MDBCONNECTS 2017 - 3

MDBC AEC HR FORUM KL SUSTAINABLE CITY

MAKERS & DRIVERS OF BUSINESS & COMMERCE

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ISSUE: 3RD EDITION 2017

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CONTENTS MEMBERS

DIALOGUE

MDBC EVENTS / 8

RANDSTAD / 15

MDBC Connects Fair 2017 MDBC AGM over FY 2016 MDBC: Oil & Gas Briefing MDBC: Dialogue with the Minister of International Trade & Industry MDBC: Visit to ADAX MDBC: Interchamber with MABC

MDBC JOHOR / 11 SPECIAL EVENT / 13

/08

KPMG / 31 EXACT / 33

BIG STORY AN INSIDE LOOK / 20

/15

MDBC Annual HR Forum

MEMBERS NEWS / 16

COMMUNITY

MY SERVICES / 35

STUDENT INTERNSHIP PROGRAM / 23

NEW MEMBERS / 36

EMBASSY NEWS / 25

SOCIAL / 38

EU / EUMCCI / 27

/20

CONFERENCES & EXHIBITIONS / 29

MDBC BOARD OF DIRECTORS Mr. Zainul Rahim Mohd Zain, Chairman Hibiscus Petroleum Berhad

Mr. Philip Kunjappy Sime Darby Berhad

Mr. Michiel Brouwer, Vice Chairman Shell Malaysia

Mr. Suerd Polderdijk Frames Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd

Ms. Mirjam Van Thiel, Treasurer Dutch Lady Milk Industries

Ms. Maud Meijboom HEINEKEN Malaysia Berhad

Mr. Remco Koster Woodwing Asia Pacific Sdn Bhd Datuk Merlyn Kasimir Former CEO of Matrade Mr. Jack Ang Markant (M) Sdn Bhd

Honorary Member of the Board: H.E. Ms. Karin Mössenlechner Netherlands Ambassador MDBC Executive Director: Mr. Marco Winter

MDBC Patrons: Y.B. Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed Minister of International Trade & Industry Y.Bhg Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz Former Minister of Int’al Trade & Industry Malaysian Dutch Business Council Unit 808, 8th Floor Wisma Lim Foo Yong 86 Jalan Raja Chulan 50200 Kuala Lumpur Tel Fax Email Website

: 603 - 2722 8335 : 603 - 2141 8335 : info@mdbc.com.my : www.mdbc.com.my

Mr. Wouter van der Weijden &samhoud

MDBCONNECTS 3RD ISSUE 2017

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Drinkers of the world, unite.

Everywhere you go, you find the familiar sight of people savouring their Heineken, clanking the green bottles in merriment. Found in over 170 nations, Heineken is the world’s No. 1 international premium beer. So come, the rest of the world awaits you.

CALENDAR

OCT THUR 26 / 1:30PM

FRI 24

NOV WED 1 / 6:00PM

MDBC Innovation & Sustainability Awards 2017 Day Program DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur

Interchamber Ladies Sundowner Roofino Skydining & Bar

THUR 26 / 6:00PM

2018 Budget Briefing KPMG

MDBC Innovation & Sustainability Awards 2017 Awards Ceremony & Dinner DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur

Europa Awards for Sustainability 2017 Awards Gala & Dinner On 12 Dec: Presentations by Winners

WED 15 / 2:00PM

NOTICE:

WED 22 / 9:00AM

MDBC Penang / CBI: Enhancing Business Integrity Seminar

MDBC members will receive personal invitations for these functions by email once all details are confirmed.

All events/dates to be reconfirmed.

MDBC PREMIUM PARTNERS 2017

INTERMO ERS malays a

CMYK CODES: C:20, M:100, Y:100, K:0 C:100, M:100, Y:0, K:0 C:100, M:100, Y:25, K:30

MDBCONNECTS 3RD ISSUE 2017

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Being the bridge that connects our members to each other, to government representatives, and to overseas contacts.

MDBC CONNECTS FAIR 2017 After the positive response to the inaugural MDBC Connects Fair last year, MDBC made the commitment to continue the series as it is a great showcase of the wide variety of service providers available within the MDBC community. This year’s event again served the dual purpose of allowing exhibitors to present their business solutions, while providing the audience the opportunity to consult with a wide variety of service providers from different industries and sectors.

A special element was introduced to this year’s Fair - Interactive Discussions.

With multiple focuses, sessions featured presentations by speakers followed immediately by roundtable discussions.

This allowed attendees to have valuable one - on - one time with speakers to discuss specific issues.

Interactive Discussions were: 1: IT - The Key Factor Driving Success * Digital Transformation (What’s the Biggest Challenge Facing Companies When it Comes to Digitally Transforming Their Business) by Magnus Consulting * Hardware Maintenance - Cost Savings (Third Party Hardware Maintenance and Reducing Your Costs by Up To 60%) by SSCS Global IT Services * Cybersecurity (What is Required To Keep Your IT Secure) by KPMG * IT Disaster Recovery (How To Do An Assessment of Infrastructure Damage Incurred and How To Manage Your Disaster Recovery Efforts) by Basis Bay. 2. Real Estate & Investments * Flexible Office Solutions (Alternative Office Solutions To Your Current Set Up)

by Regus * The Local Property Market (Expert

MDBC ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING OVER FY 2016

Members of the Board present at the AGM (l to r): Christoph Prommersberger, Marco Winter, Datuk Merlyn Kasimir, Michiel Brouwer, Zainul Rahim, Jack Ang, Jurriaan Middelhoff, Philip Kunjappy, Suerd Polderdijk, and Wouter van der Weijden.

Held at PARKROYAL Kuala Lumpur, the Annual General Meeting over FY 2016 highlighted new initiatives by MDBC in 8

MDBCONNECTS 3RD ISSUE 2017

response to the feedback gathered from the Membership Satisfaction Survey, as well as part of the overall development

Insights Into The Latest Developments In The Local Property Market) by Peninsular Property Agent * What is REIT and What Is The Value?

(Breaking down “Real Estate Investment Trust” - Investment Opportunities in Real Estate; Minimizing Your Risk) by Axis REIT * Sophisticated Investor’s New Passion: Real Estate (Developments In The International Property Market; Going Beyond Real Estate) by IQI Holdings 3. Optimizing Your Business * Development In Local Governance Requirements (Streamlining Existing Operations And What To Watch Out For When Expanding) by TMF Administrative Services * Marketing (Build Your Brand, How to Increase Marketing Effectiveness) by TBWA Kuala Lumpur * E - Business Optimization (Generate More Leads and Increase Sales Conversion Through User Centric Web Design And Digital Marketing) by PoetFarmer * Performance Management (How to Achieve Front Line Performance Improvement) by AQ Malaysia.

according to the 2016 - 2018 Strategy including but not limited to the Connects Fair which had taken place immediately prior. With the Business Council in a healthy state, formalities went smoothly, as usual! Refreshments were served and attendees were able to network after the formalities.

MDBC: OIL & GAS BRIEFING From 11 - 13 July, the 16th Asian Oil, Gas & Petrochemical Engineering Exhibition (OGA) was held at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. MDBC member, The Association of Dutch Suppliers in the Oil & Gas Industry and Offshore Renewable Industry (IRO) once again coordinated a Holland Pavilion at this event. In addition to the IRO, 8 other Dutch organizations (made up of MDBC members and non - members) were present at the Holland Pavilion including NMIT, Airborne Oil & Gas, Ampelmann, Gusto MSC, Huisman, Lankhorst, Soluforce, and WIND Cable Services.

Top: Marco Winter and IRO’s Danielle Veldman presenting gifts to speakers James Chan and Abd Rahim Ahad Bottom: Attendees at the Oil & Gas Briefing

of the IRO delegation at OGA, MDBC invited the Malaysian Petroleum Resource Corporation (MPRC) and the Johor Petroleum Development Corporation (JPDC) to conduct a briefing session for the delegation on: * Developments in the Malaysian Oil & Gas sector, especially for the next 2 - 5 years; * Opportunities for cooperation with local parties, tenders, and expertise requirements; * Investment Incentives.

The briefing was conducted by: * MPRC: James Chan (Vice - President, Trade & Investment) * JPDC: Abd Rahim Ahad (Manager, Investor Management) JPDC spoke specifically on the Pengerang development.

In conjunction with the participation

MDBC: DIALOGUE WITH THE MINISTER OF INTERNATIONAL TRADE & INDUSTRY

Together with the Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands, MDBC organised a Dialogue with Yang Berhormat Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed (Minister of International Trade & Industry). The closed - door meeting with the Minister was held with the heads of specific Dutch multinational companies to highlight some of the specific issues faced by these companies in the local business environment.

Top: Dialogue between the Minister (along with representatives from several Malaysian government agencies) and heads of Dutch MNCs. Bottom: During the networking session after the Dialogue, the Minister was kind enough to launch the MDBC 2017 - 18 Business Directory together with H.E. Karin Mössenlechner (Ambassador, Embassy of the Kingdom of The Netherlands) and MDBC Chairman Zainul Rahim.

Right: The Ambassador welcoming the Minister at the Residence, together with Marco Winter (Executive Director, MDBC).

Right bottom: Networking at the Business Directory launch.

Immediately after the dialogue, other Dutch companies (SMEs) were invited to join a networking session and special soft launch of the MDBC 2017 - 18 Business Directory by the Minister cum MDBC Patron.

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MDBC: VISIT TO THE ASEAN DATA ANALYTICS EXCHANGE HUB Big Data and Data Analytics is becoming increasingly important for all businesses, providing insights that can help organizations improve their business.

With this in mind, MDBC felt it was important to introduce our members to the ASEAN Data Analytics Exchange Hub (ADAX); an initiative by the Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) to enable businesses, governments, academia, and professionals to rapidly adopt Data Analytics as a tool to empower decision making and innovation.

and ADAX - “What is the Malaysian National Big Data Analytics Initiative”.

Attendees were provided with a tour of the ADAX facilities which also serve as an incubator (via their Accelerator

Program for Start - Ups), Innovative Lab (for Sandboxing and Product Launches), Talent Development space teaching Data Analytics professionals, holding Hackathons, and conducting Job Matching.

Top: Attendees at the MDBC Visit to ADAX Bottom Left: Presentations by representatives from MDEC were followed by a Q&A session Bottom Right: The visit concluded with a tour of the facilities and a networking session for all.

Presentations at this event were provided

by MDEC on an overview of Malaysia’s Digital economy history; Investment to date, MDEC’s Pillars for Transformation; Current Focus Areas and What MDEC and the Government are Doing to Grow in These Areas; What is Being Done for a Greater Nation. Also covered was presentation on the Internet of Things and Big Data Analytics - “Malaysia’s Data Economy: Creating Value From Data”,

MDBC: INTERCHAMBER WITH MABC MDBC organized the annual Interchamber with our colleagues from the Malaysian Australian Business Council (MABC) at the end of August. As always, the Interchamber featured a talk with a focus this time on the Current Integrity Landscape of the Malaysian Business Environment - Building Business Integrity: The Impact of Corporate Liability, Politics, and the Overall Economic Landscape.

Featured speakers and their topics were: * The Economic Outlook for Malaysia: Ali Salman (Director of Research - IDEAS) * The Politics of Business: Government

10

MDBCONNECTS 3RD ISSUE 2017

Linked Companies in Corporate Malaysia: Prof. Terence Gomez (University of Malaya / Senior Fellow - IDEAS) * Unpacking Corporate Liability Provision Under the Companies Act 2016 and the new Malaysian Code on Corporate Governance 2017: Lee Min On (Director, Coalition for Business Integrity (CBI)) * The Current Integrity Landscape of the Malaysian Business Environment: Nur Lokman bin Samingan (Assistant Commissioner, Malaysian Anti Corruption Commission (MACC)).

Additional photos from this event are available on pg 39.

Left: Presenters from MACC, the University of Malaya, CBI, and IDEAS together with the Chairmen of both Chambers: Leigh Howard (MABC, third from right) and Zainul Rahim (MDBC, far right) Top: Attendees were able to ask their questions during a panel discussion after the presentations were completed.

Bottom: A lucky draw was held for attendees during the networking session where refreshments were served.

MDBC JOHOR CYBERSECURITY BY INTERPOL With the number of Ransomware attacks and other Cybercrime increasing, Cybersecurity is ever increasing in importance.

INTERPOL has been fighting Cybercrime from their Global Complex for Innovation in Singapore since 2015 with the main task of supporting member countries around the world in their ongoing investigations. It has a focus on understanding the current digital crime threats and looking forward to how new crimes may occur in the digital space.

Organized in cooperation with Medini Iskandar and GBS ISKANDAR, MDBC held a briefing on Cybersecurity by INTERPOL at Medini@Iskandar.

INTERPOL Assistant Director of the Global Complex for Innovation (IGCI), Timo Kansil provided a presentation on how the current cyber threat landscape

is evolving and which counter measures are available. Timo Kansil was seconded to INTERPOL from the National Police of The Netherlands. Before coming to Singapore, he served as Head of International Cooperation of The Netherlands National Police.

Top: Presentation by Timo Kansil Bottom: Momento presentation by Medini and MDBC Johor Chapter representative John Benoist; Group picture at Medini.

The first one to hold this position, Timo Kansil assisted the National Commissioner in bringing into effect the new strategy on international cooperation. Previously, he served as Head of Strategy and Policy at the National Police Agency, holding responsibility for national and international information exchage and strategic intelligence.

He was also previously the Chief of Staff to the Chief Commissioner entrusted with The Netherlands EU Presidency in 2004; and a senior advisor at the Dutch Ministry of the Interior.

MDBCONNECTS 3RD ISSUE 2017

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SPECIAL EVENT

7TH ANNUAL MDBC HUMAN RESOURCES FORUM

“Mindfulness, well - being, and leadership styles”.

The seventh edition of the annual MDBC Human Resources Forum took place on 26 September at the Digi headquarters in Subang Hi Tech Park.

Part III consisted of two presentations - Digi on “Culture in Digi & Driving Innovation” by Kenny Lee (Head of Transformation); and Randstad Malaysia on “Employer Branding: Plugging into the Digital Candidate Experience” by Mike Farrance (Associate Director, Technologies).

Having the right Human Resource (HR) practices are of the utmost importance for a productive workforce. A company’s largest resource is its employees, and having a skilled workforce in combination with energized and engaged employees is a key factor to success. After all, it’s the employees who keep the business running.

With a Forum – focus on “Innovation in HR”, spread over three sessions, several industry experts touched upon trending HR topics that are ‘must – knows’ for HR Directors, HR Managers, HR Executives, Managing Directors and General Management, and anybody else working in the HR sector.

Attendees at the Forum were able to learn more about and discuss topics such as Mindfulness, Driving Innovation, Employer Branding, Digital Candidate Experience, and Initiatives to Establish Malaysia as a Dynamic Talent Hub. The event was organized in an interactive format with presentations, panel discussions, and round – table discussions.

Part I of the Forum consisted of a presentation by TalentCorp on: Key Strategies and Initiatives “Malaysia as a Dynamic Talent Hub”. They shared TalentCorp’s key programs & initiatives as well as the impact on local employability, and the country’s economy.

These presentations were immediately followed by a panel discussion and the forum concluded with roundtable sessions with each of the speakers.

Part II was a presentation by Subba Vaidyanathan (Chief Program Architect & Facilitator of Being - Singapore, Chainz Consulting) on Mindfulness Practicess:

Top left: Presentation by TalentCorp’s Sivakumeren (Executive Director, TalentCorp) Top right: Subba Vaidyanathan from Chainz Consulting on Mindfulness Right top: Kenny Lee sharing some of Digi’s efforts on developing corporate culture at Digi.

Right middle: Mike Farrance sharing Randstad Malaysia’s insights on Employer Branding.

Right bottom: Panel discussion moderated by Chan Swee Hwa (Director & Principal Consultant, Chainz Consulting) Bottom: Attendees at the annual MDBC Human Resources Forum.

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moving people

we support people and organisations in realizing their true potential. if finding exceptional talent remains a key challenge for your business, let’s connect.

forward.

communications@randstad.com.my www.randstad.com.my 603 2036 6666

human forward.

DIALOGUE

RANDSTAD Human Forward it, we understand your journey and our priorities are aligned.

What does it mean for our clients?

Our new brand promise will see us effectively leveraging the best technology to help move our clients forward because it gives us more time to do our job better.

And what this means for our clients is that when they work with us, there will be more face-to-face interactions in the recruitment journey, so that we can better understand their needs, strategically consult by sharing key industry trends and market intel, and ultimately build a relationship that truly adds value.

Text by Ryan Carroll (Country Director, Malaysia) Randstad Malaysia has just recently embarked on a new journey into the future, transforming ourselves in a way that will strengthen our leading role in the HR services industry. Human Forward is our new brand promise. Two simple words which define not only Randstad’s core purpose as we continue to shape the external world of work, but also how internally we are redefining the role of each of our 40,000+ employees.

Why Human Forward?

As we enter the post digital era, we can seek comfort that integrating technology doesn’t need to mean human displacement in the workplace - but it should mean role replacement and a redefinition of where humans add value to the organisation.

At Randstad we believe that people will always be at the forefront of driving

organisations forward - but history tells us the role which humans play in an organisation’s supply chain, production line or sales process must change as we integrate technology into the operations.

Moving humans forward is not a new concept but it is more relevant today than ever before as the speed in which technology develops and changes traditional job functions is faster than we’ve ever experienced. To any employee or employer this can be overwhelming and for that reason, we feel now is the time to reiterate our role and mission. In a fast-changing digital world clients and candidates want a trusted human partner.

It is here, at the intersection between technology and humanity, where we aim to differentiate ourselves by delivering a true human experience.

We are making a statement of intent to both employers and employees that we get

What does it mean for our candidates?

Real connections are not made from data and algorithms – they require human involvement. Which is why we believe in leveraging the power of technology to empower human interaction. Candidates are often frustrated with an overly automated job search experience, finding the process highly impersonal.

By balancing technology and the human touch, we aim to free up our people’s time so that they can better connect with our candidates and focus on helping them find their dream job.

What does it mean for our people?

Right in our own backyard, we’ve had an internal re-organisation of the technology departments and our operational mindset with the creation of two new divisions: the ‘Digital Factory’ and the ‘Randstad Innovation Fund’ - which specifically develop, acquire and integrate new technology to either empower or change the way we work. Since 2015, we have implemented more than 20 new technologies into the way we search, engage, match and qualify - allowing our consultants to not only significantly improve the way they work, but also better serve our clients and candidates.

Although the world in which we live is ever changing and the way we work is and must continue to change… our core purpose hasn’t. We know from our heart and history that it is the human side of our business that makes the difference, and we continue to be passionate about helping our clients, candidates and people move forward. Human Forward.

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3rd Edition 2017 The Netherlands is Once Again the Most Competitive EU Country

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

ONE RINGGIT

MEMBERS NEWS

TRANSEARCH MALAYSIA CELEBRATES 25 YEARS!

On 24 September Transearch Malaysia celebrated its 25th Anniversary in the Executive Search business. Held at The Shang Palace in Shangri - La Hotel, it was an intimate affair with both friends and family coming together to celebrate.

Managing Director Wendy Lau also presented long service awards for Principal Consultant Elizabeth Yeo (pictured bottom left), and Senior Consultant Yong Soo Sheng (pictured bottom right) to commemorate the 25 and 15 years they’ve spent with Transearch Malaysia respectively.

The affair was a warm one with Wendy providing some remarks as she recalled many fond, as well as funny, memories spanning from their first day through to the present.

HSBC’s Expat Explorer Report: Holland is a Top 5 Country for Expats.

RAMBOLL ENVIRON’S ‘GREEN CHEMISTRY’ PROGRAM MAKES SHORTLIST A Ramboll - Environ developed green chemistry tool has been nominated for an award in the Sustainable Innovation category. Together with their client Sigma - Aldrich, Ramboll Environ developed the green chemistry tool DOZN™, which has been shortlisted for the Ethical Corporation’s 2017 Responsible Business Awards. DOZN™ translates the 12 principles of green chemistry into actionable metrics to guide business decisions. The principles cover the areas of waste and hazard prevention and minimization, production efficiency and safety, pollution prevention, use of renewables, and end - of - life degradation.

“The innovation this green chemistry approach represents is the ability to efficiently identify real differences in sustainability characteristics between chemicals across the life cycle,” says Ramboll Environ Global Director of Sustainability Services and Principal, Lisa Grice.

JOHOR PORT AUTHORITY ORGANIZES 38TH TECHNICAL MEETING OF ASEAN PORTS The Johor Port Authority (JPA) played host and organiser of the 38th ASEAN Working Ports Association (APA) Technical Working Meeting held at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel, Johor Bahru.

This year, Malaysia was elected to host this meeting with participation of 49 delegates from 8 countries including the Philippines, Cambodia, Singapore, Thailand, Myanmar, Malaysia, Indonesia and Vietnam.

The programme was officiated on 9 August by Encik Mohd Khairul Adib bin Abd Rahman (Deputy Secretary General of the Ministry of Transport).

Members News

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

3rd Edition 2017

TMF GROUP INTRODUCES FULL SUITE OF KNOW YOUR CUSTOMER (KYC) COMPLIANCE SERVICES TMF Group, a leading provider of global business services, has launched its full suite of Know Your Customer (“KYC”) compliance services, and can now offer a complete solution for compliance around the world.

KYC refers to the due diligence businesses must now carry out on a client, to verify that they are who they say they are - and to prevent theft, fraud, money laundering, and terrorist financing.

The standards have developed globally in response to the effects of terrorism, large scale fraud, and money laundering. They have even become a legal requirement in some jurisdictions, and have forced businesses to take a hard look at their operations and the relationships that they foster, to proactively manage their risk exposure.

With an increasing amount of fastchanging local regulations, as well as technology developments to deal with

- including the threat of cyber security, data protection needs, blockchain and cryptocurrencies - looming large, KYC services can provide businesses with peace of mind.

Using internal expertise coupled with recognised search tools, TMF Group can provide an assessment on the origin of funds, financial situation, businesses, and reputational insights in relation to the companies that you work with. The service involves in-depth background checks and corporate structure analysis, periodic reassessment and updating, and checks in local languages, resulting in fast, reliable due diligence wherever you’re operating.

While TMF Group had provided KYC services in the past, this is the first time its full suite of services have been made available to clients.

Steffen Ruigrok, Director of Investor Compliance & Regulatory Services, says: “Compliance is important to uphold and protect a firm’s reputation and to avoid

regulatory fines, so the need for KYC services is clear. However, managing regulatory reporting and compliance takes considerable time and effort - time that companies could be spending on growing and operating their business.”

“The use of software and search data base tools that automate compliance activities can provide risk management benefits, but you do still need that human oversight to ensure smooth running and quick identification of issues. Our KYC services can provide that oversight and peace of mind to multinational companies, helping them to remain compliant and protect their global reputation.”

TALK TO US ABOUT TALENT TalentSquare offers custom-made recruitment solutions. We have a track-record in working for ambitious start-ups, established local companies and leading multinationals across industries. With our passion for people and organizations we take pride in offering the best-fitted recruitment solution.

• Executive Search • MultiSearch • Recruitment Process Outsourcing To learn more about our services, please visit our website www.talentsquare-rpo.com

TalentSquare Sdn Bhd (555906-T) Unit 7-1, Wisma Genting (new wing) 28, Jalan Sultan Ismail 50250 Kuala Lumpur MALAYSIA Tel : +603 272 47160

MDBCONNECTS 3RD ISSUE 2017

17

KUALA LUMPUR, MALAYSIA

Members News

3rd Edition 2017

HENRY GOH’S OFFICIAL OPENING AT SUNWAY VELOCITY & 40TH ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION After bidding farewell to their decadeold office in Jalan Imbi and moving to new premises at Sunway Velocity, Henry Goh & Co celebrated their official office opening on 22 July 2017. Guests included staff and their family members, longtime associates, and suppliers.

Managing Director, Karen Goh kicked off the event with a rousing speech; welcoming guests, expressing her gratitude to all for the efforts put into the relocation, as well as sharing a little about the Henry Goh story. Her speech ended with the sounding of the gong and ribbon cutting ceremony, inaugurating the brand new and spanking home of the Firm.

Following Chinese tradition, a lion dance troupe performed to culturally signify the ushering of good luck and prosperity for the Firm.

Guests were then invited for an al fresco lunch at the office balcony which included a delectable array of Asian and continental cuisines. The

afternoon’s entertainment included vocal performances by our very own patent agent, Andrew Siew with piano accompaniment by our trade mark executive Joyce Goh, and her family members on the violin.

The double celebrations continued when the People of Henry Goh and their loved ones came together at The Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur on 19 August to celebrate the Firm’s Ruby Anniversary, marking the company’s 40th year in the Malaysian IP industry. The event, which was streamed live on Facebook, kicked off with a Water Drum performance, after which everyone proudly sang the corporate song. This was followed by the Managing Director’s welcome speech and an anniversary video presentation. Guests feasted on a sumptuous 9-course Chinese dinner while being entertained with exciting games and performances: a vocal performance by Jordan, a young and upcoming singer; an electrifying act by the talented violinist Ken Lee; an acapella performance by

Colours of Voices; and a magic showcase from Mark & Pinky.

The night’s celebrations ended with a cake cutting ceremony, popping of champagne and a toast to the Firm’s continued success. The Firm also acknowledged the dedication and commitment of the staff with a monetary token of appreciation for everyone. The event drew to a close when everyone joined in the finale to sing “Rasa Sayang”, a traditional song that conveyed the love and affection the People of Henry Goh have for the Firm.

Here’s to the next 40 years of excellence!

MDBCONNECTS 3RD ISSUE 2017

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AN INSIDE LOOK

AN INSIDE LOOK: GIRISH RAMACHANDRAN ARCADIS Girish Ramachandran (South East Asia Business Advisory Leader, Arcadis) graduated from the University of Kent and has been with Arcadis since June of 2014.

MDBC member Arcadis Malaysia has had a successful 70 year history and a wide range of capabilities that include quantity surveying, construction cost management, project management, built asset consultancy, and business advisory. Their goal is to work with clients to address the client’s challenges by presenting innovative solutions through their leading service and sector expertise. Arcadis Malaysia delivers new and innovative ideas and methods with exceptional outcomes in line with the Economic Transformation Program for Greater Kuala Lumpur. The Economic Transformation Programme’s goal is to renovate the country into a developed nation by 2020 and this will be achieved through twelve National Key Economic Areas.

MDBC: For those who are not familiar with Arcadis, could you please elaborate on what Arcadis’ activities are in Malaysia?

GR: One recent major project we worked on occurred when the government asked Arcadis to team up with Think City Khazanah, an urban rejuvenation organization, to advise on a “Livable Cities Index”. This pilot index, which is now complete, was based on surveys and data analysis of work, live, play, governance, and environment indicators. The initial study was on Penang and will benefit the lives of 1.7 million people by allowing local government and businesses to better understand the areas in need of improvement. It is the first of a series of surveys and we expect to be commissioned to conduct something similar in Kuala Lumpur.

The Medini Iskandar Smart City Development is one of the key initiatives that will help to stimulate economic growth in the south of the country. The Medini project is a 2200 - acre scheme that will see the development of an entirely new commercial and business district, a huge urban development project in Johor Bahru that covers an area three times the size of Singapore.

The project will encompass 60 million square feet of new-build development, a large percentage of which will be dedicated to office and commercial assets.

Arcadis was appointed back in 2013 to help city planners redefine their master plan 20

MDBCONNECTS 3RD ISSUE 2017

and commercial strategy, and to provide strategic guidance around how to maximise the value of their development. By reviewing the business plan, Arcadis ensured that the project was aligned to the overall vision for Iskandar and capitalizes on the synergy benefits that would come through from other projects. The team provided insight into how the built assets delivered, including the future commercial mix, and how they can support the overall business strategy over the next 20 years. It also offered guidance on the sequencing of the development to help raise the profile of Medini and ensure that all revenue streams are being realized as early as possible. With this input, Arcadis is helping to build Malaysia’s first truly smart city and one which will serve as a blueprint for future urban developments across the country.

MDBC: And in Kuala Lumpur?

GR: Working to develop Kuala Lumpur (KL) into a top world city, the Tun Razak Exchange is being developed into a muchneeded international financial district. The Exchange will cover prime real estate in downtown KL and provide world class office and business space, as well as residential, retail, and leisure units. The project is expected to have a gross development value of US$8 billion. Arcadis has been appointed to provide business advisory on township management, revenue generation ideas for public realm, and cost management services for the exchange district.

Once completed, Warisan Merdeka will be the tallest building in Malaysia and a transformational move of a long forgotten brownfield area into mixed - use, high growth commercial zone. The plans are for this to be the headquarters of Permodalan Nasional Berhad, the nation’s leading investment entity, and is located within a heritage enclave. The tower will top over 600 meters with full quantity services provided by Arcadis. The development will not only include a retail mall and podium, a public park, and a luxury hotel, creating a new business center within KL, but will also support the government’s efforts to attract new firms to the capital as part of an overall plan to turn Malaysia into a fully developed economy by 2020.

KL Eco City at Kampung Abdullah Hukum is a new mixed - use landmark development and KL’s first integrated green luxury development, incorporating prime

commercial offices, high-end retail outlets, world-class serviced residences and luxury residential towers. Arcadis provided master planning cost advice and full pre and post contract quantity surveying services.

Arcadis is also planning the Tradewinds Center on Jalan Sultan Ismail which will become a downtown landmark. With a total of 137 - storeys, we aim for completion by 2018; the full quantity surveying for the area pre and post - construction is being executed by Arcadis. The center will provide housing, offices, retail space, and a medical centre.

Four Seasons Place will be a ‘city-withina-city’ in KL’s Golden Triangle. The 65 storey mixed development will become a landmark of modern Malaysia. The development’s quantity surveying will be completed by Arcadis and will house not only a Four Seasons Hotel, but also luxury condominiums retail spaces and a car park.

MDBC: Since Arcadis seems to be well versed with the local development, what does KL still have to do to further improve its Sustainable Urban Development?

GR: There are many things that can be done.

The first would be to have more economic density in KL, getting more economic jobs in vertical buildings; second, KL should ensure there are more transit oriented developments in all the new MRT stations that are coming up; the third would be to focus on what I would call the digital economy, which needs to fit into KL’s smart city model. Already, the government encourages acceleration of green building market growth through fiscal incentives like the Green Technology Financing Scheme (GTFS).

MDBC: How do you see KL’s pursuit of becoming a more sustainable city benefitting the business community?

GR: A lot of benefits will come from KL’s desire to be a more sustainable city. The business community will be able to save a lot of time. If you have more transit oriented developments, you have more productivity. If there is greater economic density, you’d be able to see the economies of scale around businesses. Generally, when we have sustainable development, we are able to have more sustainable environments for us to live and play and learn, not just work – all things that are complementary to the business side of things.

AN INSIDE LOOK MDBC: Businesses are increasingly aware of how to create and claim value by improving resource efficiency. What (other) opportunities are available for companies in the development of KL as a sustainable city?

GR: There are significant opportunities in the digital sector, especially in the sharing economy where the private sector comes in to develop public services: the likes of Uber and Airbnb are great examples of this. We are working with the government on the KUALA LUMPUR competitive master plan and one of the things we’ve highlighted is car parks. If we can explore the concept of shared economy car parks, it would mean fewer car parks overall, which is better for the environment and would also mean that more people make the shift to public transport.

MDBC: What can KL learn from best practices in The Netherlands with regard to the development of sustainable cities?

GR: In terms of The Netherlands, there is a lot of knowledge in best practices that we’ve been using in terms of the Smart City Initiative Development. We’ve managed to bring some of this way of thinking in terms of mobility and accessibility, low - energy homes, improvement of air quality, green technology transportation, and what we call healthy urbanization into some of the thought processes in KL. Locally, we are aware that building owners and operators need to focus on increasing operational efficiency to improve its sustainability. One of the main challenges facing property portfolio stakeholders is the lack of awareness around options available for buildings to optimize energy performance through smart technologies.

This is also compounded through the lack of expertise and professionals to implement, monitor, and deliver smart ways to reduce a building’s energy consumption.

Larger and more recent buildings generally include an integrated Building Energy Management System (BEMS) that can help optimize its energy consumption - essential in improving sustainability.

However, dated buildings may not have this capability - meaning a retrofit solution, or an upgrade, could be the sustainable option. Even more so, smaller buildings for the most part won’t be equipped with BEMS technology. We have, however, developed a mini version that enables smaller buildings in a portfolio to benefit from this level of optimization, helping to provide cost-savings and operational efficiencies.

The Dutch government has had sustainable management high on the agenda for years,

and therefore companies like Arcadis have acquired and developed sustainable solutions for built assets ahead of the curve.

Dutch companies in private sectors as well as research organizations and institutes are known worldwide for their expertise on water management, covering themes such as water saving devices, water - efficient plumbing fixtures, smart water meters, smart monitoring and metering equipment, and leakage detection devices.

MDBC: How can the private sector help support the government’s push to develop KL as a sustainable city?

GR: The sharing economy is one way; another way is by supporting KL’s smart city Initiatives. Investment into these types of technologies and approaches for the private sector is extremely crucial, as is having a more collaborative public / private partnership approach. A lot of cities worldwide are moving to this model – it’s not the government doing everything anymore.

MDBC: A lot of government initiatives are about KL, what about the rest of Malaysia?

GR: The government is doing competitive city plans for KL, Johor Baru, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu. As well as this, there are opportunities for smaller cities to do a simple livability index, and we’ve been doing some of this in Johor and Penang, working with the government to make these cities more livable.

We have various indicators when we look at livable metrics under five broad categories of live, work, play, environment, and governance. So for living, we look at things like housing, rental affordability, public healthcare, public transport, and safety. On work we would look at household income and confidence in economy. In terms of play we would look at arts and culture; for environment, we’re looking at water and

green space, and with governance we consider local government quality.

A lot of the work we do is around the livable cities concept. We look at how to create projects in a more cost - efficient manner, and how do we plan infrastructure projects with socio-economic dimensions, so we bring in communities and create more jobs. We would also look at more efficient rollout of capital by the government.

With everything we do as project managers and consultants, business advisors, engineers and architects, livability principles, health and safety principles, and building principles are at the centre of our thought process.

MDBC: How do you think this will affect KL and Malaysia’s position in ASEAN? GR: I think Malaysia’s position in Southeast Asia is very strong. As to the country’s position within Asia, we believe that improvements can be made. In terms of sustainability, we have to compete with the likes of Tokyo, Hong Kong, and Singapore in the region. These cities are extremely strong contenders, and they are all getting ever more sustainable. For KL to join their ranks, the city needs to implement some potentially game - changing initiatives.

Some of these may require significant political will and there may be some resistance when implementing particular policies, programs, and projects. I think there is a long way for KL to go: the city needs concerted efforts between the private and public sectors to work together. Malaysia’s Prime Minister has a very clear target: he wants to put Kuala Lumpur in the top 20 global competitive sustainable cities in the next 5 - 10 years. If this is reached, it would put KL in the top five most sustainable cities in Asia.

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STUDENT INTERNSHIP PROGRAM APP TIMBER

I’m here working at their headquarters in Kuala Lumpur!”

As part of his internship, he must do a thorough analysis of the current business structures and measure supportive department at the company. This will all lead to the final goal of decentralising decision making by empowering the management team more intensively. To do this, Daan works together with both the executive and management teams.

The SIP Experiences of Daan Blok at APP Timber.

As part of Daan’s graduation internship, he is conducting a management review at MDBC member APP Timber. Daan has always been interested in global business and because of this, he chose to study International Business and Management at the University of Applied Sciences in Utrecht.

Daan was put in touch with APP timber via the MDBC Student Internship Program (SIP). As Daan mentions, “The feeling I got when I was put in contact with APP Timber felt like the best match, and now

APP Timber is a fast growing company providing timber solutions to their clients in Asia. Based in Southeast Asia with offices in Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam, APP Timber’s core business is the supply of imported logs, timber, veneers, and panel products for the Asian timber industry.

Since the internship assignment is relatively complex and involves many different aspects, Daan works together with an independent advisor from The Netherlands - Eddy Rhemrev (who has been in top management positions of CMG (later Logica)

in Asia for many years. With this unique combination of international management experience, theoretical knowledge, and in depth industry knowledge provided by APP Timber, they work together to strengthen the company for the future. “It is motivating to see how we can complete each other.”

APP Timber has a lot of experience engaging students via MDBC. They have set up projects for interns annually for many years and the company greatly benefits from the students’ input and work results. Most of the finalized projects from the past are still alive in their daily business and they continue hiring ‘fresh blood’ to improve their processes and ways of thinking.

“Our interns as outsiders are not only invited to ask many questions and challenge existing structures, we want them to come up with new ideas and concepts, and prove that they can be realized to help the company grow further,” said Michael Hermans (Managing Director, APP Timber). SIP is a unique and beneficial experience for both the student and the company.

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INVESTKL THE VOICE OF MALAYSIAN TALENT was meant to highlight the benefits of bringing in investments and big name multinationals for the rakyat, especially young Malaysian talents who are entering the job market or transitioning in their careers.

“We wanted to showcase how bringing in all these multinationals have benefited the country in many ways - especially creating more jobs for Malaysians and producing a high quality local talent pool. What better way to showcase this than have the talents from MNCs themselves engage in an open discussion with the Ministers!”, said Datuk Zainal.

InvestKL invited Malaysian talent from various multinationals in Greater Kuala Lumpur recently to partake in an exclusive Merdeka dinner session with the Minister of International Trade and Industry YB Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed, Deputy Minister of Federal Territories YB Dato Dr Loga Bala Mohan, and PEMANDU Associates CEO YBhg Dato Sri Idris Jala.

The dinner event held in conjunction with Merdeka to celebrate Malaysia and Greater KL’s young, dynamic talent was attended by talents from over 30 MNCs

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MDBCONNECTS 3RD ISSUE 2017

hubbed in Greater KL, such as Worldline, Codemasters, Honeywell, IBM, and Schlumberger, to name a few.

YB Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed, YB Dato Dr Loga Bala Mohan and YBhg Dato Sri Idris Jala engaged in a panel session hosted by Malek Ali, where topics on talent, innovation, and aspirations for the country were discussed, amongst other hot topics.

InvestKL CEO, Datuk Zainal Amanshah stated that the interactive dinner event

The young Malaysian talents had a chance to interact and raise various questions during the panel session, via a face-to-face Q&A session and online through the Sli. do platform, where questions and polls are conducted anonoymously.

At the end of the session, the young Malaysian talents were encouraged to continue being vocal and outspoken and to continue doing what they love to contribute back to the country.

NETHERLANDS EMBASSY NEWS

FINANCING OPPORTUNITIES IN MALAYSIA It was a busy quarter for the Embassy with many visitors from The Netherlands and a change in the economic section: Jurriaan Middelhoff has left and was replaced by Fiona Burger, whom many of you have already met.

The Netherlands and Malaysia to achieve a sustainable palm oil supply and demand chain, taking on board the 650,000 smallholders in Malaysia. The Netherlands and Malaysia will continue to work together to make the palm oil sector more sustainable.

Topics discussed at MOA included the milk quota, biological pest control, and the import of cut flowers, in particular tulips.

The fact that our national flower cannot be imported into Malaysia has been on the Embassy’s agenda for quite a while now and we took the opportunity to raise this issue again during the high level visit. We are cautiously optimistic that Dutch tulips will be back in Malaysian stores soon!

In July a number of companies from The Netherlands visited Kuala Lumpur for the Oil and Gas Asia (OGA) exhibition and we organised a Holland Pavilion and a networking event at the Residence.

Later that month, the Ambassador hosted a breakfast meeting with Minister of International Trade and Industries, YB Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed.

Representatives from MIDA, MATRADE, InvestKL, SMECorps, MDBC and some Dutch captains of industry took part in the breakfast meeting to discuss trade and tax related issues of concern to Dutch companies in Malaysia with the Minister.

This was immediately followed by a meet & greet with Dutch companies.

In August the International Association for Hydro-Environment Engineering and Research (IAHR) held its 37th World Congress in Kuala Lumpur. The Embassy co-sponsored the event in which important Dutch research institutes Deltares and IHE Delft participated together with some Dutch companies.

In late August The Netherlands DirectorGeneral (abroad: Vice Minister) for Agriculture, Marjolijn Sonnema, visited Malaysia. She had meetings at the Ministry of Plantation Industry and Commodities (MPIC) and at the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA).

During the meeting at MPIC with YB Datuk Seri Mah Siew Keong (Minister of Plantation Industry and Commodities), a discussion was held on the joint efforts of

On 11 and 12 September the Dutch regional ambassadorial conference for the Asia-Pacific region took place in KL, a gathering of seventeen ambassadors and many high level representatives from The Hague. It was interesting to note the growing interest from The Netherlands in the ASEAN region. The many economic opportunities in this growth region have not gone unnoticed. We hope to bring in more high level visitors and trade missions to the region, and further increase the cooperation between the embassies in the ASEAN region.

A good example of such regional cooperation already took place on 14 September, when a delegation of nine Dutch companies participated in a green building event in Kuala Lumpur. The event was organised by the Embassy as part of a broader ASEAN visit, with similar events being held in Jakarta and Singapore.

Participating companies had the opportunity to present smart and sustainable Dutch building technologies for an audience of Malaysian companies and government representatives. In the afternoon there were matchmaking sessions, followed by a network event at the Residence.

In October, the fifth edition of the Orange ASEAN Factory took place in Jakarta, where young participants from The Netherlands and ASEAN countries worked together for three weeks on business cases to help participating companies with their sustainability policy

and CSR. Last year we successfully organized the third edition of Orange ASEAN in KL with the participation of many Dutch and Malaysian companies as part of the MDBC Sustainability Awards; it is good to notice that this event is really getting traction in the region.

We had various other interesting events. From 11 - 13 October 2017, the Embassy participated in the International GreenTech and Eco Products Exhibition (IGEM) at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre. This year’s theme of the IGEM is “Powering Green Cities”. The Embassy showcased Dutch green technology contributing to urban living areas that are ecologically-sound and future-ready. In particular we showcased green building, transport, and energy solutions.

Later in October, the Dutch Partners for International Business (PIB) consortium Palmares participated in the International Biomass Conference Malaysia (IBCM) 2017, in Kuching, Sarawak.

As co-organizer, the consortium (together with the Embassy) provided substantial input to the conference; this was done through participation in panel discussions, the organisation of several workshops, and through networking events.

Providing a complementary range of technologies for utilizing oil palm biomass, Palmares aims to contribute to a more sustainable and circular palm oil industry. Guests were encouraged to visit the Palmares pavilion on 19 - 20 October at IBCM for an insight into integrated solutions for palm oil waste streams. For more information on Palmares or IBCM 2017, send an email to KLL-biomass@ minbuza.nl.

Last but not least we were also happy to once again participate in the MDBC Innovation and Sustainability Awards on 26 October.

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EU / EUMCCI

EUMCCI EUROPA AWARDS 2017

the EU’s commitment to being a long term strategic partner for the benefit of European companies, as well as for the expansion of the Malaysian economy.

“In line with the values that the EU stands for, we are happy to support this initiative to promote sustainability in the business environment. Business goals can no longer be disconnected from a greater responsibility towards the environmental, social, and cultural needs of a community.

Therefore, the EU Delegation in Malaysia actively supports the Europa Awards for Sustainability,” shared H.E. Maria Castillo Fernandez.

The EU Malaysia Chamber of Commerce and Industry (EUMCCI) launched the EUROPA AWARDS which seeks to recognize companies that have shown exemplary business excellence in the field of sustainability and have contributed to the long term benefit of Malaysian society and economy.

The seven Europa Award categories are consistent with the European Union’s sustainable development values including: Best Sustainability Reporting; Best Innovation in Sustainability; Best Social Impact (for large and SME companies); Best Environmental Impact (for large and SME companies); and Best Sustainability Leader (awarded to individuals).

EUMCCI accepts nominations at www. europawardsmalaysia.eu.

“Through synergies and collaboration

with our partners and stakeholders, we anticipate participation not only from EU related companies, but also from Malaysian companies aiming to create an affiliation with the European Union which could be beneficial to their business and sustainability moving forward,” said Roberto Benetello (Chief Executive Officer, EUMCCI).

EUMCCI has joined forces with KPMG Malaysia to execute the nominations with greater authoritative standing and to provide the necessary skills and logistics for evaluating shortlisted companies.

The event has received the special patronage of H.E. Maria Castillo Fernandez (Ambassador and Head of Delegation, EU Delegation to Malaysia), and in her formal address at the launch on 13 June, the Ambassador reinforced

The newly elected Chairperson of EUMCCI, Tan Sri Datuk Dr. Rebecca Fatima Sta. Maria, was also present at the launch and expressed her support, “EUMCCI is honored to spearhead this initiative and catalyse forces from European and Malaysian stakeholders engaged in strengthening EU - Malaysia relationships. With the Europa Awards, EUMCCI as the Chamber of Chambers, fulfills entirely its mission and objectives.

We look forward to working with our project partners and stakeholders to make this a win - win initiative.”

Following the launch, EUMCCI hosted a few events leading up to the Europa Awards: a CSR Seminar titled “Sustainable Business Growth Through Strategic CSR” held in early September, and an EU - Malaysia International Discourse on Palm Oil Sustainability, held recently in October.

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CONFERENCES & EXHIBITIONS OGA 2017

FHM 2017

As a petroleum industries regional centre, Malaysia continues to attract participants for the bi-annual Oil & Gas Asia exhibition (OGA). OGA 2017, the 16th Asian Oil, Gas & Petrochemical Engineering exhibition welcomed 2,000 participating companies from 60 countries and regions. The event is organised by MDBC member - company Malaysian Exhibition Services.

Malaysia’s premier food & hotel show, FHM2017 once again had a proven recipe for success. The 14th bi-annual FHM exhibition welcomed 1,250 participating companies and more than 25,000 visitors.

Several MDBC member - companies displayed their products and services.

IRO, the association for Dutch suppliers in the upstream oil and gas industry, also participated with a Holland Pavilion (also see page 12).

OGA / IRO pictures with the orange booth - panels: The IRO lounge and the Airborne Oil & Gas booth.

FHM pictures with the green booth - panels: Albatross Exim displaying quality seafood, portobello mushroom, and spring rolls.

CT Nexus with coffee and tea beverage solutions for corporate organisations, inclusive of Douwe Egberts, Pickwick, and Piazza Doro of The Netherlands, Glory International with their range of uniforms and apparel for the hospitality industry.

“Building partnerships in Asia to find sustainable solutions for oil, gas and energy.”

Suerd Polderdijk, General Manager Frames Asia Pacific, with Frames since 2011

Frames Asia Pacific Sdn. Bhd. Unit A-36-3, Menara UOA Bangsar 5 Jalan Bangsar Utama 1 59000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia +60 3 22840822 frames-group.com

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No. 33, Jalan i - Park 1/3 Kawasan Perindustrian i - Park Bandar Indahpura 81000 Kulai Johor, Malaysia Tel: +607 660 7878 Mail: info@hqpack.com.my

DIALOGUE

KPMG 2017 GLOBAL CEO OUTLOOK of CEOs are making bottom - line growth a primary objective for investment.

Scaling up technology led innovation The prospect of uncertainty would traditionally cause businesses to restrict their investments in innovation. Yet CEOs today are scaling up rather than scaling back on technology - led innovation.

The strategic initiatives they are pursuing support innovation in one respect or another, and many are taking a hands - on role in the innovation process.

Text extracted from the KPMG 2017 Global CEO Outlook report. For the full report, please visit home.kpmg.com KPMG’s 2017 Global CEO Outlook reveals insights from nearly 1,300 CEOs in 10 of the world’s largest economies.

With continued pressure to deliver the bottom line, CEOs are keenly focused on managing their business’ core strengths while transforming the way they create value.

CEOs Embrace Disruption More than ever before, leading a business is about challenging convention and driving positive change. Three in four (74%) CEOs in the survey say their company is striving to be the disruptor in its sector. CEOs are embracing disruption for many reasons, including technology driven change sweeping through industries and economies on a global scale, as well as a shake up in the geopolitical status quo. In response, CEOs are championing new ways of creating value, as well as strengthening their core business, and innovating to ensure their organization is not left behind. 70% of CEOs are more open to new influences and collaborations than ever before.

Cautious about the bigger picture In the 12 months since KPMG’s 2016 Global CEO Outlook, the world has become a more complex and unpredictable place. ‘Business as usual’ certainly no

longer applies. Approximately two in three (65%) are confident about global economic growth during the next three years - down from 80% in 2016. This more restrained level of confidence is also reflected in the respondents’ views on the outlook for their country and industry over the same period. In addition, CEOs from some industries - notably banking, energy, and consumer and retail - are more upbeat about sector growth than their peers.

Global CEOs set their top priorities The KPMG 2017 Global CEO Outlook raised many critical questions for business around the balancing act that CEOs must play as they strive to disrupt the market while preparing for future uncertainty. They summarize how CEOs are prioritizing their activity around core areas of the business, in innovations, and building trust.

Strengthening the core To prepare for uncertainty in the years to come, CEOs are primarily focusing on strengthening their existing markets and their core businesses. At the same time, when it comes to the core business, 70%

Top 5 strategic initiatives 1. Greater speed to market 2. Fostering Innovation 3. Implementing disruptive technology 4. Becoming more data - driven 5. Digitization of your business Building Trust Talent and Recruitment: Lean and Specialized. We see the balance between CEO’s two principle goals this year - driving disruption while harnessing uncertainty - playing out clearly in their approach to talent. CEOs predict they will need to grow their headcount over the next 3 years. The majority of CEOs are planning to boost their investment in recruitment in the near future.

Building integrity and improving how the organization is perceived is far from easy, and is unlikely to be achieved in the short term. Indeed, organizations that seem overly keen to demonstrate their principles through expensive marketing campaigns, may find their efforts met with cynicism from critics who delight in accusing big business of ‘greenwashing’ and other tactics.

With this in mind, it is important to have a long term focus on building a respectful and transparent culture within the organization. Three in four 74% of CEOs say they are placing greater importance on trust, values, and culture in order to sustain their future. Six in 10 (61%) believe that becoming more socially responsible is incompatible with short term performance objectives.

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DIALOGUE

EXACT SOFTWARE: THE DIGITAL FACTORY customers, you will have lesser risk of running out of items. In addition, shorter lead times ensure increased delivery reliability.

Smart Industry, Industry 4.0, Digital Manufacturing. Much has been written and discussed recently about “the digital factory”. A factory where everything is fully automated and paperless. How realistic is that digital factory and to what extent is it necessary for manufacturers to (rapidly) achieve this?

How realistic is the digital factory?

To answer this question we must first determine what a digital factory actually is. This is not that easy. The appearance of a digital factory, you see, largely depends on the sector in which you are active. For example, the food industry makes completely different demands on the management and control of the process than the equipment manufacturing industry.

As a rule it can be said that paper no longer exists in a digital factory. Data is automatically exchanged between various systems and equipment, where actions are automated as much as possible. Important developments such as robotics, digitisation, and the Internet of Things play a major role in this. It is clear that these developments ensure that the automation of manufacturing is increasingly becoming cheaper and more far-reaching.

The necessary steps must certainly still be taken in the field of flexible robotics. On the other hand, anyone who has ever seen the baxter in action, knows that robotics is also on the horizon for SMEs. Due to various new technologies, farreaching digitisation is now increasingly within reach. The integration of systems (consider, for example, quality systems, ERP systems and CAD/CAM systems) and the data exchange between systems and equipment (consider for example, integration between ERP and machines,

and weighbridges) is now easier than ever.

Moreover, it is already applied on a large scale!

To what extent is the digital factory necessary for your company?

The answer is, on the one hand, undoubtedly largely dependent on the sector in which you are active and your current competitive position. On the other hand, as a result of various technological developments, the world is becoming (relatively) increasingly smaller.

Competition, therefore, comes from more and more corners of the world and it is crucial to defend your organisation against this, by manufacturing cheaper, with higher quality and/or increasingly more based on customer specifications.

As a company you have to react to this quickly, otherwise your competitors will.

After all, the technology is easily available (read: relatively cheap) these days.

A good example for this is Valk Welding: The application of new technologies is crucial. Digitisation and automation offer many benefits for your company: * Shorter lead times Due to the fact that company data is easily available to employees and machines, you also require less (large) mass production.

Switching becomes increasingly easier and faster, causing single piece production to come within reach. And hence you can also respond to very specific customer demands faster. Specific examples of reductions in lead times by 50% and more are no exception. This is a great result when you realise that a lead time reduction of 50% results in a cost price reduction of an average of 15%! * Increased delivery reliability By for instance, connecting your stock data, requirements, and / or schedules to the systems of your suppliers and

* Increased efficiency Employees are no longer unnecessarily looking for information which is dispersed throughout the factory or in the office.

Everything is immediately available digitally at their work place. You can also easily automate many actions, such as retyping data between multiple systems.

This limits unproductive hours to a minimum. * Increased quality When stepping up the level of digitisation in your company, the amount of errors made is reduced. Instructions are immediately available and information comes from one single central database that everybody has access to. In addition, measuring quality becomes increasingly simple, so that your organisation is better equipped to improve the quality in a sustainable way. * Greater customer satisfaction With the help of the digital factory you increasingly manufacture to the wishes of the customer. Determining delivery times also becomes more accurate. In addition, you can easily integrate your systems with those of your customers. For example, you can automatically inform your customers that products have been reported ready for them at the factory and will be transported immediately. Automatic exchange of serial and/or batch data, quality data, and environmental variables is certainly also possible with this. * Greater employee satisfaction Young people grow up with the latest technologies. They are accustomed to it and also consider it to be a prerequisite to carrying out their work (well). If you still have an ‘old school’ approach to work, then you are automatically less attractive to young talent. Good, well trained, and satisfied employees really make the difference, for your organisation too!

Only you can answer the question of whether a transition to a digital factory is necessary for your company. Perhaps the above points will assist you in this further consideration. But be aware: your competitors will certainly not stand still!

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MY SERVICES - BUSINESS SERVICES Not all MDBC member-companies are involved in bilateral trade or investments; a very important part of the MDBC community is our service providers. They provide the services (or products) which all organisations, and often especially the potential Dutch investors in Malaysia, require. The ease of doing business within the MDBC community has substantially increased thanks to our service providers. This page is specially dedicated to them.

Consultancy

Consultancy

Retail & Food Service Distributor

DIA BRANDS

QUINT WELLINGTON REDWOOD

Block A, Lobby 2, 12th Floor, #12 - 08 Damansara Intan 1, Jalan SS 20 / 27 47400 Petaling Jaya Selangor Darul Ehsan

MZ 21, 22 & 27, Penthouse 16 - 1 Level 16, Wisma UOA Damansara II 6 Changkat Semantan, Damansara Heights 50490 Kuala Lumpur

11 Jalan SC3 Pusat Perindustrian Sungai Chua 43000 Kajang Selangor Darul Ehsan

Tel: +603 - 7722 2192 Fax: +603 - 7722 2193 contact.my@diabrands.com www.diabrands.com

Tel: +603 - 2011 9879 Fax: +603 - 2011 0622 info_malaysia@quintgroup.com www.quintgroup.com

Tel: +603 - 8739 4708 Fax: +603 - 8739 4707 info@albatross-exim.com www.albatross-exim.com

DIA is a multi award winning design, innovation and strategic branding consultancy. The company thrives on creating a business advantage in a holistic manner. They do this by ingeniously melding different disciplines to offer end to end branding solutions starting with insightful Research, Purposeful Brand Strategy, through to Inspiring Creative Communications, Impactful Implementation, and Brand Management.

Quint Wellington Redwood (Quint) is a leading global independent boutique consulting firm dedicated to resolving IT related organizational challenges. Since 1992, their portfolio has been focused on providing consultancy services and training courses aimed at designing and optimizing IT intensive processes, services, and organizations. Quint is all about people. Our staff and our clients are our greatest assets.

Albatross Exim provides total seafood solutions for customers in retail, food service, and hospitality sectors. From their humble beginnings as a family operated smokehouse, they have diversified and expanded their reach to export markets around the ASEAN and Asia Pacific region. They are continously bringing their message of healthy eating and sustainable practices through seafood to their clients.

IT

Real Estate

ANGSTROHM TECHNOLOGIES

ALBATROSS EXIM

AXIS REIT

Ground Fl, Bangunan Emerio Cyberjaya Lingakaran Teknokrat 3 Barat 63000 Cyberjaya Selangor Darul Ehsan

Penthouse, Menara Axis No 2 Jalan 51 A / 223 46100 Petaling Jaya Selangor Darul Ehsan

Tel: +603 - 8322 2635 aa@angstrohm.net www.doctordb.com

Tel: +603 - 7958 4882 info@axis-reit.com.my www.axis-reit.com.my

doctorDB is a patent - pending healthcare platform built by Angstrohm Technologies, an Internet start - up company headquartered in Kuala Lumpur.

It is our goal to be the go - to platform for healthcare related information, intelligence, products, and services.

Angstrohm Technologies was founded by Arun Augustine and is backed by a team of successful entrepreneurs and senior corporate leaders.

Axis Real Estate Investment Trust (Axis - REIT) is Malaysia’s first and largest Islamic business space and industrial REIT. Our portfolio covers 38 properties located in strategic commercial hubs across the states of Selangor, Penang, and Johor, with over 100 local and MNC tenants from industries that include business process outsourcing, logistics, aerospace & aviation, IT, electronics, and medical and pharmaceutical research.

NEED A RELIABLE PARTNER FOR KEY BUSINESS SERVICES? THESE MDBC MEMBERS ARE JUST A PHONE CALL AWAY! MDBCONNECTS 3RD ISSUE 2017

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NEW MEMBERS

WARM WELCOME

As always, we constantly expand to include new and interesting partners as part of our international community of business professionals, allowing our members to find more opportunities for success.

To that end, we would like to extend a very warm welcome to the MDBC Community for the following new members:

DRB-HICOM EZ-Drive (Avis Malaysia)

JOHOR HALAL PARK UMLAND J-BIOTECH PARK

MAINPLUS MALAYSIA SDN BHD

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MDBCONNECTS 3RD ISSUE 2017

BUSINESS ACTIVITY: DRB-HICOM EZ-Drive was established in 1971 and operates as the licensee of AVIS Rent A Car in Malaysia. We offer short term rental, long term lease, and international car rental booking services.

Headquarters: Glenmarie Shah Alam.

Branches: Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA), Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA 2), Kuala Lumpur City Centre (Renaissance Hotel), Penang Airport, Kuantan Airport, Senai Airport, Johor Bahru City Centre (Menara Zurich), Melaka City Centre (Plaza Mahkota), Kota Kinabalu Airport, Kuching Airport, and Miri Airport.

CORPORATE REPRESENTATION Josephine Lim Li Yee, Head - Sales & Marketing Andy Ng Cheng Nam, Sales Manager

BUSINESS ACTIVITY: Johor Halal Park (JHP) is a joint venture collaboration (50:50) between UMLand Berhad and the Johor State Government via Johor Biotechnology & Biodiversity Corporation (J - Biotech). JHP spreads over 350 acres of Freehold land and is presently accessible via the Senai - Desaru Expressway, Pasir Gudang Highway, and the Johor Bahru East Coast Highway. The park is designed to be a new integrated industrial area in Pasir Gudang, and comprises of a comprehensive mix of development that offers solid investment opportunities.

CORPORATE REPRESENTATION Mohd Noor Abdul Salam, Chief Executive Officer Salasiah Abbas, Asssistant General Manager

BUSINESS ACTIVITY: MainPlus organizes and smoothens the process in property maintenance while creating efficiency and cost savings for all parties involved from tenant, to customer care centers, maintenance crews, and property owners. Our property maintenance solutions brings all parties in the process to the same platform, regardless of the device used. MainFlow, our proprietary cloud - based soft solution offers an ICT infrastructure which creates cost efficiency, quality control, reduced work loads, transparency and clarity, increased tenant satisfaction and higher quality of maintenance.

CORPORATE REPRESENTATION Francis L. Amptmeijer, Managing Director Nur Fateen Nazmin, Head of Customer Care

CONTACT: Level 2, EON Head Office Complex 2 Persiaran Kerjaya, Glenmarie Industrial Park Section U1, 40150 Shah Alam Selangor Darul Ehsan Tel: +603 - 7803 7555 Fax: +603 - 7880 0678 Email: sales@avis.com.my Website: www.avis.com.my

CONTACT: No 20, Jalan Lembah 16 Bandar Seri Alam 81750 Johor Bahru Johor Darul Takzim Tel: +607 - 382 9288 Fax: +607 - 382 9277 Email: salasiah@umland.com.my Website: www.johorhalalpark.com

CONTACT: No 8, KS 1 / 11 KotaSAS 25200 Kuantan Pahang Darul Makmur Tel: +6017 - 300 3669 Email: info@mainplus.com Website: mainplus.com

NEW MEMBERS

TENCATE GEOSYNTHETICS ASIA SDN BHD

TRUSTMOORE NETHERLANDS B.V.

WEFSECH OCEANEXUS

INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS Sanne de Best Management Consultant / Project Manager B8.1, Jalan Tun Razak 338 50400 Kuala Lumpur Tel: +6012 - 426 9131 E mail: sannedebest@hotmail.com Jorg van Gaal Business Development Consultant SVA Consulting Services Jalan U - Thant 16 Ampang Hilir, 55000 Kuala Lumpur Tel: +6017 - 630 5409 E mail: jorg.vangaal@sharedvalueafrica.com

BUSINESS ACTIVITY: THE WORLD LEADER IN GEOSYNTHETICS SOLUTIONS With more than 60 years of geosynthetics leadership globally, TenCate Geosynthetics is known for its expertise in geosynthetics solutions and the following reputed brands: Polyfelt®, Mirafi®, Miragrid®, and Geotube®. To meet global demands, TenCate has manufacturing facilities and a global distribution network in America, Europe, and Asia. TenCate’s geosynthetics are manufactured to strict international quality standards. The products are tested and verified at our specialist geosynthetics laboratories.

CORPORATE REPRESENTATION Chris Lawson, Managing Director Rodney Cheah, General Manager

BUSINESS ACTIVITY: The Trustmoore group is a vibrant, rapidly expanding, innovative trust and corporate service provider that delivers high value added, pragmatic, and highly (cost-)efficient services to a wide range of internationally operating, institutional, fund, corporate, and private clients.

CORPORATE REPRESENTATION Steven Melkman, Owner Robert Jan Dettmeijer, Client Director Singapore

Our total focus on our clients and on quality is reinforced by the fact that we have a flat organizational structure and that all our executives remain actively involved in servicing our clients. We are a boutique style firm with a strong focus on a personal and tailored approach.

CONTACT: 14 Jalan Sementa 27 / 91 Seksyen 27 40400 Shah Alam Selangor Darul Ehsan Tel: +603 - 5192 8568 Fax: +603 - 5192 8573 Email: info.asia@tencate.com Website: www.tencategeosynthetics.com

CONTACT: Prins Hendriklaan 26 1075 BD Amsterdam The Netherlands Tel: +31 (0) 204 712 707 Email: steven.melkman@trustmoore.com Website: www.trustmoore.com

BUSINESS ACTIVITY: Wefsech Oceanexus (Oceanexus) is involved in the development of integrated technology for the exploration of water (inland, coastal, sea, and ocean) resources co-utilization for marine renewable energy, food (seaweed, mussel, fish), and incorporation of feed ecological requirements at downstream, and application at upstream need for various marine biotech products (textile, seaweed bioplastic, seaweed solar, etc.).

CORPORATE REPRESENTATION Dr. Sulaiman Olanrwaju Oladokun, Chief Executive Officer

Dr. Ir. Chee Fai Tan Director, Perunding IBS Sdn. Bhd. No 215, 2nd Floor, Block B Dataran Usahawan Kelana Jalan SS 7 / 26, SS7 47301 Petaling Jaya Tel: +6019 - 381 0189 Fax: +603 - 7804 9332 E mail: cheefaitan@gmail.com

Peter Slagt Partner Bain & Company Malaysia Inc Suite 11 - 1, Level 11, Menara CIMB No 1 Jalan Stesen Sentral 2 Kuala Lumpur Sentral 50470 Kuala Lumpur Tel: +603 - 2859 9052 Fax: +603 - 2859 9051 E mail: peter.slagt@bain.com

CONTACT: FT38986 Pandan Air 21030 Kuala Terengganu Tel: +6017 - 724 4339 Email: oceanexus1@gmail.com

Koen Meulensteen Recruitment Consultant Jalan Wan Kadir 5 60000 Kuala Lumpur Tel: +6017 - 489 3625 E mail: koenmeulensteen@gmail.com MDBCONNECTS 3RD ISSUE 2017

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PICTURE PERFECT

Above: The 2017 MDBC Connects Fair brought so many new connections! Below: The MDBC HR Forum.

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MDBCONNECTS 3RD ISSUE 2017

Your favourite pages!

We still owe you some pictures from the launch of our MDBC Johor Chapter last May. Our networking also included the annual InterChamber with MABC and the IOR/OGA oil & gas briefing.

MDBCONNECTS 3RD ISSUE 2017

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