Singapore, Oct 6, 2009 - (ACN Newswire) - The APEC CEO Summit, one of the most highly anticipated global business events of the year, is shaping up to be a landmark occasion in Singapore from 12-14 November, with an over-subscribed 1,000 of the Who's Who in global business signing up for theevent.

APEC Leaders who have confirmed their attendance are Prime Minister Kevin Rudd of Australia, President Michelle Bachelet of Chile, President Lee Myung-Bak of Korea, Prime Minister John Key of New Zealand, President Dmitry Medvedev of Russia, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong of Singapore, Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva of Thailand, and President Nguyen Minh Triet of Vietnam. President Barack Obama of the US, President Hu Jintao of China, Prime Minister Dato' Sri Najib Razak of Malaysia, Prime Minister Stephen Harper of Canada, as well as Prime Minister Yukio Hatoyama of Japan are also expected to speak at the prestigious Summit.

As the world prepares for economic recovery, industry chieftains will join these heads of governmentin two days of important dialogue on the overall theme, "Rebuilding the Global Economy: Crisis and Opportunity," and they will be out in full force.

Mr Dennis McNally, Global Chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers, Dr Victor Fung, Group Chairman ofLi and Fung Group, and Dato Timothy Ong, Chairman of the Brunei Economic Development Board, are slated to debate the topic, "Is the worst of the global crisis over?" Others such as Mr Shaukat Aziz, former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Mr John Watson, Vice Chairman of Chevron Corporation, Ms Carol Hansell, Chairperson of the Corporate Governance Commission of the American Bar Association, and Dr Euh Yoon Dae, Chairman of the Korean Investment Corporation, will discuss the regulation of the global economy following the crisis.

Mr Stephen Green, Chairman of HSBC Holdings, will reflect on the global financial crisis and the way ahead. Lending their insights to China's response to the global financial crisis are Mr Jiang Jianqing, Chairman ofthe Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Mr Hermann Ude, CEO of DHL Global Forwarding, and Ms Marjorie Yang, Chairman of the Esquel Group. Thought leaders Mr Bjorn Lomborg, Director of the Copenhagen Consensus Center, and Prof Tim Flannery, Chairman of the Copenhagen Climate Council, will turn their attention to the "Economic Sense and Nonsense about Global Warming".

Industry stalwarts Mr Craig Mundie, Chief Research and Strategy Officer of Microsoft, Mr Hiroshi Mikitani, CEO of Rakuten Inc, and Ms Deborah Henretta, Group President for Asia at Procter & Gamble have been roped in to discuss "the next Big Thing" in innovation, while an eminent panel comprising Dr Tony Tan, Deputy Chairman of the Government of Singapore Investment Corporation, Mr Yngve Slyngstad, CEO of Norges Bank Investment Management, and Mr Bader Mohammad Al-Sa'ad, Managing Director of the Kuwait Investment Authority, will be giving their views on the role of sovereign wealth funds and multilateral institutionsin rebuilding the global economy.

To discuss the "shape of things to come" in the new global economy are Mr Rex Tillerson, Chairman & CEO of Exxon Mobil, Mr Peter Loescher, President & CEO of Siemens AG, Mr Anand Mahindra, Vice Chairman of Mahindra & Mahindra, as well as Mr Stephen Roach, Chairman of Morgan Stanley Asia, at a session chaired by Prof Kishore Mahbubani.

And Singapore's Minister Mentor Mr Lee Kuan Yew will give his take on the implications of the global financial crisis in the session, "How will the global crisis change the world?".

It will be a full capacity turn-out at this exclusive international forum to be held in Singapore for the first time, alongside the APEC Leaders Meeting, which involves the leaders of themost powerful nations in the Pacific Rim.

"The APEC CEO Summit this year brings together the most powerful and influential personalities in governance and international business to discuss the most pressing and wide-ranging socioeconomic and business issues facing the Asia Pacific today," said Ms Chong Siak Ching, Chair of the APEC CEO Summit 2009 Organising Committee.

"We believe this Summit will play an indispensable role in shaping the complexion of the global economy in the next year.There is an urgency to come up with sustainable new business models, right here, right now, and our Summit is designed to facilitate this process," added Ms Chong. "For the first time, views about the future of the global economy are being sought from all delegates and this will be shared with the APEC Leaders prior to the Summit. In addition, the Summit conclusions will be submitted to the Leaders for their deliberations at their retreat."

In addition to the keynote addresses and panel discussions during the day, a special Summit Dine Around Singapore programme on the first night will set the stage for further interaction and dialogue. Six parallel dinners will take place at some of Singapore's iconic attractions.

At the waterfrontrestaurant, One Degree 15, Mr Rex Tillerson, Chairman and CEO of Exxon Mobil Corporation will deliver a keynote address on the global energy challenge. Over at the Jewel Box on Mount Faber, Prof Tim Flannery, Chairman of the Copenhagen Climate Council, will speak about the challenges of sustainable development, followed by a panel discussion featuring Mr John Watson, Vice Chairman of Chevron, and Ms Barbara Kux, Chief Sustainability Officer of Siemens AG.

Other Dine Around Singapore dinner highlights include talks on "CSR partnerships that make a difference" at the Asian Civilisations Museum and "Competing for talent in a shrinking talent pool" at One on the Bund.

An exciting list of sightseeing options has also been arranged for accompanying persons, which offer a taste of old and new Singapore. This includes day tours of quaint ethnic enclaves, modern highlights such as shopping at Singapore's newest malls and visits to commanding landmarks like the Singapore Flyer, as well asthe country's natural sights.

"We will spare no effort in making 2009 one of the most successful and memorable Summits ever," said Ms Chong, who is also President and CEO of Ascendas Pte Ltd, Asia's leading business space provider. "On behalf of Singapore, I would like to extend a warm welcome to the world's business community at this significant event."

The CEO Summit is organised by the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Business Advisory Council (ABAC) and the Singapore Business Federation (SBF). ABAC is the only non-governmental organisation that is on the official agenda of the APEC Economic Leader's Meeting. Every year, ABAC provides a report to APEC Economic Leaders containing recommendations to improve the business and investment environment in the Asia-Pacific region, and outlining business views about priority regional issues. This year, ABAC's focus is on three areas: accelerating regional economic integration; strengthening capacity building and enhancing connectivity;and championing the need for a model of sustainable development to support growth.


About APEC CEO Summit 2009

The APEC CEO Summit is the premier business event for the Asia Pacific. It brings together the world's most brilliant minds in business and government to address the opportunities in the current economic landscape, identify the direction of future trends and assess areas of collaboration.

Given the global economic challenges faced this year by APEC economies and the world, the APEC CEO Summit 2009 has chosen the theme: "Rebuilding the Global Economy: Crisis and Opportunity". To be held for the first time in Singapore, the event provides the perfect platform for top CEOs in the Asia Pacific region to hear from APEC Leaders and international thought and business leaders ways to address the present economic crisis and fashion a stronger post-crisis financial and economic architecture. For more information, visit http://ceosummit.apec2009.sg.


About Asia-Pacific Business Council

The APEC Business Advisory Council, or ABAC, was created by the APEC Economic Leaders in November 1995 with the aim of providing advice to the APEC Economic Leaders on ways to achieve the Bogor Goals and other specific business sector priorities, and to provide the business perspective on specific areas of cooperation. ABAC provides an annual report to APEC Economic Leaders containing recommendations to improve the business and investment environment in the Asia-Pacific region,and outlining business views about priority regional issues. ABAC is also the only nongovernmental organization that is on the official agenda of the APEC Economic Leader's Meeting.

Each economy nominates up to three members from the private sector to ABAC. These business leaders represent a wide range of industry sectors. Singapore's interests are represented by Mr Teng Theng Dar, CEO of Singapore Business Federation, Ms Chong Siak Ching, President and CEO of Ascendas Pte Ltd and Mr Tang Kin Fei, Group President and CEO of Sembcorp Industries Ltd.

The ABAC International Secretariat is based in Manila, Philippines. The Singapore Business Federation as the APEX business chamber in Singapore is the appointed national secretariat for ABAC Singapore.


About APEC

Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation, or APEC, is the premier forum for facilitating economic growth, cooperation, trade and investment in the Asia-Pacific region.

APEC is the only inter-governmental grouping in the world operating on the basis of nonbinding commitments, open dialogue and equal respect for the views of all participants. Unlike the WTO or other multilateral trade bodies, APEC has no treaty obligations required of its participants. Decisions made within APEC are reached by consensus and commitments are undertaken on a voluntary basis.

APEC has 21 members - referred to as "Member Economies" - which account for approximately 40.5% of the world's population, approximately 54.2% of world GDP and about 43.7% of world trade. APEC's 21 Member Economies are Australia; Brunei Darussalam; Canada; Chile; People's Republic of China; Hong Kong, China; Indonesia; Japan; Republic of Korea; Malaysia; Mexico; New Zealand; Papua New Guinea; Peru; The Republic of the Philippines; The Russian Federation; Singapore; Chinese Taipei; Thailand; United States of America; Vietnam. For more information: www.apec.org.

Source: APEC

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