Celebrated as Malaysia’s own ‘Bill Gates’, Ganesh Kumar Bangah has once again etched his name in the annals of the digital entrepreneurship realm. The visionary was recently adorned with the prestigious ‘World Distinguished Digital Entrepreneur Lifetime Achievement Award’, courtesy of the KSI Strategic Institute for Asia Pacific.
The illustrious award was tendered to Ganesh by His Excellency Tun Dato’ Seri Utama Ahmad Fuzi bin Haji Abdul Razak, The Head of State of Penang (centre in main pic), at the esteemed World Digital Economy and Technology Summit 2023 in Penang last week.
Gracing the occasion were notable figures like KSI President Tan Sri Michael Yeoh (left), Deputy Chairman Datuk Seri Mohamed Iqbal Rawther (second left), and Pacific Basin Economic Council, Hong Kong, CEO Michael Walsh.
The KSI Strategic Institute is a distinguished non-profit think tank committed to catalysing socio-economic betterment through a nexus of innovative public policy ideas, comprehensive research, and strategic dialogues. The organisation is acclaimed for orchestrating high-level congregations, acting as a crucible for thought leaders and policymakers to explore and dissect emergent issues and trends stirring the business and competitive milieu.
A luminary in the tech sphere, Ganesh was applauded alongside 25 distinguished business leaders from across Asia. These luminaries have exhibited indomitable spirit and exponential growth amidst the whirlwind of the Covid-19 pandemic, embodying the epitome of resilience.
In his early twenties, Ganesh, as the helmsman of MOL Global Inc., made headlines by becoming the youngest CEO of a Malaysian public listed company, as acknowledged by the Malaysia Book of Records. Under his aegis, MOL burgeoned into Southeast Asia’s foremost online payment gateway and etched a global footprint by becoming the first regional company to debut on NASDAQ in 2014.
His accolade cabinet also boasts of esteemed titles like the Ernst & Young Technology Entrepreneur of the Year (2012), along with notable mentions such as being hailed as ‘one of Malaysia’s most inspiring technology entrepreneurs’ by Top 10 of Malaysia.
In the ensuing years, Ganesh continued his tech odyssey by acquiring the reins of Xamble Group Limited (formerly ‘Netccentric Limited’) as Executive Chairman in 2020.
Xamble, heralding Malaysia’s largest influencer platform Nuffnang with a cohort of 20,000, has morphed into ‘Asia’s Pioneering Digital Growth Ecosystem’. This venture had been enhanced by his 2017 brainchild, Commerce.Asia, an ‘all-in-one’ e-commerce enabler group boasting a vibrant database of 8.4 million SMEs and 52,000 active sellers across seven countries, which raked in a staggering RM6.2 billion sales volume in 2022.
Ganesh’s extensive involvement with the tech community extends to his tenure as the Chairman of the National Tech Association of Malaysia (PIKOM) and his ongoing advisory role, coupled with chairing its national think-tank, Future Digital.
The visionary harbours a firm belief that entrepreneurial prowess can be harnessed to tackle the globe’s most exigent challenges. He envisions a future where the entrepreneurial spirit transcends profit, steering a course towards a socially impactful and luminous global landscape.
The award gala showcased an array of remarkable entrepreneurs, selected through a stringent vetting process from a pool of over 150 submissions spanning 16 markets. The categories ranged from Master Entrepreneur and Inspirational Brand to Fast Enterprise and Corporate Excellence, with each awardee epitomising the quintessence of entrepreneurial spirit and indefatigable resolve in the face of the pandemic.
This initiative garnered the endorsement of The Government of Penang and was supported by a myriad of associations and chambers of commerce, showcasing a collaborative effort towards heralding a new epoch of sustainable economic growth in the post-pandemic era, with Asia at the vanguard of the global economic resurgence.
In a subsequent event post the awards ceremony, Ganesh further showcased his acumen by participating in a well-curated panel discussion titled ‘Movers and Shakers of Digital Economy and the Cutting-Edge Technology to watch in 2023 and beyond’.
The discussion was flagged off by the esteemed Founder & Chairman Emeritus of Infosys, India, N. R. Narayana Murthy (pic), illuminating the pathway to what turned out to be a thought-provoking exchange of insights among the panellists.
Moderated by Yuki Aizawa from Women in Tech Global Movement, who serves as the Country Director for the Malaysia Chapter and Partnership Head for APAC, the session brought together a coterie of influential leaders and thinkers from across the globe.
Joining Ganesh on the panel were a cadre of notable global figures including Girish Ramachandran, the President of Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) Asia-Pacific, Singapore; Michael Walsh, the Chief Executive Officer of Pacific Basin Economic Council (PBEC), Hong Kong; Tindaro Danze, the President & CEO of Siemens Malaysia; Yohanes Lukiman, who holds multiple prestigious positions including the Chair of the Permanente Committee for Asia Pacific at the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce (KADIN), Head of CEO Office and Business Development at Blibli Tiket Group, and Board Member at the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ABAC), Indonesia; Rong Liew, the Chief Executive Officer & Co-founder of Showwcase, San Francisco; Dr. Marcuz Tan, serving as Special Advisor to MPE and Executive Director at Apex Digital Pte Ltd, Singapore; andGerhard Meier, Founder & Chairman of OTC Services Ltd, Zurich, Switzerland.
The diverse blend of expertise and experience across different sectors of the digital economy fostered a fertile ground for an enriching dialogue. They delved into various topics, including emergent technologies poised to redefine the digital landscape in 2023 and beyond.
Ganesh, alongside his distinguished co-panellists, explored the potential trajectories of the digital economy, dissecting both the opportunities and challenges awaiting on the horizon. The conversation ranged from the impact of cutting-edge technologies like AI, blockchain and 5G, to how businesses can pivot and adapt to the ever-evolving digital ecosystem.
The discussion encapsulated the vigour and vision carried by leaders like Ganesh Bangah, who continue to play a pivotal role in shaping the digital economy narrative, not only in Malaysia but on a global stage.
[Pic – Ganesh (centre) with (from left to right) Sitegiant Sdn Bhd Chief Operating Officer Wilson Lim and Founder and Chief Executive Officer Stanley Lim, Commerce.Asia Group CEO Kuna Kathigesan and FunNow Malaysia General Manager Benson Chang.]
