InvestKL chief executive officer Muhammad Azmi Zulkifli (pic) said Malaysian talent are more than ready to work with and compete with some of the world’s leading corporations.
PETALING JAYA: In their quest for business success and growth, Malaysian multinational companies are quick to acknowledge that talent play a crucial role in making their goals and ambitions happen.
For Oracle, a Fortune 500 technology giant, this means that the development of talent is vital to support businesses as they continue to grow and adapt to the changing environment, its Malaysian managing director Fitri Abdullah said.
A fundamental aspect that the company looks at is interpersonal skill. According to Fitri, this includes communication skills and how an individual conducts him or herself in a team dynamic.
“Communication skills are critical because in this current working environment, not one person will have the skills or knowledge to do everything. In a teamwork environment, where a project involves 10 to 15 people, each person will bring in their expertise and knowledge either from the domain or technology side.
“So it’s important that new talent have the ability to communicate and collaborate in one big group, to ensure that they can communicate effectively when escalating issues and prioritising urgency to ensure high performing teams”.
For UK-based oil and gas player, Subsea 7, Asia Pacific human resources manager Nicole Irvine said the group supports projects in Australia, Africa, the Middle East and Asia from its regional hub in KL.
“Subsea 7 is an increasingly diverse business and we need a diverse talent pipeline. We have a well-established and growing renewables business and we are supporting a large renewables project in Taiwan from KL. Renewables is a global focus for everyone in the coming years.”
Irvine said Subsea 7 tries, where possible, to “grow our own” talent.
“One of the ways we have don’t this is via our IGEDS (International Graduate Engineering Development Scheme). In this program, Malaysian graduates are hired in KL and are assigned abroad in Norway or Aberdeen for two years.
“This provides the graduates with experience on live projects in other parts of the world. They are then able to bring this international experience back into our office in KL.”
Irvine added that Subsea 7 also focuses on the development of local talent.
“We currently have managers from our KL office participating in our global Management Development Program. This program focuses on leadership competencies and provides a great opportunity for reflection and development as a manager.
“Subsea 7 expects to continue growing its hub in KL and continue to develop local talent on global projects, ” she said.
France-based Veolia, a water management, waste management and energy services company, also considers talent development a crucial part of its business strategy.
“We take human resources quite seriously, doing periodical reviews to find opportunities, highlight talent strengths and chart a path for future talent development going forward, ” said Veolia Asia Pacific human resources director Selvi Murugiah.
“This process is done at the departmental level and then repeated at a country-wide and then regional Asia Pacific level. Key talent are put through development plans, whether it is coaching, mentoring or postings in the Paris or China offices, to gain exposure to global projects.”
InvestKL is an investment promotion agency under the International Trade and Industry Ministry. It is tasked to attract large global multinationals to establish regional business services headquarters in Greater Kuala Lumpur and strategically grow their business in Asia.
InvestKL chief executive officer Muhammad Azmi Zulkifli said Malaysian talent are more than ready to work with and compete with some of the world’s leading corporations.
“Malaysian MNCs are consistently making strides to develop and invest in their talent, so as to be able to sustain business performance and compete on the global stage.
“The continuous efforts by Malaysian MNCs, especially in an era where digital innovation is key, clearly reinforces the fact that we are on the right path to become world-ready as far as talent development is concerned.”
