Our networksKuala Lumpur’s leading professional networkCorporate Network operates the leading professional network in Kuala Lumpur where members can access critical insights while engaging in high-level networking with senior business leaders from some of the most important MNCs operating in South-east Asia. Bring the collective expertise of The Economist Group and other business leaders into your organisation to allow you to explore new ideas and create space for understanding how external factors will impact your business. Request to join this network
April 25 — Hot Spots: Indonesia Indonesia is the sixth-biggest emerging market by GDP, and in the past decade has grown faster than any other $1trn-plus economy bar China and India. A source of dynamism is digital services, which are helping to create a more integrated consumer market, with over 100m people collectively spending $80bn a year on everything from e-payments to apps for on-demand trucking. Its location, size and resources make it a key theatre in the superpower contest. In this event, we will discuss the economic and political outlook for the country. What will a new administration look like for Indonesia?
May 14 — In search of forever: implications of living to 120 Living to 100 today is not unheard of, but is still rare. Life expectancies in developed and developing countries are increasing, with the UN stating that the number of centenarians will hit 573,000 in 2021. Japan has the highest rate of centenarians, with 0.06% of the population 100 or older. Should the latest efforts to prolong life reach their potential, living to see your 100th birthday could become the norm; making it to 120 could become a perfectly reasonable aspiration. What are the other implications of this potential demographic shift?
June 27 — Regional development in Malaysia: The Eastern Economic Corridor Malaysia is home to five investment corridors, which offer different investment options, and whose development is overseen by individual governing bodies. The East Coast Economic Region, which covers half of Peninsular Malaysia, aims to leverage its strategic location as a gateway to ASEAN and the Asia-Pacific. What are the key projects and initiatives in the region? What types of cross-border investments are there? How are urban areas being transformed in the region? What industries are positioned to take advantage of the plans for the region?
EICN KL: Regional Strategic Forecast As governments of leading economies expand the use of trade defence instruments and other protectionist measures, other countries are following suit—ultimately at the expense of the efficiency of global trade. South-east Asia | Kuala Lumpur | Business, Industry
Insights from the Corporate Network Kuala Lumpur: Regional Strategic Forecast Economy | South-east Asia | Malaysia | Corporate Network | Business, Industry
Insights from the Corporate Network Asia's Regional Strategic Forecast Economy | South-east Asia | Singapore | South-east Asia | Corporate Network | Business, Industry
In conversation with Anwar IbrahimIn this exclusive event, EICN members in KL heard from Mr Anwar Ibrahim as he shared his perspective on Malaysia’s political developments, the possible challenges posed by disunity by the then ruling coalition government and the leadership transition in 2020. Members were able to engage directly with the then PM in waiting.
Malaysia’s State of Recovery: A Mid-Year ReviewIn this discussion, our panellists from SERC Malaysia and UOB discussed how Malaysia’s economic recovery is panning out. The discussion touched on thematic issues such as investments, technology adoption and government policy, which are instrumental in driving the longer-term growth trajectory.
C-Suite Congress: Developing the “Singapore Core”The cost of bringing in foreign employees, and the obstacles highlighted by the pandemic, have led companies to reconsider their workforce strategy. In this CxO brainstorming session, EICN members explored ways they could reduce their reliance on expatriate employees and leaders in favour of a strong locally-based talent pool.
US-China Relations and South-east AsiaIn this session our panellists from Tencent Cloud, Nanyang Technological University and Straumann Group examined how the US-China relations have changed under the Biden administration and the potential implications for governments and businesses in the region.
Meet our South-east Asia directorSumana Rajarethnam is the South-east Asia director of the Economist Intelligence Corporate Network based in Singapore. Responsible for both the Singapore and Kuala Lumpur networks, Sumana works closely with network members to help inform their business strategies through political, economic and operational insight and to connect them with their senior leadership peers .Sumana is a senior policy professional with 17 years of business advisory experience, nine of those as an analyst, principal and director with the EIU from 2011-2020. He has most recently been working in the Chinese technology sector, including stints at Kuaishou Technology and ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok. Learn more
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