During the 37th CACCI Conference held in The Soaltee Hotel, Kathmandu, 6 different Product and Service Councils’ Breakout Sessions were held in the morning of November 7 2023. These breakout sessions gathered government and private sector experts for dialogue and panel discussion on important sectoral issues:
Breakout Sessions
Asian ICT Council
Focusing on the theme: “Envisioning the Future of Artificial Intelligence (AI)”, the session featured speakers who shared their perspectives on the session theme: what are the challenges, opportunities, and benefits for industries and businesses.
The speakers included: Mr. Parag Shrestha, Managing Director, Fuse machines Inc.; Mr. Sam Shen, Global Business Director, Taiwan Smart Solutions Alliance (TSSA); Mr. Umesh Raghubanshi, Vice President, Federation of Computer Association Nepal (CAN Federation); Prof. Andrew Koh, President, Singapore Chapter, Government Block chain Association; and Mr. Homer Yu, Vice President, Kowloon Chamber of Commerce (KCC). Moderating the session was Mr. Mangesh Lal Shrestha, Immediate Past Chairman, CACCI YEGAP / Global Vice President (Growth & AI) at Frost & Sullivan.
Asian Council on Food and Agriculture
With “Food Security and Access: Ensuring Equitable and Sustainable Food Systems” as theme, the session included speakers who elaborated on their views on how to ensure equitable and sustainable food systems through food security and food access.
The featured speakers were: Mr. Rommel Gerodias, President, A101 Innovation Inc.“Food Safety”; Mr. Sumit Kedia, Executive Director, Kedia Organization / Commodity Council Advisor , FNCCI; Mr. Igor Piasetskii, Representative of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Russian Federation in India; and Mr. Hem Raj Dhakal, Vice President (Commodity), FNCCI. The session Moderator was Mr. Pradeep Kumar Shrestha, CACCI Vice President and Former FNCCI President.
Young Entrepreneurs Group Asia-Pacific
The session addressed the theme: “Digital Transformation and Adoption of AI: Driver for Innovation in Entrepreneurship, Trade and Sustainability” Invited speakers examined how digital transformation and the adoption of AI will serve to drive and enable innovation in entrepreneurship, trade and sustainability.
The speakers included: Mr. Michael Lim, Founder, Beyond Value; Mr. Aabhushan Jyoti Kansakar, Board Member, Nepalese Young Entrepreneurs Forum (NYEF); and Mr. Saurabh Jyoti, Chairman, Syakar Trading Co. P. Ltd. The Session Chairman was Mr. Rommel Gerodias, President, A101 Innovation Inc.
Asian Council on Tourism
Carrying the Theme: “Green Tourism for Sustainable Future”, the session invited speakers who shared their experiences and best practices in promoting green tourism in their respective countries for a sustainable future.
The speakers included Mr. Yogendra Shakya, Chairman, Club Himalayan Resort, Nagarkot (Hotel Ambassador); Dr. Dhananjaya Regmi, CEO, Nepal Tourism Board; and Mr. Binayak Shah, President, Hotel Association Nepal. Mr. Anura Lokuhetty, Chairman, Red Apple Travels & Holidays Lanka (Pvt) Ltd. served as Session Moderator.
SME Development Council
The session tackled the theme: “Private Sector and Government Cooperation for SMEs in Change Management”. Invited speakers elaborated on their countries’ experience in promoting the growth and development of SMEs and the government policies in place to achieve this objective amidst a changing market environment.
With Mr. George Abraham, Chairman, The GA Group Pte. Ltd. as Moderator, the session included the following speakers: Mr. Stuart Thomson, Co-Founder and Executive Director, Good Business Foundation / Chief of Staff, Office of the President, CACCI; Ms. Jyotsna Shrestha, Vice President (Associate), FNCCI; Ms. Juna Mathema, Chairperson, Startup and Innovation Forum/EC member FNCCI; and Mr. Manoj Paudel, Chairperson, Investment & International Affairs forum/EC member FNCCI.
Asian Council on Water, Energy and Environment
Focusing on the theme “Clean & Green Energy: CO2 Zero Emission”, the session Invited speakers who shared their views and perspectives on the importance of promoting clean and green energy and what their respective countries are doing in this regard.
Moderated by Mr. Gyanendra Lal Pradhan, Chairman, Asian Council on Water, Energy and Environment, CACCI, the session featured the following speakers: Mr. Melvin Tan, Managing Director, Cyclect Pte. Ltd. / Vice President, SMF; Mr. Sher Singh Bhat, Former Deputy Managing Director of Nepal Electricity Authority “Energy Transition for Net CO2 Zero Emission; Mr. Shailendra Guragain, Executive Committee Member, FNCCI; and Mr. Igor Piasetskii, Representative of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Russian Federation in India.
