The 2013 Berkeley-Haas Asia Business Conference on March 16 will feature keynote addresses from a renowned futurist with Salesforce.com who has written about China and an Indonesian alumnus who came from modest beginnings to become a major player in his nation’s energy industry.
The 13th annual event is the largest student-run Asian business conference on the West Coast, attracting more than 300 students, academics, and business leaders. This year’s conference will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on the Clark Kerr Campus.
Conference co-organizer Tuyet Vu, MBA13, said this year’s title, “Asia. Bigger than you think,” references the wide spectrum of business opportunities in countries throughout the world’s fastest growing economic region.
“We aim to provide a more holistic view about the changing landscape of doing business in Asia,” Vu said. “We’ll bring together high-profile professionals with tremendous experience in eight different Asian countries, from East Asia, Southeast Asia, and South Asia, pushing our conference discussion from a China-focus to Asia-focus.”
Supramu Santosa, BS 80, MBA 81, founder and CEO of Indonesian geothermal energy developer Supreme Energy, will give the morning keynote address. Santosa started as a laborer with an offshore oil and gas exploration company in 1968, eventually saving enough money to attend Berkeley as an undergraduate and then earning an MBA from Haas. He founded Supreme Energy in 2007 to capitalize on the vast renewable energy geothermal resources found on Indonesia’s volcanic islands.
Peter Schwartz (right), senior vice president for global government relations and strategic planning at Salesforce.com, will give the afternoon keynote. His past experience includes heading scenario planning for the Royal Dutch/Shell Group of Companies in London and directing the Strategic Environment Center at SRI International. His first book, The Art of the Long View, is considered a seminal publication on scenario planning. His other books include When Good Companies Do Bad Things and China's Futures, which describes very different scenarios for China and their international implications.
Dean Richard Lyons will give the opening remarks. Panels will cover sustainability and resources, technology, healthcare, and private equity.
For the full schedule, visit berkeleyabc.org/2013. To register, visit berkeleyabc2013.eventbrite.com.