Ministry of Science, Technology & Innovation together with IBM Organizes Innovation Forum

Forum to support Malaysia’s Innovation Agenda

PETALING JAYA, 3 September – Today, more than ever, developing nations like Malaysia increasingly drive innovation for economic growth. With that in mind, the Ministry of Science, Technology & Innovation (MOSTI) and IBM (NYSE:IBM) will jointly organize the inaugural MOSTI – IBM Innovation Forum themed “Innovating for the Future”.

“Through this forum, we aim to provide a platform for industry leaders and C-level executives to hear the views of the industry’s experts and key corporate leaders as they share valuable tips on how they have embraced innovation to stay competitive and profitable. The inputs and actions from this Innovation Forum will also be used to support Malaysia’s Innovation agenda,” said Datuk Maximus Ongkili, Minister of Science, Technology & Innovation, Malaysia who will be officiating the event.

While Malaysian businesses are hungry for change and looking at it as an opportunity to build new competitive advantage, they are still battling to keep up with the pace of change.

According to IBM’s 2008 Global CEO Study, where 1,130 CEOs worldwide were interviewed, those CEOs who demonstrated the capacity to manage major change can beat the competition by reaching new classes of customers, and making bold moves in shifting their business design around global integration.

“The ability to manage change is driving a wedge between winners and losers in the marketplace,” said Ou Shian Waei, Managing Director, IBM Malaysia. “That is why IBM is proud to partner with MOSTI to host this forum. Our business model, ‘Innovation for the enterprise’ has sustained us through a century of change and we are excited so share our experience and knowledge with everyone,” Ou said.

The forum will feature a selected group of global and local thought leaders. Nick Donofrio, Vice President, Technology and Innovation, IBM Corporation, will be the keynote speaker at the Forum. As a champion for innovation in IBM and its global ecosystem, Nick is instrumental in helping countries such as Thailand and the Philippines in defining their national innovation agenda. Other thought leaders include:


Dr Terry Cutler, Principal, Cutler and Company, who will present on the topic Globalizing Malaysia, discussing Malaysia’s position in the global innovation economy

Prof. Tan Sri Dr. Dzulkifli Razak, Vice Chancellor, Universiti Sains Malaysia, who will expound on Innovation and Role of Skills, deliberating on how knowledge workers of the 21st century need cross-disciplinary programs and degrees in order to compete.

Stephen Braim, Vice President, Government Programs, IBM Asia Pacific expound on Globally Integrated Enterprise, deliberating on a new era of innovation and global integration

Philip Thrush, IBM Global Business Services Leader, IBM Malaysia who will present a paper on 2008 CEO Study: Genuine Not Just Generous, detailing how corporate social responsibility will play an important role in differentiating an enterprise in the future.

There will be a panel discussion led by Dato’ Badlisham Ghazali, Chief Executive Officer, Multimedia Development Corporation where the panelists will share their views on the future challenges faced by Malaysia.

MOSTI-IBM Innovation Forum will be held at One World Hotel, Bandar Utama, Petaling Jaya, on September 15, from 9:00am to 5.00 pm. For event registration, please visit www.ibm.com/my/events/innovationforum or contact Michael or Michelle at 03 – 2091 9045.