Singapore | 3 November 2026 | Crowne Plaza (Changi Airport)
Singapore is set to welcome AI leaders, technology innovators, entrepreneurs, researchers and business decision-makers for the AINext Awards & Conference Singapore 2026, taking place on 3 November 2026 at the Ballroom of Crowne Plaza (Changi Airport), 75 T1 Boulevard, Changi, Singapore.
The in-person conference is scheduled from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM (GMT+8) and is designed to bring together professionals exploring the rapidly evolving landscape of Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Data Innovation and emerging technologies. According to the official event portal, the conference will combine keynote sessions, panel discussions, networking opportunities and industry awards recognizing individuals and organizations contributing to the future of AI and digital transformation.
A Full Day Focused on the Next Era of AI
The AINext Singapore programme brings together discussions spanning generative AI and creative industries, sustainability, enterprise transformation, construction, AI investment, workforce development, governance and autonomous AI agents.
The agenda features 15 sessions, beginning with opening remarks and continuing through a full day of keynotes, expert panels, networking and the AINext Awards Ceremony.
Conference Agenda — 3 November 2026
8:00 AM – Opening Remarks — Conference Chair
Anas Jawed, CEO, Next Business Media
The conference will open with remarks from Anas Jawed, setting the stage for a day focused on the practical opportunities and challenges surrounding artificial intelligence and digital transformation.
9:00 AM – Keynote: TBD
9:30 AM – Keynote: TBD
10:00 AM – Panel Discussion: Generative AI: Revolutionizing Creative Industries
Parul Yadav, Founder, North Wave Media
The discussion will examine the growing influence of generative AI on creative industries and the changing relationship between technology, communications, content and creative work.
10:40 AM – Coffee Break & Networking
11:20 AM – Panel Discussion: AI-Driven Sustainability for Net Zero Goals
The session will explore the role of artificial intelligence in supporting sustainability strategies and progress toward net-zero objectives.
12:00 PM – Panel Discussion: The Future of AI in Business Transformation
Featuring:
- Vignesh Ganesan — Meta
- Samah Alafeef — Metanoia Training and Consulting
- Kelvin Tan — audax
- Elena Lukyanenko — Cisco ThousandEyes
- Loh Rui — Affinity AI Pte Ltd
The panel will focus on how AI is changing enterprise strategy, operations and business models.
12:40 PM – Panel Discussion: Building Smarter: AI-Powered Innovation in Construction
Featuring María Pía Aqueveque Jabbaz, Senior Fellow, fAIr LAC+ IDB Lab Initiative, IDB Lab.
1:30 PM – Lunch
2:30 PM – Panel: Creating Measurable ROI from AI Investments
The session will focus on the challenge of turning AI investments into measurable business value and outcomes.
3:10 PM – Panel Discussion: AI and the Future of Work: Upskilling Billions
Featuring:
- Goh Waye Leon — Affinity AI Pte Ltd
- Tabia Rene — Kaika AI
The panel will examine how AI is changing the workplace and the importance of workforce development and upskilling.
3:50 PM – Panel: AI Governance: Building Trust, Ethics & Responsible Innovation
The discussion will address the importance of governance, trust, ethics and responsible innovation as organizations increasingly deploy AI.
4:30 PM – Panel: AI Agents at Work: Will Autonomous AI Transform the Future of Enterprise Operations?
Featuring:
- Lianne Dehaye — Chemin AI
- Cheok Jia Wei — Streamhost
The session will explore the growing role of AI agents and their potential impact on enterprise operations.
5:00 PM – Coffee Break & Networking
5:30 PM – AINext Awards Ceremony
The day will conclude with the AINext Awards, recognizing individuals and organizations contributing to AI innovation and digital transformation.
Featured Speakers
The Singapore edition currently features 19 speakers representing AI, enterprise technology, financial technology, digital transformation, robotics, communications, data and emerging technology.
Pranab Pillai — Founder & CEO, Neuratrial-AI Pte Ltd
Pranab Pillai is the Founder & CEO of Neuratrial-AI Pte Ltd, a Singapore-based technology company developing AI-enabled orchestration solutions for complex and regulated enterprise workflows. He brings more than 25 years of experience in global drug development and clinical research across Asia-Pacific, the US and Europe. His current work focuses on AI, automation and governed decision-support systems while maintaining human oversight and enterprise governance.
Sheena Nasim — Principal AI Architect, Field CTO APJ, Snowflake
Sheena Nasim is an AI Field CTO for Asia Pacific & Japan at Snowflake, working with enterprises to design and deploy production-grade AI solutions. Her experience spans computer vision, deep learning, robotics and generative AI. She previously worked in AI and robotics research at Sumitomo Electric Industries, served as a Computer Vision SME at Accenture AI and later worked at Dataiku. Her current focus includes agentic AI and large-scale ML architecture.
Kelvin Tan — Chief Executive Officer, audax
Kelvin Tan is CEO of audax, a corporate venture backed by Standard Chartered Bank focused on helping financial institutions deploy and scale digital banking solutions. He previously conceptualized and led Standard Chartered nexus, the bank’s Banking-as-a-Service business, and has held roles spanning transaction banking, retail products, payments and strategic programmes. He has worked across Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand and has been featured by international publications including BBC and Forbes.
Vignesh Ganesan — Application Leader – Enterprise Applications, Platform & Enterprise AI, Meta
Vignesh Ganesan is an Enterprise Technology Strategist specializing in Enterprise AI, cloud transformation and digital workplace modernization. With more than 16 years of experience across technology, consulting, manufacturing, life sciences, engineering and social media, he currently leads enterprise transformation initiatives at Meta. He is also a six-time Microsoft MVP, international speaker and holder of more than 30 professional certifications.
Samah Alafeef — Program, Project and Risk Management Consultant and Trainer, Metanoia Training and Consulting
Samah Alafeef is a program, project and risk management consultant and trainer associated with Metanoia Training and Consulting. Her professional background includes project management, risk management and technology-related consulting, with qualifications including PMP, RMP, ACP and GreenICT credentials. Her work also includes sustainability and ICT-related initiatives.
Guy Ron — Founder & CEO, Cynapse
Guy Ron is the Founder and CEO of Cynapse.ai and a business and technology leader with senior executive experience across startups and Fortune 100 companies. His background includes building businesses from inception through multi-million-dollar operations. He also serves as a board director and technology advisor to AI startups.
María Pía Aqueveque Jabbaz — Senior Fellow, fAIr LAC+ IDB Lab Initiative, IDB Lab
María Pía Aqueveque Jabbaz is a board advisor, AI governance strategist and technology entrepreneur specializing in agentic AI, digital trust and intelligent infrastructure. Her expertise spans artificial intelligence, the space economy, tokenization and digital sovereignty. She advises boards and organizations on AI strategy, governance and digital transformation and is also an international speaker and columnist.
Elena Lukyanenko — Head of Sales, APJC, Cisco ThousandEyes
Elena Lukyanenko is a senior technology executive focused on cloud and AI strategy across Asia Pacific & Japan. She leads sales for Cisco ThousandEyes across APJC, Greater China and Japan. Her career spans more than two decades and includes experience with Microsoft, Broadcom and VMware. She is also the founder of The Graceful Edge, a publication focused on leadership, human performance and sustainable high performance in the AI era.
Tabia Rene — Founder & CEO, Kaika AI
Tabia Rene is the Founder and CEO of Kaika AI, a Tokyo-based workforce alignment intelligence company. His work focuses on using AI to understand workforce engagement and organizational alignment. Inspired by the concept of Ikigai, he founded Kaika AI to help organizations develop deeper intelligence around their people and support stronger leadership, engagement and sustainable growth.
Cheok Jia Wei — Co-Founder / Chief Technology Officer, Streamhost
Cheok Jia Wei is the Co-Founder and CTO of StreamHost, an AI-powered customer communication and operations platform for short-term rental hosts. He leads product architecture, AI integration, infrastructure and engineering execution. His technical background includes full-stack development, scalable SaaS architecture, AI automation and distributed systems.
Goh Waye Leon — Co-founder / Brand Architect, Affinity AI
Goh Waye Leon is Co-Founder and Brand Architect at Affinity AI Pte. Ltd., where he focuses on brand direction, market storytelling, user growth and ecosystem positioning. His background spans digital marketing, Web3 growth and community-driven branding. He has also worked on business growth and digital transformation initiatives, including brand and go-to-market strategy.
Loh Rui — Co-founder / Head of Business Operations, Affinity AI Pte Ltd
Loh Rui is an entrepreneur, business operator and investor with experience in AI trading, digital assets, business development and multi-company operations. At Affinity AI, he focuses on business strategy, operational planning, client growth, partnerships and market expansion. His work centers on AI-powered trading automation and the development of digital finance solutions.
Abishek Goda — Founder, Eight Vectors
Abishek Goda is a technology leader, entrepreneur and innovator with nearly two decades of experience across AI, robotics, cloud computing, enterprise software and digital transformation. He is the Founder of Eight Vectors and previously co-founded QUASR, where he served as Chief Architect. His work now focuses on AI-native operational intelligence for warehouse and industrial environments.
Sutowo Wong — Managing Director, AI x Data, Temus
Sutowo Wong leads the AI x Data practice at Temus, helping organizations apply AI, data and automation to create human-centered digital solutions and measurable business outcomes. He has more than 20 years of experience across consulting and healthcare. Before joining Temus, he served as Divisional Director of Health Analytics at Singapore’s Ministry of Health, where he led teams applying AI, machine learning and advanced analytics to policy and operations.
Anas Jawed — CEO, Next Business Media
Anas Jawed is the CEO and founder of Next Business Media Private Limited and is serving as Conference Chair for AINext Singapore 2026. His work spans business events, technology and digital solutions, with Next Business Media bringing together industry leaders through conferences and related platforms.
Lianne Dehaye — Senior Vice President, Chemin AI
Lianne Dehaye is Senior Vice President at Chemin AI by TDCX. Chemin focuses on AI training data, including data collection, annotation, dataset curation, model evaluation and AI operations. Lianne brings extensive experience across AI, digital transformation and technology leadership, with previous experience at major technology companies including Meta, Google and IBM.
Mukund Srigopal — Co-founder and CEO, Sparsa AI
Mukund Srigopal is Co-founder and CEO of Sparsa AI, a Singapore-based enterprise AI company developing a governed, agentic operating system for industrial enterprises. He brings more than 25 years of cross-functional technology experience and has previously served as Co-founder and CEO of Xensai, CMO at Tambora Systems and held leadership roles at Automation Anywhere.
Serena Lam — CEO and Founder, Fuzzy AI
Serena Lam is the Founder of Fuzzy AI, a relationship-first sales platform designed to help B2B teams build warmer conversations and pipeline while maintaining a human connection. Her work focuses on applying AI to sales engagement and helping teams reduce repetitive outreach work.
Parul Yadav — Founder, North Wave Media
Parul Yadav is the Founder of North Wave Media and a communications and media strategist with more than six years of experience supporting organizations across healthcare, consumer goods, lifestyle, fitness, technology, finance, architecture and nonprofit sectors. Her work focuses on strategic communications, thought leadership, media relations, branding and visibility.
AINext Singapore 2026: Connecting AI Innovation With Business Impact
What distinguishes the Singapore programme is its focus on the practical implications of AI across multiple dimensions of business and society.
Rather than concentrating on AI technology alone, the agenda examines how organizations can use AI to transform creative industries, support sustainability goals, modernize businesses, improve construction, generate measurable investment returns, prepare workforces for an AI-enabled economy, establish responsible governance and deploy autonomous AI agents.
The breadth of the speaker lineup reflects this approach, bringing together enterprise technology leaders from organizations including Meta, Snowflake, Cisco, Standard Chartered-backed audax, Temus, TDCX/Chemin AI, Neuratrial-AI, Cynapse, Kaika AI, Streamhost, Affinity AI, Eight Vectors, Sparsa AI and Fuzzy AI, alongside specialists in communications, project management and AI governance.
Networking, Awards and Industry Engagement
Beyond the conference sessions, AINext Singapore provides opportunities for attendees to connect through dedicated networking breaks, an attendee directory, forum, one-to-one chat and networking connections available through paid passes.
The event portal also provides opportunities to speak, exhibit, sponsor, become a media partner, join as a thought leader or committee member, and nominate an individual or organization for the AINext Awards.
The conference will culminate in the AINext Awards Ceremony, providing a platform to recognize individuals and organizations driving innovation in artificial intelligence and digital transformation.
Event Details
Event: AINext Awards & Conference Singapore 2026
Date: 3 November 2026
Time: 9:00 AM–7:00 PM (GMT+8)
Venue: Ballroom, Crowne Plaza (Changi Airport)
Address: 75 T1 Boulevard, Changi, East Region, Singapore 819664
Join AINext Singapore 2026
With AI moving rapidly from experimentation into enterprise deployment, the AINext Awards & Conference Singapore 2026 is positioned as a meeting point for leaders looking at what comes next—from generative AI and business transformation to sustainability, governance, workforce development and autonomous AI.
For organizations, technology leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals looking to understand and participate in the next phase of AI innovation, the Singapore edition offers a full day of expert perspectives, industry discussions, networking and recognition.
AINext Awards & Conference Singapore 2026 takes place on 3 November 2026 at Crowne Plaza (Changi Airport), Singapore.
Official Event Portal: https://portal.nextbusinessmedia.com/events/ainext-awards-conference-singapore-2026
