“I believe we must seize this rare opportunity to build a more prepared, dynamic and sustainable regional Community, that can enhance our people’s lives.” His Majesty the Sultan of Brunei at the ASEAN handover ceremony, 15 November 2020.

The UK-ASEAN Business Council is delighted to kick-off 2021 with a discussion co-hosted by the ASEAN Business Advisory Council on Brunei’s priorities as ASEAN Chair for 2021 and a look at what to expect in the year ahead across Southeast Asia with senior government, business and thought leaders from both the UK and ASEAN.

Brunei’s theme of ‘We Care, We Prepare, We Prosper’ is aimed at strengthening ASEAN’s solidarity and reinforcing ASEAN’s centrality while ensuring the recovery from the pandemic is inclusive and sustainable across the ASEAN community.

This important event will explore the major themes and issues that economies and businesses in Southeast Asia will face as ASEAN seeks to recover and overcome the challenges brought about by Covid-19.

Programme

07.58 Access to webinar opens

08.00 Welcome Remarks
• Baroness Neville-Rolfe, DBE, CMG, Chair, UK-ASEAN Business Council
• The Hon. Yanty Rahman, Chair, ASEAN Business Advisory Council
• H.E. First Admiral (Rtd) Pengiran Dato Norazmi bin Pengiran Haji Muhammad, High Commissioner of Brunei Darussalam to United Kingdom

08.10 Keynote Address – Brunei’s Economic Priorities as ASEAN Chair for 2021
• The Hon. Dato Dr Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah, Minister of Finance and Economy II, Brunei Darussalam

08.20 Keynote Address – The UK-ASEAN Economic Partnership
• The Rt Hon. Greg Hands MP, Minister of State for Trade Policy, Department for International Trade, United Kingdom

08.30 Panel Discussion ‘ASEAN’s Economic Outlook in 2021: What do we need to prepare for?’
Scene Setting by Dr Deborah Elms, Executive Director, Asia Trade Centre
• Mark Garnier MP, Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Brunei, Myanmar and Thailand
• Dr Rizal Sukma, Senior Researcher, Centre for Strategic and International Studies and former Indonesian Ambassador to the UK
• Joseph Incalcaterra, Chief Economist for ASEAN, HSBC
Chaired by Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE, Chair, UK-ASEAN Business Council

09.30 Forum ends

To register please click below. This event is free to attend.

Join us on Twitter and tag @UKASEAN and @ASEAN_BAC and use #UKASEAN.

Speaker Profiles

Forum Co-Chairs

Baroness Neville-Rolfe DBE CMG, Chair, UK-ASEAN Business Council

Lucy has had 3 careers, in politics in business and in the civil service.

Currently, she is a Conservative peer, sitting on the Lords EU Committee (and its Financial Services sub-committee), is Chairman of Crown Agents (a not-for-profit business dating back to 1833) and is a non-executive director of Capita plc, Secure Trust Bank Plc, Thomson Reuters Founders Share Company and Health Data Research UK.

Lucy became a peer in 2013 and was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Minister for Intellectual Property from 2014-2016. She represented the UK on the Digital Single Market and in the EU Competitiveness Council. From 2016-2017 she was the Minister of State responsible for Energy and then Commercial Secretary at the Treasury.

Lucy’s main career was at Tesco from 1997-2013, as Director for Corporate and Legal Affairs, and she served on the Main Board from 2006-2013.

Lucy has previously been a non-executive director of ITV, PwC, Metro AG and other companies. She was President of EuroCommerce, the Brussels retail and wholesale Trade Association, and served on the China Britain Business Council, the UK India Business Council and the CBI Economics Committee.

Before her career at Tesco she was a civil servant and a member of the Prime Minister’s Policy Unit in Downing Street, having spent her earlier career in what is now DEFRA.

Lucy is an honorary fellow of her old college, Somerville College, Oxford. She is married with four sons and is interested in the arts, cricket, racing and gardening. She lives in Southwark and Wiltshire.

The Hon. Ar Yanty Rahman, Chair ASEAN Business Advisory Council

The Hon. FDr. Ar. Siti Rozaimeriyanty DSLJ Haji Abdul Rahman is a registered Practising Architect with BAPEQS, RIBA Chartered Member, UK and ASEAN Architects. Prior to establishing Eco Bumi Arkitek (EBA), The Hon. Rozaimeriyanty was a Senior Architect with the Public Works Department, Ministry of Development of Brunei for 15 years. She is the first female President of Institution of Surveyor, Engineer and Architect (PUJA Brunei) for the term 2018 to 2019.

Ten years into the establishment of Eco Bumi Arkitek, The Hon. Rozaimeriyanty was appointed by His Majesty the Sultan and Yang-Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam as one of the Brunei Darussalam Legislative Council (LegCo) Members, due to achieving distinction, for a term of five years effective from 2017 until 2021. As a LegCo member, The Hon. Rozaimeriyanty actively presents the equality of opinions in all the concerns raised, particularly on issues of education, women and economic growth. In order to do this, she actively reaches out to the society in the form of invitations for forums and as a speaker for numerous events.

First Admiral Pengiran Dato Seri Pahlawan Norazmi Bin Pengiran Haji Muhammad, Brunei Darussalam High Commissioner to the UK, Brunei High Commission 

First Admiral (Rtd) Pengiran Dato Seri Pahlawan Norazmi Bin Pengiran Haji Muhammad, PSPNB, PJG (Tent), AFDC. MSc, psc, pwo, joined the Royal Brunei Armed Forces in September 1987 and graduated as midshipman in 1989 from Britannia Royal Naval College in United Kingdom. FAdm (Rtd) Pg DSP Norazmi appointed as the 10th Commander of Royal Brunei Navy on 13 March 2015, which he was on the helm until 19 April 2019. FAdm (Rtd) Pg DSP Norazmi is a graduate of Malaysia Armed Forces Defense College with a Master of Social Science (Defence Studies), awarded at The National University of Malaysia in 2011. Throughout his career, he has undergone various courses locally and abroad. He attended Naval Staff Course in Naval War College USA in 2003 and further attended the Senior Executives in National and International security at Harvard Kennedy
School, in December 2014. On 10 Jun 2020, by consent of His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzadin Waddaulah Ibni Al- Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, The Sultan and Yang Di- Pertuan Of Brunei Darussalam he was appointed as High Commissioner of Brunei Darussalam to United Kingdom and Eire. During his tenure as Commander Royal Brunei Navy His Majesty bestowed the Darjah
Pahlawan Negara Brunei Yang Amat Perkasa (The Most Gallant Order of Pahlawan Negara Brunei) First Class (PSPNB) with the title ‘Dato Seri Pahlawan‘ to First Admiral (Rtd) Pg Norazmi. On 10 October 2017, FAdm (Rtd) Pg DSP Norazmi was conferred with Singapore’s prestigious military award, the Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Tentera) — or Meritorious Service Medal (Military) and presented by Defence Minister of the Republic of Singapore Ng Eng Hen. A specialist in Navigation and Above Water Warfare, his experience includes a variety of command and staff appointments. His staff experiences are mix of both operational and administrative, he held several key appointments such as Military Assistant to Deputy Minister of Defence, Director of Defence Force Capability Development, he also once became the Aide-De-Camp to His Majesty The Sultan And Yang Di-Pertuan Of Negara Brunei Darussalam in 2009. He served as a member of Board of Directors of Maritime Port Authority of Brunei Darussalam from 2017 to 2019.

Keynote Speakers

The Hon. Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew bin Abdullah, CFA, Minister at The Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II, Ministry of Finance and Economy

Dato Seri Setia Dr Awang Haji Mohd Amin Liew Abdullah (“Dato Dr Amin”) was appointed as the Minister at The Prime Minister’s Office and Minister of Finance and Economy II on 27 September 2018, and before that held the position of the Minister of Finance II from 30 January 2018.  Prior to these appointments, Dato Dr Amin was the Deputy Minister of Finance (Investment), while holding the CEO position of Darussalam Assets Sdn Bhd (“DA”), an investment holding company owned by the Minister For Finance Corporation, Brunei Darussalam.  Before joining DA, Dato Dr Amin held several key positions with the Brunei Government, including being appointed as the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Industry and Primary Resources and the Managing Director of the Brunei Investment Agency.

Prior to his tenure with the Brunei Government, Dato Dr Amin worked as a Crude Oil Trader with Brunei Shell Petroleum Co Sdn Bhd in the mid-nineties after returning from the United Kingdom where he worked for ICI Finance PLC as a research analyst in the late eighties / early nineties.

Dato Dr Amin currently serves on the boards of many Brunei Government-linked companies in diverse sectors including telecommunications, medical services, hospitality, aviation, oil and gas, information technology and education.

Dato Dr Amin graduated with a First Class Bachelor degree from Queen Mary College, the University of London in 1984 and both a Master degree in 1989 and a PhD degree in 1993 from Imperial College, University of London. Dato Dr Amin also holds a professional qualification as a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) since 2004. He is also a member of CFA Singapore.

The Rt Hon Greg Hands MP, Minister of State for Trade Policy

Greg Hands was appointed Minister of State for Trade Policy in the Department for International Trade (DIT) on 13 February 2020 and is the Ministerial lead for the ASEAN Economic Community.

He was previously Minister of State in the Department for International Trade from 2016 to 2018. He was elected the Conservative MP for Hammersmith and Fulham in 2005, and for Chelsea and Fulham in 2010.

Education

Greg was educated at a variety of state schools in the UK and the USA, but principally at Dr Challoner’s Grammar School, Amersham, before going on to study Modern History at Cambridge University, including time spent in the modern languages and oriental studies faculties graduating with first-class honours.

Political career

Greg Hands has been a government minister since October 2011. He served first as the Treasury Whip, 2011 to 2013, and then as Government Deputy Chief Whip and Treasurer of Her Majesty’s Household, 2013 to 2015. Following the May 2015 General Election, Greg Hands attended Cabinet as Chief Secretary to the Treasury under the then Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne.

Greg served as a Local Councillor in Fulham, 1998 to 2006. He was elected Conservative MP for Hammersmith and Fulham in 2005, the MP for the redrawn Chelsea and Fulham constituency in 2010 and again in 2015.

Career outside politics

Greg spent 8 years working on trading floors in London and New York trading and marketing fixed income derivatives.

Panel Speakers

Dr Deborah Elms, Founder and Executive Director, Asian Trade Centre. 

The Asian Trade Centre works with governments and companies to design better trade policies for the region.  Dr Elms is also Vice-Chair of the Asia Business Trade Association (ABTA) and sits on the International Technical Advisory Committee of the Global Trade Professionals Alliance and is Chair of the Working Group on Trade Policy and Law.  She is also a senior fellow in the Singapore Ministry of Trade and Industry’s Trade Academy.

Previously, Dr Elms was head of the Temasek Foundation Centre for Trade & Negotiations (TFCTN) and Senior Fellow of International Political Economy at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. Her projects include the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP), the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC) and global value chains.

Dr. Elms received a PhD in political science from the University of Washington, a MA in international relations from the University of Southern California, and bachelor’s degrees from Boston University. Dr Elms publishes the Talking Trade Blog.

Mark Garnier MP, Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy to Brunei, Myanmar and Thailand.

Mark Garnier was Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for International Trade from 17 July 2016 to 9 January 2018. He was elected as the Conservative MP for Wyre Forest in May 2010.

Career outside politics

Mark was educated at Charterhouse School, Surrey. In 1982 he began a 17-year career in the City of London, initially working on the floor of the London Stock Exchange before specialising in Far Eastern and other global emerging market investment banking. In 1999, Mark switched to boutique investment fund management, running small specialist funds, until he was elected in 2010. He also spent a spell as a small business advisor. He has served on the Court of the Worshipful Company of Coachmakers and Coach Harness makers of London for a number of years.

Political career

Mark was a district councillor of the Forest of Dean District Council from 2003 to 2007 and was elected as the Conservative MP for Wyre Forest in May 2010. He served on the Treasury Select Committee (2010 – 2016) and the Parliamentary Commission on Banking Standards (2012 – 2014). Mark chairs the ASEAN All-Party Parliamentary Group and is currently the Prime Minister’s trade envoy to Brunei, Myanmar and Thailand.

Dr Rizal Sukma, Senior Researcher, CSIS and former Indonesian Ambassador to the UK

Dr. Rizal Sukma is a Senior Research Fellow at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies, Jakarta. Previously, he was Indonesia’s Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Ireland and the International Maritime Organization (IMO), London, from 2016 to 2020. He joined CSIS in 1990 as a researcher and assumed the role of Executive Director in 2009 until 2015. Dr. Sukma also served as former Chairman of International Relations, Muhammadiyah Central Executive Board (2005-2015). Since receiving a PhD in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science in 1997, he has worked extensively on such issues as Southeast Asian security, ASEAN, Indonesia’s defence and foreign policy, military reform, Islam and politics, and domestic political changes in Indonesia.

Dr Sukma has served as a member of the National Committee on Strategic Defence Review at the Ministry of Defence and as a member of the National Drafting Committee for the National Defence Bill (2000–2002) and the Armed Forces Bill (2002–2003). He was the first Indonesian to receive the Nakasone Award, in July 2005 and named one 100 Global Thinkers in 2009 by Foreign Policy magazine.

His many publications include “The ASEAN Political and Security Community (APSC): Opportunities and Constraints for the R2P in Southeast Asia”, which appears in The Pacific Review, Vol. 25, No. 1 (March 2012), and “Indonesia Finds A New Voice,” Journal of Democracy, Vol. 22, No. 4, (October 2011).

He has also published three books: Security Operations in Aceh: Goals, Consequences, and Lessons (Washington, DC: East-West Centre, 2004); Islam in Indonesia’s Foreign Policy (London: Routledge, 2003), and Indonesia and China: The Politics of A Troubled Relationship (London: Routledge, 1999).