The 8th Malaysian CMO Conference & Awards
Date: 15th November 2019
Venue: The Grand Ballroom, Sime Darby Convention Centre, KL.

For further details on the awards

View last year winners

KUALA LUMPUR, 5 SEPTEMBER 2019– For over two decades, Akisama Group has been one of the leading developers in Malaysia. Among all their prestigious projects, RC Residences stands out the most for its strategic location, affordable pricing and fantastic amenities. Akisama Group’s main aim is to make every Malaysian’s ‘owning a home’ dream come true through RC Residences.

With an average household income of RM3,300, one can become a homeowner by choosing between two types of beautifully-designed units. Buyers are also given a choice of purchasing the fully-furnished unit. The starting price of the 800-sf. unit is from RM353,800 and a 5-year maintenance fee waiver is offered. This beneficial perk and also, an estimated monthly house loan repayment of RM1,700 makes owning a home possible.

In addition to it, RC Residences is part of the HOC Scheme which offers great benefits for every home buyer and this scheme has been extended till end of the year. On top of it, the vigilant security system, 24/7 CCTV surveillance and amazing lifestyle facilities makes this residence more desirable.

Furthermore, RC Residences has created a golden business opportunity with their exclusive 121 commercial units.  This allows local and aspiring entrepreneurs to build-up their career path and establish their brand. With all of these incredible add-ons, a safe and inspiring community is formed.

Unquestionably, RC Residences is the perfect choice for optimistic individuals and growing families. One’s life is hassle-free as there are multiple train stations and three schools located close-by. Also, off days can be spent at famous shopping malls which are located in less than 10 km radius from RC Residences such as Sunway Velocity Mall (4.2 km), KLCC (7 km) and Mid Valley (6.7 km). Residents will be indulging in an energetic urban lifestyle right here.

Right from the launching of this residence, many remarkable events and fabulous deals are offered to the potential buyers. So far, four brand-new Perodua Bezza and incredible prizes including travel vouchers, shopping vouchers and cash vouchers worth up to RM1mil* have been gifted to lucky buyers.

RC Residences is determined to give out prizes along with mind-blowing deals for their buyers. Buyers who book a RC unit from now until 28th September will receive exclusive RM5,000 + RM3,000 worth AEON vouchers*. To make it extra special, on the 28th September 2019, they are organizing ‘The Epic Luck-Key Draw’ event where two more lucky winners will be driving home two brand-new Perodua Bezza and other valued prizes worth up to RM100k*.

This astonishing project by Akisama Group has allowed many individuals to afford their own home and create a secured future for them and their loved ones. RC Residences’ deals, rewards and constant campaigns has eased buyers’ financial burden in many ways. One can definitely call it a ‘home sweet home’.

For more information about RC Residences

Tertiary education can be expensive. However, it is a form of investment today for a better tomorrow.

Since 1997, tertiary education has become more accessible with the establishment of the National Higher Education Fund Corporation (PTPTN) under the National Higher Education Fund Corporation Act 1997 (Act 566).

PTPTN helps students pay for tuition and living costs throughout the school year – enabling undergraduates to access to further their studies.

After graduation, many individuals find repayment of their education loan a daunting task.

But fear not, as between 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019, employers can assist their employees in fulfilling this responsibility.

Tax incentives

According to the 2019 Budget, employers who help their employees pay off their PTPTN debts are eligible for tax relief. Employers eligible for this incentive are taxpayers who have a registered business, including a sole proprietorship, and pays tax under the Income Tax Act 1967.

To qualify for this incentive, employers must meet three conditions.

First, the employer is making debt repayments on behalf of the employees. Second, employees are full-time staff. And third, the employer will not be charging its employees for the PTPTN debt payment.

Interestingly, there is no minimum or maximum amount set to be qualified for this incentive. Employers are entitled to tax relief on any repayment amount made, either monthly installment payments or a full settlement between 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019.

No limit on tax relief

With this incentive, employers will receive tax relief in the same amount that has been paid for their employees. 

If an employer repays RM50,000 worth of loan to PTPTN for their employees, then the employer is entitled to the same tax relief. The payment would benefit both the employer and the employee.

This move is also a form of corporate social responsibility for the employers and their companies. The government, through PTPTN, has previously provided loans to students to generate the best human capital and prepare them for the job market.

Mechanism

Employers can make repayments on their employees’ behalf through the PTPTN official portal at www.ptptn.gov.my from 1 January 2019 to 31 December 2019.

Once employers made the payment through the PTPTN portal, employers can then print the receipt. PTPTN will also issue PTPTN debt repayment statements in early 2020. 

Do note that there are several categories of employers who are not eligible for this incentive. These include PTPTN borrowers who run their businesses and are employers of the company. 

Employees who are either the employers’ spouses, children, grandchildren, or siblings are also not entitled for this incentive.

Employees can complain with PTPTN if the employer instructs them to make a payment for the payment made.

The Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia (LHDN) will then receive the report for investigations. A false claim for tax relief is an offense under the Income Tax Act 1967.

Seize the opportunity

PTPTN offers incentives for the first time to employers this year. Therefore, every employer needs to seize this opportunity to help boost the morale and motivation of their employees.

In the United States, the repayment of higher education loans by employers is one of the benefits used to attract and retain workers from the Millenials.

Employees repay their education loans as usual while employers will match the amount paid.

This method helps to accelerate the loan repayment process. It is also more attractive to the employees and potential staff than an offer of high base salaries alone. 

Among the employers offering these benefits are accounting firm PriceWaterhouseCoopers, technology company NVIDIA, and law firm Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe.

In Malaysia, some employers are offering annual bonuses, travel incentives, or give a pay raise to reward employee’s performance. For this year, they can make a little difference by helping pay off their employees’ PTPTN debt. Indirectly, this would help employees reduce the burden of their debt, while the employers also get tax relief.

This incentive would also enhance the employers’ image while attracting more potential talent to work in their organization.

Employers who are interested in this opportunity to benefit their employees and businesses can visit the PTPTN official portal at  Portal Majikan Online.

Invest Selangor is a leading investment solution centre in Malaysia and the ASEAN region. Invest Selangor Berhad will host its 3rd Selangor International Business Summit (SIBS). Bringing together global brands and congregating industry players from the world under the patronage of State Government of Selangor.

The Selangor International Business Summit 2019 will showcase four main events alongside a variety of parallel events occurring at the same time. The events will be held on October 10th till 13th 2019 at the Malaysian International Trade and Exhibition Centre (MITEC), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. 

What is the event about and what can we look forward to? Invest Selangor’s CEO, Dato’ Hassan Azhari Bin Hj. Idris shares his thoughts.

Q: What is the Selangor International Business Summit 2019? 

Dato’ Hassan Azhari: It is an international event that aims to bring together global brand and industry players from across ASEAN. Its objectives is to promote Selangor as ‘Your Gateway to ASEAN’ by bringing together local and international businesses to work together. SIBS 2019 strives to be the catalyst for potential collaborations between Selangor and the international community. 

Q: What are the events that will be held during this programme? 

Dato’ Hassan: The main events include: 

i) Selangor International Expo 2019 (SIE) – 10-13 October 2019
This is in its 5th edition and is a dedicated food and beverage expo which will attract more prominent participation of international exhibitors from ASEAN and neighbouring countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, The Philippines, Vietnam, India, Taiwan and China. It will look at the food and beverage industry holistically, crossing aspects such as F&B, Food Science, Food Tech, Food Service, and Halal market. It will host industry talks and workshops to ensure that the participants stay ahead in the global market.

ii) Selangor ASEAN Business Conference 2019 (SABC) – 10-11 October 2019
This will be an event lasting for a day and a half which is already in it 3rd edition. It is a knowledge sharing conference which will gather prominent business leaders and speakers from ASEAN. The 1st day will feature a keynote address by our Prime Minister, YAB Tun Dr. Mahathir Bin Mohamad whilst the 2nd day will feature a keynote speech by our Minister of Economic Affairs, YB Dato’ Seri Mohamed Azmin Ali. The conference has an estimate of more than 30 speakers.

The conference will have five main discussions:

a) The advantages of the ASEAN Economic Community 2025.
b) SMEs preparation to embrace IR 4.0 and the role of ASEAN governments and industry players.
c) The opportunities and challenges arising from the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) and ASEAN Free Trade Area’s (FTA’s).
d) Cross cultural business experience, success stories and challenges in ASEAN.
e) Challenges in developing, shaping and nurturing entrepreneurship in New/ Disruptive Business models on the Background of Emerging Technologies.

iii) Selangor Smart City & Digital Economy Convention 2019 – 11-13 October 2019
This will be a three day event that is in its 4th edition. This multiple event convention consists of an Artificial Intelligence & 5G Conference, the Selangor Anime & Gaming Festival, the Malaysia Top E-commerce Merchant Awards 2019 and the Start-up & Equity Crowd funding Pitching Day. We hope to witness the gathering of globally respected intellectuals and leaders that are focused on these 4 elements. 

iv) Selangor R&D and Innovation Expo 2019 – 10-13 October 2019
This is among one of the only events that is in its first ever edition. The expo will focus on the learning, development and incorporation of cutting edge innovations and technologies. It will showcase commercial R&D labs & centres alongside the Selangor Education Cluster initiatives under the state government. The expo will also exhibit the work from universities research centres to bring more exposure and commercialise their products.

Q: Will there be any side/parallel events? 

Dato’ Hassan: There will be! Some of the parallel events that will be hosted include: 

i) Malaysia International Tea & Coffee Expo – 10-13 October 2019 
This exhibition is jointly organised with the Tea Trade Association of Malaysia (TTAM), which will focus on the promotion of tea & coffee manufacturing, trading, retail and service both domestically and internationally. 

ii) 9th Malaysia China Entrepreneur Conference (MCCC) – 12th October 2019 
This event is organised annually where Malaysia and China take turns in hosting it alternately. It is in conjunction with this year’s 45th Anniversary of Malaysia China Diplomatic Relations. It targets to enhancing and strengthening the Malaysia-China bilateral trade, and more than 1,000 participants are expected to be present. It will also feature the 1st ever Malaysia China Young Entrepreneurs Conference. 

iii) 1st Selangor International Halal Conference – 10th October 2019 
The Selangor International Halal Conference which is jointly organised by Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (JAIS) and Halal International Selangor will be providing a platform for the discussion of the market trends and innovations in relation to the halal market. More than 400 participants are expected to be in attendance. 

iv) The 2nd Battle of Teh Tarik which will take place on the 12th October 2019 which is co-organised by the Tea Trade Association of Malaysia (TTAM). 

v) Selangor International Culinary Festival which is co-organised by the Professional Culinaire Association of Malaysia (PCA) which will take place during 10-13 October 2019.

Q: Is there anything new this year? In comparison with the last Summit? 

Dato’ Hassan: There are a number of events that are unique this year in comparison to SIBS 2018. More programs are lined up for this year. Another difference is that SIBS 2019 will have a bigger space to utilise, 33,000 square metres, which is an amount that is nearly double in comparison with last year’s event. 

We have also decided to compress all the events into 4 days for SIBS 2019. SIBS 2018 was an event spanning up to 10 days, and we feel that the compression of events will mean that it will be more concise and that visitors will be able to visit a number of the events all in one go! 

Q: How does the summit provide a platform for companies to expand into new markets? 

Dato’ Hassan: The Selangor International Business Summit 2019 will have business matching facilities for visiting traders from the region. It will also hold networking sessions between exhibitors and the traders, and Invest Selangor and local councils and relevant agencies will have booths at the main pavilion where business facilitation can take place.

Q: How many visitors and booths are we expecting this year? 

Dato’ Hassan: In terms of visitors, we are expecting 30,000 visitors both members of the public and businesses. Booth wise, we will be expecting a total of 850 booths to be present. The large amount of booths are due to the fact that some countries will feature a number of booths.

Q: Who are the supporting partners, partners organization and sponsors that will be involved? 

Dato’ Hassan: This event is endorsed by MATRADE and is also supported by Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) and Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce (MCCC), The Chinese Chamber of Commerce & Industry of Kuala Lumpur & Selangor (KLSCCCI), Pineapple Board Malaysia (MPIB), Malaysian Cocoa Board (MCB), Malaysian Pepper Board – MPB, Lembaga Pemasaran Pertanian Persekutuan (FAMA), Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA), Unit Perancang Ekonomi Negeri (UPEN) Selangor and Negeri Sembilan, Malaysian Association of Hotels (MAH), Nigeria-Malaysia Business Council (NMBC), Malaysia Dutch Business Council (MDBC), Association of Islamic Banking and Financial Institutions Malaysia (AIBIM), ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC) Malaysia. Partners Organization include Selangor Information Technology & E-Commerce Council (SITEC), Badan Persatuan Sumber Manusia (BPSM), Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (JAIS), Halal International Selangor (HIS), Professional Culinaire Association (PCA), Tea Trade Association Malaysia (TTAM), Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM) Selangor Branch, Malaysia-China Chamber of Commerce (MCCC), Malaysia Retail Chain Association (MRCA), The Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Kuala Lumpur & Selangor (KLSCCCI), Dewan Perdagangan Islam Malaysia (DPIM), Klang Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCCI), Dewan Perniagaan Melayu Malaysia (DPMM) Negeri Selangor and Kuala Lumpur & Selangor Indian Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KLSICCI).

Sponsors wise, we have Menteri Besar Selangor Incorporated as the Diamond Sponsor, Hong Leong Bank and PKT Logistic Group as our Platinum Sponsors, QSR Brands (M) Holdings Bhd, Central Spectrum (M) Sdn Bhd and EcoWorld PowerChina as our Gold Sponsors, Northport (Malaysia) Bhd, MSM Kitchen Equipment Sdn Bhd and Malaysia Cocoa Board as our Silver Sponsors. 

Not to forget, we will have Malaysia Airlines Berhad as our Official Airline Partner. They’ll be offering 15% discount for all participants that are coming from overseas for the event. Our Official Ingredient Partner, Fraser & Neave Holdings Bhd, Avena Cooking Oil and Monteh by KWF Food, and last but not least, our official coffee partner, Starbucks Malaysia, who will be offering drinks on the day for you to enjoy. 

A message from Dato’ Hassan Azhari, CEO of Invest Selangor: 

We hope that everyone is able to participate in this event as visitors, exhibitors or even conference participants to take this opportunity to connect with potential partners for their future collaborations to further explore the ASEAN market. 

You can register now through the website at www.selangorsummit.com. Admissions for the exhibitions are free, whilst the Selangor ASEAN Business Conference 2019 will offer an affordable fee. Do make sure you register now, as places are running out! 

We are looking forward to seeing all of you at the 3rd Selangor International Business Summit 2019!

BMW Malaysia recently introduced its all-new BMW Z4, the automaker’s newest open-top roadster, boasting an ’emotion-packed body design and a purist, driver-focused interior’.  

“The BMW Z4 is back! More captivating than ever to rewrite a new chapter for BMW in its brand-defining roadster history,” said Harald Hoelzl, managing director of BMW Group Malaysia at the launch.

The Z4 is fashioned with striking new proportions and combines sporty on-road prowess with highly advanced, top-class equipment features and connectivity such as the BMW Live Cockpit Professional and the BMW Digital Key, says the Bavarian marque.

It is offered in the BMW Z4 sDrive30i M Sport variant capable of hitting the 0-100km/h mark in just 5.4 seconds.

Redefining its iconic, traditional roadster DNA with a modern and contemporary design based on its classic low, elongated silhouette with short overhangs, the new Z4 is available in Malaysia only in the M Sport trim. 

The premium roadster stuns with its exterior impression, featuring a significant growth in length by 85mm (4,324mm), width by 74mm (1,864mm) and a slight bump in its height by 13mm (1,304mm) as compared to its predecessor. The wider track makes for more stable and agile cornering says the manufacturer while the shorter wheelbase provides a smaller turning circle. The lower and more centralised centre of gravity delivers sportier handling.

The increased luggage capacity, larger door compartments and additional storage areas behind the seats benefit the driver who is always in need of more space along with the increased legroom for superior comfort when on the road.

The new Z4 features a 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine delivering to the rear wheel 190kW/258hp with a peak torque of 400 Nm from 1,550 to 4,400 rpm and a top speed of 250km/h.

The low centre of gravity and equal front-to-rear weight distribution showcases its roadster characteristics. The BMW Z4 sDrive30i offers an eight-speed Steptronic Sport transmission, M Sport Suspension and Variable Sport Steering. 

Inside, the Z4 gives driving pleasure with its driver-focused cockpit design. The interior is adorned with a sporty two-seater cockpit, a classic canvas roof, minimalist interior trim surfaces and a low seating position to encapsulate the driver in a premium vehicle like no other.

Controls are intelligently grouped into ‘function islands’ for convenience, while the piece-de-resistance is the innovative indirect ambient lighting that allows the drivers to create their preferred lighting moods with calming colours like lilac and mint.

BMW’s Live Cockpit Professional is strategically placed at the same level as the central touchscreen information display and gives drivers information directly within their line of vision.

This new sports car can be locked and unlocked from a smartphone. The smartphone simply has to be held up to the door handle to unlock the door. Once inside, the engine can be started as soon as the phone has been placed in the Wireless Charging or smartphone tray. 

The new Reversing Assist, meanwhile, provides an impressive form of support when operating in narrow spaces. The intuitive system remembers the last 50 metres of the drive to the parking space and will use that knowledge to assist the driver in exiting the spot by taking over the wheel.

In terms of colour offerings, the Z4 offers four vibrant exterior colours in San Francisco Red, Misano Blue, Black Sapphire and Alpine White, matched with interior options of Black décor with Black stitching, Magma Red with Black stitching or Cognac with Black stitching.

All this for about half-a-million ringgit. Book yours here today!