The coming together of esteemed business and technology leaders at the ‘LeaderShift’ webinar signifies the promising partnership between Spark and Digital Pilipinas, dedicated to propelling regional digital transformation forward. (Top Left-Right): Hyperscal CEO Eugene Yeo; SourcedGroup in Asia; Vice President of Amdocs Cloud Olivier Van Grembergen; Additiv Philippines Sales Director Clarence Bondoc; Manpower Global Head for Technology Risk, Control and Governance Abhijit Dasgupta; PLDT Inc, Smart Communications Inc First Vice President and Chief Information Security Officer Angel Redoble; Spark CEO David Chin; and Digital Pilipinas Program Manager Kersten Calimag
With the fastest-growing Internet market in the world and a projected $1 trillion boost to its regional GDP in the next decade[1], ASEAN is poised to embrace a profound digital transformation. Amidst promising projections, the region must overcome challenges to digitalization, such as the shortage of skills for a more digital-savvy workforce, the lagging support for innovation and entrepreneurship, and cyber threats outpacing cybersecurity measures, among others.[2] Committed to accelerating ASEAN’s tech journey, Singapore-based Spark (formerly CIO Academy Asia), and Digital Pilipinas have forged a partnership aimed at enhancing the digital capabilities of organizations in the region.
Digital Pilipinas is the largest private-sector-led movement for creating an innovation and technology ecosystem in the country that is actively engaged in a global digital economy through its domestic and international trajectories. Similarly, Spark continues to bring together a community of technology and business leaders from across Asia through thought leadership programs and initiatives to create mindshare, share global best practices, lessons learnt and highlight use cases that will enable better outcomes for digital transformation for organizations from different industries.
Spark and Digital Pilipinas have established a reputation for championing digitalization across industries and sectors. The two tech communities coming together presents greater opportunities for technology leaders and professionals to connect, share knowledge and bring opportunities and ideas to one another. Spark CEO David Chin described the value he sees in the partnership. “Through our partnership with Digital Pilipinas, we really hope that we can create meaningful thought leadership programs to help organizations not only in the Philippines but across Southeast Asia, North Asia and India to enhance and improve their digital quotient and their digital skill sets through peer sharing of knowledge”, said Chin.
To signify the beginning of their purpose-led partnership, Spark and Digital Pilipinas gathered esteemed tech and business leaders for a panel discussion on emerging technologies at the “LeaderShift: How Tech Leaders Continue to Navigate the Ever-Changing Global Digital Landscape”webinar. The agenda centered on areas of digital transformation that organizations must embrace and opportunities for cooperation between countries, sectors and industries.
According to Abhijit Dasgupta, Global Head of Technology Risk, Control and Governance at ManpowerGroup, the digital transformation happening in Southeast Asia, particularly in Singapore and the Philippines, present a vast opportunity for upskilling tech professionals and emphasized the need for workforce readiness. “The job descriptions we currently have in the industry are very fast changing and the companies have to adapt”, said Dasgupta.
Amdocs Vice President Olivier Van Grembergen shares Dasgupta’s sentiments on the importance of manpower training. He also emphasized the importance of integrating technical competencies into career paths. “Linking trainings to career aspirations and career paths incentivizes individuals to focus on continuous learning and helps with attracting and retaining technical talent”, said Van Grembergen.
For PLDT Philippines First Vice President for Group CISO Angel Redoble, digital readiness also requires collaborations anchored on cybersecurity. “It is crucial for all levels of an organization, from the board to the lowest-ranking personnel, to prioritize cybersecurity and integrate it into their daily routines. While cybersecurity is a never-ending job, proactive measures such as “security by design” and anticipating compromises help mitigate the impact of cyber-attacks and uphold the continuity of services”, said Redoble.
More than organizational readiness, Hyperscal CEO Eugene Yeo believes that government collaboration plays a crucial role in the success of digital transformation. He cited his experience with Hyperscal saying, “For a startup like mine, in order for us to get a foot into the game, governments must also be open to having certain services or certain offerings, having a certain sandbox environment where they can actually view what these startups can provide and perhaps even embrace within the government itself.”
Additiv’s Philippines Sales Director Clarence Bondoc aptly highlighted that digital transformation is not a quick sprint but rather a marathon that extends across various industries. This perspective underscores the long-term commitment required to navigate the complexities of digitalization successfully.
Beyond the recent gathering of tech leaders, Spark and Digital Pilipinas are on the move towards more collaborative efforts that will drive the digital transformation agenda. With shared goals and an even stronger network of tech visionaries working together, this new promising partnership in ASEAN shall take strides in empowering organizations and industries to thrive in the ever-changing tech landscape.
Spark and Digital Pilipinas are set to unveil more plans of advancing digital transformation together while recognizing outstanding leaders in business and technology at the upcoming Asia Digital Leader Awards happening at the Digital Pilipinas x Festival of Festivals on November 20-24, 2023 at SMX Aura, Taguig. To register, please visit https://digitalpilipinas.ph.
[1] https://www.weforum.org/projects/digital-asean/
[2] https://asean.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/11/Issue-23-Digital-Transformation-digital-version.pdf