US-ASEAN Business Alliance for Competitive SMEs Events

The Business Alliance has held more than 40 events since its inception, reaching more than 6000 entrepreneurs in all 10 ASEAN countries. These events aim to assist ASEAN SMEs to be more competitive, more internationalized, and able to be part of the global and regional value chains.

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SME Workshop Singapore: Building SMEs’ Readiness to Enable Singapore as the Digital Tech Hub

Location: Singapore

Date: Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Participants: 36 (in person), 18 (virtual)

Partner Organizations: Enterprise Singapore, Singapore Business Federation, and SGTech

Overview:

The US-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC) SME Program in Singapore was held on Tuesday, March 7, 2023. This program has “Building SMEs’ Readiness to Enable Singapore as the Digital Tech Hub” as its theme and was held in Visa University, 71 Robinson Road, Singapore. The program partnered with the Enterprise Singapore, Singapore Business Federation, and SGTech. The workshop was part of the regular SME Workshop Series: Building Resiliency for ASEAN SMEs and the 4th workshop conducted in Singapore since 2014.  The program was supported by Visa and was also a commemoration of International Women’s Day.

The workshop was officially opened with remarks from Ambassador Michael W. Michalak, Senior Vice President and Regional Managing Director, US-ABC, and followed by Ms. Adeline Kim, Country Manager for Singapore and Brunei, Visa. The program consisted of 3 sessions: 1) Fireside Chat Session: Supporting Singapore SMEs Tapping the Right Market through Digitalization, 2) Private Sector Support to Build Supportive Digital Ecosystem for Singapore SMEs, and 3) Leveraging Women Leaders’ & Skills Growth For Readiness and Resilience in the Digital Economy. Ms. Soh Leng Wan, Assistant Chief Executive Officer for Manufacturing and Engineering, Enterprise Singapore and Mr. Albert Tsui. Executive Director for Policy and Advocacy, Singapore Business Federation were the panelist for the fireside chat session. For the second session, it was followed by a private sectors session featuring Ms. Patsian Low, Vice President for Inclusive Impact and Sustainability, Visa and Ms. Chairman Tan, Founder of Quickdesk. The third session featured Ms. Jen Nie Kwok, CEO of Xcellink and 2nd Vice Chair for Singapore Enterprise Chapter at SGTech and Ms. Nugraheni Utami, Manager for Indonesia and SME Initiatives, US-ABC. 

The workshop was concluded by remarks from Ms. Nugraheni Utami, Manager for Indonesia, SME Initiatives, US-ASEAN Business Council.

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SME Workshop in Vietnam: Accelerating Global Readiness for Vietnamese SMEs

Location: Pan Pacific Hotel, Hanoi, Vietnam

Date: December 2, 2022

Participants: 143 (in person), 47 (Virtual via Zoom)

Partner: Vietnam Ministry of Planning and Investment, Vietnam Ministry of Industry and Trade, and Vietnam Federation of Commerce and Industry

Overview:

The workshop was officially opened with remarks from Ambassador Michael W. Michalak, Senior Vice President and Regional Managing Director, US-ABC, and followed by Ms. Kim Vo, Economic Associate at the U. S. Embassy in Hanoi. The program consisted of 2 sessions: 1) Policy update with Vietnamese Government, and 2) SME Workshop from participating member companies. Ms. Bui Thu Thuy, Deputy Director-General of Enterprise Development Agency, Ministry of Planning and Investment of Vietnam, and Ms. Le Thi Ha, Head of Legal Division, E-Commerce and Digital Economy Agency, Ministry of Industry and Trade of Vietnam shared the updates around National Digital Transformation Program and Law on Support for SMEs during the policy update as the first session of the workshop. The session was moderated by Ms. Bui Kim Thuy, Senior Country Representative of Vietnam, US-ABC. For the second session, it was followed by a company showcase from Visa, Google, and UPS. During this session, each company shares necessary insights in preparing Vietnamese SMEs to be ready for the global market. The session was moderated by Mr. Nguyen Tuan Hai, Director General of the International Relations Department, Vietnam Federation of Commerce and Industry. The workshop was concluded by remarks from Ms. Nugraheni Utami, Manager for Indonesia, SME Initiatives, US-ASEAN Business Council. The workshop is supported by Visa, Google, AWS, Meta, and UPS.

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SME Workshop in Cambodia: Enhancing Digital Trade for Cambodian SMEs

Location: Siem Reap, Cambodia

Date: September 16, 2022

Participants: 70 (in person), 75 (Virtual via Zoom)

Partner: Cambodia Ministry of Commerce, Cambodia Ministry of Industry, Science, Technology, and Innovation, Cambodia Chamber of Commerce

Overview:

The workshop featured Mrs. Serei Borapich, Under Secretary of State of the Ministry of Commerce, Mr. Chhea Layhy, Director of Department of Small and Medium Enterprises from the General Department of Small, Medium Enterprises and Handicrafts, MISTI, Ms. Ivana Tranchini, Visa Country Manager for Cambodia, Mr. Kar Liang Ting, Digital Skills Enablement Program Manager, AWS, and Mr. Charly Gordon, Global Policy Lead, International Chamber of Commerce for the policy dialogue session. The session was moderated by Mr. Bun Sambath, Secretary General of Young Entrepreneurs Association Cambodia. This was followed by a showcase session from US-ABC member companies represented by Ms. Daline Ny, Head of Merchant, Sales, and Solutions of Visa Cambodia, Mr. Kar Liang Ting, Digital Skills Enablement Program Manager, AWS, Mr. Dennis Laurentius, International Growth Consultant – South East Asia (SEA) of Google. Their presentations focused heavily on digital skills training. The session also featured company insights on initiatives to support Cambodian SMEs to excel in digital trade. This Cambodia SME program was supported by Visa, AWS, and Google.

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ASEAN Tech Talk Breakfast Roundtable to Discuss ASEAN MSMEs and Digital Exports

Location: Siem Reap, Cambodia

Date: September 16, 2022

Participants: 90 (in person), 80 (Virtual via Zoom)

Partner: Cambodia Ministry of Commerce, the ASEAN Secretariat

The US-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC), working with Google and the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), held a breakfast roundtable on ASEAN Tech Talks prior to the launching of the joint report by Google and ICC on ASEAN micro, medium, and small enterprises (MSMEs) and Digital Exports on Friday, September 16, 2022. During the event, Google and ICC presented the initial results of their ongoing research regarding the challenges and opportunities of digital exports for ASEAN MSMEs. As a commitment to the ASEAN digital economy, Google and ICC also announced that they are  co-creating a curriculum to train 1000 ASEAN MSMEs in digital export-relevant skills. The training program will be implemented by the ICC Centres of Entrepreneurship, in collaboration with the ICC Academy, the International Trade Center (ITC), and the network of Chambers of Commerce and ICC National Committees in Southeast Asia.

H. E. Pan Sorasak, Minister of Commerce of the Kingdom of Cambodia, Ambassador W. Patrick Murphy, U. S. Ambassador to the Kingdom of Cambodia, and Mr. Le Quang Lan, Director for Market Integration Directorate of the ASEAN Economic Community Department, The ASEAN Secretariat all opened the session with remarks. The event was attended by prominent ASEAN high officials, the business community, and Cambodian MSMEs.

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"Addressing Digital Skill Gaps for Philippine SMEs"

Location: Philippines

Date: July 29, 2022

Participants: 750 (Zoom), 262 viewers (Facebook Livestream, as of July 31)

Partner: Philippine Department of Trade and Industry, Philippine Trade Training Center

Overview: More than 750 owners and executives of Philippines Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) participated in the workshop session titled, “Addressing Digital Skill Gaps for Philippines SMEs”. The event was part of the Council’s broader workshop series in Rebuilding the ASEAN Economy. Undersecretary Blesila A. Lantayona of Regional Operations Group (ROG), Philippines Department of Trade and Industry opened the webinar by giving her remarks. It was followed by Ambassador Michael Michalak, Senior Vice President and Regional Managing Director of the Council and Mr. Joey Concepcion, Chairman of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) Philippines. The webinar featured 3 sessions: 1) Panel discussion with Ms. Mary Jean T. Pacheco, Assistant Secretary of the Office of Secretary for Digital Philippines, Philippines Department of Trade and Industry, Ms. Maria Lourdes P. Aquilizan, Director of the ICT Literacy and Competency Development Bureau, Philippines Department of Information and Communications Technology, and Mr. Stephen Thomas Misa, Country Head, President, Chairman for the Philippines, Amazon Web Services (AWS), 2) Company showcase session with Mr. Paul Sears, Senior Solutions Architect of AWS, and 3) Breakout room sessions which facilitated by Mr. Edwin Moran from PCCI, Mr. Edwin Pasahol from DTI-BSMED, and Ms. Nugraheni Utami from US-ABC. The workshop also featured Executive Director Nelly Nita Dillera from Philippine Trade Training Center who invited Ms. Jhenna Cueto, a Philippine SME and ASEAN SME Academy user during ASEAN SME Academy session.

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"Advancing Digital Inclusion for Indonesian SMEs"

Location: Indonesia

Date: May 31, 2022

Participants: 880 (Zoom)

Partner: Ministry of Cooperatives and SME of the Republic of Indonesia

Overview: More than 800 owners and executives of Indonesian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) participated in the webinar session titled, “Advancing Digital Inclusion for Indonesian SMEs”. The webinar began with a keynote address from Mr. Dr. Ir. Mohammad Rudy Salahuddin, MEM, Deputy IV for Digital Economy, Manpower, and MSMEs from the Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs. The session was followed by a panel discussion between the Government and Private Sectors. The panelists are Dr. Dedy Permadi, Special Staff to the Minister of Communications and Informatics for Digital and Human Resources/Co-Chair G20 Digital Economy Working Group, Mrs. Elsya Chani, Director of MSME Development and Consumer Protection Department, Central Bank of Indonesia, Mrs. Shanti Shamdasani, Head of SME Committee, Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), Mrs. Rossa Novitasari, Head of SME Investment under the Deputy of Small and Medium Enterprises, Indonesian Ministry of Cooperatives and SMEs, Mrs. Dessy Masri, Head of Products and Solutions, Visa, and Mrs. Isya Hanum Kresnadi, Government Affairs and Public Policy Manager, Google. In the second session, US-ABC member companies, Google and Visa conducted a standalone showcase for the SMEs participants. Finally, Ms. Nugraheni Utami, Manager – Indonesia, SME Initiatives, the Council, presented about the ASEAN SME Academy, an online learning platform available for ASEAN SMEs.

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“Optimizing the Digital Creative Economy for SMEs: Strengthening Indonesian SMEs’ Performance with Digitalization”

Location: Indonesia

Date: December 9, 2021

Participants: 158 (Zoom)

Partner: Ministry of Cooperatives and SME of the Republic of Indonesia, Indonesia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), SheStarts.ID

Overview: Around 150 owners and executives of Indonesian Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) participated in the webinar session titled, “Optimizing the Digital Creative Economy for SMEs: Strengthening Indonesian SMEs’ Performance with Digitalization”. The webinar began with a panel discussion between Mrs. Fixy, S. E. Ak., M. Phil., Assistant Deputy for Partnership and Market Expansion from MoCSME, Mr. M. Azhar Iskandar Zainal, Associate Policy Analyst – Coordinator for Digital Economy Governance I from MoTCE, and Mr. Noudhy Valdryno, Public Policy Manager for Indonesia and Timor Leste from Meta. On the second session, US-ABC member companies, Meta and FedEx Express conducted a standalone showcase to the SMEs participants. Last, there were 2 breakout rooms session for each company have a 1-on-1 discussion and deeper engagement with the SMEs audience.

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“Optimizing the Digital Creative Economy for SMEs: Enhancing ASEAN SMEs Competitiveness Amid Digital Creative Economy Era”

Location: ASEAN

Date: November 22, 2021

Participants: 213 (Zoom)

Partner: Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia

Overview: More than 200 owners and executives of ASEAN Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) participated in the webinar session titled, “Optimizing the Digital Creative Economy for SMEs: Enhancing ASEAN SMEs Competitiveness amid Digital Creative Economy Era”. The event was part of the US-ASEAN Business Council (the Council)’s broader workshop series in response to the COVID-19 crisis and was hosted in conjunction with the 2021 ASEAN Creative Economy Business Forum held in 16-23 November 2021. The webinar began with its first session by having a keynote address from H. E. Sidharto R. Suryodipuro, Director-General of ASEAN, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia. The webinar then followed by its second session titled “U.S. Private Sector Support for SMEs for the Digital Creative Economy Agenda,” filled with 2 US companies showcase; Visa and Meta. Finally, Ms. Nugraheni Utami, Manager – SME Initiatives, the Council, presented the ASEAN SME Academy to promote the online learning platfrom to the audience. 

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“Advancing the Competitiveness of Philippines’ Start-ups”

Location: Philippines

Date: October 14, 2021

Participants: 250 – 300 (Zoom), 898 (Facebook Live views as of October 25)

Partner: Department of Trade and Industry of the Philippines, QBO

Overview: On October 14, 2021, there are around 250 – 300 owners and executives of the Philippines start-ups participated in the workshop titled, “Advancing the Competitiveness of Philippines’ Start-ups”. The workshop was a collaborative event between the US-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC), the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Philippines, and QBO which aimed to empower Filipino start-ups to be enhance their competitiveness in this digital age. The workshop was divided into two-panel sessions and one breakout room session. The first-panel session focused on discussion around policy update on Join Administrative Order – Innovative Startup Act. In the second panel session, the discussion focused at topic on building a strong and innovative start-ups community in the Philippines. Lastly, the workshop provided breakout sessions which divided into two topics: 1) Challenges and opportunities to strengthen the Philippines start-ups; 2) Identify start-ups’ needs and “wish list” to thrive during and after COVID19. 

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“Supporting Thailand SMEs’ Digitalization Amid COVID-19”

Location: Thailand

Date: August 31, 2021

Participants: 160 (Zoom), 221 (Facebook Live views as of September 6)

Partner: Office of SMEs Promotion (OSMEP) Thailand

Overview: More than 150 owners and executives of Thailand Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) participated in the webinar titled, “Supporting Thailand SMEs’ Digitalization Amid COVID-19” on August 31, 2021. The webinar was a collaborative event between the US-ASEAN Business Council (US-ABC) and the Office of Small and Medium Enterprise Promotion (OSMEP) Thailand which aimed to empower Thai SMEs to be more digitally competitive in the COVID-19 crisis. The first panel session focused on measures by the Thai government to support SMEs and promote several programs in ASEAN for Thai SMEs featuring Dr. Wimonkan Kosumas, Deputy Director-General of OSMEP, Mr. Wittawat Lamsam, Director of International Cooperation Department of OSMEP, and  Ms. Nugraheni Utami, Manager – SME Initiatives of US-ABC. In the second panel session, Facebook had a fireside chat between Ms. Sudaporn Woraporn, Director of Tourism Marketing Learning Division of TAT and Ms. Ing Sirikulbordee, Public Policy Manager, Facebook Thailand. It was followed by a training session from Ms. Amp Vajrabhaya, Client Partner, Facebook Thailand who presented how to maximize online business for SMEs and building a strong digital presence. Next, in the Visa session, Ms, Sirirat Thiengtham, Senior Director of Merchant, Sales and Acquiring, Visa Thailand, shared digital payments can be a solution and help SMEs to transform their business online. Finally, Dr. Suthikorn Kingkaew ended the webinar session by introducing the latest initiative called The Innovator Platform which supports small businesses to be more creative and competitive to build their business.

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