ESSEC Business School, Asia-Pacific hosts the launch of the Creative France campaign in Singapore

The launch of the Creative France campaign in Singapore was held at ESSEC Asia-Pacific on Friday, 8 April 2016. Led by the French Embassy in Singapore and Business France, France’s national agency supporting the international development of the French economy, the launch of the Creative France campaign was graced by Mr. Matthias Fekl, French Minister of State for Foreign Trade, the Promotion of Tourism and French Nationals Abroad, Mr. Philippe Varin, French Foreign Minister’s Special Envoy to ASEAN, as well as Mr. Benjamin Dubertret, Ambassador of France to Singapore.

Mr. Matthias Fekl delivers the Welcome Address and launches the Creative France Campaign

As part of his visit, Mr. Fekl met with students at ESSEC Asia-Pacific and exchanged views on current issues.

The launch was attended by over 100 industry professionals, and comprised speeches and panel discussions where speakers exchanged and showcased innovative cross-border projects between France and Singapore.  

Representatives from Veolia, Thales, PSA Group and Dragages Singapore - Bouygues Construction, officially launched the ‘Open Inovasi’ platform on Smart Cities, which aims to enable efficient collaboration between local Growth Companies (SMEs and startups), Research Labs and multinational corporates.

This was followed by a Keynote Speech by Dr Raj Thampuran, Managing Director of A*STAR, who spoke about innovation and improving lives.

Addressing the topic of French Creativity & Attractiveness in the Aerospace Industry, Mr Cyrille Schwob, Head, Research & Technology Development Asia Pacific, Airbus Group shared insights on the Future Hangar Initiative in Singapore, while Mr Erick Lansard, VP Asia Pacific Technical and Space development Thales Solutions Asia, spoke about how Thales drives innovation initiatives in Singapore.

Mr Hugues Ricour, Senior Producer, Ubisoft and Prof. Kevyn Yong, Academic Dean, ESSEC Asia-Pacific, then shared insights on French Creativity & Attractiveness in the Digital and Technology Industry.

Lastly, Mr. Justin Quek, who specializes in Franco-Asian cuisine, shared his views on Creativity in French Gastronomy.  

The session was concluded by Mr. Philippe Varin, Special Envoy of the French Minister of Foreign Affairs for ASEAN.

Click here to find out more.