Fruitful sharing: Santharuban (with mike) engaging with the participants.
The country’s marketing graduates may be entering the workforce with degrees, but many are missing something far more fundamental — the ability to speak Bahasa Malaysia (BM).
Pepsi Etika chief executive officer (CEO) Santharuban Thurai Sundaram said 70% of the regulated market is Malay, yet many fresh graduates cannot communicate in the national language.
“They can’t articulate themselves, they don’t understand local slang or nuances.
“And when you don’t have that ability, you become irrelevant in the market,” he said, adding that localisation and cultural fluency are essential in marketing.
“If you want to work in marketing — especially at an entry-level — how can you not know the consumer and how to communicate with them?” he said, noting that graduates from international school backgrounds often underestimate this skill gap.
Meanwhile, local brands thrive precisely because they speak in a voice Malaysians recognise.
“Local brands get the nuances. They know how to speak to Malaysians.
“In contrast, many large multinational corporations rotate employees frequently or hire talent who do not understand the culture or language. They miss the connection entirely,” he explained.
Strong on paper, silent in person
Beyond cultural fluency, Santharuban said graduates also struggle with something more fundamental — self-awareness.
“When I conduct management training, I see two types of people.
“Those who are academically strong but can’t converse, and those who speak confidently, come prepared with tablets, and want to tell you everything about their coursework,” he said.
He tells all of them the same thing: “Don’t talk about your education or work experience. Tell me about yourself.”
Still, 90% have nothing to say, he said, adding that they prefer to talk about their studies rather than about who they are.
This gap between confidence and substance, he said, reflects a deeper mismatch between expectations and readiness.
The shortcut mentality
This mismatch also shows up in career expectations.
Santharuban’s own journey to leadership was built on patience and progression — something he feels is increasingly rare among fresh graduates now.
“When I joined my current company, I just wanted to work my way up.
“I didn’t have this idea of becoming a head of department in two months or a CEO in two years,” he said.
Today, however, he sees graduates expecting rapid promotions and instant rewards.
“When they come in, they want to move up super quickly. Then, they jump for minimal gains. If someone offers them RM25 more, they’ll leave,” he said.
Noting that career progression traditionally requires years of slow, steady growth, he shared how he would not have be a CEO today if he were looking for instant rewards.
“Today, most of the talents are moving into the gig economy for a quick reward,” he pointed out.
The instant earning power of gig jobs, he added, is pulling young Malaysians away from long-term career paths and deepening the country’s growing brain drain with many choosing to work abroad for faster remuneration packages and higher entry-level salaries.
“People also think if they move to Singapore or get a job in Europe, they instantly have a better package. Everything is about short-term remuneration,” he said.
Note: All interviewees were speakers at Market Buzz 2025. Held on Nov 13, the flagship Monash University event, themed “Marketing for Impact: Nurturing Talent for a Changing World,” brought together industry leaders and academic experts from across the region to tackle a shared challenge: how to prepare, empower, and retain future-ready marketing talent in an era of global disruption.
What industry leaders want graduates to know
Don’t stress too early about your life purpose. I feel a lot of young people today take on stress too early. It’s good to be conscious and self-aware, and I’m glad the new generation is thinking deeply about purpose— but overthinking can push you into decisions that aren’t right for you. Take it easy. Enjoy the process. In your first two years, trust me, you won’t know what you’re doing — and that’s actually a good thing. If you already feel certain about your career in the first two years, you’re probably in the wrong place. Let the chaos happen around you. Settle in and figure out what you want. Don’t stress too much about finding your life purpose too early. Be aware, but don’t let it consume you. Even today, I don’t know my exact life purpose. But if you believe in the power of your dreams, they will take you where you need to go. Your destiny is yours — no one decides it for you.
- Mastercard vice president and Southeast Asia integrated marketing and communications head Dheeraj Raina
Seize the moment when you’re in a room with influential people. Make sure the people you want to notice you actually see you. And if you’re hunting for a job, then you must have a hunter’s tools. Your CV should be online, real-time, scannable via QR code — something that leaves an impression the moment someone interacts with it.
- Media and strategic communication advisor to the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Shazalli Ramly
We use a lot of artificial intelligence (AI) in our work, especially in content creation. But AI still lacks empathy, judgement, and imagination. To be future-ready, you must know the tools — you need to know how to use AI — but you must also understand people. Human behaviour matters. That means going out, socialising, talking to people, exposing yourself to real interactions. All the ‘old-school’ advice still applies. Put yourself out there, so that when you enter a room, you know how to read it. Once you can read the room, you are future-ready. You already have digital skills — but the real value comes from humanising those skills and integrating them with strategy.
- Truth Communication managing director Andora Fredericks
