Techology is disrupting our daily lives.
Are we ready for the change?
By Mr Steven Liew, Executive Director, APCO Worldwide in Asia Pacific
Abstract
It seems like the sharing economy is getting all the wrong kind of attention these days. Regulators across the globe are busy issuing fines and bans against Uber. Cars are being impounded and drivers are being arrested. AirBnB is not getting a free pass either as the taxmen have forced the platform to levy taxes on the properties which are rented out. The Task Rabbits running all sorts of errands are also coming under increased scrutiny from professional bodies and trade unions which are feeling threatened. Kickstarter is letting the nuttiest idea have a chance of being funded and turned into reality while financial regulators freak out at the huge sums of money being raised from retail investors. Virtual currencies are changing the payments landscape in 12 months faster than anything we have seen in the past 120 years.
Our lives are being changed. Our livelihoods are being changed. And our lifestyle is being changed. The question then is do our government have the right laws and policies in place to manage these changes? Are they one-step ahead of the innovation or are they just busy playing catch-up? Or worse, are they standing in the ways of innovation? Innovations will certainly bring improvement to the lives of many (otherwise, they would have no traction with the consumers of their innovation.) But innovation will almost certainly destroy the livelihoods of the incumbents because that’s what disruptions are supposed to do. How does a government manage this transition in market order? Do we level up the playing field to make things harder for the new entrants? Do we level down the playing field to make it easier for the incumbents to adapt and fight back with their own innovations? Or do we totally rewrite the rule of the game to create a brand new playing field?
Steven will share his unique point of views from having spent more than 2 decades in the fields of intellectual property laws, privacy, competition and cyber-security. He has counseled companies in a wide range of industries from healthcare, pharma, IT, FMCG, fashion, ecommerce, payments, and transportation to sporting goods. Steven has also extensive experience advising and training governments across the globe in the areas of incident management, strategic communications, stakeholders’ engagement, media relations and future planning.
About the Speaker
Steven Liew is Executive Director of APCO Worldwide in Asia Pacific. He provides strategic counselling to clients from a pan-Asia perspective in the areas of public policy, regulatory compliance, stakeholders engagement, strategic communications and crisis management.
Prior to joining APCO, Steven spent 8 years as eBay’s Associate General Counsel and Chief Government Relations Officer for Asia Pacific. His work included negotiating with anti-trust regulators for approval of eBay’s acquisitions in Asia; engaging regulators to ensure that PayPal was in compliance with financial industry regulations; collaborating with national export-promotion agencies to bring their exporters online; lobbying lawmakers on draft legislations and government policies; developing relationships with intellectual property rights (IPR) owners; and working with cyber-security agencies to go after cyber-criminals.
At eBay, Steven co-founded the Asia Internet Coalition, members of which includes eBay, Yahoo, Google, Facebook, LinkedIn and SalesForce. He was the coalition’s 2012 and 2013 Chairman.
Before his stint at eBay, Steven set up and led Nokia Corporation’s Asia Pacific Brand Protection Department and Louis Vuitton Malletier’s Greater China Anti-Counterfeiting Department. In both in-house counsel roles, he developed and executed successful IPR policies and enforcement programs. He was also very active in the formation and leadership of IPR coalitions like the International Trademark Association, International Anti-Counterfeiting Coalition and the Quality Brand Protection Committee in China.
Steven started his legal career in 1994 as a solicitor at Baker & McKenzie in Hong Kong. In that role, he serviced the IPR needs of multinational brand owners in Asia. His work included counseling clients on IPR issues, enforcing his clients’ IPR and conducting extensive government lobbying on IPR policy in the region.
Mid-way through his legal career, Steven spent three years working as a police officer in the Singapore Police Force. He continued serving in the reserve of the Singapore Police Force for another 11 years and retired at the rank of Deputy Superintendent of Police in 2013. Steven is also co-founder of HYPHEN, a creative non-profit organization dedicated to bringing together people and communities through ideas, artistic programming, innovative projects and bespoke events.
Seminar Details
| Date |
Wednesday, 8 July 2015 |
| Time |
3pm to 5pm |
| Venue |
Singapore Management University
Lee Kong Chian School of Business
Seminar Room 1.1, Level 1 |
| Address |
50 Stamford Road
Singapore 178899
(Click here for map) (Building #2) |
| Register |
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