The ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) recently held its 75th Council Meeting in the Resort World Sentosa, Singapore on 4-7 June 2018.  ASEAN-BAC was created in 2003 by the ASEAN Leaders to serve as the Apex Business Council to put together and champion private-sector concerns and feedback to boost ASEAN's efforts towards faster and more inclusive economic integration.

Digitize ASEAN was the center point of the Council activities on June. Focusing on the benefit of digital economy for the region, the event was successfully attracted around 450 participants which 40% out of it are from outside of Singapore. The session on healthcare is the main center point of the conference, which was successfully garnering impactful inputs from the audience.

As the main activities of the Council, several resolutions was passed and approved on the 75th ASEAN-BAC Meeting. Decisions on SG Chairmanship Program, MATCH conferences, ASEAN Responsible Business Forum, and ARFF, was among the resolutions were passed during the Council Meeting.

Apart from the Council Meeting, the Council also welcomed US-ASEAN Business Council for an Exclusive Dialogue on 7th June 2018. Amb, Michalak heads the USABC delegation which heavily discussed on the potential collaborative event of ASEAN-US Business Forum and numerous business recommendation was submitted for the council's consideration towards the ASEAN-BAC Report to AEM and Leaders.

ASEAN Business and Investment Summit

Since the Leaders of ASEAN established it in 2003, the Business Council has been active in promoting public-private sector partnership to assist the integration of an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). The ASEAN Business and Investment Summit (ASEAN-BIS) is organised by the ASEAN BAC, as the avenue to promote public and private sector partnership in the region.  Annually, the congregation on average attracted a total of 700 to 1000 delegates who are prominent dignitaries, regional and global businessmen, academicians and policy-makers generating mainly from ASEAN Member States, Dialogue Partners and the rest of the world. In 2018, the Council plans to have their ASEAN-BIS in Singapore on 11-13 November 2018, in conjunction with 33rd ASEAN Summit.

ASEAN Business Awards

Since its establishment by ASEAN Leaders in 2003, the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) has been active in promoting public-private sector partnership and consultation to assist the integration of an ASEAN Economic Community (AEC). In its efforts to bridge ASEAN Governments with their private sector, the Council launched the ASEAN Business Awards (ABA) in 2007 to give recognition to companies that have contributed to the growth and prosperity of the ASEAN economy.

Since they were first launched in 2007, ABA have rewarded more than 100 companies throughout the region that excel in categories such as Growth, Employment, Innovation and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Following the success of ABA 2015, ASEAN-BAC expanded categories in 2016 to include the Priority Integration Sectors (PIS), as well as recognising outstanding young entrepreneurs, women entrepreneurs and leaders. Finally, to acknowledge the contribution of non-ASEAN companies in the development the region economies, it also created an award for ‘Friends of ASEAN’.