Day One kicked off with a powerful Leaders’ Roundtable on “Manufacturing in a Rapidly Evolving World: Technology, Trade & Talent” moderated by Prof. Dr Ong Kian Ming, who was formerly the Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry. His steady hand pulled out the big idea: talent and strategy win the long game. The following sessions then dove into the practical, un-glamorous-but-crucial territory of digital transformation for makers and building supply-chain resilience, topics that small and family-run manufacturers can actually apply next week, not sometime in the distant future.

Day Two shifted toward purpose and future-readiness, first reframing sustainability and inclusivity as drivers of durable advantage, before unpacking funding and growth strategies for scaling responsibly. However, the last session focused on Youth & Innovation: Bridging the Generation Gap. That session drilled into succession, leadership styles and how cross-generational thinking can inject fresh momentum into family firms that aim to last.

At the Taylor’s booth, our recruitment team connected with founders, successors, and professionals alike. The conversations went beyond postgraduate programmes, touching also on short courses and ESG certifications. These face-to-face exchanges were the highlight: concise, candid, and impactful.

AMYC 2025 proved a simple truth: manufacturing’s future belongs to teams that pair technical smarts with human-centred leadership across generations. Taylor’s Centre for Family Business came home inspired, with new ideas for programmes and workshops that help family enterprises modernise, fund growth and ready the next generation to lead.