(Full) People, talent and the key to South-east Asia's shared future | ST SMU Education Forum 2025

2025年海峡时报教育论坛（ST Education Forum）是一期特别版，旨在纪念《海峡时报》（ST）和新加坡管理大学（SMU）的重要周年纪念日。论坛围绕“我们共同的未来”这一主题，重点关注东南亚的机遇与挑战。论坛邀请了一批杰出嘉宾，包括副总理（DPM）王瑞杰、Karo创始人兼首席执行官陈毅文、星展银行首席执行官古柏殊、新大董事会成员哈蒙德法官以及正在重塑印度尼西亚健康和创意产业的企业家兼投资者奥迪。 作为主宾的王瑞杰副总理强调了东南亚在土地面积、GDP、文化和宗教方面的多样性。他回顾了该地区20世纪60年代的动荡时期，但强调了过去三十年取得的重大进展，这主要得益于东盟对经济发展的关注。他指出，东盟的GDP无论是在绝对值上还是占全球GDP的百分比上都有了显著增长。他强调和平与稳定对经济发展的重要性。王瑞杰副总理进一步强调了在多样性中加强东盟团结的重要性。他敦促该地区在团结的基础上，从其多样性中汲取协同效应和力量。他倡导解决“四个D”问题：去全球化（de-globalization）、数字革命（digital revolution）、脱碳（decarbonization）和人口结构（demographics）。他强调深化东盟一体化、充分利用数字革命、认真对待气候变化以及了解人工智能和机器人时代年轻人口的影响的重要性。 古柏殊回顾了东南亚过去45-50年的经济成就，强调了其作为制造基地、消费市场和连接者的作用。他认为，该地区的成功主要归功于其人民和企业，并强调需要赋能人才并建立庞大的人才库。他指出，该地区拥有年轻、具有数字原生代特征且充满创造力的人口，并强调提供高等教育机会和促进年轻人流动性的重要性。古柏殊还强调需要应用研究，以找到解决东南亚独特区域问题的方案。 陈毅文分享了他在东南亚市场运营的经验，指出在不同国家管理公司和人员存在着极大的多样性。他强调了理解当地文化和习俗以充分发挥人们潜力的重要性。他解释了他们如何调整人员管理实践，以确保员工能够做出最佳贡献。 奥迪分享了他在电影和医疗保健行业的经验。在电影行业，他强调了能够引起东南亚共鸣的共同故事，并以此为鉴，需要建立一所学院，让东盟导演共同合作创作共同故事。在医疗保健行业，他认为，医疗保健是受到限制的行业之一，因为你不能轻易在一个国家获得学位并在另一个国家工作，但他了解到，医疗保健管理是可以共享的。 论坛还回答了观众的提问。其中一个问题涉及缅甸，与会者表达了该国行为规范的重要性。另一个问题涉及解决不同地区之间的收入差距。观众提出了将媒体作为建立联系的途径。

The 2025 ST Education Forum, a special edition marking significant anniversaries for The Straits Times (ST) and Singapore Management University (SMU), centered on the theme of "Our Shared Future," with a focus on Southeast Asia's opportunities and challenges. The forum featured a distinguished panel including Deputy Prime Minister (DPM) Heng Swee Keat, Mr. Aaron Tan, founder and CEO of Karo, Mr. Piyush Gupta, CEO of DBS Bank, Judge Hammond of SMU Borde Trustees, and Mr. Audi, entrepreneur and investor reshaping Indonesia's health and creative industries. DPM Heng, the guest of honor, highlighted the diversity of Southeast Asia in terms of land size, GDP, culture, and religion. He recalled the region's turbulent past in the 1960s but emphasized the significant progress made in the last three decades, largely driven by a focus on economic development through ASEAN. He pointed out that ASEAN's GDP has grown substantially, both in absolute terms and as a percentage of global GDP. He emphasized the importance of peace and stability for economic development. DPM Heng further underscored the importance of strengthening ASEAN unity amidst diversity. He urged the region to build on this unity to harness synergy and strength from its diversity. He advocated addressing the "four Ds": de-globalization, the digital revolution, decarbonization, and demographics. He emphasized the importance of deepening ASEAN integration, making full use of the digital revolution, taking climate change seriously, and understanding the implications of a youthful population in the age of AI and robotics. Piyush Gupta reflected on Southeast Asia's economic successes over the past 45-50 years, highlighting its role as a manufacturing base, a consumer market, and a connector. He argued that the region's success is primarily due to its people and businesses, and emphasized the need to empower talent and build a large talent pool. He noted that the region has a young, digitally native population with great creativity, and stressed the importance of providing access to higher education and fostering mobility among young people. Gupta also emphasized the need for applied research to find Southeast Asian solutions to unique regional problems. Aaron Tan shared his experience in operating across Southeast Asian markets, noting the extreme diversity in managing companies and people in different countries. He emphasized the importance of understanding local cultures and customs to bring out the best in people. He explained how they adapt their people practices to ensure that their employees are able to contribute their best. Audi shared his experience in the movie and healthcare industries. For the movie industry, he emphasized shared stories that resonate with Southeast Asia, and with this in mind, the need to set up an academy where ASEAN directors work together to create shared stories. For the healthcare industry, he suggested that healthcare is one of the industries that has restrictions because you cannot easily get a degree in one country and work in another country, however, he learned that healthcare management can be shared. The forum also addressed questions from the audience. One question concerned Myanmar, where the importance of norms of behaviour were expressed in the country. Another question concerned addressing the discrepancies in incomes across different regions. The audience asked about taking media as a way to build a connection.