Long before trust became marketing’s favourite buzzword, Joel Harrison understood its true worth.
While others chased campaigns, awards and applause, he spent two decades building something far more enduring: a global community of marketers who believed that credibility outlasts cleverness.
As the founder of B2B Marketing, Propolis and the prestigious B2B Marketing Awards, Harrison has watched the discipline evolve from product promotion into business transformation.
Few people have witnessed that journey as closely. Fewer still have helped shape it.
He comes to Kuala Lumpur not simply to speak about trust, but to remind us that every meaningful business relationship begins there.
Transformation is one of business’s most overused words. Tuomas Peltoniemi has spent a lifetime giving it meaning.
Across Europe and Asia, he has guided organisations through technological revolutions, digital disruption and changing customer expectations.
Yet his philosophy remains refreshingly simple: technology changes businesses only when people choose to think differently.
Today, as a leader at Accenture Song APAC, he stands at the crossroads where strategy, creativity and customer experience meet.
His message is clear. The future belongs not to those who move fastest. It belongs to those who evolve with purpose.
Great creative leaders rarely begin with answers. They begin with questions.
What if? Why not? Could this become something unforgettable? Paul Nagy has built an international reputation by asking exactly those questions.
As Chief Creative Officer of VML Asia-Pacific, he has transformed complex business challenges into ideas recognised around the world.
His celebrated Soil Stay campaign proves that inspiration is not reserved for glamorous brands.
Even fertiliser can become extraordinary when imagination meets courage. His work reminds us that creativity has never been about decoration. It has always been about changing minds.
Singapore is one of Asia’s most demanding marketplaces.
Ideas are tested quickly. Mediocrity survives briefly. Shawn Low has spent his career helping businesses thrive in precisely that environment.
His work is grounded not in fashionable theories, but in disciplined thinking, thoughtful content and measurable commercial outcomes.
He believes attention is never demanded. It is earned.
His lessons travel well beyond Singapore because the principles never change. Understand your audience. Respect their intelligence. Build relationships before expecting results.
Some people publish content. Hando Sinisalu publishes curiosity.
For more than 25 years, he has travelled through journalism, conferences and marketing, always searching for conversations worth having.
He has built media platforms, launched influential events and connected thousands of marketers through ideas rather than advertising.
His gift has never simply been writing stories. It has been recognising them.
Every successful company has one. Every remarkable leader has one. Every enduring brand has one. Every memorable conference begins with one.
In an age obsessed with reaching everyone, Christopher Strandell prefers reaching the right people.
His work in account-based marketing is built on a simple belief. Relationships matter more than reach. Focus beats volume. Patience outperforms noise.
Working with organisations across Scandinavia and Europe, he has shown that sustainable growth is rarely accidental.
It is carefully chosen, thoughtfully nurtured and relentlessly pursued. There is elegance in that discipline. There is also remarkable commercial success.
Every movement needs someone who understands the local landscape.
Bob Low has become one of Malaysia’s strongest advocates for practical B2B marketing, showing businesses that LinkedIn is far more than a networking platform.
It is a place where credibility is earned, conversations begin and opportunities take shape. His strength lies in translating global thinking into local action.
He speaks the language of Malaysian businesses because he has worked alongside them, helping organisations replace hard selling with relationship building and visibility with genuine influence.
His message is reassuringly simple. The world’s best B2B practices work here too, provided they respect local culture, local relationships and local trust.
Technology often intimidates. Great marketing never should.
As Chief Brand and Marketing Officer of CelcomDigi, Chan May Ling has helped one of Malaysia’s largest technology companies speak with clarity in an increasingly complex world.
Enterprise connectivity, digital infrastructure and business solutions are rarely simple subjects.
Yet she believes every sophisticated technology can become understandable when marketers begin with the customer’s problem rather than the product.
That philosophy transforms complexity into confidence. And confidence into business growth.
Some marketers sell products. Spencer Lee creates destinations.
From aviation and loyalty programmes to one of Asia’s most recognised integrated resorts, his career has been built around understanding why people choose one experience over another.
His perspective reminds us that every business, whether selling hotel rooms, conferences or enterprise solutions, is ultimately in the business of creating memorable experiences.
People may sign contracts with companies. But they remember how those companies made them feel.
Together, these speakers represent more than a conference programme.They represent decades of experience earned across continents, cultures and industries.
Some have built global movements. Some have transformed businesses. Some have changed the way marketers think. All have one thing in common.
They understand that B2B marketing is no longer the quieter cousin of consumer marketing. It has become one of the most influential forces shaping modern commerce.
For two days in Kuala Lumpur, they will share not only what they know, but what they have learned. Knowledge can be downloaded. Experience cannot.
Perhaps that is why the ASEAN B2B ELEVATE Conference matters. Not because it predicts the future, but because it brings together the people who are already creating it.
All registrations confirmed before 30 September will be offered special pricing on group bookings.
“Trust in B2B marketing is key. And AI is a key reason it’s becoming really important. AI-generated content is flooding everything, so it’s very easy to settle for average and produce loads of generic content that looks like everything else. That’s why you need to invest in content that rises above that: content with authenticity, created by a human rather than an AI platform.”
Joel Harrison, Founder of B2B Marketing, Propolis and the B2B Marketing Awards
“In B2B, don’t just build an audience, build a community. If you have a real group of people around you, then your content has a much stronger foundation. Hence, when I post something online, those people are already part of the wider circle around me.”
Bob Low, Specialist in B2B Marketing, LinkedIn Lead Generation and Training
“Account-based marketing means a company does not market to everyone at once. Instead, it selects a handful of its most important target customers and markets specifically to them. ABM is not expensive. Five hundred dollars’ worth of advertising will carry your message to the right people, even inside a giant global corporation. Even a small Malaysian company can reach the top decision-makers at Microsoft or IKEA.”
Christopher Strandell, Advisor at InZynk Sweden in Account-Based Marketing and B2B Growth
“We’re coming back to an old-school world of brand building and brand content. In a world where you can technically have access to almost any content, your brand matters more than ever.”
Tuomas Peltoniemi, Accenture Song APAC
“If you are an established brand, brand is about reassurance. It tells the buying party, the decision-makers and the people whose jobs are on the line that this is a safe bet. If you are a challenger brand, brand plays a different role. But no brand lives in isolation. Good B2B marketing is about knowing when brand matters, when to shift into demand, when to hand over to sales, and how to align your metrics with that journey.”
Shawn Low, Regional Director, Asia, Green Hat
Share Post:
The APPIES is where Malaysia’s boldest campaigns, brightest ideas, and most impactful storytellers take the stage.
More than an awards show, it is the industry’s ultimate platform for creative, media, digital and marketing excellence, where live presentations meet live judging.
This is your chance to showcase work that moved audiences, shaped conversations, and delivered real results.
From breakthrough brand campaigns to innovative digital experiences, the APPIES celebrates the work that defines the future of marketing.
Step into the spotlight alongside the industry’s leading agencies, brands, creatives, strategists and changemakers.
Whether you are aiming for Gold, Silver, Bronze or the prestigious Best of the Best recognition, this is your moment to make history.
Your campaign deserves to be seen.
Your ideas deserve the stage.
Your work deserves the legacy.
KEY DATES
Haven’t subscribed to our Telegram channel yet? Don’t miss out on the hottest updates in marketing & advertising!
