MRCA CEO Get Together

The event brought together industry stalwarts to a night of fun, food and friendship with the hope of a better and more prosperous year ahead.

o kickstart the New Year T 2022 on a positive note, the MRCA CEO Get Together night, which was hosted by the Star Media Group (SMG), brought together corporate executives, directors, business owners and industry leaders for Chinese New Year celebration. The event themed ‘Aseana’ was held at Menara Star in Petaling Jaya.

Donning colourful Aseana out ts, the guests and attendees had a fabulous night of food, fun and great company. To welcome the Year of the Tiger, the calls for prosperity and good luck were heard during the tossing of the Yee Sang.

As hosts, SMG’s CEO Alex Yeow, Chief Content O cer, Esther Ng and members of senior management were at hand to welcome the guests.

Lydia Wang, SMG’s Chief

Business O cer shared about the Group’s plans for the year.

In her address, MRCA President, Shirley Tay hoped retailers would focus on having a physical presence to rekindle the human connection that has been absent in the past two years.

Emphasising on the importance of making personal connections and interactions with customers, Shirley said, “I strongly feel that retailers that start servicing customers in person again, will bene t a great deal despite the convenience of online trading.”

She added that MRCA is looking forward to the recovery phase and will continue its e orts in reaching out to the needy within the community through its charitable activities this year.

Datuk Liew Bin, Deputy President of MRCA said he hoped to do more for association members this year.

“At this point in time, we have to work with each other as a community. With the Covid-19 safety precautions in place and everyone keeping safe, I am optimistic that we will see at least 5.5% of growth for the country’s economy,” he said.

Among the industry leaders present, Datuk Aureen Jean Nonis, Senior Director of Matrade’s Planning Division, who also graced the event, said that the networking session was an excellent opportunity to broaden Matrade’s customer base while also gathering market intelligence and insights.

She added, “We feel 2022 will be a better year for exports than last year, even though the rst six months may be similar because of challenges like disruptions to the supply chain, but the second half will be much better when the logistics situation normalises.”

Sharing his thoughts about the recovery phase, Credit Guarantee Corporation Malaysia Bhd’s Chief Corporate O cer, Rahim Raduan expressed excitement over the positive GDP forecast for 2022. However, caution needs to be observed in monitoring repayment trends following the end of the moratorium period.

He added, “From what we can see from the take-up rate of our business development programmes, we also expect local businesses to further explore collaboration opportunities with other businesses, especially among those that have adopted a digital presence and have adapted to the new way of doing business.”

The night ended with a stronger bond among industry partners, coupled with happy handshakes and good wishes for the year ahead.