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Daily Express
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Express
‘Emerging Sabah business leaders need exposure' call
Published on: Tuesday, July 15, 2025 Published on: Tue, Jul 15, 2025 Text Size: From left: Datuk Lee Swi Heng, Datuk James Wong, Datuk Seri Masidi Manjun and Kenji Yeo together with participants of CEO Masterclass Kota Kinabalu: Sabah entrepreneurs possess equal capabilities as their international counterparts but require greater exposure to unlock their potential. 'Our industry friends from Singapore and Kuala Lumpur scaling 30 outlets per year have unlocked their imagination of what is possible. Advertisement 'We need to bring that confidence to scale up and think big to Sabah,' said Sybil Founding President Datuk James Wong. Local economic growth depends on businesses learning to expand their operations and retain top talent within the State, said James, who is also Sedco General Manager. He was speaking at the recent CEO Masterclass 2025 which attracted 400 industry leaders and professionals to the Sabah International Convention Centre. Jointly organised by the Sabah Young Business and Industry Leaders (Sybil) and the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MICCI) Sabah, the event highlighted the ongoing partnership between the two organisations in fostering leadership development and professional networking opportunities. The first session, 'Overcoming the Business Death Valley,' was moderated by Ray Chou and featured insights from Kenji Yeo of Amazing Borneo Tours, Ventamin co-founder Geraldyn Low and Intelligent Capital Director Asgari Stephens, who shared personal entrepreneurial experiences and challenges. A second panel, 'Scaling Beyond Sabah' was moderated by James and featured three prominent figures from Sabahan public-listed companies. KTI Landmark Berhad's Datuk Dr Gordon Loke, Life Water Berhad's Liaw Hen Kong and Colform Berhad' Kang Ket Hung shared their journeys from operating small-town Sabah businesses to achieving public listings on Bursa Malaysia's ACE Market. The masterclass reinforced Sybil's commitment to creating valuable networking platforms that connect established business leaders with local entrepreneurs, fostering knowledge transfer and business development across Sabah's commercial landscape. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Daily Express
3 days ago
- Business
- Daily Express
CEO Masterclass 2025: Transformation of Mindset and Attitude Essential for Sabahans to scale beyond limits
Published on: Monday, July 14, 2025 Published on: Mon, Jul 14, 2025 By: Azwin Zawawi Text Size: Kota Kinabalu: The much-anticipated CEO Masterclass 2025 marked its successful return with the participation of nearly 400 industry leaders and professionals at the Sabah International Convention Centre on Thursday. The event, co-organized by the Sabah Young Business and Industry Leaders (SYBIL) and the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MICCI) Sabah, reaffirmed the strength of their collaboration in delivering one of the state's most esteemed platforms for leadership and networking. In his welcoming speech, SYBIL Founding President and Group General Manager of SEDCO, Datuk Ar. James Wong Kein Peng mentioned, 'In Sabah, it is not that we entrepreneurs are any less capable than our international counterparts - but it is due to a lack of exposure. Our industry friends from Singapore and KL scaling 30 outlets per year, have unlocked their imagination of what is possible - and we need to bring that confidence to scale up and think big to Sabah.' The greatest impact to Sabah's economy happens when local businesses learn to unlock their potential, scale up their organizations and manage to attract and retain the best local talent to work in Sabah. James accentuated that SYBIL is dedicated to continue organizing events that bring value to the Sabah Business Community. 'With CEO Masterclass, we are creating a powerful network to enable A-list business players to share their experience and enable direct dialogue and learning with our local entrepreneurs.' Engaging panel discussions were the crowd pleasers of the event. The first session 'Overcoming the Business Death Valley' moderated by Ray Chou brought together three distinguished panellists, Kenji Yeo CEO of Amazing Borneo Tours; Geraldyn Low co-founder of Ventamin and Asgari Stephens Director of Intelligent Capital, to discuss the challenges and lessons learnt from their personal entrepreneurship journeys. Datuk Ar. James moderated an esteemed panel of speakers that took participants on a journey to learning from the titans of Sabahan listed companies from their experience of 'Scaling Beyond Sabah' on how they succeeded in listing their companies on the ACE Market of Bursa Malaysia. Datuk Dr. Gordon Loke, Group Managing Director of KTI Landmark Berhad; Liaw Hen Kong Managing Director of Life Water Berhad and Kang Ket Hung Managing Director of Colform Berhad shared their inspiring stories on growing their respective businesses from small towns in Sabah to becoming public listed companies and stand proudly amongst global giants. Guest of Honour YB Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Masidi Manjun emphasized that true progress begins with a shift in mindset. He urged government-linked companies (GLCs) to adopt a business-driven approach and collaborate with the private sector to leverage their expertise and efficiency. 'The government's role is not to compete with businesses but to facilitate their growth,' he noted, adding that public-private partnerships can lead to greater profitability, job creation, and tax revenue. Masidi encouraged GLCs to offer equity to private players and co-manage ventures to achieve shared success. Highlighting the importance of adaptability and cooperation in today's economy, he praised CEO Masterclass as a vital platform to foster these partnerships, reminding all that when Sabahans unite, challenges can be overcome together. A key highlight of the event was the keynote by Professor Inderjit Singh Dhaliwal, a distinguished business entrepreneur from Singapore, in a session moderated by John Cham, Managing Director of Blue Swan Home Care. In his talk, 'Scaling Beyond Limits,' Professor Inderjit shared hard-earned strategies from building multiple successful companies. He emphasized that 'Sabah businesses must be bold to step out of your comfort zones, embrace a strategic mindset, and leverage your unique identity to drive growth.' Collaboration between the public and private sectors is vital, along with a clear long-term vision. He also urged, 'It is crucial for Sabah to tap into its global diaspora talent and bring them back to contribute, to support and truly unlock the state's full potential.' Datuk Lee Swi Heng, Vice President of MICCI Malaysia and Organizing Committee of CEO Masterclass 2025 wrapped-up the event with a heartfelt thanks to all the respected guests, sponsors and attendees. 'We sincerely hope that the CEO Masterclass 2025 has not only offered valuable perspectives but has also ignited within each of you the courage to dream bigger, act bolder, and confidently tackle the exciting challenges of scaling your businesses' he said in his closing speech. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
