Samuel B. Harris

I have always wondered why our calendars are almost always packed. I read the book "The Async-First Playbook" by Sumeet Gayathri Moghe over the weekend and felt sharing my views on what Singapore Public Sector does to adopt async-first practices to save time. (a) Implementing flexible work arrangements - The Public Service Division (PSD) is already encouraging hybrid work models that combine remote and onsite work. This can be further enhanced by adopting more async-first practices. (b) Utilize appropriate tools - Implement tools that support asynchronous communication and collaboration, such as project management platforms, document sharing systems, and asynchronous video messaging tools. The Singapore government already uses some tools like SG-Teams and OneDrive, which can be leveraged for async work. (c) Adopt async-first leadership practices - Training leaders to manage remote teams effectively, focusing on output-based metrics rather than hours worked. (d) Redesign workspaces - Create collaborative spaces for in-person work that complement async practices, similar to what DBS has done with its Living Lab. Happy to see more agencies adopt collaborative spaces in the last 6-8 months. (e) Implement regular async check-ins - Use tools for asynchronous status updates, similar to OGP's use of UpdateBot on Slack. (f) Optimize meetings - When synchronous meetings are necessary, ensure they are well-planned, have clear agendas, and are recorded for those who cannot attend. I see room for further improvements. (g) Provide training and support - Offer guidance on effective async communication, time management, and using new tools to help employees adapt to the new work style. Implementing these practices aligns with the PSD's goals of enhancing organizational effectiveness, supporting national objectives like reducing peak-hour transport load, and creating a more inclusive work environment. However, it's important to note that the transition to async-first work may require time and effort to implement effectively, and should be tailored to the specific needs and context of each agency within the Singapore Public Sector. #AsyncFirst #Thoughtworks #DistributedAgile2

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Microsoft announces US$1.7 billion investment to advance Indonesia’s cloud and AI ambitions Main Points: Microsoft announces a historic #investment of US$1.7 billion over four years in #Indonesia's #cloud and AI #infrastructure, the largest in its 29-year history in the country. The investment aims to support Indonesia's Golden Indonesia 2045 Vision, transforming it into a global #economic powerhouse. Initiatives include #cloudcomputing services, #AI skilling opportunities for 840,000 people, and support for Indonesia's #developer #community. AI skilling will benefit 2.5 million people across ASEAN member states by 2025. Microsoft commits to providing technical #education, #cybersecurity career opportunities for women, AI fluency training for youth, and nonprofit employee upskilling. Development initiatives like AI Odyssey aim to train 10,000 Indonesian developers in AI expertise. Indonesia boasts the third-largest #GitHub developer community in the Asia-Pacific region, set to be top five globally by 2026. Various Indonesian organizations are leveraging Microsoft's AI solutions for enhanced productivity and innovation. Microsoft collaborates with the Indonesian government and stakeholders to ensure AI is ethically implemented and serves as a force for good. via Microsoft to read the article: https://lnkd.in/dU4vVXjv

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Health is top of mind for all of us and HEALIX opens up possibilities and efficiencies to reap the benefits of data driven insights and AI, to deliver positive impact for all in Singapore. AWS is proud to be one of the key partners to collaborate with Synapxe on HEALIX, which will empower all public healthcare providers in Singapore to unlock, connect, and transform data into actionable insights to deliver better patient outcomes. At Amazon Web Services (AWS), we look forward to deepening our collaboration with Synapxe to boost healthcare innovation leveraging the power of cloud and data analytics, and accelerate public sector adoption of AI together as partners under the AWS AI Spring program. #AWS #AISpring #GenAI Richard Goh Binny Peh 白汇彬 Jenan Yeap Jenny Koh Kim Yiau Yap Jia Ming Lee May Peng Wong Mavis Chuah Natasya K. Idries Jia Jia Farm AUMAPORN ARMRADIST Michelle Teo Vincent Oh Sandra Teh Jean Zhuang Ankit Pasrija Shufen Hong Chun Wei Wu Kevin Tan Alexia Lee

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A little more about AWS AI Spring from our own blogpost. AI Spring consist of six pillars to catalyse AI activities, and drive benefits to AWS’s customers, partners, and community: 🌸AI Spring Public Sector to collaborate on driving AI initiatives within the Singapore Government and government agencies to benefit industries and citizens; 🌸AI Spring Workforce, a series of AI skilling and professional certification programmes; 🌸AI Spring Enterprise to drive AI adoption in local enterprises; 🌸AI Spring Startups to nurture core AI startups in Singapore; 🌸AI Spring Communities to contribute to community development with AI; and 🌸AI Spring Research and Development (R&D) to drive R&D for and with AI. #aws #generativeai #AISpringAWS https://lnkd.in/dq8FU4BM

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In Microsoft's latest Cloud Cultures series, we deep dive into stories of innovation in Malaysia. Discover how PETRONAS is harnessing technology to power sustainable progress, how Chop Cheong Bee transitioned from a traditional poultry farm to a pioneer in sustainable agriculture through smart farming, and ways we are empowering Malaysians to unlock their potential and achieve more through our skilling initiatives.   These stories are not just about technology; they're about people, progress, and the planet. See how Malaysians are embracing new technologies and using #MicrosoftAzure to innovate with confidence—ensuring the benefits extend to all. Watch now: https://lnkd.in/gyFF54Bg Ahmed, Andrea, Corey, Laurence, Sharifah Shereeta, Azizah, Andrew, beewah, Ellian, Millie, Gwendolynn, Mike, Sheikh, Adilah, Jasmine, Oniel, Sher May, Mei Yan, Dashika, Celeste

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#AsiaPacific’s #AI Edge: Unlocking #Growth with Open #Hybrid #Cloud- Key insights from Intel Corporation Red Hat Harvard Business Review briefing paper Some good insights by Richard Turrin ✅ companies in the Asia-Pacific (#APAC) region plan to increase spending on #GenAI by more than 140% to $3.4 billion in 2024—well ahead of #Europe’s forecast growth rate of 115% and more than double the growth expected in #NorthAmerica (70%) ✅ 76% of survey respondents say their organization is using, piloting, or exploring generative AI (gen AI) for #business purposes. ✅ 69% expect #employees at their organization to be more #productive as a result of using gen AI, but only 16% have had that #experience. ✅ 68% say they expect employees to complete tasks faster as a result of using gen AI, but only 18% have had that experience. ✅ The excitement and the #hype surrounding gen AI have spurred great expectations of #valuecreation that are not immediately realizable because of a number of challenges that organizations need to tackle, especially when it comes to laying the #technological foundation gen AI needs to succeed. ✅ Organizations developing their strategy for using gen AI successfully should carefully evaluate their key choices, especially regarding #software, applications, and #ITinfrastructure. Then they have #talent, #customer #privacy, and other issues to resolve. #Bigdata #Artificialintelligence #GenerativeAI #GenAI #Dataprivacy #FinTech #FinServ #Banking #regulation #regtech Mike Flache Francesco Burelli Tony Moroney Panagiotis Kriaris Dr. Martha Boeckenfeld Spiros Margaris Alex Jimenez Prof. Dr. Ingrid Vasiliu-Feltes Nicolas Babin Nicolas Pinto Amitav Bhattacharjee Sam Boboev Sanjeev Kumar Arjun Vir Singh Monica Jasuja Enrico Molinari Dr. Khulood Almani🇸🇦 د.خلود المانع Dr. Debashis Dutta https://lnkd.in/grC5zJB5

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Generative AI has immense potential as a powerful catalyst to solidify Singapore's position as a preeminent global financial center. By harnessing large language models and other cutting-edge AI technologies, financial institutions based in Singapore can gain a formidable competitive edge. These innovations will enhance capabilities across fraud detection, customer experience optimization, product innovation, and business process automation. As a regional and global fintech hub, Singapore is ideally poised to emerge as a world leader in developing safe, responsible, and tailored generative AI solutions for the financial services industry. I'm delighted to share my perspective in this article with The Asian Bankers on how AWS is empowering customers to seamlessly build and scale AI applications. They can choose from a comprehensive range of generative AI technologies https://lnkd.in/gWS9HSBe that support organizations of all types and AI adoption maturity levels. AWS's robust offerings aims to accelerate Singapore's journey towards becoming a global AI powerhouse, especially in the financial sector. Conor McNamaraGunish ChawlaVikram RaoAileen Kong Michelle Toh Gulab Singh Ashraf Safdar Dipika Dewan Dawn Chin Jean Zhuang

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Building High-Impact Climate Ventures in Southeast Asia: Lessons from a Successful Tech Entrepreneur now at WaveMaker Impact 🌏🌱 As someone passionate about the intersection of #tech and #sustainability, as well as the VC space, I found the recent Theia Ventures' unheated podcast featuring Steve Melhuish, co-founder of WaveMaker Impact and former #PropertyGuru co-founder and CEO, incredibly insightful. Here are key takeaways that stood out: 1️⃣ The "100x100" methodology: Targeting ventures capable of reaching $100M revenue AND reducing 100 megatons of CO2 in a decade. An ambitious goal aligning impact with economic viability. 2️⃣ Focus on business model innovation: Rather than focusing on developing new technologies, WaveMaker concentrates on innovative deployment of existing solutions. A pragmatic approach to accelerate #climateaction. 3️⃣ Rigorous carbon impact measurement: Using scientific data, collaborating with universities, and taking a conservative approach to emission reduction claims. Crucial #transparency in a field prone to greenwashing. 4️⃣ Co-creation with experienced entrepreneurs: A 5-6 month process to identify and refine high-potential opportunities. A #methodology that leverages entrepreneurial expertise while orienting it towards climate solutions. 5️⃣ Positive secondary impacts: Improving farmers' incomes, increasing climate resilience... #Cobenefits that enhance these ventures' value in the communities beyond carbon impact. This approach has reinforced my deeply held belief that business model innovation, coupled with rigorous impact measurement, is key to accelerating the ecological transition, in Southeast Asia and elsewhere. Listening to inspiring tech leaders like Steve who transitioned to VC with Wavemaker Impact is especially stimulating as I am currently completing the VC/PE executive program at Columbia Business School as well as the Sustainability Strategies program at Stanford (busy studious Summer!). #ClimateInnovation #ImpactInvesting #AseanTech Inspired by Theia Ventures' unheated podcast interview with Steve Melhuish of WaveMaker Impact https://lnkd.in/ggbjHzww

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Asia has been "in a frying pan" these weeks (or months), prompting school closures and health warnings across countries. While climate policy and concerted action may take a (long) while, technology can be a speedy enabler as we innovate and scale fast against climate change. In particular, the AWS - UNESCO IRCAI Compute for Climate Fellowship (https://lnkd.in/giX5Uszs) funds climate startups focused on cutting-edge science in clean energy, low-carbon transportation, carbon removal and sustainable agriculture and food, etc. Interested climate entrepreneurs should apply by 7 Jun! In 2023, the program provided AWS technology and expertise in quantum computing, high-performance computing, artificial intelligence and machine learning and generative AI to startups such as Realta Fusion (fusion energy systems to decarbonize industrial heat and power), Coastal Carbon (satellite imagery to track and measure underwater vegetation growth and carbon sequestration), Phytoform (biotechnology and AI for climate resilient plants), Xatoms (AI and quantum computing water treatment). UNESCO | IRCAI - International Research Center on Artificial Intelligence under the auspices of UNESCO | AWS Startups Joe Hooper, Calum Handforth, Devahuti Choudhury, Bradley Busetto, Helen Elizabeth Burdett, Anders Soh, Li Lang Heng, Jessica Cheam, Meaghan See Ernest Xue, May Liew, Wai Chiew CHIK, Max Han, Yoonmin Cho, Zachary Lee, 李惠翔, JJ Erpaiboon, Puiyan LEUNG, Veronica Puah, Jerry Lui, Angela Tay, Xinyi Tow, Jugnu Pati, Tu Ngo Pitcharee Keeratithakul, Safuan Zairi, Mohamad Hazwan Mohd Daut, Ph.D., Masato Tanakai, Carmen Peck, Emi Kaneko, Astrid Seegers, Gabby van Herpt, Thu Phuong Thai, Truong Ly Hoang Phi #AWS #techforgood #climatetech

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Microsoft to invest $1.7bn in Indonesia cloud and AI computing Company announced plans for cloud region in 2021 Summary: Microsoft has committed to investing $1.7 billion over the next four years to enhance cloud and AI infrastructure in Indonesia. This move marks the company's largest investment in its 29-year history in the country and is aimed at supporting the Indonesian government's "Golden Indonesia 2045" vision. Microsoft's investment is expected to meet the rising demand for cloud computing services within the region. Satya Nadella, Chairman and CEO of Microsoft, emphasized the transformative impact of AI on lifestyle and work globally, stating that the investment will boost digital infrastructure, skills development, and support for developers in Indonesia. Budi Arie Setiadi, Indonesia's Minister of Communications and IT, expressed confidence that this partnership will position Indonesia as a key player in the global technology supply chain. The initiative builds on Microsoft's previous announcement in February 2021 to establish a cloud region in Jakarta, with ongoing construction of data centers in the greater Jawa Barat region. Details on how the new funds will be specifically allocated to expand these initiatives remain unspecified. Microsoft's cloud and AI solutions are already being utilized by major Indonesian enterprises, including Dana, a fintech firm; PT Kereta Api, the public railway operator; and Telkomsel, a leading Asian telecommunications firm. The investment announcement comes as other major cloud service providers like Huawei, Google, Alibaba, Tencent, and AWS also expand their operations in Indonesia. Additionally, Indosat has recently partnered with Nvidia to establish a $200 million AI center, further highlighting Indonesia's growing prominence in the tech sector. #MicrosoftIndonesia #CloudComputing #AIInvestment #TechExpansion #DigitalTransformation #Indonesia2045 #GlobalTech #InnovationLeadership #AIInfrastructure

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Happy 1st Birthday 🎂 to the AI Verify Foundation! 🎉 I am delighted that Amazon Web Services (AWS) is now a Premier member of the AI Verify Foundation. AWS will contribute AI testing algorithms to evaluate AI Models and share best practices from our AWS Well Architected Framework. Organizations need support in balancing responsibility with innovation to build trustworthy AI applications, and we stand ready to support our customers and partners in Singapore for an AI powered future. In addition, under our flagship AI program AWS AI Spring Singapore, announced earlier this month to accelerate the adoption of AI and generative AI across our economy, we have now launched the AWS Responsible Generative AI Community. AWS will work with the responsible generative AI community of organizations from Singapore to better understand the challenges with responsible AI, and help chart specific and practical pathways to develop safe and secure generative AI solutions, leveraging in-house AWS expertise. https://lnkd.in/gDcPpnbb Richard Goh Binny Peh 白汇彬 Jenan Yeap Jenny Koh Kim Yiau Yap Jia Ming Lee May Peng Wong Mavis Chuah Natasya K. Idries Jia Jia Farm AUMAPORN ARMRADIST Michelle Teo Vincent Oh Sandra Teh Jean Zhuang Ankit Pasrija Shufen Hong John Fan Chun Wei Wu Mallika Joshi Melissa Yoong Eric Conrad Chris Ho PhD MBA Gary Seet #AWS #AISpring #GenAI #ResponsibleAI #AIVerify #IMDA #atxsg

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Zhang Yiming, the founder of Bytedance, shared that he thinks the most important qualities of a founder are two -- small ego and resilience. I resonate a lot to that, especially the small ego part. This is really not easy. A lof of founders have had beautiful CVs before founding their startups. And we might think that we know what we are dealing with because we've graduated from a good school or have achieved something great in our career. Sometimes it's not even that we think we know, it's the expectations that we feel we should know. Expectations from colleagues, from investors, from people around you that think you are doing well. I attended a road show organized by Transsion Group in Shenzhen in April. And it was a mind blowing experience for me. Without the rest of the world realizing, Transsion has been transitioning from Africa's largest mobile phone brand to the biggest tech startup ecosystem in China for Africa, and this is led actively by the founder himself . What I felt there was so different from what I generally felt living and breathing in the our startup ecosystem. In summary is that, these people there know that "they don't know" and they are open about it, while we here are putting so much of effort to show that "I know". We got lost in chasing shining titles such as "xzy amount raised"/ "xxx awarded"/ "abc invested"/ "xxx graduated", that we forget to reconnect ourselves with that little person who wanted to start something to solve a real-life problem -- the naked fragile little person that started with no title, no achievements, no expectations, but only a vision that's truly to his heart.

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In Taiwan they have a Minister of Digital Affairs. I have heard a few interviews with Audrey Tang, who holds this role and it is amazing what they are doing. One of the most recent interviews (with the Center for Humane Technology) I heard with her was about elections in Japan and that the most secure way of doing them is... on paper!!! Anyone may video stream the process of counting the physical votes from their phones, so there are multiple witnesses and public access to watching the counting. There are too many ways to crack, hack or rig the elections if voting is electronic, but technology can still be used to keep the elections free and fair! Other countries should look and learn. https://lnkd.in/dXk7-XsA #ai #cht #audreytang

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If you work in cloud security, you could not miss James Berthoty and Francis Odum's latest report on redefining CNAPP. Whether or not you agree with their views on how we should think about CNAPP and its future, you'll have the opportunity to attend the upcoming The Elephant in AppSec conference, where you can ask James questions or challenge his opinions 😉 James will kick off the Tools Track with his talk, "A future of Security free from CNAPP”. As you might expect, he'll suggest that more realistic market segmentations exist than a category that was made up for the platform’s sake. If you haven't read it, here is the link to the report 👉 https://lnkd.in/e4C5d_AS Sign up for the conference here 👉 https://lnkd.in/eZ2mehGp

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Great news from Satya Nadella today! We're thrilled to share Microsoft's largest-ever investment in our 32-year history in the country - a testament to our continued commitment to empower Malaysia's digital future with #cloud and #AI. Today's announcement includes establishing a robust digital infrastructure, enhancing #AI skills among Malaysians, setting up a national AI Centre of Excellence in partnership with the Government of Malaysia, and nurturing a dynamic developer community to spur more innovations. #MicrosoftASIA #CEOVisit #MSBuildAIDay #MicrosoftMalaysia #BersamaMalaysia

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Tech Giants Start to Treat Southeast Asia Like Next Big Thing : region is attracting data center, AI artificial intelligence investments : Amazon, Microsoft among firms pledging billions of dollars advent of AI artificial intelligence is spurring tech leaders to pursue new sources of growth, laying the digital infrastructure of the region’s future “Countries like Singapore and Malaysia are largely neutral to the geopolitical tensions happening with China, US, Ukraine and Russia” “Especially with the ongoing wars, this region has become more attractive” “The governments are pro cross-border investments and there’s a deep talent pool” catalyst for the tech companies is generative AI artificial intelligence, with services like ChatGPT rapidly gaining users : Southeast Asia’s accelerating AI artificial intelligence adoption has the potential to add about $1 trillion to the region’s economy by 2030 “This shift is influenced by both external and internal drivers” “Besides the intensifying US-China rivalry and policy divergence across major jurisdictions, subdued revenue growth and rising costs also underline the need for companies to manage expenses prudently” ---- generative artificial intelligence ---

Pleased to announce invite for applications for the 2024 AWS APJ Generative AI Spotlight, a program targeted towards pre-seed and seed-stage ready startups across Asia-Pacific and Japan who are MVP ready. The aim of the program is to boost the technical proficiency of the startup’s product, increase investor readiness for the next round and provide support and opportunities around early go-to-market.   Program Highlights: - Learn from best-in-class Generative AI startups, leading LLM producers, AWS engineers and industry-leading technical experts, and deep dive on your business to optimize around emerging tech and evolving business practices. - A booster for your business: Leverage access to and guidance from executive, go-to-market, and technical advisors, with the full support of the AWS Startups ready to help you grow your business faster - AWS Credits to build - Participants will hear from executives at Cohere, Accel, Peak XV, Krikey AI, Leonardo AI, AWS/Amazon and many more over the course of the program: - Saurabh Baji SVP Engineering Cohere shares his vision on state of the art innovations and happenins around LLMs - Prayank Swaroop Partner Accel on treading through the fast paced world of GenAI for sucess - Ajey Gore, CTO at Peak XV talks about GenAI relevance in current market map – businesses and startups - Ketaki S. & Jhanvi S. Co-Founders of Krikey.AI share their exciting GenAI startup journey - Will Stronach, VP of Global Sales Leonardo.ai shares how to build successful GTM strategies for GenAI products - And many more… Key Dates: - Application Period: June 13-30, 2024 - Notification Period: July 3 - 5, 2024 - Cohort Program Period: July 8 - August 2, 2024   Don’t miss this opportunity to accelerate your startup’s journey in the GenAI space   Apply Now: https://lnkd.in/gjQ8R5fp Lauren Capelin Amitabh Nagpal Kumara Raghavan Pandurang Nayak Deependra Singh Parth Patel Yogesh Lele Prashant Gupta Smita Satyavada Vinay Kumar Vijayendra V. Goutam Kurumella Prashanth VR Amit Arjaria Prateek Shrivastava Manisha Sharma Mehak Sharda Sachin Menon

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I enjoyed speaking the other day with Ryan Huang and Audrey Siek at MONEY FM 89.3 on how last year we achieved Amazon's goal to match 100% of the electricity consumed by our global operations (including at our data centers, corporate buildings, grocery stores and fulfillment centers) with #renewableenergy, seven years ahead of our original 2030 goal. To date, #Amazon has invested in over 500 #renewablepower projects around the world, representing more than 28 gigawatts (GW) of new #renewable capacity, making Amazon the largest corporate purchaser of #renewables globally for the fourth year running. I am especially proud of how we have been able to scale our #RE purchases in #Asia: with more than 80 projects across the region to date (including in #Australia, #China, #Indonesia, #NewZealand, #Singapore and #SouthKorea), Amazon is now recognized as the single largest corporate purchaser of renewables in both #India and #Japan, and we're still just getting started. Though the #APAC region still remains a challenging part of the world for corporate #RE procurement, regional policymakers are increasingly coming to understand that creating enabling conditions for scaling corporate investments in #cleanenergy is not only a win-win-win for consumers, developers, and regional grids, it can also help to accelerate progress towards regional economies' own #netzero / #NDC goals, all at no additional cost to taxpayers. Check out more here: https://lnkd.in/gnYqFTd5

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Against the backdrop of increasing pressure to serve their citizens and stakeholders better than ever before, Asia Pacific is undergoing a major transformation through the adoption of cloud-based solutions and AI technologies within the Government and Public Services (G&PS) sector. With personalised services at the forefront of change, governments are leveraging intelligent solutions to help transform their stakeholder experience. Join us at PwC's exclusive roundtable at Dreamforce featuring Nasi Jazayeri, Glenn Rozet GAICD, and Ashlee Marcuccio from Salesforce along with Jeroen Bouman, Rob Fisher, Tristan Hockley, and Candice Mackay from PwC - who will offer valuable insights on how governments in Asia Pacific can align with global best practices and uncover new opportunities to drive efficiencies, enhance citizen engagement, and deliver personalised services in the public sector. Seats are limited. To reserve your spot reach out to Shuchi Mehta. Dave Rey | Reggie Walker | Samantha Dunn | Tara Ridley | Jeff Casey | Tabitha Eddington | Victoria Goldberg | Kristine Kuhn Marlborough | Kimya Singleton | Johanna Kramer | Mikal Todd | Shuchi Mehta | Samuel Bong | Sham Majid | Erin Williams | Seng Ping Ng | Akshay Bajpaee PwC New Zealand PwC South East Asia Consulting #DF24 #PwCProud #Salesforce #PublicSector #Government

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