Brunei Gas Carriers (BGC), as one of the Gold Sponsors of the @aseanbis, is proud to support ASEAN’s role in building a sustainable digital future and addressing the widespread impact of COVID-19 on people’s lives and livelihoods across SE Asia. In this year’s ABIS 2021, BGC’s Managing Director, Pg Shamhary Pg Dato Hj Mustapha, was honored to be a part of the esteemed panel to discuss key ideas and solutions to help advance ASEANS’s digital economy aspirations. From an industry and business perspective, Pg Shamhary conveyed that “technological advancements had always played a key role in ensuring business sustainability through increasing productivity and output, reducing our environmental impacts, and transforming the way we work.” With COVID-19 being one of the major disruptors to shipping, BGC like many others has had to adapt to the ever-changing landscape, through enforced adoption of new technologies and ways of working – which in hindsight has accelerated BGC’s progress in its digital transformation roadmap. In addressing the challenges brought about by the pandemic, BGC believes that businesses must strategically invest in infrastructure and education for the required skillsets and future-ready skills. Businesses must also learn to understand how technology and digital economy is reshaping their comparative advantage for business sustainability. Last but not least, Governments and Policymakers need to protect citizens from potential disruptions and populations from being disenfranchised, and learn to manage disruptive change and technological developments through a governance framework. While we can agree that digital integration and adoption have enabled ASEAN to remain agile and resilient, ASEAN must consider reshaping the digital ecosystem, by building an inclusive digital infrastructure, promoting inclusive digital literacy and most importantly, boost the digital readiness of businesses to ensure the successful adoption of digital technologies despite the challenging pandemic landscape. #bruneigascarriers #bruneimaritime #bruneishipping #ASEANBIS2021 #wecareweprepareweprosper