Digital Leadership Forum kicks off research and education relationship between Sarawak govt and Asia School of Business

• Post-Covid Development Strategy 2030, continuation of digital economy strategy
• Deputy Premier of Sarawak urges state leaders to keep driving digital agenda

The hybrid Digital Leadership Forum, organized last week by Sarawak Centre of Performance Excellence (SCOPE) in collaboration with Sarawak State Financial Secretary’s Office, and co-hosted by Asia School of Business (established by Bank Negara Malaysia in collaboration with MIT Sloan), served as a platform for knowledge exchange and ideation between the public and private sector, to drive greater economic progress for the state of Sarawak.

Hosted at the newly opened campus of Asia School of Business (ASB), the forum was held at a pivotal moment as the state approaches the tail end of its five-year Sarawak Digital Economy Strategy 2018-2022. This year marks the start of the state embarking on its eight-year Post-Covid-19 Development Strategy 2030 as a continuation of its digital economy strategy.

Addressing attendees which included board members, C-suite officers, general managers, and senior to middle managers, the Deputy Premier of Sarawak Amar Douglas Uggah Embas (pic), emphasised the importance for state leaders to continue to drive the digital agenda forward.

“We are delighted to work with Asia School of Business especially because of their strong ties with industry and the MIT connection which strongly emphasises a practical, action-based approach to development and transformation. Additionally, corporate leaders and management teams are to adopt innovative business process reengineering via the adoption of digital tools and technologies in order to be competitive and achieve sustainable growth,” he said.

Amar urged for the State Financial Secretary Office to spearhead the digital transformation initiatives for the GLCs and Statutory Bodies in collaboration with Scope as the secretariat to facilitate, collaborate and conduct more capacity building programs. “These forums and programs not only provide an excellent opportunity to identify best practices, create leads but – most importantly – create space for direct networking, knowledge transfer and matchmaking discussions,” he said.

The forum speakers, who touched on current and emerging market trends and issues from the context of a gig and digital economy, included: Azran Osman Rani, Founder of Naluri, Dzuleira Abu Bakar, Chief Executive Officer of Malaysian Research Accelerator for Technology and Innovation (MRANTI), Dr Inma Martinez, Expert Member of the Global Partnership on AI, a G7 / OECD Initiative, and Prof Charles Fine, President and Dean at Asia School of Business.

The Digital Leadership Forum marks the start of a longer-term research and education relationship between the State of Sarawak and ASB as its knowledge partner in supporting a strategy for transformation and human capital development for the State, working closely with Scope as a collaborative partnership, said Dr Asleena Dato Helmi, CEO of Scope.

"Especially during these volatile pandemic times and global instability, digital readiness and building resilience is more crucial than ever, not only to shield citizens from drastic shocks but also to build towards a better, more sustainable way forward. At Asia School of Business, equipping leaders to drive positive, transformative impact is a key part of our mission and ethos, and we are extremely honoured to be able to host the Deputy Premier of Sarawak and delegates to the Digital Leadership Forum at our campus," said Prof Fine.

Post the forum ASB hosted the Sarawak state delegates for a series of talks and discussions with ASB’s international resident faculty to learn about trends and new innovations in several key streams, and how these can be leveraged for the state’s sustainable economic development. The streams include Digital Transformation, Oil & Gas & Resources, Forestry, Agriculture (including Oil Palm), Transportation, Logistics, Shipping, Financial Sector, Governance, Education and Human Capital, Industry and Manufacturing, Informal Sectors, and Services Sector.