Future Human Capital - British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce

Future
Human
Capital
Quality Education,
Relevant Training &
Talent Management:
The Key To Growth
INSIDE • 2013 Outlook • 20th BMCC-JPA Programme Launched • Managing Reputational Risk
January-February 2013
First Lines
BMCC Board of Directors:
Patrons:
L
YBhg Tun Musa Hitam
HE Simon Featherstone, British High Commissioner
Chairman:
Dato’ Larry Gan, Catcha Media Bhd
ast year saw a series of major
milestones and events touching
our shores, many of which involved
BMCC playing a key role. Ministerial
visits, the London Olympics, the Diamond
Deputy Chairman:
Jubilee and the Royal Tour to Asia, to name a
Andrew Sill, The Royal Bank of Scotland Bhd
few. In December, we closed out the year with
Directors:
Soo Kim Wai, Amcorp Properties Bhd
Mark Burgess, Amicitia Sdn Bhd
Bob Olivier, Aspac Executive Search Sdn Bhd
David Ng, DHL Express Malaysia & Brunei
Dato’ Justin Leong, Genting Bhd
Datuk Seri Michael Yam, InvestKL
Amanda Powell, KL Kudos Design Sdn Bhd
Michael McIver, Plus Three Consultants Sdn Bhd
Osman Morad, Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia Bhd
Bill Addington, TechSol Sdn Bhd
Datuk Peter Wentworth, OBE, Weir Minerals Malaysia
Andrew Diamond, Yakimbi Sdn Bhd
Ex-Officio:
our grand finale Corporate Christmas Lunch
which saw nearly 500 guests in attendance.
This year promises to be no less exceptional
as we celebrate BMCC’s 50th Anniversary!
There is a special programme of events and
initiatives planned to mark this important
chapter in our history.
Firstly however, I would like to extend our
deepest appreciation to our newly enrolled Annual Sponsors. It is thanks to
their generous support that we will be able to further enhance our service levels
and facilitate broader business links for our membership. We are delighted to
have received renewals from several of last year’s sponsors, a clear sign that
Gavin Anderson, British Council
Tony Collingridge, OBE, UK Trade & Investment
Dr Zainal Abidin Majid, Advisor To The Board
we are continuing to create value.
The first principal event on the calendar is the special Members’ Networking
Night at the iconic Carcosa Seri Negara when members can reconnect with
Molly Jagpal: Executive Director
Winnie Ng: Business Services Manager
Nabisa Kassim: Commercial Activities
Rafy Anuar: Events & Marketing Executive
Henry Tay: Special Projects Officer
Deck Azwan: Accounts Executive
existing contacts and make new ones.
This year also marks the 20th round of the exclusive BMCC-JPA Management
Programme. The high calibre of candidates has already attracted interest from a
number of our member companies keen to forge lasting ties with key personnel
in the Malaysian Government through this unique initiative. More details can
be found on Page 6.
BMCC Magazine:
In this issue, we look at the highly topical subject of Human Capital as Malaysia
Editor: Amanda Powell Editorial Committee:
gears up to implement the measures in its Economic Transformation Programme.
• George Aveling • Marcus Osborne • Molly Jagpal
• Matt Smith • Bill Addington • Winnie Ng
Our feature section looks at the various aspects - education, training & development, talent management and more.
Production: KL Kudos Design Sdn Bhd
Printing: Tinggi Press Sdn Bhd, Lot 6, Jalan Kuang Bulan,
Taman Kepong, 52100 Kuala Lumpur.
Berita BMCC is published bi-monthly for distribution to BMCC
members and other organisations in the business community.The views
expressed or implied herein are those of the authors or contributors
and do not necessarily reflect those of the Chamber.
Lastly I would like to wish all our members a successful, prosperous New
Year and we look forward to engaging with you during this very special year at
BMCC - there’s no better place to do business!
BMCC 2013 Annual Sponsors & Partners
PlaƟnum Sponsors:
Gold Sponsors:
Gold Partner:
BMCC
Executive
Office:
4th Floor, East Block,
Wisma Selangor Dredging,
142B Jalan Ampang,
50450 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel:
+60 3 2163 1784/2163 1786
Fax: +60 3 2163 1781
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.bmcc.org.my
Preferred IT
Rental Partner:
Preferred
Airline Partner:
Follow us on:
BMCCMALAYSIA
January-February 2013
In This Issue
January-February 2013
■ First Lines ................................................. 3
■ Trade Talk: .................................................. 6
>
BMCC-JPA Programme Launched
>
BMCC Donates To Hospis Malaysia
>
CSR On A Shoestring
>
Business Engagement Dialogue
■ Special Reports ......................................... 8
>
Outlook For 2013 - Osman Morad,
MD & CEO, Standard Chartered Bank
>
Managing Reputational Risk Abigail Healey, Addleshaw Goddard
■ CEO Spotlight ......................................... 10
Teh Lip Kim - Leading Force in Local Property
■ Cover Story ............................................. 13
Human Capital For The Future:
The Importance of Quality Education,
Relevant Training & Talent Management
■ Meet Our New Members ....................... 33
■ News from Our Members ...................... 35
■ Service Matters ....................................... 39
By George Aveling
■ On The Social Scene ................................ 40
Festive Fun Kicks Off At BMCC Lunch
■ Intellectually Streaking ............................. 42
Saint Or Sinner? - Datuk Paddy Bowie, OBE
4
January-February 2013
Future Human Capital:
Cover Story
Contents
As Malaysia pushes to implement its Economic Transformation Programme, high calibre
human capital will become a
premium. Quality education,
training and talent management
have never been more critical.
Turn to Page 13 to read more.
Diary Dates
January
Thurs 31st
BMCC New Year’s Members Networking
5.30pm-9.30pm - Carcosa Seri Negara
Renew old contacts and make new ones
at this exclusive Members Only informal
drinks evening and BBQ at the beautiful
and historic Carcosa Seri Negara
February
Mon 25thSun 3rd Mar
BMW Malaysia Tennis Open
Royal Selangor Golf Club
Follow the action as 32 leading ladies
from the WTA Tour take to the court for
this dynamic tournament.
www.carbon-worldwide.com
March
Fri 8th
International Women’s Day Event
Details to be confirmed
Weds 13thThurs 14th
IPSEF Conference
Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur
See Page 31 for details
Tues 26thThurs 28th
Rail Asia 2013
Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre
Tues 26thSat 30th
LIMA 2013 - Langkawi International
Maritme & Aerospace Exhibition
Langkawi Convention Centre
April
Fri 5th
20th BMCC-JPA Management Programme
Official Opening Ceremony
See Page 6 for more details
Tues 4th June
BMCC Annual Charity Rugby Dinner
Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Kumpur
Coming Up: March-April 2013
Cover Theme: The Best of British
Don’t miss out on this special edition of BMCC Magazine
as we celebrate our 50th Anniversary and everything
British. Got a story to tell? Get in touch now!
Editorial Deadline: Wednesday 30th January
Advertisement bookings open now!
Contact 03 2163 1784 or [email protected]
January-February 2013
Trade Talk
20th BMCC-JPA Round
Set To Enhance Ties
B
MCC’s 50th Anniversary year will see
the 20th round of the unique BMCCJPA Management Programme taking
place. First introduced in 1983, this exclusive Programme provides an unparalleled
opportunity for senior government officials
to obtain "hands on" British/Malaysian private sector experience via a tailored industry placement within a host organisation.
A joint initiative between Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam Malaysia (JPA) – Public Services Department Malaysia and the BMCC,
the Programme has been led and managed
by the BMCC over the last 30 years. Endorsed by the British High Commission, it
is fully supported by the Malaysian Government.More than 290 Malaysian Senior Government Officers and 60 British companies
have benefitted, helping to foster stronger
links between the UK and Malaysian private
and public sector.
BMCC member companies have the exclusive opportunity to participate by selecting
and hosting senior government officers that
have been carefully interviewed and shortlisted by JPA. Companies can opt to take up
to two candidates each.
This year’s cohort of candidates is of exceptionally high calibre, all of whom hold senior positions within a variety of Malaysian
Government Departments including:
> Ministry of Health
Programme Components
3-month total duration inclusive of:
•
Attachment modules with participating
companies in Malaysia
•
One week off-site Business Management Module – to be conducted by leading British Business School
> Malaysian Qualifications Agency
•
Three weeks overseas attachment in UK
> Royal Customs Department
All expenses including flights, lodging, food
and transport for the participants for the
entire programme are covered by the JPA.
> Ministry of Higher Education
> Ministry of Home Affairs
> MOSTI
> Malaysian Nuclear Agency
> Department of Irrigation & Drainage
> Public Works Department and others
A total of 14 candidates will be selected to
take part, with 7 places still available.
Positive Feedback
"Our two candidates proved very able and
engaged. Their approach to this attachment was positive throughout and they
both added valuable insights in their specialist areas of timber and environmental
policy, key concerns of HSBC and our sustainability strategy." Jonathan Addis, Former Executive Director & Deputy CEO,
HSBC Bank Malaysia
“Our candidate this year made a vital contribution by way of his Project to launch a
construction industry Safety Award scheme,
something we have been attempting to do
for several years.” Michael McIver, CEO,
Plus Three Consultants
“This is the 4th time we have been part
of the BMCC-JPA Programme. It has been
a great learning experience and we value
the mutual benefits that it offers to the
Bank and the participants." Osman Morad,
Managing Director & CEO, Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia
“We were very impressed with our two
candidates. The findings gathered through
the Project undertaken will be brought to
a higher level as we believe it could greatly
benefit the SME industry and the country
as a whole.” Azlam Shah Alias, Corporate
& Legal Affairs Director, Tesco Malaysia
6
Whilst on placement, the candidate is required to produce an in-depth project paper based on the interest of the hosting
company. In past years, this programme has
achieved some exceptional outcomes, helping companies to open doors into government and strengthening their own government outreach channels.
January-February 2013
For details and participation, call Ms Nabisa Kassim on +603 2163 1784 or email
[email protected]
Business Dialogue Session
Sees Successful Outcome
T
he recent Business Engagement
Dialogue Session held between Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia (SSM or
Registrar of Companies) and KL’s Business Chambers has delivered a positive
outcome.
Via the Business Policy Committee, the
BMCC raised three key business issues,
prompting SSM’s CEO Mr Mohd Naim
Daruwish to remark that the BMCC had
set an example as to how Chambers
could engage their members for a positive outcome.
The three issues presented and the respective responses were:
1. Removing the need for two resident
directors which results in many international businesses appointing
nominees from professional firms
and hence increases the cost of doing business in Malaysia.
Under the SSM’s new Companies Bill
(New Policy), a company can now be
incorporated with just one resident
director. The New Policy will be presented to the Cabinet in March.
2. Reviewing capital duty for registration of foreign companies as branch
offices under the Companies Act
1965 to be capped at RM1,000 for
companies not having any authorised capital in their home jurisdiction - as opposed to calculating duty
on issued share capital.
SSM will introduce a fixed incorporation registration fee. The fee to incorporate a company will be based on
the type of company, and no longer on
authorised capital.
3. Exemption for SMEs and/or companies with a turnover below a prescribed amount from carrying out
statutory annual audits each year
(even dormant companies are required to carry out statutory audit
annually). This would bring Malaysia
in line with other countries.
SSM will retain the mandatory audit
requirement for all companies to submit year end accounts but will introduce a new exemption category for
certain companies.
Trade Talk
BMCC Supports Hospis Malaysia
With RM210,000 Donation
and extend Hospis Malaysia's services in
engaging with children suffering from genetic, developmental, perinatal and metabolic conditions.
Speaking at the cheque presentation ceremony, British High Commissioner to Malaysia and BMCC Patron HE Simon Featherstone CMG (below) said, “We are extremely
grateful to the BMCC for its generosity in
supporting Hospis Malaysia with this substantial donation. It is fitting that the
money being donated will enable Hospis
Malaysia to provide training and education
support for paediatric palliative care – a
subject dear to The Duchess's heart.”
BMCC
Chairman
Dato' Larry Gan
echoed these sentiments,
adding,
“The BMCC is very
proud to be able to
contribute this substantial amount to
such a worthwhile
organisation. This
is indeed a much
needed
initiative
that Hospis Malaysia has begun.”
H
ospis Malaysia was recently the recipient of a donation from BMCC totalling RM210,000. The funds were
raised during the highly successful business
luncheon organised by the BMCC during
the maiden visit to Malaysia by Their Royal
Highnesses the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Sponsored by Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia, the luncheon was attended by over
1,000 guests from the business fraternity.
HRH The Duke of Cambridge expressed his
support for the initiative during the Luncheon when he said, "Let me end by thanking the British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce most warmly for your generosity in
donating the proceeds from this event to
Hospis Malaysia - you are supporting a really wonderful cause.”
The money will form a start-up fund to enable Hospis Malaysia to deliver training and
education support to help implement Malaysia’s new Paediatric Palliative Care Policy. Launched in September, the Policy was
introduced to advocate further provision
for paediatric palliative care - much needed by children with life-limiting illnesses.
With collaboration and reciprocal training
already planned with the East Anglia Children's Hospice (EACH), a UK-based charity
of which HRH the Duchess of Cambridge is
Patron, the donation will be allocated to
help fund annual paediatric palliative care
training courses, develop enhanced expertise in paediatric palliative care for all staff
CSR On A Shoestring:
BMCC Seminar Shows How
T
he BMCC and BP teamed up with event
partner the British Council recently to
present a breakfast talk headlined CSR on a
Shoestring. The talk was designed to reach
out to businesses and share insights on how
companies can properly manage their CSR
efforts with minimal budgets. It also covered the do’s and don’ts when measuring
the impact of CSR endeavours.
“While CSR projects reflect a company’s
responsibility and commitment to social issues, businesses today are operating across
multiple boundaries and need to be mindful
of accountability, responsibility, transparency and a growing demand to undertake
social roles – all these while minimising the
costs and maximising the impact of such
projects,” said Jane.
Led by Jane Massy (CEO of ABDI), one of the
UK’s most experienced Return On Investment practitioners, the seminar highlighted
that regardless of whether companies were
looking to start or are already actively running a CSR project, the management and
evaluation of a sustainable social project
can be challenging and subject to strict reviews.
“As measurement does not necessarily relate to financial figures, what would be a
good measure of the success of CSR projects?” Using pertinent case studies, the
seminar showcased examples of businesses
that are managing and optimising their CSR
projects.
Sponsor:
January-February 2013
Event Partner:
7
Special Report
Outlook For 2013
by Osman Morad
Managing Director & CEO
Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia
The driver of growth will remain domestic
demand and continued consumer spending.
Household loans are expected to expand
with the launch of government-initiated affordable housing schemes.
Economic Transformation Programme (ETP)
activities will underpin domestic demand
growth in 2013:
I
n 2012, the earnings momentum of banks
was maintained with strong loan growth,
robust non-interest income, and lower
loan loss provision despite the ongoing Net
Interest Margin (NIM) compression. With
the prudential management of Bank Negara
Malaysia (BNM), banks remain in excellent
shape based on the capital ratios coupled
with reducing Non-Performing Loans (NPL)
and impairment ratios.
Malaysia will continue its GDP growth,
which has been forecast at between 4.5
percent and 5.5 percent. At Standard Chartered, we are projecting Malaysia’s GDP
growth to be 4.7 percent due to weakening exports as consuming nations on austerity drive reduce imports. With China’s soft
landing, Malaysia’s exports to and imports
from China may potentially slow down reducing the ability to absorb the slacks of
bilateral trades with the European Union
(EU) and US.
In the banking sector, we believe Basel III
will have a profound impact in 2013. Although banks are already deploying their
increasingly scarce capital resources in a
more capital-efficient manner, we expect
the implementation of Basel III from 2013
to accelerate the pace of change. Nevertheless, we are optimistic that fundamentals which are already in place, coupled
with greater emphasis on risk-based pricing, will ensure the banking sector continues to be vibrant and play an important role
in Malaysia’s nation-building initiatives.
2013 Prospects
Overall the banking sector outlook for
2013 is expected to remain strong although
lending activities could decelerate in the
first quarter with slowing corporate loan
disbursements and consumers adopting a
“wait and see” attitude pending the upcoming General Election.
8
•
Generally, the anticipation of loan
growth is at 2 x GDP.
•
We also expect net interest margin
(NIM) to continue to come under pressure due to scaling up of new entrants,
competitive rates given to the ETPrelated business loans, and potentially
rising cost of funding to comply with
Basel III liquidity requirements.
•
Impaired loans should maintain at low
levels depending on the banks’ risk appetite and portfolio balance.
Mergers & Acquisitions
This is an interesting development as regional central banks are currently in the
final stages of launching the ASEAN Banking
Integration Framework (ABIF), which will
make it easier for qualified banks in the
region to expand within the ten member
countries. Timelines may be discussed at
the next ASEAN finance Ministers meeting in
April 2013 in Brunei.
The potential entry of banks from other
ASEAN member countries into Malaysia may
intensify competition which may induce
smaller banks to consolidate and pursue
further integration.
For Standard Chartered, Malaysia remains
an important franchise to the Group. We
have made significant investments, taking
the route of organic growth as we continue
to put effort into deepening our relationships with our clients and enhancing our
customers’ banking experience. In keeping
with the Group’s overall strategy. we will
maintain our organic growth but remain
alert for opportunities that will complement our approach towards expansion.
Loan Growth
We see industry loan growth trends in 2013
remaining strong but at a lower pace than
that recorded in 2012. This is in line with
our GDP growth projection of 4.7 percent,
compared to this year’s expected GDP
growth of 5 percent.
Non-Interest Income
The macro backdrop that supported strong
fund flows into emerging markets and Asian
credit markets in 2012 is still in place and
should help regional credit markets generate positive returns. From a Malaysian perspective, non-interest income will continue
to increase with deal flows fuelled by incentives for Sukuks and increased transactional
banking fees on forex hedging activities.
Non-Performing Loans
Non-performing loans are expected to remain at low levels in 2013. This will be
primarily due to the industry maintaining a
cautious outlook on lending, given the challenging economic environment.
Islamic banking will remain a growth sector
for Malaysia and we intend to fully leverage
and remain committed on our Islamic banking platform. As at the end of 2012, there
are a total of 10 Standard Chartered Saadiq
branches, growing our entire network to 42,
further expanding our footprint in Malaysia.
Net Interest Margins
We continue to see opportunities in our
high value segments such as SME and Priority Banking and will focus on building and
broadening our market share for these segments, including mortgages. Innovation will
be a key differentiator.
For net interest margins, the same factors
that impacted the industry in 2012 will continue to exert pressure. Hence, we foresee
further compression from increased liquidity cost due to Basel III and intense competition in the industry.
Globally, Standard Chartered continues to
chart record growth. With Malaysia being in
the centre of the SE Asia region, it is poised
to take advantage of the potential of Asia
leading global economic growth.
January-February 2013
Special Report
Managing Reputational Risk
T
he fall-out of damage to a company’s
reputation can be catastrophic – from
greater uncertainty among investors
and a drop in a company’s share price to
greater difficulty in finding suppliers and
a possible dip in sales owing to decreased
confidence or greater cynicism among consumers. And with the world-wide web, bad
news travels fast, far and wide.
In this climate, businesses are focusing on
how they can protect and enhance their
reputation and build and retain trust in
their brands. They need to work hard to
minimise hostile media coverage that will
affect how all stakeholders – from customers and the public to investors, analysts,
suppliers, government bodies and also their
employees – perceive the company.
The key threats to a company’s reputation
are wide-ranging; no system is foolproof
and even the best-run organisations are
likely to attract negative publicity at some
point. In managing reputation, the importance of good corporate governance cannot
be underestimated.
Corporate Governance Is Key
Transparency and integrity are board level
issues. Companies must plan not only to
maximise shareholder value but also to
minimise the risks associated with their activities. Failure to manage these risks can
lead to a loss of trust and erosion of value.
Externally, companies need the goodwill of
major shareholders, customers and other
stakeholders to make the tough decisions
necessary to sustain profitability. Internally, they are increasingly focusing resources
on ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. Good corporate governance is
fundamental in both these areas.
The regulators’ response to corporate collapses and disasters has been to increase
the corporate governance requirements
for public companies significantly. Key elements include: the recognition of the
increasing importance of “independent”
non-executive directors; the separation of
the role of chief executive and chairman;
improved procedures for recruiting directors; and a sharp focus on internal controls
and risk management.
Increased media focus on corporate governance means that if something goes glaringly wrong it becomes apparent far more
quickly and publicly, and there’s far greater
scope for investors to attack the company.
Doing more than the minimum to comply
Companies are under scrutiny like never
before and in our image-conscious age,
businesses live and die by their reputation.
Abigail Healey, of Addleshaw Goddard’s
Reputation Protection Team, outlines some
measures for protecting that reputation.
with corporate governance regulations can
often bring real advantages, particularly
through better risk management and an improved image in the eyes of shareholders,
other stakeholders and the public.
Many companies have gone beyond the
regulatory requirements in a number of
areas, particularly in the way they identify
and manage risk. They are also increasingly
transparent about their corporate governance regimes and are communicating this
through their websites.
In all companies, the board’s responsibility is to ensure that the way information
is distributed, decisions are made and risks
controlled is monitored. Without suitable
checks and balances in place, accounting,
trading or other problems may escalate,
endangering the business’ reputation and
its very future.
Money Laundering
Complying with tightened regulations on
money laundering and legislation concerning proceeds of crime is essential. An organisation’s reputation could be severely
damaged if it is connected with an offence
under these regulations/legislation. The
Money Laundering Regulations place stringent requirements on professional services
firms such as accountants, audit providers
and solicitors to take an active role in the
prevention of money laundering.
Under the Proceeds of Crime Act, concealment, arrangement, use or possession of
proceeds of crime and the failure to report
any reasonable suspicions relating to such
proceeds is a criminal offence. Any individual can be convicted under this legislation.
The Money Laundering Regulations and Proceeds of Crime Act place far greater obligations on businesses in the regulated sector
than ever before. In this case it’s best to
seek legal advice and, potentially, err on
the side of caution by training staff about
the issues involved and setting up appropriate internal procedures.
Freedom of Information
Companies are continuing to grapple with
the ramifications of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The law, which came fully
into effect on January 1, 2005, gives members of the public the right to request information held by public authorities. While
there are some exemptions, this includes
information about businesses that has, for
example, been acquired by regulators or
provided by companies when tendering for
public-sector contracts.
The legislation also applies retrospectively
making it possible for people, frequently
journalists, to request historic information.
Preparing For A Crisis
How ever well you manage threats to your
reputation, every business at some point is
likely to become the focus of hostile media
attention. But by taking a proactive approach there is much you can do to minimise its impact.
While it is impossible to anticipate when
a story may break, you should know what
skeletons are in the corporate closet and
develop plans to react to possible stories.
Crisis Management Checklist:
1. Put a crisis management team in place
2. Plan your responses to possible stories
3. Be cautious in your response until the
facts become clear
4. Assess your options under media codes
of practice
5. Consider the pros and cons of any legal
action carefully
6. Don't threaten action you're not prepared to carry out
7. Don't stonewall – people will assume
you're guilty
8. Tackle inaccuracies in a story robustly
9. Keep employees informed
10. Build good relationships with external
lawyers and communications advisers
January-February 2013
9
CEO Spotlight
Building
Innovation
O
riginally one of Malaysia’s pioneering
tin mining organisations, Selangor
Dredging Berhad has since diversified into a leading property development
firm, largely under the keen eye and firm
hand of Managing Director Ms Teh Lip Kim.
Taking up the role in 1998, her first task
was to consolidate the firm’s operations
and business interests, which involved
some very tough and bold decisions, including asking friends and relatives to leave
the company. When the move into property
came in 2004, this too was not without its
challenges. The prolonged fallout from the
Asian financial crisis of the late 90’s combined with an increasing amount of competition led to a series of setbacks.
Forging ahead with steely determination,
Ms Teh has since transformed the company into a niche property player. Currently
with 15 completed or ongoing projects in
its portfolio and more launching soon, the
company focuses on building innovation
into its developments to “give people what
they don’t know they want,” says Ms Teh.
“One of the most important aspects of our
approach is spatial planning. We look in detail at the relationship between the spaces
and the sizes of the rooms to ensure that
each property delivers the right customer
experience.”
At Windows On The Park, a new project
in Cheras, for example, the condominium development sits on a nine acre site,
more than 50 percent of which has been
retained as parkland. “We looked at the
site to see what we could do differently.
We have created three spaces within the
park – one each for family time, quiet time
and sports activities.” All of the apartments
have views onto the park and more specifically, the bedrooms and living areas do.
Windows On The Park: natural environment
10
January-February 2013
“We make sure that we follow through and
implement the concept fully,” says Ms Teh.
“We look into every aspect of the development to make sure the emotional feel is
there – right from the car park and lighting,
to the design layouts, to the materials we
use. This all-embracing thought process is
very important.”
In Taman Melawait, the 20trees development combines a mix of bungalows with
private pools, courtyard homes, garden
homes, terrace homes and low-rise apartments. Twenty uniquely different environments have been integrated into pockets
of space within the development, creating
different sensory experiences.
CEO Spotlight
Dedaun: limited edition luxury
Innovative design, close
attention to detail and quality
products are the hallmarks of
Selangor Dredging properties
“We don’t have a set formula,” says Ms
Teh. “We look at the best solution for the
location. This can be as simple making sure
the orientation of the building is optimal
to maximise light and minimise heat retention. In this way, we introduce sustainability into our developments.”
For its project in Penang, By The Sea at
Batu Ferringhi, the company is involved in
rehabilitating the river that runs through
the site. “We are the first private developer
to embark on such a scheme,” explains Ms
modelled on a small community complete
with village green. The firm also has one
project in the UK, a heritage building which
is currently leased to a financial institution.
Aman Sari: spacious family living
The innovative designs, close attention to
detail and delivery of quality products are
hallmarks of Selangor Dredging that have
have garnered a number of industry awards
for the firm recently, including the AsiaPacific Entrepreneurship Award 2012, The
Fiabci Prix d’Excellence Award 2011 and the
SIA Architectural Design Award 2010.
The latest accolade is for Ms Teh herself
who has been named as Malaysia’s Ernst
& Young Woman Entrepreneur of the Year
2012. Asked what the secrets for success
are, she says it is important to establish a
balance in life.
“The priorities are personal, family, business – in that order. Reflective skills are very
important as well as a keenness to learn,”
she says. Knowing the right questions to ask
is another key quality and of course to be
decisive and not afraid to take risks.
All characteristics that Ms Teh has clearly
deployed in helming the company to its current leading position in the market.
www.sdb.com.my
By The Sea: inspirational views
Teh. “We have set up a system that uses
proven technology and the result is clear
water that will help to regenerate and sustain marine life. We are also working with
schools in the local community to help inculcate good environmental practices for
the long-term.”
Outside of Malaysia, Selangor Dredging is
also a growing force in the Singapore market with a total of five projects already
underway or launched, including the latest initiative, The Village at Pasir Panjang,
January-February
January-February2013
2013
11
January-February 2013
Cover Story
Future
As Malaysia strives to move up the value chain,
education, training and talent management
have been firmly placed on the national
agenda. Access to a quality education and
relevant qualifications that help young people
enter the world of work have never been
more essential. Programmes to identify,
nurture and develop high calibre talent are
becoming recognised as vital for companies
to ensure long-term sustainability. Already
strong, the ties between Malaysia and the
UK in this field are growing as Malaysia
aims to become a transnational education
hub and British institutions set up on
Malaysian soil. Turn the page to learn more.
Human
Capital
January-February
January-February2013
2013
13
11
13
Cover Story
Engaging
In English
T
he Malaysia Education Blueprint for
2013 to 2025 is a clear indication of
the Government’s recognition of the
importance of education in the nation’s
economic and social development. One of
the aspirations for Malaysian students set
out by the report is bilingual proficiency in
Bahasa Malaysia and English. A key theme,
identified by the Blueprint, in achieving this
aspiration, is a further improvement in the
quality of teaching. The bilingual aspiration is recognised as a particular challenge
within the more rural areas of the country
where it is acknowledged that there is a
significant inequity in student success.
The British Council has been working with
the Ministry of Education and corporate
partners to assist Malaysian teachers of
English in their professional development,
and consequentially in bringing the best
out of their students. To achieve this, the
British Council is currently running three
large-scale teacher development projects
in Malaysia. These projects, ELTDP (Sabah,
Sarawak and Labuan), TEDP (West Peninsular Malaysia) and Pro-ELT (Peninsular Malaysia) focus on primary school teachers of
Years 1 to 3 and begin by understanding the
difficulties faced by many Malaysian teachers. A number of these issues are recognised in the Malaysia Education Blueprint.
Difficulties such as an increased workload
in non-classroom work - a 2011 Ministry
survey of 7,853 teachers found that they
report working anywhere between 40 and
80 hours per week, with an average of 57
hours - and a change of teaching curricu-
The British Council is working closely with the Ministry of Education and
Corporate Social Responsibility sponsors to meet primary state school
English teachers’ needs and address the challenges they are facing,
but what are those needs and how can challenges be changed into
developmental opportunities? Adam Jameson takes a closer look.
lum resulting in a need to shift away from
“traditional” teaching methods are cited by
the Blueprint.
The 2011 change in curriculum has required
a certain amount of on-going support and
retraining for teachers. This change has
brought with it a change in assessment
methods - from summative testing to more
continuous assessment.
Increasing
parental and community support,
particularly
in
rural communities, is another
area in which
students’ learning could be
improved in the
future.
These
issues
were
challenges the
British Council
worked hard to
14
January-February 2013
overcome when planning and delivering the
teacher development projects.
Issues pertaining to student motivation and
students recognising the need to learn English are major ‘first barriers’ for primary
state school English teachers in rural contexts.
In recognition of the fact that parental
involvement in early education and early
literacy is key, the British Council’s programmes are currently focusing their efforts in this area.
The projects use reading workshops and
reading circles to develop participation and
relationship building between the schools
and the wider community. The Learn English Family Programme developed a series
of workshops for parental involvement in
early reading (above).
A full programme of training was sent to
7,000 schools in Malaysia. This is being
supported by teacher mentoring and programmes run by corporate volunteers from
UEM Berhad.
Cover Story
“There is a positive shift towards
creative and engaging teaching
within the English Language
classroom in Malaysia, and a
growing interest from parents.”
The idea of school-based assessment - an
ongoing method of assessing a child’s ability
through regular formative assessment - is
one area in which teachers are having to
adapt. This change from using formal testing to much more frequent in-class assessment tasks is a major shift. The main difficulty that many teachers have with this is
the amount of time it can take inside the
classroom to assess individual students.
This is considered by many teachers to be
‘lost’ teaching time.
The British Council mentors have been
working with teachers to develop ways of
integrating assessment into lessons by using - and effectively managing - communicative language activities, language games
and collaborative exercises.
The use of these techniques is, in many cases, a significant step beyond a lecture style
of teaching, which is what many teachers
and pupils had become accustomed to.
Due to the noticeable differences between
lecture style and communicative practice,
teachers had to be equipped with an enhanced set of classroom management skills
to enable them to maintain control in what
was, potentially, a much more lively classroom.
There is a great deal of early evidence
of positive outcomes from these mentoring projects - which include thousands of
classroom observations. The introduction
of a range of classroom management techniques is shifting the focus from teachercentred to learner-centred. This then allows for meaningful language practice to
take place.
Students are more engaged in their lessons
and more engaged with English. We are
seeing a shift towards creative and engaging teaching within the English Language
classroom in Malaysia, and a growing interest from parents in school activity - a trend
which looks set to continue.
Adam Jameson is a British Council ‘Teacher
Development Trainer and Mentor’ working on the Teacher of English Development
Programme (TEDP). He currently mentors
50 primary state school English teachers in
Kedah, Perak, Perlis and Pulau Pinang.
E: [email protected]
Gifted Students
Get Step Up
D
uring the summer of 2012, The British Council trained more than 100
students from the National Gifted
Centre, also known as Pusat PERMATApintar Negara. The training took place at
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia’s main
campus about 35km south of Kuala Lumpur
at the Centre’s residential school.
From the outset, the National Centre for
the Gifted had a clear idea about what
they wanted from the course. Their main
objective was to engage the students in
communicative English activities and expose them to native-like English. The British Council matched their requests with
the appropriate language systems and
skills as well as functions that an SPM student would need to succeed academically,
and socially, in an English-speaking country. This meant that students had to also
learn how to deliver presentations, debate
and socialise in English. When asked about
what they found useful on the course, one
of the gifted students said, “Building our
confidence and overcoming ‘stage fright’
whilst conversing in English.”
The students were first required to undergo a placement test, involving a written
exam as well as an interview. The results
of the tests identified five groups at intermediate and upper-intermediate levels.
The British Council management then
worked closely with the organisers at
the Centre to produce a syllabus that
focussed on speaking and pronunciation.
The Council’s trainers customised the
course, taking into consideration the students’ specific needs and life experiences.
Each level aimed to enhance the students’
communication skills to prepare them for
competing to join top-ranking universities
abroad.
The school was designed and built specifically to cater for the needs of gifted students and enhance their special academic
talents. In addition to bright classrooms,
trainers and students also had access to
a state-of-the-art computer room where
they had the chance to improve their
English through the guided use of British
Council online resources. The English language aspect of the UKM programme has
been so promising that organisers are now
considering online language training with
the British Council to provide long-term
support during the programme.
As well as teaching English language and
soft skills, the British Council’s interactive methodology also encouraged every
student to participate regardless of their
aptitude level. Students worked in groups
and took part in project-based activities.
In one example, students conducted market research which required them to design the survey and collect data from more
than 60 respondents. Students were then
required to think about how to interpret
and present the data to their trainers and
classmates. Another project involved online research of different environmental
bodies around the world. This time, they
had to narrow down their research and
present their findings to the rest of the
class.
The trainers played a big role in creating
a learning atmosphere where they encouraged students to research and think globally. Anne Chapman, a trainer from the
British Council, said that the best thing
about teaching the course was the students, adding, “They were always so wellbehaved, responsive and keen, but best of
all they liked to have fun. The students
made all the effort worthwhile.”
January-February
January-February2013
2013
17
21
15
Cover Story
Developing
Human Capital
In the education sector, the effectiveness of the teacher in the classroom is the
most critical component in the delivery of a quality education. Valerie ThomasPeter, Director of School at The Alice Smith School, looks at the key measures
required for the recruitment and retention of this vital talent.
T
he international education sector is
currently booming, with more schools
being developed and opening across
the world, particularly in South East Asia.
The result of the ‘boom’ is increased competition amongst schools to secure top
quality teachers, and also to retain them
for longer than a two-year contract.
Interviews are always conducted on a faceto-face basis which enables the School to
achieve the best match between the requirements of the post, the qualities of the
teacher and the team dynamics. Once the
appointment is made in January, continual
contact is kept until the post commences in
September.
The best teachers are able to search for the
best teaching posts where they will consider factors which are wider than the salary
and benefits package. Other considerations
will include whether the school provides
high quality opportunities for personal and
professional development, promotion opportunities and the quality of life.
So how do we retain these highly qualified
staff for longer than one two-year contract?
Investing In Recruitment
Effective recruitment is essential. Education job fairs abound and many schools concentrate on what can be viewed as the ‘fast
food’ approach to the recruitment of teachers. The pitfalls of this approach are the
reduction of control that can be exercised
over the choice of candidates available and
also the lack of ability to precisely match
the right person with the right job bearing
in the team building dynamic.
More Than Money
The second strategy is to promote their
development in a way which keeps them
motivated and committed to the School. A
good salary and benefits package is a prerequisite and we continually benchmark
ourselves against the other top education
establishments in the region.
Money alone, however, is not sufficient. The
best teachers often have their choice of the
best jobs regionally and internationally and
some will move schools every two years just
to get the best deal. From a school perspective, this is not ideal as both parents and
children prefer the school of their choice
to be an oasis of continuity and stability in
what can be a highly volatile expat world.
A good quality recruitment process is worth
investing time and money in, as the dividends it pays are better control of the process and longer-term service from quality
members of staff.
The Alice Smith School has developed strategies to ensure that it can recruit and retain the very best teachers. Advertisements
are placed in one of the best British teacher
journals to ensure that vacancies come to
the attention of the most highly qualified
recruits. The School only employs fully
qualified teachers as this is the best way of
ensuring that the quality of the education
on offer is not diluted.
Each application is carefully scrutinised
and references checked before interview.
16
January-February 2013
Professional Review and Development (PRD)
is one strategy we use to motivate and develop teachers. By setting clear, negotiated and challenging yet achievable targets
on an annual basis, the School is able to
focus on development of initiatives at the
grass roots level and also invest in the personal development of teachers at an individual level. Individual targets are agreed
annually which include school-wide agreed
elements.
Progress towards achieving the targets is
monitored during the course of the year
by the team leader and at least one classroom observation is conducted. An interim
review meeting mid-year will ensure that
all is ‘on track’ and then a final review will
take place at the end of the year. The PRD
process is not tied to financial remuneration which ensures that the best teachers
are willing to set themselves challenging
targets without fear of penalty.
Throughout the PRD process, there is a focus on the needs of the individual but also
the needs of the institution. Training (Continued Professional Development or CPD)
features very strongly in the School and is
Cover Story
Fact Facts
Education & Training
In Malaysia
focussed on three areas: School-identified
priorities or developments (including curriculum), leadership development and finally personal development. A range of
strategies is used to enable staff members
to access CPD, without necessarily going
away on a course.
The Alice Smith School is a regional centre
of excellence for education CPD provision
and has created a working environment
where all staff members feel increasingly
valued. Professional development needs
are acknowledged and where possible met
through the School’s CPD programme.
Climate For Continuous Learning
To achieve this, the School views itself as a
learning community where all are involved
in a continuous process of improvement and
enrichment. Those who work in the organisation are committed to fostering a positive
climate for continuous learning. All staff
Since its founding in 1946, the Alice
Smith School has grown into a diverse
and dynamic community with more
than 1,500 students from over 45 different nations.
Accredited in December 2011 as a
British School Overseas (BSO), the
Alice Smith School is one of the first
schools in Malaysia and one of the
earliest in South East Asia and wider
afield to obtain this prestigious accreditation. The School is also a full
member of the Council of British International Schools.
www.alice-smith.edu.my
benefit from reflecting on how they undertake their work and can extend their skills,
knowledge and understanding to enhance
their professional practice. To do this, all
members of the learning community will
take an active role in their own professional
development and also have a responsibility
to support the professional development of
colleagues.
•
Malaysia is one of four priority
markets for British products and
services related to the sector,
worth over £280 million a year
•
Currently, more than 14,000
Malaysian students are studying
at UK universities
•
An additional 58,000 are registered for a UK qualification in
Malaysia
•
Foreign education and training
institutions are opening branch
campuses as Malaysia moves
towards becoming an ‘Education
Hub’ of the ASEAN region
•
The 10th Malaysia Plan and
Economic Transformation Programme outlines more measures
to transform Malaysia into a
high-income economy, increasing per capita income to £9,000
per annum. This requires training, re-training and upskilling of
the workforce, and producing
graduates for industry needs
•
The recent Graduate Tracking
Study of the Higher Education
Ministry shows that about 40,000
graduates are still unemployed
•
Business opportunities includeteacher training for English,
Maths & Science; upgrading of
qualifications for pre-school
teachers; UK-Malaysia dual
certification/joint awards for
international recognition of Malaysian skills training; corporate
training and joint R&D activities.
•
In 2012, the British and Malaysian Ministers of Education
signed the ‘Malaysia-UK Joint
Statement on Higher Education
and Skills’
•
In the field of Trans-National
Education, there are currently
around 410,000 students and in
2020, the British Council expects
800,000
The benefits of the School’s effective CPD
programme are:
•
higher quality of teaching and learning
•
improved standards
•
highly motivated staff who feel supported in their career development
•
improved levels of staff retention
This is not, however, a cheap fix. Expenditure on the professional development of all
staff is a critical component in the continual improvement of standards and therefore
has to be budgeted for annually.
Creating Opportunities
The final piece of the jigsaw is the internal promotion of staff to leadership posts.
Provided the appropriate development has
taken place and the right member of staff
has the key skills and attributes for the
post, internal promotion can be the most
powerful motivator of all.
The retention of high quality employees in
the education sector not only makes good
sense in terms of continuity and security
for students and parents but it also makes
great sense economically for the school in
terms of developing the school’s potential
and also the next generation of international school leaders.
January-February 2013
17
Cover Story
Addressing Talent Shortage:
Investing In Training & Development
The world is in the seventh year of a global talent crisis and employers
are becoming complacent about the precarious position they find
themselves in as they search for the right talent. A dangerous situation
as the talent crisis deepens.
E
mployers need to forecast the impact
of current and future talent gaps then
develop proactive, innovative and
flexible workforce management strategies,
tightly aligned to business strategy – in particular focusing on the skills development
of existing staff.
closing skills gaps — more employers seek
to address talent shortages by providing
training and development for existing staff
than was the case in 2011, particularly
among those employers saying that talent
shortages are having a high impact.
According to ManpowerGroup’s 2012 Talent
Shortage Survey, one third (34 percent) of
employers surveyed globally and 45 percent
of those in Asia Pacific said they are having trouble finding the talent they need. Simultaneously, employers are seeking more
specific skill sets and combinations – not
just technical capabilities but also critical
thinking and collaborative skills that will
help drive business.
More organisations are adopting a “Teachable Fit” approach, by hiring individuals
without all the prerequisite job skills, but
who have the potential to learn and grow
into the specific job role. This approach
can also be used to identify and cross-train
workers who have the capability and potential to be developed into other roles. The
2012 Survey found that one in every eight
employers that successfully overcame talent shortages used this method.
Common reasons employers give to explain
their difficulty in sourcing qualified candidates include: a simple lack of both available applicants in their local market and
technical competencies.
Employers, globally, refer to a shortage of
candidates with industry-specific qualifications, both for professional roles and skilled
trade roles. The category also includes other specific technical competencies ranging
from the ability to speak a foreign language
to IT capabilities and machine-operation
skills. Part of the reason these skills are
proving so hard to find is the rapid rate of
change. The skills required to perform in a
certain role are changing all the time, particularly due to fast-paced technological
evolution.
According to ManpowerGroup’s survey, employers are pursuing a number of strategies to overcome talent shortages, ranging
from providing additional training for current staff and boosting compensation, to
partnering with educational institutions to
provide candidates with the essential skills
that companies cannot impart on their own.
Closing The Skills Gap
In the short-term, employers must recalibrate their mindsets to consider candidates
who may not have all the specific skills a job
requires. This is especially true for systemic
shortages of in-demand roles. Employers
are becoming slightly more proactive about
18
Learning Potential
With a “Teachable Fit” mindset, employers
can greatly expand the pool of possible candidates for a position. By recruiting for certain skills that are hard to train and training
skills that are easy to learn, employers are
investing in highly valuable individuals and
turning them into loyal employees. The
downside is that teaching and learning new
skills, no matter how basic, takes time.
Individuals can better control their careers
by tracing new experiences and development via an employability profile. Employers would be wise to develop job success
profiles rather than only traditional job descriptions to better articulate the outcomes
that need to be achieved for an individual
to be successful in a role.
Employers need to assess skills more precisely and comprehensively to identify the
priority areas for development in line with
their business objectives, both long- and
short-term. Assessments should cover communication and other softer skills, along
January-February 2013
with specific expertise. Companies that
pinpoint weaknesses faster than their competitors can take measures more quickly to
fix these shortcomings.
It is also important to consider reskilling
individuals who may not meet all the job
specifications, but whose capability gaps
can be filled through a targeted training
and development programme.
Tapping Into Mature Resources
One cohort of resources often overlooked
for training and development is older workers. Employers assume that they may not
be as interested as their younger colleagues
to grow and develop, which is often not the
case. The rapidly aging workforces of many
countries are putting additional pressure on
already fragile economic and fiscal stability
and it is in everyone’s interests for workers
to continue contributing to the workforce
for as long as possible.
Ahead of an exodus of skills as many older
workers retire, employers should also be
mindful of the need to develop mentoring
and knowledge transfer programmes to ensure that they have the workforce in place
to accelerate growth.
Longer-term, organisations should also consider collaborating with educators to identify skills gaps and ensure the workforce of
the future is equipped with the requisite
skills. Employers also have an important
role to play in improving the profile of vocational education for young people.
The development of workers is the most
strategic effort an employer can invest in
to create competitive advantage. However,
to be most effective, this must be done as
part of a comprehensive workforce strategy closely aligned with business strategy.
Employers need to work with their people
to unleash their full spectrum of skills, engaging them on a human level and retaining
high quality talent to succeed in this new
reality.
Cover Story
F
or BAE Systems, the global defence,
aerospace, cyber-security and electronics systems multi-national, engineering is at the heart of everything it
does. It goes without saying therefore that
a steady stream of high quality engineering
talent is vital for its future success.
Sitting alongside the need to meet this requirement are the firm’s corporate responsibilities to the communities in which it
operates. Part of this responsibility involves
helping to enrich the teaching of sciencebased subjects and encourage greater numbers of young people to study science and
engineering or to consider an engineeringrelated apprenticeship.
As such, BAE Systems runs a series of education programmes, graduate opportunity
schemes and apprenticeships to encourage
and develop engineering talent in the markets where it operates.
The BAE Systems’ schools programmes for
example enable engineers to share their
enthusiasm for technology directly with
young people and teachers. Working with
governments and education institutions,
BAE Systems helps create activities that
will excite and engage young people. In the
higher education sector, BAE Systems has
relationships with more than 100 universities world-wide where it works on mutually
beneficial programmes developing state-ofthe-art technologies.
With lifelong learning programmes already
well-established in its major markets of the
UK and the US, pioneer projects have lately
been introduced in India and Saudi Arabia.
An Outreach Programme was also launched
here in Malaysia recently with an inaugural
Education Roadshow. Organised in partnership with MIGHT-Meteor Advanced Manufacturing (MMAM), the Roadshow reached out
Building
A Talent Pipeline
to three rural schools in Bintulu, Sarawak.
Around 200 students aged between 13 and
17 years old took part along with their
teachers.
Managed in collaboration with University
Putra Malaysia, the three-day programme
aimed to develop the students’ knowledge
of and excitement in engineering as a career. The Roadshow also set out to demonstrate that science and engineering can be
fun by bringing the science of athletics to
life - a highly topical subject following the
London Olympics!
Led by human factors scientist Heather
Page from BAE Systems’ Advanced Technology Centre, the sessions provided an insight
on engineering as
a potential career,
outlining the different disciplines
and professions associated with each
field.
The students also
had the chance
for some hands-on
involvement with
the practical challenge.
Taking the subject of wheelchair
sport, they looked
at how science,
technology, engineering and mathematics
(STEM)
impact on the sport. As Heather explained,
“The success of any athlete is the result of
many hours of training, dedication and sacrifice. However, in the case of wheelchair
athletes there is an added dimension – the
work of the engineer who designed the
wheelchair.”
Faced with the challenge of having to make
a model wheelchair, the students got to
learn a little about torque, track and turning moments, and gain an insight into some
of the scientific principles used to make
wheelchairs faster and easier to control.
Tom Tizard, of BAE Systems Malaysia, also
involved in the project, said, “The range
of learning abilities meant we had to be
agile and adapt the activity complexity to
the audience. That said, the students were
very enthusiastic and responded well to the
challenges they were set.”
Dr. Abdul Rahim Abu Talib, Senior General
Manager of MMAM, said: “We aim to replicate the project to many more schools
in the future. We have seen the accomplishments of Malaysian medallists in the
Olympics and we believe the Roadshow programme will definitely spark the interest of
our younger generation!”
As Tom added, “The Programme helped to
further strengthen our relationships with
our partners, enthuse Malaysian school kids
about a career in engineering and emphasise our commitment to Malaysia in the field
of education. Plus we all got to know a little more about the ins and outs of wheelchair design!”
January-February 2013
19
Cover Story
Managing Attrition
Employee retention has become a major
challenge for every organisation. HR
managers face a tough time finding suitable
replacements, with the required experience
and ability, to fill vacancies created by key
employees leaving. Chin Tuck Piew, of HR
& Personnel Development at Gleneagles
Kuala Lumpur, outlines ways to successfully
manage this process.
I
n a world where an employee has many
chances for advancement and fulfilling
work, he or she is likely to be satisfied to
continue on the present course. However,
the reality is quite different. Employees
will most certainly quit their jobs due to
poor working conditions, low income and
lack of opportunity for advancement.
Other key issues that may prompt them to
look elsewhere are job dissatisfaction and
a feeling of stagnation. In such situations,
mentoring and career planning can play a
major role in controlling attrition rates, as
can job rotation wherein the interests and
strengths of the employees are taken into
account.
It is important to know and understand the
real reasons why people decide to leave an
organisation. Is it a certain discontent in
any area that is forcing them to take this
drastic step? If that is the case, it might
also affect other colleagues and peers.
Recognising the contributions of outstanding achievers will also induce others to try
hard. The performance of each employee
should be given due credit and appreciation. In this way, the employee derives a
sense of security and satisfaction at being
an integral part of an organisation.
As the struggle to reduce employee attrition rates in knowledge-based organisations intensifies, HR executives should look
to methods of increasing the self-esteem of
employees.
At Gleneagles KL, through our own exit interviews and surveys, we have found that
money is not the only issue when employees
decide to look for a change.
Once a sense of ownership and job satisfaction is present, employees have an opportunity to align their personal goals and objectives in line with a particular career path.
The organisation can then look forward to
providing the right opportunities to the
right employees at the right time.
Strategies For Success
At Gleneagles KL, we have succeeded in retaining good employees thanks to a series
of positive retention programmes which
have served the Hospital effectively over a
number of years.
Voices of GKL - Serves as a platform for
employees to voice their opinions or share
their views with Management. Open to all
employees, the forum is mostly attended
by employees at executive and non-executive level. The forum is led by the HR Manager and employees are invited to raise any
issues in an open and transparent environment. Simple issues are dealt with straight
away. Although solutions are sometimes not
immediately available to all issues, employees can see that some of their problems can
be resolved without fear or favour.
Forum meetings are minuted and any issues
not resolved in the meeting are monitored
subsequently to ensure the case is closed.
This has resulted in a strong trust and belief from employees towards Management
whom they feel are committed towards ensuring a better work environment for them.
I Care I Suggest (ICIS) - Set up as a vehicle
for all employees to contribute their ideas
towards improving the systems and processes in the Hospital. Selected ideas which
can be implemented effectively and bring
improvements to Hospital services are put
in place with employees who contributed
the ideas being recognised and rewarded.
All employees are invited to participate and
ideas are reviewed by the ICIS Committee.
Employees are invited to contribute ideas towards improving systems and
processes at the Hospital. Selected ideas that can be implemented effectively and bring improvements to Hospital services are in place with
employees who contributed the ideas being recognised and rewarded.
20
January-February 2013
Cover Story
Critical Mission
For Finance Talent
A
global survey of finance functions presents some startling results, revealing
that the adoption and effectiveness
of talent management practices across the
finance function – from shared services (SS)
to the retained finance function – is patchy
and inconsistent.
Walk of Fame - Inspired by the ‘Hollywood
Walk of Fame’, this is a section of the corridor en route to the Employee Cafeteria
where messages of appreciation from employees’ colleagues and satisfied customers
are displayed.
Employee Birthday Celebration – An idea
mooted by the employees themselves during one of the “Voices of GKL” sessions. All
employees whose birthdays fall in a particular quarter gather together for a major
celebration. The initiative that has taken
the place by storm with employees eagerly
waiting for this event to be held each quarter. In addition, Gleneagles has taken the
extra step of allowing birthday employees
to take the day off on their special day.
Recognition & Retention
Positive communication, recognition, important tasks, and a "thank-you" now and
again can contribute significantly to keeping employees motivated and satisfied.
It is important to recognise that it is not
possible to keep all employees happy all
the time but retaining the top tier of employees must certainly be a key priority if
an organisation wishes to stand out.
The first challenge however is to ensure
that staff members recognise the cost to
the organisation of a high attrition rate.
Managers must be prepared and possess the
necessary skills to deal with the demands of
today’s generation of employees who want
to be different and demand attention from
their superiors.
Recognition and reward programmes need
to be constantly evolving to fit employee
needs. If organisations are committed to
putting this in place, attrition numbers will
most certainly be reduced.
Chin Tuck Piew, Administrator,
HR & Personnel Development
Tel: +6012 319 2783
Email: [email protected]
www.gleneagleskl.com.my
Titled “Talent management in a shared
services world” the 2012 survey was commissioned by the ACCA (the Association of
Chartered Certified Accountants) and surveyed 1,200 organisations, with one third
representing companies reporting more
than US$3 billion in annual revenues.
The research shows that 72 per cent of respondents say they do not implement talent management programmes across the
entire function, or admit that they are not
aware of such programmes existing. Of
the remaining 28 per cent who said they
do have a talent management programme
across the entire finance function, only one third say their
programmes are effective.
The study shows that while implementing
successful talent management consistently across a global finance function is hard
to achieve, it is in demand from finance
teams. Finance leaders need to invest more
in making the day to day work experience a
development experience for their people.
•
79 percent of respondents said talent
management was important
•
66 percent of respondents said their
talent management programmes were
“not very effective”
•
71 percent confirmed there are no defined career paths across finance
“A recent study commissioned by MDeC revealed that the finance and accounting SS
sector in Malaysia is expected to grow from
US$537.78 million in 2011 to US$997.39
million in 2016, with a compound annual
growth rate (CAGR) of 13.1 percent over
the forecast period. What’s more, in the
Asia Pacific region, the market share for
Malaysia is expected to increase from 5
percent in 2011 to 7 percent in 2016, making it one of the fastest growing markets in
the region for F&A services,” said Lopez.
Such potential means there is a need to
ensure that a strong pool of talents are
available and fed into this sector. The consequences of ineffective talent management delivery range from challenges with
staff motivation, poor talent
recruitment and retention,
as well as the risk of finance
silos developing, the existence of disparate finance
cultures and poor mobility
of talented people across
the finance organisation.
Cost-effectiveness will also
be sub-optimal as strong talent pools of people are not
tapped into.
Jamie Lyon, head of corporate
sector at ACCA, comments:
“The findings are startling
and show a need for change.
Many respondents recognise
that talent management in
the finance function is a business imperative, particularly
with the advent of changing
finance operating models, and
the growth of SS and business services models. However, the reality is that only a minority of finance functions have effective joined-up programmes
across the entire unit.”
Other key findings show that:
ACCA Malaysia country head, Jennifer
Lopez (below), finds these findings disturbing given the potential of the finance SS
sector worldwide and in Malaysia.
“There is significant business benefit from getting it
right: reduced attrition, greater business
knowledge and insight, finance driving and
protecting value in the business in a more
proactive way, and more effective partnering between Shared Services.
“To be successful, global talent management practices must be adopted locally
and made to work. They also must become
more effective and attuned to the needs
of the global finance function that enable
professionals to pursue careers across the
function and beyond.
“It’s about breadth of exposure to develop
the requisite skills and capabilities. Surely
we can expect some future CFOs to start
their finance careers in a shared services or
global business services environment and
then want to progress through the finance
organisation? They should have the right
support frameworks in place to do this.”
January-February 2013
21
Cover
Story
IN
FOCUS
Talent Trends
Malaysia continues to be a growing knowledge and service-based
economy but challenges such as a
lack of workforce planning and insuf-
Top 10 Talent Trends For 2013
•
ficient investment in staff training and
development could present barriers
to progress in 2013, according to
recruiting experts Hays.
According to Chris Mead, Regional
Director of Hays in Malaysia and
Singapore, “There needs to be
more focus placed on identifying
future skill requirements as well as
•
on investment in workforce innovation and upskilling the existing workforce.
“Additionally, fast-growing sectors
such as Business Process Outsourcing continue to see staff churn
particularly amongst younger workers where there are rising expectations around pay and conditions.
Continuing Skills Shortage: Skills needed in Malaysia cover both white-collar
and blue-collar roles. These include ICT
and knowledge workers and those with
finance skill sets, as well as building
sector trades.
•
Staff Turnover: The outsourcing sector is still seeing higher rates of staff
churn than many others sectors and this
is expected to continue. Many younger
workers in this sector are increasingly
mobile as they search for better pay
and conditions in new roles.
•
Rising Salaries: Malaysia has introduced a minimum wage for the private
sector which came into effect on January 1, 2013. Overall, salaries are expected to see modest growth over the
coming year with the largest increases
expected for a range of “in demand”
roles such as ICT, some manufacturing
jobs, engineering, banking and finance
and jobs in the pharmaceutical sector.
lenge of balancing staff retention
and upward pressure on salaries
with a need to contain costs as the
ing rate of growth has an impact.”
Hays Malaysia specialises
in the recruitment of
qualified, professional and
skilled people across the
Accountancy & Finance,
HR, Sales & Marketing, IT,
Finance Technology and Oil
& Gas sectors.
T: +603 2786 8600
E: [email protected]
•
www.hays.com.my
www.hays-journal.com
22
Economic Outlook: Domestic demand
for goods and services strengthened in
2012 and is expected to increase further in 2013. Malaysia’s GDP is expected to grow by at least 3.8 per cent this
year, according to the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales.
Economists from Bank Negara Malaysia and the World Bank are optimistic
projecting growth of more than 4 per
cent while the Malaysian Government
expects GDP growth of up to 5 per cent
if global conditions improve.
•
“Many employers will face the chal-
global economy and China’s slow-
Use of Expatriates: The Malaysian Government is bringing in changes to its
Immigration Department including a
new Expatriate Services Division due to
open in early 2013. The new agency will
manage services related to in-demand
expatriate workers. As part of the prelaunch activities, Residence Pass-Talent
(RP-T) status is a type of visa allows
people to work for up to 10 years and
is being offered to expats with the right
skills.
January-February 2013
Focus on Female Workforce: The Malaysian Government has set a target of
increasing female workforce participa-
tion to 55 per cent by 2015. It is currently about 47 per cent. “Boosting the
female workforce participation rates
is a way of increasing productivity and
addressing skills shortages,” says Chris.
“However, unlike other Asian countries
where women leave the workforce to
raise families and then return later in
their lives, Malaysian women tend not
to.”
•
Need for Staff Development: The report, Learning, Talent & Innovation in
Asia, compiled by the Hong Kong Institute of Human Resource Management
and the UK’s Chartered Institute of
Personnel & Development (CIPD) analysed the talent challenges in six areas,
including Malaysia. It advises Malaysia
to follow the Chinese example of investing in talent strategies and helping
staff develop business skills, particularly leadership and people management.
•
Public Investment: Malaysia’s public
investment, increased by almost 30 per
cent in the quarter to June 2012 largely
off the back of $450 billion worth of
new infrastructure projects. These
projects will continue to take shape in
2013 creating jobs and domestic spending.
•
Social Media: Malaysian job hunters,
particularly Gen Y/Gen X, are increasingly comfortable using social media as
part of their job search and personal
branding efforts. Employers are also
being encouraged to include social media as part of their recruitment mix but
to seek expert guidance to ensure they
protect their brand and adequately test
claims candidates make online.
•
Unemployment: The unemployment
rate across Asia and the Pacific will continue to hover above 10 per cent, but
in Malaysia the rate remains very low
by global standards. Unemployment increased from 2.8 per cent in mid-2012
to 3.4 per cent for the year but is expected to hover around three percent
in 2013.
Cover Story
Facilitating
Top Foreign Talent
I
n December, the Malaysian Government
reaffirmed its commitment at the highest
level to further facilitate the entry and
retention of foreign talent in Malaysia.
Aimed at promoting greater ease of doing business and attracting Foreign Direct
Investments (FDIs), the move was emphasised by Prime Minister YAB Dato’ Sri Mohd
Najib Tun Abdul Razak himself in a meeting
with several eminent expatriate corporate
leaders. During the meeting, each of the
corporate leaders were personally offered
Residence Pass-Talent (RP-T) status by the
Prime Minister.
“The Residence Pass-Talent is an innovative
scheme introduced last year, enabling top
foreign talent to apply to work here for 10
years. Some individuals need not even apply as we continue to innovate by offering
the RP-T to eminent expatriates.
The offer of RP-T to selected expatriates
reflects the shift towards a more open and
pro-active approach by Immigration to-
wards top foreign talent. The offer made
by the Prime Minister recognises the contributions made by leading expatriates to
Malaysia’s transformation agenda, in meeting critical skill requirements and driving
FDI, which supports key economic sectors
to move up the value chain in line with the
Economic Transformation Programme.
The expatriates offered RP-T comprise 21
corporate leaders, foreign investors and
experts in their respective fields (below).
They represent leading corporations in
NKEA sectors such as Business Services, Oil
& Gas, Financial Services and Education.
Attracting Global Talent
Launched on 1 April 2011, the RP-T is an
immigration instrument introduced by the
Ministry of Home Affairs and administered
by the Immigration Department together
with Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad to
attract and retain foreign talent. The RP-T
is issued on a personal basis to the holder
and enables foreign talent to live and work
in Malaysia for up to 10 years and is renewable.
“Since its launch in April 2011, more than
1,000 RP-T applications have been ap-
proved. The RP-T initiative has been followed through with implementation, testament to strong public delivery of ETP
projects,” said Johan Mahmood Merican,
CEO of TalentCorp. “More importantly, the
success of the Government in attracting
foreign talent is necessary in increasing investments and promoting growth, which in
turn creates more jobs for Malaysians.”
Enhancing Expatriate Facilitation
In addition, to better facilitate foreign
talent to work and settle in Malaysia, the
Prime Minister also announced that expatriate service delivery would be further improved with the rebranding and launch of
the Expatriate Services Division by the Immigration Department.
“The next step in this programme is the
launch of the Expatriate Services Division
which is scheduled for March this year. This
is designed to further enhance services to
foreign talent,” said Dato’ Sri Mohd Najib.
Scheduled for operation by the end of Q1
2013, the Division will act as an integrated
service facility, offering seamless service to
expatriates and their dependants.
For more information on Residence PassTalent or TalentCorp’s other global talent
initiatives, visit www.talentcorp.com.my
January-February
January-February2013
2013
21
27
23
Cover Story
UK qualifications are recognised and respected all over
the world, representing a
mark of quality and proving
to future employers that individuals are up to whatever
task they are set.
Assessment Exercise, which was based on
expert reviews, confirms that 54 percent of
UK research activity is ‘world-leading’ or
‘internationally excellent’.
International Recognition
UK qualifications are recognised and respected all over the world, representing a
mark of quality and proving to future employers that individuals are up to whatever
task they are set. In England, Wales and
Northern Ireland qualifications fit into the
National Qualifications Framework (NQF)
while in Scotland the Scottish Credit and
Qualifications Framework (SCQF) is a single
unified framework that clarifies the relationship between Scottish qualifications
and the rest of UK, Europe and elsewhere.
Education UK:
Passport To
The Future
M
alaysia remains an important market for international recruiters and
it is the fifth largest supplier of international students to the UK. With the implementation of the Economic Transformation Programme, it is anticipated that the
increased demand for skilled workers will
see a greater need for a larger educated
workforce.
So where will this workforce look to obtain
this education? The UK has some of the
world’s top universities with a wide range
of courses to choose from. The country also
has a tradition of welcoming international
students from over 180 countries to study
in its universities.
24
Quality
Higher education in the UK has an international reputation for excellence which
is maintained through stringent quality
standards. The Quality Assurance Agency
for Higher Education (www.qaa.ac.uk)
checks how universities maintain their
academic standards and quality. English
language centres are accredited by Accreditation UK, run by the British Council in
partnership with English UK. The Research
Excellence Framework is the new system
for assessing the quality of research and
will, among other objectives, establish
reputational yardsticks. The 2008 Research
January-February 2013
This means UK qualifications including ALevels, BTECs (Business and Technology Education Council) and HNDs (Higher National
Diploma) are recognised all over the world.
Professional degrees are accredited by the
relevant regulatory authorities which set
and maintain internationally recognised
standards of professional competence and
ethics.
Reputation
Alumni of UK universities hold leading positions worldwide in government, industry
and society. UK universities regularly feature highly in world university rankings.
Graduate employability and diversity of
the faculties and student bodies are some
of the indicators used to produce these
rankings. The latest results from the International Student Barometer, i-graduate’s
survey of international students, revealed
that 81 percent of students were either
‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with university
life in the UK.
Value for Money
The shorter duration of undergraduate and
postgraduate degrees helps to keep the
cost of tuition and living expenses down
when compared to other traditional study
destinations. Bachelor degree programmes
are typically completed in three years
(except Scotland) and Master degree programmes are typically one year.
Cover Story
There are some sources of funding
available for studying in the UK – particularly for postgraduates. The British
Council website has a searchable database of scholarships on offer. (www.
educationuk.org/UK/Article/Scholarships-forinternational-postgraduatestudents). The current favourable UK
exchange rate is also a key factor when
considering studying in the UK.
Working In The UK
Part-time jobs help students gain local
work experience and enhance English
proficiency. Students enrolled in universities can work for up to 20 hours
per week, and full-time in the holidays. These students may also undertake work placements as part of their
course, providing the work component
comprises no more than 50 percent of
their total course and is a course requirement. The ‘sandwich’ degree,
which is an extra year of work placement, is offered in some engineering,
science and business courses at a large
number of UK universities.
Lifestyle
The UK is a diverse and multi-cultural
place and home to several thousands of
international students each year. Because of this, the UK has a range of facilities suitable for students of all cultures. As a bonus, all of Europe, with
its diverse culture and rich history, is
on the doorstep. It is possible to travel
cheaply on no-frills airlines and student
discounts are the norm.
Making The Right Choice
IDP is an international student placement organisation with a global network of over 80 offices in 25 countries.
With over 40 years’ experience, it has a
proven track record in helping to place
over 300,000 students worldwide. It is
also the co-owner of IELTS, the world's
leading English language proficiency
test.
IDP focuses on providing friendly,
accurate advice and efficient,
timely application processing in
accordance with strict university and government compliance
guidelines. IDP helps applicants
manage the application process
from beginning to end – reducing the time, effort and cost of
enrolment.
Tel: +603 2162 3755
The
Cambridge
Experience
G
oing to university is a life-changing
experience. Therefore finding out
more about what to expect before
making that all-important decision on
which establishment to choose is essential. Pre-university students and parents
were given the opportunity to do just that
recently when they attended a lively talk
on the Cambridge Experience held at the
Sunway University campus.
He went on to share the procedures in
terms of application, examinations,
maintaining academic results and what
is expected at a Cambridge admission
interview, saying, “There are different
ways to demonstrate motivation but the
most important thing is to be yourself.
The institution should be admitting you
for you and not for the person it wants
you to be.”
The talk was presented by Professor David Cardwell from the University of Cambridge and Associate Professor Dr George
Lee from the Oxford & Cambridge Society
Malaysia. Professor Cardwell explained
that the University of Cambridge is constantly looking for academically-abled
students who enjoy a challenge.
Dr Lee spent six years at Cambridge reading Medicine, two years at Oxford and 10
years at Imperial College, London. During
his first year at Cambridge, he revealed,
he soon learned that it was essential to
think in order to perform.
“Students who have a passion for their
course will have a great opportunity to
learn at Cambridge if they take advantage
of it,” he said.
“Coming from a Chinese school, we were
taught how to memorise and regurgitate
everything we studied. At Cambridge I
soon learned the importance of thinking and analysing information properly. I
could also use experiences I gained there
and make them a lesson that I closely follow in life.” Dr Lee added that students
should not be fearful of aiming for the
impossible. “Somewhere in you there is
a fire that opens doors to the unimaginable. Don’t be afraid to be different, as
long as you remain true to yourself and
always think for yourself.”
The event ended with a lively question
and answer session during which the students were keen to know more about the
Cambridge Experience.
www.malaysia.idp.com
January-February
January-February2013
2013
25
21
25
Cover Story
Experience For Life
W
orking in partnership with University of Malaya’s Centre for Industrial Training & Relations Centre, Loughborough University in the
UK is providing UK undergraduate students the opportunity for for one-year industrial placements with
Malaysian companies.
“I was part of the first
The students are placed in a variety of local and
multi-national companies ranging from construction,
insurance, consultancy and heavy engineering. The
partnership, led by Dr Stephanie Pillai at University
of Malaya and Prof. Chris Backhouse at Loughborough
University, has recently placed its 100th work placement student.
say that the whole
group of Loughborough
students to take part
in this programme
and I can honestly
experience has been
life-changing.”
James Hemingway
Student Industrial
Placement Scheme
2010-2011
The scheme provides a high calibre resource for the
participating company and invaluable international
experience for the student. “Loughborough students
have a reputation for “landing with their feet running” and participating companies have been very favourably impressed with how quickly they can assume
very high levels of responsibility, typical of graduate
employees from Loughborough,” confirms Prof. Backhouse.
The arrival of the latest batch of students was celebrated at University of Malaya in an event hosted by
the Vice-Chancellor Prof. Ghauth Jasmon and a selection of employers including representatives of Brunsfield, LBS, Balfour Beatty, Plus 3 and Techsol.
Contact: [email protected]
“My time in Malaysia
was an incredible experience, giving me a
new outlook on work
mindsets, cultures
th reader,
d are contemplating
t
l ti
and different ways of life. If you, the
signing to a placement scheme, I highly recommend this one.”
Alex McKeowan - Student Industrial Placement Scheme 2010-2011
26
January-February 2013
Cover Story
A
s Provost and CEO of the new HeriotWatt University in Malaysia, Professor Robert Craik (pictured far right)
is excited about the prospect of heading
this new flagship campus that will enable
students in the region to take advantage of
top-level UK degrees and will provide a major centre for research.
“With its professionally relevant degrees
tailored to the needs of industry and commerce, the Malaysia Campus will not only
serve students from across Malaysia, but
will offer opportunities to students from
countries in the surrounding region,” said
Professor Craik.
The new, flagship RM173 million (£35m)
purpose-built campus is currently under
construction in Putrajaya and is scheduled
for completion in 2014.
Heriot-Watt was selected as the winner of
a major international tender by the Malaysian Government and Putrajaya Holdings
Sdn Bhd, the company behind the delivery
of the campus, on the strength of its reputation for creating diverse research and development opportunities and a solid track
record in linking with industry and commerce. With 94 percent of its UK-based
graduates obtaining employment within
six months of graduation, the University is
clearly living up to this claim.
Datuk Azlan, CEO Putrajaya Holdings, says
“Education is one of the most critical drivers for our transformation to a high-income
nation, with its impact on productivity and
human capital development. As an established provider of international and transnational education, coupled with its success in Dubai, Heriot-Watt University was
the clear choice for delivering the right
calibre of relevant education through a
presence in Malaysia.”
The campus will create opportunities for up
to 4,000 undergraduate, postgraduate and
research students to study a range of Heriot-Watt University degree programmes in
engineering, technology, business, finance,
engineering and design.
The first group of students will study the
University's renowned Edinburgh Business
School MBA programme. The MBA has a
powerful global reputation with students
or graduates from more than 40 percent
of Fortune 500 companies. The programme
will be taught initially in a brand-new facility at the headquarters of Putrajaya
Holdings. During 2014 this and other programmes will move to the new state-ofthe-art campus.
The MBA has been available to students in
Malaysia since 1992, through study in the
UK, independent study, or academic part-
Connecting
With Commerce
Ranked in the top 5 percent of universities worldwide, Heriot-Watt already has an established reputation for delivering qualifications across
a range of subjects in science, technology, engineering, business and
design. Established in 1821, the University has three campuses in Scotland, one in Dubai - and now one in Malaysia.
ner institutions and there are now more
than 1,200 graduates holding this MBA in
Malaysia. Business Director of Edinburgh
Business School, Alick Kitchin, says the
launch of the MBA on Malaysian soil marks
a new chapter in the school’s relationship
with Malaysia.
“Malaysian students have enjoyed access
to our flexible MBA programme for the last
20 years. Now we are delighted to be able
to offer the MBA to Malaysian managers on
campus, via part-time study. Many successful Malaysian leaders and thinkers hold our
MBA, and the development of the Putrajaya
campus will open up the programme to the
next generation of Malaysia talent.”
Approved by the MoHE and MQA in Malaysia, the MBA is listed as the largest MBA programme in the world by the Financial Times
(March 2012).
Masters degree programmes in energy,
renewable energy, construction project
management, quantity surveying, petroleum engineering, business psychology and
international business management will be
available from September 2013 and will be
delivered by high calibre UK lecturers.
Prior to taking up his new post in Malaysia, Professor Craik was Deputy Principal
for Learning & Teaching at Heriot-Watt in
Edinburgh, where he was responsible for
leading and implementing the University’s
learning and teaching strategy.
“Our decision to set up a campus in South
East Asia was already part of our expansion plans and the region had already been
identified as our next target after Dubai. So
when the tender came out we were ready,”
he says.
Previously Professor Craik was based in the
University’s School of the Built Environment
where his main interests were in building
acoustics and vibration, in particular developing theoretical models for predicting
sound transmission in complex structures
such as buildings, ships and aircraft.
Aside from adjusting to the change in climate, Professor Craik says he is looking forward to getting the facility fully on stream
and to doing what the University does best
– engaging with business to meet industry
needs wth high calibre and appropriately
qualified graduates.
January-February 2013
www.hw.ac.uk
27
Cover Story
Engineering The Future
Chemical engineering is a vital part of society that can help find solutions to issues related to food security, clean water supplies, health, well-being, energy
and sustainability. To advance chemical engineering worldwide, the Institution
of Chemical Engineers - IChemE - therefore plays an important role in supporting the supply of appropriately-trained chemical engineers.
A
s the international professional membership organisation for chemical engineers,
the IChemE is the only organisation to
award Chartered Chemical Engineer status.
Currently with over 36,000 members worldwide, IChemE has offices in the UK, Australia,
New Zealand, China and Malaysia.
The Kuala Lumpur office opened in 2006 when
there were fewer than 400 members in the
country. Since then, membership and local activity has rocketed and the team now provides
services and support to almost 5,000 Malaysiabased IChemE members.
Education and training underpin the activities
and services IChemE provides to its members all
over the world. Its aim is to build and sustain
an active professional global community that is
committed to qualifications and standards that
encourage excellence and safe, sustainable
working practices.
This is achieved through international special
interest groups, local member groups, events
and training. IChemE also accredits chemical engineering degree courses in universities
across the globe and there are currently seven
in Malaysia that have reached the standard required – see panel.
A range of products, training and events are offered, tailored to support the career develop-
Hazards Asia Pacific 2013
16-18 April 2013
Shangri-La Hotel, Kuala Lumpur
Based on one of Europe’s leading process safety conferences, with a track
record dating back to the 1960s,
Hazards Asia Pacific 2013 features an
international line-up of high-profile
keynote speakers including Chair of
UK Health & Safety Executive Judith
Hackitt, former US Chemical Safety
& Hazard Investigation Board Chairman John Bresland, and PETRONAS
COO & EVP, Downstream Business
Datuk Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin.
www.icheme.org/hazardsap2013
28
January-February 2013
Malaysian Universities Accredited
IChemE for Chemical Engineering
•
Curtin University of Technology
(Sarawak Campus)
•
University of Malaya
•
Universiti Putra Malaysia
•
University of Nottingham in Malaysia
•
Universiti Sains Malaysia
•
Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS
•
Universiti Teknologi MARA
ment of chemical engineers and other professionals working in related industries. Bespoke
training is also available via in-company courses. Online webinars are proving increasingly
popular and an ideal way to share information
easily regardless of location.
An area of particular expertise is process safety
and a range of training opportunities is available, with course content aimed at recent graduates, board members and every other level in
between. Other popular course topics include
sustainability, project management, distillation, explosion hazards, hazard study awareness, applied hazard and operability study
alongside courses that focus on the ‘non technical-skills’ such as communication and presentation skills. Courses have also been designed for
other engineers and scientists who are working
within the industry with chemical engineers.
Safety is always at the forefront of a chemical
engineer’s work and the IChemE’s Fundamentals of Process Safety is an intensive course
suited to both young professionals and people
in senior positions. Two courses are planned for
Malaysia in 2013 in Kuala Lumpur and Miri.
IChemE’s most recent development in the area
of process safety is the introduction of its new
PEng (process safety) registration, enabling
senior process safety practitioners to achieve
an internationally recognised qualification at
the same level as Chartered Engineer. Visit
www.icheme.org/peng for more details about
the qualification and to register interest.
Email: [email protected]
www.icheme.org
Improving
Learning
I
n 1984, two headteachers and
long-term colleagues, David
Playfoot and Martin Skelton, understood that learning was what
schools were all about and that
everything else in school should be
judged on how well it contributed
to children’s and students’ learning.
Setting up Fieldwork Education,
their goal was to offer the best
help to schools, help they felt
hadn’t been available to their own
schools, and that was firmly rooted
in best practice and research but
help that was also practical, accessible and jargon-free. Improving
learning was the principal mission
of Fieldwork Education and the defining characteristic of all its early
work.
Fieldwork Education has since
grown and evolved although the
passion for improving learning
remains as strong as ever. It continues to provide professional development services to schools but
now works across the world. It now
has long-term relationships with
schools, working with them over
time to build capacity and improve
learning for everyone.
Twelve years ago, Fieldwork Education introduced the International
Primary Curriculum (IPC) which has
since become the fastest growing,
independent primary curriculum
in the world. This and the Middle
Years Curriculum are now used by
schools in over 80 countries where
more than 400,000 children experience improved learning.
International Primary Curriculum
The IPC is an outcome-led, enquiry
based and future-oriented curriculum with thematic units. These
units have been developed to bring
together the social sciences and
arts subjects in a themed approach
so that children make links between the subjects in an exciting
and stimulating way. Also included
are activities to support maths and
language learning goals.
Recent research into how children
learn most effectively has been
Continued opposite
Cover Story
Continued from Page 28
Improving Learning
used to write the IPC which takes
account of all learning styles and
needs, incorporates the Multiple Intelligences theory and incorporates
international understanding into
much of the learning.
Each IPC unit provides teachers with
a clear, easy-to-follow framework
with learning activities, resource
lists and web links. There is also advice for teachers on how to adapt the
thematic units to suit their locality.
Recently more than 90 of the units
have been updated ensuring they are
relevant for today’s primary age children.
The IPC also includes an Assessment
for Learning Programme. This supports teachers in tracking children’s
key skills against clearly written criteria (rubrics) for both teachers and
children. It also offers fundamental
learning advice which helps teachers
to help children progress through different skill levels.
Chevening:
Route To Leadership
C
hevening is a unique programme that
provides opportunities to exceptional
individuals with leadership potential to
study in the UK and bring back their experiences and knowledge to their home country.
With the generous support of BAE Systems’
sponsorship, the 2013/14 intake will also see
14 awards in the field of Engineering and Sciences – the first time that Engineering and Sciences have been included in the programme.
Funded by the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and partner organisations, the Chevening
Programme began in 1983 and has since developed into a prestigious international scheme.
Today, there are over 41,000 Chevening alumni
around the world who together comprise an
influential global network.
HSBC will sponsor two scholarships in the areas of Finance, Economics and Environment
while the Cambridge & Commonwealth Trust
is offering up to two scholarships for study at
the University of Cambridge.
In the 2013/14 intake, 700 scholarships will be
awarded to scholars from more than 100 countries worldwide. Candidates for the 2013/14
intake have been invited to apply for study in
the fields of: Climate Change, Sustainable Development, Human Rights, Foreign & Security
Policy, Science and Engineering, Good Governance and Business and Islamic Finance. There
is no age limit for Chevening Scholars.
In Malaysia, up to 30 scholarships are being
made available to for the 2013/14 intake,
making Malaysia among the top five countries
to award the largest number of Chevening
scholarships in the world.
The programme funds full-time post-graduate study for one year at a UK university of
the students’ choice. It covers a substantial
monthly stipend, travel costs to/from the UK,
academic fees, an arrival allowance and thesis
grant.
British High Commissioner to Malaysia HE Simon Featherstone, says: “The Chevening
Scholarships programme is a unique platform
for future leaders to excel in their chosen
disciplines at British universities which rank
among the best in the world. Chevening
alumni have an excellent record of rising to
positions of leadership across a wide range of
fields including politics, business, media, civil
society, religion and academia.”
Nabila Nasir, recipient of the 2012/13 Chevening Scholarships who is studying a MA in International Studies & Diplomacy at the School of
Oriental & African Studies in London said: “If
you are passionate about something you feel
you can make a difference in, go for it - it’s an
opportunity of a lifetime. I am living my dream
because I worked hard and I believed.”
For details contact:
Jade Robinson, Scholarships Officer
Email: [email protected]
www.chevening.org
The Assessment for Learning Programme is complemented by an online tracking tool which allows assessments to be recorded, analysed
and used to report the children’s
skills across their primary years.
The IPC is now being implemented
in over 1,500 schools in 80 countries
worldwide. These schools include
public and private sector schools,
schools where children have English as a second language and those
whose children are fluent in English.
The IPC Early Years Programme
Available for 3-5 year olds, this programme introduces children to the
IPC’s thematic approach to learning
and fosters the early introduction of
an international mindset.
Middle Years Curriculum
Developed by teachers for teachers,
the IMYC aims to address the global
challenge that educators face: to
help young minds develop - giving
specific support to address the needs
of the 11-14 year old brain, to engage
young people in their education and
support them in the important transition from primary education to the
more formal secondary education, to
promote learning and higher order
thinking and prepare young people
for life on a global stage.
January-February 2013
29
Cover Story
Improving Education:
National Agenda Item
N
o doubt you’ve read the latest marketing releases promising that the
next generation of mobile phones will
have enough GB of RAM to handle all telecommunications in the whole of Asia and
be able to prepare Nasi Goreng while you
browse the latest newsfeed beamed from
a planet orbiting the star Gamma Cephei!
Businessmen appear so excited about the
next generation of mobile phones, but they
rarely mention their hopes for the next cohort of school leavers who will enter the labour market. Yet this is critical for the continued success and prosperity of Malaysia.
Companies everywhere talk of ‘upskilling’
their staff to meet the future needs and
opportunities of their business sector. By
doing this business leaders hope to ensure
that their companies remain competitive
and take an even bigger slice of the cake.
Two years ago, the Malaysian Government
started to develop a new approach in a
concerted effort to raise standards in its
schools, embarking on school improvement
projects with private companies. One such
company is the Brighton Education Group a Malaysian British business that specialises
in providing international education (K-12)
and works alongside governments to leverage education reform. Chris Bell, CEO
of the Brighton Education Group, explains
some of the background.
“We’re a Malaysian British company that
has an international workforce. The beauty of this is that we know and understand
all the good educational practices found
around the world. We can implement the
best but, importantly, we can also adapt
practices where necessary to fit our local
context. We see our work as being very
much a partnership – working with the Ministry of Education, state education officers,
teachers, pupils and parents to achieve the
very best for Malaysian children – now and
for the future. This is all part of a national
development plan – and we’re part of it.”
Phil Singleton is Project Director of one such
school improvement project called TELL.
This is a three-year project that aims to
raise the standards of teaching and learning
of English language and literacy from the
Thai border in Kelantan to the Causeway of
Singapore, involving 600 schools, 2,200 Malaysian teachers and 250,000 children. Having a background in various UK senior education posts and significant international
education reform experience, he puts the
many successes in context:
Now put yourself in charge of a country.
How do you ensure that it competes on
an international stage? The education and
training you provide to your citizens is crucial for so many reasons. You will soon realise that formulating and implementing a
national education policy is no mean feat
- and getting it wrong has implications too
horrendous to consider.
World governments spend over RM6 trillion
a year to improve their school systems. The
increasing importance of developing tomorrow’s workforce to sustain a competitive
edge in a global knowledge-based economy
is a priority.
“Although we can demonstrate and measure our success in achieving the Key Performance Indicators as set out by the Ministry of Education, we must not lose sight of
the ultimate aim of the project - to build
sustainable change in teaching quality and
language proficiency of every teacher – and
improving the education and life chances of
children for generations to come. In addition to the major milestones that are being
recorded, there is a multitude of small dayto-day successes that never have a fanfare
or reach the newspaper, like a teacher mastering a specific teaching method or a pupil
pronouncing a particular word correctly. It
is these individual achievements that largely go unnoticed in the media, but we need
30
January-February 2013
Cover Story
to recognise that they are the bedrock of
what we are trying to achieve. Dozens of
these small successes are occurring every
day and they provide evidence of sustainable success.”
This work in schools is complemented by
two further government-sponsored projects – both overseen by Project Director
Balakrishnan, a local education specialist
who comes with extensive international
education qualifications and experience.
The English language Training Fellows programme is designed to raise standards of
English literacy for students by improving
the effectiveness of English Language Trainers in Institutes of Teacher Education.
Balakrishnan sees this work as essential
in fostering higher standards in teaching,
as it aligns with the Government’s major
educational objectives as set out in the
Tenth Malaysia Plan and National Education
Blueprint: “This project is about ensuring
sustainable high standards of teacher training and providing higher standards of teaching. Better teaching brings better learning,
higher exam results, problem-solving skills
and critical thinking skills for future generations. These qualities in our workforce
will help Malaysia to perform at the highest
level.”
Balakrishnan links the TELL and Fellows’
projects with a further initiative - the
English Speaking Assistants (ESA) project.
This provides a less formal approach to immersive English language environments by
involving selected volunteers, aged 17-19,
from the UK, Australia and Ireland, to support Malaysian teachers of English in their
classrooms.
The volunteers develop a wide range of language activities and provide opportunities
for children to interact with native English
speakers in formal and informal settings.
The schools, teachers, students and volunteers alike, have all benefited positively
from the experience and Balakrishnan is
excited at the prospect for Brighton to progress to a much larger ESA project.
The success of national education systems
are regularly coming under the international spotlight as governments look to international comparative research for identifying
areas of for improvement.
As Chris Bell says, Brighton is poised to assist: “Increasingly, we are being asked by
education ministries to partner them in
improvement programmes. In our view, this
demonstrates a real determination by governments to improve the education of their
children and equip them to compete on the
international stage.”
www.brightoneducation.org
Private Educator Forum Returns
IPSEF 2013: 13th-14th March, Kuala Lumpur
M
alaysia is keen to attract international schools
that will act as a catalyst for inward investment
and ensure there are sufficient school places for the
growing number of expatriate workers moving to the
country. With this in mind, the International and Private Schools Education Forum – or IPSEF - will return
for the second year to Kuala Lumpur this March.
IPSEF is an international conference that addresses the
business and strategic issues relating to the private
and international school
market. Attended by senior people from education,
business and government,
typically school owners,
Heads, investors, suppliers,
awarding bodies, and regulators, it provides a forum
for a wide range of stakeholders to meet and form
effective partnerships.
IPSEF held its first conference outside London in
Kuala Lumpur in March last
year which saw delegates and speakers
attending from across South East Asia
and much further afield.
Rhona Greenhill, Director of Method International, the company that produces IPSEF, says, “Planning and delivering
a major school project is a complex
undertaking which IPSEF helps clarify
through case histories of schools that
have opened recently such as Marlborough College. Established local private schools
also play a part, thanks to the involvement of
school groups like Real Education and Brighton
Education Group,” she added. An international
perspective is added with contributions from consultants and suppliers.
Themes to be addressed by IPSEF 2013 include
school design, education as an investment, curriculum choices, the role of government in inspecting and monitoring schools, teacher recruitment and CPD, market trends and projections, and the legal issues facing schools
expanding overseas.
Additional themes to be covered include the place of private education at the
early years and higher education levels.Delegates are also offered the opprtunity
to visit some key local schools through a series of study tours, adding insight and
perspective to the discussions held at IPSEF.
Companies and organisations interested in table tops and sponsorship are also
being invited to take part. For details contact IPSEF’s local partner Mint Communications. Tel: 603 7620-2673, M 6012 327 5698 Email: [email protected]
IPSEF 2013: 13th-14th March - Intercontinental Kuala Lumpur
www.ipsef.net
January-February 2013
31
Cover Story
Umbrella
For Education
C
urrently with 39 member schools
representing over 30,000 students,
located in Brunei, China, Hong Kong,
Indonesia, Malaysia, Nepal, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Thailand and
Vietnam, FOBISSEA members work together
to provide a range of combined events for
students and professional development opportunities for their teachers.
The 2012 Annual Leadership Conference
saw a total of 93 delegates from 37 FOBISSEA schools converging on Kuala Lumpur for
three days of debate and discussion. The
exchange of good ideas and the sharing of
best practices were also on the agenda.
Hosted by the Alice Smith School, the event
was organised this time in conjunction
with EARCOS (East Asian Regional Council
of Overseas Schools) in order to widen the
range of professional development opportunities available for delegates. It was also
supported by a further 31 exhibitors from
educational organisations and suppliers,
many of whom are affiliate members of FOBISSEA.
The primary objectives of FOBISSEA are
to promote excellence, high achievement
and good practice in member schools; to
promote consistent British-style education
in South East and East Asia through shared
programmes, initiatives and inter-school
32
British-styled educational institutions across
the region share a common agenda through
their membership of The Federation of British
International Schools in South East Asia –
FOBISSEA. One of its flagship events, the Annual
Leadership Conference took place recently in KL.
enrichment activities; and to promote and
facilitate professional development programmes for teachers.
With this firmly in mind, the intensive threeday programme included a Head’s Business
Meeting and the FOBISSEA AGM alongside
the main conference sessions. According to
Valerie Thomas-Peter, Director of School at
The Alice Smith School, all these meetings
are essential to ensure the smooth running
of the wide range of activities and events
that FOBISSEA now offers.
Key issues discussed and decisions taken at
the Conference included the appointment
of the new Chair - Shaun Williams, Principal
and CEO of British International School, Vietnam. Shaun succeeds Mike Walton, Principal of Regent’s School of Pattaya, who was
a member of the FOBISSEA Executive for six
years, including two years as Chair.
Taking over the chairmanship of the Federation at a time of significant change and development, Shaun confirms, “The challenge
is to maintain quality in all that the Federation does as we continue to expand.”
The major topic of discussion at the Conference was the Strategic Plan for FOBISSEA
which focussed on five main elements:
1. Professional Development
2. Events and Games
January-February 2013
3. Membership and Standards
4. Communication and International Voice
5. Administrative Structures
One major area of conjecture was how to
ensure that strategic relationships with
other Federations representing interests of
British education internationally can continue to be developed.
Also discussed at length was an exploration
of ways in which FOBISSEA as a federation
could work with the Department for Education (DfE) in the UK regarding issues affecting British schools overseas and the benefits
the British Government extends to expatriate British teachers. The opportunity to
discuss these key issues in a high quality
conference setting such as Kuala Lumpur
was widely acknowledged by all delegates.
‘Time out’ from the intense discussions
took the form of visits to the Alice Smith
School’s Primary campus at Jalan Bellamy
and Secondary Campus at Equine Park.
“Those who visited the School commented
very positively upon the quality of the facilities available, particularly the new ‘stateof-the-art’ science laboratories at the Secondary Campus which provide some of the
best school science facilities in the region,”
added Valerie.
New Members
A warm welcome to our new members!
Prudential BSN Takaful Berhad
Began operations in 2006 and within five years achieved New Business Contribution Equivalent (ACE) of
RM231 million and 29 percent market share. Now operates 7 branches nationwide with close to 11,000
agents serving approximately 300,000 customers. Provides comprehensive and growing range of Takaful
savings and protection plans through its agency force and in partnerships with local banking institutions.
Has logged several firsts in the product arena including regular contribution investment-linked plan, cashless medical card, no-claims bonus on medical plans, and PruBsn Ummah tailored for Muslims.
Level 8A, Menara Prudential, No.10, Jalan Sultan Ismail, 50250 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: +603 2078 1188 Fax: +603 2172 6888
Email: [email protected] Web: www.prubsn.com.my
Azim Mithani – Chief Executive Officer
Millennium Associates Sdn Bhd
Niche communications company comprising diversified team of professionals with a collective experience
of more than 60 years in the media, capital markets, lifestyle marketing, creative sectors and public relations industries. Providing solutions in Financial & Corporate Communications, Investor Relations, Crisis
Communications, Reputation Management and Branding across multiple channels and media. Associate
of Pelham Bell Pottinger Asia, winner of the “PR Consultancy of the Year 2011” award by Public Affairs Asia.
Suite J-5-10, Solaris Mont' Kiara, No 2, Jalan Solaris, 50480 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: +603 6204 9881 Fax: +603 6204 9882
Email: [email protected] Web: www.millennium.net.my
Lionel Lau - Executive Director
KPJ Healthcare Berhad
Leading healthcare service provider in Malaysia, operating the country’s largest network of 22 private specialist hospitals, plus two
hospitals in Jakarta, Indonesia and a retirement and aged care resort in Brisbane, Australia. Operating as the healthcare arm of the
state-owned Johor Corporation, opened its first hospital in Johor Bahru in 1981. Today, has more than 3,000 operating beds, nearly
9,000 employees and serves more than 2.5 million patients annually. Over 900 medical consultants specialising in various disciplines
including Cardiology, Oncology, Orthopaedic, Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery and Weight Management among others. KPJ’s education arm, KPJ Healthcare University College, established in 1991, is the first private nursing college to initiate the Diploma in Nursing
Programme and the first to be accredited by Malaysian Qualification Agency (MQA).
Level 12-16, Menara 238, Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: +603 2681 6222 Fax: +603 2681 0145
Email: [email protected] Web: www.kpjhealth.com.my
Amiruddin Abdul Satar - Executive Director & COO
RSM RKT Group
Founded in 1978, now one of the leading providers of audit, assurance, accounting and tax services to
companies in Malaysia. Diverse range of business solutions and consulting services, including corporate
finance and transaction support, cross-border tax, risk assurance service, business restructuring, outsourcing and general management consultancy. Member firm of RSM International, represented in 90 countries
with 33,000 professionals in over 730 offices.
1st Flr, Wisma RKT, Block A, No.2, Jalan Raja Abdullah, Off Jalan Sultan Ismail, 50300 Kuala Lumpur.
Audit & Tax: +603 2610 2888 Business Advisory & Consulting: +603 2610 2999
Business Process Outsourcing: +603 2610 2800 Web: www.rsmrktgroup.com
Dato’ Robert Teo Keng Tuan - Managing Partner
Autoguard Warranty Services Sdn Bhd
Specialist organisation designing warranty products for the automotive industry. Originating in the UK and
trading since 1976, designs, rates and places insurance for passenger cars, light commercial vehicles,
heavy commercial vehicles and motorcycles. Operating throughout Asia Pacific, using warranty booklets
written in the name of manufacturers and distributors. Extensive experience and claims history enables
warranty cost of any vehicle to be accurately predicted, with rates trusted by insurers and reinsurers.
Bespoke internet-based claim management system with management information accessible by relevant
personnel.
Suite A21.1 Menara UOA Bangsar, 5 Jalan Utama 1, 59000 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: +603 2287 3878 Fax: +603 2287 5800 Web: www.autoguard-warranty.com
Matthew W Stuart FIMI - Managing Director
January-February 2013
33
32
January-February 2013
New Members
i-graduate International Insight
Providing customer insight for the education sector, tracking and benchmarking student and stakeholder
opinion across the globe. Signature product is the Student Barometer, a strategic tool adopted by 700
universities to obtain feedback from students on decision-making, living and learning experience as well
as future aspirations. Other associated services include Language Barometer (for language students),
Alumni Barometer, Agent Barometer, Staff Barometer as well as Student Pulse with a focus on panels of
prospective students looking at attractiveness of study destinations and education brands.
Asia Regional Office, 3.02D (East Wing), Menara BRDB Bangsar,
285 Jalan Maarof, Bukit Bandaraya, 59000 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: +603 2297 3765 Mob: +6012 379 3503
Email: [email protected]
Guy Perring - Regional Director, South East Asia
Geo Crete Specialist Sdn Bhd
Founded in 2004, Kuching-based company providing general contracting and construction management services with a focus on road
construction using innovative technology for flexible pavements. Recently developed low-energy home concept. Serving a broad range
of commercial, government and industrial clients throughout Malaysia. Recently also opened Amadeus Bistro&Wine Bar in Jalan Sultan
Ismail, serving European bistro type cuisine and 12 types of wine by the glass.
Amadeus Bistro&Wine Bar
M-03, Life Centre, No.20 Jalan Sultan Ismail,
50250 Kuala Lumpur.
Tel: +603 2162 2788
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.amadeusbistro.com.my
Geo Crete Specialist Sdn Bhd
Sublot No. 4, Lot 2093, Block 10 KCLD,
Jalan Tun Ahmad Zaidi Adruce, 93150 Kuching, Sarawak.
Tel: +6082 241 232 Fax: +6082 248 232
Email: [email protected]
Web: www.geocretespecialist.com
Not a member yet?
Email: [email protected] for details
Members News
Latest Property Trends
Highlighted in Knight Frank Research
Students Pursue ACCA
With Amcorp Study Grant
In 2011, Amcorp Group Berhad embarked on an initiative to help bright young students by enabling those
interested in accountancy to pursue the coveted ACCA
qualification. To that end, the Amcorp Study Grant
(ASG) was set up in collaboration with Yayasan Azman
Hashim, a non-profit charitable institution. Successful
applicants receive a total of RM70,000 each, paid in
installments throughout the duration of their course.
Once the ASG recipients complete ACCA, they may be
eligible for employment with Amcorp, enabling them
to gain enriching experience, guidance and mentoring.
The first recipient was Tay Chia Chang, followed by
Wilson Tan Wei Shen. Both of them are pursuing their
ACCA qualification at Sunway University, and they are
expected to complete the course in December 2014.
Another three candidates have been identified, and
Amcorp is currently finalising the offer contracts.
Knight Frank has released its research report on Real Estate
Highlights for the second half of 2012. The report covers the
latest trends for the commercial, residential, retail and hospitality property markets in Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Johor. Key
highlights show that in Kuala Lumpur branded residences are
emerging as the latest trend in the luxury housing segment while
in the mainstream market, the trend continues towards smaller
average home sizes to meet first-time buyer demand.
The office market remained fairly resilient despite mounting
pressures from new completions and a high supply pipeline. Dualcompliant buildings (MSC status and green) continue to do well.
The retail industry attracts new international brands and drives
the expansion of existing ones. Kuala Lumpur ranked world's
fourth best shopping city and second best shopResearch
ping destination
in Asia Pacific.
The hotel sector
is expected to
remain resilient
on the back of
strong growth
in tourist arriv2nd Half 20
als and various
12
Governmentled initiatives.
www.knightfrank.com.my
real estat
highlight e
s
Kuala Lumpur
| Penang | Joh
or Bahru
Highlight
s
January-February 2013
35
Member News
Score Of Awards
For Mongoose Publishing
Mongoose Publishing’s Time Out Kuala Lumpur website www.
timeoutkl.com scooped the Bronze Award for Best Magazine
Website in Asia at the recent WAN-IFRA Asian Digital Media
Conference. A further 20 awards were picked up by its flagship brands Time Out Kuala Lumpur, Expatriate Lifestyle and
Esquire Malaysia at the Malaysian Magazine Publishers (MPA)
Awards.
Time Out KL won an unprecedented Bronze Award in the
category “Best Magazine Website in Asia” – the first time a
Malaysian publisher has won an award in this category. Time
Out KL also scored big with 8 accolades at the MPA Awards
comprising 2 Merit and 1 Gold Award for Best Editorial, 3 Silver for Best Design and both Silver and Gold for Best Covers.
Expatriate Lifestyle, winning its first MPA Awards, took home
3 Merit Awards for Best Editorial and 1 Silver Award for Best
Design. Esquire Malaysia, launched just in April 2011 also
won 2 Bronze Awards for Best Cover, 2 Golds and 1 Silver for
Best Editorial and 3 Golds for Best Design.
Hays Scoops Top Award
In Finance & Accounting Recruitment
Recruiting firm Hays has been named Best Finance and Accounting Executive Recruiter for Asia in 2012 at the inaugural
CFO Innovations Awards held recently in Singapore. Senior finance leaders across Asia voted Hays the best recruiter ahead
of five other leading firms in the local market. The awards
are organised by CFO Innovations Asia, an online publication
exclusively for top-level finance managers in the corporate
sector in Asia.
Chris Mead, Regional Director of Hays, Malaysia & Singapore,
said, “This award is testament to the services we provide for
all our clients – to place high calibre candidates with reputable businesses.”
Graham Paling, Group CEO of Mongoose Publishing, said,
“Less than five years ago we had just two magazines and
a staff of less than ten. We now have more than 75 in the
team working to world-class standards in journalism, design,
digital, marketing, sales, and multi-platform media. These
21 awards reflect their hard work, creativity and passion.”
New General Manager
For Prestigious KL Hotels
Experienced hospitality professional
Peter Hourigan has been appointed
as General Manager of The Saujana
Hotel Kuala Lumpur and The Club
Saujana Resort, taking over from
from Ian Hurst, who held the positions for three years. Mr Hourigan
will also assume the role of General Manager at the historic
Carcosa Seri Negara.
An Australian national, he brings 28 years of international
experience in the hospitality sector to his new role. His
international hotel career spans many cities including Melbourne, Perth, Phuket, Kuching, Colombo, Chennai, Glasgow, New York, Brisbane and more. As General Manager, Mr
Hourigan will be responsible for directing the strategy of
these prestigious hotels, with a total of 320 rooms and a
unique assortment of 10 dining and entertainment outlets.
36
January-February 2013
Top Of The World Awards
For Alice Smith Students
Two students from Alice Smith School have been awarded Top
in the World for their performance in Cambridge IGCSE Foreign Language Malay by the University of Cambridge International Examinations Board.
The Top of the World Award, conferred on Ashlee Lim and
Su Khi Wei, acknowledges exceptional performance globally
where students have achieved highest marks in that subject.
According to Dorothy Nice, Head of Asian Languages at the
Alice Smith School, the Award reflects the tremendous talent
of the students and the dedication and commitment of both
teachers and parents. “Both girls are great role models and
a beacon for all students. Their true sense of responsibility,
work ethic and how they challenge themselves reap rewards.
Teachers merely offer a guiding hand.”
Member News
KL Convention Centre’s Chef Mohamad
Noor Musa raised
the culinary stakes
considerably with his
stellar performance
at the 23rd IKA World
Culinary
Olympics
held in Germany recently.
Held only every four
years, the Olympics
is the oldest and
largest culinary competition of its kind. Some 1,320 chefs
from 54 countries took part this time.
Chosen to represent Malaysia as part of the 12-strong team,
Chef Mohamad Noor won Silver for his creative ‘Symphony
Seafood Platter’ in the Individual category with the team
clinching Silver in the Group category. Malaysia finished a
very respectable 14th overall – a big jump from its 40th
placing in 2008. His achievement comes hot on the heels
of the Centre winning the Chaîne des Rôtisseurs Malaysia
Chapter’s inaugural “Dato’ Lau Foo Sun Excellence in Dining
Award”.
Top Property Consultancy Award
For Savills Rahim & Co
Savills Rahim & Co has picked up the award for Best Property Consultancy (Malaysia) at the 2nd Annual SE Asia Property
Awards held in Singapore recently. The Awards acknowledge
the work, passion and vision shared among real estate agents,
property developers, interior designers and architects from
around the region. Nominations are submitted by the public
and the industry ahead of entry submissions followed by judging by a panel of professionals. The Awards then culminate with
site visits for short-listed developments in each category. The
competitive process results with one winner in each category.
Savills Rahim & Co began as Rahim & Co in 1976 and has become
one of the most established real estate consultancy firms in Malaysia. With a network of 18 offices nationwide and more than
500 affiliated offices worldwide, the firm provides services that
combine international standards with local know-how.
Established in 1855, Savills covers markets throughout Europe,
Asia Pacific, Americas, Africa and the Middle East. Listed on the
London Stock Exchange, the firm has extensive expertise in the
global property market and revenues of £721.5 million for 2011.
In other news, Ms Alice Lem
Chu Hong has been promoted
to Sales Manager – Exhibitions,
having joined the Centre in
July 2011 as Exhibitions Floor
Manager. Bringing more than
13 years in the meetings and
events industry, in her new
position, she is responsible
achieving optimum venue occupancy and profitable business
mix in the exhibitions division.
New CEO
For Prudential Malaysia
Prudential Assurance Malaysia
has announced the appointment of Philip Seah as its new
CEO. Seah, who hails from Singapore, has over 30 years’ experience in the life insurance
industry.
A graduate in Law, he first
joined Prudential Singapore’s
agency force, quickly progressing through the ranks.
Having earned success as an Agency Leader, in 1989 he
was offered the opportunity of leading the agency force
as Assistant General Manager of Field Staff Operations of
Prudential Assurance Singapore. He subsequently served as
Director of Agency Development at Prudential Corporation
Asia, Prudential's regional headquarters in Hong Kong before moving on to the role of Deputy CEO of Prudential Philippines and subsequently as CEO of Prudential Singapore.
In 2010, he became Regional Chief Agency Officer at PCA
where he spent two years in the role before his current
appointment.
Standard Chartered Signs MOU
For Chartered Banker Education Pathway
A milestone was set for talent development in the Malaysian
banking industry recently when the Institute of Bankers Malaysia (IBBM) and Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia signed a Memorandum of Understanding to jointly cooperate, implement and
promote the Chartered Banker Education Pathway programme.
The Chartered Banker is the international gold standard in
banking qualification for professionals working within the financial services sector. Holders of the title are recognised as highly
qualified, professional bankers with a detailed knowledge of
the modern banking sector and its ethical and professional requirements.
In Malaysia it is awarded jointly by the IBBM and the world’s
oldest banking institute, the Chartered Banker Institute in
Scotland. The Chartered Banker Education Pathway consists of
three individually awarded levels - Executive Banker, Professional Banker and Chartered Banker.
With the signing of the MoU, Standard Chartered becomes the
first bank in Malaysia to adopt the Chartered Banker programme
for its staff.
January-February 2013
37
Member News
GSK Opens Global Hub
To Deliver Integrated Shared Services
Leading pharmaceutical and consumer healthcare company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has announced the opening of its global shared service hub,
or Business Service Centre, in Kuala Lumpur. The Centre is GSK’s first
global hub in Asia and will play a key role in GSK’s Core Business Services,
consolidating the organisation’s global and regional service delivery into
an integrated shared service network.
GSK is also looking to expand its current scope of global IT support to
include regional financial services with an expected potential growth of
70 percent by 2014. Currently employing 240 skilled professionals, the
expansion is expected to create 150 further career opportunities.
Etihad Scoops Major Accolade
Fourth Year Running
Etihad Airways, the national airline of the United
Arab Emirates, has brought home top honours at
the World Travel Awards, taking the World’s Leading Airline title for the fourth year in a row. Etihad
Airways also received recognition for its Diamond
First Class product, named the World’s Leading
First Class.
Gary Forbes, Head of the new Centre, said, “The new Centre will enable us to expand to provide the increasing regional and global support
required. In addition, the niche shared service support provided by the
Centre will help develop local talent capacity, particularly in the financial and technological segment.” The Centre represents GSK’s second
major investment in terms of IT expenditure following the launch of its
Global IT Centre in 2009, which earned MSC status.
The World Travel Awards were established in 1993
to seek out and reward the best travel organisations in the world, acknowledging the elite in their
respective fields through a global industry vote.
In 2012, nearly 650,000 votes were cast by travel
professionals from 191 countries. The World Travel
Awards have achieved top industry status and been
named by the Wall Street Journal as the “Oscars of
the Travel Industry”.
DoubleTree Runs Outreach Programme
Teaching Kids To Care
DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur held its quarterly outreach programme Teaching Kids to CARE recently with 30 children from Living
Hope Resources organisation. The Hotel’s CARE Committee, a group
volunteers, including General Manager Ian Barrow (above), spent the
half-day interactive session teaching the children, aged 9 to 12, ways to
conserve the environment. The children were encouraged to share their
ideas for initiatives that would make a difference for the benefit of the
planet. They were also taught the importance of trees to the community
and the concept of minimising the impact of waste on the environment
by cutting down on consumption, reusing materials and recycling.
HLAP Treats Clients & Partners
To Zurf Experience
Independent Malaysian reinsurance brokers HLAP Ltd treated its clients and business partners to the thrills and spills
of a Zurf experience recently at Taman Tasik Titiwangsa. The
Zurf, a giant inflatable tube that can fit up to 4 adults, will
traverse both water and land and was especially imported
from New Zealand by HLAP.
CEO Lee Warner said, “We wanted to give our clients and
business partners an experience to remember and we certainly hope that we achieved that with the Zurf Day.”
Ian MacAndrew Tel: +603 4027 6600 Email: [email protected]
38
January-February 2013
Service
MemberMatters
News
BAE Systems Detica
Consistency:
Wins Award, Begins Expansion
BAE Systems Stratsec, now part of BAE
Systems Detica, was officially hailed
as Malaysia’s “Most Innovative Information Security Company” in an innovation awards ceremony during the
World Innovation Forum 2012, held
recently in Kuala Lumpur. The award
acknowledged the firm’s exemplary
leadership, innovation, and commitment in contributing to cyber-security
and information security in Malaysia.
Regional Managing Director Richard Watson said BAE Systems Detica
sees Malaysia as the future hub for
its cyber-security offering in the region. “We currently employ around 30
highly skilled Malaysian cyber-professionals; our
aim is to expand that to
a work force
of some 300
in the next
few years.”
The firm is a
cyber-security partner
to the UK
and Australian Governments and is working closely with Cyber Security Malaysia and the broader
Malaysian Government. It is also now
working with leading Malaysian industry brands including Air Asia and CIMB.
ICAEW Report
Calls For End To Convergence
ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants of England & Wales) has
published a new report entitled The
Future of IFRS, which urges the International Accounting Standards
Board (IASB) to ‘end the era of convergence’ and suggests that all listed
companies around the world should
have the option of applying International Financial Reporting Standards
(IFRS). Among other things, the report highlights the need for thorough
institutional change within the IASB
to safeguard the future of the IFRS
project. One of the key recommendations is that regulators worldwide
should collaborate to deliver consistent enforcement, while ensuring the
exercise of professional judgement
is not stifled.
www.icaew.com/futureofifrs
More Important
Than Delight
By George Aveling, CEO - TMI Consultancy
I
have been going to the same hairdresser
– Abby – for the last six years. I have not
entrusted anyone else to snip my locks in
all that time so, you can safely say that I am
a loyal customer.
In the world of customer service, the accepted thinking is that Abby is doing something that is “delighting me” as a customer.
The concept of customer delight is most
commonly associated with “doing something different and/or better” for the
customer. It is associated with continually
“raising the bar”.
Abby however has not attempted to “raise
the bar” or do things differently for me.
So, what is it about Abby that has built my
loyalty?
In a word, it’s trust. I trust that Abby will
give me a consistent customer experience.
She welcomes me with the same warm
greeting, just as she always does. She still
gives me a cup of Chinese tea when I arrive. She is the same friendly hairdresser
who does a great job, just as she has been
for the last six years. I walk out a happy
customer now, just as I always have. I trust
that Abby will give a consistently positive
experience, on both a functional and emotional level.
Why is our company loyal to our accounting software provider, Rina? She is a quiet
person who periodically comes to our office
to advise us on how to use the software. We
are loyal to her because she is there for us
when we need her. She gives good advice.
We feel that she cares about our business.
In other words, she satisfies our needs at
a functional (software and information)
level, and at an emotional level (she cares
about us and our business). She hasn’t tried
to delight us by going over and beyond, or
by continually outdoing herself. Rather, she
has earned our trust by being consistent in
the way she delivers her service.
Perhaps the most valuable currency that
drives customer loyalty is trust – trust that
we will provide a consistent customer experience that appeals. No disappointments.
No excuses. Plain and simple consistency.
How about a company that has much less
human contact. Amazon.com for example.
This company turns over around US$48 billion in revenue. You might say that its success is based on convenient arm-chair ordering and low cost.
However, Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO,
would disagree. Amazon.com does go to
great lengths to know YOU as an individual. It helps you buy books that cover the
subject it knows you are interested in. It
almost speaks to you as a person. Amazon.
com builds loyalty at an emotional level and
at a functional level – it delivers the right
product, fast, at a low price. Consistently.
Think about businesses that you have been
loyal to over time. What is it that has made
you loyal? I believe that the essence of your
loyalty is based on three elements.
First, your needs have been satisfied at a
functional or rational level. You get a good
haircut, your hotel accommodation is up
to the standard that you paid for, your accounting software is easy to work with, you
get your books delivered fast. These in effect are the “tickets” to the game of customer loyalty.
Second, your needs have been met at an
emotional level. You feel good about dealing with the company. Research says that
the emotional experience is a critical ingredient to the creation of customer loyalty
and word of mouth recommendation.
And third, you trust that the company will
deliver on your functional and emotional
needs consistently, every time.
Sure, it’s nice to be surprised and delighted
once in a while. And I’m not arguing against
trying to surprise your customers or to not
raise the bar. What I am saying is that the
core focus of every service provider should
be to build customer trust through consistency. And, in doing so, you will build arguably the most precious asset for any business – customer loyalty.
Until next time!
January-February 2013
39
On The Social Scene
Festive Fun
Begins With
BMCC Lunch
T
he festive spirit was in full flow as the
BMCC Corporate Christmas Luncheon
kicked off the celebrations serving as
the grand finale to a remarkable BMCC year.
As well as the delicious food, the
guests had something to look forward
throughout the Luncheon as the amazing array of raffle prizes were drawn.
Nearly 500 guests arrived on time to maximise the mingling session with fellow attendees over a glass or bubbly ahead of sitting down to Lunch. Venue partner Sheraton
Imperial Kuala Lumpur had decked out the
Ballroom in seasonal style and the traditional menu held the promise of yet more good
things to come.
Among the incredible haul were hotel stays at Carcosa Seri Negara,
Sheraton Imperial and the newly
opened Grand Hyatt KL, two of the
latest digital gadgets from Samsung
donated by Kelly Fun, very generous
F&B credits from Sheraton Imperial
and Grand Hyatt as well as a weekend drive with hotel stay courtesy of
Quill Automobiles. Luxury food and
wine hampers from Harrods, Pierre
Ledent and Cave & Cellar, completed
the collection.
A group of children from a local orphanage supported by the Lighthouse Club set
the scene with an enthusiastic rendition of
Christmas Carols to jazz up the mood.
BMCC Chairman Dato’ Larry Gan welcomed
the guests, among whom were BMCC Patron
and British High Commissioner HE Simon
Featherstone and his wife Gail, as well as
many other senior leaders from across the
business community. He took the opportunity to highlight the year’s major milestones
and to thank the companies that have supported the Chamber throughout the year,
including those who made the Luncheon
possible.
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40
January-February 2013
The Grand Prize, eagerly awaited by
all, was of course the two return air
tickets to London sponsored by Etihad Airways which went to lucky lady
Joyce Tam (pictured opposite).
The party-goers among the crowd
then took the celebrations to the next
level (literally!) when they adjourned
to the Mezzanine Bar for some additional entertainment!
On The Social Scene
Diamond Sponsor:
Platinum Sponsor:
Gold Sponsors:
Partners:
January-February
January-February2013
2013
25
21
41
Intellectually Streaking
Saint?
Or Sinner?
By Datuk Paddy Bowie, OBE
I
t is a conundrum that has “haunted” me
most of my life. I was born and raised a
Lancashire lass. To be precise at the foot
of the English Pennines mountain range. On
the right side let me hasten to add although
I don’t wish to restart the War of the Roses.
Just let me say if you ever wish to send me
flowers – the red variety is preferred.
Again to be precise, I grew up at the foot of
Pendle Hill or Pendle Hell, whichever way
you looked at it - notorious as the haunt –
literally - of the witches and the warlocks.
Many of these were periodically burned at
the stake especially in 1620 at the Lancaster Azzizes. Burning at the stake was the
charming English alternative to the French
guillotine. As you will have gathered, I escaped it.
I compare my childhood with that of children today. We may not have had all the
amenities and distractions of the digital
age. But we had far greater freedom.
Today’s young are largely homebound,
glued to the TV, the internet and the computer. Even when they venture forth, they
are cyber-tied. A mobile phone has become
an almost permanent excrescence on the
human ear inhibiting any social discourse.
As I’ve often observed, I expect any day to
see a baby in a pram using a computer.
I on the other hand was allowed to roam the
streets with far greater freedom than is accorded the young today. Even at night: for
one simple reason – possibly hard to envisage today. It was safe. In my case, it was a
significant blessing.
An only child without siblings risked loneliness, not spoilt or pampered as many suppose, but with the full weight of responsibility solely on one’s shoulders. I was
induced to venture forth into the big world
outside with one significant lifelong effect.
The naturally shy person I really was had to
make herself extrovert for any companionship.
42
It bred a certain adventurous spirit. On one
memorable occasion I went missing. My
frantic parents combed the neighbourhood
only to discover me at a nearby school – sitting happily and underage in the pre-infants
class. Many see this as a predictive of a future career with strong academic leanings.
It was also an early start to a lifelong adventurous spirit of which I was forcibly reminded recently in October on the occasion
of Halloween.
Although Halloween began as a pagan then
a Christian festival, it was mostly associated with Harvest Time - the Celtic Samhai
for Summer’s end. Over time, it became a
secular event and increasingly global. In
particular, it was introduced to America of
which earliest reference is 1911. They in
turn donated their native pumpkin, used for
carved lanterns, to the Festival.
on a large surface of water to be retrieved
without hands ie by the teeth.
Divination played a large part and was
viewed with great superstition. The unmarried peeled an apple and tossed the peel
over their shoulder where its contours were
meant to form the initial of one’s future
spouse. Paper symbols were placed on ice in
the dark for you to take at random. The dollar sign signified wealth, a button indicated
bachelorhood, a thimble spinsterhood.
The latter I can understand – the button not
so. Unless it meant keeping your trousers
buttoned up. Nowadays it should be a zip.
The other paper symbols included an umbrella signifying a journey. Many were modelled on supernatural figures - monsters,
ghosts, witches and the devil adding an increasingly gruesome touch.
I find it an irony that a Festival commemorating “All Saints” should blatantly revere
monsters. Today, the religious element is
missing in action except possibly in the Philippines where Halloween is Undis or “the
First” because they are a Christian country.
The images used now draw on Gothic and
horror literature modelled on Frankenstein
and Dracula. Modern TV still thrives on such
spectres and the supernatural with “night
bogies” or ghosts. To say nothing of haunted
venues that thrill and scare.
Canada followed with the first reference
to “Trick or Treat” in 1927 in Alberta. Trick
or treating is one of the hallmarks of Halloween customs. The US looks forward to
it enthusiastically and probably exerts the
greatest cultural influence upon Halloween
today.
The chief focus of Halloween is now upon
children – the main players in “trick and
treating” and “guising” ie disguising in
masks and costumes. Their main activity is
going from door to door begging for money
or candy. With a veiled threat to make mischief otherwise. Shakespeare in the Two
Gentlemen of Verona called it “puling” or
“whining” like a “beggar at Hallomas”. This
was the source no doubt of a much more
vindictive element when the children developed into youthful tormentors if they
didn’t get their way.
The Festival is marked by costumes, parties, bonfires, apple bobbing and the like.
Apple drinking was a favourite pastime, especially in Scotland. The fruit was floated
January-February 2013
None of which really appeals in Malaysia.
We have more public Festivals than any
other country but none with any sinister element. Instead, we have the Open House
which symbolises an integrated 1Malaysia,
associated with moderation not extremism.
The present world, much of which is surrendered to violence, evil and turmoil might
easily if not readily assimilate what Halloween has become. But in Malaysia, we are
faithful to its original meaning of All Saints.
Indeed a favourite hymn is “For All the
Saints” set to the tune by Vaughan Williams.
It still does not decide whether I am a saint
or a sinner, I will let you be the judge.
! #!$%"
! #!$%#
January-February 2013
35
January-February 2013