online event
Get your business ready for Singapore with techUK
Explore how to grow your services, innovation-led or technology business in Singapore, which is an excellent starting point for expanding your business in the Asia Pacific region.
What you’ll learn
- understand the trading relationship that the UK has with Singapore
- discover the market opportunities for services and tech companies within Singapore
- hear expert market entry advice on how to set up a company in Singapore and market your product or service
Description
Singapore is an open, vibrant, and forward-looking country which operates as an excellent gateway for countries to expand further the Asia Pacific region. The fast-growing ASEAN and CPTPP economy is one of the UK’s largest trading partners in Southeast Asia, making it a great place to seek business opportunities in the wider region.
The UK-Singapore Digital Economy Agreement (DEA) came into force in June 2022 and the UK also has an FTA with Singapore, meaning that the UK and Singapore have a very open and digital-friendly trading relationship. With a focus on creating inclusive digital markets, the Singapore DEA offers a great opportunity for growth through the free flow of duty-free digital content, meaning trade can be easier for businesses and consumers, for products like e-books, music streaming services, or technology services.
The DEA has created a range of opportunities for businesses to grow in Singapore in the following sectors:
- technology and smart cities
- financial and professional services
- creative industries
- innovation-led businesses
- education
The event will also provide practical insights on how to sell overseas and expand into Singapore, from an overview of market opportunities, through to advice from a panel featuring UK businesses who have already started their export journey into Singapore. Bring along your burning questions for our experts!
Speakers
Winnie Seow-Mei
Head of Intermediaries – Asia, Hawksford, Singapore
Based in Singapore, Winnie is responsible for helping global businesses to expand into Southeast Asia region, while assisting Asian companies with expanding into the UK.
With more than 10 years of experience in international expansion, Winnie has held different roles within the public and private sector, where she assisted multinational corporations and SMEs on their market entry and expansion needs.
Winnie has lived and worked in China and Southeast Asia and is fluent in English, Malay, Mandarin, Cantonese and Hokkien. She prides herself on her good understanding of cultural sensitivity and ways of working with clients in Asia.
Valeria Vigilante
Digital Trade and Singapore Lead - Free Trade Agreement Utilisation Team, Department for Business and Trade (DBT)
Valeria joined the Department for Business and Trade in April 2019. Since then, she has worked across a range of trade policy areas, such as UK MFN tariff regimes, trade remedies and FTA Implementation.
In her current role, she is leading on the Free Trade Agreement Utilisation strategy on Digital Trade, with a particular focus on Singapore and the UK-Singapore Digital Economy Agreement.
Valeria holds a masters degree in European Studies from the London School of Economics and Political Science and a bachelor degree in Politics and Philosophy from the University of Sheffield.
Yeo Zhihan
Director, Chapters & Strategic Programmes, SGTech
Zhihan started his career with the National Population and Talent Division, Prime Minister’s Office where he helped support policies and programmes to facilitate the social integration of new immigrants, before moving to SPRING Singapore (now Enterprise Singapore) to drive strategic partnerships and industry projects that helped SMEs transform their businesses.
In his current role, Zhihan manages SGTech’s sub-communities (Chapters) in tech verticals such as AI, and Cybersecurity as well as SGTech’s strategic programmes that help strengthen the local tech sector in the areas of talent development, internationalisation, sustainability, and digital transformation.
Maria Tsarkova
Lead Marketing Consultant, Partas Global
Maria is a growth marketer with a track-record of launching and scaling products in the UK and globally.
As the Co-founder of Solid Water growth marketing firm and Lead Marketing Consultant at Partas Global, Maria advises a range of tech and traditional businesses on brand positioning, agile growth strategies, and new markets expansion. Agency’s clients include fintechs (in MENA and EU), B2B tech companies, (in the UK, South Africa, Germany, Central Asia), lifestyle businesses (in the UK/DACH/SEA). Solid Water Agency takes a comprehensive approach to growth marketing, providing both strategy and execution under one roof, often acting as an extension or substitute for in-house teams.
Maria holds an MSc in Strategic Marketing from Imperial College Business School, a BA in Liberal Arts with a Major in Comparative Literature and a Minor in Political Economy from King's College London.
Matthew Borthwick
CEO and Co-Founder, Scalerr
With over a decade’s experience in the talent space, Scalerr was created to provide specialist advice and services for scaling businesses looking at growing globally. Since launching, Scalerr has created 48 unicorns, helped over 500 companies and has 5 global offices with more in the pipeline.