success stories of mncs - business malaysia · berhad (“maa”) in 2011 and assimilating it into...

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InvestKLMALAYSIA

SUCCESSSTORIESOF MNCsVol. 1

BACKGROUND

Greater Kuala Lumpur offers great opportunities for foreign multinationals looking to tap growth, not just in Malaysia but across Asia as well.

In Success Stories of MNCs Vol.1, we showcase some of the best organizations within the Fortune 500, companies at the top of their industry, and their stories of how they engage and thrive within Greater KL's ecosystem.

CONTENTS

Honeywell ___________________________________ 4Engineering Services- a Fortune 100 company

Zurich ______________________________________ 8Financial Services- Switzerland's leading global insurer

VINCI Construction ___________________________ 12Construction Services- France's leading construction company

AgustaWestland _____________________________ 15Aviation- A member of Leonardo S.p.A

Kadokawa __________________________________ 18Communications, Content & Infrastructure- Japan's leading creative publisher

ServiceSource ______________________________ 21Business Services- NASDAQ-listed revenue lifecycle solution provider

Dieffenbacher _______________________________ 25

Engineering Services- Germany's hidden champion

Hobsons ___________________________________ 29Education- World's largest education services provider

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Published date 16 January 2017Content is accurate at the time of publication

Engineering Services

Honeywell

GREATER KL, AN INCREASINGLY PREFERRED LOCATION FOR A REGIONAL BASEMajor pull factors make this city a prime destination for companies looking to grow their presence across ASEAN.

To expand its presence in the fast-growing ASEAN region, Honeywell International picked Greater KL to establish its regional ASEAN

headquarters. This move was made after evaluating many factors such as the ability to find and retain good talent, cost efficiencies that can be generated, the ease of doing business and the country’s and region’s potential, says Briand Greer, President of Honeywell ASEAN.

Honeywell is a Fortune 100 company and known for developing technologies that enable industries and economies to grow. Honeywell is a global leader in several industries: Aerospace, Home and Building Technologies, Safety and Productivity Solutions, and Performance Materials and Technologies. Its products and services are found in commercial and defence aircraft around the world while almost very automaker and truck manufacturer uses its turbochargers.

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Shares of this American multinational company are known for their consistent above-average returns and long-term growth potential. Honeywell generated sales revenue of approximately US$40 billion in 2015 and a total shareholder return of 118% over the five-year period ending that year. This global company has been in Malaysia for over 30 years and is poised to play a bigger role with its new ASEAN headquarters. Its four businesses units – Aerospace, Home and Building Technologies, Safety and Productivity Solutions, Performance Materials and Technologies – currently operate from six facilities across the country.

“We have had a very positive experience here over the years. The two Honeywell facilities in Penang, established in 2008, produce innovative technologies that help customers all over the world. Operationally, these two facilities are among the best that we have globally,” said Greer.

Honeywell’s aerospace business in Penang integrates avionics systems for commercial, business, military and general aviation from a 220,000 square foot facility. The company’s other facility on the island provides membranes for the oil and gas industry. These membranes, which remove impurities from natural gas, are sold to

Honeywell’s customers in the oil and gas industry around the world.

Building a regional presence “Honeywell’s top management expects 80% of the world’s growth to come from developing markets over the next 20 years. The potential for growth formed the basis of our decision to expand our presence in developing countries such as India and China and the ASEAN region. While Honeywell has a significant presence in all countries that have been identified as high-growth, setting up an ASEAN headquarters was imperative to accommodate this growth,” said Greer.

In order to pick a suitable base for its ASEAN headquarters, Honeywell conducted a thorough study on each country and considered several aspects of doing business. These factors include growth prospects, incentives, the ease of doing business and others.

“One of the reasons that Greater KL was selected is its English-speaking, multi-ethnic and multi-racial population. English is the global language for business while multi-ethnicity and multi-cultural facets are very important considerations for Honeywell. We can attract people from all over the world to come to Malaysia, if needed by the business,” said Greer, who was previously

HONEYWELL

Shareholder

return of 118% over the last

5 years

Sales revenue of

US$40 billion

(2015)

Global leader in the Aerospace

Industry

“One of the reasons that Greater KL was selected is its English-speaking, multi-ethnic and multi-racial population.”— Briand Greer, President of Honeywell ASEAN

GREATER KL, AN INCREASINGLY PREFERRED LOCATION FOR A REGIONAL BASE

30 Years in Malaysia

6

WHY GREATER KUALA LUMPUR

English-speaking talents

Strong support by the Malaysian

Goverment

Good living conditions

“With the principal hub located in Greater KL, Honeywell is able to develop talent that is willing to play a global role.”

Aerospace President for Asia Pacific, based in China.

He adds that Honeywell’s positive experience with its facilities in Penang and the support by the government cemented the decision to establish an ASEAN headquarters in Malaysia.

“Indeed, it is the strong support and contribution from the Malaysian government that is key to our success in this country. The principal hub initiative was launched as we were evaluating among different countries in ASEAN and this initiative made Malaysia, and Greater KL a logical choice,” said Greer.

The Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) effected its principal hub initiative on May 1, 2015 and Honeywell was the first multinational company to join this programme. The principal hub initiative supports local and foreign multinational companies in their offshore trading activities by centralising key strategic value-added functions. This is expected to maximise value and cost efficiencies for the company.

With the new ASEAN headquarters in Greater KL, Greer expects the number of local managers employed by

Honeywell to double over the next five years.

“We currently employ about 1,500 people in Malaysia. Out of this number, about 350 are managers. This number should easily double or more in the coming years as it is our policy for our operations to be as local as possible.

“The focus is always to hire local and develop local leadership. Honeywell ASEAN headquarters is moving to a new office in June next year and this is testimony to our investment and commitment to Malaysia and to the ASEAN region as a whole,” he said.

Developing a global mindsetThe new larger premises for Honeywell in Bangsar South is an avenue for the company to further implement its “One Honeywell” culture, says Greer. This culture which focuses on business acumen, listening and responding to the customer and doing what is said will be done, has been credited for improving the company’s global competitiveness.

One Honeywell and the company’s ability and experience in operating successfully in a global market can be expected to inculcate a global mindset


Honeywell

7

BENEFITS TO THE LOCAL ECONOMY`

“To find the best talent, we need to be the best company and one that offers career progression.”

among its local employees. This is a prerequisite for local talent to take on greater regional responsibilities.

"With the principal hub located in Greater KL, Honeywell is able to develop talent that is willing to play a global role. Talent that shows potential will be able to progress by taking on an ASEAN role before moving on to a bigger Asian portfolio and so forth. To do so, it is important for them to take on more of a global mindset and to lean towards the international way of doing business. This way of working can only be taught by a global company with management that has been exposed to different countries and best practices,” says Greer.

Greer sees an increase in capable talent applying for jobs in Honeywell and attributes this to the company’s growing presence.

“To find the best talent, we need to be the best company and one that offers career progression,” he says.

Greer adds that good living conditions in Greater KL make it easy for expatriates to assimilate to the local culture.

This is such an attractive city with a good mix of greenery and commercial space. Malaysians are incredibly nice and this makes it an easy place for professionals and their children to live.

“To top it off, there is plenty of business opportunities in this country and this region. Companies here can focus on growing their business and building their market share,” says Greer.

Source : The Edge Malaysia

The 1st Multinational Company to Join the

Principal Hub Initiative

1,500 Local Employees in 6 Cities Across Malaysia 350 are

Managers

Plans to Double Local Managers within 5 years

GREATER KL, AN INCREASINGLY PREFERRED LOCATION FOR A REGIONAL BASE

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Financial Services

Zurich Malaysia

Published date 24 April 2017Content is accurate at the time of publication

ZURICH BUILDS A SOLID FOUNDATION IN GREATER KL’S SUPPORTIVE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENTZurich combines global strengths and practices with local expertise to offer products and solutions. The Swiss global insurer has found Greater KL to be advantageous to set up a regional shared services centre.

Zurich Malaysia (Zurich Insurance Malaysia Berhad (ZIMB) and Zurich Takaful Malaysia Berhad (ZTMB)) – is poised to play a bigger role, says CEO of ZIMB

and Executive Director of ZTMB, Philip Smith.

This is on the back of the company’s solid foundation established after successfully acquiring Malaysian Assurance Alliance Berhad (“MAA”) in 2011 and assimilating it into the Zurich Group as ZIMB. A clash of culture is one of the main reasons for a merger or acquisition to fail to achieve

the planned benefits. When this occurs, employee morale can drop, key individuals may leave and the proposed synergies fail to materialise.

“The acquisition of MAA marked a significant milestone for Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich), a leading global insurer. Once the acquisition was completed, we began the task of integrating Zurich values and ways of working into the acquired organization. I think today, five and a half years later on there is a different feel among our employees; over 65% of whom were employees of MAA at the time of acquisition.

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“Malaysia is a highly attractive market with a buoyant takaful industry that offers great growth potential.”— Philip Smith, CEO of Zurich Insurance Malaysia Berhad and Director of Zurich Takaful Malaysia Berhad

Zurich’s culture focuses on teamwork and accountability amongst other things and I believe that many of our employees appreciate this and have bought into these cultural values.” says Smith.

He adds that even before the acquisition in 2011, Zurich had always regarded Malaysia as a priority market and capitalised on the opportunity to acquire 100% of MAA in 2011. Back then; Zurich had a 40% stake in MCIS Zurich Insurance Berhad (now known as MCIS Insurance Berhad), a stake that was subsequently sold in 2014 to comply with Bank Negara Malaysia’s regulations which do not allow shareholders to have substantial stakes in more than one insurance company. Zurich retains a 100% stake in ZIMB and in June 2016 acquired 100% of MAA Takaful Berhad (“MAAT”), a leading Takaful provider in the country, which was later renamed to ZTMB.

“The decision to acquire MAA may have surprised industry observers as Zurich had been more focused on building businesses from scratch rather than acquiring a 43 year old company (MAA was founded in 1968) in Asia Pacific. MAA’s holding company, MAA Holdings Berhad, was looking to divest its interests in financial services as the demands for capital were increasingly difficult to meet. MAA was seen as a risky acquisition by many market players but after five-and-a-half years, I can say that Zurich has been rewarded for its decision to carry out this transaction,” says Smith, who has

played a leading role in fulfilling Zurich’s ambitions in Malaysia.

Zurich is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland, where it was founded in 1872. With about 54,000 employees around the world, it provides a wide range of property and casualty, and life insurance products and services in more than 210 countries and territories. Customers include individuals, small businesses, mid-sized and large companies as well as multinational corporations, including many household names.

In the highly competitive global insurance industry, Zurich, a highly valued brand, leads the commercial insurance market in the UK and Switzerland and maintains a strong position in the US and Germany. It has a strong, growing presence in Latin America and its business in Asia Pacific, although small, is stable and growing.

Combining global strengths with local expertise“Zurich takes a global approach to managing its core business, but applies local insights in markets and countries where it operates,” says Smith. “We combine global strengths and practices with local expertise to offer products and solutions that meet the needs of our customers across the broader population segment.”

Zurich aims to leverage on ZTMB’s experience to cater to the growing demand for a shariah-compliant alternative to conventional insurance. “Malaysia is a highly attractive

ZURICH

ZURICH BUILDS A SOLID FOUNDATION IN GREATER KL’S SUPPORTIVE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

A leading global insurer, founded

in 1872

Headquartered in

Zurich, Switzerland

54,000 employees globally

Lead the commercial insurance market in the

UK and Switzerland

10

market with a buoyant takaful industry that offers great growth potential. ZTMB’s expertise in the Takaful segment not only enables us to tailor Takaful solutions for our customers, but also opens the door for Zurich to learn and ultimately transfer skills and knowledge to other markets.”

Skilled talent supporting regional operationsZurich’s growing operations in the country also include a centre that supports other Zurich business entities and customers in the region. According to Smith, being based in Greater KL has been beneficial as, to date, they have been able to hire suitable talent for these shared service operations.

Malaysia has several advantages that persuaded the global insurer to build some of its regional operations here. Smith finds the country to be in a good position with the right balance of the right talent at the right cost, compared with other regional centres competing for the work.

“It was a relatively straightforward process to set up a regional shared service centre in Greater KL. This was established under a separate operating entity that currently has a headcount of over 65

employees. It is important to note that the centre comprises skilled professionals rather than providing low value activities. We have underwriters, IT specialists and actuaries in this centre and they support our operations right across the region. For example, some of the IT systems of other countries in the region are supported from Malaysiaand some of the Zurich Group actuarial reporting is also performed in Malaysia. The overall direction taken by Zurich is to further consolidate processes that result in cost-efficiencies so there is the potential for this centre to expand,” adds Smith.

Zurich Malaysia has around 1,550 employees in the country. About 70% of all its employees are based in KL. These are almost entirely Malaysian with a limited number of expatriates working in the shared service centre and in ZIMB.

Thriving in pro-business conditionsSmith notes that the ease of doing business in Malaysia has supported Zurich’s decision to house these regional activities in KL.

“We understand the objectives of the authorities here and their approach towards developing Malaysia. Zurich plans to be


“Being based in Greater KL has been beneficial as, to date, we have been able to hire suitable talent for our shared service operations.”

Financial Services

Zurich Malaysia

Multi-lingual talents with a

young and dynamic population

ENG

Competitive cost and ease of doing

business

Lower cost of living

11

here for the long term and it is always easier to develop our business in a way that is in line with the government’s plans. We have found agencies such as Invest KL to be very supportive. Invest KL provides invaluable practical advice on how we can accomplish things that serve both Zurich and the country,” Smith explains.

Moving ForwardMoving forward, Zurich is looking to build its brand and the presence it has established in Malaysia.

“Initially, after the acquisition, there was some confusion over the Zurich brand as it had been associated with MCIS Zurich since 2002 and it has taken a while for the market to understand that we are no longer

part of that venture. But now, our brand is getting more and more traction as we move forward.”

“Our wide range of insurance and takaful solutions across multiple customer segments as well as Zurich’s technical and service expertise puts us in a great position to service our customers and build our business. My objective as the steward of Zurich Malaysia is to understand and fulfill the needs and aspirations of our shareholders, employees, customers and the communities in which we operate. We must balance the needs of these four stakeholder groups for our business to sustain for the long term,” says Smith.

Source: The Edge Malaysia

“It was relatively straightforward a process to set up a regional shared service in Greater KL. It is important to note that the centre comprises skilled professionals rather than providing low value activities.”

ZURICH BUILDS A SOLID FOUNDATION IN GREATER KL’S SUPPORTIVE BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT

BENEFITS TO THE LOCAL ECONOMY

Established its shared service

operations and looking at further

expansion

1,521 local employees with

international exposure that supports global

operations

Zurich Takaful Malaysia Bhd is a milestone in its

long-term plan

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Published date 12 July 2016Content is accurate at the time of publication

Construction Services

VINCI Construction

Collaboration between academia and industry is increasingly a critical component of efficient national innovation systems. The benefits of university-industry

linkages are wide-reaching and mutually beneficial. On one hand, since the 1990s, the strategic mission of universities has moved beyond the tradition of teaching and research toward a different dimension related to better addressing the needs of industry and contributing directly to economic growth

and development. On the other hand, private firms are progressively adopting open innovation strategies to better access and integrate external sources of knowledge, leading to a stronger interest in collaboration with universities.

Multinational companies in Malaysia have consistently expanded their global innovation networks, as illustrated by a recent collaboration of University of Malaya (UM) and VINCI Construction.

VINCI CONSTRUCTION - TAPPING ON UNIVERSITY COLLABORATIONSUniversities act as an important driver of economic development and catching-up through their role in education and technology absorption, adaptation, and diffusion.

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The University of Malaya (UM) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with VINCI Construction to encourage and promote cooperation in research and development in the field of Capacity Building and Local Talent Development. (Source: University of Malaya website)

The Low Cost Model House (LCH) (Research) incorporating Green Technology (GT) is part of the University of Malaya Vice-Chancellor’s vision in promoting community engagement projects. In the project, research outputs from the Centre for Innovative Construction Technology (CICT) were implemented. The initiative aims to help in addressing sustainability and GT issues as well as reducing the cost of construction.

The Centre for Innovative Construction Technology (CICT) in the Faculty of Engineering, UM, has been conducting research on the use of local waste materials for more than 10 years. Among the research findings which have shown great potential

include partial and full cement replacements using materials like palm oil fuel ash, palm oil clinker (POC) ash, rice husk ash, and coal bottom ash. In the case of full cement replacement, such materials need to be combined with activators to give binding properties to the concrete. This type of cement-free concrete is commonly termed as ‘geopolymer concrete’. In addition, local waste materials such as POC, oil palm shell and slag were found to be good alternative as coarse and fine aggregates in concrete.

The construction of the Green Low Cost House was a joint collaboration with VINCI, France’s leading construction

VINCI CONSTRUCTION

France’s leading construction company

and a major global player

2,256 worldwide active patent portfolio

A recognised sector leader in R&D

VINCI CONSTRUCTION – TAPPING ON UNIVERSITY COLLABORATIONS

14

company and a major global player. As part of a lineage of 100-year-old companies whose names are associated with impressive achievements worldwide, VINCI Construction possesses end-to-end expertise in the creation of complex infrastructure. Throughout the world, VINCI Construction designs and builds major civil engineering structures, and buildings.

VINCI is also a recognised sector leader in R&D. VINCI’s R&D and innovation policy mainly focuses on urban development, sustainable mobility, the energy performance of buildings and infrastructure, and the digital transition. In 2015, the Group was involved in about 50 research programmes and the work of 13

competitiveness clusters in France. 31 new inventions were patented, bringing its worldwide active patent portfolio to 2,256. Consistent with its decentralised style of management, VINCI’s potential for innovation is developed by encouraging its companies and employees to take concrete initiatives at the ground level.

Bridging the skills gap with industry via academia partnership will continue to develop the potential for international technology transfer and diffusion, as well as to bolster the learning and demonstration effect on local universities.

Source: InvestKL


Collaboration with University of Malaya on Green Low Cost House

Academia partnership with local university

in capacity building and talent

development

Knowledge and technology

transfer to reduce cost of construction and promote sustainability

“As part of a lineage of 100-year-old companies whose names are associated with impressive achievements worldwide, VINCI Construction possesses end-to-end expertise in the creation of complex infrastructure.”

“Multinational companies in Malaysia have consistently expanded their global innovation networks, as illustrated by a recent collaboration of University of Malaya (UM) and VINCI Construction.”

Construction Services

VINCI Construction

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Aviation

AgustaWestland

Published date 10 November 2016Content is accurate at the time of publication

AGUSTAWESTLAND HOVERS HIGHER ON HELICOPTER BOOM

AgustaWestland Malaysia Sdn Bhd (AW Malaysia), a subsidiary of global hightechnology company Leonardo S.p.A, is uniquely

positioned to capture part of the boom.

AW Malaysia, formerly an operating company under Finmeccanica, is now under Leonardo. Leonardo headquartered in Italy is a major player in the aerospace, defence and security sectors with its Asian headquarters in Kuala Lumpur.

As far back as 2008, the Italian-based helicopter company made its presence felt in this region, parking itself in the region to better serve its clients.

In 2008, AW Malaysia, which is wholly owned by Leonardo, had established a

maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) hub at Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport in Subang.

Located just outside of Kuala Lumpur, it was a strategic presence for the group. But jobs at hand were outstripping its ability to respond. It was getting a good deal of assignments, pushing the company towards deepening it's presence in Malaysia.

Since 2013, Asia Pacific has been second to North America for new helicopter deliveries. Operators in the region took up slightly more than a quarter, or 26.4%, of all deliveries, according to a recent report from Flight Ascend Consultancy.

Being present in Malaysia in the Asia Pacific boom translates into an opportunity

Helicopter ownership is on high demand in Asia Pacific. Industry numbers speak of high growth in the region, making it one of the favourites for helicopter related support services.

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Aviation

AgustaWestland

for the Italian-based company to expand its helicopter complex.

In 2014, the Italian-based helicopter company invested some RM25 million to set up a hangar complex that would serve its clients in South East Asia.

Located at the Subang Helicopter Centre, the new hangar will serve as an integrated facility that houses the MRO, regional spares distribution centre and a training academy. The facilities at the new hangar will enable them to support more aircraft and advanced helicopters.

Talking about their regular client base, Alaimo said they include operators from both private and government agencies.

“There are many operators in Malaysia and South East Asia that are served by the Kuala Lumpur facilities. They are private operators who work in support for oil and gas industry, transporting the staff in and offshore,” he added.

Having established in Malaysia for over a decade, Alaimo said the new hangar will increase the company’s operational efficiency. It will also allow the company to “diligently respond” to customer needs.

Besides providing repair and maintenance services, the hangar complex also serves as a training hub.

That part of the story began in 2012 when the company opened a South East Asian branch called AgustaWestland Training Academy. Now, operated within the new hangar, they intend to create a regional training centre serving as a satellite to the centre in Italy.

With a training centre located in Malaysia, AW Malaysia believes its Asian customers will feel more at home and work within a more familiar culture.

“Our facilities in Kuala Lumpur also serve as one of our training academies for all helicopter related tasks, from piloting to maintenance. It also serves as the most important training centre in Asia, catering to customers from various industries, locally and globally,” said Alaimo.

It does not end there. A training centre in Malaysia also allows them to reduce the logistics of sending customers to their main centre in Italy for training.

“In our activities, the closer the manufacturer is to the operators, the better. Malaysia is extremely convenient to serve a large number of our customers in the region.

“We are already in Malaysia, and being in the middle of Asia, our customers don’t have to travel to Italy or the US for training activities,” he said.

AGUSTAWESTLAND

Italian-based helicopter company

Parent company is Leonardo

Leonardo is a major player in aerospace, defence and

security sectors

Established its Asian headquarters in Kuala Lumpur in 2008 under AW Malaysia, wholly owned by Leonardo

“In our activities, the closer the manufacturer is to the operators, the better. Malaysia is extremely convenient to serve a large number of our customers in the region.”

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Set up a maintenance,

repair and overhaul hub in

Subang

Knowledge and technology transfer to local

talents

Established a regional training

academy in Malaysia

Partnership with a local company on a new project at

the Kuala Lumpur International Airport to be completed by 2018

Following are excerpts from the interview:

1. Why did the company come to Malaysia, specifically Kuala Lumpur?The company came to Kuala Lumpur after signing a contract for 11 A109 Light Observation Helicopters for the Malaysian Army Aviation in 2003. We wanted to be closer to the Malay-sian businesses. The location was also convenient to serve a number of customers located in South East Asia, with a good balance of connec-tivity, cost, quality of life and infra-structure.

2. Do you have a specific audience of customers?Our customers comprise companies providing services to oil and gas op-erations, government operators and private consumers. Our strength lies exactly in catering to all these differ-ent customers and a tailored solution not only for aircraft.

3. How do you set yourself apart from your competitors?We certainly have a range of state-of-the-art helicopters in our portfolio, making Leonardo (the parent com-pany) at the forefront of the market. We are also committed to serving our

customer, which in return receives their acknowledgement. We are very proud of it.

4. What is your forte in the helicopter industry?We design, manufacture and provide lifelong support to thousands of helicopter around the world. South East Asia is one of the most interest-ing regions in the world, with a solid growing market for various types of aircraft.

5. Do you have plans to further invest in Malaysia?The company is here to stay and we will continue to invest. As for future expansion, we have expanded a lot in the last few years, at this time we have to consolidate.

6. What is next for AgustaWestland?Just earlier this year, we were award-ed a contract of replacing the existing Kuala Lumpur Air Traffic Control Centre at Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA). We will be working closely with Advanced Air Traffic Systems Sdn Bhd and the project will be completed before 2018.

Source : The Malaysian Reserve

“We are also committed to serving our customer, which in return receives their acknowledgement. We are very proud of it.”

AGUSTAWESTLAND HOVERS HIGHER ON HELICOPTER BOOM

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Published date 17 October 2016Content is accurate at the time of publication

Communications, Content & Infrastructure

Kadokawa

GREATER KL'S TALENT PROVIDES CREATIVE CONTENTFOR THE WORLDTokyo-listed entertainment content provider corporation has chosen Greater Kuala Lumpur (KL) as its creative content hub to penetrate into the South East Asia and Middle East markets. To expand its growth, Kadokawa acquired an 80% stake in Art Square Group (ASG), Malaysia’s leading comics and children’s books publisher, which publishes the Gempak and Comic King magazines.

This high impact acquisition allows Kadokawa to inject its 70 years of publishing knowledge while leveraging on Art Square Group’s extensive knowledge and expertise

in the South East Asia and Middle East markets.

The partnership also marked the rebranding of Kadokawa Gempak Starz (KGS) which led to the new implementation of aggressive media

mix strategy in animation, games, digitalisation of IP content and merchandising. Kadokawa, widely known as Japan’s leading creative content aggregator, publisher, and distributor, exports its content worldwide and has a huge backlist of today’s bestselling novels, comics, and magazines. Founded in 1954 as a publishing company, Kadokawa is now ranked top 30 in the Global Publishing Leaders 2015 with consolidated revenue of US$1.3 billion in 2014.

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“Greater KL will be an important content IP development base for Kadokawa to expand its reach to its targeted countries.”—Chris Yew, CEO of Kadokawa Gempak Starz

Greater Kuala Lumpur, ASEAN’s creative hubAccording to Chris Yew, CEO of KGS (former CEO of ASG), Kadokawa’s decision to invest in Greater KL was largely driven by synergistic opportunities in the creative industry. Apart from advantages such as strategic location, business-friendly policies, the city also offers the right infrastructure, ecosystem, and a wide talent pool to establish its creative content hub.

The competition is high as KGS’s made-in-Malaysia content and materials compete with IP from publishers in more established content markets such as South Korea and Japan.

“Greater KL will be an important content IP development base for Kadokawa to expand its reach to its targeted countries,” said Yew.

“To date, we have sold our IP copyright to Japan, Taiwan, China, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam. Even though many of the publishers in the mentioned countries tend to look for materials from Japan and Korea, the demand for Malaysian content is very good and increasing. The Malaysian comic storylines and aspect, such as animations are regarded to be better quality.”

Expanding into the South East Asia and Middle East market has been long term-goal for Kadokawa. Before KGS, Kadokawa had considerations to collaborate with other Japanese companies to convert their stories and animation into languages relevant to the target markets such as Mandarin, Bahasa Malaysia and Arabic.

“We can do this as we have the know-how and expertise. We have the advantage of being centrally located within Kadokawa’s target markets and we are able to contribute ideas to Kadokawa as it enters these new markets. We also have the competitive edge of understanding the Muslim-majority markets better compared to companies based in Japan,” he added.

Many of KGS’s publications are available in Bahasa Malaysia, Mandarin and English due to the multi-ethnic makeup of Malaysian society. The language line-up will expand to include Arabic, Bahasa Indonesia and even Japanese to enhance its export potential.

Malaysian talent with an International reachGreater KL is widely known for its access to world-class, educated and highly skilled workforce. IMD World Talent Report 2015 ranked Malaysian talent at 15th worldwide, and 2nd in ASEAN ahead of countries such as Japan, India, Thailand and Indonesia. The city alone is home to 9 public and 25 private universities, with many offering creative and animation programmes.

“Kadokawa invested in us because we are the leading comic publisher in the country. We have access to many talented artists and a wide network of contacts in the creative industry. Our talent in the industry has a good reputation around the world. For example, many Malaysian studios are involved in producing 3D animation for big (budget) movies,” said Yew.

Japan's leading creative content

aggregator,publisher and

distributor.

Yearsof

publishing knowledge

KADOKAWA

#1

Ranked

in the Global Publishing

Leaders 2015

Top 30

GREATER KL'S TALENT PROVIDES CREATIVE CONTENT FOR THE WORLD

20

“We are looking to convert one of our local comics, X-Venture into an animated series. The idea is to bring our Malaysian produced content to the international arena and penetrate into other strategic markets.”

“Malaysia is multilingual and multiracial – we produce content in many languages that cater to readers in Taiwan, Hong Kong, China, India and many others. Kadokawa were very impressed with the Malaysian team who have created many popular titles such as X-Venture and Candy Series in different languages,” he added.

KGS’s long-term plans include growing the local talent pool as well as attracting foreign talent into Malaysia.

A strategic partnership with InvestKLTo mark Kadokawa’s selection of Greater KL as the group’s regional gateway, Kadokawa Corporation Chairman, Tsuguhiko Kadokawa signed a memorandum of understanding with InvestKL in 2015 to assist their business growth and to mutually develop talent for the industry and identify export markets.

Till today, the agency’s facilitation has proven important.

“InvestKL opened door to opportunities that were not visible to us. Without their support, it would have been a challenge for us to have content that is endorsed and supported by the government,” said Yew.

A positive outlook into the futureYew looks forward to growing KGS range of products by utilising well-known Japanese producers,

scriptwriters and creative directors within Kadokawa’s extensive network. The company aims to transform its best-selling comics into animated versions to further increase the popularity of the series, maximize book sales, facilitate merchandising and strengthen overall export to the targeted markets.

“We are looking to convert one of our local comics, X-Venture into an animated series. The idea is to bring our Malaysian produced content to the international arena and penetrate into other strategic markets,” said Yew.

The opportunities and future outlook in Greater KL remain positive for Kadokawa as they are now in plans to establish an academy to groom the best talent in Malaysia to support the company’s growth to develop more content such as comics, manga, and animation. Graduates of the Kadokawa Content Academy may be selected and offered a regional role within the company.

Malaysia’s thriving creative industry is a potential game changer. The country is on its way to capturing a bigger slice of the global creative content industry, valued at US$10.1 trillion up to 2019 (PWC Global Entertainment and Media Outlook 2015-2019).



GREATER KL AS A CREATIVE EXPORT

HUB

KGS’s long-term plans include growing the local

talent pool

It plans to establish an academy to groom the best

local talent

Sold IP copyright to Japan, Taiwan, China, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam

KGS's publications are available in Bahasa Malaysia,

Mandarin, and English

To develop more content such as manga, comics &

animation and games

Communications, Content & Infrastructure

Kadokawa

21

Business Services

ServiceSource

Published date 29 March 2017Content is accurate at the time of publication

Revenue lifecycle management is a framework for growing and retaining revenue from existing customers. As a revenue lifecycle management solution provider,

ServiceSource offers unique technological solutions that help companies with the difficult tasks of customer on-boarding, adoption, upsell and cross-sell, and retention and renewal. ServiceSource services

are available in 40 languages and in 150 countries and its impressive customer base includes leading technology companies such as Avaya, SAP, Microsoft and Red Hat.

“Asia Pacific is quickly becoming a hub for global enterprise expansion. To serve our clients well and assist them in meeting their customer growth and retention targets and to offer revenue lifecycle management

SERVING THE WORLD WITH THEIR TEAM OF MULTILINGUAL TECH-SAVVY GREATER KL TALENTServiceSource, a NASDAQ-listed revenue lifecycle solution provider, has been able to tap on Greater KL to serve its global operations. A support centre established in Malaysia in 2010 with 30 employees has grown on the back of a high-level of performance to a current headcount of 700 employees that serves 26 global clients across the world, says Gnaneswaran S, Vice-President of Operation Services for ServiceSource International Malaysia Sdn Bhd.

22

Business Services

ServiceSource

solutions to businesses that want to enter this market, ServiceSource needed to build its capabilities in this region by leveraging on regional expertise and language capabilities. In the Asia Pacific region, ServiceSource has offices in Greater KL, Singapore, Yokohama and the Philippines,” says Gnaneswaran.

To deliver unparalleled success for ServiceSources’ global clients and their customers, employees must be able to perform at a high level.

“As a company that aims to grow the revenue of other businesses, we must be able to deliver. The B2B (business to business) industry is quickly evolving into an outcome-driven economy and revenue lifecycle management is at the forefront. So we need to innovate and deliver measureable outcomes to stay competitive. The company and our local talent is young, dynamic and open to new ideas, new ways of doing things.

“There is no room for mediocrity when offering a service globally as there is always another company or another country that is waiting and capable of doing more and doing better. Our employees, of whom 97% are Malaysians, are well aware of the need to perform and surpass expectation and they willingly met this challenge. They have proven themselves to senior management within ServiceSource and we have

been given the opportunity to do more for the company,” said Gnaneswaran.

When ServiceSource started operations in Malaysia seven years ago, they were given the mandate to provide back-office sales administrative functions known internally as operations services. Last year, a strategic decision was made globally to allow the team in Greater KL to take on sales roles.

“We have been able to grow on the back of high-performing multilingual talent that are tech-savvy. This seems like a formidable task but our partnership with InvestKL has been very beneficial in addressing this need. We had an aggressive recruitment plan and had specific language proficiency requirements. We also wanted high-calibre talent that are willing to take on the challenges of working for a global company and adopt a global mindset. InvestKL was able to connect us to the right places to look for such talent and this was a crucial step in building the team that we have today,” said Gnaneswaran.

ServiceSource Malaysia hires both fresh graduates and experienced professionals and have been able to hire talent that speak Japanese, Thai, Bahasa Indonesia, Hindi, Korean, all the Chinese dialects besides English and Bahasa Malaysia. Gnaneswaran also notes that they have also been able find people with very niche technical

“Our employees, of whom 97% are Malaysians, are well aware of the need to perform and surpass expectation and they willingly met this challenge.”— Gnaneswaran S, Vice President of Operation Services for ServiceSource International Malaysia Sdn Bhd.

Nasdaq-Listed revenue lifecycle solution provider

Headquartered in San Francisco &

operating in

5countries

Established the global sales

operations centre in Greater KL

Global leader in recurring revenue

management

SERVICESOURCE

23

skills, a feat delighted the team in the US.

The opportunity to take on a global sales function is testimony to the local talent’s capabilities, he adds.

“This is an opportunity to further add value to the company and to develop the breadth and scope of the local team. In a global arena, it is crucial to stay relevant.

This means that we must take up new challenges. A global sales function is definitely more demanding, as employees are required to speak eloquently in different languages as well as rationalise their proposals. Some of our employees have already requested to move into this new role and I am excited to see how much more we can do as a team,” said Gnaneswaran.

Although majority of ServiceSource’s local employees are millennials, the company has not experienced a high turnover of staff, a challenge often reported by many companies with young employees. Gnaneswaran attributes the low attrition rate to a holistic structured talent development training programme and the company’s family-like culture and approach towards working as a team.

Excellent talent meets extraordinary opportunitiesServiceSource focuses on growing. Their clients and customers grow, their employees grow and so do their

communities. Its website speaks of this commitment.

“Make a difference in the lives of people across the globe, promote customer success and benefit from crazy-awesome employee opportunities,” says the page dedicated to career opportunities at ServiceSource’s corporate website.

Gnaneswaran says the talent development culture adopted globally by the company contributes to its low attrition rate.

“From our experience, millennials are willing to challenge themselves if they see an opportunity for growth and development and to build a career. We have had employees request to do more when the opportunities arises. So as an organisation, we created opportunities for them to move up and supported them with structured training programmes which are implemented globally.”

To be the employer of choice, the company looks to promote internally and employees know that they will receive training when they take on bigger roles. For example, new team leaders are given ‘leader training programmes’ and new managers receive specially designed training development programmes.

Gnaneswaran also finds that millennials are attracted to and thrive in a family-oriented culture.

“Millennials are driven by how well their team works together, how


Multi-lingual,tech savvy talents

Regional expertise

Strategic location within Asia Pacific

“Millennials are driven by how well their team works together, how supported and appreciated they feel, and how much possibility they have.”

SERVING THE WORLD WITH THEIR TEAM OF MULTILINGUAL TECH-SAVVY GREATER KL TALENT

24

supported and appreciated they feel, and how much possibility they have. They enjoy the family-feel that we serving the world with their team of multilingual tech-savvy GreaterKL talent practice here. Furthermore, we give them a bigger purpose. They know that they have to work and deliver as a team and that their performance can determine if the entire company in Malaysia is able to compete regionally, even globally. It is not just about doing 'my' job. It is about delivering as a team, as a company,” said Gnaneswaran.

ServiceSource has also implemented initiatives aimed at building a community spirit and to encourage employees to look out for each other. Employees are allowed to take a day off every year to participate as a volunteer in a good cause.

“We also started a global employee assistance fund where every ServiceSource employee can contribute towards a fund. The money in this funds given an employee in any part of the world that may need it. It is an employee for employee initiative and builds upon the family environment that we practice here,” he said.

Cutting-edge technologyThe IT team in ServiceSource’s local outfit has also made a name for

themselves by providing general and technical support to other sites such as Sofia, Manila and Yokohama. Gnaneswaran talks about nurturing a culture of innovation among employees.

“Employees are encouraged to automate tools, processes and areas that are manually transacted. This allows us to be faster, better and more effective at value-added task,” he said.

Moving forward, ServiceSource is looking at offering more leading-edge capabilities in revenue lifecycle management solutions. This is in the field of predictive analytics, the latest buzzword in the global tech industry.

“We are looking at the ability to use big data for actionable customer insights. This requires predictive data science and algorithms and it is really at the forefront of revenue lifecycle management. If we are able to prove ourselves in the new sales role, there is little reason why we cannot be part of new innovations and new solutions. There is no limit as to how big the local centre in Greater KL can be. We just need to keep performing and the team here is ready to do more,” said Gnaneswaran.


“We are looking at the ability to use big data for actionable customer insights.”


97% of its Employees are

Malaysians

Skills and Knowledge Transfer on Global Sales Function to

Local Talents

Creation of 700 Headcount to serve

26 Global clients

Holistic and Structured Talent

Development Programme

Business Services

ServiceSource

25


Dieffenbacher

Published date 26 December 2016Content is accurate at the time of publication

KL HAS A POOL OF HIGHLY CAPABLE ENGINEERING TALENT, SAYS DIEFFENBACHERA pool of highly capable engineering talent in Malaysia was a decisive factor for Dieffenbacher, a world-leading manufacturer of press systems and complete production lines for the wood-based panel industry, automakers and automotive suppliers in establishing its regional headquarters in Greater KL.

Dieffenbacher is part of the strong community of specialist engineering companies based in Germany. It is over 140 years old and has been helmed and

owned by the Dieffenbacher family since its inception in 1873 and has remained in the same town called Eppingen where it was originally founded.

“To have withstood the test of time, Dieffenbacher has well-established

values such as a strong customer focus, continuity, tradition, and reliability. It is an independent, fifth-generation, family owned company that believes in innovation and in providing the best for our clients. This means that we need extremely capable engineers that can deliver world-class plants and provide reliable after-sales service. It was really a nice surprise to find such engineers in Malaysia,” said Andy Mueller, senior manager, Asia Pacific for Dieffenbacher Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd.

26


Dieffenbacher

Dieffenbacher is an international group of companies employing more than 1,700 associates around the world. It has a presence in many countries besides its Asia Pacific regional headquarters in Greater KL.

“As Dieffenbacher Asia Pacific’s regional headquarters, we provide technical and sales support to our global clients. This means that we assist the sales team from Germany since we are very familiar with the Asian market and culture and we participate in after-sales service by responding to technical questions. The team here can also source spare parts and provide consulting advice to clients that are thinking of upgrading or modernising their existing plant,” said Mueller, who has been with the company for 30 years and in Malaysia since the local operation was established in 2002.

The team of engineers at Dieffenbacher Asia Pacific also participates in project installations for wood-based panel plants. According to Mueller, this is a rapidly growing industry in South East Asia and companies in countries such as Thailand, Laos and Vietnam are showing interest in building their own plants.

“The technical team in Malaysia is very experienced and capable and they are often a part of the entire process of designing, building and optimising a greenfield plant for a

client. Our senior engineers are also able to lead an international team of engineers from Dieffenbacher during the installation of a new plant,” Mueller said.

Greater KL, an ideal locationGreater KL’s strategic location and accessibility, combined with affordable cost of living provides the right environment for multinationals like Dieffenbacher that need to serve regional clients. The team of engineers at Dieffenbacher can meet the requirements of their clients quickly as Malaysia is centrally located in the ASEAN region and well-connected with numerous highways and international airports. This was a key consideration when deciding on a location to establish our regional headquarters, said Mueller.

“The client or customer is at the centre of our operations. We develop our products and services according to their needs and this gives them and us, a competitive advantage. It is a critical business need that their plants, which we customise and build for them, works efficiently and effectively. We choose to be based in Greater Kuala Lumpur as this location puts us in close proximity to several Malaysian clients. We can be at their premises within two hours if they need any type of support.”

“Furthermore, office rental rates and salaries are reasonable and business transactions and financial documents

“The pool of well-trained professional multilingual engineers that can be found in Greater KL is a strategic advantage for us.”— Andy Mueller, Senior Manager, Asia Pacific for Dieffenbacher Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd

Dieffenbacher

Global manufacturer in mechanical engineering

and plant construction sector

A 140-year-old German MNC

100% family-owned business

1,700 employeesaround the world

The APAC Regional Headquarters in Greater KL is its biggest office

outside Germany

27

are written in English. This makes things easy for a global company like Dieffenbacher,” he added.

One of Dieffenbacher Asia Pacific’s major clients is a Malaysian company (MIECO) and Mueller says it made business sense for the company to establish a base in the country back in 2002. However, he did not expect the company to be able to grow on the back of capable technical talent.

A pool of world-class technical talentThe office in Greater KL is Dieffenbacher’s biggest office outside Germany. Mueller attributes its growth to the calibre and capabilities of their local employees.

“The pool of well-trained professional multilingual engineers that can be found in Greater KL is a strategic advantage for us. Malaysian engineers have a lot of technical knowledge in the wood-based panel industry and this made it easy for them to learn about our products and our processes.”

“We currently have 17 employees. Out of this number, 15 are engineers because they have proved to have the skill-sets and positive work attitude that suits a leading, international company such as Dieffenbacher. The team here consists of two Germans, including myself, two Indian nationals and Malaysians. In terms of skill sets, we have mechanical engineers, electrical engineers and looking at developing process engineers in the future,” said Mueller.

Besides being technically-proficient, local talent is generally multi-lingual and familiar with ASEAN culture. This enables them to communicate effectively and quickly understand the needs of their clients in this region.

“It is not hard to find good talent in Malaysia. We have been and still are very impressed with their calibre and their positive attitude towards work. They are willing to go the extra mile for our clients. This attitude is very much aligned with Dieffenbacher’s values,” said Mueller.

From a practical aspect, Dieffenbacher Asia Pacific’s employees can travel relatively easily to other countries. Mueller points out that it is not difficult to get the relevant work permits and visas.

“This is also important as travelling is a key component of the work that we do,” he said.

Engineers often receive training at Dieffenbacher’s headquarters in Germany. They also learn from an international team of Dieffenbacher’s employees at each project.

“Motivated, responsible and reliable employees are our most valuable assets. Unlocking our employees’ potential ensures the success of the Dieffenbacher Group. Our employees have the opportunity to continuously expand their knowledge by joining external and internal programmes,” said Mueller.


Strategic location and accessibility

A pool of highlycapable and multi-lingual engineering

talent

Affordable cost of living

“It is not hard to find good talent in Malaysia. We have been and still are very impressed with their calibre and their positive attitude towards work. They are willing to go the extra mile for our clients.”

KL HAS A POOL OF HIGHLY CAPABLE ENGINEERING TALENT, SAYS DIEFFENBACHER

28

Innovation is a central tenet to Dieffenbacher’s sustainability and the latest technology, ideas and designs in this industry is constantly being developed by highly-skilled engineers in the company. Mueller says local employees are constantly updated and trained in the latest innovations in this industry.

“Senior process engineers in Dieffenbacher tend to transfer their knowledge to Malaysian engineers and their counterparts at a project site. So, our engineers are constantly kept up-to-date with the most recent innovations in this industry and they have an international perspective since the teams always consist of people from around the world.”

For the long termAs the wood-based panel industry in Southeast Asia is rapidly growing, Mueller says the company has been able to formulate long-term plans.

“In the past five years, our sales in this region have grown strongly. Nevertheless, competition is heating up with players from China as well as Europe in this market. To stand apart, we leverage on innovation and a strong team that stays together and supports each other. In the future, I hope to see more engineers based in Malaysia,” said Mueller.

He adds that assistance from government agencies such

as InvestKL have benefited Dieffenbacher Asia Pacific by making it easier to obtain work visas, and to find interns and employees. As a family-owned company, there is a culture of treating employees and partners such as InvestKL, as friends. Mueller says colleagues frequently invite each other over to their house for meals.

“Genuine friendships have developed between our employees based in Malaysia and other parts of the world. This is something that is beautiful and unique and I believe it has contributed to a lower employee turnover rate for the company.”

Mueller enjoys living in Greater KL as it offers both a fast-paced modern city lifestyle and also a quiet, serene environment.

“As a person from a small town in Germany, I really appreciate the beauty of Greater KL’s natural environment. I have been living in Malaysia for 13 years and enjoy the city life and the quiet, peaceful environment in my township, just outside Petaling Jaya. I also enjoy the cultural diversity of Malaysia and find the community to be open and friendly. Finally, there is good infrastructure and the cost of living is certainly affordable.”



One of DieffenbacherAsia Pacific's major

clients is a Malaysiancompany (MIECO)

Out of 17 employees in the Greater

KL Office, 13 are Malaysian engineers

Local employees expose to

international training and latest innovations

“Genuine friendships have developed between our employees based in Malaysia and other parts of the world. This is something that is beautiful and unique and I believe it has contributed to a lower employee turnover rate for the company.”


Dieffenbacher

29

Education

Hobsons

Published date 21 November 2016Content is accurate at the time of publication

Since establishing its local operations in 2011, Hobson’s office has grown rapidly on a solid foundation, including a competitive cost base, high-performing

infrastructure and a big pool of capable Malaysian talent.

Hobsons is a subsidiary of London-listed the Daily Mail and General Trust Plc, and headquartered in Cincinnati, US. Students, schools and universities all over the world use the company’s niche products and services. Its flagship product, Naviance, is used in

about 11,000 schools, mostly in the US. Another popular Hobsons product is used by higher education institutions around the world, mainly universities, to connect and communicate effectively with prospective, admitted and enrolled students.

Kuala Lumpur is an ideal location with the right talent for a global companyA unique confluence of factors in Greater KL support Hobsons‘ global operations while enabling the company to expand its regional presence, said Andy Nicol, regional managing director for Asia and the Middle East.

Hobsons supports thousands of educational institutions worldwide to improve post-secondary and career planning, admissions and enrolment management, student success and advice for millions of students around the globe, found Greater KL to be the obvious choice when looking to establish a regional hub.

HOBSONS LEVERAGES GREATER KL TO EXPAND ITS REGIONAL PRESENCE

30

“Our focus was to build a delivery centre for Hobsons global operations in Malaysia. Here, we support our clients around the world and started by servicing those in Australia. We are also increasingly supporting our clients in the US and in the UK,” he said.

The company is looking at growing its client base within the country as well as other South East Asian countries, the Middle East, India and China.

Nicol finds that Malaysia’s strategic geographical location and time zone to be conducive as employees can easily service and support students from the ASEAN region as well as students from India and China that are looking to further their studies. He adds that the big pool of graduates in KL, many with international exposure and multiple language capabilities, provide a strategic advantage for Hobsons.

“Finding talent is a challenge in any country. The Klang Valley generates about 120,000 university graduates every year and this is a big pool of potential talent. We can find talent with the right skills and multiple language capabilities. It is also possible to hire Malaysians with international exposure as many have studied at foreign universities within the country or overseas,” said Nicol.

These characteristics are unique to Malaysian talent.

“We did not find a talent pool with these qualities in other ASEAN countries. Talent is an important reason why we picked Malaysia over its neighbouring countries when looking to establish our regional hub,” said Nicol.

Nurturing world-class employees in MalaysiaHobson’s goal is to establish a company in Malaysia that is managed and staffed by

Malaysians. To achieve this vision, the company has implemented a comprehensive talent development programme that includes sending local employees to gain exposure outside the country.

“Once we find the right talent, we want to get them on board, trained and excited about their work. This is challenging but very important to the success of our business so we make it a priority to invest in our talent,”said Nicol.

‘Bud to Boss’ is an example of Hobson’s talent development programmes for mid-managers.

“Emerging leaders in this programme spend time with their managers outside Malaysia. This is important to their development and their long-term career with Hobsons,” said Nicol.

As specialised niche products in the global education industry require a deep understanding and appreciation of education services, Hobsons also sends senior employees with decades of experience to Malaysia to share their expertise and to develop the local team. Nicol is currently the only full-time expatriate based in Hobson’s regional hub.

Malaysia’s connective international transport hub and business-friendly policies support this aspect of Hobson’s talent development programmes.

“It is also relatively easy for us to obtain a six-month or one-year working visa for our foreign experts. These factors definitely support our globally-focused local operations,” added Nicol.

A strategic cost advantage and high-performing infrastructureMalaysia’s competitive cost of living further enhances its value proposition to companies with a global footprint. Nicol notes

Education

Hobsons

HOBSONS

BIG POOL OF CAPABLE

MALAYSIAN TALENT IN GREATER KL

Malaysian talents with international exposure

Multiple language capabilities

Flagship product, NAVIANCE is used in approx 11,000

schools

World’s largest provider of education consultancy,

software and service

Its regional hub in KL is 2× the size of its London office

120,000 university graduates every year

31

“Talent is an important reason why we picked Malaysia over its neighbouring countries when looking to establish our regional hub.”—Andy Nicol, regional managing director for Asia and the Middle East for Hobsons

that education services, much like any other service industry, is very cost competitive and says Malaysia provides Hobsons with a financial advantage.

“The lower cost of doing business allows us to offer our products and services at a competitive price. We also see greater value from our investments. For example, we are able to rent a large space in a central location at a very competitive price. Furthermore, our office is in an MSC-status building and this enables us to offer the highest international standard of service to our clients,” said Nicol.

Entering an aggressive growth phaseThere are plans to recruit more employees as Hobsons continues to build its regional presence. The company had a headcount of 100 employees in early October and is looking to add 50 more employees within the next 12 months.

“We have been growing steadily and this is testimony to the

quality of work achieved in Malaysia. The partnership that we have with InvestKL has been very beneficial in our growth, especially in talent sourcing, a vital aspect of our operations. They also connect us with government agencies such as TalentCorp Malaysia that runs programmes that we can leverage on,” he said.

Hobsons’ regional hub in Kuala Lumpur is currently twice the size of Hobson’s London office and is poised to rival the size of its headquarters in the US.

“It is a very exciting time for us. Our office can comfortably accommodate 170 people and there is a high possibility that we will eventually employ this number of people as Hobsons looks to play a bigger role in supporting local and regional students, as well as private universities in this region.”


Plans to establish a company in

Malaysia, managed and staffed by

Malaysian

'Bud to Boss' Talent Development

Programme –a global exposure for local employee


HOBSONS LEVERAGES GREATER KL TO EXPAND ITS REGIONAL PRESENCE

InvestKL Corporation

16th Floor, Menara [email protected], Jalan Stesen Sentral 5

Kuala Lumpur Sentral50623 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

T: +603 2260 2270F: +603 2260 2292

E: [email protected]: www.investkl.gov.my

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