www.weforum.org 25.06.2007 The Innovation Mantra The Key to Asian Competitiveness? Citing innovation as the key to global competitiveness has become a reflex in Asia. But is innovation understood, and applied, in the context of meeting the unmet needs of consumers and markets through insight and invention? Is an incremental, product-based approach the best for Asia? Which industries and companies have it right, and which have it wrong, in Asia? What has been the track record of governments so far to foster real innovation? Jim Goodnight, Chief Executive Officer, SAS, USA KV Kamath, Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, ICICI Bank, India Kiyoshi Kurokawa, Science Adviser to the Prime Minister, Cabinet Office of Japan Lim Siong-Guan, Chairman, Singapore Economic Development Board, Singapore Liu Jiren, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Neusoft, People’s Republic of China Jignesh Shah, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Financial Technologies (FTIL), India; Young Global Leader Chaired by John K. Defterios, Group Vice-President, Content, and Anchor, United Kingdom, FBC Media, United Kingdom