to create value in the areas of innovation, branding, new-markets development and new media initiatives that will impact your business results.  ACI partners with significant industry players from the business community to conduct joint projects and forms academic partnerships for combined research.

For more information about ACI, and upcoming seminars and events, please visit: www.aci-institute.com.