Category: events

Women in AI – Two Female Founders Team Up to Launch World’s First AI-Driven Marketing Strategy Platform

Brand Soul Malaysia, a leading brand strategy consultancy firm in Malaysia, launches the world’s first artificial intelligence (AI) driven marketing strategy platform in collaboration with Robotic Marketer. Recognised for its sustainable brand building and marketing strategy formulation, the new partnership with Robotic Marketer is a women- led venture by Stella Wong and Mellissa Smith, stepping towards building the future of marketing.

Over the last decade, Malaysian business owners have encountered unprecedented business challenges and struggled to expand their organisations under fierce competition to manage their brands effectively. Despite several government initiatives, most SMEs find it challenging to differentiate their brands in the global market due to weak branding and marketing strategies and a lack of digital marketing skills. Companies without a strategy or plan are at risk of spending more resources on ineffective campaigns and missing out on valuable opportunities.

With the launch of Robotic Marketer in Malaysia, Brand Soul intends to transform the branding and marketing landscape by becoming the sustainable brand and AI marketing partner for growing businesses, helping them to capitalise on AI and ChatGPT technology for better marketing ROI.

Another Women-Empowered Milestone

According to a report by Grant Thornton in 2021, Malaysia has achieved a new record with 37% of women occupying senior leadership positions. This partnership is a reflection of this achievement which has resulted from persistent efforts made over the years to enhance skills and expertise, enabling women to reach the pinnacle of the business world.

Stella Wong, Founder of Brand Soul

“We are thrilled to be the leading licensee of Robotic Marketer in Malaysia to extend our service offerings. With ChatGPT technology becoming the buzzword in almost every industry, we aim to become Malaysia’s first branding and marketing consultancy that puts technology and experience into real practice. Our goal is to help our clients succeed by making marketing easier, more efficient and more cost-effective,” says Stella Wong.

“The marketing automation platform is a game-changer for businesses as we give them full control over their marketing performance, with up-to-date data analysis, reporting and full visibility of marketing strategy performance in one single platform. One of its key features is creating a comprehensive marketing plan with the target audience and competitor insights and marketing tactics aligned to key marketing objectives. It also features a 12-month marketing calendar with real-time data and industry benchmarking analysis. We cannot wait to see how it disrupts the traditional marketing methods and helps businesses to grow,” adds Stella Wong.

Mellissah Smith, the CEO of Robotic Marketer, also comments on the partnership, stating, “We are delighted to partner with Brand Soul. When we were looking to expand into Asia, we sought a forward-thinking company that embraces technology to drive better marketing performance for their clients. We found that Brand Soul had accumulated respect in the industry working with companies that benefited from their creative approach and performance-centric brand marketing campaigns.

Mellissah Smith, CEO of Robotic Marketer

The leap into data-driven marketing strategies using artificial intelligence is a good fit with Brand Soul’s expertise in branding and marketing.”

Having worked closely with over 1000 companies across various industries with specialities in the branding and marketing sectors, the founders understand the fast-evolving nature of businesses. Individually they have also helped businesses drive their branding and marketing through the thick and thin of the pandemic and the current global situation.

Moving forward, Brand Soul will launch a series of AI marketing awareness programmes and introduce Channel Partnership Programme to help software companies and their channel partners develop go-to-market strategies to build brands and generate leads. Companies that Robotic Marketer work with across the channel include SAP, Oracle, Mitel and Zift.

Brand Soul will also offer Robotic Marketer as part of its branding and marketing services suite, including brand strategy, brand identity, digital marketing, seed marketing, content creation and more.

For more information, please visit Brand Soul’s official website at www.brandsoul.com.my or contact+017-513 6870.

About Brand Soul Malaysia

Founded in 2016, Brand Soul Malaysia is an independent, sustainable-driven, and innovative brand and marketing strategy design consultancy based in Kuala Lumpur.

Known for helping organisations to improve profitability and achieve sustainable growth through a data-driven approach, Brand Soul has revolutionised how branding & marketing is done with its differentiators, namely data-led brand strategy & identity framework, integrated web design & content strategy, precise marketing, and brand-centred training & development programmes.

Brand Soul’s innovative approach to branding and marketing led it to win several coveted awards. Brand Soul has worked with local and international clients, including Petronas, GDEX, Ho Wah Genting, Medtronic, Viewpoint, Yinson and more.

08/03/2023
KOSSAN’s ‘Greening Value Chain’ With PANTAS

The Greening Value Chain Programme (GVC) has been successfully rolled out by Kossan Rubber Industries (“KOSSAN”) together with its climate solutions partner, Pantas Software (“PANTAS”). This programme was previously launched by Bank Negara Malaysian (“BNM”) in conjunction with the Finance Day at COP-27, in Egypt^[1]. The event was held in attendance of Suhaimi Ali (Assistant Governor of Bank Negara Malaysia), Tan Sri Dato’ Lim Kuang Sia (Group Managing Director & CEO of Kossan Rubber Industries Berhad) and Max Lee (Chief Executive Officer, Pantas Software Sdn Bhd).

The programme aims to assist and incentivise carbon emission management among KOSSAN’s small medium enterprise (SME) suppliers, making them the strategic SME suppliers of KOSSAN. This programme enables these suppliers to access BNM’s Low Carbon Transition Facility (LCTF) of RM2 billion to fund SMEs’ working capital or capital expenditures related to low-carbon practices at an affordable rate.

To achieve this, PANTAS, a Malaysia-based climate-tech solution, will assist the SMEs to begin measuring GHG emissions and report on sustainability indicators in a consistent and efficient manner to help achieve national carbon reduction targets. The SMEs will receive free access to carbon accounting software solutions developed by PANTAS along with training and consultation services provided by GVC service provider partners such as Malaysia Green Technology and Climate Change Corporation (“MGTC”), Credit Guarantee Corporation Malaysia Berhad (“CGC”), British Standards Institution (“BSI”), and AmBank Berhad (“AmBank”) to kickstart their carbon management journey. The programme is supported by the Joint Committee of Climate Change (“JC3”) which is co-chaired by BNM and Securities Commission Malaysia.

As Tan Sri Dato’ Lim Kuang Sia, Group Managing Director and CEO of KOSSAN said in his speech, “This programme is a great representation of KOSSAN’s values. As part of KOSSAN’s L.I.V.E Sustainability Policy, we believe that to succeed in our sustainability journey, we need to strengthen our partnership and collaboration. This programme is a win-win-win relationship for our suppliers and KOSSAN, which also benefits the environment. This is one example of our commitment to creating shared values with our partners because we believe that our sustainability journey is a path to take together”.

PANTAS CEO and Co-founder, Max Lee stated, “We believe that an integrated software solution, relevant training and awareness are essential to get SMEs onboard KOSSAN’s sustainability efforts to ensure a just transition. Apart from assisting SMEs in measuring and disclosing the relevant climate data, PANTAS will also work with partners to help SMEs set and achieve carbon reduction targets.”

Following the GVC programme rollout, PANTAS and the selected service provider partners will hold regional training sessions to equip SME suppliers with valuable insights into climate change, including the importance and methods of carbon management and reporting. Additionally, SMEs will gain an in-depth understanding of the assurance process and access to climate-related financing products. The first training session will be held on March 21st, 2023 in Lanai Kijang, Kuala Lumpur.

Tan Sri Dato’ Lim Kuang Sia, Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Kossan Rubber Industries Bhd., said in his speech, “This programme is a win-win-win relationship for our strategic suppliers and KOSSAN, which also benefits the environment.”

Max Lee, Chief Executive Officer of Pantas Software Sdn. Bhd., said in his speech, “We believe that an integrated software solution, relevant training and awareness are essential to get SMEs onboard KOSSAN’s sustainability efforts to ensure a just transition.”

About GVC Programme

The GVC programme is an initiative by Bank Negara Malaysia together with the GVC strategic partners, which was announced at the COP-27 conference in Egypt in conjunction with Finance Day on 9 November 2022. The programme is envisaged to help SMEs begin their journey in sustainability reporting, to tackle climate change and reduce the nation’s carbon footprint. This programme incentivises and assists Malaysian SMEs in implementing impactful, long-term change to green their operations and benefit from the technical advisories and software tools from services provider partners and climate transition financing from the Low Carbon Transition Facility (LCTF) by Bank Negara Malaysia. Climate change is one of the biggest challenges facing our planet, and GVC strategic partners remain committed to doing its part in addressing this global crisis.

About KOSSAN

KOSSAN is one of the largest manufacturers of disposable gloves in the world and one of the largest technical rubber product manufacturers in Malaysia. With its long-term sustainable growth model, KOSSAN continues to forge solid partnerships and strategic client relations and remains committed to serving the needs, particularly of the healthcare, cleanroom and safety sectors for the Gloves division, and in industries such as automotive, infrastructure, marine, aviation, rail and mining for the Technical Rubber Products division.

For more information on KOSSAN and our products, please visit www.kossan.com.my

About Pantas

Pantas Software is a Malaysian climate-tech startup that provides companies with end-to-end climate solutions to calculate, manage and disclose their carbon emissions. The proprietary AI-enabled software includes a customised climate data collection tool, along with error detection and prevention features to produce an actionable climate plan based on international standards. Pantas also provides financial institutions and institutional investors with climate due diligence solutions to manage climate investment risk.

For more information on Pantas’ platform and services, please visit www.pantas.com

^[1]https://www.bnm.gov.my/-/cop27-gvc-lctf

07/03/2023
AWS’ Cloud Infrastructure Region To Accelerate Rate Of Innovation For Malaysia

Amazon Web Services’ RM25.5 billion investment into Malaysia – making it the first in the region for cloud computing infrastructure with 3 availability zones is a catalyst on many fronts.

MRANTI believes this will accelerate the rate of innovation as it opens up more bandwidth for Malaysian innovators to closely collaborate with leading science, technology and innovation teams across the value chain, from anywhere in the world, at speed and with greater capacity, reliability, availability, manageability and security. This will raise the stature of our R&D for commercialisation while elevating more Malaysian technologies to market.

This in turn, will enhance the country’s security of innovation supply.

AWS’s investment also opens up new pathways for upstream and downstream R&D services and solutions to be developed in Kuala Lumpur – which is ranked as a top 10 innovation hub in the region.

It will also help us draw in the right talent and move Malaysia up the innovation value chain as the next-generation cloud infrastructure system will support a host of technologies by high-growth companies, set to take flight in the coming years.

Malaysia is already a base for many leading multinational and leading technology companies, and we believe more will follow in AWS’ lead in this regard.

Dzuleira Abu Bakar, CEO MRANTI

MRANTI is committed to connecting investors and innovators to accelerate ideas to impact. In this regard, we look forward to collaborating with AWS and Malaysian institutions, startups, and companies to deliver cloud-powered applications to fuel economic development across the country and to spur job creation, skills training, and educational opportunities for communities.

Ultimately, it will serve the needs of the rakyat, business and industry – as outlined in the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI)’s strategic initiatives and framework to enable Malaysia to migrate from a technology consuming to a technology producing nation strongly based on an innovation-driven economy.

About MRANTI

MRANTI is the one-stop research commercialisation agency with the resources to accelerate the commercialisation of innovative ideas that will drive impact. As a connector, collaborator and catalyst, MRANTI will connect problem statements (demand) with solutions (supply), bridging collaboration between public and private sectors (transition); increase private sector participation, either through market access, investment, advisory or consultation and facilities for testing and prototyping.

03/03/2023
Krenovator Introduces AI Coding Assistant to Accelerate Coding Learning for Tech Talents

Krenovator Technology Sdn. Bhd. announced the immediate availability of Abraham, an AI Coding Assistant on its digital Tech Talent Platform that was launched late last year. The new tool provides users with real-time feedback and suggestions, helping them to improve their coding skills efficiently and effectively. It also allows users to create new software at a much faster rate than conventional methods. The intelligent coding assistant is available for users at no charge.

Among Abraham’s main capabilities are to assist users in completing unfinished code as well as detect any syntax or semantic errors in a code.
Mahadhir Yunus, CEO of Krenovator said, “We are thrilled to introduce Abraham to the world. As a provider of coding training, we often receive a high volume of questions from our users. Some of these questions were unique, which made it challenging to provide quick answers, while others were repetitive. These situations have inspired us to create an intelligent and efficient method of learning to code. Our objective is to offer targeted assistance to developers worldwide so that they can create high-quality and innovative solutions.”

(L-R) Mahadhir-Yunus, CEO and Calvin Lim, COO

Currently, Abraham supports full-stack programming covering 17 popular programming languages and frameworks including frontend, backend, database, API, Angular, DevOps, Flutter, .NET, PHP, Python, Java, and Javascript. Krenovator is working on expanding the list.

“We are glad that the work that began in early 2022 to develop Abraham has finally come to fruition now. Whether it’s a junior coder trying to fix a bug or a senior software engineer wanting to inspect their codes, Abraham can assist 24/7,” Mahadhir explains.

“We see that Abraham has the potential of becoming the first line support assistance when it comes to coding,” he concludes.

Krenovator plans to introduce an enterprise version of the AI coding assistant in the future. Krenovator’s Tech Talent Platform offers free coding and training modules developed by the Company. It has also recently partnered with Coursera to allow users to obtain a certification. The platform currently has more than 3,000 tech talents from Malaysia and Indonesia combined.

About Krenovator

Founded in 2019, Krenovator is an AI tech talent and placement platform that provides services to two main groups – individuals who want to learn and improve coding skills, and companies looking to hire qualified software developers. The Company’s digital platform which was launched in late 2022 has attracted over 3,000 tech talents from Malaysia and Indonesia. So far, the Company has also successfully helped more than 200 qualified talents to land a tech job with employers from Malaysia, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Krenovator is based in the state of Selangor, Malaysia. Visit us at: www.krenovator.io.

28/02/2023
Kenanga Investors Sweeps Five Awards At 2023 Best Of The Best Awards By Asia Asset Management
Kenanga Investors Berhad (“Kenanga Investors”) has received five awards at the 2023 Best of the Best Awards by Hong Kong-based Asia Asset Management (“Awards”). The company was recognized for its exceptional performance in a number of categories, solidifying its position as a leading player in the industry.

Kenanga Investors received the following awards:
- Malaysia Best Impact Investing Manager
- Malaysia Best Equity Manager
- Malaysia Most Improved Fund House
- Malaysia Best House for Alternatives
In addition, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer Datuk Wira Ismitz Matthew De Alwis was named Malaysia CEO of the Year, marking this the fourth year that he has received this prestigious award.

The firm excelled against a backdrop of reduced trading activities and prolonged turmoil due to a degree of volatility over the last two years to win the Best Impact Investing Manager and Best Equity Manager titles once more. “Our long-standing investment strategy of bottom-up stock picking ensures that we select quality companies with robust financial fundamentals. Ultimately, a sustainable company is one that produces strong results when measured using traditional financial measures as well as ESG considerations”, says Datuk Wira De Alwis.

This year also marks the fourth year that the fund house has been awarded Best House for Alternatives. Datuk Wira De Alwis explains that the firm’s overarching investment philosophy dictates that differing investment objectives require tailored solutions that cater to the unique needs of each investor. “We are pleased to be recognised for our efforts in providing our clients with a diversified investment portfolio that offers opportunities for long-term capital growth and stability. We are confident that our position within the alternative space continues to provide immeasurable value to our investors, enabling both retail and institutional investors to capture market opportunities in a volatile environment especially when the pandemic, coupled with the unrest in Europe, has accelerated the need for technological advances”, he says.

The fund house’s focus on diversification and sustainability is further demonstrated by the expansion of the Kenanga Sustainability Series, a suite of multi-asset class products, first introduced in 2021, which are rooted in sustainability considerations to advance long-term financial growth and to generate social financial value for surrounding communities. “In line with this, we aim to continue meeting the diverse demands of our investors by focusing on offering wealth protection solutions, such as insurance and private trust, to help preserve and grow investors’ wealth”, says Datuk Wira De Alwis.

On its win as Most Improved Fund House this year, he explains “Our ascent to being recognized as one of the leading asset and wealth management firms in the industry is the result of a well-executed approach that combined strategic acquisitions and product expansions with a focus on cost-saving initiatives”. The fund house leveraged existing resources and grew its distribution network as part of its multi-product and multi-segment strategy which has driven customer satisfaction and loyalty as well as robust growth in its assets under administration.

The Malaysia Best Impact Investing Manager award recognises a firm’s success in deploying impact investing strategies in either public or private markets to generate positive, measurable social and environmental impact alongside sustainable financial returns.

The Malaysia Best Equity Manager award is in recognition of the success of the fund house’s equity products within Malaysia’s domestic market given the challenging trading conditions and its abilities in capturing potential growth opportunities.

The Malaysia CEO of the Year award is in recognition of the CEO’s overall achievements, performance of funds, increase of assets under management and their demonstration of leadership in the market.

The Malaysia Best House for Alternatives award recognises the firm’s achievements in growing the alternatives market, its performance record and its growth in client base.

The Malaysia Most Improved Fund House award recognises a manager’s strong financial performance by growth in revenues and profits in the past two years.

AAM is the world’s longest-running publication focused on Asia’s institutional asset management and pension fund industry. Its Best of The Best Awards recognises the finest performers in Asia from financial services companies and institutional investors to service providers whose influence and excellence expands beyond borders.

For more information about Kenanga Investors, please visit www.kenangainvestors.com.my

About Kenanga Investors Berhad 199501024358 (353563-P)

We provide investment solutions ranging from collective investment schemes, portfolio management services, and alternative investments for retail, corporate, institutional, and high net worth clients via a multi-distribution network.

The Hong Kong-based Asia Asset Management’s 2023 Best of the Best Awards awarded KIB under the following categories, Malaysia Best Impact Investing Manager, Malaysia Best Equity Manager, Malaysia CEO of the Year, Malaysia Best House for Alternatives and Malaysia Most Improved Fund House.

The Kenanga Growth Fund Series 2 won Best Malaysia Large-Cap Equity Fund at the 2022 Morningstar Awards Malaysia.

At the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards Malaysia 2022, KIB won overall best Mixed Assets – Malaysia Pension Funds Group award for the third time. Accompanying this were individual fund wins awarded to:
- Kenanga Growth Fund for best Equity Malaysia Fund over 10 Years
- Kenanga Malaysian Inc Fund for best Equity Malaysia Diversified over 3 Years
- Kenanga Growth Opportunities Fund for best Equity Malaysia Small & Mid Cap over 5 Years
- Kenanga Diversified Fund for best Mixed Asset MYR Flexible over 10 Years
Additionally, the FSMOne Recommended Unit Trusts Awards 2022/2023 named Kenanga Growth Fund Series 2 as “Sector Equity – Malaysia Focused” and Kenanga Shariah Growth Opportunities Fund as “Sector Equity – Malaysia Small to Medium Companies (Islamic)”.

The Asset Benchmark Research has ranked KIB as Highly Commended on its list of ‘Top Investment Houses’ in the Asian Local Currency Bond Awards for Asset Managers.

At the United Nations Global Compact Network Malaysia & Brunei (“UNGCMYB”) Sustainability Performance Awards 2022, we received the “Sustainable Products” award for our launch of sustainable products, which cover the Kenanga Sustainability Series – a suite of multi-asset class products rooted in sustainability considerations to advance long-term financial growth for investors and to generate social and financial value for surrounding communities. The award also recognised the first SRI-qualified high yield bond fund in Malaysia, the Kenanga Sustainability Series: High Yield Bond Fund.

For the sixth consecutive year, KIB was affirmed an investment manager rating of IMR-2 by Malaysian Rating Corporation Berhad, since first rated in 2017. The IMR rating on KIB reflects the fund management company’s well-established investment processes and sound risk management practices. During the first half of 2021, KIB’s 20 largest unit trust funds outperformed its benchmarks for the one-year, three-year and five-year periods
21/02/2023
The Inaugural Malaysia Gold Conference 2023

Malaysia Gold Association (MGA) has organised and hosted the first ever Malaysia Gold Conference 2023 in Malaysia that was graced by the presence of the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Malaysia, His Excellency Bulat Sugurbayev accompanied by Dato’ Wira Louis Ng (Founder & Executive Chairman of PG Group), the President of MGA, along with Dato’ Chiah Hock Yew (President of Federation of Goldsmiths and Jewellers Associations of Malaysia), Vice President of MGA and Dato’ Haji Abdul Wahab Hamid, Chairman of Malaysia Gold Conference 2023, who is also the Honorary Secretary of MGA, to share with local gold industry players useful information on the current global gold market, gold prospects for year 2023 as well as market trends involving gold in various forms, here at Pavilion Hotel Kuala Lumpur, today.

With first-hand information shared by local and foreign gold veterans, the Malaysia Gold Conference 2023 was set to bring the local gold industry to greater heights.

Established in 2014, MGA has over the years played a vital role in advancing local precious metals industry through various activities from active involvement in national policy making and maintaining gold standards, to organising sales campaigns. This year, MGA has organised and kick started its first ever annual gold conference with guest speakers from London Metals Focus, Singapore Bullion Market Association, and Federation of Goldsmiths and Jewellers Association of Malaysia to share their expertise with participants – primarily gold industry players.

The core purpose of MGA is to protect the welfare of local precious metals industry and ensure that the industry continues to thrive. Hence, it is vital for local gold industry players to be consistently updated on regional market trends, global gold outlook as well as latest gold standards set by world renowned precious metals organisations, to remain competitive in global markets.

The key speakers who participated at the Malaysia Gold Conference 2023 were Mr. Chirag Sheth, Principal Consultant from London Metals Focus, Mr. Albert Cheng, Honorary Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Singapore Bullion Market Association, and Mr. Ermin Siow, Advisor from Federation of Goldsmiths and Jewellers Associations of Malaysia. The discussion topics include overview on the current global gold market, gold outlook for 2023, and latest market trends involving gold in various forms.

Apart from the three constructive gold knowledge sharing sessions, Mr Ryan Long, Head of Commodity Derivatives of Bursa Malaysia Derivatives was also given the opportunity to present a short introduction on Bursa Malaysia Gold Derivatives Gold Contract for public awareness.

According to the President of MGA, Dato’ Wira Louis Ng, “We want to make the Malaysia Gold Conference a resourceful event for all gold industry players in Malaysia. Therefore, apart from hosting discussions pertaining to physical precious metals and its prospects, we have also included a presentation on gold derivatives by Bursa Malaysia Derivatives this time round, to cover all aspects of gold in Malaysia.”

On top of the informative sharing sessions by gold veterans, Public Gold which is the main sponsor for this event, had also launched their very own Malaysia Gold ATM – certified by the Malaysia Book of Records as the First Gold Automated Teller Machine (ATM) in Malaysia that dispenses physical gold products. In line with MGA’s aim to promote home-grown brands to the World, the association is very much in support of this extraordinary initiative by Public Gold.

The momentous Malaysia Gold ATM launch ceremony was officiated by the Ambassador of the Republic of Kazakhstan to Malaysia, His Excellency Bulat Sugurbayev, Tan Sri Datuk Danny Ooi, Founder and Advisor of The Malaysia Book of Records, together with Dato’ Wira Louis Ng, Founder and Executive Chairman of PG Group, and Datin Wira Yvonne Lim, Executive Director of PG Group.

This Malaysia Gold ATM enables consumers to purchase physical gold bars (with 999.9 purity) which ranges up to 5 grams per bar at great convenience. This is to encourage general public, particularly Malaysians to keep physical gold for long-term wealth preservation. The Gram Gold Bars that are available for instant purchase at the Gold ATM feature astonishing designs from Disney, Marvel Studios, Warner Bros, Juventus, Garfield, Ejen Ali, Monsta, amongst others, which are perfect not only for personal collection and physical gold trading purposes, but also as gifts to family and friends. This machine operates 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to cater to ad-hoc demands at anytime of the day, with just a push of a button.

“We at Public Gold have always been an innovator and we constantly progress to suit market needs. In line with our brand tagline, ‘Ultimate Wealth Protector’, we want to encourage more locals to keep physical precious metals as a way to protect their wealth. Keeping physical gold is an excellent way to hedge against inflation. With the current economic situation in Malaysia, all the more locals should consider keeping physical gold to safeguard their existing wealth. Hence we feel this is the perfect time to launch our very own Malaysia Gold ATM to make gold purchase easy,” said Ng, who is also the Founder and Executive Chairman of Public Gold Group.

For more information on the Malaysia Gold Association (MGA), kindly log on to www.mga.my to find out more.

20/02/2023
Launch Of ConsuMerchant Book: The Essential Guide To Achieving Financial Freedom With E-Commerce

For the first time ever, the brains behind the ConsuMerchant concept, Dato’ Wira Louis Ng, Founder and Executive Chairman of PG Group, who is also the Managing Director of the leading homegrown online shopping platform, PGMall, has officially revealed to the nation, the essential guide to achieving financial freedom with e-Commerce, here at Hilton Kuala Lumpur. Also present at the launch event were Dato’ Haji Mohd Aizuddin Ghazali, Chief Executive Officer of Yayasan Prihatin Nasional (PRIHATIN) and Datuk Abdul Malik Abdullah, Economic & International Advisor of PRIHATIN, to co-launch a Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Programme with PGMall, represented by Mr. Jerry Ng, Chief Operating Officer of PGMall.

With the newly launched ConsuMerchant book, readers get to learn ways to earn legitimate passive incomes while shopping online, through a revolutionary Sharing Economy business model called ConsuMerchant. Also in this book, readers will come across two real-life case studies involving two companies, namely Public Gold and PGMall, in which have proven ConsuMerchant to be a workable concept for all.

Being the Founder and Executive Chairman to the renowned precious metals trading company in Malaysia, Public Gold, Dato’ Wira Louis Ng, has long experienced the advantages and effectiveness of referral marketing – the key to rapid business growth and advancement, through the establishment of Public Gold back in 2008. Considering that online shopping trends are on the rise in the recent years, he had envisioned and created yet another business channel that adopts similar concept of referral marketing and e-Commerce, but is more advanced and digitally-enhanced to benefit everyone in the digital era regardless of age, gender, education and financial backgrounds. That was when he started PGMall in 2017, an online shopping platform to fulfil consumer lifestyle needs.

In general, shoppers are value creators in the economy chain. Based on the law of supply and demand, every goods (supply), needs to have buyers (demand) to be valuable within the economy ecosystem. That was how the ConsuMerchant ideology came about. It operates under the ‘Shop, Share, Earn’ concept, whereby shoppers who referred new shoppers will be rewarded with cash and shopping credits through the referral and loyalty programme. Naturally when there is high consumer traffic, merchants will benefit from it too. Therefore, it’s a win-win for all. The ConsuMerchant is a concept designed to benefit all and makes everyone, including shoppers (consumers) an entrepreneur.

“The main reason I have founded the ConsuMerchant concept is to offer community the opportunity to earn passive incomes through a reliable and effective business model that requires no startup cost. In line with government’s vision in building a wealthier nation, my team and I have embarked on this Sharing Economy journey through PGMall since 2017, which coincidently was well established just in time before the COVID-19 pandemic hit our nation and the World,” said Dato’ Wira Louis Ng.

“In just a short 5 years, ConsuMerchant has benefitted many Malaysians greatly despite the economy downturn caused by the pandemic. In view of its effectiveness in generating incomes even for the illiterates, I am wishful and hope to spread this useful knowledge to larger community – not just to Malaysians but people across the World through my book. This is so that everyone will get to benefit from it and live a financially sound life not just in the present, but for generations to come,” he added.

Apart from introducing the ConsuMerchant Sharing Economy business model, this book also features researches done by fellow authors, who are lecturers from different established universities, based on various other business models’ effectiveness in the digital economy era that includes comparison between ConsuMerchant and other conventional referral models through clear illustrations.

There are five key topics being discussed in this book, which include e-Commerce, referral marketing, consumers, merchants and social media. On top of that, testimonies from successful users are also featured in this book to endorse the effectiveness of the ConsuMerchant business model. All in all, this book is a must buy for all who wish to understand more about e-Commerce and how to make the most out of it to live a better and financially stable life.

And in conjunction with the launch of the ConsuMerchant book, PGMall had also co-launched its Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Programme with Yayasan Prihatin Nasional (PRIHATIN), a charitable organization in Malaysia, in which PGMall has contributed a total of RM25,000 to kick start a long-term partnership with PRIHATIN. The core purpose of this partnership is to help raise funds for the underprivileged young communities, particularly those who are in need of financial assistance to start a business in Malaysia, through the sales of the ConsuMerchant Book.

The ConsuMerchant book will be available for purchase at all major bookstore nationwide starting from February 8th, 2023. Alternatively, this book can also be purchased online through PGMall, the leading homegrown online shopping platform in Malaysia.

09/02/2023
FIPC 2023 Registration Now Open

Financial Industry Profession Challenge 2023 (FIPC 2023) is an annual flagship event organized by the University of Malaya Finance Association (UMFA). This challenge comprises training and different levels of assessments that are in line with the real-world financial industry. The highest achieving group will be able to have a chance to secure an internship placement in our strategic partner’s company.

FIPC 2023 is back this year with new highlights:

📌Digital Economy Webinar

📌Blockchain and Digital Banking Forum

📌Networking Lunch

📌Career Booth

Are you an undergraduate student in Finance, Accounting or Economics?

If so, you are the potential ACE we are looking for! Slots are limited! What are you waiting for?

This is the time for you to shine!

To join, simply scan the QR code or click the registration link in our bio!

Are you wondering a lot of things about FIPC 2023? Wanted to enhance more in the financial industry?

Don’t worry! You can fulfill your hunger mind by simply put your queries in the link padlet below 👇

https://padlet.com/fipcprogramme2023/froirn0jt87lb8gf

For more information, you can contact them personally:

Ms. Jing Chi: +6010-775 2710

Ms. Anis:+6018-215 0492

Ms. Qistina:+6017-553 9100

🔔 Don’t forget to turn on your notifications and keep on track with us!

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30/01/2023
How Technology And ESG Making The World A Better Place

Environmental, social, and governance (ESG) are gaining momentum and becoming the talk of the town worldwide, including in Malaysia. We are committed to becoming a nation with net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050, and it needs a concerted effort by the government and the private sector.

Smart Investor spoke to an industry expert, Ben Lim, to learn more about how technology and ESG are making the world a better place. Ben is Epicor Malaysia’s Senior Country Manager with ten years of ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) experience.

Epicor Software Corporation equips hard-working businesses with enterprise solutions that keep the world turning. For almost 50 years, Epicor’s customers in the automotive, building supply, distribution, manufacturing, and retail industries have trusted Epicor to help them do business better.

Ben Lim, Senior Country Manager, Epicor Malaysia

How Technology And ESG Making The World A Better Place

Smart Investor: What does ESG mean to you, and why is it important to your business?

Ben Lim: ESG for Epicor is about understanding how we can help our customers better understand their environmental waste data, such as reduced energy consumption and carbon emissions, and support our customers’ social interdependencies, such as data hygiene and data security. Epicor helps companies improve hiring and onboarding best practices and logistics to achieve their business goals.

Progress on ESG initiatives is taking place at many levels, with businesses increasingly looking to strengthen their brand reputations through environmentally sound organisational practices. Cloud computing is uniquely positioned to help businesses save energy, reduce waste, and adopt sustainable business practices that support a healthier environment. Epicor’s customers in Malaysia can do just that.

Epicor has researched the opinions of technology decision-makers on their opinions and benefits of cloud computing with regard to their organisation’s sustainability objectives. Overall, the research results point to a positive trend when it comes to prioritizing sustainability within the corporate agenda.

An overwhelming 93% of IT decision-makers surveyed named sustainability as their focus area, with 41% saying it is a key focus area.

SI: How do technology and ESG impact your industry?

BL: A recent quote from Gartner summarizes the importance of sustainability and the impact it has on our industry, stating: “By 2025, 40% of all manufacturing company IT departments will own the responsibility of data modelling for sustainability and net-zero carbon targets”.

Malaysia has also committed to achieving carbon neutrality by the year 2050. This highlights the urgency for IT departments to start taking ownership and looking both internally and externally at how they can help to achieve this goal.

Clear evidence of this necessity is the increase in customer type and the need to understand more about how to achieve better consumption rates. Customer migrations are another important impact, including the reasons behind it.

SI: What are the key factors for a successful technology and ESG deployment?

BL: Cloud computing can have a direct and positive effect on sustainable operations, particularly when it comes to running IT daily operations, offices or facilities. This includes digitizing paper-based communications with cloud-based electronic document signature solutions to simplify the process, reduce reliance on paper and minimize environmental impact.

Complex manufacturing systems and data flows are monitored and controlled for improved efficiency in operations. This ultimately results in the maximization of resources and the reduction of resource wastage which reduces adverse effects on the environment. All of this is right in the wheelhouse of Epicor, being an ERP software as a service (Saas).

Another key factor for successful deployment is a clear understanding of the industry, its processes for which areas that need improvement can be identified and the right solutions (not just immediate/quick fixes but also fit for the future. (i.e. workforce gaps, automation on the factory floor, production processes, and measurement/consumption of energy deployment needs to be about industry expertise and then having the right solutions now that are also fit for the future).

About half of the IT leaders surveyed (47%) believe they can reduce paper wastage through digitization efforts, and 42% believe that cloud computing will significantly reduce IT hardware wastage within their organisations.

SI: What are the key trends you see gaining traction for technology and ESG? What are the areas of growth amongst the pillars to look at in 2023?

ESG, Environmental, Social and Governance printed in blue with two rubber stamps over white background. Corporate responsibility concept.

BL: The Covid pandemic has momentously shifted working patterns for good, with the growing number of employees working remotely from home, either permanently or part-time, as part of a hybrid model. Cloud computing acts as an enabler for the distributed workforce and ‘work from anywhere’ practices. However, the environmental impact of remote work is not as easy to measure.

The worsening global climate crisis and conflict in Ukraine are propelling complex risks, and organisations need to be aware of how these risks affect their businesses and help management plan strategically and tactically. Climate and geopolitical issues should be a permanent part of a company’s enterprise risk management.

The traditional shareholder-centric capitalism of the past half century is giving way to a broader set of shareholder considerations, expectations, and interests where employees, customers, regulators, suppliers and others are playing more important roles.

SI: How do technology and ESG trends shape Epicor as an organisation and its services?

In Malaysia, we are witnessing manufacturing companies become more observant of how their data is being collected and a trend where data is being managed via a formal energy intelligence system, connecting executives to the day-to-day tactical operations to achieve the strategic business goals that include ESG. One of the key solutions that Epicor heavily invests in is the Epicor Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) which collects data from shop floor resources such as machines and operators.

On the factory floor, the complex manufacturing systems and data flows are monitored and controlled for improved efficiency in manufacturing operations. This ultimately results in the maximization of resources and the reduction of resource wastage which reduces adverse effects on the environment.

SI: How has Epicor Software helped improve many organisations with their software?

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Epicor solutions fit very well for organisations that Make, Move & Sell. The Manufacturing, Distribution and Services industries are the three key industries that Epicor focuses on in Malaysia, and we have helped these organisations harvest exponential growth and improve their bottom line.

We are proud to have worked with Solarvest Holdings Berhad, one of Malaysia’s market leaders in the growth of the solar photovoltaic energy industry. The implementation of the Epicor ERP, Kinetic, has aided Solarvest in boosting their productivity and their capability to take on more projects than they were previously.

According to their CEO Davis Chong, Solarvest may have only been able to commit to 30 projects in a year but with the support of Epicor Kinetic, the company is now able to take on as many as 100 projects a year.

SI: How can Epicor help or contribute to Malaysia’s SME digital transformation?

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BL: At Epicor, we’ve built our reputation on knowing exactly what our customers need. According to the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development), research has indicated that 70% of SMEs have intensified their use of digital technologies due to COVID-19. SMEs are one of our key markets, and implementing ERP as part of their digital transformation is a key success factor for our SME customers’ growth.

We work hand-in-hand with our customers to better understand their businesses and industries to deliver market-leading industry productivity solutions and practices via Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Software to solve our customers’ real business problems and provide seamless customer experiences.

Epicor in Malaysia has successfully assisted SME organisations in the following industries: metal/steel services, industrial machinery, electronics, medical devices, automotive, F&B, engineering, and chemical.

Now you know how technology and ESG make the world better.

06/01/2023
Survey Finds Malaysians Are Struggling Financially From the Pandemic
As the world braces itself for a recession and continued inflation in 2023, Malaysians are in their worst-ever financial position to prepare for it. Data from the RinggitPlus Malaysian Financial Literacy Survey (RMFLS) 2022 revealed various painful truths about the current financial state of the rakyat, including depleted savings, cash flow issues, and other worrying trends.

Malaysians are still struggling from the financial impacts of the pandemic

Malaysians from all walks of life are now facing severe financial challenges that leave them vulnerable to financial shocks, as various financial aids reduced the impact in 2020 and 2021. 70% of respondents indicated that they save less than RM500/month or do not manage to save at all. This is the worst-ever result tracked by the RMFLS in 5 years.

At the other end of the spectrum, the amount of Malaysians who manage to save more than RM1,500 per month has also dropped significantly. From 20% in 2020, the figure has dropped four times lower to just 5% in 2022.

The RMFLS 2022 results also indicate that more Malaysians are struggling with less savings in hand, as 63% of respondents stated that they can survive for 3 months or less with only their savings (52% last year). A similar pattern is also seen where 55% of Malaysians spent exactly or more than what they earned each month (44% last year), essentially living paycheck-to-paycheck.

With depleted savings and higher cost of goods, the survey also highlighted a worrying trend where more credit cardholders are not paying off their bills in full – just 55% in 2022 compared to 70% last year.

Forgoing long-term security and wealth generation for short-term relief

With the challenges in cash flow and savings, the survey results show that Malaysians are choosing short-term monetary relief over long-term financial stability. A staggering 66% of respondents above 21 stated that they will consider applying for more Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) withdrawals if the government allows it.

In addition, the survey also found that 52% of Malaysians above the age of 18 have not started investing. Meanwhile, a majority of those who are investing have low-risk appetites but medium-term investment horizons which is not optimal – though these may be influenced by current financial challenges and global economic outlooks.

Current trends are a wake-up call to all parties to take action

“The financial effects of the pandemic have been devastating and our survey findings this year reaffirm that Malaysians have real financial challenges to address. It is a harsh reality not only for the rakyat, but also for policymakers and industry players – this is a generational issue that requires long-term solutions with sustained and concerted support from all parties. We cannot leave anyone behind,” said Hann Liew, co-founder and director of RinggitPlus.

In line with this, RinggitPlus recently introduced a new section to its Savings vertical on RinggitPlus.com that highlights the various cash management solutions in the market as it aims to encourage Malaysians to save and earn best-in-class returns.

“The new section on the Savings vertical at RinggitPlus.com is timely as it highlights a relatively new product line in the industry, and will help those looking to research and compare for the best savings products in the market. Meanwhile, offering our content in Bahasa Malaysia is part of our mission to extend our range of services to other languages and thus reach out to more Malaysians,” said Liew.

Financial literacy continues to be a major step towards helping Malaysians overcome financial challenges and take control of their financial health. As RMFLS celebrated its 5th anniversary, the annual survey continues to highlight the importance of financial literacy among Malaysians and provides data points that have been used by various organizations, education bodies, and governmental sectors towards guiding Malaysians to take control of their financial health.

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09/12/2022