The 2022 FedEx Express / JA International Trade Challenge Asia Pacific Finals
In its 16th year, JA Asia Pacific, in partnership with FedEx Express, has given an avenue to over 5,600 talented and determined high school students from all over the region to showcase their skills and creativity in producing their own market entry strategies. Over the course of 16 years, the FedEx Express / JA International Trade Challenge has reached over a staggering 38,336 students. 30 Teams composed of 60 students from 10 Asia Pacific markets - Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam - competed last August 9 to 11, 2022 and were guided by 38 FedEx Facilitators.
For this year’s International Trade Challenge, students continued to compete in teams of 2 in each market on a national level before joining the regional competition where 6 teams would be shortlisted with only the top 3 teams being the winners. With the success of the recent challenge, the program continues to be the stage for up and coming young entrepreneurs to gain business experience, connect with like-minded students from different countries, and learn foundational skills that would benefit their future careers.
For The Agenda
The 2022 ITC Asia Pacific Finals had FIVE public events live streamed through our official Facebook page from August 9 to 11, 2022. Make sure to check them out by clicking the links below!
Opening Event
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FedEx Guest Speaker Session
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Announcement of Challenge Topic Session
The Entrepreneurial Journey Speaker Session
Announcement of Grand Finals
Grand Final Presentations
2022 ITC Asia Pacific Finals’ Awards Ceremony
The Challenge Topic
Meet the 2022 Asia Pacific finalists!
Meet our 60 talented Asia Pacific Finalists from 10 Asia Pacific markets including Hong Kong SAR, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Meet our Grand Finalist Teams!
After careful deliberation from 14 experienced business leaders judges, meet the 6 exceptional Grand Finalist Teams who competed in the next part of the challenge!
Here are the Grand Final Winners of the 2022 ITC AP Finals!
Congratulations to the Winners of our
2022 FedEx Express / JA International Trade Challenge Asia Pacific Finals!
The topic of this year’s market entry plan was focused on creating a physical product that places sustainability at its core, with Germany as the target market. The team who rose above the competition was J Cubed with Yau Li Ting Jamie from Singapore and Jakecob M. Jacob from the Philippines. This team won 1st place with their product Loaf, a sustainably brewed beer from surplus bread that aims to tackle food waste.
This year’s First Runner-up is team Sultans of Sales, consisting of Simar Singh from India and Tatsuru Taguchi from Japan. Their product Das Bubble combines purified blue-green algae, seaweed and petunia herbal tea into an eco-friendly and healthy food product.
Our Winners
And finally, Magna Victoriam team, consisting of Supaseth Julerttrakul from Thailand and Ilangovan Harishiga from Singapore were named Second Runner-up with their product Cura, a compostable sanitary napkin.
Meet our Speakers!
Welcoming Address of the Opening of the 2022
ITC AP Finals by JA Asia Pacific President and CEO, Mr. Maziar Sabet
Keynote Address by Mr. Salil Chari, Senior Vice President of Marketing & Customer Experience of FedEx Express in the Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa region.
This Year’s Fireside Chat
The Fireside Chat was started last year as the 15th anniversary commemoration of the FedEx / JA International Trade Challenge. Continuing to this year’s competition, it brings together ITC AP Finals Alumni and the 2022 participants for our alums to share their entrepreneurial journeys as well as the impact the Challenge had on them as young entrepreneurs. It was also a chance for the 2022 participants to interact with and learn from the lessons the alums had in past competitions.
This year’s Fireside Chat was composed of former ITC AP Finalists and former winners of the challenge,
namely:
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Howard Leong, Fireside Chat Moderator
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Kenneth Tee, Singapore
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Noelle Pang, Hong Kong
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Riefka Hasna, Indonesia
Meet our Judges!
Meet our esteemed panel of judges who are experienced business leaders, entrepreneurs, and leaders coming from a diverse range of industries and geographies. The 2022 ITC wouldn’t have been possible and successful without their engaging presence and participation!
Our FedEx Facilitators!
We are extremely grateful for the support and participation of our FedEx Facilitators. This year’s challenge was supported by 38 FedEx Volunteers from 13 different locations who provided valuable insights and guidance for our ITC Asia Pacific finalists.
Publicity
It’s very exciting to see a gathering of like-minded individuals at events such as these, both well-established and soon-to-be entrepreneurs from the Asia Pacific region. This is a great avenue where we can all come together to solve real problems and have some fun.
Pamela Belen,
Founder, Umpisa INC
1st Round Judge
I had a great experience in 2021 judging for Asia Pacific ITC by JA Asia and FedEx. So, when they asked if I could join again I didn't hesitate. Later I came to realize I would be traveling and had to ensure to be sharp at 4:30 AM my time zone. This was no issue at all. The students were brilliant again and the ideas were fun and creative. The pitches were better than I have seen from a lot of experienced professionals. Only one can take first place, but they are all winners to me.
Robin Teurlings,
CEO, The Startup Buddy,
& Managing Partner, Zero Emissions Fund
1st Round Judge
It's very important to have a venue where the youth can meet and discuss the social and environmental problems of our time. I could feel the passion and hard work that they put into their presentations, and I was inspired by their creativity and perseverance as aspiring entrepreneurs. Congratulations to all the finalists! I have such high hopes for all the participants here.
Trisha Lim Francia,
Founder & CEO, Woven
Grand Finals Judge
Very impressed with the ideas and innovation presented today. Inspired by their passion to pursue business sustainability and impact society positively. They went above and beyond. The finalists demonstrated core skills like problem-solving, creativity, and communication. Grateful to have been able to participate as a judge. Thank you.
Omar Bawa,
Co-founder & COO, Goodwall
Grand Finals Judge
It was great to see these school students think this much about a sustainable future. The next generation is not taking the environment for granted. From the entrepreneurship perspective, I would advise only one thing to all of the students: "If one can solve just one problem in the industry, profits will automatically skyrocket. The French Crown has solved the "dead stock problem" in the clothing industry and our profits are the highest in the industry. Reducing dead stock is helping the environment a lot. It's win-win for both, the environment and the company
Ilesh Ghevariya,
Founder & CEO,
French Crown
Grand Finals Judge
About the sponsor
FedEx Express is one of the world's largest express transportation companies, providing fast and reliable delivery to more than 220 countries and territories. FedEx Express uses a global air-and-ground network to speed delivery of time-sensitive shipments, by a definite time and date.
FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) provides customers and businesses worldwide with a broad portfolio of transportation, e-commerce and business services. With annual revenue of $84 billion, the company offers integrated business solutions through operating companies competing collectively, operating collaboratively and innovating digitally under the respected FedEx brand. Consistently ranked among the world's most admired and trusted employers, FedEx inspires its 570,000 team members to remain focused on safety, the highest ethical and professional standards and the needs of their customers and communities. FedEx is committed to connecting people and possibilities around the world responsibly and resourcefully, with a goal to achieve carbon-neutral operations by 2040. To learn more, please visit about.fedex.com.
About the organizer
JA Asia Pacific is a member of JA Worldwide, one of the world’s largest youth-serving NGOs dedicated to preparing young people for employment and entrepreneurship and a recent nominee of the Nobel Peace Prize. With the Asia Pacific region being home to 60% of the world’s youth, JA Asia Pacific aims to empower young people to benefit from and contribute to the region’s economic development and to create a positive impact in their lives and communities.
With operations across 17 countries and territories, the JA Asia Pacific network equips young people with the employment and entrepreneurship skill sets and mindsets they need to succeed. By building abilities and nurturing self-belief, JA prepares youth for the future of work, ensures they have the tools to be financially capable adults, and teaches them to think entrepreneurially. Supported by nearly 50,000 volunteers, and reaching more than 1.2 million students each year, JA Asia Pacific is one of few organizations with the scale, experience, and passion to build a brighter future for the next generation of global innovators, entrepreneurs, makers, and managers. As a member of JA Worldwide, our global network consists of more than half a million volunteers, serving more than 12 million students in over 100 countries each year.
For more than 100 years, JA has delivered hands-on, experiential learning in work readiness, financial literacy, and entrepreneurship. We create pathways for employability, job creation and financial success.