SMU partnered with Indonesia International Institute for Life Sciences (i3L), a premium research and educational institute dedicated to innovation, and Bank Central Asia to organise an Industry Leaders Dialogue in Jakarta on 5 August 2015.

Themed ‘Demystifying Innovation and Entrepreneurship’, the event attracted more than 300 people from Indonesian business families, family business advisory firms, academic institutions, Singapore Chamber of Commerce Indonesia, and the Indonesia Chapter of SMU Alumni Association.

The event was organised to deepen SMU’s engagement with the business community in Indonesia and our alumni who are living and working there.

SMU President Professor Arnoud De Meyer delivered the Welcome and Keynote Address. He spoke about innovation and consumption in Asian countries and what it would take to kick-start R&D in Asian organisations.

This was followed by a panel discussion by current and future business leaders in Indonesia, moderated by Professor Annie Koh, SMU’s Vice President for Business Development. The panel members were Dr. Boenjamin Setiawan (Co-Founder, Kalbe Farma), Mr. Armand Wahyudi Hartono (Director, Bank Central Asia), Mr. Sugianto Tandio (President, PT. Tirta Marta), Kristanto Santosa (Founder & Executive Director, Business Innovation Centre in Southeast Asia and ASEAN), and Shinta Kamdani (CEO, Sintesa Group).

The panellists shared their insights on their entrepreneurship journey and how they overcame various challenges. They spoke about an innovation in their company and how it was implemented. The discussion also sparked a thought-provoking discussion about balancing passion and responsibility, developing the entrepreneurial spirit, as well as training and development of the next generation to ensure successful succession.  

Professor Arnoud De Meyer, said "We are proud to partner with i3L and  BCA in organizing the Industry Leaders Dialogue. We are very pleased to have a distinguished panel of entrepreneurs and business leaders share with us their insights and experiences on innovation and entrepreneurship. We hope that this event will facilitate the sharing of experiences and lessons learned by both countries in the areas of innovation and entrepreneurship, and serve to encourage more people to embark on their entrepreneurship journey.

“As the largest economy and most populous nation in Southeast Asia, Indonesia is an important partner to Singapore. SMU wants to contribute to the close collaboration in business, government and civic society between both countries by providing more opportunities for exchange and internships, strengthen our collaboration with partner Indonesian universities in research and postgraduate education, and foster more industry tie-ups with the private sector. We believe these will help contribute to knowledge creation and talent development for both Singapore and Indonesia.”

Mr Gulshan Harjani (BBM, 2004), President of SMU Alumni Chapter in Jakarta, and CEO of Success Workz, said “As a business-owner, the stories from the panelist inspired me to focus more on innovation in order to stay ahead in the industry.”

Lim Kexin (BAcc, 2005), Technical Advisor at PricewaterhouseCoopers based in Jakarta, added, “With over 300 participants attending, the inaugural Industry Leaders Dialogue in Jakarta was an incredible opportunity for SMU and SMU alumni like me to meet business luminaries in one of ASEAN's most exciting markets. It is events like this that offer us valuable insights into the personal journeys on innovation and entrepreneurship, as well as network while we exchange take-aways with the many guests.”

[Featured photo: SMU President Prof Arnoud De Meyer (extreme left) and fellow panellists shared their insights and experiences on innovation and entrepreneurship in a discussion moderated by SMU Professor Annie Koh (extreme right).]