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Changing The Rules Of Networking

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Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company is changing the rules of networking with the introduction of switching and software innovations designed to address the unique needs of today’s modern enterprise campus, branch and data center.

This gives network operators one simple, end-to-end switching platform to dramatically improve business outcomes today and into the future. 

Aruba is the first company to offer a single switching platform that runs on a modern network operating system – AOS-CX – from the enterprise edge to the core to the data center. This unique, cloud-native platform is further optimised by Aruba’s powerful Network Analytics Engine (NAE), which utilises embedded analytics and automation to simplify management, accelerate troubleshooting of application performance issues and remediate common network problems.

“AI-powered automation must be at the heart of a modern, edge-to-cloud architecture and, in order to be truly useful, it requires an intelligent infrastructure as the foundation,” said Keerti Melkote, president and founder at Aruba, a Hewlett Packard Enterprise company.

“We believe that AI is the key to analysing data, providing actionable insights, and automation at scale to optimise network operators’ ability to quickly troubleshoot, remediate and proactively resolve some of IT’s most pressing challenges. Our vision for the future is a cloud-native architecture that delivers true business agility and new digital experiences, and today’s introduction is an important step in that direction.”

Today’s enterprises cannot remain competitive by relying on greater performance and increased bandwidth alone. The modern enterprise requires an advanced architecture that is self-validating and self-tuning through closed-loop automation to intelligently support mission-critical applications, circumvent new security attack vectors, and deliver the agility that today’s enterprises require.

Justin Chiah, Senior Director and General Manager, Aruba, Southeast Asia said, “With campus networks, branch, and data centers serving as the foundation powering the digital platforms today’s modern enterprises rely on, Aruba remains commitment towards innovations that help enterprises address fragmented operations, legacy networks, and visibility issues for seamless service connectivity in this edge-cloud era.”

“Built on cloud-native principles, Aruba’s AOS-CX features built-in automation and advanced analytics for real-time insights, for increased resilience and flexibility, enabling organisations to pick and choose the configuration that best suits their specific needs. It is an absolute game-changer for enterprises in Southeast Asia that truly wish to prioritise future-proofing their networks in an increasingly digital global landscape.”

According to Gartner, a “cloud-native infrastructure exhibits the following characteristics:  

  • Modularity – It provides abstractions for independent packaging of services (such as containers or serverless functions).
  • Programmability – It supports provisioning and management via declarative APIs and policies.
  • Elasticity – Resources can be scaled up and down dynamically in an automated and policy-driven manner using orchestrators.
  • Resiliency – Services are loosely coupled units that are independent and fault-tolerant.

Modern enterprises need an edge-to-cloud network running on a common platform to benefit from automation and increased operational efficiency, freeing up network operators to focus on business-critical activities.

 

 

Local AI Company Bags 2 Medals At ASEAN ICT Awards

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Local artificial intelligence company WISE AI made Malaysia proud when it won two medals at the prestigious ASEAN ICT Awards 2019 last week.

The ceremony was held in Vientiane, Laos on Oct 24, 2019. Malaysian Minister of Communications and Multimedia Gobind Singh Deo was among the dignitaries who were present at the event.

WISE AI won a silver medal in the Startup Company category, behind Singapore’s Tessaract Technologies. Laos’ Goteddy Trading and Sole won bronze.

With its headquarters in Malaysia and offices in Singapore and Thailand, WISE AI is the preferred facial recognition enabler in Southeast Asia due to its laser focus on analysing Southeast Asian faces.

WISE AI co-founder and business director Justin Goh said: “The win is not just for the company. It is also recognition for Malaysian businesses and for the start-up environment here.

“It is also recognition that Malaysia has the talent for deep technology and we have the capability to compete internationally.”

WISE AI also won a bronze medal in the Research and Development category for its Reunite application.

Reunite is a facial recognition tool powered by an artificial intelligence mobile application that will increase the chances of parents finding their missing children.

Indonesia’s ATM Sehat won gold for its self-titled application with Thailand’s Ingarage Assistive Technology (Maker Playground) placed second.

“We are extremely proud to be the only Malaysian AI company to be a finalist in two categories of these prestigious awards.

“It shows a Malaysian company has what it takes to excel in the artificial intelligence field,” said Goh.

“We are pushing for Reunite as it is part of our corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiative to find missing children. We hope the relevant authorities will have a look at the application.”

Goh said the company was delighted to be presented with one of the awards by Gobind, adding that WISE AI would continue to push boundaries and exhibit Malaysia & its potential in deep technology.

Malaysian Companies Need To Bridge The Intention-Action Gap For Better Environmental Sustainability

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According to Refinitiv’s Financing a Sustainable Future in Asia report, Malaysia’s largest companies are rank third lowest in the region overall for environmental sustainability out of eight markets studied with the average environment score of 57.82, slightly exceeding the regional average of 62.34 points. Companies in Hong Kong recorded the best overall performance in Asia with an average score of 70.06, followed by South Korea (64.57) and India (63.12).

Intention – Action Gap
A clear gap is seen between intention and action, with a greater portion of Malaysian companies having policies on emissions, waste management, and water efficiency, than those with actual targets for improvement. In Malaysia, the largest disparity is in resource and waste management, with 87 percent of Malaysian companies adopting waste reduction policies, but only 20 percent having specific waste reduction targets to back up their policies. According to the report, targets can make a significant impact on action over time and drive real change.

Great Strides in Supply Chain
The report also highlights that Malaysian companies have made considerable progress in building more ethical supply chains. The largest increase in companies with supply chain policies has been in Singapore, however, Singaporean companies lag the region in the development of environmentally conscious products, with only 40 percent developing environmentally friendly products and services, compared to 56 percent of companies in Asia.

Biodiversity Off the Menu
Biodiversity refers to biological diversity, and ultimately the health of the world’s plant and animal life and habitats. When looking at biodiversity impact, it is revealed that companies both in Asia and globally have been worryingly stagnant in this area, with just 24 percent of companies globally and 29 percent in Asia measuring this.

“With Asia set to lead global economic growth in the coming decade, the region’s companies and business leaders will play a prominent role in the sustainable development agenda. As many of the world’s most pressing environmental and social concerns, such as climate change and social inequality, reach critical junctures, it is important that companies take their responsibilities seriously. ESG data and transparency play an important role to drive and influence the changes required to sustain future economic and social growth,” Elena Philipova, Global Head of ESG at Refinitiv said.

“Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals is a collective effort that starts with the most influential members of society, including large companies, leading the way. It requires a deep collaboration between the public and private sectors, as well as mobilisation of significant finances to succeed. Daily, we see more financial institutions increasing due diligence and directing investment towards more responsible and sustainable companies and investments. As concerns in areas such as climate change grow, we expect this trend to accelerate.”

More information on Refinitiv’s ESG scores can be found here: https://www.refinitiv.com/content/dam/marketing/en_us/documents/methodology/esg-scores-methodology.pdf

Check Point’s Cyber-Security Predictions For 2020

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BusinessToday
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Hindsight is 20/20 vision, as the old saying goes:  it’s always easy to know what the right course of action was after something has happened, but much harder to predict the future.  Here are the key security and related trends that we expect to see during 2020.

Technology cyber-security predictions for 2020:

  1. Targeted ransomware – 2019 saw ransomware exploits getting highly targeted against specific businesses, as well as government and healthcare organisations. Attackers are spending time intelligence-gathering on their victims, to ensure they can inflict maximum disruption, and ransoms are scaled up accordingly.
  2. Phishing attacks go beyond email – While email remains the #1 attack vector, cybercriminals are also using a variety of other attack vectors to trick their intended victims into giving up personal information, login credentials, or even sending money. Increasingly, phishing involves SMS texting attacks against mobiles, or use of messaging on social media and gaming platforms.
  3. Mobile malware attacks step up – The first half of 2019 saw a 50 percent increase in attacks by mobile banking malware compared to 2018.  This malware can steal payment data, credentials and funds from victims’ bank accounts, and new versions are available for widespread distribution by anyone that’s willing to pay the malware’s developers. Phishing attacks will also become more sophisticated and effective, luring mobile users to click on malicious web-links.
  4. The rise of cyber insurance – More cyber-insurance policies will be bought by businesses and public-sector organisations. Insurance companies will continue to guide their policy holders to pay ransoms, as this can be cheaper than the costs of recovering from an attack. This will in turn drive more attacks, and fast growth for the cyber insurance industry.
  5. More IoT devices, more risks – As 5G networks roll out, the use of connected IoT devices will accelerate dramatically, massively increasing networks’ vulnerability to large scale, multi-vector Gen V cyber-attacks. IoT devices and their connections to networks and clouds, are still a weak link in security: It’s hard to get visibility of devices, and they have complex security requirements. We need a more holistic approach to IoT security, combining traditional and new controls to protect these ever-growing networks across all industry and business sectors.
  6. Data volumes skyrocket with 5G – The bandwidths that 5G enables will drive an explosion in numbers of connected devices and sensors. eHealth applications will collect data about users’ wellbeing, connected car services will monitor users’ movements, and smart city applications will collect information about how citizen live. This ever-growing volume of personal data will need securing against breaches and theft.
  7. AI will accelerate security responses – Most security solutions are based on detection engines built on human made logic, but keeping this up-to-date against the latest threats and across new technologies and devices is impossible to do manually. AI dramatically accelerates identification of new threats and responses to them, helping to block attacks before they can spread widely.  However, cybercriminals are also starting to take advantage of the same techniques to help them probe networks, find vulnerabilities and develop more evasive malware.
  8. Security at the speed of DevOps – Organisations already run a majority of their workloads in the cloud,  but the level of understanding about securing the cloud remains low, and security is often an afterthought with cloud deployments. Security solutions need to evolve to new, flexible, cloud-based architectures that deliver scalable protection at the speed of DevOps.
  9. Enterprises rethink their cloud approach – Increasing reliance on public cloud infrastructure increases enterprises’ exposure to the risk of outages, such as the Google Cloud outage in March 2019. This will drive organisations to look at their existing data center and cloud deployments, and consider hybrid environments comprising both private and public clouds.

In conclusion, we don’t have the luxury of hindsight to show us exactly what security threats we will face in 2020. Today’s hyper-connected world creates more opportunities for cyber criminals, and every IT is a potential target: on-premise networks, cloud, mobile, and IoT devices. But forewarned is forearmed.

By using advanced threat intelligence to power unified security architectures, businesses of all sizes can automatically protect themselves against the most advanced attacks the new year can throw at them.

By Evan Dumas, Regional Director, Southeast Asia, Check Point Software Technologies

Robert Walters Commends Budget Initiatives for Workforce

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Robert Walters, a leading recruitment firm, has commended the Malaysian government for their announcements in the Budget 2020 to strengthen the local workforce.

“We noted that digital skills was a key consideration in the recently tabled Budget for year 2020 and bringing women back into the workforce with incentives is a huge push to increase the talent pool for the middle and higher management positions moving forward,” shared Amanda Lee, Manager, Sales & Marketing (Consumer)of Robert Walters Malaysia Sdn Bhd.

The incentives to reduce unemployment and to increase foreign investment, especially from Fortune 500 companies was also viewed by the company as a major stepping stone in helping to shape the Malaysian workforce for the new decade. The initiatives under Malaysians@Work will help bring more talents into the workforce who can then be groomed to take on new roles that emerge in what is becoming a digitally supported or driven economy.

“Our newly launched e-guide titled- Grow Your Talent, Hire Based on Potential, is based on our conversations with hiring managers and talents across South East Asia. The guide clearly shows that employers need to invest nurturing their own pool of talent based on potential for the long term as it helps them fill vacant positions faster, nurture more loyalty and motivation and gives the role a new dimension when taken up by someone with a varying set of skills.

Based on hiring managers interviewed by our team, 94 percent of managers shared that candidates that they hired based on potential are still with them and are a valuable part of the team while 55 percent of talents interviewed shared that learning and growth opportunities are more important than higher salaries. This is the shift which digitalisation has brought. We have more to explore and develop in a job but it takes buy in from the employers and a risk appetite from the talents to make this happen,” added Doreen Ooi, Manager, Insurance and Financial Services Governance of Robert Walters Malaysia Sdn Bhd.

The incentives from the government for youth especially fresh graduates are also welcomed as this addresses the need for a larger talent pool who can adapt to cross skilling and take on new job functions created by digitalisation which were not traditionally present in the past. Jobs like data forensics require talents with specific skills set combinations like finance and data analytics with a touch of soft skills like communication.

Employers need to groom their talent to fit their needs and hire based on potential instead of looking to tick off check lists. Susan Chen, Senior Vice President – the Head of Talent Management, OD & International People & Culture of Gojek, a hiring manager to the e-guide interview, believes in asking two pertinent questions- what organisational problems are we trying to solve? and what impact do we expect the candidate to have?

“These may seem like simple questions but the order list for hiring after we gain the answers are sometimes close to impossible for talents to fulfill as there is always a need for a skill outside their professional capabilities or educational qualifications,” Amanda stated.

This is where hiring managers can step in and ease the process by first making sure that the job description is realistic, second is to differentiate the “must-have skills” from the “nice to have skills”, third is to start being more open to CVs that would normally be passed over especially for women returning to the workforce as a gap in their experience may be due to personal commitments, next they need to study the experience gained at prior jobs and look for signs of growth in those roles and what was their learning curve like.

“We are excited about the prospect of more women returning to the workforce in Malaysia with the Government’s initiatives, as this returning workforce will expand the talent pool for middle and higher management positions. Success in these positions in the long run will bring more women to the boardroom as decision makers which is also a long term goal of the Government,” enthused Doreen.

“Based on our experience and presence globally, we are witnessing a shift in job functions based on how businesses need to reach and speak to their target markets and stakeholders, so it is key for the hiring managers and talents to adapt to the new order of the day and broaden their search. Hiring based on potential can address some key problems in hiring like talent shortage, talent retention and new job functions that are a product of digitalisation and the Industry 4.0,” Amanda concluded.

The e-guide on growing talent looks at several key traits that hiring managers should look at when looking to fill a position which include willingness to learn, motivation and engagement which is not the typical boxes to cross out when considering candidates. More importantly, hiring managers should not wait for the perfect candidates to appear but rather take a chance and hire on potential, grow their talent internally to suit their needs and retain them in the long run.

The e-guide published in October 2019 is based on insights gained from interview with 13 individuals featured as well as external research. The statistics provided are based on a survey with 3,500 professionals and 1,200 hiring manager across South East Asia. Our contributors include Ascender, CENTRAL Group Vietnam, CIMB Bank, Frasers Law Company, Getz Healthcare, gojek, Home Credit, L’Oreal and Royal Bank of Canada.

Making A Difference In The Lives Of Malaysian Patients

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Roche Diagnostics Malaysia, a leading provider in in-vitro diagnostics, showcases its latest technological solutions in lab automation and highlights the company’s vision for transforming patient care through breakthrough diagnostic solutions its inaugural Roche Innovation Day.

The event was attended by the Swiss Ambassador to Malaysia, Her Excellency Ms. Andrea Reichlin, Clinical Research Malaysia (CRM), Malaysian Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC), InvestKL, as well as clinicians, pathologists and laboratory technicians from 66 public and private institutions throughout Malaysia.

In-vitro diagnostics (diagnostic testing done outside the body) influence over 60 percent of clinical decisions decision along the entire continuum of a patient’s health journey. But it only accounts for about 2 percent of the total healthcare spending in the clinical setting worldwide. With Malaysia’s increasing burden of disease and government spending, diagnostics can emerge as a critical driver in Malaysia’s healthcare ecosystem.

Heng Chai Yin, General Manager of Roche Diagnostics Malaysia said, “The healthcare environment today is characterised by the rising burden of chronic diseases, an ageing population but also escalating healthcare costs. Our aim is to work alongside laboratories and other healthcare providers to address these challenges so that together we can realise our vision of improving the lives of patients. We remain as committed today as we did when we first launched our operations in Malaysia, more than 20 years ago.”

“With the prevalence of non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases being on the rise in Malaysia, we are working closely with government and private healthcare institutions and diagnostics labs across the country to provide innovative diagnostics solutions which can help save lives,” Heng added.

Roche Diagnostics’ continuous commitment to adding value to Malaysia by ways of introducing innovation into the public sector, advancing the medical travel industry, and enabling the transformation of Malaysia into a cardiology and fertility hub.

 

Malaysia’s First Islamic Digital Investment Platform

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Wahed Invest launches Malaysia’s first Islamic digital investment platform which allows investors access to a Shariah compliant portfolio, that is transparent, impartial and aims to empower Malaysians at large to take charge of their financial well-being.

US-based Wahed Invest, which is available in more than 130 countries was first launched in 2017, and expanded into the UK market in 2018, plans to roll out its digital investment management services across the Southeast Asia region from its regional base here in Malaysia.

Wahed is designed to cater to both the financially savvy investors as well as those with little financial knowledge, making diversified investments accessible. Coupled with low starting investment of RM 100, low fees, and no lock-in period, Wahed hopes to remove the barriers to investment management and portfolios that were traditionally reserved for high net worth investors.

“Islamic finance is one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world, and Wahed has enabled the global Muslim community to participate in global financial markets by making investing both accessible and ethically compliant. As one of the most developed Islamic capital markets, Malaysia is uniquely positioned to meet the increasingly sophisticated and demanding needs of Southeast Asian investors and help create opportunities in Islamic finance,” said Junaid Wahedna, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Wahed Inc.

According to the World Bank Report, Malaysia has achieved one of the highest levels of financial inclusion among Southeast Asia countries, but Malaysians’ still lag behind when it comes to financial literacy and knowledge.

A recent survey conducted by the Credit Counselling and Debt Management Agency (AKPK) reported that one out of three Malaysians are not comfortable with their financial knowledge, while half of the population (52 percent) say they face difficulties raising even RM1,000 for emergencies. Over half of Malaysians (53 percent) believe that wealth management is the key to achieving social mobility. However, most Malaysians feel their inadequate financial knowledge has hindered them from efficient wealth management.

Syakir Hashim, Director and Chief Executive Officer for APAC of Wahed Inc shares, “Amid Malaysia’s recent push towards shared prosperity through a more inclusive economy that is rooted in technology and innovation, we at Wahed are empowering Malaysians with better access to a secure financial future. We recognize Malaysia as one of our key markets and a country that is on track to becoming a leader in Islamic Digital Economy backed by an ecosystem that is fast-growing.

Malaysia will be playing a key role in driving our growth in the Asia Pacific as the Regional Hub for our operations. Everyone has different financial goals and aspirations, but for an inexperienced or first time investor, the lack of proper financial education and opportunities, coupled with daunting and sometimes difficult to understand financial jargon is enough to deter and prevent them from investing and taking charge of their financial well-being.”

“Through Wahed, we encourage our investors to take charge of their financial well-being by providing them a smarter investment tool that is in line with their faith. We aim to ensure that all Muslims have access to an efficient Shari’ah compliant investment portfolio, regardless of their economic status or geographic location,” Syakir Hashim adds.

Wahed’s current portfolio allocation options include investments into US stocks, Malaysian stocks, sukuk (Islamic bonds), and gold. In order to ensure all returns are halal, Wahed has a full-time Shariah Advisory Board, which undertakes a rigorous screening process and produces annual purification reports (Zakat). As a result, Muslim and non-Muslim investors alike are now able to invest worry-free into portfolios that are ethically sound.

Wahed Inc’s subsidiaries are regulated by some of the world’s most respected jurisdictions including Securities Exchange Commission (SEC) in the US, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK, Saudi Arabia’s Capital Market Authority (CMA) and the Central Bank of Bahrain (CBB).

Significant Rise In SIBS Potential Business Transactions

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The SIBS 2019 is definitively a success story to be proud of. Despite the global economic uncertainties,  Selangor International Business Summit (SIBS) 2019 has achieved a record high of RM 447.30 million over the 4-day exhibition held from 10 – 13 October 2019 at Malaysia International Trade & Exhibition Centre (MITEC), Kuala Lumpur. This is a significant rise compared to the RM194.6 million total transactions it secured last year.

SIBS 2019, which was graced by Sultan of Selangor, Duli Yang Maha Mulia Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj Ibni Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Alhaj, brought four main events under its umbrella namely the Selangor International Expo,Selangor Asean Business Conference, Selangor Smart City and Digital Economy Convention and  Selangor R&D Expo.

The fifth edition of Selangor International Expo 2019, featured a total of 359 booths across 43,000 sqm of exhibition space. With 307 booths, 74.3 percent of which were Malaysian companies and 25.7 percent of which were foreign companies, the event hosted an additional 141 international trade buyers from 25 countries.

 

 

Selangor ASEAN Business Conference 2019 also saw successful discourse on tackling current issues and opportunities that impact the business landscape across the ASEAN market. The two-day conference was held over 10 – 11 October 2019 and featured an impressive line-up of over 27 speakers from 6 countries; including Yang Berhormat Dato’ Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali (Minister of Economic Affairs), and Yang Berhormat Dr Ong Kian Ming (Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry) (MITI).

Selangor Smart City & Digital Economy Convention 2019 was held from 11-13 October 2019. The convention featured an exploration of burgeoning business opportunities such as Artificial Intelligence, the e-wallet and 5G conference, One Belt One Road Anime and Gaming summit, crowdfunding pitching sessions, and the Malaysia Top e-commerce Merchants Awards ceremony. Featuring 88 exhibitors and 32 international speakers from 7 countries, the conference proved beneficial for consumers and vendors alike.

Meanwhile, the inaugural Selangor R&D and Innovation Expo which was held from 10-13 October featured 314 exhibitors mainly universities and Selangor local councils who exhibited their research and innovative products and services. A total of 187 R&D competition was organised during the expo, with participation from universities, schools and from the public. The expo also saw a total of two MoUs exchanged – licence agreement between University Putra Malaysia and Upstream Downstream Process Sdn
Bhd, as well as an agreement between the State of Selangor with Adakan Holdings Sdn Bhd and ShazInnovation Solutions.

Four additional programmes were also featured on the sidelines on this year’s summit. One of them is the Malaysia International Tea & Coffee Expo 2019, which was held as a special show within Selangor International Expo with the participation of 42 companies from 17 countries. The expo also saw the Tea Trade Association of Malaysia signing a bilateral trade MoU with 5 countries, namely the South India Tea Exporters Association, Japan Tea Export Promotion Council, Myanmar Tea Association, Tea and Chinese Cultural Appreciation Society of Thailand and Vietnam Tea Association. The Tea & Coffee Expo also hosted few stage activities including the Piala TTAM and Battle of Teh Tarik, which  attracted 12 individuals and 9 restaurants participation from nationwide.

Another sideline event was the 9th Malaysia – China Entrepreneurs Conference held on 12th October. The one-day conference was attended by a total of 1000 participants from Malaysia and China. The conference which was held in the main ballroom of MITEC, featured a total of 26 speakers including YB Yeo Bee Yin, Minister of Energy, Science, Technology, Environment and Climate Change. A total of two MoUs were exchanged during the conference. The first between Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation, Malaysia and International Cooperation Center (ICC) of the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) and the People’s Republic of China and the second between Ancubic Construction Sdn Bhd and CEDY Third Contracting and Trading (M) Sdn Bhd.

The third sideline event was Selangor International Halal Conference held on 10th October 2019. The one-day conference that saw participation of 736 attendees, was held in two sessions at Hall 2 of MITEC. A total of 19 speakers from the halal industry were involved
in the two sessions.

The fourth event held on sidelines of SIBS 2019, was a four-day culinary fest called the Selangor International Culinary Festival (SIFC). This too was held concurrently within the Selangor International Expo, in Hall 2. The SICF was a World chef’s endorsed culinary competition with 20 categories for both professional and young chefs in the region.

In summary, the Selangor International Business Summit 2019 successfully attracted a total 702 exhibitors comprising companies from 12 countries compared with a total of 339 companies from 33 countries last year. The number of visitors this year also increased to  and a total of 34,638 visitors against 23,737 visitors last year. The total number of booths this year also rose to 787 booths (547 booths in 2019).

Dato’ Teng Chang Kim, State Executive Councillor and Chairman of the Standing Committee for Investment, Industry & Commerce (small and medium enterprise),has assured an even bigger and better fourth edition of SIBS, which is set to take place a larger venue.

“Moving forward, I would  like to announce that Selangor International Business Summit 2020 will be organised from 14 – 17 October 2020 at a new venue, the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, and wish to invite the participants to return to SIBS next year.

“We would also like to announce a special 15 percent early bird discount for all F&B participants in Selangor International Expo 2020, and it will be available from now onwards until 31 December 2019.”

 

Standard Chartered Malaysia Appoints Head Of Financial Institutions

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Standard Chartered Malaysia appoints Wong Hooi Ching, a banker with 18 years experience in the industry as its Head of Financial Institutions.

Hooi Ching will be responsible for developing and executing the client agenda as well as managing and strengthening relationships between Standard Chartered and its Financial Institutions (FI) client base. She has extensive experience working with a large number of Malaysian and multi-national corporations and financial institutions to structure and implement complex domestic and crossborder solutions to address cashflow and working capital efficiency requirements.

Before joining Standard Chartered, she held senior roles in business management, sales and product management with various global banks. Hooi Ching holds an Economics degree from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom.

“Hooi Ching’s appointment fits into our aim to be a partner of choice for our FI clients in Malaysia by providing vital and relevant solutions on the back of our global network and cross-border expertise, says Mak Joon Nien, Managing Director and Country Head of Global Banking of Standard Chartered Malaysia

We trust that her wealth of experience and market knowledge will be valuable in further developing our services and expanding our growth in this key sector.”

RSYC Celebrates Another Milestone

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The Royal Selangor Yacht Club Celebrates 50 golden years graced by the club’s Patron and Life Commodore, HRH the Sultan of Selangor, Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah with the unveiling of a commemorate plaque and a gala dinner.

The Sultan of Selangor was joined by HH the Raja Muda Selangor, Tengku Amir Shah Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, who is the RSYC Honorary Life Commodore. Also present were Selangor Menteri Besar Amirudin Shari, RSYC Commodore Jeffrey Voon and members of the RSYC committee.

“The Royal Selangor Yacht Club celebrates a significant milestone and we would like to extend our great appreciation to our Patron, HRH Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah, for his support and guidance over the years where the Sultan of Selangor has been our bedrock and anchor,” said Commodore Voon.

“We would also like to thank our members and past committees for their support. They have helped shape the Club into what it is today. The RSYC looks forward to the next 50 years – the best is yet to come,” he added.

RSYC started out as the Port Swettenham Yacht Club in 1969 and has undergone two name changes since then. The first was in 1972 when the name was changed to Selangor Yacht Club, and the second in 1989 when the late Sultan of Selangor, HRH Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah, officially named it the “Royal Selangor Yacht Club”.

Throughout its 50-year journey, RSYC has had many eventful days . Its many activities include providing swimming and sailing lessons, organising dinghy and keelboat sailing events as well as fishing activities and competition.

RSYC has also collaborated with corporate partners and sponsors on many sailing activities including the RSYC-Westports Community Sailing Programme and the Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta (RMSIR). The sailing programme provides students who would not be able to afford being involved in sailing activities with the opportunity to learn about the sport.

Raja Muda Selangor International Regatta (RMSIR) was established in 1990 by the Sultan of Selangor (who was then Raja Muda Selangor) together with Dato’ Johan Ariff and Jonathon Muhiudeen.

The 30th RMSIR which will run from 15 to 23 November 2019 will see participating boats push onwards from the start point at Port Klang and make their way – via the Straits of Malacca – to the various checkpoints at the islands of Pangkor, Penang and Langkawi in an attempt to win the prestigious Raja Muda Cup, among other prizes.

The RMSIR provides excitement for even the most experienced of sailors as they will have to cope with the unpredictable weather, changing tactics and heavy shipping traffic in the Straits of Malacca, all of which make the regatta a matchless experience.

The RSYC’s strategic location close to the mouth of the Klang River in Port Klang makes it a premier venue for competitive yachting, sailboat training, power boating, sea fishing and water sports in the Klang Valley. The traditionally styled clubhouse and terrace boasts magnificent river views as well as the sight of yachts both big and small moored at its jetty, and is a favourite spot for weddings, parties and corporate functions.

Today, RSYC’s facilities include a bar pool, sunset cabin, members’ deck, swimming pool and WiFi connectivity throughout its premises. It also has comprehensive facilities for boat storage boat maintenance, launching and mooring on the water pontoons.

Overcoming Security Challenges Impacting Multi-Cloud Environments

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Cloud adoption is increasing at a rapid pace as organisations look for new ways to process, store, and distribute information. For many organisations, deploying new cloud services is much easier than requesting a dedicated set of hardware from IT teams. Decentralised cloud adoption means different departments have the ability to source new cloud software or compute resources, or adopt new applications without burdening IT with requests. And because of the heterogeneous nature of this implementation, the use of various cloud providers in one organisation is not uncommon.

While each of these use cases provides flexibility for organisations, they also come with risk. Highly distributed resources can be difficult to manage, and the risk of Shadow IT – online resources that store corporate data, but that IT is unaware of – can actually violate data privacy laws. In addition, individual cloud infrastructures and one-off applications expand the organisation’s attack surface, introducing the risk of cyberattacks which can affect an entire organisation. In other words, when an organisation uses multiple applications, the potential for a serious breach is stronger than if a single application was deployed across the entire network.

Addressing the Challenges of Inconsistent Cloud Platforms

The constantly evolving threat landscape has resulted in the need for purpose-built tools designed to address a full range of risks across all network environments, including the cloud. In order to utilise these environments as effectively as possible, IT teams must be confident that there is the same level of security across all cloud platforms, otherwise the entire environment is exposed to the weakest link in the system.

“Organisations usually experience a lack of centralised security management, and therefore, reduced visibility and control – along with an inability to respond in a comprehensive fashion to a security breach – as a result of deploying multiple cloud solutions. Introducing new applications to the cloud also presents additional security risks and forces organisations to continually ensure they are meeting compliance requirements,” said Alex Loh, Fortinet’s Country Manager for Malaysia.

Achieving an effective level in cloud security therefore requires organisations to first establish and achieve a standard of visibility and control that enables operational efficiency while streamlining management. The following key strategies can be implemented to help secure organisations adopting new cloud applications:

  • A unified set of security capabilities that can be applied consistently across all cloud platforms, resulting in a single, holistic security framework.
  • Native integration of each security solution into each cloud platform for maximum flexibility and the assurance of consistent behaviour across each environment.
  • A single layer of consistent management and automation that spans the distributed network, ensuring that policy can be orchestrated across the entire decentralised and heterogeneous cloud environment.

“Cloud adoption is continuing to rise in popularity due to the benefits this technology provides in terms of elasticity, scalability, and availability. Despite these benefits, organisations must be aware of the risks that can arise as a result of deploying disparate cloud environments. By implementing strategies that address challenges associated with the cloud, organisations can properly manage and make the most out of these infrastructures,” concluded Loh.

Creating Spaces All The Way From Amsterdam

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Spaces, a coworking space from Amsterdam enters Malaysia as part of International Workplace Group (IWG) with its first location at KL Platinum Sentral, spanning five floors across 6,826 square metres.

It is the largest coworking space in Malaysia with on-site café deli, meeting rooms and business lounges, to exemplify its concept of an inspirational, open and vibrant workspace, now made available for like-minded entrepreneurs.

Spaces is poised to be the hub where high-quality design meets fresh, professional and modern spirit, to offer versatile ways to work, meet, connect and interact. Its ambiance is calm and professional which invokes inspiration without being too loud. The interior is designed using fabrics from European brands such as Vitra, Hay and Kvadrat to set the tone for its overall look and feel, with elements of true classics through the Vitra Alcove Chair from designers Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec.

Vijayakumar Tangarasan, Country Head of IWG Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei said: “Our central location right in the heart of Malaysia’s largest and busiest transit hub enables our members to connect to the country’s major railway lines, at ease.

“We chose this location for our very first Spaces to meet the call for Malaysia to emerge as an international hub for businesses, which also ties back to our commitment to provide creative work environments with inspirational entrepreneurial spirit enhanced by facilities that can be configured to meet the needs of businesses, regardless of size.”

Since its inception in 2006, Spaces has strived to redefine the way work is done by cultivating a community that prioritises collaborative efforts.

Spaces Platinum Sentral takes inspiration from elegant European architecture and makes full use of natural lighting for an office space that feels like home. Its exposed ceiling and engineered wood flooring are enhanced by customised lights and walls with a raw concrete finish and rot iron furniture, to bring to life an ambiance that truly stands out.

Today, Spaces workspaces can be found in 250 locations worldwide. This latest addition expands Spaces’ regional portfolio in providing end-to-end solutions for its members in the country and the company looks to further expand its local footprint with more offerings in the future. It offers numerous on-site facilities to support business needs, including IT support, a reception, postal handling and printing services.

Hilton Hotels Malaysia Recognised For Its Hospitality Excellence

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Hilton Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia’s premier 5-star hotel, won the ‘Malaysia’s Leading Business Hotel 2019’, ‘Malaysia’s Leading Hotel Suite 2019’, and ‘Malaysia’s Leading Conference Hotel 2019’ at the recent World Travel AwardsTM held in Phu Quoc.

The World Travel Awards™ acknowledges, rewards, and celebrates excellence across all key sectors of the travel, tourism and hospitality industry. These awards showcase Hilton Kuala Lumpur as the hotel of choice for business and leisure travellers, solidifying its position as the beacon of hospitality in the country.

“Given the extraordinary strength of the field this year, even being nominated for these awards is an incredible honour. We are thrilled to have won these reputable awards. We at Hilton Kuala Lumpur will continue to go the extra mile to deliver outstanding performances with sheer determination and hard work. Our guests have placed us as the leading hotel in the three categories, and we intend to continue delivering great experiences to every guest who walks through our doors,” said Jamie Mead, Regional General Manager, Malaysia, Vietnam, and Philippines.

The hotel houses 510 stylish guest rooms and suites, with gastronomical excellence, a tranquil spa, and top-notch event spaces to boot in the heart of the city. To date, Hilton Kuala Lumpur has received the following awards in 2019:

  • World Travel Awards 2019
  • Malaysia’s Leading Business Hotel 2019 – Hilton Kuala Lumpur
  • Malaysia’s Leading Hotel Suite 2019 – Hilton Kuala Lumpur
  • Malaysia’s Leading Conference Hotel 2019 – Hilton Kuala Lumpur
  • World Luxury Hotel Awards
  • 2019 Luxury Banquet / Event Hotel (Malaysia) – Hilton Kuala Lumpur
  • 2019 Haute Grandeur Global Hotel Awards
  • Best City Hotel in Asia – Hilton Kuala Lumpur
  • Best Hotel Service in Malaysia – Hilton Kuala Lumpur
  • 2019 World Luxury Spa Awards
  • The Spa & Gym at Hilton Kuala Lumpur – Best Luxury Spa (South East Asia)
  • The Spa & Gym at Hilton Kuala Lumpur – Best Spa Manager (Malaysia)
  • The Spa & Gym at Hilton Kuala Lumpur – Best Luxury Day Spa (Malaysia)
  • The Spa & Gym at Hilton Kuala Lumpur – Best Luxury Business Spa (Malaysia)

Apart from Hilton Kuala Lumpur, DoubleTree Resort By Hilton Penang emerged as ‘Best Family Resort’ and ‘Best Wedding Hotel’ at the recent Haute Grandeur Global Hotel Awards.

  • 2019 Haute Grandeur Excellence Award: DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Penang
  • Best Family Resort in Malaysia
  • Best Wedding Hotel in Malaysia
  • 2018 Excellence Award: DoubleTree Resort by Hilton Penang
  • Best Family Resort in Malaysia
  • Best Leisure Hotel in Malaysia
  • Best New Hotel (less than three years) in Malaysia
  • Best Family Hotel in Malaysia

In additon, Hilton Kuala Lumpur also received recognition as ‘Best City Hotel’ and ‘Best Hotel Service’ at the 2019 Haute Grandeur Global Hotel Awards and also, ‘2019 Luxury Banquet / Event Hotel (Malaysia)’ at World Luxury Hotel Awards 2019.

 

 

 

Sustainable Investing Comes Of Age In Asia

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An increasing number of Asian issuers and investors are starting to widen their horizons to include the impact of environmental, social and governance (ESG) issues in their considerations, a new report from HSBC says.

HSBC’s Sustainable Financing and Investing Report 2019 showed that in Asia 86 percent of investors and 84 percent of issuers said ESG factors were ‘very’ or ‘somewhat’ important to them, close behind the global figure of 94 percent and 93 percent respectively.

HSBC in Malaysia had taken the lead in sustainable investment by launching the FIRST-ever Environmental, Social and Governance (“ESG”) Islamic Structured Product in the Malaysian market. This is also in line with Bank Negara Malaysia’s Value-based Intermediation (“VBI”) initiative which seeks to ensure that the development of Malaysia financial market is consistent with the current focus on global sustainability agenda.

In addition, HSBC Amanah Malaysia Berhad (HSBC Amanah) had launched the world’s first United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) sukuk. This reflected HSBC Amanah’s commitment to financing projects that benefit communities and the environment in line with HSBC Group’s responsibility to help finance global sustainable development.

Values are the most important driver for investors and issuers in Asia to care about environmental and social issues. Fifty-eight per cent of Asian issuers say they care because it aligns with their values as an organisation, and 62 percent of investors because it is right to care about the world and society.

The survey also suggests Asia is ahead in being more attuned to the commercial benefits of ESG investing and financing. Fifty-eight per cent of Asian investors care about environmental and social issues because doing so can improve returns or reduce risk, compared to 54 percent globally. While 47 percent of issuers say prioritising ESG can improve returns, more than issuers in any other region surveyed.

Asian investors report fewer obstacles to ESG investing than counterparts in other regions, although 22 percent complain of a shortage of ESG investment opportunities, while 18 percent say there is a lack of ESG disclosure by issuers.

Some 24 percent of Asian issuers make no ESG disclosures, twice the share of any region, while under 20 percent of investors disclose the ESG characteristics of portfolios, against around 25 percent globally.

The recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) are an example of a common standard that issuers and investors could align with to improve ESG disclosure. Only around 40% of issuers who responded to the survey currently follow the TCFD recommendations.

Jonathan Drew, head of sustainable finance for Asia-Pacific at HSBC, said:

“Environmental and social factors are becoming priorities for both issuers and investors in Asia, and there is increasing recognition that these factors are drivers of yield and value.

“This survey shows some really encouraging progress and momentum, but we must not kid ourselves that the transformation of Asia’s financial markets necessary to meet the climate challenge is complete.

“We must now ramp up efforts in all areas from capturing the hearts and minds by raising awareness and engagement through to the technical disciplines of risk analysis and disclosure.”

HSBC has delivered a range of sustainable finance transactions in Asia-Pacific in 2019. Landmark deals include ICBC’s USD3.15 billion Greater Bay Area green bond, the first green loan compliant with the Green Investment Principles for Belt and Road by ICBC, Hong Kong’s inaugural sovereign USD1 billion green bond, the first green loan in Singapore for Ho Bee Land, Macquarie University’s first sustainable bond from a university, the world’s first green convertible bond from a real estate company, Link REIT, and the first UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) sukuk for HSBC Amanah Malaysia.

Securities Commission Holds Its 6th Fintech Conference

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The Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) hosting the sixth edition of its SCxSC Fintech Conference to scale up the local fintech industry.

Recently, there’s an entrance of new players following the regulator’s move to broaden the opportunities for under-served segments such as micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and new generation of investors to raise capital or achieve their financial goals.

Since 2014, the SCxSC has served as a platform for policy makers, innovators, investors and financial services providers to converge and advance greater innovation in finance through the use of technology.

The local fintech industry is now home to alternative market-based financing platforms such as Equity  Crowdfunding (ECF) and Peer-to-Peer financing (P2P) as well as a diverse range of fintech players including digital investment managers, digital asset exchanges and  property crowdfunding operator.

There are currently 21 ECF and P2P platforms  registered with the SC, which have collectively raised RM587 million for more than 1600 MSMEs.

“We are pleased to note that these platforms continue to serve a number of MSME sectors including high tech, education, retail, F&B and consumer product; and have attracted many new investors especially young investors aged 35 and below,” said Datuk Syed Zaid Albar, Chairman of the SC.

He also highlighted that the government has, under Budget 2020, allocated RM50  million to the Malaysia Co-Investment Fund (MyCIF) to help finance start-ups and SMEs by co-investing on a one-to-four basis in campaigns listed on ECF and P2P  platforms. A further RM10 million has been allocated to MyCIF under Budget 2020  specifically for social enterprises to raise funds via P2P financing platforms.

“We expect this injection of funds to further spur the growth of our ECF and P2P  financing industry, which in turn could catalyse growth in Malaysian MSMEs by  providing access to alternative sources of financing,” Datuk Syed Zaid added.

This year’s SCxSC 2019 has more than 800 participants who will benefit from a global line-up of fintech experts such as Eli Broverman, co-founder of the world’s  first robo-adviser Betterment, and Jeffrey Cruttenden, co-founder of leading spare change investment platform Acorns.

SCxSC Fintech Conference 2019 is supported by Rakuten Trade, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) and Permodalan Nasional Berhad.

NTT Into An Exciting New Era

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NTT Ltd, the world-leading global technology services provider, announces Dimension Data, NTT Communications and Training Partners join 28 companies and brands from over 70 countries worldwide, rebranding as NTT, the global USD11 billion technology services company.

NTT Ltd Malaysia will be led by Henrick Choo as CEO and he will be responsible in ensuring the country meets the ambitious objectives of NTT Ltd and its clients. He reports to Kim-Meng Png, CEO for ASEAN NTT Ltd.

Choo added, “It’s an honor to be leading NTT Ltd. in Malaysia into this exciting new era. NTT is such a great, well-respected brand – and is doing amazing things for its clients and society in general. We owe the brand’s success to the outstanding talents and team that make up the foundation of the brand. Our people are indeed our best assets as they carry with them the experience, knowledge and refined skills needed to take NTT to new heights. We are pleased to announce that as of today, we can offer local clients with access to the NTT brand, and its wealth and breadth of capabilities. Together we do great things.”

Png, who is based in Singapore, will be responsible for the company’s strategic development and operations across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and the Philippines. He reports to John Lombard, Asia Pacific CEO for NTT Ltd.

NTT Ltd will partner over 10,000 clients around the world, including leading organisations across financial services, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, energy & utilities, manufacturing, automotive and technology sectors.

In rebranding to NTT, NTT Ltd. in Malaysia will be able to offer its clients an unparalleled range of skills and capabilities across many technologies and will also benefit from NTT’s innovation center in Japan as well as being able to make use of its full partnership network.

John Lombard, Asia Pacific CEO for NTT Ltd. commented, “We’re delighted to launch the NTT brand in Asia Pacific, as various companies including Dimension Data, DTSI, Emerio, NTT Communications, NTT Security and Training Partners join the NTT Ltd. family.”

“I’m also pleased to announce the appointment of Henrick Choo as CEO. He has been chosen to lead NTT Ltd. in Malaysia based on his exceptional background and proven track records in the organisation. I’m confident that under his capable leadership, we will become a leading services provider that can deliver intelligent, innovative solutions that address any of our clients’ digital challenges worldwide.”

 

Mavcom Has Failed Malaysians Big Time

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AirAsia sees no necessity to respond to the Malaysian Aviation Commission (Mavcom) to produce documented details of congestion at klia2 immigration counters. The onus is clearly on the commission, which is funded by the rakyat, to get on the ground to inspect and investigate the highlighted issue.

AirAsia Berhad CEO Riad Asmat said: “Why do we need to provide evidence when the issue has been highlighted publicly in the news and on social media platforms? It only further proves Mavcom’s inaction, indolence and blatant disregard of its responsibility in protecting the rights of aviation consumers.

“It only takes Mavcom officials a few hours off from their KL Sentral office for a quick visit to klia2 to see for themselves how severe the situation is at immigration counters during peak hours. They can come on any day, as it is a daily occurrence and not an isolated incident as alleged.

“No one from Mavcom for that matter, including its Executive Chairman, has ever visited AirAsia’s head office RedQ which is just right next to klia2, when we have streams of visitors including foreign regulators and policymakers visiting us to better understand the low cost carrier (LCC) model of AirAsia. And mind you, we are talking about AirAsia here, the main LCC from Malaysia that is now the 13th largest airline group in the world. Are we not important to Mavcom, and Malaysia?”

Mavcom has, since May 2018, collected RM1 from each air passenger flying out of airports in Malaysia. It is estimated that Mavcom has earned as much as RM30 million, if not more, from the regulatory service charge. To date, Mavcom has yet to publish its annual report for 2018.

Former Deputy Transport Minister Datuk Aziz Kaprawi, in announcing the collection of the RM1 regulatory fee by airlines on behalf of Mavcom in 2017, was quoted as saying: “The regulatory charge is only justified to be imposed on passengers, owing to the services rendered by Mavcom to them, which includes complaints management and consumer awareness activities which need to be conducted from time to time.”

AirAsia X Berhad CEO Benyamin Ismail said: “All Malaysians need to hold Mavcom accountable for their blatant disregard in upholding and protecting the rights of aviation consumers who, without fail, contribute to their coffers to pay the extraordinary salaries for Mavcom commissioners and executives. In the meantime, the immigration congestion at klia2 worsened by the day, badly affecting our guests. Out of frustration, we wrote to Mavcom asking that they step in and help resolve the impasse.”

“This is not the first instance of Mavcom’s reluctance to act on complaints and issues, and I am sure it won’t be the last. The RM480 million lawsuit that AirAsia filed against MAHB for operational losses at klia2 two weeks ago was a result of Mavcom’s refusal to decide on the dispute as requested in our earlier notification to them. Mavcom also refused to mediate in the klia2 passenger service charge (PSC) dispute between AirAsia and MAHB, and it took the Cabinet to decide on a lower PSC for klia2 and other airports. All this clearly goes contrary to Section 75 of its own Mavcom Act 2015.

“Mavcom will go down in Malaysia’s history as the one commission that needs to be spoon fed despite its members and employees being paid handsome salaries. Mavcom must remember that it is highly funded by the rakyat but unfortunately, chose to fail them – big time.”

The Singing Pizza Brings Flavours And Music Together

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Pizza Hut and Universal Music Malaysia come together once again to bring pizza and music enthusiasts an enthralling night of musical wonders during the exclusive star-studded “The Singing Pizza Concert” held at Bentley Music Auditorium, Petaling Jaya.

After a series of passion-driven experiences as part of “The Singing Pizza” campaign, the concert marks a cross-industry collaboration between Pizza Hut and Universal Music Malaysia to connect and inspire Malaysians’ passion for life with richer pizza experience elevated through music.

The specially curated line-up of the night comprises diverse styles and genres, perfectly embody the Malaysian diversity and the variety of selections and dining experience that Pizza Hut Malaysia has to offer.

“The Singing Pizza Concert marks the culmination of “The Singing Pizza” experience that has been connecting Malaysians through the same love for pizza and music. Having innovation as part of our DNA, the campaign integrates digital technology to transform and take the pizza experience up a notch, underpinning our commitment to deliver easy and better pizza experience to Malaysians every single time,” said Loi Liang Tok, Head of Pizza Hut Malaysia.

“Living up to the momentum of “The Singing Pizza”, we’d like to celebrate passionate Malaysians with an immersive experience through The Singing Pizza Concert, featuring a taste of local acts as unique and diverse as what Pizza Hut has to offer,” Loi added.

Kenny Ong, Managing Director of Universal Music Malaysia/Singapore/Indo-China said, “We are grateful to have the opportunity to work on another creative marketing collaboration together so that the brand can stand out and be distinctive in the market. Not many F&B brands have the opportunity to organise something like this.”

“Universal Music Group (UMG) is very proud to be associated with a global and powerful brand such as Pizza Hut Malaysia to introduce great food and great music to our customers. The campaign has been a truly collaborative and creative partnership between Pizza Hut Malaysia, UMG and TBWA. We believe music will always be a key cultural driver regardless of nationality, ethnicity or age. UMG, together with Pizza Hut Malaysia are confident that we will continue to find new and innovative ways to connect and engage our customers”, he added.

Conceptually turning a regular pizza box into a music box, “The Singing Pizza” comes with vinyl-themed pizza boxes featuring illustrations of Fazura, Fattah Amin and Alvin Chong with a QR Code to access 200 exclusive tracks, including top trending and unreleased tracks that are updated biweekly on ‘The Singing Pizza’ App.

The app, which has more than 20,000 downloads to date, is the first platform to release new tracks such as Fattah Amin & Fazura’s “Paling Sempurna”, Fattah Amin’s “Isterimewa (Acoustic Version)”, Alvin Chong’s “Bei Ni Chong Ai” and Fazura’s “Can’t Forget Me (BATE Remix)”.

“The Singing Pizza” campaign was recognised with the “Excellence in Marketing Innovation” award at the recent Marketing Excellence Awards 2019 organised by Advertising+Marketing Magazine.

 

Allianz Takes No.1 Ranking As Best Insurance Brand

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Doctor filling up a life insurance form

Allianz Group was named the No.1 insurer on the 2019 Interbrand Best Global Brand Rankings last week.

Across all brands measured, Allianz’s brand value increased from USD10.8bn in 2018 to USD12.1bn this year and climbed six places from No.49 to No.43 across all industries.

Allianz Malaysia Berhad Chief Executive Officer Zakri Khir said: “It is a feather in our cap and Allianz Malaysia is proud to have contributed to the brand’s success in becoming the global brand leader in insurance. Like our counterparts all over the world we have always been focused on winning people over through service and trust. This milestone is proof that we have got our strategy down pat, with
everyone from our employees, agents and brokers focused on being important and relevant partners in the lives of our customers and invertors.”

The Allianz Group is one of the world’s leading insurers and asset managers, operating in more than 80 countries with more than 92 million retail and corporate customers. Allianz customers benefit from a broad range of personal and corporate insurance services, ranging from property, life and health insurance to assistance services to credit insurance and global business insurance.

In 2018, the Group achieved total revenues of 131 billion euros and an operating profit of 11.5 billion euros.

Travellers Planning Made Easier

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Travellers are always looking for unique, fresh experiences when hitting the road. Whether you’re journeying alone or with loved ones, forays into unknown lands often entail new experiences.  But travel preparation can often be tedious, given the range of options and adventures available.

According to the President of Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) Datuk Tan Kok Liang, the number of Malaysians travelling has been increasing steadily, due to a better quality of life. This year, MATTA expects Malaysians to make at least 13.2 million trips abroad.

A study by Expedia has reported that 72 percent of Malaysians spend a lot of their time researching things to do on their travels while 66 percent admitted that they spent their time reading travel reviews.

Established in 2018, Zouba is the first-ever meta-book travel marketplace, the platform  currently home to over 280,000 different tours and activities across 3,300 destinations. It is a platform for discovering and instantly booking tours and activities worldwide which make travel planning easier, faster and more convenient. There is always something for everyone to enjoy.

Recognising the immense growth of outbound travel in Malaysia and the amount of time Malaysians spend on putting together a travel to-do list, Zouba is looking to make travel planning easy, convenient and fast.

“Travelling can begin even before arriving at your destination. Planning a trip in a foreign city – especially if you do not speak the native language – is one of the most challenging aspects of travelling. With the vast amounts of information available online, many find themselves lost and frustrated when trying to come up with a travel to-do list. As avid travellers ourselves, the Zouba team wants to help other travellers simplify the planning process by providing an all-inclusive platform that lets you book all kinds of experiences,” said Mr. Prasanna Vee, Chief Product Officer of Zouba.
“We want to give users a highly personalised discovery and booking experience. So instead of browsing through the endless list of tours and activities online, our system understands your choices and suggests travel options which we think you might like from our ever-expanding database. Essentially, we want to help you discover things you will love based on your interests and passions, in the most convenient way,” adds Prasanna Vee.

From wine tasting tours in Barcelona to nighttime excursions to Al-Khazneh in Petra, whether you’re on a shoestring budget or you’re looking to treat yourself, there is something for everyone on Zouba. Customers can choose their activities from Zouba’s trusted partners and instantly make their bookings, all on one platform.

With predictions that 2020 will be the year of travel discovery unlike any other, Zouba aims to continue forging trusted partnerships worldwide to satisfy every traveller’s wanderlust.

 

 

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