The SPARK Digital Leaders Summit 2023 (8th edition) brought together a distinguished community of CIOs, CDOs, CISOs, and senior business and public-sector leaders from across ASEAN to explore the realities of digital transformation, AI adoption, risk, and sustainability.
Held from 29 October to 2 November 2023 across Hong Kong and Shenzhen, the Summit served as a trusted platform for candid dialogue, peer exchange, and cross-border collaboration.
Conference Programme & Key Themes
The Summit opened in Hong Kong with a full-day executive conference programme, featuring keynotes, panels, and fireside discussions focused on how leaders are navigating the next phase of transformation.
A central theme throughout the Summit was Generative AI as a catalyst for enterprise change, with discussions covering:
These conversations were complemented by sessions on sustainability and climate action, exploring how digital platforms, data, and partnerships can support long-term ESG outcomes.
Guests of Honour & Speakers
The Summit was honoured to welcome Ir Tony Wong, Government Chief Information Officer of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, and Kiren Kumar, Deputy Chief Executive (Development), Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), as Guests of Honour.
You can read Ir Tony Wong’s opening speech here .
The programme featured senior leaders and practitioners including Dr David Hanson (Hanson Robotics), Divyesh Vithlani (Standard Chartered), Benedict Jones (Manulife), Leon Chan (Hong Kong Disneyland Resort), Glen Francis (ACRA / Google), Casa Goh (Veeam), Derrick Loi (Ant Group Digital Technologies), and other regional digital leaders, bringing diverse perspectives across industry, government, and technology.
Experiential Learning — Hong Kong
Beyond the conference, delegates participated in curated innovation and site visits across Hong Kong, gaining firsthand exposure to how large organisations operationalise technology at scale. Visits included:
These visits grounded strategic discussions in real operating environments, bridging leadership vision with execution reality.
Experiential Learning — Shenzhen
The Summit then extended into one day in Shenzhen and offering delegates a deeper look into the Greater Bay Area’s innovation ecosystem.
A highlight was the visit to Huawei’s Headquarters in Dongguan European Town, a purpose-built R&D campus designed to resemble a collection of European cities, with each zone reflecting a different architectural style. The campus exemplifies Huawei’s long-term investment in innovation, talent, and research, blending advanced technology development with a human-centric environment.
Additional site visits in Shenzhen included leading innovation centres such as DJI Sky City, BYD Innovation Centre, Lenovo R&D Centre, and WeBank, providing insight into how Chinese technology leaders are scaling AI, digital platforms, and industrial innovation at speed.
Impact & Outcomes
More than a traditional conference, the SPARK Digital Leaders Summit 2023 functioned as a strategic leadership platform, helping senior leaders move from AI curiosity to AI readiness, from experimentation to governed scale, and from isolated initiatives to resilient, collaborative digital ecosystems.
The Summit delivered not only insights, but trusted relationships, shared executive playbooks, and stronger alignment between policy intent and enterprise execution, equipping leaders to build AI-ready, future-focused organisations.
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SPARK brings together a community of technology and business leaders from across Asia.
