With groundbreaking changes in the AI space to evolving strategies in cybersecurity and worldly changes in navigating big data problems, the year felt long for transformations in tech. Amidst understanding different strategies on navigating the uncertainties of tech and receiving advice from the biggest IT and leadership experts in Southeast Asia, we draw some of the most striking and thorough insights from leaders in tech that we have interviewed across this year.Our top 10 interviews in 2023 feature CIOs, CTOs, CISOs, visionary leaders in IT, and influential figures in tech who shared their exclusive expertise, predictions, and insights, providing a glimpse into the future. We delve into tech strategy, management, leadership, innovations, new-age technologies, and uncover what’s more to come in the modern IT landscape.As we usher in the new year, here are a few hand-picked stories and what you read the most in 2023. Cybersecurity is a collective effort, and a well-prepared workforce is your strongest asset in maintaining a resilient security posture: RB BanezOctober being the Cybersecurity Awareness Month, we caught up with RB Banez, the first-ever Head of Information Security at Easy Equities on why it is important to build a cyber resilience strategy and key elements of a comprehensive cyber resiliency framework.Cloud adoption is a journey, not a one-off project implementation: Ronny Tan, Commonwealth BankIn an exclusive interaction with us, Ronny Tan, the Deputy CIO and Department Head of IT Architect and Engineering, Commonwealth Bank, Indonesia, shared his thoughts on some strategies for successful cloud migration and pitfalls to avoid for FSIs when they move to the cloud.Building a cyber resilient infrastructure starts from identifying your current state: Soumo Mukherjee, PRefChem As part of our interactions with CISOs, Soumo Mukherjee, Head of Cybersecurity/CISO of petrochemical giant PRefChem, shared his thoughts on the need for building a cyber resilience strategy and key elements of a comprehensive cyber resiliency framework.In the future, by default, every lending that banks do will require ESG compliance: Sopnendu Mohanty, MAS Sopnendu Mohanty, Chief Fintech Officer at the Monetary Authority of Singapore, shed light on APAC’s emergence as a major contributor to the fintech and innovation industry, the upcoming surge in green banking and his outlook on upcoming technologies in the next 5 years that will impact payments.The relationship between security, IT and risk is what guides an organisation to success: Manan Leo Qureshi, Yum! Brands Manan Leo Qureshi, APAC Regional Security Leader at Yum Brands for KFC & PizzaHut, spoke to us on the dominant cybersecurity trends in Singapore, the increasing role of AI in cybersecurity and some pitfalls to avoid here.In Workplace 3.0 era, organisations need to know how to make their data work for them: Chris Chan, StarHub Head of Digital Services Unit Chris Chan who leads the Enterprise Business Group’s (EBG) Digital Services Unit at Starhub, shared his thoughts on the rising role of business automation software in the Workplace 3.0 era and some of the challenges organisations can face in shifting to a decentralised workforce rooted in automation.‘Secure by design’ needs to be incorporated in business strategy from beginning: Justin Ong, APAC CISO, Panasonic Asia Pacific Justin Ong, APAC CISO for Panasonic Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd shared his thoughts on some of the biggest challenges in front of Singapore CISOs and some of the top security trends to look forward to in 2023.Early adopters of AI have already benefited from their foresight: Chloe Li Shiying, Johnson Controls Chloe Li Shiying, APAC AI and Data Science Business Partner, Johnson Controls, spoke to us on the evolving role of data and artificial intelligence (AI) in building APAC’s tech and innovation, outlining vital tech infrastructure, sustainability in the manufacturing sector, key data strategies, and her advice to CIOs navigating next-gen AI.Sustainability should be embraced as a shared responsibility rather than a mere mandate: Carolyn Chin-Parry, PwC Singapore Carolyn Chin-Parry, Digital Innovation Leader, PwC Singapore shared with us her thoughts on how tech leaders can build out their IT strategy in consonance with their ESG goals.For CIOs, it’s crucial to always keep target users at the centre of your digital strategy: Siew Wai, PolicyStreet Tang Siew Wai, Chief Digital Officer, PolicyStreet, in a conversation with us, deliberated on digital transformation trends in 2023, his experience in driving DX in the insurance industry, how deploying AI and automation in CX has changed FSIs, determining the future of the tech landscape in Malaysia-based FSIs, and many other insights.With that, we wrap up 2023. What a tremendous journey technology took this year! Stay tuned to unpack another new year with us.
