#15 The Innovation Equation - Solving for Success in Malaysia and Indonesia, with Benedict Weerasena

In this episode of The We Are Innovation Podcast, host Federico N. Fernández welcomed Benedict Weerasena, the Research Director of Bait Al Amanah (House of Trust). Benedict brought valuable insights to the discussion on innovation agendas for Indonesia and Malaysia.The conversation began with an in-depth exploration of Indonesia's innovation landscape. Weerasena shared his thoughts on the country's current standing and potential for growth in various sectors. He then delved into the concept of the Entrepreneurial Rail Model (ERM) in Indonesia, explaining its significance and potential impact on the nation's innovation ecosystem. The dialogue also covered strategies for creating a pro-innovation environment in Indonesia that would encourage positive changes in consumer behavior, potentially driving economic growth and technological advancement.Shifting focus to Malaysia, the discussion encompassed several key areas of innovation and development. Weerasena offered his perspective on Malaysia's emerging role as a data center hub in Southeast Asia, outlining the sector's evolution and the innovative policies that could further solidify the country's leadership in this domain. The conversation then turned to Malaysia's well-established electronics manufacturing sector.Our Guest:Benedict Weerasena (MYS) is the Research Director of Bait Al Amanah (House of Trust), based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. His research interests include public finance, behavioral economics, development studies, international political economy and education policy. He has participated and presented in various international conferences and economic updates. You can find his bio on the House of Trust website: https://www.baitalamanah.com/about Links and further reading: We Are Innovation and Bait Al Amanah Team Up: Innovation Without Borders Comes to Malaysia - https://cutt.ly/IeDwYxVD The Star: Rethinking the Smoking War – From “Can Malaysia Quit Like Sweden” - https://cutt.ly/IeS6PAKe The EU’s Smoke-Free Future and the Role of Innovation – Findings from the Special Eurobarometer 539 - https://cutt.ly/Eurobarometer Follow We Are Innovation: TikTok - https://www.tiktok.com/@weare_innovation X - https://twitter.com/innovationweare  LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/weareinnovation/ Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/innovationweare/ Web: https://weareinnovation.global Music: Summer - Bensoundhttps://www.bensound.comSupport by RFM - NCM: https://bit.ly/37ILNluAbout We Are Innovation: We Are Innovation is a dynamic network of individuals and institutions who fervently believe in the power of innovation to drive progress and solve the world’s most pressing problems. With a global presence encompassing over 45 think tanks, foundations, and NGOs, We Are Innovation represents the diverse voices of a global civil society committed to advancing human creativity, embracing new technologies, and promoting innovative solutions. Through our collaborative approach and cutting-edge expertise, we are spearheading transformative change on a global scale. To learn more about our work, visit us at https://weareinnovation.global/.