Speech 1

Opening Remarks
By Dato Paduka Haji Ali Bin Haji Apong,
Deputy Minister At The Prime Minister's Office
And Chairman Of The Brunei Economic Development Board

Your Excellency, Mr Daniel Shields
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,

First and foremost, I would like to applaud and congratulate General Electric on the opening of its office in Brunei Darussalam. It gives me great pleasure to be part of this event today which not only signifies another milestone for GE but more importantly also, it signifies the firm commitment and desire for GE to contribute to the continuous development of Brunei.

Over the many years since its establishment, GE has positioned itself well as a reputable industrial, financial and household name having been ranked the third biggest public company in the Forbes Global 2000 List and sixth in the Fortune 500 list of America’s largest corporation in the year 2012. With these impressive global rankings, what GE can bring into Brunei today is not only a reputable brand name but more fundamentally, it brings together its expertise from the broad range of sectors that GE is involved in today from energy and aviation to healthcare and technological innovation.

Additionally, GE’s heavy investment in its ‘Ecomagination’ initiative to develop innovative solutions for a more sustainable future is also very well aligned with

Brunei’s strategic energy initiatives towards increasing energy efficiencies, conserving energy as well as the use of renewable and clean technology for power generation and industrial applications.

In Brunei, we have seen GE’s involvement in the energy sector through the use of GE gas turbines in our power plants. With GE’s new setup in Brunei, I envisage that new opportunities and partnerships will arise that can further contribute to Brunei’s aspirations towards strengthening the energy sector. Specifically, through

GE’s expertise in this sector, we would like to see the use of new and emerging technologies such as smart grid technology and improved power generators which will undoubtedly reduce the nation’s energy intensity through energy efficiency and conservation (EEC). Furthermore, I believe Brunei can leverage on innovative new solutions that GE is currently developing such as solar energy, fuel cells and efficient lighting.

It is my sincere hope that GE will also explore other opportunities in Brunei beyond just the energy sector. I would strongly encourage GE to collaborate with the Brunei Government as well as institutions of higher learning to undertake customised R&D aligned with Brunei’s R&D focus areas today such as water technologies for improved crop yields, medical and imaging technologies for improved healthcare services and IT solutions for improved automation.

Another key area that we are looking into is the development of our human capital.

With GE as a leader in many of its sectors, I believe that this is one area we can also leverage on. I strongly encourage collaborations with the local universities and locally based companies in developing our human capital through the establishment of a Brunei training centre to equip our locals with the valued skill sets that would contribute to Brunei’s accelerated industrial development.

Also, I would like to encourage GE to extend its geographical reach for its product and service offerings from the Brunei office and position itself as a services and manufacturing hub for Brunei and the surrounding region.

Once again, I congratulate GE for a very commendable effort in setting up their first office here in Brunei. I wish GE all the success in their future undertakings and look forward to a very long and fruitful relationship ahead.

Thank You.

Speech 2

Official Opening of GE International Inc. Brunei Branch
30 June 2012, Saturday
5th Floor, #03-05, Teck Guan Plaza 56-60, Jalan Sultan
10.30am-11.30am

Speech by Mr Stuart Dean, CEO of GE ASEAN:

Yang Mulia Dato Paduka Haji Ali bin Haji Apong, Deputy Minister, Prime Minister's Office and Chairman, Brunei Economic Development Board,

His Excellency Daniel Shields, US Ambassador to Brunei Darussalam,

Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen,

1. Selamat Pagi dan terima kasih for joining us today for this auspicious occasion. On behalf of GE, I welcome you to our new corporate office. While not big in size, it is huge in significance. Today signifies the opening of our eight corporate office in the region and we are excited to be expanding our footprint as we grow alongside ASEAN.

2. GE has a long-standing presence in the region. We have a successful track record in co-creating with local partners to facilitate the development of the most advantageous solutions to the region’s challenges. Our new office in Bandar Seri Begawan further demonstrates our long-term commitment to Brunei and ASEAN. We hope to collaborate more closely with the government and private sector to help the country achieve a dynamic and sustainable economy under Wawasan Brunei 2035.

With our deep infrastructure expertise and industry-leading technical capabilities, we are well positioned to help bolster this national vision.

Ladies and gentlemen,

3. In Brunei, GE is no new kid-on-the-block. We have been in the country for over 30 years, and I am proud to say that GE technology is used extensively throughout the country’s power generation installed base. We are also active in the oil and gas segment and have long-term service agreements with local customers.

4. We are optimistic that we can continue to grow in Brunei. Plans are underway to expand our presence and capabilities in parallel with the government’s vision in Brunei’s White Paper on Energy. We are looking to explore co-development opportunities to promote Supply Side Efficiency through new technologies in existing and new power plants. Additionally we are also interested in transmission and distribution initiatives such as smart grid programs and state of the art grid solutions. In the oil & gas sector we are ready to tap into new opportunities in Brunei, such as enhanced oil recovery.

5. However, in a market that is heavily reliant on the oil & gas industry, there is a need to break new ground and diversify the economy. GE aims to engage local partners to explore opportunities across different sectors beyond energy. For example, imagine an aircraft fleet that is powered by engines that are more energy-efficient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly. Or perhaps a healthcare sector that is further strengthened with mobile, hand-held healthcare diagnostic equipment. We have the technology portfolio and broad expertise to help the government in its goal to widen the economy base and create new opportunities for the people of Brunei.

6. To fully enhance national competitiveness, we need to unlock the potential of local talent. GE is committed to exploring collaborations with local universities to establish training and scholarship programs. We hope to emulate some of our success stories in other parts of ASEAN – such as the training center in the University of Technical Education in Ho Chi Minh City, which provides students training in advanced electrical distribution and control equipment; and our GE Oil & Gas University in Indonesia, from which the first intake of 61 engineers and other professionals have graduated.

Ladies and gentlemen,

7. Terima kasih lagi for joining us today and special thanks again to Yang Mulia Dato Paduka Haji Ali bin Haji Apong and Ambassador Shields. We look forward to working together with all of our government partners and key customers to spur economic growth towards realizing Vision Brunei 2035.