Monitor’s Thought Leaders Forum to boost businesses

Some of the key panelists at the forum (L-R): Ruth Aine, online communications specialist, Keith Kalyegira, CEO Capital Markets Authority and Ron Kawamara, managing director Jumia Food

What you need to know:

Aim. This year’s forum will tackle the digital revolution under the theme “Digital Footprints, Telling Your Story.”

Kampala. “Doing business without advertising is like winking at a girl in the dark; you know what you are doing but nobody else does,” goes a famous saying by Steuart Henderson Brit.
The saying applies to business. In today’s saturated and technologically advanced marketplace, no one has the time and resources to wait for growth. With numerous marketing channels and platforms, business leaders and companies are now seeking forums that can help them stand above the crowd.
It is against this background that Monitor Publications Limited (MPL), through Daily Monitor, has over the past four years organised the Thought Leaders Forum, which is aimed at providing a platform for discussion of trending issues in Uganda’s business and corporate environment.

For the last four years, MPL has hosted successful personalities from across the globe to speak to Ugandan business leaders and decision makers to help propel growth of their businesses.
The forum features different panelists from renown companies who discuss issues with company leaders. Leading business and corporate brains come together to share experiences and skills with decision makers. The event has grown over the years to tackle issues affecting companies today.

Launched in 2011 with the inaugural key note speaker, Mr Don Strickland, former vice president of Apple and Kodak, the forum has hosted big multinational leaders such as the former president of General Electric and former CEO Google Spain and Portugal, Ms Christina Aguilera, and Mr Ashish Thakar, the president of Mara Group and Africa’s youngest billionaire, according to Forbes Magazine.
According to Ms Emeline Bisiikwa, the Daily Monitor activations and promotions officer, this year’s forum will tackle the digital revolution under the theme “Digital Footprints, Telling Your Story.”

The theme
The theme encompasses what businesses can do to grow their profits and clientele, as well as build their brand reputation by using the available digital platforms.
“The key note address will be presented by a leading digital strategist who will help align your digital journey with your business to ensure a healthy return on investment. If strategy is a description of where you are going and how you are going to get there, then digital strategy is essential for your digital journey,” she said.
Mr Tony Glencross, the MPL managing director, said the growth of the internet and related marketing is becoming a key strategic element of our businesses.

The inevitable business changes
“The disruptive influence that the digital age is having on business in Uganda is quickly separating the men from the boys,” Mr Glencross said, adding that the forum is intended to help businesses in Uganda embrace the inevitable digital era and align their strategies to this evolving phenomenon.
This year’s keynote speaker, Mr Daniel Sieberg, is Google’s head of media outreach based in New York City. He is known for effectively communicating the influence of technology and the importance of effective technology management. He will discuss ways of streamlining the use of devices such as smart phones and computers in automated payments and transactions. The delivery will heighten awareness of how technology affects every part of our life and those around us.
He will also highlight the various digital trends and how they can be used to ensure that businesses thrive against formidable competition.

Mr Sieberg has been a featured speaker at tech events all over the world, including the Internet Show Indonesia, Broadband Info Vision Awards in Amsterdam, Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Yale School of Architecture, Smart Content in Korea, NY XPO, and the Global Contact Forum in Mexico City, among others. He has discussed a wide range of topics, including business and healthy technology usage; privacy in a digital age, managing relations through technology; and what’s hot now: trends, future gadgets and looking ahead.

How to attend
What. Monitor Thought Leaders Forum Where. Kampala Serena
When. July 12, 2016 at 6p.m.
Price. One can reserve a seat at only Shs350,000 or a corporate table at just Shs3.5m
Contact. For general information, Emmeline on 0774 853187.
Sponsors: NSSF, HUAWEI, Capital Markets Authority, UMEME and NTV Uganda.