Anna also attended the 2018 Asia-Europe Business Forum (an official ASEM Summit Side Event) where she heard from key business leaders such as the ASEAN Secretary General and the Vice-President of the European Parliament
Can you describe what ethical leadership means?
It was a difficult challenge for the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), and the facilitators to define ethical leadership. In fact, all our panel speakers, ranging from practical philosophy professors, to museum curators, to legal or policy-makers, gave a different but equally valid answer to this question.
I think it is a deeply personal question (based on one’s individual 'moral compass’) and so for me, it means ensuring that every action you take within both personal and professional capacities can withstand scrutiny.
The difficulty I see is that responsibilities or ethical ‘stakes’ increase as an individual’s leadership authority increases, yet there may be fewer checks and balances for leaders at the top.
During ASEFYLS3, Anna (far right) got to meet with Dame Annette King and the Special Envoy from New Zealand including Alison Mann and David Taylor
Why did you want to attend the summit?
I applied to attend ASEFYLS3 because I want to create a sustainable impact on society through law and technology and this summit provided a platform to think about ethics in those areas.
Working in a LawTech start-up, CODR, I am interested in how ethical leadership intersects with societal progress.
I wanted to participate in open dialogue around ethical leadership, particularly in politics and in the justice system. I hope to network with other participants at ASEFYLS3 and use the connections I foster there to create greater impact.
What was the most interesting event you attended at the summit?
Although this was an official side-event (and therefore not related to the ethical leadership theme of our Young Leaders Summit), the most interesting discussion I attended was definitely the Asia-Europe Business Forum. At the forum, there was a lot of discussion around how businesses and governments could facilitate greater connectivity between countries that are members of ASEM.
I think the challenges of ethical leadership for Asia and Europe comes down to competing understandings of issues and the difficulty of agreeing on universal ethical values - including in leadership. For example, there was mention of the investment in Chinese banks from foreign companies due to the need for the capacity that foreign companies provide in terms of bringing good corporate governance processes and policies to China. This was interesting as it highlights different cultural contexts within business in terms of understanding what is ethical conduct or not.
I think it showcases that there is no singular interpretation of ‘ethics’ and depends on what each organisation, individual or society deems to be ethical.
What did you do for the cultural evening you attended as part of the summit?
I didn’t bring a traditional outfit (as many of the participants did) but I have been taking evening Te Reo classes this year and learnt a few waiata in the process.
I performed (perhaps badly) Karanga mai ra e nga iwi for our group. But it was a spectacular event because of the colours, diversity in performances, and snacks from 51 different countries connecting us all.
It showed that our differences might be apparent, but do not make us apparently any different. It was another memorable night of the Summit.
Why do you think such events aimed at developing young leaders are important?
I think events like this are important in fostering cultural exchanges and understanding between citizens of different countries, and in turn alternative perspectives, greater compassion and empathy are key values for leaders.
Summits like the ASEFYLS3 empower young leaders to create positive change in their communities. This is often through intergenerational dialogue with thought leaders across various industries so that young leaders collaborate and are informed with the wisdom of yesterday, as they head into being the leaders of tomorrow.