First-Ever Fortune Innovation Forum Draws Top Global Leaders to Hong Kong, Promoting Agendas On Collective Cross-Sector Advancement

Fortune celebrates 30 Asian companies with future growth potential of its first Asia Future 30 list

With over 70 international speakers and over 400 attendees, the Fortune Innovation Forum has created fertile ground for discussion on new growth strategies in the APAC region and beyond.

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – March 28, 2024 – The Fortune Innovation Forum 2024 made waves in Hong Kong as world leaders joined the two-day conference on March 27-28 and shared their points insight into advances in AI, technology, sustainability, finance, talent recruitment, etc. The event facilitated key discussions in which experts, investors and executives from the world’s largest companies reflected on how businesses and economies are evolving to meet the demands of an ever-changing global environment.

The first day of the forum began with a Fortune’s Most Powerful Women breakfast session featuring Bonnie Y Chan, the first female CEO of Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Limited (HKEX), Kathryn McLay, Chairman and Managing Director of Walmart International, Joey Wat, CEO of Yum. China, and Jane Sun, CEO of Trip.com. During a roundtable discussion, the four CEOs shared concrete steps to close the gender gap. Bonnie Chan spoke about HKEX’s role as a regulator and its efforts to rid the Hong Kong Stock Exchange of single-gender boards, the number of which has fallen from 800 in 2021 to fewer than 500 in 2024.

Mr. Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, officially opened the forum by discussing how the city aims to establish a fair environment for growth and innovation. He challenged the notion that Hong Kong was “finished” and identified key industries with robust innovation potential: “We chose four areas to focus our energy: artificial intelligence and data analytics. big data, health sciences and technologies, financial technologies and new advanced materials. manufacturing.”

The global economy continues to prove surprisingly resilient, and few economies defy expectations as much as Japan. Tokiko Shimizu, deputy governor of the Bank of Japan, offered an insider look at Japan’s recovery as it ends the era of negative interest rates. Ms. Shimizu said Japan is “still waiting[s] that the price development in the coming years will be around 2%, which means that we do not necessarily expect interest rates to rise. “We expect our GDP growth to be around 1.5% over the coming years,” she said.

Innovation and advances in AI are transforming the way businesses interact with the global consumer, and the world’s largest retailer is working to harness all of this potential. “We live in an incredible time where we can know our customers globally and individually,” said Kathryn McLay, president and CEO of Walmart International. “The only way to do that is through data and technology…I think customers can expect a more enjoyable retail experience.”

Even as AI becomes more widespread, there are ways to further promote this technology. Scott Beaumont, president of Google’s Asia Pacific region, outlined four areas of focus: AI accessibility, productive use of AI, cross-industry understanding of use cases, and creation by use guidelines governments. Kai-Fu Lee, chairman and CEO of Sinovation Ventures and founder of 01.AI, urged the public to view AI as a powerful workplace or educational assistant that can boost productivity and improve outcomes. “We need to encourage people to harness AI and use all the tools so they can perform at their best,” Mr Lee said.

Former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers opened the second day of the forum, addressing the audience virtually on trade, growth and technology. He shared his optimism about China’s progress. “Over the course of a human lifetime in England in the 19th century, the standard of living probably increased by a factor of a factor and a half, whereas over the course of a human lifetime in China, the standard of living probably increased multiplied by 50 or more, which is truly the greatest achievement in the economic history of mankind,” he said.

The forum brought together the greatest minds in innovation – from biotechnology to AI to cryptocurrency – to create an atmosphere conducive to collaboration and sowing the seeds of new advancements.

Fortune Asia Future 30 Awards recognize regional companies with the highest potential for future growth

At the Asia Future 30 awards ceremony, Fortune honored companies that made it to its inaugural Asia Future 30 list, which recognizes companies that show potential for future growth across all industries.

Fortune Asia Future 30 Winners

Fortune Asia Future 30 Winners

Hashtag: #Fortune

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.