KUALA LUMPUR, 16 June 2021 – Schneider Electric, the leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, held its second virtual Annual Innovation Day, bringing together a highly-respected alliance of speakers including leaders in the sustainability, IT, and energy space. The event saw participants across the globe ranging from industry specialists and professionals, customers, and members of the media.
The key speakers this year included Robert Swan, the first person to walk the South and North Poles; Rachel Botsman, Trust Expert, Lecturer, and Author; Aaron Binkley, Head of Sustainability at Digital Reality; and Brian Solis, Digital Analyst, Anthropologist, and Futurist; and Schneider Electric’s very own Pankaj Sharma, Executive Vice President for Secure Power.
Set virtually across four regions and several countries, the sessions during Innovation Day addressed key topics for businesses to consider in order to stay ahead of the game without compromise to environmental sustainability.
Schneider Electric’s Secure Power Business Vice President for Singapore, Malaysia & Brunei Michael Kurniawan said, “Digitization is essential for Malaysian businesses to grow their resiliency in the new normal. Companies are required to adapt to the constantly evolving landscapes and tech disruption, all while keeping sustainability at the core, for future generations. This is in line with Malaysian government’s MyDigital initiatives as well the country’s commitment to environmental, social, and governance (ESG) principles and the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).”
Key Takeaways from Innovation Day 2021
Innovation Day saw five key sessions – sparking conversations on the urgent need to address the race to a net-zero carbon world, Electricity 4.0 and how it is the best vector of decarbonization, business strategies for sustainable digital transformation, and what’s next with digital transformation.
The event also saw a panel session, where leaders from different regions and industries discussed on the topic of Sustainable Digital Transformation:
Eric Lim, Chief Sustainability Officer, United Overseas Bank (UOB) provided a banking perspective on sustainable finance: “On the sustainability front, we tend to see two categories of customers. Number one, large companies who have embarked on their sustainability journeys, as well as number two, corporates who are starting out in this space. The first category of customers wants to reap the benefits of their sustainability efforts and obtaining sustainability financing from a profitable bank like UOB. The second category of customers, they are looking into using us (UOB) to help them simplify the start to this process, and to reduce the time and cost of going on this journey. We do this by supporting them with our sustainable finance frameworks.”
Esther Finidori, Vice President, Environment, Schneider Electric shared insights on Schneider Electric’s focus when it comes to sustainable energy transition: “It’s fair to say that each sector has a specific focus on sustainability, depending on where major risks and opportunities lie. In the IT sector, we clearly see some very ambitious climate commitments. In the textile industry, there has been interesting work on traceability and ethics. In the consumer goods sector, a focus on recycled materials and circular economy. In the agriculture business, the focus of course is on regenerative agriculture. In our sector at Schneider Electric, our main focus is on green innovation and bringing to the market those technologies the world needs for the energy transition.”
As a wrap-up to Schneider Electric’s Innovation Day, Pankaj Sharma, Executive Vice President for Secure Power at Schneider Electric said, “Digitization empowers us to gain our edge, stay competitive and thrive in the new normal. The potential is undeniably, tremendous, especially in delivering environmentally added value to our customers.”
“Today, sustainability is crucial to enterprise viability. With a proper strategy in place, digitization can deliver a clear path to business growth while minimizing impacts on the environment”, he concluded.
To view the past year sessions from the Schneider Electric Annual Innovation Day, you may visit this link here.
