ASEAN Roundtable Series on Trade War and its impact on ASEAN

CIMB ASEAN Research Institute in collaboration with ASEAN Business Club held a roundtable discussion on 14th August 2018, with the theme Trade War and its impact on ASEAN. Speakers included Roberto Benetello, Chief Executive Officer of the European Union (EU) – Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Siobhan M. Das, Executive Director of the American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM); Tan Sri Dr. Munir Majid, Chairman of CIMB ASEAN Research Institute and President of the ASEAN Business Club; Dr. Donald Hanna, Group Chief Economist of CIMB Group and Dato’ Muhamad Noor Yacob, Board Member of the Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC) and Former Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Malaysia to World Trade Organisation (WTO).

Click here: Read discussion summary.
Click here: Read press release.

img-text-speakers

Dr. Donald Hanna

Group Chief Economist, CIMB Group

Dr. Donald Hanna has an insightful blend of both global perspective and local ASEAN experience in analyzing global macroeconomic and policy developments, having done his first work on ASEAN while still in graduate school. He began his professional career with the World Bank working in Washington DC and Jakarta, Indonesia. He has managed macroeconomic teams for Goldman Sachs and Citigroup, ending his stint with Citi as their Deputy Chief Economist. In addition to sell-side experience, Dr. Hanna has worked on the buy-side providing macro and market views to risk takers at two hedge funds. He has also set up and managed an independent, Asian-focused macro research office.

Dr. Hanna is a Fulbright Scholar, and has a PhD in Economics from Harvard University and a BA, summa cum laude, in Economics and Spanish from the University of California at Berkeley. He is also a member of the Advisory Board of the Centre for Applied Macroeconomic Analysis at Australia National University and the Asian Development Bank’s International Advisory Group. He is fluent in both Spanish and Bahasa Indonesia.

Dato’ Muhamad Noor Yacob

Board Member, Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC) Former Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Malaysia to World Trade Organisation (WTO)

Dato’ Muhamad Noor Yacob is the Board Member of Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC) and former Ambassador/Permanent Representative of Malaysia to World Trade Organisation (WTO). He started his career in Malaysia’s Public Service at the Ministry of Plantation Industry and Commodities in 1974. During this stint, including as the Trade Commissioner in the United Kingdom, Muhamad Noor represented Malaysia extensively in international trade fora, including ASEAN, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and various international commodity organisations. He was Malaysia’s Permanent Representative to WTO in Switzerland from 2003 until 2009. He was appointed in October 2003 and was elected Chair of the following WTO bodies – General Council (2007), Dispute Settlement Body (2006), and Negotiating Group on Trade Facilitation (2004 – 2005). He graduated with honours in economics from the University of Malaya in 1974. Muhamad Noor also holds a Master of Public Policy at the University of Wisconsin at Madison, which he obtained in 1982 and attended the Advanced Management Program at Harvard Business School in 2002.

Roberto Benetello

Chief Executive Officer European Union (EU) – Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry

Over 20 years of experience in international relations and business facilitation, general management, marketing and business development in various sectors, Benetello’s work experience ranges from providing consultancy in strategic business planning, marketing, international business development and start-ups to online strategy and event planning.

Benetello started his career with EU-Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EUMCCI) in April 2016 when he joined the Board of the Chamber and was later appointed the Chairman of the Board of Directors.

The valuable contributions he made during his chairmanship prompted the Chamber to appoint him as EUMCCI’s first CEO to further leverage on his capability and expertise in operations.

Benetello holds a Masters Degree in Marketing from Lincoln University, UK and an a Master in Business Administration from SDA Bocconi School of Management, Bocconi University, Italy.

Benetello’s vision is to make EUMCCI the go-to platform for members, other EU Bilateral Chambers and the EU business community in Malaysia, where to aggregate business critical issues into recommendations for relevant stakeholders to make Malaysia a friendly business environment for EU companies and investors to the benefit of all parties involved.”

Siobhan M. Das

Executive Director, American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM)

Siobhan Das is the Executive Director of the American Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (AMCHAM). Assuming the positon in January 2016, Siobhan has overseen the revitalization of the Chamber, making it one of the most active and effective AmChams in the region. She reached this achievement by strengthening the Chamber’s presence from within, driving stronger engagement with its members and developing a powerful voice for its various business communities. By leading targeted, well designed, and sustained engagement with key stakeholders, including U.S. and Malaysian government officials, Siobhan has effected policy changes that benefit not only AMCHAM stakeholders, but other companies, contributing to a more open and fair business climate.

She returned to Malaysia after almost 12 years in China, five of which she served as Director of Committees (Industry) at the largest American Chamber of Commerce in the Asia Pacific – Shanghai. There she directed and shaped the role of 26 Committees filled with volunteering senior executives, leading them to advocate successfully on behalf of the U.S. business communities they represent and address issues impacting day-to-day business.

Prior to moving into the non-profit sector, Siobhan spent more than 20 years in the film and television industry across Asia and the U.S., including owning her own production & corporate communications company in Kuala Lumpur. She holds two degrees from Boston University and, more recently, she was a Sloan Fellow at the London Business School where she earned her Master’s in Leadership and Strategy.

Chair

Tan Sri Dr. Munir Majid

Chairman, CIMB ASEAN Research Institute President, ASEAN Business Club

Tan Sri Dr. Munir is currently Chairman of CIMB ASEAN Research Institute, of Bank Muamalat Malaysia Berhad, of the Financial Services Professional Board, of ASEAN Business Advisory Council, Malaysia, as well as President of the ASEAN Business Club. He also sits on the board of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia and on the Financial Services Talent Council of Bank Negara Malaysia.

He has an extensive experience and is well known in the Malaysian corporate world. He had been the Group Editor of the New Straits Times, first executive chairman of CIMB and founding chairman of the Malaysian Securities Commission. After stepping down from the Securities Commission, he became Independent Non-Executive Director of Telekom Malaysia Berhad, Chairman of Celcom (Malaysia) Berhad and Non-Executive Chairman of Malaysian Airline System Berhad. He was Founder President of the Kuala Lumpur Business Club, established in 2003 and is a member of the Court of Fellows of the Malaysian Institute of Management.

Tan Sri Dr. Munir obtained a B.Sc (Econ) and Ph.D in International Relations from the London School of Economic and Political Science (LSE) in 1971 and 1978. He is an Honorary Fellow of LSE and continues the long association with his alma mater as Visiting Senior Fellow at the Centre of International Affairs, Diplomacy and Strategy. Tan Sri Dr. Munir is an associate of Southeast Asia Centre (SEAC) at LSE.

ASEAN Roundtable Series