This article first appeared in The Edge Financial Daily on February 5, 2018

KUALA LUMPUR: The second Sweden-Southeast Asia (SEA) Business Summit that will take place tomorrow here will see Volvo Car Malaysia, along with partners ABB, Ericsson, Huqsvarna and Volvo Malaysia (Volvo Trucks), host a panel discussion related to the main theme of the summit, which is sustainability.

The panel discussion will focus on “Sustainable Mobility by Electrification, Autonomous Drive and Connectivity”, according to a statement from Volvo Car Malaysia.

“In 10 to 15 years, we will witness radical changes in the various mobility systems. Several key mobility trends — electrification, shared mobility and autonomy — are poised to take off.

“Autonomous technology is backed by industry to be the next breakthrough in the passenger vehicle market and beyond. The session will try to highlight the benefits of mass deployment and how attractive it is not only to the industry through new revenue streams, but also to consumers with safety, less time having to drive and policymakers meeting emission targets,” it said in a statement.

The summit this year, following the success of the inaugural one that was held in September 2016 in Singapore, will feature key political and business representatives from Sweden, Malaysia and Southeast Asia.

The aim of the summit is to provide a platform for the sharing of information on business opportunities in this part of the world, and to network with Swedish, Malaysian and other Asean-based companies, according to Team Sweden in Southeast Asia in a separate statement.

As the Southeast Asian region has the potential to become the fastest-growing region in Asia, it is crucial for Swedish companies to have a clear understanding of the developments in the region to be competitive in the evolving global market, it added.

On the Swedish side, it said Enterprise and Innovation Minister Mikael Damberg and the chairman of the Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken and SAAB Group & Foundation Asset Management, Marcus Wallenberg, will be present as senior representatives.

From Malaysia, International Trade and Industry Minister Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, Khazanah Nasional Bhd managing director Tan Sri Datuk Wira Azman Mokhtar, and Asean Business Advisory Council Malaysia co-chairman and Bank Muamalat Malaysia Bhd chairman Tan Sri Datuk Dr Mohd Munir Abdul Majid are expected to attend.

Besides that, ambassadors and trade commissioners from the Swedish Missions to Cambodia, Indonesia, Myanmar, The Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Malaysia will also be “at the disposal of participants for special briefings or, in case of interest, seminars on their respective countries of service”.

The summit is a joint effort by Team Sweden in Southeast Asia, which includes the Swedish Embassies in Asean member states, Swedish trade commissioners and representatives of Business Sweden in the region, as well as business associations and chambers of commerce in the respective countries.