Kuala Lumpur chosen as Asia’s very first IFI LEADS session

Held in Kuala Lumpur, IFI brings LEADS to Asia for the very first time, where a panel of distinguished speakers discuss 'Design: Wellness Reimagined'

The morning of last Friday November 8 opened with a light rain, cooling Kuala Lumpur to a pleasant climate ready for a refreshing day of dialogue and knowledge exchange. As guests were ushered to take their seats, ACGMEDIA CEO Alvin Chang gave his Welcome Address and spoke of how excited he and his team are to host the very first IFI LEADS in Asia.

An annual initiative by IFI, the Luminary Experts, Architects & Designers Speaker (LEADS) series is a group of speaking sessions featuring renowned names in design sharing their expert perspectives on current topics of interest within the industry. Presented in the format of a 50-minute discussion panel with multiple speakers, IFI LEADS is an insight sharing platform looking to drive world scale matters towards resolution. The speaking sessions also aim to encourage progressive and productive dialogues on the importance of design in modern day society.

IFI LEADS ASIA 2024’s Guest of Honour then took to the podium to give his Keynote Address. Yang Berhormat Datuk Amar Prof Dr Sim Kui Hian, Deputy Premier and Minister for Public Health, Housing and Local Government of Sarawak, Malaysia, sent the speaking session off to a great start by expanding on his endeavours around the topic, ‘Design: Wellness Reimagined’.

ACGMEDIA CEO Alvin Chang then presented Yang Berhormat Dr Sim Kui Hian with an honorary plaque to thank him for his keynote contribution. Commemorating the official start of the session, IFI CEO Ar Prof Shashi Caan is introduced as this year’s discussion moderator. Having flown in all the way from New York for the speaking session, Shashi is a distinguished thought leader in the international design scene, and also a practitioner, design educator and published author with over 25 years’ experience in the industry.

The next section opened with a brief profile of all five speakers on the panel. For IFI LEADS ASIA 2024, Malaysia’s very own Tennyson Chia (Sachi), John Jong (Thinkscape Design Group), Ar Daniel Koh (Arkitek Daniel Koh), Ramesh Seshan (Seshan Design) and Wong Koon Nam (Senior Project Manager at Hap Seng Land) were invited to present their unique philosophies around ‘Design: Wellness Reimagined’.

The five keynote speakers opened up design considerations like intergenerational wellness, the importance of cultural sensitivity in wellness design and even the challenges of integrating AI and sustainable practices. Leaders and luminaries in their own right, the speakers at 2024’s IFI LEADS ASIA highlighted a variety of global interpretations and offered thought-provoking ideas across two discussion topics: wellness design, and ways to then reimagine it.

As the speaking session concluded, ACGMEDIA CEO Alvin Chang proffered a small token of appreciation for Shashi, who acted as the 2024 IFI LEADS ASIA moderator, as well as all five speakers for the stimulating talk. After all is done, guests mingled and stayed back for wine and light refreshments — from a colourful spread assortment of kuih nyonya to fried bihun and vadai, a symbol of pride for Malaysia to have been IFI LEADS’ first session in Asia.

Asia's very first IFI LEADS with ACGMEDIA

Organised by Malaysian media house ACGMEDIA, IFI LEADS ASIA 2024 saw a successful turnout at the Mercedes-Benz Showroom in Menara Hap Seng. This momentous event solidifies Asia’s influence in the design world and presents a laudable milestone for Malaysia.

“We [IFI] selected Malaysia because it’s all about the people. We have had a relationship with ACGMEDIA, talking about how to benefit the design community. It seemed like the most natural thing and it is all about human relationships, so we’re super grateful to ACGMEDIA for making it happen and for bringing us all together,” Ar Prof Shashi Caan, CEO of IFI, remarked on the joint collaboration with ACGMEDIA.

Shashi notably closed the afternoon by announcing an exciting development: IFI LEADS ASIA will be an annual affair, in collaboration with ACGMEDIA, and there are plans of bringing the series all over Asia. The future of the programme looks incredibly promising, with talks of holding IFI LEADS ASIA in other countries across Asia and bringing in those who are not native to the event loci to contribute, as well. The possibilities are endless, so do keep an eye out for future editions of the IFI x ACGMEDIA speaker series!

IFI LEADS 2024 is organised by