Future Tense by DBS

We speak with Professor CB Bhattacharya about his book, Small Actions, Big Difference: Leveraging Corporate Sustainability to Drive Business and Societal Value, to understand what companies can do to attain true sustainability throughout the corporation.

It's a timely read in 2021 as the world grapples with the consequences of covid-19 and what value companies and corporations will bring to the table when it comes to our shared environment and well-being.

01:07 - The question that led Dr. Bhattacharya to sustainability

04:15 - Shifts in a company's purpose

06:39 - Ownership, and why it's so important

09:25 - How to incubate, transform and entrench

15:34 - Measure is treasure

17:08 - The impact of ESG offerings from financial institutions

Guest: 

Dr. CB Bhattacharya, Founder and Director, Center for Sustainable Business | Author, Small Actions Big Difference: Leveraging Corporate Sustainability to Drive Business and Societal Value

For full transcript visit go.dbs.com/futuretense-ep6

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While the Covid-19 pandemic has had a devastating impact on many sectors, it has no doubt been a boon for e-commerce and digital payments.

With consumers staying home, sales on e-commerce platforms have skyrocketed. And even when consumers head out, more are opting for contactless forms of payment, instead of handling physical cash.

For instance, DBS Bank saw payments made via its DBS PayLah! mobile wallet increase by 40% in October this year, compared to a year ago.

As part of its line-up for this year’s Singapore Fintech Festival, DBS hosted a panel discussion on the future of e-commerce with representatives from DBS Bank, lifestyle app Fave, super app Gojek and WhyQ, a hawker-first digital ecosystem. The panel was moderated by Jolyn Tan from Group Strategic Marketing and Communications at DBS.

Guests:

Anthony Seow, DBS Head of Payments and Platforms
Ng Aik-Phong, Managing Director of Fave Singapore and Malaysia
Lien Choong Luen, General Manager of Gojek Singapore
Varun Saraf, who is co-founder and CEO of WhyQ

For the full transcript, visit go.dbs.com/futuretense-ep5

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As Covid-19 moved across borders, various countries faced challenges with food as supply chains were abruptly cut. Even as farms were forced to throw away hundreds of tonnes of produce, many people, especially those in need, were facing food shortages.

It was an exaggerated glimpse into what the world was already facing before the pandemic struck. The business of food failing the basic function of food – which is to feed.

Our guests today look at inequity and imbalance through the lens of our food system, while calling for change in the future of our society.  Because what if we  aren’t what we eat, but how we eat?

Sunny Verghese is co-founder and group CEO of Olam International, Elaine Heng is CEO of Retail Business of Singapore’s largest grocery retailer – FairPrice Group, and Carolyn Steel is an author, researcher and thought leader on food sustainability and urban systems.

They were part of the DBS Asian Insights Conference 2020, on the panel ‘Food for All – Building a Food-secure Future’, with Mikkel Larsen, Chief Sustainability Officer at DBS moderating.

For the full transcript visit go.dbs.com/futuretense-ep4

01:45 “Today, the global food and agricultural system is clearly broken”

07:07 A free market has produced a system where cheap food is the expectation.

10:00 Are consumers actually willing to pay for better food?

12:03 If countries are willing to change, why aren’t we seeing it happen?

14:37 A new vision of a good life

17:29 Growing each of our environmental intelligence to make the change we need

Guests:

Sunny Verghese, co-founder and group CEO of Olam International

Elaine Heng is CEO (Retail Business) FairPrice Group

Carolyn Steel, author, researcher and thought leader on food sustainability and urban systems

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Our guests return to discuss the role of work and its meaning in our modern lives.  As Covid-19 inadvertently shifted the employer's focus on employee well-being, it also brought up conversations about how we measure and define success at work.  

For the full transcript visit go.dbs.com/futuretense-ep3

1:40 - Companies to become places of well-being

4:50 – Taking the opportunity to address mental health in Asian workplaces

8:15 – “that's not a benefit anymore... It's a critical piece of infrastructure”

10:50 – Balancing between security and work anywhere

12:00 – Hybrid job roles

14:31 – Re-defining “good” performance

Guests:

Ben Hamley, Future of Work Lead, Asia-Pacific, JLL

Lynn Dang, HR Lead, Microsoft Singapore

Borko Kovacevic, CMO & COO, Microsoft Singapore

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In Part 1 of the Future of Work, we looked at how corporate culture might shift and change as people returned to workplaces post Covid-19. Our guests return in Part 2 to share their insights and projects on whether those shifts in dynamics might also impact innovation, and in which direction. We also look at how the functions of corporate real estate are likely to evolve in ways we’ve never envisioned for an “office” before.

For the full transcript visit go.dbs.com/futuretense-ep2

0.44 - When the way we work changes, how will innovation change?

2.55 - Diverse, inclusive workplaces and enabling greater innovation at a global scale

9.31 - Creating rich hybrid offline-online experiences

11.55 - “The office is not going away. It's just evolving”

16:12 - How offices spaces and workspace experience could evolve

18:59 - PropTech and the human layer

Guests:

Ben Hamley, Future of Work Lead, Asia-Pacific, JLL

Lynn Dang, HR Lead, Microsoft Singapore

Borko Kovacevic, CMO & COO, Microsoft Singapore

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What's to come for Asia and the world as technology evolves? Get comfortable with the future as business leaders tackle big questions about sustainability, innovation, fintech, and more. Subscribe now to Future Tense, a podcast by DBS.

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Covid-19 forced most office workers to work remotely to curb the spread of the virus. And while some offices are re-opening with people going back to work, albeit with a different set up and schedule, other companies have announced either extended, indefinite or even permanent WFH arrangements.

What does this all mean for the big office? Are there intangibles at risk when we no longer routinely share a space with our colleagues? Our host Carolyn Camoens speaks with Ben Hamley, Asia-Pacific Lead for the Future of Work at JLL, and Borko Kovacevic, Chief Marketing Officer and Chief Operating Officer, and Lynn Dang, HR Lead at Microsoft Singapore.

For the full transcript visit go.dbs.com/futuretense-ep1

2:54 Future of work trends in Asia

6:57 Who decides where to work - the company or the employee?

10:31 What's a company when it doesn't exist in a physical place

12:02 The need for a strong social purpose

15:18 Augmented humanity at the workplace

16:10 Are we losing the human touch when we are physically apart?

18:05 What does remote work mean for corporate culture?

Guests:

Ben Hamley, Future of Work Lead, Asia-Pacific, JLL

Lynn Dang, HR Lead, Microsoft Singapore

Borko Kovacevic, CMO & COO, Microsoft Singapore

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Listen out for DBS's new podcast on the horizon - Future Tense

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