Shape a More Ethical, Sustainable & Inclusive Digital Future
Are you passionate about building a digital society that balances innovation, sustainability, and inclusion? The 6th ASEF Young Leaders Summit (ASEFYLS6) invites motivated students and young professionals to join the Knowledge Building Phase—an immersive online experience, free and open to the public from 5–19 August 2025.
Through a series of expert-led webinars and interactive dialogues, participants explored key aspects of Leadership in Society 5.0: a forward-looking, human-centered approach that integrates technological advancement with social progress. Attendees joined a community of emerging leaders across Asia and Europe, broadened their perspective, and equipped themselves with the skills to tackle 21st-century challenges.
SESSION 1 | TUESDAY, 5 AUGUST 2025 | Society 5.0 – Economy
Discover how Society 5.0 is transforming economic systems. Explore strategies for ethical innovation, sustainable entrepreneurship, and the digital economy. Understand the evolving roles of businesses and governments in an era where technology drives inclusive growth.
Visual Notes provided by Ms Nattapon (Mommam) AUNHABUNDIT, Visual Note Taker and Graphic Facilitator, Supermommam – Visual Note
Keynote Presenter & Moderator
Mr Carsten BECK
Director & Futurist, Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies
Mr Carsten BECK has been working with trend analysis and scenario processes at the Institute for more than 30 years in more than 30 countries. He is Head of presentations and key notes at the Institute. Carsten has en extensive experience as a presenter from doing more than 1,000 presentations globally during his professional life, spanning from global conferences to smaller groups in all types of organisations. The themes Carsten has been working with all relate to how global and local trends shape the future for organisations, companies, and societies. Carsten has done scenario processes in retail, HR, finance, business-to-business, governments and NGOs. His key priority is how to drive processes for clients in order for them to prepare for the future. These clients include organisations in global retail, governments, industrial conglomerates, cultural organisations, rock festivals, tourist organisations, the transport industry, IT and more. Carsten is Master of Science in Political Economy from the Copenhagen University. He joined the Institute in 1990.
Panellists
Recognised as one of the most prominent economists in Indonesia who currently serves as the Expert Staff and Spokesperson on Economic Issues at the Presidential Communication Office. Dr Fithra Faisal Hastiadi is widely featured in the regional and global news media coverage as a talented economic pundit. He actively provides forward-looking macroeconomic insights to support investment strategies and guide market positioning as a Senior Macro Strategist at PT Samuel Sekuritas Indonesia. In parallel, he is also a Commissioner at InfraDigital, a pioneering fintech company to strengthening both economic access and social impact across Indonesia. Some of his achievements include; The Association for Information Systems (AIS) Impact Award 2021; Australia-Indonesia Leaders Program Awardee 2017; and Universitas Indonesia (UI) Best Lecturer Award in Social Humanities 2017.
Dr Fithra Faisal HASTIADI
Spokesperson for Economic Affairs at the Presidential Communications Office, Indonesia
Dr. Roberto Martin GALANG
Dean of John Gokongwei School of Management at Ateneo de Manila University
Dr Robby Galang is the Dean of the John Gokongwei School of Management in Ateneo de Manila University. Prior to rejoining Ateneo, he spent the previous nine years working as a Senior Private Sector Specialist for the World Bank and the International Financial Corporation. He also has extensive academic experience as a faculty of international business and strategy in Ateneo de Manila University and the Asian Institute of Management. His work has been published in the top international journals of the field, such as the Journal of Management Studies, Journal of International Business, Journal of World Business, and Business and Society. He has also held international positions at LECG, Penn Schoen & Berland in New York and Navigant Consulting in Washington DC. He completed his PhD in Management from the IESE Business School, his MSc in Development Economics from Oxford University and his AB in Communications from Ateneo de Manila University where he was the class valedictorian.
Dr Zoltán Pogátsa is an Economist, sociologist, habilitated associate professor, and an expert in international political economy. Associate professor at the University of Sopron and former researcher at the Hungarian Academy of Sciences. Currently, he is a lecturer at ELTE and former lecturer at the Central European University, the programme director at the Széchenyi István Doctoral School of Business and Organizational Sciences at the University of Sopron, and a regular lecturer at the universities of Verona, Leipzig and Leeuwarden. He received his PhD from the University of Sussex and was accepted into the PhD program in Economics at Corvinus University. He is regularly invited to Hungarian television debate shows and podcasts.
Mr Zoltán POGÁTSA
Economist
SESSION 2 | TUESDAY, 12 AUGUST 2025 | Society 5.0 – Environment
Delve into global environmental challenges and the promise of Society 5.0 solutions. Learn how digital technologies can address climate change, promote resource efficiency, and empower communities to build resilient, sustainable societies.
Visual Notes provided by Ms Nattapon (Mommam) AUNHABUNDIT, Visual Note Taker and Graphic Facilitator, Supermommam – Visual Note
Keynote Presenter & Moderator
Mr Martin KRUSE
Senior Advisor & Futurist, Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies
Mr Martin KRUSE is heading the research on Environment and Resources at the Copenhagen Institute for Future Studies. He has worked extensively with sustainability and was selected to join the expert panel providing recommendation on green growth for the G20 meeting. His work is focused on the food, energy, climate, water nexus, but he has also worked within building and housing and security. Selected talks include: Unilever, Maersk, Nobel, IKEA, Orsted, Lund University, Copenhagen Business School, The EU Commissions Expert Panel, Danish Energy Agency, Tekes, EnergyDenmark, Toyota, Bayer Crop Science, and Arla. Martin’s areas of expertise is within climate change, energy, food nexus, commodities, geopolitics, sustainability, green consumption, investment strategy and the methodology of future studies.
Panellists
Ms Angelika Tamásová works at the European Environment Agency, where she leads analysis of progress towards climate resilience under the European Climate Law. Her work supports European policy-making by drawing on country reporting under the Governance Regulation. Prior to this, she served as a ministerial policy advisor, focusing on national climate adaptation policy. Her expertise spans local, national and European levels, including policy development, assessment, capacity building, and international cooperation. Originally from Slovakia and a member of the Hungarian minority, she is now based in Denmark. Angelika is passionate about supporting all European countries on their path towards climate resilience and thrives on connecting experts, ideas, and lessons across borders – facilitating mutual learning and inspiration across Europe.
Ms Angelika TAMÁSOVÁ
Climate Risks and Adaptation Expert, European Climate Law, European Environment Agency
Mr Gerald WONG
Executive Director, Eco-Business Impact
Mr Gerald Wong is the Executive Director of EB Impact, a Singapore-registered nonprofit focused on delivering youth and education programmes in Singapore and Asia. Before joining EB Impact, Gerald was part of the senior management team at a charity working at the intersection of arts and social change. He established and grew the organization’s Communities Department, expanding its impact to over 500 beneficiaries in two years. In addition, Gerald co-founded a music training and artist management company focused primarily on developing children and youths into multifaceted performers. He continues to serve on the company’s board, offering strategic guidance to the management team. Gerald holds a BA(Hons) in Arts Management from Goldsmiths, University of London and LASALLE College of the Arts, and is currently pursuing a Master of Management (Nonprofit Management) at the Singapore University of Social Sciences on a full scholarship.
Ms Ranitya Nurlita has developed in-depth knowledge of environmental conservation since 2010. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Fisheries from IPB University. Over a decade, she has focused on sustainability issues, supporting MSMEs, particularly in the areas of waste management, marine conservation, and ecotourism, through the implementation of many high-value projects. As the Founder and Managing Director of Wastehub®️ Lita has demonstrated a strong commitment to environmental and social impact. She has also contributed her expertise as a UN consultant since 2023, serving as a Local Smart City Consultant Surabaya for UN ESCAP (2023) and as a Partnership and Reporting Expert for UNEP’s EmPower II: Women for Climate-Resilient Societies (2024-2025). Through her diverse roles, Lita continues to drive meaningful change in sustainability and social change.
Ms Ranitya NURLITA
Founder and Managing Director, Wastehub
SESSION 3 | TUESDAY, 19 AUGUST 2025 | Society 5.0 – People & Work
Reimagine leadership for an inclusive digital future. This session centers on how Society 5.0 will transform not only the world of work, but also the overall quality of life, exploring the impact on wellbeing, worklife balance, culture, consumer behaviour, and daily living.
Visual Notes provided by Ms Nattapon (Mommam) AUNHABUNDIT, Visual Note Taker and Graphic Facilitator, Supermommam – Visual Note
Keynote Presenter & Moderator
Ms Tamira SNELL
Senior Advisor & Futurist, Copenhagen Institute for Futures Studies
Ms Tamira SNELL is an accomplished advisor and keynote speaker specializing in future behaviours, lifestyles, and consumer patterns. With a foundation in cultural sociology, her focus is on deciphering the nuances of human behaviour, societal trends, and the cultural underpinnings that shape our lives. Tamira excels in employing diverse methods and frameworks for foresight, sociocultural analysis and insights. Her strategic experience spans sectors, industries, and geographies, allowing her to understand the interconnected webs and cross-fertilizations of trends and future implications effectively. Tamira holds a Master of Arts, Major in Culture and Media and Bachelor of Honours in Sociology and Cultural Studies.
Panellists
Ms Subhashini Chandran has championed inclusive growth for 25 years focusing on small businesses and women-led enterprises. As Senior Vice President, Social Impact, APEMEA, Shuba oversees the Center’s investments and initiatives covering all programs, data and insights, strategic engagement, and partnerships. She is a graduate of the Yale World Fellows program and Chevening Gurukul Fellowship for Leadership and Excellence, and alum of the Young Global Leaders program of the World Economic Forum. In her earlier work, Shuba led social impact at Yara International across Africa and Asia markets and Xynteo’s India business. As an entrepreneur early in her career, she grew her family’s tea farm in South India, to one of India’s largest privately owned tea companies, employing over 7000+ women. She read Economics at the London School of Economics, Law at City University UK, and is a Member of the Bar Council of India. Shuba has completed executive education programs at Oxford University’s Said Business School, Harvard Kennedy School, and Stanford University.
Ms Subhashini CHANDRAN
Senior Vice President Social Impact, Asia Pacific, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Mastercard
Mr POON King Wang
Chief Strategy and Design AI Officer, Office of Strategic Planning at SUTD and Director at Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities (LKYCIC)
POON King Wang is the Director of the Lee Kuan Yew Centre for Innovative Cities (LKYCIC) at the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), where he also heads the Smart Cities Lab and the Future Digital Economies and Digital Societies initiative. He draws extensively from his public and private sector experiences. He has served in the Economic Development Board; Ministry of Law; Agency for Science, Technology and Research (including its commercialization arm Exploit Technologies); and the Competition Commission of Singapore. In the private sector, he was head of business analytics at one of Singapore’s largest banks, and was a strategy advisor to a mobile local search startup. He also draws on his other concurrent portfolios as Senior Director of Strategic Planning at SUTD, and Co-Director of the SUTD-JTC Industrial Infrastructure Innovation Centre. He is also on the Board of Directors of the BCA Centre for Sustainable Buildings Ltd (a collaboration between the United Nations Environment Programme and Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority), and on the International Advisory Panel of IoT Asia. King Wang holds a MSc (Industrial Engineering and Engineering Management) from Stanford University, a BSc (Electrical Engineering) from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and a Rocket Engineering Certificate from Moscow State Technical University.
David Timis is a Global Communications & Public Affairs Manager at Generation, one of the largest skilling and employment nonprofits in the world, where he oversees the organisation’s storytelling globally and advocacy work at a EU level. He speaks regularly about AI and the risks and opportunities it presents for people, businesses and society. He is also the Community Champion for the BeNeLux & France region, Co-Lead for the 2025 edition of SHAPE Europe & Eurasia, and Longevity Economy Taskforce Member within the Global Shapers Community . He previously led the EU Civics Outreach efforts at Google during both the 2019 and 2024 EU Elections, and before that he was UN Youth Delegate representing his country, Romania. His career spans a range of public, private and third sector organisations including L’Oreal, Mars Inc., Burson (formerly known as BCW), Chatham House, and the Council of Europe. With a career at the crossroads of technology, workforce development, and policy, David has been deeply involved in shaping conversations on skilling, education, AI governance, and digital transformation. His work spans from advising companies on their AI strategy to navigating the complexities of AI training for some of the world’s most influential brands. Whether discussing the ethical implications of machine learning, the future of work in an AI-driven economy, or the regulatory challenges facing big tech companies, David brings a unique perspective grounded in both leading research and real-world implementation.
Mr David TIMIS
Global Communications & Public Affairs Manager, Generation.org and AI & Future of Work Thought Leader & Speaker
Contact & More Information
For questions or more details, contact us at asefyls@asef.org.
Be the change. Start your Society 5.0 leadership journey with ASEF!
This webinar series is part of the Knowledge Building Phase of the 6th ASEF Young Leaders Summit (ASEFYLS6).
