ESSEC Asia-Pacific Leadership Series with SICC and FCCS

ESSEC Asia-Pacific has partnered with the Singapore International Chamber of Commerce (SICC) and French Chamber of Commerce Singapore (FCCS) on thought leadership webinars featuring Aarti Ramaswami, Deputy Dean, ESSEC APAC, and Cedomir Nestorovic, Academic Director of the ESSEC & Mannheim EMBA APAC. 

The series gave rise to the opportunity for our faculty and industry leaders from the APAC region to explore and share their insights on how the COVID-19 pandemic has reshaped the geopolitical and business management landscape.

12 November 2020

ESSEC - FCCS Leadership Series #2: Geopolitical Risks and Vulnerabilities: How will the US-China Relationship Impact Global Commerce with ASEAN?

Moderated by Cedomir Nestorovic

Speakers:

• Jerome Roux - Executive Vice President, Head of Sales & Marketing, Asia Pacific Region at STMicroelectronics Asia Pacific

• Pascal Lambert – Group Country Head for Singapore, Head of South East Asia and India at Société Générale

About the event:

As trade tensions between the U.S. and China persist, observers see ASEAN countries as potential winners of this trade war, with many companies expected to shift at least some of their activities out of China. The leadership discussion focused on three main questions:

Will the US-China trade war :

• Force ASEAN countries to choose between their main trade partner (China) and their main security partner (the U.S. – for some ASEAN countries)?

• Drive ASEAN to strengthen cooperation within its membership further and present a more united front to China and the US?

• Divert investments from China to ASEAN and consequently result in ASEAN countries benefitting more from increased adoption of a China + 1 strategy?

21 October 2020

SICC - ESSEC Leadership Series: Building a Better Workplace Culture - What Lies Ahead?

Moderated by Aarti Ramaswami

Speaker line-up comprising ESSEC alumni:

• Adrian Ng, Managing Director for Asia-Pacific at Adisseo

• Jorge Rodriguez, Group Managing Director at Influential Brands

• Stephenie Teo, Head of Learning and Talent Management at Bank of Singapore

About the event: 

The pandemic is a catalyst for change - how we work, where we work, how we are led and managed. During the event, our distinguished panel of speakers discussed how employers and employees can work together toward building and sustaining a positive workplace culture now and beyond. 

Here are some of the discussion highlights: 

• The meaning of organizational culture during these periods of uncertainty 

• How to prepare for an unpredictable future when managing the demands of the current crisis

• What aspects of organizational practices would we see continuing to remain salient post-pandemic

• How to redefine talent in a COVID-19 world

• Some of the tools and tactics used to shape the culture that will sustain an organization through a pandemic 

Watch the session recording here. 

13 October

ESSEC - FCCS Leadership Series #1: The Gains and Losses of China's post-COVID Economic Recovery 

Moderated by Cedomir Nestorovic

Speakers: 

• Pascal De Petrini, Chairman, Asia, Danone

• Frederic Maury, Executive VP, Asia, TRIGO Group.

About the event: 

As China emerges from the pandemic faster than others, the world is closely watching China’s economic recovery. Here are some of the discussion highlights in this first ESSEC – FCCS Leadership series:

• The Chinese GDP growth for this year will be lower than 5%, and even though it is still above Western countries’ GDP, this will test the Chinese social model as the redistribution of gains changes.

• China will lose a certain number of foreign companies which used to manufacture in China. At the moment, it is hard to predict the impact, but it will certainly reduce China’s image as 'the factory of the world’.

• The Belt and Road Initiative, China’s colossal infrastructure investment, may see its importance and expansion cease because of the lack of funding to sustain it.

• Consequently, China's economy is turning inwards and may develop its technology decoupled from the West.

 Stay tuned for ESSEC Asia-Pacific's upcoming events here.