Uncommon Business Sense December 2013 - 9 Profiles

Uncommon Business Sense

INTERVIEWS WITH BOLD LEADERS AND ENTREPRENEURS

www.prudenzconsulting.com

DEC

EM

BER

2013

Uncommon Business Sense | December 2013

Challenges & Opportunities Behind The Scenes

JOSHUA LIEW - Special Project Director of Espressolab Asia Pacific | FADZARUDIN SHAH ANUAR – Founder of FashionValet |

DATO’ IR. SANI KARIM – Patron of SRAFT | MICHAEL ATANDA BASHORUN – Foreign business owner | JACQUELYN CHAN

– Malaysian business owner in Singapore | PEARLIE NG Former KPMG Associate Director | MOHAMMAD RIDZUAN ABDUL

AZIZ – Director of RHT Compliance Solutions | TEUKU PUTRA AZIZ - Indonesian Fashion Director for Cosry | JOHAN IRWAN

KAMAROZAMAN – Soft Skills & Coloured Brain Trainer

Uncommon Business Sense | December 2013 Prudenz Consulting Sdn Bhd

6.03C, 6th Floor, Menara Keck Seng , 203, Jalan Bukit Bintang, Kuala Lumpur 55100, Malaysia

Phone: +60 3 2118 5117 Fax: +60 3 2145 7171 Email: [email protected]


Kueh Joe Haur

Partner, Prudenz Consulting

Uncommon Business Sense - Editorial | December 2013 <

Dear readers, This year, similar to any other years

saw some continuation of familiar trends; familiar forms of

echoes in recognising milestones and achievements where

leadership icons in governmental sectors, multinational

organisations and government-linked companies are spoiled by

the depth and expected coverage, expressively in oil and gas,

construction of new office towers, transformation of the

education system and revision of policies.

demands a fast paced environment – more in tune with the

lifestyle that enables mobility, freedom of speech and selectivity.

They demonstrate diminishing interests in politics, distasteful

preference for boardroom politics and dread mundane duties.

A job that resonates a strong purpose and is deemed non-

traditional deserves their attention. We have encountered many

extraordinary personalities during our research, engagements,

seminars and events and in this issue of Uncommon Business

Sense , we talk to 9 of them. These outstanding individuals

combine extraordinary talent, impressive careers and the

determination and hurdles in being different. They shed some light

on the things that matter to them most through experience and

insights.

We hope this issue will give you a new perspective on the working

community; equally, we hope that you gain more insights into your business

as you read our future issues of Uncommon Business Sense.


We made this issue of Uncommon Business Sense on

aspects of the working community that stretch away from the

“norm of predictable topics”. The turnover rate for employees of

medium and large corporations, banks and institutions is

alarmingly high and retention rate continues heading south as

the younger generation enters the workforce. This new strain

Khalid Hashim

Partner, Prudenz Consulting


or Gain ?

> Uncommon Business Sense || Joshua Liew

He’s a key member behind Espressolab’s

innovations – Joshua Liew focuses on the competition, customer service and talent

to make the company’s strategy work.

Uncommon Business Sense: The

coffee industry in Malaysia has

exploded over the years where

we see a new café every other

week. As one of the early

pioneers of the coffee industry,

how sustainable do you think

is this industry in Malaysia?

We do not strive to replace or wipe out traditions but to introduce a new ‘species’ of drinks to fellow Malaysians.

Espressolab’s Special Project Director, Joshua Liew describes the abundance of

opportunities in the coffee market, seizing these opportunities and the people who

are willing to realise them with you

“

JL: The mushrooming of new

cafes is creating positive

competition in the coffee scene.

Instead of viewing new cafes as

rival, we are all actually in the

same boat helping each other out

by spreading the knowledge and

goodness of coffee. Hence, with

everyone on board, we are able

to spread the coffee culture to all

corners of Malaysia and make it

sustainable.


Uncommon Business Sense:

Competition is getting heated in

the local scene and we are

extremely impressed with the

younger generation exhibiting

such creativity and twist in their

business concepts. How did the

Lab concept come around and

who would you regard as your

greatest competitor?

An integrated specialty coffee

company from farm all the way to the

cup - This sums up the very existence

of Espressolab which starts at the very

beginning where they source their coffees

from all over the world, direct from farm

and through reputable traders.

Uncommon Business Sense: Competition

is getting heated in the local scene and

we’re extremely impressed with the

younger generation exhibiting such

creativity and twist in their business

concepts. How did the Lab concept

come around and who would you regard

as your greatest competitior?

JL: We are an integrated coffee

company, which means that we are

involved in the whole process from

farm to cup. We source quality

green bean from around the world,

roast and blend them locally, and

use our own signature blend in all

Espressolab outlets. We are also a

coffee education company. In that

regard, we don't really feel there is

any competition.

However, in the world of business, opportunities do not come to you all the time.

Uncommon Business Sense: So, you

started off by providing

comprehensive and in-depth

coffee education and training.

Why did your team decide to

start EspressoLab?

JL: The ‘Lab’ was intended to be a

coffee laboratory, where people

can learn about the science and art

of coffee and how to appreciate

coffee. However, in the world of

business, opportunities do not

come to you all the times. We

seized the opportunity to engage

our first licensee, and the rest just

comes along the way when people

see value in our brand.

“

Uncommon Business Sense: Most of

us predominantly grew up

drinking Kopi-O, Teh-O and

definitely Nescafe 3-in-1. At

some stage, the bubble tea

craze hit all of us really hard and

this time around, it’s back again

and will be around for a very

long time. So how is

EspressoLab challenging

traditions?

JL: Espressolab is not trying to

challenge tradition. We are just

introducing something new to the

Malaysian market. Espresso based

coffee will never replace Kopi-O,

Teh-O, Nescafe or bubble tea as

they are totally different in nature.

We do not strive to replace or wipe

out the tradition but to introduce a

new ‘species’ of drinks to fellow



5

Source: I. M Magazine, 2012

Singapore, London, San Diego,

Stockholm and Milan are the five cities

to implement Congestion Pricing

Uncommon Business Sense: Competition

is getting heated in the local scene and

we’re extremely impressed with the

younger generation exhibiting such

creativity and twist in their business

concepts. How did the Lab concept

come around and who would you regard

as your greatest competitor?

Malaysians who are willing to

embrace and appreciate it. We

would like to see that traditional

drinks and espresso coffee exist

side by side and provide more

choices to consumers of all level.

Uncommon Business Sense: Are

Malaysians true coffee drinkers

or are we just bored with

Starbucks and Coffee Bean?

JL: As more and more young

Malaysians study or travel oversea

particularly to western countries,

they have certainly brought back

the coffee culture and appreciation

of good coffee. However, who are

we to give out the label of ‘true

coffee drinker’? Everyone has their

own unique preference and taste

palates. We are not here to

categorise people into true- or non-

coffee drinker, but to make sure

that everyone who comes to us

gets gratification from what they

consumed, be it coffee or non-

coffee drinks.

Uncommon Business Sense: Startups

and entrepreneurships are

greatly associated with food and

in this context, the beverage

industry. How would you

describe the scene in Malaysia?

JL: In the F&B scene, there is

always room for growth as food is

one of the essential elements of

living. As the economy progress,

the urban population now has

higher spending power to enjoy

quality food. I would say in this

saturated F&B market, we need

to provide a brand experience

that is consistent our identity, and

the second phase will be the

capacity and ability to scale up to

meet market demand. Hence I

always remind my staff of the

importance of customer service in

order to retain out customers.

Uncommon Business Sense: Your

distinct presence in The

Gardens Mall, located at the

link between the said mall and

Mid Valley has worked out very

well with respect to brand

recognition. How important

would you say branding and

marketing are to a new

business?

Espresso based coffee will never replace Kopi-O, Teh-O, Nescafe or bubble tea as they are totally different in nature.

“


5

Source: I. M Magazine, 2012

“44% Malaysians are unable to survive without a cup of coffee for a week!” I. M Magazine, 2012



Competition is getting heated in

the local scene and we are

extremely impressed with the

younger generation exhibiting

such creativity and twist in their

business concepts. How did the

Lab concept come around and

who would you regard as your

greatest competitor?




JL: Personally to me, the brand of

Espressolab is not just our logo or

our colour scheme of black, red

and white. A brand is an answer to

the market demand. The

consumers demand for good

quality coffee and Espressolab

steps in to provide just that. When

customers recognize our effort as a

solution to their need of quality

coffee, this is how we brand

ourselves. Hence, it is important for

new business to stay true to

consumers’ need. It is not how we

brand ourselves, but how much

consumers value our brand. When

you have a good solid brand or

solution to offer, marketing is just

an approach to reach out to wider

target audience that have the need

but yet to find the best solution.

grown at an exciting rate and we

certainly need to innovate in terms

of business model, operation,

management and most importantly

services to adapt to changes.

Innovation has been in the area of

backend processes by which we

created an ecosystem of coffee

delivery with apps and content

plugged in.

Uncommon Business Sense: They

say if you want innovation, you

have to invest in people. To what

extend would you agree with

statement?

JL: I could not agree more to this

statement. Our primary capital in

this business is not the roaster,

machines, or the outlets, but the

people who are willing to sacrifice

their time and effort to help the

company grow. We do not have

deep pocket to remunerate our

people as much as other giant

corporation, but we try our best to

give our staff flexibilities and share

with them the vision that we have

for this company. As a young start

up, we are still along the surge of

learning curve, and I would be

proud to see our people growing

together with the business Uncommon Business Sense: As an

entrepreneur, innovation is key

and guarantees the survival of

any business. How has

EspressoLab innovated since

inception?

JL: Yes of course! Throughout

these 2 years, Espressolab has


*More information regarding eligibility criteria of the programme is located on the official website of TalentCorp Malaysia


I don't think it's very difficult to convince anyone

nowadays to incorporate

“

At the age of 25, a former Deloitte Consulting Strategy

Consultant with an Imperial College Master of Aeronautical

Engineering education and winner of MyEG’s Make The Pitch

reality TV show Season 2, Fadzarudin Shah Anuar has set big

goals for himself and for the team at FashionValet. Fadzarudin

stresses on the high growth potential of eCommerce for online

fashion stores and the benefits that come with.

an online element into their businesses.


FashionValet has given

Malaysian designers a

marketplace to showcase

their creativity and

potential. That’s something

to feel really good about. As

an alternative to retail

stores, how does an

ecommerce business

convince brand owners to

benefit from the less

FAS: I don't think it's very

difficult to convince anyone

nowadays to incorporate an

online element into their

businesses. . Everyone knows

how rapidly the ecommerce

market is growing and they

don't want to be left behind.

physical oriented business

model to literally a virtual

presence?

> Uncommon Business Sense || Fadzarudin Shah Anuar

I don't think it's very difficult to convince anyone “ nowadays to incorporate an

online element into their businesses.

advertisement for Singapore Airlines, it

naturally became my first and only option that

I gave myself. And I went for the interview

and was accepted for the job right after I

graduated from university in New Zealand.

Three and a half years went by and I felt that

I have finally achieved my goals of seeing the

world, learning what team work and discipline

in a corporate setting was like and made a

decision to try something totally different. I

left SIA and joined the corporate world and

Everyone knows how rapidly the

ecommerce market is growing and

they don't want to be left behind. I

would caution physical retailers

though, to not underestimate the

difficulties of having an online

presence. The benefit of having a

physical store is that you are almost

guaranteed a number of walk-in

customers based on your location

even if you do nothing else but build

an attractive store. On the other

hand, it is very easy to launch your

online store, but the difficulty is

driving customers to your store. You

Fadzarudin’s

business partner

and wife, Vivy

Sofinas Yusof has

been his greatest

inspiration and

supporter since

the early days of

university where

Vivy was reading

law at the London

School of

Economics &

Political Science.

Vivy is the Chief

Operating Officer

of FashionValet. www.prudenzconsulting.com


I would caution physical

retailers though, to not

underestimate the

difficulties of having an

online presence. The

benefit of having a

physical store is that you

are almost guaranteed a

number of walk-in

customers based on your

location even if you do

nothing else but build an

attractive store. On the

other hand, it is very easy

to launch your online

store, but the difficulty is

driving customers to your

store have to work very

hard to increase your

traffic and if you do

nothing, you're bound to

have zero traffic.


E-commerce fashion in

Malaysia has been

expanding whereby

many of them started as

a blog store. With the

availability of

Ecommerce platforms,

e.g Shopify which

enables beginners to

set up an online store in

10 minutes or maybe

just under that, what

innovative approaches

must take place for

FashionValet?

FAS: FashionValet is

already unique in the area

of product offerings, we

constantly bring in new

brands to the website

from the local scene. So

customers are excited by

the anticipation of "what's

going to be new in-store

tomorrow?" Apart from

that, we always have to

constantly improve

customer experience.

From the experience of

shopping on the website

to customer service to

delivery to the customer.

If we can do well

throughout this process, I

believe we will keep

getting more word-of-

mouth recommendations;

which is the best kind of

marketing.


What are the lessons for

other online fashion

stores? Why are we not

seeing more

‘FashionValets’?

FAS: There are a number

of smaller 'FashionValets'

around, however with our

model, traffic to the

website is key. Brands

come to us because they

know we have healthy

website traffic so they will

get coverage and sales.

Like I said earlier, the

hardest part about having

an online store is driving

consistent, quality traffic.

In our model, you have to

large enough traffic to

ensure the economics

makes sense. Earlier on,

I mentioned that the

hardest part about having

an online store is driving

consistent, quality traffic.

In our model, you have to

large enough traffic to

ensure the economics

makes sense.


Startups and

entrepreneurship are

the recurring themes in

the business world. The

local scene is

witnessing a

mushrooming of new

businesses at an

alarming rate despite

the survival rate of

startups at the early

stage of inception being

discouragingly low.

What decisions did your


business and others make to fight the

trend?

FAS: That's a norm anywhere in the world.

Over 90% of startups are bound to fail in the

first few months, so it's not surprising that

that's the case here as well. I personally

think the startup environment here is very

healthy because we have a very united

startup community where events and

networking meet ups are always happening.

So it's up to the entrepreneurs to utilise

them. The only immature part of the

environment is the funding side.

Unfortunately, South-East Asia isn't blessed

with a large number of tech VC's. In

comparison to India and China who have a

combined VC list of over a thousand, SEA

only has less than 50.

From the experience of shopping on the website to customer service to delivery to the customer.

“

If we can do well throughout this process, I believe we will keep getting more word-of-mouth

recommendations; which is the best kind of marketing.

“


In fact, you can see big designers such as Valentino and Ellie Saab creating designs inspired by Islamic cultures. So perhaps we are creating the trend?

“

Uncommon Business Sense: The Malaysian Fashion industry

predominantly gets pigeonholed as conservative. How are

you working around this?

FAS: It's seen as conservative because that is what the market

demands. Fashion designers know that if they go too radical, the

market acceptance won't be as good. I don't think it's a problem,

every market has their own fashion trends. In fact, you can see

big designers such as Valentino and Ellie Saab creating designs

inspired by Islamic cultures. So perhaps we are creating the

trend???

Uncommon Business Sense: Where do you see the Malaysian

Fashion and eCommerce market size in 5 years?

FAS: eCommerce growth in Asia Pacific is set to outpace USA

and Europe for the next 5 years so that is extremely exciting for

any online business starting up. We are attracting more

international players to the region which is an assurance to us

here that this is the right place to be. Online fashion is very likely

going to be one of the leaders of this boom meaning competition

in the region will only get tougher. There will be more and more

casualties, but the ones who can survive the competition will be

the biggest winners of the growth.

FashionValet was

launched in 2010

with the primary

goal of giving the

local fashion

market a boost to

their sales and

marketing efforts

by adopting a

modern approach

to technology, e.g

eCommerce. With a

humble beginning

of 10 brands, FV’s

portfolio boasts

over 150 brands

with a strong and

extremely loyal

customer base

from the region.


5

> Johan Irwan Kamarozaman

profit every year produced by ALS continued to skyrocket as the

ALS produced about S$6.2 million profit every year

The government has implemented initiatives through education and engagement, in

hope to aligning the community towards a stronger, market driven and economically

sustainable Sports industry. But what does this all mean? Datuk Ir. A. Sani Karim,

patron of Squash Racquet Association of Federal Territory, (SRAFT) shares his

views on the current state of the industry, the progress witnessed by the community

and why Squash deserves the same attention as other racquet games.

Datuk Ir. A. Sani Karim is a

notable figure in the world of

squash. Datuk has held

leadership positions in

federations, squash associations,

Olympic council of Malaysia and

the Royal Lake Club. Datuk

serves as an Executive Chairman

and principal owner of five

companies with interests ranging

from construction to bakery.

> Uncommon Business Sense || Datuk Ir. A. Sani Karim

Uncommon Business Sense: “To foster

open communication and a sense

of support, pride, enthusiasm, and

excellence in squash as One of the

Eight core sports in Malaysia.”

How has the journey been for

SRAFT?





DASK: SRAFT has been extremely

successful in attracting a more

youthful crowd to the sport. During

my leadership where I was Chairman

of SRAFT from 1997-2005, we fought

relentlessly to bring back the glory

days we enjoyed at the association.

We are thankful to the supporters,

parents and sponsors for

demonstrating their support for the

sport.

Datuk Ir. A. Sani Karim

has been instrumental in his involvement in

the World Squash Federation, Majlis Sukan

Negara, Lembaga Kejurulatihan Kebangsaan

National Sports Advisory Panel, Stadium

Merdeka Board, Asian Squash Federation and

Olympic Council of Malaysia..

Joshua Leong: XXX

Ralph C. Smedley said, "We learn best

in moments of enjoyment.“The correct

methodology also will make the knowledge

and lessons stick in the participants mind

for a longer time.

Uncommon Business Sense: Being educated

and raised in an Asian community,

academics performance is commonly

prioritised over sports. How does the

Association tackle this tradition?

DASK: Growing up in an Asian family, I can

relate personally to this because I was

passionate in all racquet sports especially

tennis and badminton. I am a golf man now

but my passion for racquet games will

always be there. Traditional upbringing is

where a parent will persistently make sure

that every child is given a better education

to enter a good university and land a good

job which pays well. It would be right for me

to say that most of us would have been

taught to believe that high academic

performance equals higher probability of

earning a higher income. Unfortunately, in

Malaysia, the possible benefits from

Squash are still very much at the premature

stage when it comes to monetary rewards.

For parents to see the monetary benefits of

pursuing sports over academics is a never

ending challenge but that’s why

associations like SRAFT and associations

of other sports as a matter of fact are

around - to spark interest in the respective

sport at a young age.


International Olympic Committee

(IOC) voted to reinstate wrestling to

the Games rather than adding

squash or baseball / softball. Is this

a possibility of the greater interest

in other racquet games, e.g

badminton, tennis and table-tennis

over squash?

DASK: Badminton, tennis and table-

tennis have been and always will be

the more common sports amongst

Malaysians. Do remember that

badminton was only recently added to

the Games, roughly 20 years or so.

Ultimately, I do believe that China

does play a determining factor in this

successful attempt. Squash is a

relatively new sport in Malaysia but

having it recognised as a Game in the

Olympics would be pivotal in elevating

the interest and participation in the

Sport.





Uncommon Business Sense: Most

recently, Khairy Jamaluddin,

Minister of Youth and Sports

stated that the existing youth

programmes only draw the

participation of Malay youths. To

what extend is this relevant to

Squash?

DASK: As the Minister of Youth and

Sport , KJ definitely has the first-

hand updates and insights into the

Sport industry. With respect to

Squash, I would say that Squash

has been able to appear attractive

to all races. It’s difficult to pin down

on demographics because we

have winners, players, trainers and

supporters who are just so

passionate about squash.

Unfortunately, in Malaysia, the possible benefits from Squash are still very much at the premature stage when it comes to monetary rewards.

“









for a longer time.

Uncommon Business Sense: What

do you expect to take place in

the world of squash in the

years to come?

DASK: Squash will definitely be

one of the Games in the Olympic.

I am very sure this will happen.

Malaysian Squash has come a

long way. Squash is gaining in

popularity every day and with top

squash players being awarded

scholarships from top leading

American universities, we do see

an increase in youth participation.

Squash will continue being a sport

of interest amongst the straight

A’s students. The ‘lost’ of these

players will need to be resolved

by closer ties and collaboration

with local universities to strike a

more assuring and secured

promise with our top national

squash players. We will continue

producing top squash players but

much more work needs to be

done with all key stakeholders.

Foreign businesses in Malaysia are less than impressed and stunned by the

unwelcoming vibes they have encountered: Michael Atanda Bashorun, President of

BHL Rimbunan Teknologi Sdn Bhd explains the hurdles in overcoming labels.

The rejection is a common situation that everybody faces daily one way or

the other.

“

> Uncommon Business Sense || Michael Atanda Bashorun


Uncommon Business Sense: There

are many Africans now in

Malaysia compared to 5 years

ago. They contribute to a

distinct proportion in the

breakdown of international

student numbers and African

businessmen are taking their

business ventures here. Why is

that?





MAB: The voluminous rise in African

population in Malaysia and Asian

countries could be attributed to the

growing economic development in

Asia. Concerning increase in

Students population, take a look at

Petronas Bhd, they have billions of

investment in Africa and they bring in

lots of African Students into Malaysia

for educating, secondly, LimKokWing

University aggressive student in-take

from Eastern, Western and Southern

Africa and finally we have many

Malaysia Institution of High Learning

appoints Representatives in Africa to

recruit student for them. On the sides

of Business, although still growing,

the rise in Africa restaurants is due to

“Need for Native food”. The

increasing rise in Africa Students in

Malaysia will definitely contribute to

different innovations and Africa

Business promotion in Malaysia.

Thirdly, Malaysia been a Trading

nation and currently one of the Top

Competitive business nation, makes

it an ideal location for aspiring and

intelligent Africans to explore

business opportunities between

Malaysia and Africa. Fourthly, Africa

Economic indexes have been

revolving around 7% growth for the

last 5 years and it’s expected to

remain so for another

Uncommon Business Sense: xxxxxxxxxxx

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx




xxxxxx

Joshua Leong: XXX





for a longer time.

decade, this makes it imperatives to find

Africa Businessmen coming up in Malaysia.

Uncommon Business Sense: Business

propositions by African businessmen

are commonly received by the raising of

an eyebrow. How do you prove your

worthiness and legitimacy to your

prospective clients?

MAB: Racism is a global situation. Recently

Oprah was denied entry into a shop in

Europe because of her colour. The rejection

is a common situation that everybody faces

daily one way or the other. My advantage

was that, having worked in Malaysia and

Asian cities for some couple of years before

setting up my business, l have a little

understanding of the cultural difference and

the need to be honest in dealing with Asians

and Malaysians in particular. Suspicions

remains especially if you are trying to make

a new acquaintance. I build relationships

through business memberships,

reconnecting with former colleagues and

maintaining a high moral virtue.

Our business acumen is keenness and quickness in understanding and dealing with a business situation in a manner that is likely to lead to a good outcome.

“


photo by The Bode

Malaysia surged to 6th from 12th in

the 2014 Doing Business Report.

The World Bank commended on

favourable measures aimed at cutting

the number of procedures needed to

obtain a construction permit, lower the

time required for new electricity

connections and reduce company

registration fees.

~79,000 Africans entered the country last year. Of that number, 25,000 came in on student visas. Malaysia Department of Immigration

Uncommon Business Sense: Are you

more business savvy today?





MAB: At BHL Group {BHL Rimbunan

Teknologi Sdn Bhd, Malaysia, RC.

928752 – X, SSM Malaysia and BHL

Africa Plantation Nigeria Ltd, Nigeria,

RC. 931625, CAC Abuja Nigeria} our

Business acumen is keenness and

quickness in understanding and

dealing with a business situation in a

manner that is likely to lead to a good

outcome. The strategies has enable

us to build credibility, staff career,

executive mentality and continental

company named “BHL AFRICA

GROUP”

Uncommon Business Sense: How are you

playing your role in improving the image

of Africans / Nigerians in Malaysia?

MAB: Needless to highlight the negative

image about Africans in Malaysia, I am

currently involved in three forums to help

addressed some of the issues confronting

Africans especially Nigerians in Malaysia.

These forums are Nigerians in Diaspora

0rganization Malaysia {NIDO-MY}, Yoruba

Community Malaysia {YCM} and Malaysia –

Nigeria Business Council.

Uncommon Business Sense: As a

foreign national, the local

community has been regarded as

reserved and unwelcoming. With

the presence of this, how do

Africans, or in this case, Nigerians

build their network?

MAB: BHL belongs to the relevant

professional bodies and participate

more in program’s of Malaysia

Government Department and

Agencies. Few months ago, BHL

Group and Nigerbash Properties Co.

Ltd jointly did a write-up on “Doing

Business in Africa – A Construction

Perspective” for Construction Industry

Development Board, Malaysia “CIDB.”

During the book preview and review,

many industry players including Exim

Bank Bhd, Matrade Malaysia and

Master Builder Association of Malaysia

were in attendance and those eager to

tap in the growing infrastructure

industry of Africa

Foreign businesses in Malaysia are less than impressed and stunned by the

unwelcoming vibes they have encountered: Michael Atanda Bashorun, President of

BHL Rimbunan Teknologi Sdn Bhd explains the hurdles in overcoming labels.

“

Doing business outside of Malaysia. Jacquelyn is the founder of Rucksack Inn, a prominent name amongst travellers

visiting Singapore who are looking for affordable accommodation. She reckons

that Singapore provides more effective schemes in spurring entrepreneurship.

Uncommon Business Sense: You began

your career as an air stewardess

for Singapore Airlines and today,

you are the face of one of

Singapore’s most successful

hostels for backpackers. There

must be an interesting story behind

this success

JC: During my university days, I was

involved in a lot of community campus

activities and I realised that I was

really good at dealing with people, I

was a campus counselor and also a

gym instructor. When I chanced upon

an advertisement for Singapore

Airlines, it naturally became my first

and only option that I gave myself.

And I went for the interview and was

accepted for the job right after I

graduated from university in New

Zealand. Three and a half years went

by and I felt that I have finally

> Uncommon Business Sense || Jacquelyn Chan


achieved my goals of

seeing the world, learning

what team work and

discipline in a corporate

setting was like and made

a decision to try

something totally

different. I left SIA and

worked as a Corporate

Communications

Executive in an audit firm

for just under 2 years.

Towards the end of my

career as a Marcom

executive, that was when

I met my current business

partner, Sam and started

Rucksack Inn. In 2009,

the financial crisis had hit

Singapore and it

happened just after I had

just resigned from my

position at the audit firm. I

had the jitters and

uncertainty as most

people would have felt

when they first start a

business but with

Samantha’s experience of

running her own business

previously, we pulled it off

and started our very first

Rucksack together in May

2009. The backpacker

scene was almost non-

existent in Singapore at

the time so it was a risk

that we were taking. Little

did we know that the

Uncommon Business Sense: Being educated and

raised in an Asian community, academics

performance is commonly prioritised over

sports. How does the Association tackle this

tradition?


Malaysia’s Returning

Expert Programme in

luring back the

Malaysian Diaspora is

spearheaded by

TalentCorp Malaysia.

How attractive is this

programme to you? JC: I’ve never heard about

this programme before.

JC: There are many SME

business schemes the

Singapore government has

implemented, one of them

is the PIC (Product &

Innovation Credit) which

the government subsidies

and gives a $1 match

*More information regarding eligibility criteria of the programme is located on the official website of TalentCorp Malaysia

financial crisis worked in

our favour; Travelers

downgraded from hotels to

budget hotels and budget

hotel travelers started

looking for an even

cheaper alternative to

accommodation and that’s

how we got our first few

customers. From my

experience in Singapore

Airlines, I learned so much

about exceeding

customer’s expectations,

and I applied that same

philosophy to my guests at

Rucksack. For just $22 a

night, the value from their

stay and service they

received were way beyond

their expectations and very

soon word of mouth and

reviews made us an award

winning hostel. Since then

we have grown to 3

properties around

Singapore. The

programme does sound

attractive. I guess I have

some researching to do.

I’ve never heard of the Returning

Expert Programme

by TalentCorp

Malaysia before.

“

RETURNING EXPERT PROGRAMME* (REP) was launched to facilitate

the return of Malaysian professionals from overseas with the objectives of

overcoming the shortage of professional and technical expertise in the

country, and creating a world-class workforce in Malaysia, especially in the

context of the Economic Transformation Programme (ETP). The REP is

constantly being improved to meet the needs of Malaysian expats. For

example, as of 12 April 2011, a revised scheme of benefits for the REP was

announced by the Prime Minister himself.






tradition?


Singapore is ranked

amongst the top countries

in the world for

businesses. What has the

red-dot done right, in

comparison to Malaysia?

JC: There are many SME

business schemes the

Singapore government has

implemented, one of them is

the PIC (Product &

Innovation Credit) which the

government subsidies and

gives a $1 match bonus on

the cost of any product that

can benefit the efficiency of

the business. Also there are

business loans that the

government provides from

SPRING Singapore and IE

Singapore that help supports

cash flow of individual SME.

And the schemes are readily

available and made known to

all businesses. Something I

feel is lacking in the Malaysia

to enhance SME businesses.

For just $22 a night, the

value from their stay and

service they received were

way beyond their

expectations and very soon

word of mouth and reviews

made us an awardwinning

hostel. Since then we have

grown to 3 properties

around Singapore. The

programme does sound

attractive. I guess I have

some researching to do.

financial crisis worked in

our favour; Travelers

downgraded from hotels to

budget hotels and budget

hotel travelers started

looking for an even

cheaper alternative to

accommodation and that’s

how we got our first few

customers. From my

experience in Singapore

Airlines, I learned so much

about exceeding

customer’s expectations,

and I applied that same

philosophy to my guests at

Rucksack.

JC: I’ve never heard about

this programme before.

JC: There are plans for

Rucksack’s expansion in

Malaysia, so yes it believe

I would be spending a lot of

time back in my country


Would you be coming back

to Malaysia anytime soon


Congestion charge <





tradition?

XXX

Demystifying

the HR Function

XXX

PN: What is one function in your

organisation that you find you can't quite

fully grasp in your hands? Certainly not the

numbers or financial concepts that you

keep as the foundation of your business.

Not even the tastes and behaviour of your

clients as you discover and deal with every

day. The one function that is both hard

facts and fluid uncertainties, which you

might not be able to grasp in full, could

very well be the managing of the people

that you have hired. According to Dr

Meredith Belbin, a researcher and

management theorist, "a team is not a

bunch of people with job titles, but a

congregation of individuals." We know

that when we have a bunch of individuals

working together—8 to 10 hours a day, 5

days a week—we will have in our hands a

whole plethora of challenges to handle.

To what extend is the Human Resource Department

appreciated? Only to a certain extend, says former KPMG

Advisory Associate Director, Pearlie Ng.

PN: What is one function in your organisation that you find you can't quite fully

grasp in your hands? Certainly not the numbers or financial concepts that you

keep as the foundation of your business. Not even the tastes and behaviour of

your clients as you discover and deal with every day. The one function that is

both hard facts and fluid uncertainties, which you might not be able to grasp in

full, could very well be the managing of the people that you have hired.

According to Dr Meredith Belbin, a researcher and management theorist, "a

team is not a bunch of people with job titles, but a congregation of

individuals." We know that when we have a bunch of individuals working

together—8 to 10 hours a day, 5 days a week—we will have in our hands a

whole plethora of challenges to handle.

“The Breadth,

the length, and

the depth of HR

in unravelling

the “invisible”

cog in any well-

functioning

organisation.

PN: What is one function in your organisation

that you find you can't quite fully grasp in your

hands? Certainly not the numbers or financial

concepts that you keep as the foundation of

your business. Not even the tastes and

behaviour of your clients as you discover and

deal with every day. The one function that is

both hard facts and fluid uncertainties, which

you might not be able to grasp in full, could

very well be the managing of the people that

you have hired. According to Dr Meredith

Belbin, a researcher and management

theorist, "a team is not a bunch of people with

job titles, but a congregation of individuals."

We know that when we have a bunch of

individuals working together—8 to 10 hours a

day, 5 days a week—we will have in our

hands a whole plethora of challenges to

handle.

> Uncommon Business Sense || Pearlie Ng


In the running of an organisation, people are sourced and retained. They are managed by way of getting

the policies in place to ensure desired behaviour, setting the optimal metrics to ensure expected

performance, and deciding on the procedures to at least have the HR processes to manage the people in

the best possible way to run the operations of the business. This is where the hard facts meet the fluidity of

human behaviour. The challenge will be on how best to manage the people in your organisation and have

a group of different people in intellect and skills, in behaviour and preferences, to be productive together, to

work and assist one another towards the same goal in mind.

In this attempt to demystify the HR function, we will look at what I will term as the breadth, the length, and

the depth of HR.

What do you see when you step back and look at your HR department? What's the

breadth you are going with its practice? In other words, have you covered the

essentials that you need in managing your people? The questions to ask are like

these: do you have recruitment policies and procedures in place? Are your people

being fairly governed by a structure in how they are remunerated for their work and

performance? Do you plan and execute training programmes for them to improve

and grow in what they do? Do you have a procedure to handle their grievances or

When it comes to the "length" of the HR function, you need to look into why you

are doing what you are doing, and inversely why you are not doing what you are

not doing. It goes back to the one thing why your organisation exist. For example,

one company hires housewives as personal shoppers by piecemeal work and

another company is a typical supermarket with the whole works. The first will not

need an extensive remuneration practice as much as the second. The first will

definitely need a more sophisticated recruitment process compared to the more regular one of the second. The danger you may face though, in how far you should go in the practice of HR

function, is the desire to go the whole nine yards without really understanding why. Your employee

performance management is a good place to start. How do you implement your employee performance

review and why? Do your activities have direct links to the outcome? In my experience in bigger

organisations, we tend to complicate things when simplicity is the clear solution. We seem to think that

complex problems require complex solutions. In reality, we may not need to go the whole length to achieve

what we want. But is something still missing even though you are convinced that you have covered the

breadth and the length well? May it then be the depth that is the issue?

a set process to discipline them when you need to? In the history of the management of people, we have

come a long way. Whether or not we have put everything in practice, we know we need to cover all the

essential areas in HR in order to reduce the risks. The next important facet to evaluate as you continue to

look at your HR function is how far then must you go.

In reference to the depth of people management, I am not talking about the

management side of things but the people. The one most important question to ask

now is: how well do you understand your people? Much have been written and

talked about the Gen-Y and the likes but that is not the question, or at least not the

whole question. What is important is, do you know your people? What motivates

them? What do they do best, and worst? What principles do they hold on to? How

do they relate to each other as colleagues, as superiors, as subordinates? This is

where you need to round off your HR function with a good study on what makes

your people who they are and what will make them better. This may be the toughest thing to do but it will give

you a deeper insight into the why and how you carry out your HR function. There are many ways to go about

it—dialogues, surveys, mentoring, coaching, personality tools—but know exactly what, how and why you are

doing it. The HR department is quite often seen as the player behind the scene, but they are by no means

trivial. They are the manager of the football team sent out into the field to play to win. Your people may be the

stars of your business, but your HR department is the team manager that ensures who your people are, and

where you want them to be.

the Breadth

the Length

Depth the



“shadow banking” system –

the periphery sectors of the

financial markets has been

an issue of contention for

many years and with the

recent Financial Services Act

2013 and Islamic Financial

Services Act 2013 which had

come into force on 30 June

2013, compliance is a

mandatory exercise, rather

than an admiration of best

practices.

MRAA: The shadow banking

concept is rather pejorative

under the current

circumstance. It was introduced

with intention to assist

individuals with reasonable

amount of credits to spur

consumption vis-à-vis the

economic activities but it

requires financial discipline i.e.

compliance in order for it to be

positive to the nation’s

economy as a whole.

As far as Bank Negara

Malaysia (BNM) is concern,

shadow banking is a paradox –

with the implementation of

FSA/IFSA, the BNM is trying to

manage both sides – infusing

financial discipline by giving

itself more prescriptive

authority and power – and

continue to serve politicians’

needs by allowing the Minister

of Finance (or his delegate) to

decide on certain policy

matters.

Datuk Ir. A. Sani Karim

has been instrumental in his involvement in

the World Squash Federation, Majlis Sukan

Negara, Lembaga Kejurulatihan Kebangsaam

National Sports Advisory Panel, Stadium

Merdeka Board, Asian Squash Federation and

Olympic Council of Malaysia..





tradition?

DASK: Growing up in an Asian family, I can relate

personally to this because I was passionate in all

racquet sports especially tennis and badminton. I

am a golf man now but my passion for racquet

games will always be there. Traditional upbringing

is where a parent will persistently make sure that

every child is given a better education to enter a

good university and land a good job which pays

well. It would be right for me to say that most of us

would have been taught to believe that high

academic performance equals higher probability

of earning a higher income. Unfortunately, in

Malaysia, the possible benefits from Squash are

still very much at the premature stage when it

comes to monetary rewards. For parents to see

the monetary benefits of pursuing sports over

academics is a never ending challenge but that’s

why associations like SRAFT and associations of

other sports as a matter of fact are around - to

spark interest in the respective sport at a young

age.

Governance, Compliance and Enforcement!

Few people know the financial market situation in Malaysia better than Mohammad

Ridzuan Abdul Aziz. The regulatory and compliance advisor discusses the recent

modernisation of laws governing the conduct and supervision of financial institutions.

MRAA: There are many factors

with regard to the rationale of

FSA/IFSA implementation and

let’s look at three of them –

financial literacy among

Malaysians, financial institutions’

key risks efficacy and economic

climate/concentration of wealth.

First, it dawned upon BNM that

Malaysian in general is not a

savvy lot about financial matters.

Financial literacy can be defined

as ways individuals manage

their money in terms of insuring,

investing, savings and budgeting

. Financially literate individuals

would know how to manage their

money, understand how financial

institutions work, possess a

range of analytical skills, able to

handle their financial affairs

effectively and have the

discipline to be responsible

financially. Second, the key risks

efficacy of many financial

institutions in Malaysia has yet to

attain the level where it could

effectively manage the key-man

and systemic risks. This is

evident with the introduction of

Bridge Institution and further

requirements to obtain pre-

approval for the establishment of

a Financial Holding Group.

Third, it is prudent and logical for

the central bank to consolidate

its authority over all licensed

financial institutions in Malaysia.

The previous laws consolidated

under the FSA and IFSA

(Banking and Financial

Institutions Act, Exchange

Control Act,

Uncommon Business Sense: EPF,

MIDF, PNB and MBSB are

amongst the prominent

names in the financial

markets. What do you think

was the key factor that led to

Bank Negara Malaysia in

putting its foot down and

implementing the FSA 2013

and IFSA 2013?

Insurance Act and Payment

System Act) had served its

purposes well under a

domestic-focused economic

environment. However, with the

inevitable globalisation, the

Malaysia financial sector need

to be managed effectively and

under the current economic

circumstances, it is necessary

for a nation to be quick and

nimble to adapt to the fast

changing scenario.

It is wise and timely for BNM

to implement FSA and IFSA

given the circumstances.

However, having sound

legislative framework should

serve as a catalyst for key

players of the financial

segments to start thoroughly

understand their role,

respectively.


Market analysts, investors,

business school students and

enthusiasts are pointing the

fingers at several financial

market players, suggesting

the possibility of misconduct.

How credible is this

speculation?

> Uncommon Business Sense || Mohammad Ridzuan Abdul Aziz


MRAA: Misconduct revolves

around human behaviour or

misbehaviour. In any financial

market, misconduct is often

driven by greed and when the

opportunity presented itself.

Greed is something that no

system could mend but it is

certainly possible to limit the

opportunities to commit

misconduct. Hence, it is the

responsibility of all involved in

the financial market to limit

these opportunities to curb

misconduct. One common

theme is the choices made by

the persons involved to commit

misconduct despite knowing at

certain stage that they were on

the wrong path.





tradition?

Operational impact presents these firms an

opportunity to improve their capability to

better serve clients and help create rooms

for business growth.

was required previously under

the old regime. There will be an

inevitable gestation period for

the new structure to adapt to the

new ways under the reorganized

structure, plus the need to

establish a Financial Holding

Company, where necessary. In

my view, this is quite a major

exercise and the insurance

/Takaful companies would need

time to realign resources and

infrastructure to deliver

services/products effectively to

clients. the reorganized

structured operational aspects

such as system configuration,

database, systems interlink, etc.

need to be revamped to

accommodate the new

operational needs. This would

require reconfiguration,

retraining, system architecture

redesign and various other

works that will add more cost,

including capital expenditures.


Insurance and Takaful

companies are expected to

be undergoing or have

begun major restructuring

exercises. How would daily

business operations be

affected?

MRAA: The FSA and IFSA

require insurance companies to

operate life and general

businesses under a separate

legal entity and the timeline to

comply is within the next 5

years, i.e. by 1 July 2018. The

re-insurance and re-Takaful

businesses are exempted from

this requirement. Details aside,

it is going to cost the

insurance/Takaful companies

more to manage separate

businesses, with additional

resources required for people

and infrastructure as well as

compliance. The other

possibility is that BNM may

impose higher capital

requirement for each business,

likely to be higher than what

In my view, this operational

impact presents these firms

an opportunity to improve

their capability to better serve

clients and help create rooms

for business growth.

However, these opportunities

would require extra

investment through capital

expenditure to help elevate

the operational standard of

their services. Given the

changes required, I reckon

some of these firms would

take the opportunity to

reorganize more than the

operational aspect and

corporate structure as the

implementation of FSA/IFSA

sort of put all existing players

on the same level and restart

all over again. Those firm

that have already started

making the required changes

would have an advantage

over others as they have

better understanding hence

able to adapt quicker. On the

contrary, those who choose

to wait will likely take longer

time to adapt and likely to

incur higher cost to make the

necessary operational

changes.


Insurance and Takaful

companies are expected to

be undergoing or have

begun major restructuring

exercises. How would daily

business operations be

affected?

MRAA: It is a fact that Malaysia is

one of the leading nations when

it comes to Islamic Finance “best

practices”. The implementation

of IFSA which stresses on

governance, compliance and

enforcement would give

conviction to the world that

Malaysia is the leading nation in

this space. However, it is yet to

be seen on how the IFSA would

be implemented and put in

practice given that there was

virtually zero case on

misconduct related to the Islamic

banking and finance industry,

especially in Malaysia, has

ever been tried and decided

upon. One of the main

questions is – which set of law

would be applicable in relation

to the Islamic banking and

finance alleged misconduct –

the conventional or the Shari’ah

laws? In my view, the

implementation of IFSA is a

step in the right direction as it

makes reference to the

Shari’ah Advisory Council’s

basis of verdict and/or decision

in evaluating an alleged

misconduct.


Congestion charge <





tradition?

XXX

Do you see all financial markets players

complying?

MRAA: In my opinion, the market players have more reasons to

comply with the FSA and IFSA than otherwise. In a highly

regulated industry, it is inevitable that compliance with internal

and external requirements defines the market player’s level of

integrity and trustworthiness - both for the entity and its

representatives. As far as the regulator is concern, BNM has

continuously been effective in discharging their duties effectively

and manage to value add as well. Market participants in

Malaysia seems to be clear about the role that they need to play

partly because BNM managed to explain the laws and

regulations under its administration from the context that made

sense to its licensees.

Nonetheless, there will be occasion of non-compliance events

but it would likely be due to misunderstanding rather than a

blatant disregard. This is to be expected and depending on the

gravity of the consequences, I think BNM will take appropriate

remedial action swiftly to contain negative impact to investors

and public at large.

There is neither rationale nor incentive for a non-compliance

conduct by a licensed entity or its representatives as conviction

under the FSA and IFSA is heftier – larger fine and longer jail

term.

Malaysia is also seen as a

moderate practitioner of Islam

and has developed a

reasonably well thought-out

Islamic banking and finance

industry. This is evident by the

public and private sector

efforts/collaboration to establish

several training and

development entities such as

INCEIF, IBFIM and IIiBF for the

purpose of continuously

developing competent experts

to further grow the Islamic

banking and finance industry.

In short, the IFSA provides a

credible platform for the market

experts to put into practice the

theoretical aspects of the

market as there is more clarity

in terms on key terminologies

and scope of authority as well

as basis for enforcement

actions. The combination of

these elements with the

competent personnel is what

made Malaysia different (and

better) from other. I hope that

the current market players,

BNM and the training and

development entities will

continue to perform their duties

effectively..



5

Most trainers in the market train based on trend and

not passion

Most people become trainers because they see the opportunity that

the government provide especially the amount of money that they

can profit from, says Leap Integrated Solutions CEO, Johan Irwan

Kamarozaman.

“

Johan Irwan Kamarozaman

is an aspiring international

speaker, trainer and author on

Leadership & Communication

Skills.

> Uncommon Business Sense || Johan Irwan Kamarozaman


Organisations schedule trainings

every now and then with soft skills

training are commonly placed as a

secondary option. As a trainer, do

people warm up easily to the idea

of soft-skills training?




JIK: I have to agree that soft skills

training is commonly placed as a

secondary option. The perception of

soft-skills are is that people should

already have developed them and

people may take-up the skills along

the way as they mature. But the fact

is most companies during recruitment,

they will look at the ability to

communicate. When we do business

dealing, people who communicate

better will have the advantage. These

are all soft-skills. And people who

master it, they will have some added

advantage. There is always a problem

especially in terms of communication

in any organisation – the opportunity

to develop in soft-skills, even though

people who have abundance of

experience. Unless people see the

needs to solve the problems, people

might have that kind of perception of

soft-skills as secondary in terms of

priority. In my opinion, you may have

the best hard-skills in the world, but if

you don’t communicate well, you will

still be a small potato. Take Thomas

Edison as an example. Light bulb was

originally invented by Nikola Tesla






xxxxxx

Joshua Leong: XXX


in moments of enjoyment.”The correct



for a longer time.

However, Thomas Edison was the first

person who communicate on the

invention, he has known to the world

as the inventor of the light bulb.

Furthermore, his invention has

impacted millions of lives because of

he know how to communicate better.

Same goes to people like Steve Jobs.

His ability to communicate has change

the whole industry, where Dennis

Ritchie who invented the C language

and Unix, which is the fundamental of

Windows and Apple was been ignored.

Uncommon Business Sense: We see

many providers marketing their

programmes. e.g creative thinking

and writing skills. What has

triggered the need for such

programmes which resulted in this

category of training programmes to

be considered generic?

JIK: Most trainers in the market train

based on trend. Not based on their

passion. If they train based on trend

this will result in the training becoming

generic. Especially when we talk about

creative thinking, it is a wide topic to

cover and often time a training is not

sufficient to make a person to become

creative.





That is how I see some trainers are

not effective, because they try to solve

things that is too generic. However,

some trainers are really specific in

terms of solutions that they provide

and they are often good at packaging

their training module. Take Blue

Ocean Strategy as an example, the

founder is trying to create a concept

which is part of creativity but how the

framework that they introduced

provides a solutions to solve specific

issue. Same goes to writing skills,

there is no way for a person to learn

how to write within 2 days. We learn in

schools to write for more than 10

years, yet most of us are still

struggling. But if the module is

focusing on solving specific issue in

writing, the training can be seen as

more effective and it will provide a

better return-on-investment. Because

of that, it is important to address

specific goals that can be achieved at

the end of the session. The training

objectives must specifically mentioned

what are the solutions that the

programme may offer.






xxxxxx

Joshua Leong: XXX

JIK: Based on my observation, most

people become trainers because they

see the opportunity that the

government provide especially the

amount of money that they can profit

from. As a result, most trainers don’t

really look at the impact that they can

make on the community or the

organisation. The government

initiatives are very much needed

especially to develop the skills of every

Malaysian. However, in terms of

implementation, the trainers need to

ensure that the training provides good

results for the participants. Not only

according to specification or certain

syllabus. Students must be convinced

with the benefits brought about from

training. If they are being forced to join

the training, they might have different

focus during the training session. In my

opinion, once the participants are in

the training venue, it is the trainer’s

responsibility to inspire the participants

to learn and to gain experience as

much as possible during that session.

This can be done by shifting their focus

to the learning objectives and

behaviour modification techniques.

Most trainers in the market train based

on trend. Not based on their passion. If

they train based on trend this will result

in the training becoming generic.

Especially when we talk about creative

thinking, it is a wide topic to cover and

often time a training is not sufficient to


government has allocated

significant amount of budget on

training programmes over the

years. How successful would you

consider the government’s effort

in shaping “better Malaysians”?

Most trainers don’t

really look at the impact

that they can make on

the community or the organisation

“



Practising uncommon business sense









xxxxxx

Joshua Leong: XXX








Uncommon Business Sense: It is

difficult to assess the credibility

of a trainer. The steepest hill

climb for any trainer is

maintaining that timespan where

the audience is captivated and

drawn to all wisdom being shared

in the room. As a trainer, how do

you find that connection with

your audience?

trainers will often be called back to

conduct other trainings even though

the subject might be not related. Ralph

C. Smedley said, "We learn best in

moments of enjoyment." The correct

methodology also will make the

knowledge and lessons stick in the

participants mind for a longer time. If

you can recall the last training session

that you have attended, what makes it

effective? Which training is more

memorable?

JIK: In any training, what makes the

training effective mainly is not

because of the content. It is always

the methodology. These days we

can get the content easily by buying

books or even by searching from the

internet. Even though we have such

good content, if the methodology is

not right, it might not contribute to

the effectiveness of the training. On

the other hand, if the methodology is

good, it will produce great training

results. That explains why good

Uncommon Business Sense: Some

people are unfamiliar with the

differences between a trainer and

a consultant. How would you

differentiate the two?

JIK: As a trainer, the main responsibility

is to develop people through learning

and experience during the training

session. The focus is to fill-up the

competency gap and the gap is

identified through training needs.











xxxxxx

Joshua Leong: XXX








Uncommon Business Sense: There are hundreds of different training

programmes around the world. What makes yours so unique?

"We learn best in moments of enjoyment."

The correct methodology also will make

the knowledge and lessons stick in the

participants mind for a longer time. If you

can recall the last training session that you

have attended, what makes it effective?

Which training is more memorable?

JIK: Of course there are hundreds of training programmes out there but

each and everyone of them cater for different training needs. For our

training beside international recognition from American Institute of Business

Psychology, the programme is designed based on the fundamentals

psychology of leadership and communication. By identifying the basic

pattern of human thinking process and understand why people do what

they do, we will be able to identify the strength and weaknessess of

ourselves and people surround us. We would also understand what

motivate us to achieve more in our work and our life. Thus translate to

better performance in our work and we can inculcate better organizational

culture. Most of the time people trying to fix on things that they can see,

that they forgot that what they see is just the tip of the iceberg. Most

problem can only be solved by understanding the root cause and that is

what exactly the solutions that we provide.

Uncommon Business Sense: Some people

are unfamiliar with the differences

between a trainer and a consultant.

How would you differentiate the two?

As a trainer, the main responsibility is to

develop people through learning and

experience during the training session. The

focus is to fill-up the competency gap and

the gap is identified through training

needs. The trainer will facilitate a learning

session which the effectiveness of the

session is measured by how much the

participants gain in terms of skills, attitude

and knowledge. A consultant on the other

hand, the main responsibility is to develop

the business performance. The consultant

Uncommon Business Sense: What are the lessons for other

aspiring trainers in the field?

JIK: It’s about passion. Trainers is only for people who are

passionate to learn as well as helping others to develop. If

someone decided to become a trainer because they see the

other factor such as income they potentially earn or the flexible

time that a trainer might have, they might not be able to cope

since there are more challenges that a trainer needs to

overcome. At the end of the day, you need to ask yourself what is

the purpose of you becoming a trainer. If your answer is the

fulfillment you received by seeing people growing, that is the

ultimate satisfaction a trainer may have.




Uncommon Business Sense: XXX

MAB: , XXX

TEUKU PUTRA AZIZ is no stranger in

the local fashion scene and acknowledged for

his sophisticated detailing and extravagant

designs. Putra is the head designer at Cosry

and although the brand is associated with

royalties, celebrities and highly popularised

socialites, Putra shares his journey with us in

taking the brand to greater heights and why

he chose Malaysia to do so.

> Uncommon Business Sense || Teuku Putra Aziz


‘It takes hard work to succeed a brand’ From the kebaya to wedding gowns to skin care, Putra has been key in the expansion

of Cosry’s product offerings. The fashion industry is witnessing a massive influx of

designers. This forces every designer to innovate, says Putra.

Uncommon Business Sense: So

why Malaysia?

TPA: (laughs) She was a very

young market when I first set

foot here. There were not many

kebaya designers and this was

the market that I wanted to see

flourish. Cosry has come a long

way and our recognition as a

high quality brand has definitely

set us as the preferred label

amongst our most loyal

customers and fashion

loyalists. Malaysia is so similar

to Indonesia – it was really

easy for me to make the

decision of coming here to

pursue my ambitions.

Uncommon Business Sense: Cosry

is perceived as a Malay label

which triggers an automatic

response to being translated

as Muslim fashion. How true

is this?

TPA: Our main target customer

is the Malay community. Our

designs are in tune with their

expectations but it would not be

accurate to assume that Cosry

ignores the other communities

in Malaysia. We are promoting

it as a fashion for all. Since our

branch opening in Bangsar, a

variety of customers are

frequenting our shop. This has

allowed us to plan for more

surprises in our fashion line

TPA: Exactly. To see so many

aspiring brands in the market,

this shows the opportunity that

exists in the fashion industry.

As the local scene is at a

maturing stage, the market is

facing a saturation of high

street fashion. At Cosry, we

distinguish our brand by

providing elegant and sleek

designs. We are targeting

more matured loyalists which

allow us to be more

accommodating.


Today, with access to better

education and better

standard of living, we see an

increasing number of

aspiring designers and

brands.

TPA: Cosry does not compete

directly with most of the local

brands in the market.

However, there are some

designers that provide custom

made tailoring and these are in

direct competition with us. It is

no secret that sourcing of

material plays a major factor in

providing a better customer

experience but we start with

the need of our customers. To

Uncommon Business Sense: So

you have more competitions.

How does that turn into

innovation?

fully understand the need, it

helps that the team has many

years of experience in fashion

and constitutes members from

different generations. Our skin

care line, for example, is our

response to a need.

TPA: This is a tough one. We

have recently opened our

flagship store in the Middle

East to tap into the Muslim

market. This undoubtedly

raised the awareness of our

brand but we underestimated

the importance of language

and cultural barriers. Branding

is still a mystery to us and we

are currently exploring ways to

perpetuate our brand.


Branding.

All businesses require some form

of introduction to new resources

and innovations. Ours include:

• Rolling out of e-commerce

platform

• Opening of new branches

• Hiring of talented designers

• Managing overheads

• Branding, branding, branding



Prudenz Consulting is an independent consulting firm, committed to helping organisations

to achieve breakthrough improvements in overall performance. Our professionals have a

wide and varied range of industry experience and we worked closely with our clients to

ensure that their expectations and concerns are addressed. We cut across multiple

disciplines in an organisation – we search for risks which are less apparent but impact greatly

on efficiency. Simply put - we solutionise and provide realistic recommendations and not

single liners. We exercise creativity in providing commercially viable solutions to enhance the

control environment and mitigate any risks. For more information, please visit


© Prudenz Consulting Sdn Bhd, 2013. All rights reserved.

The analyses in this report are based on public data and forecasts that have not been verified

by Prudenz Consulting and on assumptions that they are subject to uncertainty and change.

The analyses are intended only for general comparisons across companies and industries

and should not be used to support any individual investment decision.

For information or permission to reprint, please contact:

Email: [email protected]

Fax: +60–3–2118 5117

Mail: Prudenz Consulting Sdn Bhd

6.03C, 6th Floor, Menara Keck Seng

203, Jalan Bukit Bintang

Kuala Lumpur 55100

Malaysia

Uncommon Business Sense December 2013 - 9 Profiles

Business

Transcript of Uncommon Business Sense December 2013 - 9 Profiles