Think Big Singapore Empowers Businesses to Navigate Uncertainty Amid Cloudy Economic Forecast
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9:00 PM on Sunday, October 5
The Associated Press
Annual leadership business series by Canon Singapore equips business leaders with strategies and a resilience-ready toolkit to navigate global and economic shifts impacting Singapore
SINGAPORE - Media OutReach Newswire - 6 October 2025 - Canon today announced the return of the highly-anticipated annual Think Big Leadership Business Series in Singapore, designed to help businesses tackle challenges in an era of global uncertainty and technological disruption. This year's event, themed "Sailing Through a Sea of Uncertainty: Building a Resilience-Ready Toolkit to Thrive in an Unpredictable Future", provides a strategic forum for business leaders to discuss geopolitical uncertainties, and how Singapore is poised to become the regional powerhouse by embracing artificial intelligence (AI) and innovation.
Think Big Leadership Business Series 2025 in Singapore
The series is particularly timely, as the Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) recently shared a cloudy economic outlook for the rest of 2025 amidst trade conflict and financial or geopolitical shocks. This makes the need for businesses to adopt strategies that strengthen adaptability and future-readiness more urgent than ever.
Co-organised by Canon Singapore and Mediacorp, the Think Big series will take place at the Parkroyal Collection Marina Bay on 22 and 23 October 2025. Over the two days, distinguished industry leaders and eminent representatives from key trade associations including the Singapore Business Federation, AI Singapore, Association of Small & Medium Enterprises (ASME), and National University of Singapore, will convene to deliberate on pivotal themes, including macro and economic repercussions of trade wars and tariffs, and the transformative integration of AI.
The popular Mandarin-language seminar also returns this year, featuring industry experts and academia who will explore how businesses can navigate today's volatile economic climate. There will also be a focused session on the Singapore-Malaysia Special Economic Zone (SEZ), spotlighting opportunities for growth, cross-border investment, and collaborative innovation in this fast-developing economic corridor.
"2025 has been marked by unprecedented global uncertainty and rapid technological advancement, making resilience more crucial than ever for businesses across Asia," said Norihiro (Nick) Katagiri, Senior Vice President, Regional Digital Printing and Business Solution Operations, Canon Singapore.
"Canon's Think Big Leadership Business Series serves as a cornerstone event for thought-provoking discussions, practical business insights, and innovative showcases. With a diverse lineup of speakers and a focus on actionable solutions, we believe that this event will equip business leaders with the insights and tools needed to navigate the complexities of 2025 and emerge stronger for the future of work."
Strategic Forum for a Future-Ready Singapore
Building on the 2025 National Day Rally 's message of a strong focus on innovation and technology, Think Big 2025 will address how new technologies can be quickly adopted across the entire economy to sustainably raise productivity while mitigating risks in an uncertain business environment. This aligns with the national goal of empowering every organisation to effectively adopt AI and other key technologies to strengthen their competitiveness.
Exclusive to the event will be Canon's solutions showcase, where attendees will be able to walk through a one-of-a-kind 'AI City' designed to provide businesses with practical solutions to navigate an evolving business landscape. This immersive experience will feature a replica city with different zones representing key work styles and business environments. Visitors will get to see how Canon's innovations can help them drive productivity, streamline workflows, and ensure their business is ready for the future. Key solutions include:
- Remote Working Solutions: Located within the AI City's Hybrid Central Park, visitors can engage with devices featuring AI noise cancellation and the Therefore™ Online solution for remote document access, approval and AI data extraction.
- Next-Generation Office Solutions: At the Central Business District, visitors can gain first-hand experience with the new imageFORCE multi-function devices and the Antelope® Generative AI document management solution.
- Security & Facility Management Solutions: Within the Operations Boulevard, visitors can explore the future of urban intelligence where AI-enabled access control, real-time demographic insights, and smart sensors work seamlessly to create safer, smarter, and more adaptive environments.
SUPPORTING QUOTES
Ang Yuit, President of Association of Small and Medium Enterprises (ASME) Track: [Economy & Trade] Policy Uncertainty Triggered by the Tariff War: How Can Businesses Rebuild After the Disruption? “The ongoing global trade reconfiguration and its ripple effects on the existing supply chain ecosystems which businesses have relied on, have forced many to face great levels of uncertainty and disruption. For many SMEs, this has meant prioritising cash flow and shelving expansion plans as they try to adjust. In this era of change, companies must proactively seek out new growth opportunities - whether it is restructuring their business by embracing new technologies like AI or by exploring new markets in economic corridors closer to home, such as the Johor-Singapore SEZ.”
Musa Fazal, Chief Policy & Operating Officer, Singapore Business Federation Track: Global Inflation Trends & Their Business Impact
“Singapore businesses, particularly our SMEs, are no strangers to the challenges of global economic uncertainty. While factors like geopolitical instability and trade conflicts dominate headlines, the silent and persistent threat of global inflation directly impacts our bottom line, from rising raw material costs to supply chain pressures. By understanding the forces at play and adopting new strategies, businesses can make smarter decisions about managing costs, optimise their operations, and ultimately secure their long-term growth.”
Prof. Lam Kwok Yan, Professor, College of Computing & Data Sciences, Nanyang Technological University
Track: The AI revolution: Business Growth and Cyber Threats
“The integration of AI and Big Data is a game-changer for businesses, but it also fundamentally reshapes the threat landscape. As we embrace these powerful technologies to innovate and grow, we must equally prioritise strengthening our cybersecurity and digital trust infrastructure. Organisations must shift their mindset from simply reacting to threats to proactively building a safe and responsible, AI-driven posture. This empowers businesses to harness the benefits of AI and data while staying ahead of the evolving risks.”
Toh Ser Khoon, Senior Director, Engineering Cluster, Singapore Polytechnic; Managing Director, Singapore Polytechnic International
Track: Innovation & Digital Transformation in the SEZ
“The Johor-Singapore SEZ is a strategic platform to expand markets, drive innovation, and create win-win partnerships. By fostering talent, technology, and enterprise transformation, it empowers companies, especially SMEs, to scale and adapt. Singapore Polytechnic supports company transformation through practical solutioning, as well as upskilling programmes that build agile, innovation-driven workforces across the region.”Hashtag: #Canon #ThinkBig2025 #AI #Innovation #FutureOfWork #BusinessResilience #DigitalTransformation
The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.
About Think Big Leadership Business Series Singapore
The Think Big Leadership Business Series, an initiative by Canon, is designed to inspire and empower business leaders with forward-looking strategies and actionable insights. First launched in Singapore in 2010, the platform helps organisations navigate today's fast-evolving business landscape by demonstrating how innovation and technology can drive sustainable growth.
This year's series will address business challenges posed by political shifts and explore how businesses can leverage technology to thrive in uncertain times through the tech-driven solutions showcase. The event will continue to feature a dual-language format with English and Mandarin keynote addresses, and panel discussions led by Mediacorp.
About Canon Singapore Pte. Ltd.
Canon is a global leader in photographic and digital imaging solutions. Canon Singapore Pte. Ltd. is the headquarters for South & Southeast Asia driving sales, marketing and service strategies. Besides handling the domestic market, the company covers 22 other countries and regions. The parent company Canon Inc. has a global network of more than 300 companies and employs about 170,000 people worldwide. Canon is guided by its kyosei philosophy that focuses on living and working together for the common good.
More information is available at https://sg.canon.
