AI as a Growth Engine: Transforming Malaysia’s Digital Economy

Julian Gorman is a recognized leader in the mobile industry, driving innovation and collaboration across Asia Pacific as Head of Region at GSMA. With over 20 years of global experience spanning business, policy, regulation, and digital transformation, he works at the intersection of technology and policy to shape the future of digital economies. Passionate about the power of connectivity, Julian champions strategic partnerships that accelerate sustainable, inclusive growth and unlock new opportunities for governments, businesses, and societies.

Kevin is currently the Head of Strategic Engagement in APAC for GSMA. He has over 23 years of experience in the telecommunications sector working with various mobile operators regionally in APAC, like Maxis, Celcom, Indosat Ooredoo (Indonesia), Robi (Bangladesh) as well as smaller startups like UMobile, P1 and Seatel (Cambodia). Kevin has held various senior positions with the last being the Chief Operations Officer of Tune Talk. He has both commercial and technical experience in the various roles he has held during his tenure.

Ashish is a Partner at Kearney, and is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.  

For the past 20 years, Ashish has provided advisory services to private and public sector organizations in Asia and globally on technology topics, with a focus on ICT enablement and diversification.

Although primarily based in Asia and the Middle East, he has worked extensively throughout Europe, the Americas, and Australia, advising leading enterprises in the telecommunications, internet, and technology sectors. He has significant experience in assisting industry leaders and public sector organizations in large-scale transformations. In recent years, his advisory portfolio has prominently featured AI, including leading the AI strategy for an Asian country and supporting multiple telecom operators in Asia with their AI strategies.

Before joining Kearney, Ashish worked for a major technology consultancy. He holds an Engineering Degree in ICT and an MBA from HEC Paris.

A.Balasubramaniam (Bala) is the Director/ Head of Scaleup Development, Digital Exports Division at Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), an agency under  Ministry of Digital, focused on facilitating the success of Malaysia Digital (formerly known as MSC Malaysia), Digital Economy and the companies operating in it.

Bala has been instrumental in attracting foreign Venture Capitals to Malaysia since 2013, and working closely with Securities Commission in formulating policies and incentives for VCs. He has provided strategic inputs for Securities Commission to revise the incentives for the Venture Capital Industry under 2018 budget. He has been involved in facilitating RM1.5B fund raising for more than 200 Companies, since 2015.

Bala has extensive experience in guiding the organization with regards to policy and implementation matters pertaining to Incubation Development, Entrepreneur Development and Funding Development. He co-developed the mechanism for Technopreneur Pre-Seed Grant for ICT start-ups, which was successfully implemented by MDEC in 2007 with RM80million funding from the government.

Prior to MDEC, Bala has been with several other government organization such as Bank Industri Malaysia (now known as SME Bank), Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC) and Malaysian Technology Consultants (MTDC-SIRIM JV Co).

Among other notable contribution are the policies and inputs for the 8th Malaysia Plan, 9th Malaysia Plan, 10th Malaysia Plan, 11th Malaysia Plan and, currently the 12th Malaysia for the ICT Industry & Digital Economy.

Bala was the key driver in the establishment of the 1st IC Design Training Centre in Malaysia during his MTDC days. He was also part of the National Task Force for the establishment of the 1st Wafer Fabrication Facility in Malaysia during his tenure at Bank Industri.

Bala has also been an Entrepreneur developing process technology for the Semiconductor Industry in particular for IC Packaging sector. On this particular venture, he raised corporate venture funding amounting to RM3.0m in 1999.

Bala holds BEng (Hons) Electrical & Electronics Engineering and MSc. Manufacturing Engineering Management from the UK. 

A Research Master's graduate in Engineering from the University of Melbourne, Australia, is celebrated for his exceptional track record in digital transformation and growth. With over two decades of international experience, he has spearheaded innovative advancements across various industries, successfully bootstrapping startups and driving innovation within corporate and public sectors. His efforts have been recognized with prestigious awards from organizations such as GovInsider (Singapore), IDC (USA), APICTA (Malaysia), and iAwards (Australia). Passionate about leveraging technology and innovation, Sam is committed to creating meaningful impact for society and the environment.

Endry is the Chief of Staff in the GCEO Office at PayNet, where he leads the organisation's Artificial Intelligence initiatives and drives performance management and delivery in the organisation. With over 10 years of experience in strategy, transformation, and technology across the Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa, Endry brings a wealth of expertise to his role.

In his previous roles, Endry has advised governments globally on national-level policies, developed national blueprints, and crafted strategic roadmaps, particularly within the financial services and oil, gas, and energy sectors. He has led initiatives in business turnaround, change management, and transformation, providing him with a comprehensive perspective on helping companies achieve their full potential and navigate complex challenges.

Endry's academic background includes a Bachelor of Engineering degree in Materials Engineering, a Master of Economics, and a PhD in Economics. He is also a certified professional technologist in Malaysia.

Neil joined U Mobile as our Chief Information Officer in February 2018. He is a South African IT veteran who has spent over three decades in the telecommunications industry. Prior to U Mobile, Neil was with MTN, the biggest African mobile operator with 230 million subscribers spanning 22 countries. Neil holds various qualifications, including a prestigious Wits University Postgraduate Certificate in CIO Practice.

Having worked his way up from engineer to CIO, Neil possesses both strategic vision for IT to meet business objectives, as well as the technical understanding to implement. One of Neil’s proudest U Mobile moments that demonstrated his mettle was a successful transformation initiative for our CRM and billing systems. This was key to supporting improvements to shape customer experience and business scalability moving forwards. As a leader, Neil believes that every employee has an important role to play to drive company vision. As such, he has an open-door policy and seeks to be consultative, constantly engaging his staff to get them excited to be on the same journey together.