In an exclusive interview with The Nation, Mehrotra said the firm would continue to invest in improving the quality and capacity of its network in response to surging demand for data.

“Data consumption is increasing month by month, and data customers continue to grow. We have seen that data usage in urban areas, especially Yangon and Mandalay, is at the same level as Scandinavian countries,” he said.

“Myanmar customers would love to see the world now, and we are getting more and more connected with each other. For that, our 4G is good enough.”

The firm now has 19 million subscribers in Myanmar, and 62 per cent of them are active data users with the average usage of 2.7 gigabytes on a monthly basis. It has now covered 92 per cent of the population, with its services available in 308 out of 330 townships in Myanmar.

“Generally, we see higher data consumption in the morning and evening but the patterns are changing,” he said.

“We used to see more data usage on weekends but it is now similar across all seven days.”

According to Mehrotra, Telenor is fully aware that rain and power outages may impact on the quality of its network performance. The firm’s network operating centre ensures that there is a minimum downtime with the enhancement of battery backup to enhance the user experience.

In a bid to ensure the best possible experience for data and voice calls, the firm now has 8,600 sites across Myanmar, with more than 6,100 sites being 4G compatible. Around 50 per cent of the sites are located in Yangon and Mandalay regions. Mehrotra takes pride in saying that Telenor has the largest 4G network in Myanmar.

“We are continuously expanding 4G sites, as we see there is higher demand for data. We just focus on quality and are trying to optimise our network so we are able to provide an excellent user experience,” he said.

“We are able to do quite well in building a very good data network here. With our very robust and diverse network, we are helping Myanmar people fully enjoy the benefits of 4G as well as the digital revolution.”

To date, the company has invested US$2.7 billion (Bt83 billion) in Myanmar, and invested $200 million in getting more spectrums over the past two years to provide innovative services. Additionally, the number of sites grows every day, said Mehrotra.

“Our network is technically advanced, and is ready for the future,” he said, referring to the firm’s preparations for the fifth-generation wireless technology (5G).

He said the launch of Telenor 5G services in the future will largely depend on local characteristics, spectrum pricing, market maturity and business opportunities in the market.

“If you take all these factors in mind, commercial 5G may be coming sometime – the latter part of 2020 or after that,” he said.

“That [5G] will come very soon. We just need to be mature and see the opportunities.”

When asked who would be the firm’s technology partner for 5G, he said, “We are exploring the 5G drive with the support of technology partners. It could be anyone, based on the common synergy and long-term vision.

“Like in other countries, we are doing pilots based on our experience. It is important to see what drives the market for bringing such a technology. We will be initiating 5G, but right now we still need to see the full benefits of 4G.”

Mehrotra said the firm would improve the quality of both voice and data, and had already introduced the new version of Telenor app with affordable voice and data packs to ensure the best price for its subscribers.

The executive said he is pretty happy with the growth of Telenor in Myanmar. According to a report on Telenor Group’s business performance in the first quarter of 2019, 2.3 million “new subscribers” are using its services, with more than half from Myanmar.

“Our growth in Myanmar is really good. We see the government is taking many measures in terms of a stable regulatory regime,” he said.

“It can be done more in terms of regulations, data privacy and advocating cyber laws. All these works are going on, at the government level. And we are trying to optimise our network performance in all parts of Myanmar.”

The firm now has 110,000 points of sale and 50 brand shops across Myanmar. Mehrotra said the firm believes in partnerships and sharing of towers and fibres, though it has sufficient kilometres of fibre to cover the whole population.

“We do believe in sharing. We share some sites but we also have partners to build our own sites. The sharing usually comes through our partners,” he said.

On Friday, the firm celebrated the official opening of its new head office located in the heart of Yangon. The firm now has 825 employees in Myanmar, and 91 per cent of them are locals.

Its focus is on artificial intelligence (AI), to pave the way for cognitive banking. Hence AI will take precedence over every other strategy of the bank from next year.

KBTG president Ruangroj “Krating” Poonpol said that this year, it would be a data-driven bank, but next year it would be about AI. Therefore, KBTG is planning an “agile transformation, with the dual track of innovation and legacy”. It will also achieve cultural transformation through One KBTG.

The big problem faced by corporates is they sit on legacy, including technology, IT system, culture, organisational structure and work process. All these are now a burden; assets of the old world. Even some technologies are designed for the old world of computing such as mainframe technologies, said Ruangroj.

But the new world values agility, risk-taking, speed, adjustment and cycle. Legacy assets of the old world become a legacy liability in the new world, he added.

Legacy is of no benefit at all, but it is not necessary to disrupt all legacies, he said, explaining, “For example, at KBank, security is number one priority. The challenge is how to blend both legacy and agility to coexist.”

The One KBTG infrastructure and architecture will support transformation, but the culture needs transformation as well.

“To undergo transformation, cultural transformation is a must,” said Ruangroj.

First, One KBTG will destroy silos to promote an agile transformation. There will be more cross-functional teams within KBTG. It is likely to have an internal squad or internal startups within KBTG.

Second, there will be an innovation runway and internal sandbox to encourage innovators, while having an interface to facilitate innovation that connects with the legacy system. This is the dual track – innovation runway and legacy system – which is, again, for agility.

“We bring startup knowledge for an innovation runway. We have opened API [application interface protocol] for startups and will invite startups to co-create with KBTG’s information runway,” said Ruangroj.

“We currently have 80 data analysts, micro service, container, cloud, and Big Data. We are a native tech firm, but not digital first. We still have mainframe technology and an on-premise data centre. In the next three years, after we complete the ‘re-architect organisation’, we will be more agile,” said Ruangroj.

KBTG now serves KBank. But in the next three years, KBTG will go beyond the banking industry. Though the core business will still be banking, core products and technology will go beyond banking to other industries such as logistics.

Cognitive banking consists of many phases including perception banking, prediction banking, prescription banking and cognitive banking.

KBank’s KPlus has around 11 million users; it aims to reach 15 million by the end of this year and it will change the financial lives of 15 million people. Also, KBank plans to cover the Asean Economic Community plus China, therefore KBTG will be financially wise, which will impact many people in the region.

KBTG aims to become the No 1 tech organisation in Southeast Asia, by building a tech and innovation ecosystem in Thailand. The startup ecosystem has already been built, the next is to transform corporates – and KBTG has the best practices on corporate transformation, he said.

“We need more than 300 talents with rare skills such as data scientists, data engineers, architects and developers. We need to reverse brain drain. KBTG aims to be the platform for Thai talents working overseas to return to the country. Eventually, investment will follow. My dream is to turn the world’s axis to Thailand,” said Ruangroj.

Ruangroj’s formula revolves around five “E”s: envision, empower, enable, energise and execute. He left his comfort zone in the startup world to take up the challenge of overseeing the 1,200 staff of KBTG and the 20,000 support staff of KBank.

“Always shape your own destiny, lead your career,” said Ruangroj.

“You cannot manage your time entirely, but you can manage your energy and your focus,” he added.

The Nestle team collected mostly small items of trash, including plastic straws, rubber bands and bottle caps.

They then sorted the waste for reuse in social projects such as the Rubber Band DIY Physical Therapy Tool by Burapha University, which turns used rubber bands into a body-stretching device to help heal and strengthen children, hospital patients, disabled people and the elderly.

Plastic straws are used in another project that Nestle (Thai) supports in collaboration with Village Health Volunteers, which is the “Healthy Pillow” project.

Discarded straws are cleaned and sterilised, then used to stuff pillows that are distributed to bedridden patients in households and hospitals to help prevent bedsores.

Nestle (Thai) helps to educate Thais to be more aware about plastic waste and how it affects the environment, so that they can manage it more responsibly to reduce the impact on nature and take a more sustainable approach to living.

The company also collaborates with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), such as in a recent project in which volunteer staff from Nestle’s water factory in Surat Thani, together with volunteers from its other business units in the South, collected waste from a beach in Surat Thani to help improve the area where the company operates its business.

In another conservation activity, Nestle arranged together with the WWF for the release of over 300,000 baby blue swimming crabs on Koh Sed, to help rebalance the Thai marine ecosystem.

Shoppers joining the campaign also have the change to win vouchers worth up to Bt1.2 million.

“Siam Takshimaya is the first full-scale Japanese department store operating in Thailand. Since its official opening in November, it has drawn local and international customers interested in premium Japanese products from more than 200 brands,” noted Kazuto Taniguchi, managing director of Siam Takashimaya.

The department store has invested some Bt10 million in organising this sale promotion campaign, which features products by leading brands at massive discounts. For every Bt1,000 spent, customers are entitled to enter a draw to have the chance of win one of 8 prizes of Bt150,000 vouchers every week. Spending with leading credit cards gets customers special rebates of up to 20 per cent as well as the right to sign up for a zero per cent instalment plan up to 10 months.

Siam Takashimaya card holders are also invited to exchange 88 of their accumulated points for a Bt100 voucher on June 28,29 and on July 8, 18, 28, 29.

“I am guided by the concepts of life, love and passion when developing new cosmetic products,” says Natthawut Thitipramote, a lecturer in the School of Cosmetic Science and director of the Centre of Excellence in Natural Product Innovation (CENPi) at Mea Fah Luang University.

“I also came to realise that a good research and development project should be conceived around the need to achieve commercial viability, and help to create a sustainable business with value adding that draws on local resources such as rice and the herbal knowledge in this country.”

It all might have gone rather differently for Natthawut. When he was young, Natthawut wanted to be a soldier after seeing plenty of soldiers walking around his home in Hat Yai district in Songkla province. But other ambitions came to him as he progressed with his schooling. He liked to study science and mathematics at secondary school, and took these subjects as majors. He also enjoyed physics and biology and these subjects inspired him to become a doctor – in particular, one who works in remote areas, while also serving as a researcher and scientist.

“While I was studying at secondary school I really liked physics, biology and chemistry. These subjects allowed me to experiment, discover and prove the truth of concepts. People are then able to know, understand and accept the results of an experiment backed by the evidence of science,” Natthawut says.

After graduating from high school, he lost no time in applying to study in the science faculty at Silpakorn University, with the aim of pursuing a major in biology.

“In the entrance examination for my first choice of medicine, I fell short by two points in the exam score. That left me with my second choice of the science faculty at Silpakorn University.

“Thus I went on to proceed with the science faculty, as the teacher at the faculty told me that if you understand your life and your body, you will be able to good take care of yourself and others. It is those words that inspired me to study biology.”

As he progressed in his studies at university, he was determined to secure a scholarship. At around that time, he realised that if he only read his course material in a passive way, just with his mind, then the learning would not sink in fully in his brain. His solution was to read the textbooks aloud, reasoning that the knowledge will be better retained by his brain.

By reading aloud, he was activating the powers of reading, listening and speaking. Alongside that he needed the discipline of extensive notetaking.

“As result, you can learn a given lesson by engaging in four modes – reading, listening, speaking and writing,” Natthawut says. “Your brain will find it easier to understand the material much more than if you only read the material. It’s the same understanding that you would gain if you read a given book four times.”

It was during his second year of studies that applied to join the Royal Golden Jubilee PhD Programme (RGJ). That motivated him to study even harder, pushing himself beyond the grade 2.3 he achieved as a junior student in the university to attain the grade 3.2 required for the scholarship.

After applying for the scholarship programme, Natthawut also applied to study for master’s and doctoral degrees in philosophy (biology) at the Prince of Songkla University.

That decision opened up a new path for him after he graduated with a doctoral degree. He applied to be a lecturer in the School of Cosmetic Science at Mea Fah Luang University. He began work in that post eight years ago, representing a different field for him. However, he saw himself as open to study in new fields, gaining knowledge and greater insights into the use of technology.

“I think that people who graduate with doctoral degrees do not have the qualities of a genius to any greater than do other people,” Natthawut says.

“I have never had notions of a big ego, especially as I remember my mother’s words that, even if I were to gain a doctoral degree, that does not make me any smarter than my grandmother who makes desserts for a living.

“Instead, it’s more the case that people with doctorates have a more complex thinking process than do others and that enables them to understand anything or any project with the application of whole process management. I also wanted to be teacher as I wanted to transfer my knowledge to students and in this way give back to the country.”

He says that as a cosmetic science lecture, he has the opportunity to learn new scientific insights and knowledge. Now with eight years of lecturing behind him, he has taught more than 800 students.

“I tell my student that grades are not important for life but that the grades that they attain will allow other people to classify them upon meeting them for the first time,” says Natthawut.

“So I always tell my students that if you pay attention in class you will have a good opportunity to get good grades. You will not waste time in studying too many subjects like I did.”

In terms of teaching methods, Natthawut likes to think outside the box. He has developed various research and development-related cosmetics products. He succeeded in developing an anti-hair loss product containing SangYod rice extracts. The target characteristic of a gentle hair conditioner was its green qualities and high washing ability. The target characteristic of a leave-on hair serum was a transparent solution that did not cause irritations.

Natthawut worked with fellow staff members staff to develop the Sangyod rice-based anti-hair loss product. It went to win three awards: a gold medal from the 2015 Kaohsiung International Invention and Design Expo and World Invention Intellectual Property Association in Taiwan; a diploma from the Haller Pro Invention Foundation and Eurobusiness in Haller, Poland; and a diploma for the Euroinvent Medal from the Romanian Invention Forum.

He says that the new products he has worked on – resulting from extensive research and development – have created opportunities for people to branch out into other products based on further research.

This has enable value-adding to be applied to local products, such as rice and herb varieties, in a sustainable way. The resulting products are then able to compete in international markets. Moreover, they present alternative choices for customers who value the results of research and development that goes into products for daily living and at reasonable prices.

“I am glad that I became a lecturer and thus can help to develop literacy and cosmetic skills for the students. I also really glad when I see students graduate. I am proud of them and for the fact they are able to create benefits for society and the country,” says Natthawut.

In addition to lecturing, he has responsibilities as director of the Centre of Excellence in Natural Product Innovation (CENPi) at Mea Fah Luang University.

“I have learned good executive management in order to utilise human resources and other resources at the right time and on the right job,” he says. “This helps staff to love the organisation.

I believe that if you have satisfaction in doing your work, the final results will be good. However, I also believe that working has challenges. Still, for a new role, I have confidence that I can learn and absorb new knowledge.”

He says that in the future he wants to set up foundation to help children and people who live in rural areas in order improve their quality of life.

“I want to create opportunities for people in rural areas and also to help with meditation. I think that if you love the country, you must do work and perform duties for your country. As result, such efforts will create value for the country,” says Natthawut.

In 2018, Deloitte Southeast Asia gained revenue of US$230 million from its audit and assurance business, with Thailand contributing 15 per cent of the region’s revenue, said Chavala Tienpasertkij, partner for audit and assurance services at Deloitte, in a press interview session. Thailand trailed only Singapore, which contributed between 40 and 45 per cent.

To achieve its revenue goal, the company has set a target for double-digit growth in its number of clients. It has around 5,000 clients, with up to 1,000 of them in Thailand, Chavala said.

In 2018, the company saw an increase in the number of clients by 9 per cent, with those from Thailand increasing by 15 per cent, he said.

Key Deloitte clients in Thailand that are using its auditing services include Bank of Ayudhya (Krungsri) and Bangkok Bank in the financial sector, PTT Global Chemical and IRPC in the energy sector, and Max Value and Tesco Lotus in retail.

Through its auditing services, Deloitte provides internal and external confidence for the financial statements of its clients through overseeing and making sure that they follow public guidelines, rules and policies, Chavala said.

“Digital disruption is changing the way businesses operate. Deloitte has been adapting to the new market landscape through implement new software technology and regionalising our operation to improve our services for our clients,” Chavala said.

Deloitte Global has invested US$600 million to develop auditing software called Omnia in the past two years. Co-developed between its New York and London bases, Omnia is an end-to-end platform that allows Deloitte to automatically analyse their clients’ financial information without requiring auditors to re-input their clients’ financial information in a separate system, he said.

The pilot program was launched for the US and European regions in 2018 and has now been rolled out the firm’s Asia Pacific bases.

“Another piece of software which Deloitte has been developing in its Thailand office is Rapiers, which will run on a separate platform than Omnia,” he said. “Rapiers automates the process of closing their clients’ financial accounts at the end of each month and is able to reduce the amount of time the process takes from 40 to 120 hours to only 12 to 20 hours.”

Chavala plans to propose Rapiers to his Southeast Asia counterparts for use in Deloitte operations throughout Southeast Asia in 2019. If successful, he said, the programme will then be proposed for implementation throughout the wider Asia-Pacific region.

To improve operations at a regional level, Deloitte has also regionalised its management model to allow for more integration and exchange of resources in the Asia-Pacific region, according to Chavala.

“Deloitte offices throughout the 10 Asean countries formed Deloitte Southeast Asia that operates under a single CEO in 2008,” he said. “Last year, we formed Deloitte Asia Pacific to improve the quality of our services for multinational companies as well as to widen our pool of resources.”

This allows for more data and know-how exchange between the Deloitte offices in the Asia-Pacific region. For example, a large portion of Deloitte Thailand’s clients are Japanese firms that have set up in the Kingdom. Regionalising its operations allows experts from Deloitte bases in Japan and Thailand to exchange information and offer a more holistic service for their clients, he said.

From regionalising its operations, implementing new digital software and growing client numbers in 2019, Deloitte Southeast Asia aims to increase its number of clients by 5 to 6 per cent.

Carlo Herold, CEO of Heroleads, said Heroleads successfully implemented technology to help clients build their business. He also introduced the company’s new proprietary platform, “HeroPlatform”, which aims to improve and standardise performance marketing campaigns.

HeroPlatform includes high-tech tools, such as HeroVision and HeroAI. HeroVision is a campaign analytics and lead management tool developed to offer more visibility on the impact of online marketing activities for online-to-offline clients. HeroVision helps business owners to take better business decisions based on real-time data of digital advertising campaigns. HeroAI is built to simplify the management of campaigns on multiple channels through automation.

“I believe that machine learning and automation will be the future of the digital economy and the industry will witness a significant change over the next few years. Heroleads plans to leverage AI-powered assistants to engage, nurture and qualify leads to scale the sales for clients,” said Herold.

The company aims to help Asia’s businesses to build meaningful and profitable connections with customers, it said.