ADB recently published a flagship report titled Asia Economic Integration Report 2021: Making Digital Platforms Work for Asia and the Pacific. The report looks at how regional economies can recover from COVID-19 by leveraging new technologies such as digital platforms and increasing services trade to reconnect and recover.

The webinar on Digital Platforms and Cambodia’s Post-COVID-19 Economic Recovery highlighted key parts of the report:

1. the economic landscape of digital platforms, showcasing the latest market trends and potential macroeconomic benefits;
2. the policy and regulatory eco-system that are required to manage the opportunities and challenges of digital transformation; and
3. the role of e-government and the use of big data to support the delivery of essential services.

Policy discussion focusing on how Cambodia may harness digital platforms to restore and grow its economy during and after the COVID-19 pandemic was facilitated during the webinar.

SPEAKERS:

H.E. Huot Pum, Under Secretary of State, Ministry of Economy and Finance 

H.E. Huot Pum is an Under Secretary of State at the Ministry of Economy and Finance (MEF). He previously spent seven years working for the Asean+3 Macroeconomic Research Office, better known as AMRO, a regional macroeconomic surveillance organization based in Singapore. Holding a Ph.D. in economics in 2008 from France’s Lumière University Lyon 2, H.E. Pum previously served in MEF’s Department of Financial Markets and Institutions (2005-2008) and was the Deputy Director.

Mr. Yasuyuki Sawada, Chief Economist, and Director General of Economic, Research and Regional Cooperation Department (ERCD), ADB

Yasuyuki Sawada is the chief spokesperson for ADB on economic and development trends and leads the Economic Research and Regional Cooperation Department (ERCD), which publishes ADB's flagship knowledge products.  Mr. Sawada is a Japanese national. He holds a Doctorate degree in Economics and a Master's degree in International Development Policy from Stanford University, USA; a Master's degree in International Relations from the University of Tokyo, Japan; a Master's degree in Economics from Osaka University, Japan; and a Bachelor's degree in Economics from Keio University, Japan. Mr. Sawada is a Professor in the Faculty of Economics at the University of Tokyo, Japan.

Mr. James P. Villafuerte, Country Economist for Indonesia and Senior Economist in the Economics Research and Regional Cooperation Department, ADB

James Villafuerte is the Country Economist for Indonesia and Senior Economist in the Southeast Asia Regional Department of the Asian Development Bank. He is a seasoned macro-economist with over 15 years of professional work experience in policy analysis, economic management, and regional cooperation.

H.E. Ros Seilava, Secretary of State, Ministry of Economy and Finance

H.E. Ros Seilava is a Secretary of State at the Ministry of Economy and Finance, the Secretary-General of the General Secretariat of Public Finance Management Reform Steering Committee and is a member of the Supreme National Economic Council (SNEC). He also serves as the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Agricultural and Rural Development Bank of Cambodia, and the Deputy Chair of the Digital Economy Working Group.

H.E. Ros Seilava received his BA in Social Science from Penza’s Institute of the Pedagogy, the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, in 1992. In 2002, he obtained his Master of International Affairs in Economic Policy Management from Columbia University, New York, USA.

Dr. Chheang Vannarith, President of Asian Vision Institute

Dr. Chheang Vannarith is a public policy analyst and government relations strategist and is currently the president of Asian Vision Institute. He has over a decade of experience as a geopolitical and geoeconomic analyst, with a focus on Southeast Asia. He was honored a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in 2013.  

He received his BA in International Relations from the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam in 2002, MA in International Relations from the International University of Japan in 2006, and PhD in Asia Pacific Studies from the Ritsumeikan Asia Pacific University in 2009.

Mr. Sim Chankiriroth, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of BanhJi and Vice-President of Young Entrepreneur Association of Cambodia

Mr. Kiriroth is the Founder and CEO of BanhJi and Vice-President of Young Entrepreneur Association of Cambodia. He is an entrepreneur and has extensive experience in the finance sector executive and advisory roles.  His experience includes being finance director, co-founder and managing partner of a financial consulting firm and an audit firm, and finance adviser to three of the biggest conglomerates in Cambodia. He is a member of the Governing Council of the Kampuchea Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Auditors (KICPAA), and a member of the Board of Directors’ member of the Cambodian CFO Association. Kiriroth is also a member of the Association of Certified Chartered Accountants (ACCA), Kampuchea Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Auditors (CPA), Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (ACMA), and Chartered Global Management Accountant (CGMA).

Mr. David Freedman, ADB Country Economist

Mr. Freedman heads the Economics, Strategy, and Planning Unit at ADB’s Cambodia Resident Mission. Before moving to Cambodia, he served as Country Economist in Timor-Leste, leading ADB’s support for poverty reduction, economic diversification, and regional integration. He also worked on private sector development in Papua New Guinea and other Pacific islands and supported ADB’s programs in the Pacific. Mr. Freedman studied economics at the University of Nottingham, England, and the University of British Columbia, Canada. He was awarded Universitas-21, ESRC, and Law and Social Sciences scholarships for academic excellence and graduated with distinction.