Innovation takes centre stage at ‘THiNK BIG’ forum

BRUNEI DARUSSALAM, Nov 14: The ‘THiNK BIG Innovate Forum’ was in full swing with its sixth edition at The Empire Hotel & Country Club yesterday as the topic on innovation took centre stage.

The forum focussed on how innovation, creativity and multimedia played a role in driving the Brunei economy forward. The event began with welcome remarks by Dr Lily Chan, CEO of NUS Enterprise, from the National University of Singapore.

“This forum is a unique chance for us to gather, participate and learn from focussed dialogues and discussions on current issues in innovation and entrepreneurship. We have always been blessed in past years and 2013 is no exception. With international speakers from renowned organisations such as Google, Newton Circus, Makible, Channel News Asia and San Francisco State University, we hope to present the varied and interesting perspectives throughout this one-day event,” she said.

The first session, which focussed on innovation and culture insights, began with an address by Google Southeast Asia Senior Product Manager Andrew McGlinchey.

He spoke on how Google created a culture of innovation and ways others could follow.

McGlinchey urged companies not to be complacent and instead focus on being innovative to be on par with the competition.

At Google, he shared that a key phrase used is “The Moon Shot” – a reference to former US President John F Kennedy’s desire to have a man on the moon.

“Everyone (at Google) is looking for a Moon Shot project, which is a big and bold vision.” Responding to a question as to whether innovation was either natural or nurtured, he said, “Both. Innovation is natural and nurtured. Natural innovation exists, but if you do not nurture it, it cannot grow.”

Jonathan Buford, Founder of Makible 3D Printing, spoke on his company’s journey of innovation, before joining McGlinchey on a panel.

Buford stressed on the importance of a peer support group; a community where start-ups can work together and help one another.

This, he highlighted, would greatly benefit budding entrepreneurs.

Dato Paduka Timothy Ong, Chairman of Asia Inc Forum, shared his views on innovation in Brunei.

“There are businesses that are innovative and there are those which are not. There are people who are innovative and there are people who are not.”

An innovative business or organisation, he added, is one that empowers people to pursue ideas and provides the resources to do so.

The second session dealt with emerging trends in social and broadcast media. It began with a presentation by Dr Dina Ibrahim, Associate Professor at San Francisco University and the Founder of Mahtob.

She spoke on how media could be leveraged to connect new and old audiences, how emerging trends were making an impact and ways the media could build bridges between cultures and businesses.

She then joined an open forum discussion with Brunei’s very own Steve Lai, Presenter and Senior Producer of Channel News Asia.

They discussed the role played by media in influencing innovation.

The third session saw Daryl Arnold, Founder and CEO of Newton Circus, touching on social entrepreneurship and giving lessons on building start-up communities.

Referring to his company’s experiences, Arnold spoke on “Doing good is good business”.

The fourth and final session featured two concurrent masterclasses on creativity and innovation.

Masterclass one, featuring Steve Lai, Bruneian filmmaker Siti Kamaluddin, Dr Dina Ibrahim and Makible founder Jonathan Buford, was on the topic “Thinking Without a Box”. The other masterclass focussed on strategic shifts, and how innovation can be harnessed in business.

McGlinchey, Arnold, Reeda Malik, General Manager of Business Development of TelBru, and Ti Eng Hui, Deputy General Manager of Baiduri Bank’s Retail Banking, discussed how to unlock and apply innovation at the workplace.

Aside from the sessions, local start-ups and entrepreneurs were invited to showcase their products and services at an exhibition during the forum.

Companies such as Social Deal, Media Hik- mah, Hoco Creative, Origin films and PHMD Publishing Company were among those involved.

The organisers set up the showcase to create opportunities for start-ups, industry stakeholders and the public to network, exchange experiences, ideas and knowledge in the context of innovation.

Over 200 delegates came together during the forum, hailing from the ICT industry, government, business community, educational institutions and aspiring entrepreneurs.

The forum was supported by the Brunei Economic Development Board and was co- organised by the iCentre and Asia Inc Forum in collaboration with major partners Baiduri Bank, Alcoa and Total, along with associate partner Indramas as well as media partners Borneo Bulletin and Media Permata.

 

 

source: Borneo Bulletin