Enterprise Explores

As Malaysia advances its sustainability goals, focusing on integrating environmental, social, and economic considerations, sustainable investments have become increasingly important. The country's progress in sustainable and responsible investment (SRI) is evident, with 68 SRI funds totaling RM7.7 billion by the end of 2023, according to the Securities Commission Malaysia's Annual Report, supported by strong policy frameworks and growing investor interest.However, to meet the rising standards and demands of SRI, the industry needs to enhance its capacity. In this episode, we speak with Salleh Hassan, Director of Professional Standards and Qualifications at the Securities Industry Development Corporation (SIDC), to discuss the trends, challenges, and initiatives in Malaysia's capital market related to sustainable and responsible investment. Salleh shares insights on SIDC’s efforts to address capacity-building gaps and introduce its new certification programme aimed at equipping industry professionals for the future.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We address the critical issue of corruption impacting small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia. A recent Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) report reveals that 63% of SMEs fear rejecting bribery could lead to business loss. This highlights the significant challenges in maintaining ethical standards while competing in the market.We explore the types of corruption SMEs encounter, such as bribery and favouritism, and the legal and economic repercussions of engaging in corrupt practices. We also discuss the role of industry associations and government in supporting SMEs, the effectiveness of anti-corruption laws, and the psychological impacts on SME owners and employees.Joining us are Lim Koon Huan, Partner at Skrine, and Sujatha Sekhar Naik, Chairman of the Malaysian Institute of Corporate Governance, to share insights and strategies to help SMEs uphold integrity in the face of corruption.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We dive into an initiative aimed at transforming downtown Kuala Lumpur into a vibrant creative and cultural district. This ambitious project, spearheaded by Think City, promises to rejuvenate the heart of our capital city, creating new opportunities for businesses, enhancing cultural engagement, and boosting economic growth.We unravel the intricacies of this transformation with Hamdan Abdul Majeed, the Managing Director of Think City. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We explore the latest findings on global talent mobility with insights from the new report, ‘Decoding Global Talent 2024 – Dream Destinations and Mobility Trends,’ by BCG, The Network, and The Stepstone Group. The report reveals which countries Malaysians prefer to relocate to for work, the reasons behind their willingness to move, and how Malaysia ranks as a destination for global talent. Discover why Australia tops the list for Malaysians, the economic and career motivations driving their decisions, and the challenges they face in relocating. The discussion also covers what local employers can do to retain talent and attract global professionals to Malaysia. We dive into all these with Sagar Goel, the Managing Director and Partner at Boston Consulting Group.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

'Nothing is certain except death and taxes', and while paying taxes may be a certainty, how much can be a very different story as we’ve seen just this week with the Court of Appeal ordering LHDN to refund a Penang-based manufacturer RM286 million for additional taxes and penalties imposed back in 2008. There are a variety of issues to unpack here, but today we dive into navigating tax disputes in Malaysia with Renganathan Kannan​, Executive Director at tax advisory firm Tratax.Ideally a tax system should provide some degree of tax certainty to taxpayers so that they’re better able to plan, however we're witnessing an increasing number of disputes between businesses and the Inland Revenue Board (LHDN).Renganathan will help us unpack these issues and provide insights into achieving greater tax certainty, as well as provide taxpayers some guidance on how to better address all this, including the key obligations that businesses must manage, navigating the grey areas proactively, the appeals and dispute process, and tax certainty strategies and best practices.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Pixlr is at the forefront of AI-driven creative tools, recently featured at Google I/O 2024 as the ultimate AI editing tool for Chromebook users. In collaboration with Malaysia’s Ministry of Education, Pixlr is providing a free AI course worth RM1,000,000 to 500 teachers, revolutionising educational practices with AI.Today, we speak with Warren Leow, CEO at Pixlr Group to discuss their latest initiatives, the impact of being featured at Google I/O, and how AI is transforming both creative industries and education.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sustainability and a clean energy future are topics that consumers are more interested in today than ever before. However, the majority are not willing to commit more resources to be more sustainable in their energy usage, according to the EY Energy Transition Consumer Insights Report 2024.The EY survey covered 100,000 residential energy consumers in 21 markets around the world over three years, with close to 6,900 respondents across Malaysia, Indonesia and Singapore.It reveals that consumer behaviour is pivotal to the success of the energy transition, with 70% of its success hinging on how consumers act. Despite this, only 30% of consumers believe they can do more, highlighting a significant gap between interest and action.This year’s report highlights the three "As" of energy: Access, appeal, and affordability as central pillars of energy experience.In this episode, Enterprise Explores the report’s key findings to further understand the significant gap between consumer interest and action and what strategies can energy providers implement to bridge this gap. We speak with Mark Bennett, the Asia-Pacific Energy & Resources Customer Experience Transformation Leader at EY, on why addressing consumer apathy is essential for advancing the energy transition.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

AI in business cybersecurity is a never ending arms race, digitalisation is outpacing cybersecurity capabilities and capacities, and even when businesses have incident response plans, most employees don't know what it is. All this and much more as Enterprise Explores why data readiness and cyber resiliency matters for your business.As AI solutions and cloud adoption accelerates as data grows at an unprecedented rate, Enterprise Explores the state of Data Readiness and Cyber Resiliency in ASEAN and the increasingly complex data and cyber environments with Michel Borst, Asia Vice President, at Commvault.According to a Commvault study done in partnership with Tech Research Asia (TRA), ASEAN companies’ data estates grew 31% on average in the last 12 months. Of that growth, their analysis suggests 60% was unstructured data, requiring significantly more management to be optimised and transformed into value.This data and infrastructure sprawl also contributes to dark data (i.e. data that is created and unmanaged or sits outside of the businesses’ scope of management control and/or visibility).The study found 91% of companies have challenges managing dark data. As companies face unrelenting and sophisticated cyber attacks, many companies consider they have ineffective data recovery and cyber resiliency capabilities.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

“I think we’re getting past the luxury of just being against things”, Penta's Rory O'Donnell on global food security.Farmers' protests in Europe are reshaping the political landscape as the European Parliament elections approach, with the protest highlighting a frustration among European farmers as they navigate tougher competition, rising production costs, and concerns over the environmental impacts of initiatives like the Green Deal strategy.With that in mind, today we delve into the intricate world of European agriculture, exploring the evolving landscape of agricultural policies within the EU, their global ramifications, food security, and lessons that Asia can learn from Europe and vice versa. Joining us is Rory O'Donnell, Managing Director of International Agriculture, Food, and Trade at Penta, who brings over three decades of experience in the UK Civil Service and a deep understanding of EU affairs.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

RM500,000 penalties, Director and Management liability, and assessing Work-From-Home risks that employers could be responsible for.If you haven’t heard about the incoming changes for Occupational Health and Safety in Malaysia, it’s time to push the panic button because ignorance is not a defence from the potential penalties of up to RM500,000. Learn about the implications, consequences, and what workplaces need to do ASAP in this edition of Enterprise Explores.We speak with Shannon Rajan and Selvamalar Alagaratnam, Partners at Skrine to discuss the implications of the newly enforced Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act (Amendment) 2022. Effective from June 1st, this amendment aims to elevate safety and health standards across workplaces in Malaysia.We take a look at the significant changes introduced by the amendment, including the mandatory appointment of health safety coordinators in companies with five or more employees and the enhanced requirements for workplace risk analysis.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.