On November 30, 2020, Assistant Secretary Stilwell joined emerging leaders from the United States, ASEAN countries, and Timor-Leste for the launch of the U.S.-ASEAN Innovation Circle.
The Innovation Circle was announced at the 2019 U.S.-ASEAN Summit to bring together innovators and thought leaders to identify solutions to challenges facing the ASEAN region, foster collaboration with the private sector, and improve U.S.-ASEAN people-to-people ties. Innovation Circle participants will look at challenges under four themes: women’s empowerment, the digital economy, socially responsible business, and start-up environments. Each group will propose attainable, low-cost, high-impact solutions that can influence change in each of these areas for the benefit of Southeast Asia and the United States.
The United States is pleased to announce that the inaugural members of the Innovation Circle are:
- Michele Chew — ASEAN Secretariat (Indonesia)
- Sita Sumrit — ASEAN Secretariat (Thailand)
- Nurul Huda Binti Awang Haji Muhin — Pusat Ehsan Al-Ameerah Al-Hajjah Maryam (Brunei Darussalam)
- Noorhafizah Rashid — Big BWN Project (Brunei Darussalam)
- Sreyroth Kim — Khmer Foods Group Co., Ltd. (Cambodia)
- Sovan Srun — Edemy Co., Ltd (Cambodia)
- Dewi Meisari Haryanti — Ukmindonesia.id – LPEM FEB UI (Indonesia)
- Ines Setiawan — SHINE Indonesia (Indonesia)
- Souphaphone Souannavon — TOHLAO Group (Laos)
- Pasong lattana — goteddy (Laos)
- Murali Prasad Vandayar — SIZZLESCIENCE (Malaysia)
- Ida Faranina Othman — Marvel Factory Sdn. Bhd. (Grow the Goose & Borneo Cocoa) (Malaysia)
- Nyantha Lin — Burgundy Hills Co. (Myanmar)
- Hla Hla Win — 360ed (Myanmar)
- Patrick Dulay — The Spark Project (Philippines)
- Anya Lim — ANTHILL Fabric Gallery (Philippines)
- Alan Soon — Splice Media (Singapore)
- Terence Quek — Emergenetics Caelan & Sage (Singapore)
- Shannon Kalayanamitr — Gobi Partners (Thailand)
- Ayu Chuepa — Akha Ama Coffee (Thailand)
- Leonia Lemos — Mirtejes-f (Timor-Leste)
- Jonia do Ros Leite Soares — Cafe Brisa Serena (Timor-Leste)
- Dalin Nhean — Vital Voices Global Partnership (United States)
- Max Tuchman — Caribu (United States)
- Lan Phan — United Nations Development Programme (Vietnam)
- Thai Binh Ho — SSVN Survival Skills Social Enterprise (Vietnam)
The next formal meeting will be held in late spring 2021.
For more information on the U.S.-ASEAN Innovation Circle, please email InnovationCircle@State.gov.