When a group of entrepreneurs gather…it’s to exchange knowledge and know-how. That’s what took place at the Perdana Leadership Foundation’s (PLF) SME Leaders Programme on 13th July 2023. Themed “Knowledge Exchange for Entrepreneurship Excellence”, the programme featured founders and CEOs from the MSME sector talk about issues that included funding, branding, social media strategies, and traits for success. Around 100 entrepreneurs and aspiring entrepreneurs attended the event.
In his opening remarks, Tan Sri Azman Hashim, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Perdana Leadership Foundation, pointed out that, “The Programme is meant to be a platform for entrepreneurs to engage and connect with one another as well as to highlight the best practices of established and new enterprises, with the understanding that the best learning comes from experience, whether it be one’s own or another’s; hence the tagline, “Knowledge Exchange for Entrepreneurship Excellence”.
Following the opening session, the programme continued with CEO Spotlight on the topic, “How to Make Funders and Investors Say “I Do””, featuring Mr. Joshua Chan, Co-Founder of InspiresMe Asia, Mr. Paramjit Singh, Chief Investment Officer of MAVCAP, and Mr. Kien Poon Chai, Country Head-Malaysia of Funding Societies Malaysia. The panellists elaborated on the availability of funding resources, maintaining healthy communications with your investors, and acknowledging when there are market failures (ie. things did not work out the way you wanted, so it’s better to cut your losses before doing any more damage). Understanding the intricacies of funding is essential for the maturity and success of their businesses.
A second CEO Spotlight session commenced in the afternoon where Mr. Jayson Lim Chin Hau, Founder and CEO of MediCap Sdn Bhd, Mr. Ziwei Low, Founder of ZCOVA, and Dato’ Mohd Subri Md Isa, Founder of Syauqi Excellent Sdn Bhd shared their insights on Unveiling Key Success Factors of Entrepreneurship. One of the most important traits that the three entrepreneurs all emphasized was to strategise. Mr Jayson said during the session, “We know that we are not a big player. So, as a company, we decided that rather than going against the big players, we opted to instead look for opportunities in markets where the big players have little presence.”
Participants also had the chance to know more about e-Commerce and government initiatives to help MSMEs sell to overseas markets in the session with Mr. Md. Shaiful Md. Sharif, Director of Development Assistance Section and Exporter Advisory and Training Services Section at MATRADE.
Lively sharing sessions also took place at the event’s Breakout Sessions on branding and social media, featuring entrepreneurs from well-known companies: Mr Ali Hassan Mohd Hassan, Founder & Chairman of Al-Ikhsan Sports Sdn Bhd, Ms Arieni Ritzal, Founder & CEO of Gula Cakery Sdn Bhd, Ms Kristy Yong, Chief Executive Director, MS.READ (M) Sdn Bhd, Ms Jasmiza Yangtee Jamaluddin, Principal Consultant & CEO of Jasmiza Solutions Sdn Bhd, Ms Dini Tajudin, Branding Coach & CEO of Diniflix.com, and Mr Silmyi M. Sadek, Chief Geek of Brand Geeks Inc.
The event had a grand finale as the Closing Session featured former Prime Minister and PLF Honorary President, YABhg Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, who shared his thoughts on “Translating Vision into Action: Lessons for Business Leaders”.
“It has been said that in some ways, managing a nation is like leading a business organisation. There are some functions of government that are similar to business: marketing the country to investors, coordinating the civil service and government agencies, and calculating the numbers to ensure we were not in the red.” Tun Dr Mahathir made the comparison during his speech. In addition, he also highlighted the importance for a business leader to have a clear bold vision, that is well articulated so that it may excite and inspire action.”
Following his speech, Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad answered questions from the audience, ranging from work ethics to economic issues and even health advice.
The closing session concluded with a resounding birthday wish from the audience to Tun, who turned 98 on 10th July.
Organised by Perdana Leadership Foundation and sponsored by DRB-HICOM (Gold Sponsor) along with MIDF, AmBank and Bank Rakyat as Bronze Sponsors, the second PLF SME Leaders Programme was an engaging platform through which small and medium business leaders could share views and insights on the tough task of starting, building, and growing a business.
