Jollibee meets The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf
Mary Ann Say, Global Chief Financial Officer, The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf

In mid-2019, Philippines-headquartered food business Jollibee acquired global beverage and food chain The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf for USD350 million, marking its second move into US markets following its 2018 acquisition of Smashburger. Taking control of an iconic American brand with extensive global operation was always going to be challenging; but it’s the behind-the-scenes work represents the opportunity to deliver real value from the deal. A complete restructure of The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s business saw the entire senior leadership team change over, while Jollibee also made the decision to move the business’ headquarters from Los Angeles to Singapore. That task fell to the business’ new Global CFO, Mary Ann Say, who has parlayed her US and Philippines corporate experience into building a business that will thrive as it expands globally and embraces a new corporate culture.

Tax controversy: what lies ahead?
Stephen Lam, Partner, International Tax & Transaction Services, EY

Just as the COVID-19 crisis threw businesses a curve ball, government revenues have been significantly impacted by reduced economic activity and additional demands on public spending. CFOs are telling us they expect tax authorities to push hard for extra revenue during the recovery period, and we can expect both tougher enforcement and additional measures during the course of 2022. Technology companies are particularly in the spotlight, but traditional goods-and-services business - particularly multinationals with complex global operations - can also expect to be targeted. Guiding us through this brave new world of taxation is EY Partner Stephen Lam, who has more than 20 years’ experience advising large multinationals on tax and transfer pricing, having been based in London, Taipei and Singapore.

Maritime security
A discussion on maritime security in the Indo Pacific region.

Morning tea and luncheon will be served.