Singapore leaders in innovation to join GREAT Festival of Innovation in Hong Kong this March

HONG KONG, Feb. 26, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Leading Singapore innovators will represent the city's global strengths in innovation and technology on an international stage at the GREAT Festival of Innovation, taking place in Hong Kong in March. The Festival, which forms part of the UK government's GREAT Britain campaign, will be a platform to connect cutting-edge businesses and brilliant thinkers from around the world who will drive trade partnerships of the future, while highlighting the UK's position as a global centre for innovation.

The first round of confirmed speakers from Singapore joining the GREAT Festival of Innovation 2018 include:

• Steve Leonard, Founding CEO of SGInnovate, the Singaporean government tech start-up accelerator
• Sanjay Aurora, Managing Director of Asia Pacific of Darktrace, responsible for leading the expansion of the company and its award-winning Enterprise Immune System technology for cyber security in the Asia Pacific region
• Junny Lee, Founder of The Work Project, award-winning Singapore and Hong Kong based co-working spaces centred around the concept of design thinking to drive productivity and work happiness
• Martin Haines, Managing Director, Asia, First Derivatives – provider of products and consulting services to some of the world's largest finance, technology and energy institutions – will discuss the impact of AI on businesses of today and tomorrow
• James Cameron, Managing Director, Head of Project and Export Finance, Asia Pacific at HSBC, will be sharing the stage with a panel of experts to discuss China's Belt & Road initiative and the power of the people and digital innovation behind it

Steve Leonard, Founding CEO of SGInnovate, will represent Singapore on a world stage at the GREAT Festival of Innovation

Sanjay Aurora, Managing Director of Asia Pacific of Darktrace, will share his insights into cyber security in a hyper-connected world at the GREAT Festival of Innovation

Junny Lee, Founder of The Work Project will join the GREAT Festival of Innovation in March

UK-designed and developed autonomous robot dog, MiRo, will be showcased at the at the GREAT Festival of Innovation Credit: Consequential Robotics

Speaking ahead of the Festival, Steve Leonard, Founding CEO of SGInnovate says:

"I am thrilled to represent Singapore at the GREAT Festival of Innovation in Hong Kong.  This event is a great platform to share views on how technologies such as artificial intelligence and blockchain will increasingly impact societies and economies.  At SGInnovate, my team and I work with scientist-founders who are building companies in these and other deep-tech areas. We enjoy a close working relationship with many founders and investors in Britain, and the GREAT Festival of Innovation will bring us closer together," said Steve Leonard, Founding CEO, SGInnovate.

Singapore and the UK have a mutually beneficial relationship, with strong links long maintained between the countries:

• In 2016/17, Singapore was the UK's 20^th largest trading partner (representing 1% of total UK trade), its 16^th largest export market (1.3% of UK exports), and its 25th largest import market (0.8% of UK imports)
• At a regional level, Singapore is the UK's 5th largest export market in Asia Pacific (total goods and services), receiving more UK exports than India and South Korea and accounting for over half of the UK's exports to Southeast Asia
• UK-Singapore bilateral investment is worth almost GBP30bn, while inward investment from Singapore was worth over GBP4bn in 2016, the third highest globally after Luxembourg and the US
• Many major UK MNCs have bases in Singapore, with the top 20 firms hiring around 25,000 people. There are over 50 British retail brands in Singapore, who are also the UK's third largest global market for whisky

Zoe Fitzsimmons, Director Trade & Investment Singapore, Department for International Trade says:

"Singapore and the UK have a deep and broad relationship, with strong cultural ties, mutually beneficial partnerships and a shared vision for the future. Taking part at an historic moment for UK and Asian economies, the GREAT Festival of Innovation highlights that the UK is open for business and committed to Asian trade partners. We are delighted to be also welcoming innovators and thought leaders from Singapore to the Festival, highlighting the importance of the UK's relationship with the city state. The GREAT Festival of Innovation will serve as a platform for creating new life-long partnerships while strengthening relationships between British and Asian business leaders and investors that will drive a future of free trade and prosperity."

Attending the Festival will be a strong delegation of business leaders and decision makers from Singapore looking to create new business partnerships with their Asia and UK counterparts.

Alongside engaging sessions, panels and workshops, there will be a showcase of some of the UK's leading technology.  Travelling to Asia for the first time is UK-designed and developed autonomous robot dog MiRo, the creation of designer-in-residence to the University of Sheffield engineering faculty, Sebastian Conran CEO of London/Bristol based Consequential Robotics. A companion robot with six senses capable of emotional engagement, MiRo has been developed in conjunction with Sheffield Robotics to enhance quality of later life. Also showcasing will be McLaren Design Studio who will present their VR technology that allows customers to design their own driving experience and interiors.

The first round of announced speakers joining the GREAT Festival of Innovation -

UK-based speakers

• Dr Liam Fox, UK International Trade Secretary
• Andrew Wong, Chef & owner of A Wong
• Brent Hoberman, Co-founder and Executive Chairman of Founders Factory and Co-founder of Lastminute.com
• Charles Bowman, Lord Mayor of London
• Chester King, Founder and CEO of British eSports Association
• Dylan Jones, Editor in Chief, British GQ, Condé Nast Publications
• Heba Bevan, CEO and Founder, UtterBerry
• Jack Oclee-Brown, Head of Acoustics of KEF Audio
• John Kampfner, CEO, Creative Federation
• Julian David, CEO, TechUK
• Kevin Burrowes, Head of Clients and Markets, Pwc
• Lee Hadlington, Associate Professor in Cyberpyschology, De Montfort University
• Mark Nodder, Chairman and CEO of Wrights Group, Wrightbus
• Paul Priestman, Chairman of PriestmanGoode
• Paul Thompson, Vice-Chancellor of the Royal College of Art
• Richard Deverell, Director of Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
• Robert Hannigan, Former GCHQ director
• Sam Bompas, Co-founder Bompas & Parr
• Susanna Lau, Founder, Style Bubble
• Tom Aikens, Chef
• Tristram Hunt, Director of V&A and leading UK historian and journalist
• Ian Stuart, Head of Europe, Commercial Banking, HSBC
• Isaac McHale, Chef
• Dame Wendy Hall, Professor of Computer Science in Electronics and Computer Science, University of Southampton and Director of the Web Science Institute

Asia-based and international speakers

• Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, GBM, GBS, JP, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China
• Ambarish Mitra, Founder & CEO of Blippar
• Alex Kong, CEO and Founder of TNG Wallet
• Andre Fu, Founder of Andre Fu Living
• Clara Ho, Head of Information Security Risk, Asia Pacific, HSBC
• Eiji Uda, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer for Tokyo 2020
• Elaine Yan Ling Ng, Artist and Founder of The Fabrick Lab
• Duncan Pescod, CEO of West Kowloon Cultural District Authority
• Gabriel Wong, China Corporate Finance Leader, and One Belt One Road Leader, PwC
• James Cameron, Head of Infrastructure and Real Estate Group, Asia Pacific, HSBC
• Raymund Chao, Asia Pacific and Greater China Chairman, PwC China
• Martin Haines, Managing Director, Asia, First Derivatives
• Sanjay Aurora, Managing Director, Asia Pacific of Darktrace
• Shinya Kukita, Chief Engineer, Global Business Unit at NEC
• Steve Leonard, Founding CEO of SGInnovate
• Simon Bee, Managing Director, Global Design, Benoy
• Tea Uglow, Creative Director of Google's Creative Lab in Sydney
• Wai-Shin Chan, Global Head, Climate Change Centre of Excellence, HSBC

For more information please visit great.gov.uk/innovation or follow the hashtag #GREATinnovation.

About GREAT Festival of Innovation 2018

The GREAT Festival of Innovation, to be held at Asia Society Hong Kong Centre from 21 to 24 March 2018, is the third of its kind after the success of the GREAT Festivals of Creativity in Istanbul (2014) and Shanghai (2015). Its vision is to share innovation and create life-long partnerships that will drive the future of free trade and prosperity between the UK, Hong Kong and the region. 

The Festival will explore the latest in cutting-edge innovation and the future of how we work, live, play and learn through a series of talks, panels and interactive workshops over four days. Bringing together some of the world's brightest minds, business leaders and policy makers, the Festival will provide a unique platform for powerful future partnerships.

The GREAT Campaign

Bringing the best of Britain to the world

The GREAT Britain campaign showcases the best of what the whole nation has to offer to inspire the world and encourage people to visit, do business, invest and study in the UK. It is the Government's most ambitious international promotional campaign, uniting the efforts of the public and private sector to generate jobs and growth for Britain. The campaign has already secured confirmed economic returns of £3.1bn for the UK.                

The UK has a huge amount to offer, with world-class universities, ground breaking research, high tech start-ups and entrepreneurial business people. Global leaders in the creative industries like music, fashion, design and film, the UK can offer visitors unforgettable experiences, breath-taking landscapes and iconic attractions.

The GREAT Britain campaign captures the best of all that is familiar about the UK, but also what is new and surprising about the country.

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