GATE Program Event Part 2

Networking is crucial to the success of Government Relations (GR) practitioners. Knowing how to form and manage relevant contacts can be a challenge. Today, AMCHAM hosted a two-part panel discussion on navigating the intricacies of developing connections. This marks the second edition of the GATE Program for GR practitioners both new and experienced alike.

The first session focused on building and maintaining connections made. Ho Suu Wei, APAC Director of Public Policy and Economic Graph, LinkedIn kicked off this session with a presentation on growing networks via the LinkedIn platform and set the stage for today’s discussion. The panel discussion included experienced local and regional government relations practitioners – Shaun Levine, Head of Government Relations, SEA, Metlife; Rohaya Mamat, Regional Director, IFRA Asia Pacific, International Fragrance Association (IFRA), moderated by Belinda Ford, VP Public Affairs, Sustainability and Communications, ASEAN and South Pacific, The Coca-Cola Company. Each panellist talked about their experiences, lessons learnt, best practices and pitfalls to avoid. 

The second session placed emphasis on how and when organizations and their GR practitioners should leverage on external agencies for support. Dr. Marcella Lucas, Innovation, Strategy, & Leadership Consultant, moderated this discussion. She was joined by Azwar Kamarudin, Country Government Affairs Head, Novartis Malaysia; Abdul Rahman Abu Haniffa, Government Engagement Director, General Electric; and Erik Ramp, Managing Director, Malaysia BSC, Japan & Asia Pacific, Strategy & Operations, Edwards Lifesciences.

Another very successful entry in our GATE program. Special thanks to the U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur and Paypal for supporting this program and thank you to our panel of speakers for all the insights. Look out for our next session on June 14th.