The AWS Summit Bangkok, held on April 29 at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, drew over 5,000 attendees. As the first event in the 2025 ASEAN Summit series, it explored the theme “From Possibility to Practice,” offering insights into key drivers of change and how innovation and transformation can be accelerated across the region.
The Bangkok Summit is also a celebration of the AWS Thailand Region, launched in early 2025, and the organization’s 10th year in the country. AWS has committed to investing US$5 billion in Thailand by 2037 to drive innovation and boost cloud infrastructure, offering local businesses, startups and public sector organizations access to advanced cloud computing services.
Among the notable speakers at the ExecLeaders was Ben Cabanas, WW Director of Technology and Customer Solutions at AWS. Cabanas noted the AI transformation sweeping across industries, citing how AWS customers are leveraging tools such as Amazon Q and Amazon Bedrock to improve customer service, execute complex workflows, analyze data and boost productivity. He emphasized the importance of improving AI literacy and building fluency in the workforce, “as AI will evolve more rapidly than any other transformative technology.”
He said those who can harness the power of AI, and do so quickly, will be an asset to any organization. He noted that agentic AI systems have quickly become the next step change, and it will further drive significant transformation.
Navigating the AI Journey
The first panel discussion, moderated by Jeff Johnson, Managing Director, ASEAN, AWS, delved into how executive leaders can effectively steer their organizations through the generative AI (GenAI) revolution.
Surachai Hirannitichai, EVP of Digital Technology & Transformation at Big C, shared that the company is prioritizing AI transformation this year. Big C has successfully integrated AI into its e-commerce operations, boosting the add-to-cart rate by 20% and reducing the workload for its contact center staff while improving operational efficiency. The company is now leaning further into the use of agentic AI, which has the ability to execute more complex, goal-oriented tasks with minimal human supervision.
True Corporation is working with AWS to develop an AI-powered business network intelligence center, a 24/7 network monitoring center that helps to improve the organization’s network services, said Prathet Tankuranun, True Corporation’s Chief Technology and Information Security Officer. He added that the vision is to link business data to this monitoring center to extract new customer insights, increase sales sites, upgrade capacity and more.
Omise Founder & Group CEO Jun Hasegawa said, “As a fintech company, we are always innovating. We have a lot of rich data but at the same time, we also struggle with how we can utilize this data to benefit our end users.”
Omise is now using AWS Bedrock and QuickSight to speed up processes and customer onboarding. These tools help analyze data and simplify payment routing systems for its customers. Hasegawa said that Omise staff are encouraged to use AI tools to improve efficiency, especially for repetitive tasks, so they can focus more on creative work that only humans can do.
Shifting the focus to the future, Johnson asked the panelists to predict the technological possibilities they see on the horizon.
“I think most of the digital transformation initiatives will rely heavily on GenAI or even agentic AI in the future,” said Surachai. “We need to choose the right solutions but most critical is a clear direction in the organization.”
Prathet said, “AI will help us, not replace us. It will do the things that we hate to do, like repetitive and mundane tasks.”
Hasegawa predicted that the second half of 2025 will see the rise of artificial general intelligence, followed by artificial superintelligence in 2027. “People may not necessarily be aware of AI, but it will be embedded in every aspect of our lives in the next couple of years,” he said.
Women Driving Change
The second panel, held in partnership with Forbes Asia, explored the theme “Breaking the Code: The Role of Women Leaders in Advancing Organizations and Technology.” Moderated by Rana Wehbe Watson, Editorial Director at Forbes Asia, the panel featured Kobkarn Wattanavrangkul, Chairperson, Toshiba Thailand; Thapanee Techajareonvikul, CEO & President, Berli Jucker and Tippamas Achalakul, Head of Commercial Industries, AWS.
Reflecting on their leadership styles, the panelists shared insights into how they navigate challenges and drive impact within their organizations.
Kobkarn, who previously served as Thailand’s Minister of Tourism and Sports, highlighted the importance of continuous learning and collaboration. “My mom taught me that every day is a new learning curve,” she said. “When I was appointed to oversee tourism and sports, I learned to adapt—to work not by controlling, but by collaborating with government officials and civil servants to achieve shared goals.”
Thapanee emphasized that fostering a learning organization—grounded in humility, openness to new ideas and a willingness to learn from others—is essential for navigating volatility and overcoming challenges.
Kobkarn said, “In crisis, there is always opportunity.” Amid the trade war and economic uncertainty, Toshiba used the opportunity to adapt and improve. By leveraging data, the company gained insights into younger generations, helping it identify and reach new customer segments.
“Technology can help businesses bounce back,” said Tippamas. In her role, she helps companies identify the right services to enhance their operational efficiency. “We work with customers to determine the best use cases and how they can be leveraged,” she explained. “Every company has its own unique characteristics, so it’s up to the leader to shape the organizational culture.”
Touching on diversity and inclusion, Thapanee shared that 60% of Berli Jucker’s workforce is female, with women holding 50% of management positions. She noted that the company has long embraced diversity and inclusion, which has become one of its key strengths.
The AWS 2025 ASEAN Summit series aims to bring together industry pioneers and visionary leaders to explore the future of technology. This year’s series consists of three events held in Bangkok, Singapore and Jakarta.
