ASEMIS Sponsor Interviews
December 30, 2025
The ASEAN Semiconductor Summit (ASEMIS) is a high-level gathering of government officials, policymakers, and industry leaders from across the ASEAN region and global semiconductor associations. Organized by the Malaysian Semiconductor Industry Association (MSIA), this exclusive one-day event will take place on 24 July 2025 at the One World Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
To the ASEAN Semiconductor event of the year
Prime Minister of Malaysia
Minister of Investment, Trade & Industry
Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade & Industry
ASEMIS serves as a crucial forum for fostering collaboration, driving innovation, and strengthening partnerships within the ASEAN semiconductor ecosystem. This summit aims to position the region, with Malaysia at its core, as an indispensable hub in the global semiconductor supply chain.
By participating in the ASEAN Semiconductor Summit (ASEMIS) , you’ll be at the forefront of shaping the future of ASEAN’s semiconductor industry. Don’t miss this unparalleled opportunity to engage with key decision-makers, gain strategic insights, and play a role in driving the region’s technological advancement.
9 am – 5 pm (Full program to be published soon)
H.E. Tetsuya Watanabe, President, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
John Neuffer, President & CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA)
Moderator:
Speakers:
Moderator:
Speakers:
Moderator:
Speakers:
Moderator:
Speakers:
Topic: NSS and Beyond: Strengthening ASEAN’s Position in the Global Semiconductor Supply Chain
Topic: Malaysia’s Semiconductor Vision and ASEAN’s Shared Opportunity
Moderator:
Speakers:
Program subject to change
Attire: Malaysian Batik (preferred) / Business Formal
Click on speaker’s image to read their bios
Prime Minister of Malaysia
Minister of Investment, Trade & Industry
Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade & Industry
President, Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association
President, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA)
President & CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA)
Corporate Vice President (Applied Global Services), Regional President (South East Asia)
Applied Materials
CEO, Phison Electronics Corporation
Vice President of Sales, Taiwan, South East Asia, and India, Synopsys
Corporate Vice President, Assembly and Test NAND Operations and Malaysia Country Manager, Micron
Technology Inc.
Senior Vice President, Backend Operations (BEO), Sandisk
Vice President and Executive Technology Leader, IBM ASEAN
Asia Pacific Manager, Macro Foresight, Accenture Strategy
Chief of AI
Global Solutions Specialist, Dell Technologies
Senior Director, External Package Innovation, Chief Technology Office, NXP Semiconductors
Vice President of Penang Operations & Country President, Motorola Solutions Malaysia
Executive Board Director, Vietnam Electronic Industries Association
Executive Director, Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association
Executive Director, Singapore Semiconductor Industry Association
President, Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation, Inc
Principal Researcher, Thai Microelectronics Center, TMEC
Senior Vice President, Head of Telecom & Digital Infrastructure
Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT), Sector Solutions Group, UOB Singapore
Microelectronic Market Manager/Large Engineering Procurement Project, Veolia
Partner & Global Trade Advisory SEA Practice Leader, Deloitte
Former Deputy Minister of MITI, Malaysia and MIDA Board
Visiting Fellow and Co-coordinator of the Media, Technology and Society Programme at ISEAS – Yusof Ishak Institute
Commercial Counsellor, Philippine Trade and Investment Center- Kuala Lumpur, Embassy of the Philippines
Secretary General, Board of Investment, Thailand
Speaker line-up subject to change
Gathering of Semiconductor leaders and policy makers
ASEMIS 2025 bridges the ASEAN countries along with other key nations. This groundbreaking forum brings together.
Elevate your brand at ASEMIS
This event is HRDC Claimable for eligible companies. For details on the process, click on the HRDC logo.
Note: Walk-in registration on event day, is not eligible for HRDC Claim
The ASEMIS 2025 will be held at One World Hotel in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A hotel with a harmonious blend of Asian artefacts and Western architecture comprising 452 rooms, 20 event spaces, 3 dining outlets and all the amenities needed for a comfortable stay. The venue is adjacent to 1U Shopping Mall with more than 700 retail outlets and a stroll away to the MRT train station.
Special rates have been arranged for attendees. Use the button below to make your room reservations.
City Center, First Avenue
Lebuh Bandar Utama
Bandar Utama
47800 Petaling Jaya
Selangor
Malaysia
Thank you for your interest in ASEMIS 2025. If you would like to reach out to us, use the form below.
Malaysia Productivity Corporation Northern Region Office,
Beg Berkunci 206, Jalan Tun Hamdan Sheikh Tahir,
13200 Kepala Batas, Seberang Perai Utara,
Penang. Malaysia
Liew Chin Tong is the Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry. He is currently the Member of Parliament for Iskandar Puteri and the State Assemblyperson for Perling, Johor.
He works with Minister Tengku Zafrul Aziz with the New Industrial Master Plan (NIMP 2030) as a guiding document, focusing on the semiconductor and steel industries, among others.
When he served as Deputy Defence Minister from July 2018 to February 2020, he supported Minister Mohammad Sabu’s effort to present Malaysia’s first ever Defence White Paper which was passed in Parliament on 2 December 2019.
Chin Tong is the Strategy Director of Democratic Action Party (DAP).
He recently published “Second Takeoff: Strategies for Malaysia’s Economic Resurgence” which outlined his vision for the emergence of Malaysia as a middle class society.
刘镇东是马来西亚投资、贸易与工业部副部长，同时也是依斯干达公主城国会议员（2022年11月19日当选）以及柔佛柏岭州议员。镇东曾在2018年7月17日至2021年7月16日担任国会上议员，并于2018年7月17日至2020年2月24日出任国防部副部长。
镇东与部长扎夫鲁合作，以落实《新工业大蓝图》（NIMP 2030）为目标，重点关注马来西亚半导体和钢铁业等领域的发展。
在担任国防部副部长期间，镇东支持时任部长末沙布推动马来西亚首份《国防白皮书》，并于2019年12月2日成功在国会通过。
镇东是民主行动党副秘书长。
近期，镇东出版了英文新著《二次起飞》，概述了他对马来西亚作为中产阶级社会崛起的愿景。
Dato’ Seri Wong is a member of Pemudah, a public – private sector special task force to facilitate business and improve Malaysia’s global competitiveness.
Dato’ Seri Wong served with Intel for 27 years. His last position with Intel was Vice President of Technology and Manufacturing Group (TMG) and General Manager of Assembly and Test Manufacturing (ATM), responsible for all assembly test factories worldwide.
Mr. Tetsuya Watanabe is a distinguished leader in international economic policy and trade, currently serving as the President of the Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA). With a career spanning over three decades in Japan’s public sector and academia, Mr. Watanabe brings a wealth of expertise in trade negotiations, economic research, and public policy.
Born on October 11, 1964, Mr. Watanabe is a Japanese national whose academic foundation is rooted in law. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Law from the University of Tokyo in 1987 and subsequently passed the Japanese Bar Exam in 1986. He further advanced his legal education by obtaining an LL.M. from Columbia Law School in 1996, equipping him with a global perspective on legal and economic issues.
Mr. Watanabe began his professional journey in 1987 with Japan’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI), now known as the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI). Over the years, he has held numerous pivotal positions, including Director General for Trade Policy and Director General of the Multilateral Trade System Department at METI. His leadership roles have placed him at the heart of Japan’s engagement with major international economic frameworks, such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), where he served as Cabinet Counsellor at the Government Headquarters for the TPP.
His career also includes significant diplomatic and advisory roles. Mr. Watanabe was a Counsellor to the Japanese Delegation to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and served as Special Advisor to the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry in 2022. He has been instrumental in shaping Japan’s policies on creative industries and international economic dispute settlement, reflecting his broad expertise and commitment to fostering innovation and cooperation in the region.
In addition to his government service, Mr. Watanabe is a Visiting Professor at the Graduate School of Public Policy, the University of Tokyo, where he contributes to the next generation of policy leaders. He has also held the position of Vice President at the Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI), further strengthening his profile as a thought leader in economic research.
Since July 2023, Mr. Watanabe has led ERIA, driving research and policy dialogue to promote sustainable economic growth and integration across ASEAN and East Asia. His vision and leadership continue to shape the region’s economic landscape, making him a respected voice in international economic affairs.
John Neuffer is President and CEO and ex officio board member of the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), which has been the voice of the chip industry for over four decades. He has been at the nexus of technology, public policy, and trade for most of his career. Since joining SIA in 2015, John has led the association’s policy advocacy in Washington and capitals around the world to foster growth and innovation in semiconductor design, manufacturing, and research. John also serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Semiconductor Research Corporation, the world’s leading non-profit industry-government-academia microelectronics research consortium.
Prior to joining SIA, John served as Senior Vice President for Global Policy at the Information Technology Industry Council, where he led a global team to expand market access opportunities for member companies around the world. He directed all global government relations in trade, cybersecurity, standards, regulatory, Internet governance, and privacy.
Previously, John served for over seven years at the Office of United States Trade Representative (USTR) in Washington, DC: two years as Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Affairs, preceded by over five years as Deputy Assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Japan.
Prior to his tenure with USTR, John was a Senior Research Fellow and Political Analyst with the Mitsui Kaijyo Research Institute in Tokyo for nine years. As a leading commentator on Japanese politics and policy at the institute, he published a widely read newsletter and wrote regular commentary for the Asian Wall Street Journal, TheStreet.com and Newsweek Japan. All told, John lived in Japan 11 years. He is a native of Montana and Washington State.
Mr Brian Tan is the Corporate Vice President, Applied Materials Inc. and Regional President, Applied Materials Southeast Asia. He oversees the company’s operations and strategy in the Southeast Asia in helping to build strategic partnerships across the private and public sectors as well as enabling customers’ success across Asia.
Mr Tan has significant contributions to the semiconductor industry and played a pivotal role in establishing Singapore as a key R&D, manufacturing and customer support hub. Under his leadership, Mr Tan strengthens collaboration between Applied Materials and research institutions where he oversaw the establishment of joint labs with Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and academia with the establishment of a corporate lab with the National University of Singapore (NUS).
Furthermore, Mr Tan was elected to the board of Singapore Semiconductor Industry Association (SSIA) since 2018 and is appointed as chairman in 2024. In addition, Mr Tanserves on the Future of Microelectronics steering committee under the Manufacturing, Trade and Connectivity domain in Research, Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2025 where he was instrumental in shaping the direction of Singapore’s semiconductor industry.
Mr Tan is on the National Environment Agency (NEA) Board. He also serves on the Advisory Board of National University of Singapore (NUS) College of Design & Engineering (CDE) and recently in the School of Continuing and Lifelong Education (SCALE) to support his passion in education and talent development.
Brian received a Bachelor of Engineering degree in mechanical engineering from the National University of Singapore.
KS Pua is the Founder and CEO of Phison Electronics. He was born in a farming community Sekinchan in Selangor, Malaysia in 1974. At the age of 19, went to Taiwan with just US$4,000 in his pocket. With no relatives to help him, his only dream was to study hard, graduated from National Chiao Tung University (NCTU) in Hsinchu, Taiwan in 1997 and earned Master’s from NCTU in 1999. Mr. Pua and his four friends founded Phison Electronics Corp. in Taiwan. He designed and produced the world’s first single chip USB flash controller with other founders. Under his lead, the company has become a global leader in NAND Flash controller IC and storage solutions.
As an entrepreneur, Mr. Pua is a successful high-teck entrepreneur and the recipient of the Ten Outstanding Young Malaysian Awards , and received Outstanding Young Entrepreneur Award, Outstanding Young Manager Award and The President Award of National Management Excellence Award from the Government. He was elected as Fellow of Chinese Society for Management Of Technology in 2009. In 2022, Phison reached sale revenue of US$2.03 billion and has become the largest independent NAND controller and NAND storage solution provider globally, and was named 65th in U.S magazine Bloomberg Businessweek’s Tech 100 in year of 2010. From 2015 to present, production value of Phison were ranked top 4 of IC Design Houses in Taiwan IC design industry.
Dr. Robert Li currently serves as Vice President of Sales and Chairman of Synopsys Taiwan, where he leads the company’s business growth and strategic initiatives across Taiwan and Southeast Asia. Since joining Synopsys in 1999, Dr. Li has accumulated over 25 years of experience in operations and management within the semiconductor design software industry.
In addition to his tenure at Synopsys, Dr. Li founded E-Trade Info, a network services company, and previously held a research position at Taiwan’s Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI).
Dr. Li earned his Ph.D. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Southern California, an EMBA from National Taiwan University, and a bachelor’s degree in Communication Engineering from National Chiao Tung University. He was recognized as an Outstanding Alumnus by National Chiao Tung University in 2019 and received the prestigious 40th National Manager Excellence Award in 2022.
Mr Amarjit Singh Sandhu is the Corporate Vice President, Assembly and Test NAND Operations and Malaysia Country Manager for Micron Technology, Inc.
He has 30 years of Operations Management expertise in locations such as Singapore, China and Malaysia.
He currently oversees the Assembly and Test sites namely in Micron Singapore, Muar (Johor) and Penang, engaged in manufacturing NAND and DRAM components, Solid State Devices (SSD) and memory modules.
He has pioneered 4 Green field manufacturing startups in different geographies and led 3 successful turnarounds of matured organizations in the last 10 years in China, Singapore and Malaysia.
Amarjit built up his career in the semiconductor industry with Texas Instruments Singapore, United Test and Assembly Center (UTAC), Western Digital Corporation (WDC) prior to joining Micron Semiconductor Asia in 2018.
He earned his MBA from the Warwick Business School and a Bachelor degree in Mechanical Engineering from the National University of Singapore.
Dato’ Bock joined Sandisk in June 2010 after 21 years in Motorola and STATSChipPAC. He brings with him more than 30 years of vast experience in various functions inclusive of QRA, Operations, Supply Chain, factory GM, greenfield construction and start-up
in China & Malaysia. He is currently the SVP of Operations Backend (BE), managing the end-to-end Supply Chain, Product Order Management, Transformation Office, Packaging Technology Development and Operations of the Captive, Backend JV factories
and Contract Manufacturing with footprint across six countries.
Dato’ Bock has a proven track record in transforming conventional factory to “Lean 6 Sigma Automation – achieved industry pioneer in fully integrated Lights-Out manufacturing and industry pioneer in vertically integrated Wafer-In-Drive-Out
manufacturing.” With this transformation, Sandisk Semiconductor Shanghai (SDSS) and Sandisk Storage Malaysia (SDSM) has been designated the Lighthouse status, with SDSS being recognized as the first factory to achieve in one cohort, both the Advanced 4IR Manufacturing Lighthouse and China 1st Sustainability Lighthouse and SDSM being recognized as the Asia 1st Sustainability Lighthouse and Malaysia 1st Advanced 4IR Manufacturing Lighthouse by the World Economic Forum.
Dato’ Bock has received numerous awards such as Executive of The Year for Malaysia Management Excellence Award, featured in CEO Magazine and also was appointed as a 4IR Technical Advisor for MIDA, a beacon to share the 4IR journey to various industry captains. He is also a Certified Chief Master Coach by ITD World, SEMI SEA Regional Advisory Board Member, ISES SEA Advisory Board Member, Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association (MSIA) Board Member, and University Technology Petronas IR-ACE Council Member.
Dato’ Bock holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electronic Engineering from Tunku Abdul Rahman University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from University of Keele, United Kingdom.
Catherine Lian, a technology veteran with over two decades of experience, is the General Manager and Technology Leader for IBM ASEAN which includes Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines and Vietnam to lead all strategic and operational decisions related to IBM’s sales, services, and delivery operations. As a part of her mission, Catherine works with clients and key stakeholders in the region to leverage hybrid cloud and AI technologies to help them further accelerate their digital transformation journey.
Prior to joining IBM Malaysia in 2019, she held leadership roles at Dell Technologies, overseeing markets in Southeast Asia, including Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indochina and Cambodia.
Catherine’s stint with leadership roles in the IT Industry began at Dell Technologies, where she worked for the past two decades before joining IBM Malaysia. She has also held various management roles within Dell Technologies, covering the South Asia markets, including Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Indochina, and Cambodia. Throughout her career, Catherine has been consistently recognised as the key leader in the IT industry, helping and enabling clients to innovate and succeed.
Catherine is a strong advocate for women in leadership in the IT Industry and was recognised at the Channel Asia Women in ICT Awards 2020 as the Highly Commended winner under the achievement category in the ASEAN region. She continues to mentor aspiring talents, believing that by leading the way, aspirants are empowered to create thriving and sustainable communities.
Catherine has been appointed as the PIKOM (The National Tech Association of Malaysia) Councillor in 2021. She has since held key positions in the association, including Chairman for Women in Tech 2022, Chairman for Tech Fest 2022 and Deputy Chairman for IR 4.0 SIG 2022. In 2022 Prestige Magazine Malaysia recognised Catherine as one amongst the 100 of nation’s most influential Women of Power.
She is also recognised as the winner of Channel Asia Women in ICT Awards under the Achievement category. Catherine won this award in recognition of a management career spanning more than two decades in Malaysia and South Asia, built on the foundations of business growth, customer success and individual mentoring.
In 2023, Catherine has been recognised as one of the five most influential Women in Tech by Tech Wire Asia and she has been honoured with the Women in Tech Award from the prestigious World Innovation, Technology and Services Alliance ( WITSA) Global Innovation and Tech Excellence Awards in 2023.
In September 2024, Catherine has won the prestigious award for the Women In Technology Category at the ASOCIO DX Award event which was held in Tokyo, Japan. The ASOCIO DC Award aims to recognise outstanding accomplishments in the utilization and implementation of digital technologies around the region.
Andrew is a founding member of Accenture Strategy’s Asia Pacific Macro Foresight team, which is focused on helping companies and investors navigate the complex intersection of macroeconomics, geopolitics, and emerging technologies. Based in Singapore, he leads strategic analysis on issues such as global technology competition, the geopolitics and economics of AI, and the impact of trade and industrial policy across ASEAN and the broader APAC region.
An experienced geopolitical and economic advisor, Andrew supports C-suites and strategy teams in building resilience to disruptive macro events, ranging from US tariffs to energy and security shocks in Europe and the Middle East to shifting supply chains in APAC. He has authored a number of client studies focused on macroeconomic issues such as the potential economic impact of Generative AI across economies and the role of policy in catalysing investment in emerging economies. He is a key contributor to Accenture Strategy’s global thought leadership and regular host and organizer of its macroeconomic webinar series, including the most recent series on the geopolitics of AI. Within Accenture, he also plays a central role in internal working groups that shape the firm’s APAC-wide perspectives and client strategy.
Prior to Accenture, Andrew served as a Director at BowerGroupAsia, advising multinational clients on government policy and political risk across ASEAN. Elsewhere, he has covered APAC political economy issues from both the public and private sector, analysing geopolitical competition, sovereign debt, and macroeconomic conditions to inform investment and policy decisions. He brings over a decade of experience covering regulated markets spanning high-tech, financial services, pharmaceuticals, and energy sectors in Asia Pacific and North America.
Andrew holds a dual MBA-MA from INSEAD and the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He is also an alumnus of the University of Southern California, where he holds bachelor’s degrees in business administration and political science.
Mei May is a highly accomplished AI leader with over two decades of experience in Data Science and AI, having been named as the Top 10 CAIO, #1 Top AI Leader in APAC, Top 10 Women in Tech APAC, Top 50 Women Tech Leader in APAC, Top 10 AI Influencers and many more. As the lead of Dell Technologies’ AI/ML initiatives for Global Solutions Specialist, she works closely with customers to solve problems scientifically and objectively, exemplified by her team’s design and development of a Deep Learning model that recognizes and identifies different types of corals for the conservation of the Great Barrier Reef. Her leadership and innovation in this project were recognized in CIO World Asia. Another AI initiative with a Singapore university to develop a Smart Fundraising machine learning model led to the winning of two Circle of Excellence awards (Global Grand Gold and Best Asia Pacific).
Prior to joining Dell Technologies, Mei May led the data science team at Cisco Systems, where she discovered that people, not data, are at the centre of everything. She strives to connect the two worlds by incorporating elements of humanity and behavioural sciences in the interpretation of data. As such she is able to explain complex data concepts to stakeholders at all levels of an organization.
Mei May’s passion for promoting diversity and inclusion has seen her lead the Singapore Chapter of Dell Technologies’ Women in Action employee resource group (ERG), working toward the organisation’s 2030 goals of 50% of its global workforce and 40% of its global people leaders being those who identify as women. As the lead for the Mentoring pillar within WIA Singapore, she champions the flagship cross-company cross-industry mentoring program, MentorConnect, which has benefited over 500 mentees early in leadership from 15 partner companies.
Solomon Lorthu is the Vice President & Country Manager for Motorola Solutions Malaysia Sdn. Bhd. with overall responsibilities for Motorola Solutions Malaysia’s operations in both Penang and Kuala Lumpur that includes R&D, Supply Chain, Managed & Support Services, Finance Shared Services and Sales operations.
Solomon has over 25 years of experience with Motorola Solutions and has held various key leadership positions within the company during his tenure. Solomon continues to lead the Penang Design Center, one of the largest R&D organizations for Motorola Solutions globally in Malaysia.
Under his stewardship, Solomon has led various teams to deliver numerous innovative products under different portfolios for worldwide customers, from platform based to fast derivatives. These products have won numerous design excellence awards internationally.
Solomon is passionate about people development, operational excellence and innovation. He
continues to lead multiple initiatives surrounding these areas.
Solomon graduated in Electrical and Electronics Engineering (Hons.) from the University of Northumbria, UK in 1997.
Mrs. Do Thi Thuy Huong is an Executive Board Director of the Vietnam Electronics Industries Association (VEIA) – an NGO represented for more than 300 electronic industry enterprises in Vietnam. As one of the leaders of the national important industry association, Mrs. Huong has spent more than 30 years serving to the development and interests of the electronic industry in Vietnam and the South East Asia. She collaborates the electronic industry manufacturers, industry policy makers and all stake-holders to foster the industry at the context of the global change for the industry 4.0, digitalization and sustainable manufacturing in Vietnam, in South East Asia, regional and international.
She is the active participant in international field context such as the World Electronic Forum and the Asian Electronic Forum, where garthering all the top leaders of electronic industry worldwide. She is known widely as the national expert in electronic industry and is recognized by many local and international organizations, and government authorities.
In the same time, Mrs. Huong also works as Director Board of Viettronics Group, a Vietnamse corporation having 14 companies affiliated and a CEO of a jont venture company with South Korean partners. She also serves as Editor in Chief of an online magazine in electronic and technology namely Vietnet24h, having address at: www.vietnet24h.vn
She has been elected as Vice President of the Vietnam Association for Supporting Industries (VASI) since its establishment in year 2017 and being re-elected in year 2022.
Her university graduate background is in electrical automation and her second degree is bachelor of law in economic. She got her master degree in Economic and Public Policy from the School of Korea Development Institue, a leading think tank institution from Government of South Korea and many certificates of post-graduation from Japan, Germany and Thailand in business and public aministration policies.
Andrew Chan Yik Hong is the Executive Director of the Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association (MSIA). MSIA is the voice of the Malaysia semiconductor and electronics industry. Andrew leads MSIA’s strategic direction, policy advocacy, industry development, and international engagement. MSIA currently represents over 300 member companies from 20 countries, spanning the full semiconductor value chain.
Andrew plays a pivotal role in positioning Malaysia within the global semiconductor landscape. He serves on several high-level national platforms, including PEMUDAH, the National Strategic Semiconductor Task Force, and TalentCorp’s MyMahir Future Skills Talent Council for the semiconductor sector. He also chairs the Semiconductor Working Group under Malaysia’s National Standards Committee, where he champions cross-sector collaboration and technical leadership.
A Fellow Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW), Andrew brings a distinctive blend of financial discipline, technological insight, and strategic foresight. His prior leadership roles at PwC Consulting, IBM, and Gamuda span corporate transformation, consulting strategy, and public-private partnership development—equipping him to work effectively at the intersection of industry, policy, and talent.
Andrew is a strong advocate for Malaysia’s strategic role in the global semiconductor supply chain—leveraging its manufacturing depth, skilled talent base, and accelerating investments to support industry growth, innovation, and long-term resilience.
Wee Seng has over two decades of experience in the semiconductor industry, encompassing fab start-up, technology development, manufacturing, and senior leadership roles. Wee Seng now leads the Singapore Semiconductor Industry Associaton (SSIA) in supportng the semiconductor industry by growing its talent pool, helping businesses grow, and advocatng for an environmentally sustainable business strategy for the industry. He concurrently sits on several advisory commitees, such as Singapore Polytechnic’s School of Electrical and Electronics Engineering (SEEE), NTU’s School of Materials Science and Engineering, Industrial Transformaton Asia-Pacific (ITAP), as well as ESG’s Smart Manufacturing Technical Commitee (SMTC) and Environment and Resources Standards Technical Commitee for Energy. Wee Seng also plays an actve role in supportng the community, and is a District Councillor for North East CDC.
Wee Seng holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from Nanyang Technological University and a Masters (MSc) in Management of Technology from Natonal University of Singapore.
Dan Lachica is the President of Semiconductor and Electronics Industries in the Philippines Foundation, Inc. (SEIPI), the association representing the electronics industry which accounts for 62.3% of total Philippine commodity exports and employs over 3M direct and indirect workers.
Dan has over 40 years of senior management experience in semiconductors, electronics and consumer goods manufacturing, 16 of which were in front-end semiconductor wafer manufacturing in Silicon Valley. Prior to his early retirement from the Lopez Group of companies, he was a SVP with First Philippine Holdings Corp. and concurrent President of the group’s electronics/solar manufacturing companies. He returned to the Philippines in 1996 as the expatriate Managing Director of Iomega Corporation of Utah. He also held leadership positions at Hewlett Packard in California, Motorola in Arizona, American Microsystems Inc. in Idaho, and Procter & Gamble in the Philippines, among others. He was the Chief of Party for the USAID-ULF Advanced Manufacturing Workforce Development (AMDev) Program.
Dan is an expert in world-class initiatives such as Six Sigma (Black Belt & U.S. IQPC Judge), Balanced Score Card, and Total Productive Maintenance.
He had received several awards including the Dr. Joseph Juran National Medal from the Philippine Society for Quality, the Outstanding Electrical Engineer from the University of the Philippines (U.P .), and the Gawad Lagablab Award from the Philippine Science High School. He has BSEE from U.P . Diliman, an MBA from San Jose State University in California, and a DBA (With Distinction) from De La Salle University. Dan is a Philippine Science High School (PSHS) alumnus and currently sits in the Board of the Philippine Science High School System (PSHSS). He is a member of the Advisory Councils of DOST’s SEI, ITDI, and AmCen. For DTI, Dan sits in the Export Development Council ExCom and Co- Chairs the EMB NCTPPS and the Electronics TWG.
Dr. Wutthinan Jeamsaksiri is a distinguished semiconductor researcher and technology leader with over two decades of experience in microelectronics design, fabrication, and industry development. He currently serves as a Principal Researcher at the Thai Microelectronics Center (TMEC) under the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) where he has been instrumental in advancing Thailand’s semiconductor capabilities.
Dr. Jeamsaksiri earned his PhD in Semiconductor Device Design and Fabrication from Imperial College London (1997-2000), following his M.Eng in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from the same prestigious institution (1992-1996). His academic foundation from one of the world’s leading engineering schools has been the cornerstone of his innovative research approach.
His professional journey includes significant international experience, having worked as a Senior Researcher at IMEC International in Leuven, Belgium (2001-2004), where he focused on design and process integration of 90nm and 65nm CMOS for microwave performance under the European framework project “IMPACT”. He then to returned to Thailand and steered the work at TMEC towards MEMS, Sensors, photonics RD, prototyping, and production.
From 2018 to 2023, Dr. Jeamsaksiri served as Director of TMEC, leading strategic initiatives to develop Thailand’s microelectronics industry ecosystem. Under his leadership, the center expanded its research capabilities and strengthened partnerships with both academic institutions and industry players.
Currently, he continues his research work while serving on the Semiconductor and High Value Electronics Board Committee (headed by the secretary of Board Of Investment-BOI Thailand), contributing tonational industry development strategies and a technical advisory committee of Thailand Printed Circuit Association (THPCA). He actively contributes to higher education initiatives and investment policy development for Thailand’s semiconductor and high-value electronics sectors.
With his technical expertise in semiconductors, international experience, and leadership background, Dr. Jeamsaksiri is well-positioned to collaborate on technology development and support Thailand’s progress in AI-Sensor integration.
Kenny heads the telecommunications and digital infrastructure sector of the Technology, Media & Telecommunications (TMT) Center of Excellence in UOB, where he is responsible for the strategic business development activities of the TMT sector in Asia. He has been instrumental in growing UOB’s business portfolio in the TMT space, leveraging on his over 20 years of experience in both corporate and investment banking, spanning over several MNC and regional financial institutions in Malaysia and Singapore, with customers cutting across multiple sectors and geographies.
Kenny has the added advantage of having insights from the buy-side having previously served as the Head of Treasury for a SGX main-board listed property developer. Kenny holds a post-graduate diploma in Information Technology as well as a Bachelor of Business (Economics & Finance) from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Australia.
Mehbub Khan is a distinguished expert in water treatment and management, boasting 25 years of extensive experience within the microelectronics industry. As the Microelectronic Market Manager for Veolia Water Technologies Singapore, he has been pivotal in shaping and advancing water treatment solutions for leading microelectronic companies across the region.
His profound expertise encompasses a broad spectrum of process design and consultation, ensuring that major industry players benefit from innovative and efficient water management strategies.
Meng Yew is a Partner in the Deloitte Singapore office and is the Leader of the Global Trade Advisory practice and the Climate & Sustainability (ESG) practice in Southeast Asia.
He regularly advises clients in navigating their investments into Southeast Asia from a market access perspective involving movement of goods, services and investments. Such advice includes cross border supply chain strategies from a legal, regulatory, tax and trade (WTO) perspective.
Meng Yew has close to 20 years of experience in the tax & trade area, which includes more than a decade practising tax and trade law at an international law firm advising clients on tax planning, customs and trade compliance matters and representing clients with regards to disputes with tax and customs authorities in various jurisdictions.
On the customs front, Meng Yew regularly advises clients on tariff classification and valuation disputes arising from audits/investigations by customs authorities in the region, rules of origin planning and audit defence under various ASEAN-based Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). He also works on export controls and sanctions matters, helping clients navigate exports of US-origin goods/incorporating US-technology above de minimis levels and to comply with both UN/EU-based sanctions restrictions and requirements.
On the trade front, Meng Yew has extensive experience representing producers and exporters in trade remedy investigations and has successfully argued for and against the imposition of trade measures across various industries. He is well versed with judicial review proceedings at both the High Court and the Court of Appeal level in respect of trade remedy cases.
Meng Yew has advised ASEAN government bodies comprising finance ministries and trade ministries on issues pertaining to WTO commitments and trade agreement upgrades amongst others.
As the Tax & Legal ESG Leader in Southeast Asia, Meng Yew is well versed with carbon tax regimes in the region and works closely with other ESG and trade practitioners in Europe on the carbon border adjustment mechanism (CBAM) regime and other environmental and forced labour requirements in the US. He also works closely with the incentive teams to identify tax incentives, grants and other facilitation afforded to companies investing in ESG initiatives.
Meng Yew read law (LLB) at the University of Nottingham (UK) and is admitted to practice as an Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya. He has been listed as a notable tax and trade practitioner in Legal 500, Who’s Who Legal (Customs and Trade) and is consistently ranked as a highly regarded tax and trade practitioner by International Tax Review (ITR).
During his free time, Meng Yew guest lectures on International Trade Law at the Singapore Nanyang Technological University (NTU).
Dr Ong Kian Ming was the former Deputy Minister of the Ministry of Investment, Trade, and Industry (MITI), Malaysia and a former two term Member of Parliament. He is currently a board member of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) and was formerly Pro Vice Chancellor of External Engagement at Taylor’s University. He was a former consultant at the Boston Consulting Group (BCG). He holds a PhD in Political Science from Duke University, a Masters in Economics from the University of Cambridge, and a Bachelors in Economics from the London School of Economics.
Maria Monica Wihardja is a Visiting Fellow and Co-Coordinator of the Media, Technology and Society Programme at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. She is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor at the National University of Singapore. She serves as a member of the East Asia Forum’s Editorial Board, the Asian-Pacific Economic Literature’s Editorial Advisory Board and the Center for Indonesian Policy Studies’ Board of Directors. Her other affiliations include Global Associate at the Indonesia Project and Honorary Fellow at the College of Asia and the Pacific, Australian National University. Her current main research topics are digital economy, labour market, regional supply chains, disinformation and electoral propaganda. She has a PhD in Regional Science from Cornell University, a MPhil in Economics from Cambridge University, and a BA in Applied Mathematics-Economics from Brown University.
Ms. Norjamin Delos Reyes is a career professional in international business and government engagement, with 28 years of experience in the Philippine government specializing in trade and investment promotion, strategic planning, and international economic cooperation.
She currently serves as Commercial Counsellor at the Philippine Trade and Investment Center in Kuala Lumpur, leading efforts to strengthen trade and investment relations between the Philippines and Malaysia. Her work focuses on high-growth and strategic sectors, including electronics and semiconductors.
Ms. Delos Reyes has held diverse roles in economic zone administration, corporate
management, and business development, contributing to foreign direct investment and supporting trade growth through efforts such as market development, export promotion, and enhancing international partnerships.
She holds a Master’s degree in International Business and Development Studies from Sophia University in Tokyo, a certificate in International Development from the United Nations University, and a Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from the University of the Philippines Diliman. She also undertook legal studies, further complementing her background in trade and investment facilitation.
With nearly three decades of government experience, Ms. Delos Reyes brings a strong commitment to advancing inclusive economic development by fostering trade partnerships and driving investment.
Mr. Narit Therdsteerasukdi became Secretary General of the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI) in October 2022. Previously, he served as Deputy Secretary General (2017–2022), Senior Executive Advisor of the BOI (2016–2017), Executive Director of the Investment Strategy and Policy Bureau (2015–2016), and Executive Director of the Information Technology Bureau (2014–2015).
He began his career at the BOI in 1995 as an Investment Promotion Officer in various divisions, including the Investment Services Center, International Affairs Division, and Planning and Development Division. He also served as Executive Assistant to two Secretaries General of the BOI. He later became Director of the Economic and Investment Strategy Division and concurrently Director of the Center for the Development of New Investment Promotion Strategy and Policy.
Mr. Narit’s experience also includes secondments to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs during 2001–2002 and 2004–2006. During this time, he was appointed Deputy Director of the One Tambon, One Product (OTOP) Program Coordination Office under the Prime Minister’s Office. He was later assigned to serve as Head of the Secretariat of the Economic Advisory Committee to the Prime Minister from 2009–2011.
He is currently a board member of the Thailand Institute of Scientific and Technological Research (TISTR), and a member and secretary of both Thailand’s National EV Committee and the National Semiconductor and Advanced Electronics Committee, where he drives inter-agency collaboration and leads policy advocacy to promote Thailand as a regional hub for semiconductor, smart electronics and electric vehicle industries.
Mr. Narit holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics (Honors) from Chulalongkorn University, a Bachelor’s degree in Law from Ramkhamhaeng University, and an M.A. in Economics from Boston University, USA. He also received a certificate in Economic Management for Development from Curtin University, Australia, and an advanced certificate in Public Administration and Public Law from King Prajadhipok’s Institute.
He is the author of two books, Next Generation Leaders and Global Village, and co-editor of Thailand Stand-up. He also wrote regular columns titled “Investment for the Future” and “Smart EEC” for newspapers and magazines.
Mr. Narit has received several honors, including the “Outstanding Government Official” award (2015) from the Prime Minister, “Outstanding Alumni” awards from Saint Gabriel’s College (2022) and the Faculty of Economics, Chulalongkorn University (2023), as well as the “Outstanding Extracurricular Activist” award (1993) from the Faculty of Economics, Chulalongkorn University.
Before the event
During the event
After the event
