Inaugural Corporate Innovation Summit Sparks Collaboration and Idea Exchange to Foster Innovation and Technology Adoption among Hong Kong Corporations

(Hong Kong, 7June2021) – Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) hosted its first-ever Corporate Innovation Summit (the Summit) on May 26, bringing over 200 corporate business and technology leaders to spark innovation and collaboration that will ensure Hong Kong businesses stay ahead of the curve and help them lead in the new era of digital business.

The highly-exclusive summit featured industry experts and senior leaders from eight industry verticals including Consumer & Services, Education, Manufacturing & Logistics, Travel & Hospitality, Banking, Financial Services & Insurance, Healthcare, Construction & Real Estate, and Government & Smart City. Renowned speakers and senior corporate executives exchanged provoking views on a range of hot topics around the innovation landscape during the Summit panels and round tables.

Mr Eugene Hsia, Chief Corporate Development Officer, HKSTP said: “More than ever, businesses must change and adapt to stay relevant and to thrive in the new normal. We need to challenge our imagination and creativity to shape a better future and to impact customers’ lives in an efficient and effective manner. The Corporate Innovation Summit is the ideal platform for corporate business and technology leaders to convene, connect, collaborate, and to grow and change the future of business and society.”

“HKSTP is bringing together the brightest visionaries to keep businesses on the cutting-edge of technology by collectively addressing critical challenges and finding opportunities to take corporate innovation to the next level.” added Hsia.

Industry visionaries point way forward

 Some of Hong Kong’s premier thought leaders including: Mr Sebastian Paredes, CEO, DBS Bank (Hong Kong) Limited, Dr Duncan Wong, Founder & CEO, CryptoBLK Limited, and Mr Chandran Nair, Founder & CEO, Global Institute for Tomorrow, delivered insightful keynotes at the Summit, highlighting global trends and issues in macroeconomics, technology, and sustainability.

In the first panel discussion, speakers shared insights on how major organisations positioned themselves to survive the economic repercussions of the pandemic. Panellists from DBS Bank (Hong Kong) Limited, The Hong Kong Jockey Club, UBS and BASF Asia Pacific envisioned a challenging business landscape during the economic and geo-political uncertainty, yet also full of opportunities. They discussed changing investment strategies, the importance of agility, sustainable investments, the need to anticipate and prepare for post-crisis events, and above all, the need to be innovative.

Another panel on the theme of“Profitability versus Sustainability”featuring speakers from Standard Chartered Bank, CryptoBLK Limited, Global Institute for Tomorrow, Silk Road Associates shared opinions which led the audience to rethink how government, innovators and corporate leaders should work towards a sustainable future and whether the digital or biophysical world will be the next.

The final panel shared research findings from a study by IESE Business School which analysed corporate venturing in deep tech across East and Southeast Asia, which reveals that the region’s largest companies are stepping up collaboration with startups at the cutting edge of technology. Panelists from Lenovo (Hong Kong) Limited, LG Technology Ventures, Schneider Electric and IESE Business School deliberated on strategic steps to corporate innovation for tech sectors, connecting with affiliate, balancing the goal of businesses and making the right moves when opportunities emerge.

The Summit also kicked off HKSTP’s successful biannual Global Matching 2021 which ran between May 26 – June 4. The event saw over 220 one-on-one matching meetings initiated by over 200 corporate buyers and regional investors.It gathered around 300 startups and technology ventures from 32 economies, with nearly 50% incorporated overseas, demonstrating HKSTP’s success in elevating Hong Kong as an international I&T hub.

Giving recognition to innovative Hong Kong corporates

The Summit also saw the successful conclusion of the first-ever appreciation ceremony of “Innovation Movers”, which aims to recognise Hong Kong corporates for encouraging wider innovation. Over 10 judging panellists from I&T ecosystem were invited to review the successful stories from 2018 to 2021 submitted by corporates.

To attract current and future generations of leadership talent, growing leaders, and having leaders to influence other leaders through the recognition and making Hong Kong one of Asia’s major innovation hubs, a total of 13 companies were named “Innovation Movers” in three categories this year:

For more information on Corporate Innovation Summit and Global Matching 2021, please go to: https://stp.hk/cis2021intro