AI for Business Leaders – Opportunities and Challenges

Phil McManus is the Director of Business Innovation at NTT Com Asia, and Chair of the Innovation & Technology committee at the British Chamber of Commerce in Hong Kong.  Before overseeing the development and business application of innovation at NTT, Phil spent six years as an entrepreneur, building a data and AI business, and advising business leaders on digital innovation, cybersecurity, and risk. Prior to that, Phil was responsible for outsourced services and digital transformation of banking and financial services institutions at a global telecommunications firm.

Jonathan Voo is a distinguished legal change leader with over 15 years of experience in spearheading transformative legal solutions across multinational landscapes in Europe and Asia. Currently serving as the Senior Manager of Innovation for Mayer Brown in the APAC region, he has successfully orchestrated the adoption of innovative legal practices and technologies, enhancing operational efficiencies and client service delivery. Jonathan’s role involves strategic oversight across various offices, where he integrates global solutions to meet regional needs, and leads initiatives such as the development and deployment of Legal Tech tools, a speaker on Generative AI in law firms and Legal design.

In his previous roles, including as a Regional Legal Project Manager at Baker & McKenzie, Jonathan managed significant legal projects, such as a $1.2 billion reorganization across 42 countries. His strategic and hands-on approach has positioned firms at the forefront of legal innovation, making him a finalist for the 2024 Financial Times Intrapreneur Award. Jonathan also actively contributes to sector-wide advancements in technology as a member of the BritCham Innovation & Technology Committee and leads a Global Generative AI Taskforce, underpinning his reputation as a champion of technological adoption and innovation in the legal sector.

Stephane Monsallier is a highly respected technology expert who started coding at age 10 and later graduated from France’s top IT engineering school, CentraleSupelec, with a master’s degree in Artificial Intelligence in 1993. After a decade in Financial IT, he founded System in Motion in Shanghai in 2004 to provide top-tier technology consulting for corporations modernizing their Information Systems.

As an influential figure in Shanghai’s entrepreneurial scene, Stephane mentors at Orbit Ventures and advises various startups. He also launched the EO Accelerator program in 2016 as its Chair and co-founded La French Tech Shanghai.

Currently, he focuses on Generative AI, delivering keynote speeches and providing practical strategies based on his personal experience with the technology. Stephane’s dedication to technological advancement, combined with his ability to articulate complex ideas, makes him a sought-after speaker and mentor in the technology and entrepreneurial sectors.

Dr. Haider Ali is a senior lecturer in marketing at the Open University Faculty of Business & Law. He is also the Director of the Faculty Microcredentials and Short Courses Unit. Haider has contributed to postgraduate and undergraduate programmes at all levels and has undertaken research into social marketing. Haider is also active in the Open University’s Gen AI groups dealing with research and teaching. He is a guest lecturer at the London School of Economics and various institutions worldwide. He is also Chair of the Research Advisory group at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Dr Cecilia Tsui is an executive coach, a serial entrepreneur, and an educator.  She is a Companion (CCMI) of the Chartered Management Institute UK, and the Founder Chair of its Hong Kong Branch (1999-2003), when Sir Sze-yuen Chung (鍾士元爵士) was the Hon President.  Also, Cecilia serves as a judge and a mentor for universities, including the Cambridge Institute for Sustainability leadership (University of Cambridge UK), and the Hong Kong Social Enterprise Challenge of the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Dr Tsui is an Advisor (Management Education & Research), MLA Academy (formerly Peter F Drucker Academy). Upon invitation, during 2019-2020, Cecilia partnered with Professor Joseph Maciariello (ally and closest collaborator of Peter F Drucker) to develop an MBA course on “Innovation, Entrepreneurship, and Technological Change” (advocating human-centric approach in applying Artificial Intelligence for organisational development to achieve socio-economic impacts).

Dr Cecilia Tsui is the Founder Executive Director, Innovation Forum Hong Kong (a non-profit initiative), responsible for development in Asia Pacific for the Global Innovation Forum, headquartered in Cambridge UK (IFHK (vimeo.com).  This global network fosters young PhDs and Postdocs to pursue scientific innovation and entrepreneurship (in life sciences and sustainability).

Dr Tsui concerns about international development.  In pursuing her PhD on Quality Assurance in Higher Education – A Hong Kong Perspective (supervised by Professor Lewis Elton (UCL) and Professor Cheng Kai-ming (HKU), she has visited major higher education research centres in Europe, as well as interviewed key stakeholders in different countries.

Dr Cecilia Tsui enjoys working at the intersection of business, government and education.  She has served as a consultant for a Business Ethics course of HKU SPACE and served the Preparatory Committee of the CUHK-TWGHs Community College (presently Tung Wah College).  Furthermore, at the Open University of Hong Kong, Dr Tsui has developed courses in Business, Management, and General Education. She has conducted research studies comparing “Administrative Styles of Open Universities in Asia”, as well as assessing “Trainers’ Competencies”; jointly organised with the Management Development Centre, Vocational Training Council Hong Kong.  In the early 1980s, at Citicorp, Cecilia facilitated the merger of Merrill Lynch with Sun Hung Kai Finance, the establishment of Sun Hung Kai Bank, and a number of syndicated loans.

Dr Tsui’s passion for people development, innovation, entrepreneurship, technological change, sustainability, and change leadership have shaped constructive solutions for clients. Cecilia has contributed to development of organisations at local and global levels.

Prof. Jon Garibaldi is currently the Provost of the University of Nottingham Ningbo China, and a member of the University of Nottingham Executive Board (UEB). He is Head of the Intelligent Modelling and Analysis (IMA) Research Group and was a Founding Director of the University of Nottingham Advanced Data Analysis Centre (ADAC). Prof. Garibaldi obtained a BSc in Physics from University of Bristol in 1984, and an MSc in Intelligent Systems and PhD from University of Plymouth in 1991, and 1997, respectively.  After joining the School of Computer Science University of Nottingham in 2002, he became a full Professor in 2012, and held a variety of administrative roles including Admissions Tutor, Director of Teaching and then Head of School from 2016 to 2023. His main research interest is in developing intelligent techniques to model human reasoning in uncertain environments, with a particular emphasis on the medical domain. He has particular interest in using non-standard fuzzy sets and systems, such as type-2 fuzzy sets and systems, to model human reasoning processes. He has published over 300 papers in internationally peer-reviewed venues, and has led or participated in a wide range of multi-disciplinary research projects worth over £80M. He is a Fellow of the IEEE, was the Editor-in-Chief of IEEE Transactions on Fuzzy Systems from Jan 2017 to Dec 2022, and is currently a member of the IEEE CIS Administrative Committee.