Hitachi Addresses Sustainable Future at the Hitachi Young Leaders Initiative 2019
Hitachi held the Hitachi Young Leaders Initiative (HYLI) 2019 in Singapore from 9 to 12 July. A total of 32 student delegates from Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam and Myanmar attended the 4-day program. The Opening Forum (9 July) and Closing Forum (12 July), held at InterContinental Singapore, drew a combined attendance of over 340 attendees.
Themed “Digital Transformation for a Sustainable Future”, President and CEO, Hitachi, Ltd. Mr. Toshiaki Higashihara highlighted the timeliness of HYLI’s theme given the challenges in the world today. In his speech, he also stressed Hitachi’s aim to improve people’s quality of life and asked the students to “challenge themselves constantly, stay hungry and learn from others”.
The program was graced by Mr. S Iswaran, Minister for Communications and Information, Singapore as Guest-of-Honor. Other notable guests and speakers included H.E. Jun Yamazaki, Ambassador of Japan to Singapore, Japan Embassy, for the opening address; Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Rebecca Fatima Sta Maria, Executive Director, APEC Secretariat for the keynote speech; and Dr. Kazuo Yano, Corporate Officer and Fellow, Hitachi, Ltd. for his presentation on “AI and Happiness”.
The Opening Forum also included plenary sessions on Youth Opportunities in Asia, Digital Transformation in Living Environment, and Digital Transformation in Well-being where renowned speakers from local and regional institutions shared their experience and perspectives to the student delegates and audience.
Day 2 of HYLI began with a visit to Deloitte Future of Mobility Solution Center. Student delegates learned how the Center develops new solutions and assets for the global mobility ecosystem; particularly in the areas of electric vehicle analytics, insurance implications and mobility management solutions. In the second half of the field activity, student delegates toured the Singapore Mobility Gallery to understand how Singapore leverages technology for smarter urban mobility while balancing efficiency, liveability, and inclusivity.
Under Hitachi student mentors’ facilitation, student group workshops were conducted on Day 2 and Day 3 of HYLI to guide and prepare student delegates to deliver their team presentations. On the final day of the program, student delegates presented their insights on how digital technology can solve social issues in Asia to an esteemed advisor panel led by Ambassador Ong Keng Yong.
In closing, Ms. Yukiko Araki, Corporate Officer, Executive General Manager, Sustainability Promotion Division, Hitachi, Ltd. showed her appreciation for the digital solutions presented by all student delegates and left students with a final thought, “Change the world where everyone feels respected and happy”.
96% of respondents from the student survey evaluated HYLI as “Very good” or “Good”. One student even commented, “This program emphasizes me to work for the society. I would like to adopt my experiences as the motivation to solve inequality in my country by using technology and innovative solutions.”
For more information on HYLI, please follow HYLI’s official Facebook page and HYLI page.
