Australia is no stranger to Malaysians. Malaysians would’ve heard of Perth, Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Canberra, Adelaide, Gold Coast, Tasmania, Darwin; let alone travelled for holiday or sent their children to further their studies in these cities. With that being said, Australia is also one of the top investment destinations for Malaysians.
No doubt, investing in Australian properties is a different ball game than investing in Malaysian properties. It’ll help in your investment decision to understand the Australian property culture, jargon, terms, and regulations beforehand. Below are some comparisons of how Malaysian properties differ from Australian properties. Below is a teaser of Australian properties 101.
Image source: Reapfield-Meridien Australia Properties
Freehold Titles
Property ownership in Malaysia is divided into two main types of titles:
Freehold
Leasehold (99-years lease)
Australian property laws are comprehensive and protect owners with freehold titles – not leasehold. Homeowners own the property in perpetuity for now and for their future generations. They do not have to lease the land from the government and renew the lease back to 99 years.
House & Land
In Australia, terrace houses are known as townhouses. In Malaysia, townhouses take on a different meaning. A townhouse is literally two houses on top of one and another. For example, a family may share the ground floor and the first half of the first floor. Another family may share the second half of the first floor and the second floor. It serves as a multi-generational home or for two streams of rental income. The similar concept to a Malaysian townhouse is the Dual Living house in Australia. It is two properties in one: a three bedroom family home and a one bedroom unit.
Image source: Reapfield-Meridien Australia Properties
The common type of house in Australia is the House & Land, compared to Malaysia’s terrace house. In Australia, boring is best.
A house & land is basically a free-standing home built on your own plot of land. The size of a house & land is equivalent to the size of an average bungalow in Malaysia. The land size for an Australian house maybe 4000-6000 square feet which is similar to a Malaysian bungalow. Furthermore, an Australian house can be on a land as massive as an acre or more. Therefore, to put it into Malaysian perspective, they’re owning freehold bungalow land in Australia.
Australian houses are generally single-storey. Of course, there are double-storey houses. In Malaysia, the majority of the old and new houses are double-storey. Majority of the land is in the backyard which is the opposite of Malaysian houses in general. Australian houses are fenced all around, except for the front porch. In the summer, Australians will Barbie (Barbecue) with a can of beer and watch football in their backyard. In addition, Malaysian houses have a car porch to park their cars. Australian houses have garages to not only park their cars but to store their junks.
Image source: Reapfield-Meridien Australia Properties
Gated & Guarded?
Due to the spike in crime and snatch thefts, local residents took the initiative to secure their tamans (neighbourhoods). Today, we’ve gated and guarded communities in Malaysia. Sections of neighbourhoods are fenced, gated, and guarded by community-hired security guards.
In Australia, the term gated and guarded community does not apply. Even if it does, it only applies to the super-rich bungalow communities and not the average, common neighbourhoods. The communities and the houses in them are not gated and guarded. If a house is gated; it’s probably an Asian (or Malaysian) owner.
Full Turn-Key Package
New housing developments in Malaysia generally have three types of furnishing options:
Fully furnished and move-in condition
Partially furnished with fixtures and fittings
Unfurnished or bare unit
The developer determines the furnishing package. New houses are usually unfurnished. New service residences are either one furnishing choice only or a combination of the multiple options above.
In Australia, new houses and apartments are built partially furnished. They are known as full turn-key packages with nothing more to spend. This generally includes:
Stone bench tops to kitchen and bathrooms
Reverse cycle A/C unit
Fans to bedrooms and pavilion
Tiles to all living, wet areas, pavilion, and portico
Carpet to all bedrooms
Roller blinds to all windows and sliding doors
Landscaping including driveway and paths
In Malaysia, owners have to further furnish their new houses and apartments with air conditioning, fans, lights, kitchen cabinets, curtains, etc.
Contracts to purchase
When buyers buy a newly completed house in Malaysia, the selling price is quoted as a whole. Buyers only sign one contract for the house – the Sales and Purchase Agreement (SPA). Buyers pay one price for both the land and the building.
Its different in Australia. The price for the land and the price for the building are separate. For example, the total price of a house may be AUD$589,904. Of the AUD$600,000, the price of the land is AUD$308,400 and the price of the building is AUD$281,504.
Buyers sign a split contract, whereby there’s a contract for the land and a separate contract for the building. The stamp duty is only based on the land, not the building.
Image source: Reapfield-Meridien Australia Properties
Construction Time
New residential developments in Malaysia take years to complete. New service residences take three to four years to construct. New houses take two to three years to complete.
In Australia, developers release plots of land in stages. A buyer purchases a plot of land from a developer. The builder then goes about building the house on the purchased plot of land. Construction takes an average of six months to complete!
Body Corporate Fees
In Malaysia, apartment and condominium owners are subject to maintenance fees with a sinking fund. For example, the monthly maintenance charges may be RM0.30 per square feet plus 10% sinking fund (RM0.03) which equates to RM0.33 per square foot. If a unit is 1000 square feet, the owner is subjected to a monthly maintenance fee of RM330. The apartment and condominium’s management collects the maintenance fees from the owners to maintain the building and the facilities in it.
In Australia, it is called Body Corporate fees. The body corporate fee is calculated on a per annum basis and then divided into weekly payments. Unlike Malaysia which is paid monthly, the fees are paid weekly in Australia.
Square Feet vs Square Meters
In the property industry, Malaysians and Australians use different measurement systems. Properties in Malaysia are measured in square feet (sq. ft.); whereas properties in Australia are measured in square meters (sq.m.).
Rent weekly and not monthly
For property investors, upon vacant possession, the next step will be to rent out the house. In Malaysia, the rental is calculated monthly. In Australia, the rental is calculated weekly. Collecting rent weekly allows an investor to earn approximately 8% more than collecting monthly.
Assuming the monthly rental is RM1,200 per month. Per annum, the investor earns RM14,400. However, if the RM1,200 was divided by four, it’ll be RM300 per week on average. There are 52 weeks in a year. If the rental is collected weekly instead, the investor stands to earn RM15,600 per annum! That’s one week more of rental, as compared to renting it on a monthly basis.
Entry and exit strategies
As a foreigner buying a property in Malaysia, there are a few barriers to entry. In Kuala Lumpur, the property value has to be at least RM1,000,000. In Selangor, the property value has to be at least RM2,000,000 and with strata-title. Different states have different threshold levels and restrictions.
Foreigners can purchase a Malaysian property by borrowing from a Malaysian bank. Generally, foreigners have a 70% margin of finance or they can only borrow up to 70% of the purchase price.
Source: propertyupdatebyannpaul
In terms of an exit strategy and selling the property in Malaysia, the foreign owner can sell to anybody – Malaysians and non-Malaysians alike. Nonetheless, the foreign owner is also subject to the Real Property Gains Tax (RPGT) upon selling his or her property.
Unlike Malaysia, there is no minimum threshold in Australia. However, foreigners can only purchase new projects or under-construction properties. Foreigners are then subject to an entry-level tax – Foreign Investment Review Board (FIRB). There’s the FIRB Fee by the Australian federal government. In addition, each state charges its own FIRB surcharge and stamp duty. In Malaysia, the stamp duty is established by the federal government as a whole.
When selling the property in Australia, the foreign owner can only sell back to Australians only. The owner is also subject to paying capital gains tax on the sale.
Things you’ve learnt about Australian properties
In summary, we’ve learnt how Malaysian properties differ from Australian properties by way of home ownership, housing, security, contract to purchase, construction, maintenance, measurement, rental collection, and investment strategies.
Comment in the section below additional interesting things you’ve learnt about Australian properties, investment, and culture as compared to in Malaysia or in your own country?
Beads of sweat break out on Linda Iskandar’s forehead. Amid the serenity of the Christmas displays at the mall, she’s carted along her two kids, six and 12, dressed in matching blue T-shirts.
Linda had walked over from her house, about 10 minutes away on foot. She considers herself lucky to have found a new home within walking distance of her place of work and her sons’ school. But as with everything else in the city, convenience doesn’t come cheap.
In August last year, Linda and her sons left home. Her friend, who had once sought refuge at the Women’s Aid Organisation (WAO) shelter, had called her a taxi. Linda only had time to pack two bags, RM15 and some buns to get them through the night. She left her computer, tablet, broken mobile phone, and her favourite sci-fi novels behind.
Linda hasn’t gone back since. Her friend told her that nothing much of value is left in the house, after debt collectors paid a visit. They took everything and put it up for sale. Only her old passport was left.
“I couldn’t stand it anymore,” she says. “I didn’t have any food at home. I was working at the time, but I had to quit my job.
“I don’t know what happened, people were coming to my house. They wanted money from me, and said he (the husband) borrowed something from them. They threatened to take my sons.”
Linda, 45, took shelter in WAO for about two and a half months. When she was there, she participated in the creative writing workshop conducted by Bernice Chauly. Now, she’s here representing domestic violence survivors at the book launch of “Tina’s Journey,” reading a poem of her own at the event.
“I am not afraid to speak out. Most of the women are shy. Not shy, they are still ashamed of what happened to them.
“But this thing needs to be voiced out. It happens everywhere, but nobody is talking. I know there are still people suffering, they are just keeping it quiet,” she says.
It is hard to believe that this confident woman with a brilliant smile and a sharp sense of humour barely looked people in the eye in her 12-year marriage.
‘I feel ashamed’
“It is the way we are brought up,” Linda says. “Women, no matter how high they study, have to get back to the kitchen.
“Same thing. Obey your husband, even if he is wrong. Oh my god, I never married again. Two boys are enough, two little men in my life.”
Her Pakistani ex-husband used to ask her to request salary advances from her company, two or three hundred ringgit each time. She made up excuses, like not having enough money for food. He would spend the money wantonly.
“It always like that. I was fed up, but I still kept quiet, I don’t know why,” she confesses.
“I felt embarrassed and ashamed.”
But her friends advised her to listen to her husband – because he was her husband. That’s the feedback she got and she learned how to be domesticated, as an ideal woman like many others did.
Linda worked at a construction company in Brunei for 10 years, starting as a data analyst and working her way up to company representative for overseas meetings and training. She met her Pakistani husband after she came back to Malaysia, and they fell in love and got married.
At the beginning, both of them started a small food business somewhere near Masjid Jamek. They had to wake up at 5am in the morning, and brought along four big chickens in plastic bags every morning because they couldn’t afford an ice box that time.
Business was good and they made some money. Her husband planned to expand the business by recruiting more people, and wanted his wife to rest at home. He had aspirations of giving his wife a better life, but that was when things started to come undone.
He neglected the business, and it eventually had to be wound up.
They then tried their hand at a clothes business in Chow Kit, but disaster soon struck. Their shop caught fire. She and an employee tried saving what she could from the flames, although she was pregnant at the time.
The fire made the news. She had lost everything.
They started not being able to pay rent and moved from one place to another. Her husband couldn’t find decent work, eventually settling on a job which required at least 12 hours a day. His temper changed, and their relationship along with it.
‘Never reveal the skeletons’
The memory of how he first beat her is still vivid. It was in 2005, just two weeks after Linda had given birth. She was happy. They went out shopping one day, but after advising him to stop playing with his phone, he looked up, turned around and slapped her across the face in public.
The shock numbed the pain. Her newborn baby was in her arms. When they got home, he locked her up in a room for two days, so she wouldn’t run away.
“Never reveal the skeletons,” Linda told herself, despite the escalating abuse. She was covering for him. When she was first locked up, she didn’t dare scream for help. And the silence grew.
Things never got better. He called her ugly and old, reminding her that she was lucky to be with him. Every time she threatened to leave, he threatened her in turn with violence. He would interrupt the rare moments of levity she had with her kids, never allowing them to laugh.
Even his Facebook posts were of him and the children, but not her. Linda was becoming invisible.
She learned not to look people in the eye, especially other men. She started wearing long sleeves to work to hide the bruises and breaks. Hospital visits were done on her own.
Linda never lodged a police report, not even when he hit her with his car. She was afraid of her real condition seeing the light of day. “Never reveal the skeletons.” She clenched her hands together at job interviews, hoping the bosses would never get around to asking about her home life.
The only thought in Linda’s head when she attempted to kill herself was how he would benefit from inheriting her EPF.
Like many survivors do, Linda stayed put, despite being at the end of her tether. But when he started to abuse the children, she knew it was time to leave.
Seeking refuge
“Do you know the first thing women will do in the shelter?” Linda asks. “Sleep.”
She says you can hear the women snoring from the rooms, after leaving their children to play in the shelter. They cannot sleep well at home, and remain half-awake in case something bad happens.
“But at night, you will always hear muffled cries,” she adds, or screaming into pillows.
When Linda first got to the WAO shelter, she cried too. But she didn’t want her sons to see her in that state, so she did her crying in the backyard.
Linda refused to talk much to anyone at the beginning, and was also reluctant to join in any of the classes on offer, like yoga or handicraft classes. But she found refuge in the kitchen.
“I only put myself in the kitchen. When they need volunteers to cook, I said I’ll cook. The kitchen basically became my centre.” It reminded of the house she left with no food, and the hunger pangs she had when she was locked up in the room 12 years ago.
“The kitchen is fully functional. There is a lot of food. The fridge is big. There is a lot of chicken. All the spices you need are here. This was heaven for me. So I focused there, I channelled my energy there.”
After a time, Linda began to notice that women in the shelter were talking about their husbands, comparing whose was worse. Her friend told her that the women dared speak out because of a creative writing class. Out of curiosity, she signed up.
Linda was taken aback because of this friend, who was always shy and quiet, spoke up confidently in the workshop. But Linda was still reluctant to share her experience, even during the icebreaker session.
Until she wrote a poem one day. Reading it aloud, the class broke down in tears. “I was scared,” she says. “Was my experience worse than theirs?” But even the friends she had made at that point, who already knew her backstory, were crying. It was then she understood the power of writing.
Slowly, the creative writing workshop managed to unearth happy memories from Linda’s past, especially her childhood in Sabah.
“After Chauly’s class, I learned to accept things. It opens your eyes and your mind. She also taught us to love ourselves.”
She recalled that she worked in a “depressing bakery” as a teenager. But she was still able to have fun. “I pretended I was working in Hollywood. Everyone walked in was a superstar.”
The silence she had been forced into due to domestic violence had suppressed Linda’s sense of fun and humour – until the workshop.
Leaving the comfort zone
After two and a half months, Linda decided to walk away from the shelter, knowing that there is a danger of staying safe. The shelter had become too comfortable, and it was time for her to get back out in the world and face it head-on.
Secretary jobs were hard to come by, because of her age. Her experience washing dishes at home or in doing accounts were insufficient for the restaurant and retail jobs she applied for.
To make things worse, her sons missed their father too much and begged to go home. Linda refused their request in the beginning but eventually relented for the sake of her children.
Somewhat inevitably, Linda emerged from the encounter with a broken finger bone and bruises on the back of her neck. But she wouldn’t be silenced this time. She called the police, and her husband was arrested.
He died in custody, awaiting deportation back to Pakistan, just a week before our interview. She was his only family member in Malaysia, so she was forced to delay reporting for her new job to sort out all the procedures for his return to his home country.
“I am upset. Strong man like him, who beat me up, just died like that because of a heart attack. It is really annoying.
“He was supposed to go back to his home and find a work and rebuild his… It is unbelievable,” she says, with one fist clenched.
“It was only after the class that I learned what happens. But it will not happen again.
“It is up to you. I choose to not let it happen again, and I will move forward. This feels like freedom.” Linda is due to report to work two days after our interview. In the absence of a national childcare policy, she’s thankful that her boss at least allows her to bring her two boys to work.
Linda says courage is something we need more of, especially when it seems like every step forward is followed by two steps back.
Walking back to the large Christmas tree, she says she wants to buy herself a diamond one day, to symbolise her marriage to herself.
In one of the assignments in the creative writing workshop, Linda wrote a letter to her future self, five years from now. In it, she said, “I have big dreams. I wish to have a small business on my own. I wish I could have a car, afford to go on holiday together with my children.
“It is very difficult but I will work hard on it.”
The battle between two titans and Negeri Sembilan defended their title again for the second consecutive time in the 59th MABA/Matrix Agong Cup basketball championship.
Negeri Sembilan took down Malacca in the men’s final meet by 14 points, 78-64 despite an early lead by Malacca in the first half.
Malacca succumbed to their loss after losing key player Guganeswaran Batumalai in the early fourth quarter as Negeri Sembilan took on Malacca with a man-to-man full-court pressure to keep them at the bay.
Teo Kok Hou of Negeri Sembilan was crowned as the finals’ Most Valuable Player (MVP) with 16 points, 6 assist, 4 rebounds and 3 steals.
Wong Yi Hou, Perry Lim and Ting Chun Hong bagged 18 points, 15 points and 10 points respectively. Perry also took home an individual award of the championship as the top rebounder with an average of 12 rebounds per game.
Malacca’s Chin Zhi Shin and Ma Chee Kheun led the team with 15 points each while Guga took home with 10 points.
It was back to ground zero between the two juggernauts of the men’s basketball finals. Despite the bitter loss to Negeri Sembilan in the preliminary rounds, it was not an easy challenge for the defending champions to take down Malacca.
The veterans versus the young national players: the clash of the titans between the two teams. Negeri Sembilan was keeping their moves tightly to Malacca with no clear leader in the first quarter.
Malacca took an early lead and raining their scores from the perimeter with three points from vets Guganeswaran Batumalai and Loh Shee Fai to keep their opponents at bay. Malacca was leading by five points in the early half, 10-5 but Negeri quickly overcame their lead 17-16 in the final two minutes of the game.
The hustle was kept as minimal despite many physical fouls in the court, both teams were playing a much careful game compared to the previous match in the preliminary rounds. A minor altercation between Kuek Tian Yuan and Ma Chee Kheun resulted in a short three-minute halt in the game after Perry Lim was hit on his throat from the hustle.
Ma returned the fire and Malacca reclaimed the lead from Negeri, taking a final buzzer beater shot from the perimeter, 19-22.
Negeri did not make it an easy path for Malacca in the second quarter but dynamic duo Guga and Chee Li Wei running on their baskets with more scores. Malacca was already in a comfortable lead of 8 points, 27-35.
As the evening rumbles into a thunderstorm at Cyberjaya, the crowd at the House of Champions rallied their teams in the court. Both teams were getting more defensive and physical as Negeri managed to shave Malacca’s lead down from 12 points to four, 40-44 in the last four minutes of the third quarter.
Malacca had to pay the price for numerous mistakes made in the final two minutes of the third quarter, giving away six crucial points for Negeri Sembilan to reclaim the lead, 50-48.
Luck was not on the side for Malacca as Wong Yi Hou’s three-pointer tops the five points scoring run for Negeri. Malacca was already trailing by 7 points in the early two minutes of the final quarter.
Plagued with poor stamina and seeing both gunners Guganeswaran down with a knee injury while Chee Li Wei and Ma Chee Kheun tried to defend the fort for Malacca but it was far too late for the team.
Negeri Sembilan steam-rolled their way and sealed the win with a final double-clutch dunk by Wong Yi Hou was the main highlight of the game, ending the match from a 7 point lead to 14 points win, 78-64.
Meanwhile, in the women’s first division finals, Kuala Lumpur finally took home the championship title from Selangor after a 10-year wait defeating the defending champion in a dramatic close match.
Kuala Lumpur clinched the title after taking down Selangor in a nail-biting game by merely two points, 57-59.
Below are the final results of the championship:
Men’s Division One
Champion – Negeri Sembilan
1st Runner Up – Malacca
2nd Runner Up – Sarawak
4th Placing – PDRM
Men’s Division Two
Champion – Maba Selection Team
1st Runner Up – Pahang
Women’s Division One
Champion – Kuala Lumpur
1st Runner Up – Selangor
2nd Runner Up – Malacca
4th Placing – Johor
Women’s Division Two
Champion – Penang
1st Runner Up – Negeri Sembilan
Here are the individual awards of the championship:
Finals MVP
M – Teo Kok Hou (Negeri Sembilan)
W – Yap Fook Yee (Kuala Lumpur)
Top Scorer
M – Wee Chuan Chin (PDRM)
W – Yap Fook Yee (Kuala Lumpur)
Top Rebounder
M – Perry Lim (Negeri Sembilan)
W – Sunny Chin (Sabah)
Top Assist
M – Soo Eng Heng (PDRM)
W – Saw Wei Yin (Selangor)
Top Defensive Player
M – Chee Li Wei (Malacca)
W – Chong Yin Yin (Selangor)
Overall MVP
M – Soo Eng Heng (PDRM)
W – Yap Foo Yee (Kuala Lumpur)
Did you know that on December 31, last year,Malaysians spent their final night of the year with the thrill of battling zombies into 2017? The event also turned the National Botanical Garden of Shah Alam into a scene right out of a zombie apocalypse horror movie!
Well, just in case you didn’t, let me brief you on it very quickly so that you can better prepare yourself before the next night of the living dead. Time is of the essence here, so take heed.
Run For Your Lives (RFYL) is a 3-5km zombie-themed obstacle-adventure run series brought over from the United States since 2011. It is of an international level and was introduced for the first time to Malaysia back in 2014. It has also been held in Sweden, Australia, Hong Kong, China, Japan, Taiwan, Thailand, Indonesia, Philippines, Singapore, and now in Malaysia!
Did someone say Zombies?
Photo credit to Run For Your Lives Malaysia
According to Monkey Theory, the RFYL organizer of Malaysia, Run For Your Lives is the world’s premier Zombie-infested 5K (five kilometres) obstacle course whereby participants assume the role of either a Survivor or a Zombie in this one-of-a-kind event filled with thrilling chases, rocking music by performing deejay’s and a kick-ass dance party finale.
Part obstacle course, part music festival, and a full on encounter with “the running dead”, Run For Your Lives promises a fun day (and night) with friends, colleagues and evil ex-bosses alike.
Photo credit to Run For Your Lives Malaysia
You’ve played the video games. You’ve watched the movies. You’ve even followed the whole TV series. Now’s the time to put what you know into practice. Maybe you fancy your chances reaching the Safe Zone for supplies through a Zombie-infested 5K route laced with demanding obstacles? Or perhaps getting transformed into one of the “running dead”, Zombies hell-bent on stopping the Survivors in their tracks? This is your chance to Run For Your Lives!
2014
On December 13, 2014, the first ever zombie apocalypse invaded Kuala Lumpur attracting a whopping 7,000 participants in Malaysia Agro Exposition Park, Serdang. In the zombie infested fun run, it consisted of thrilling obstacles such as Blood Pit, The Ladder, The Crawl Fence and many others. Many survived the apocalypse while many also failed to save themselves in this thrilling run.
Photo credit to Run For Your Lives Malaysia
The idea behind the highly anticipated Run For Your Lives Malaysia is that a zombie apocalypse has plagued the world, and so, participants were given the choice to take part as a ‘Survivor’ or a ‘Zombie’ in a gameplay that is generally simple – the survivors have to outrun the zombies who have the goal of ‘capturing’ the humans. Besides the chasing zombies, survivors also have to battle a gruelling obstacle course.
2015
Photo credit to Run For Your Lives Malaysia
Catching on the deadly virus, Penang were soon invaded on May 16 at Penang Botanical Gardens for the very first time – attracting about 1,500 participants from the small island to again experience the world’s most thrilling run.
Photo credit to Run For Your Lives Malaysia
The 2015 edition round was accompanied by obstacles such as Blood Pit, Smokehouse, Holey Trap and many others throughout the 5KM route. The gamification of this exciting and thrilling run is to give participants the chance to choose between being a Zombie (chasing and catching humans) or a Human (running away and escaping from the zombies).
2016
Photo credit to Nick JoshKarean
In 2016, Malaysians got the opportunity to experience the first ever zombie “Running Dead” (Night Edition) in Malaysia! This time, the virus continued to spread and found its way back to Kuala Lumpur, breaching the city’s first line of defence. Run For Your Lives Malaysia 2016 was hosted on New Year Eve’s, 31 December accommodating about 7,000 participants! They came from different ages, levels and experiences who showed skill and courage during the run. There was also a fantastic sense of camaraderie along the course.
Photo credit to Run For Your Lives Malaysia
Watch the video below for yourself and see it in action how extremely exciting and thrilling the experience was on the night the dead arose for dinner, and how the survivors strived to stay alive to not end up on the zombie menu:
2017
The Z-Virus for Run For Your Lives Malaysia 2017 was safely contained and zombies prevented from coming into existence. However, this may not be the end of the story just yet…
2018
Monkey Theoryadvises us to be wary of new outbreak warnings by following their Run For Your Lives Malaysia Facebook Page so that you can better prepare yourself before the next zombie invasion in Malaysia. Until then, no signs of an outbreak it seems. But don’t relax too soon… We may be safe for now, but the question is, until when?
Patrick Goi is a man of many talents. As the founder and managing PANGOI, Goi is also an accomplished chef and a ballroom dancer. He too is a recognised sommelier.
After nine years of working in a fashion and beauty retail industry, Goi decided that the time has come for him to set out on his own.
Known for his infectious energy, the affable Goi set up PANGOI Group Sdn Bhd in 2014 with the aim to redefine the world of fashion via its flagship brand name ‘PANGOI’.
As the founder of PANGOI, Goi’s primary responsibility is to expand the group’s market in Malaysia and beyond particularly the Asia Pacific and Middle-East.
‘Specifically, I make sure that we maintain a good rapport with our existing and potential clients and principle. I also head the research team, where we look into the demands and needs of our customers. Besides that, I guide and train my marketing team.”
Managing a new company in a highly competitive environment may sound daunting to some but Goi embraces all these head-on.
He noted that the toughest part of managing PANGOI is the fact that the industry itself is highly competitive.
“New products are being launched almost on a day-to-day basis, which means I have to be on my toes all the time in order to be updated on the latest trends, which will help me reach out to the customers more effectively,” he explained.
Goi has been working very hard in the past to learn more about the inner dealings of the industry so much so he has picked communication and networking skills.
“It helps with my confidence and I am now very motivated to make it big for my brand. Working in the marketing line has also taught me to be creative and innovative to reach out to the customers. Most importantly, it has taught me that the key to success is always to have a good attitude,” he acknowledged.
Born in Bukit Mertajam, Goi made the bold decision to leave the comforts of home for Kuala Lumpur at the tender age of 17 despite objections from his family.
“It wasn’t easy and I knew that. So even though I started from the very bottom of the ladder, I was still optimistic and motivated,” he recalled.
He reminisced the long hours he spent as a part-time promoter for different beauty products.
“It was tiring working and studying for my Diploma at the same time but it was worth it. As soon as I completed my studies, I began working at a department store,’ said Goi.
It was not long before he was promoted to a department manager position and Goi was only 21 years old.
“And I did not stop there. I knew that I had to do more so when I chose to continue my studies, I moved to the beauty and cosmetics industry as an assistant marketing manager for Total Image,” he shared.
This decision, he explained, did not only offer better career prospects but allowed him to work during the day and attend his classes in the evening.
When he completed his double degree in Economics and Business Management from the University of Greenwich, Goi found himself already in love with the fashion industry.
That was how his relationship with Alfio Raldo began.
“My first week on the job at Alfio Raldo was the longest and most tiring week of my life. I felt nervous to start a new chapter but at the same time, motivated to hold such a great responsibility in the company,’ he said.
Despite being new, his driven personality soon proved him to be a fast learner.
“It has always been about the end results for me and I make sure to put my skills to great use.”
The strategy proved to be fruitful. Within the first three months working for the company, Goi succeeded in getting the products listed on permanent counters in several department stores. How did he achieve the feat in such a short span of time?
“Persistence, persistence and persistence,” he shared with a laugh.
On a personal note, Goi still finds time to pursue his other interests.
“I love to cook and even participated in a cooking show on 8TV entitled Hot Chef. I am also a Latin dancer and have taken part in international ballroom competition overseas representing Malaysia!”
“When I am not cooking or dancing, I like to watch movies and listen to music. When I feel like breaking into a sweat, I find squash a great way to keep healthy.”
That certainly doesn’t mean that he is at the height of his potentials.
With a prospective MBA and a successful local fashion brand slowly making its way into the international market within the next five years, he has quite a journey of self-discovery waiting for him.
Key values that the company promotes include honesty, passion, results-driven, effective communication and sharing of knowledge and expertise.
“It is essential for our staff to uphold these values in order for us to achieve our collective goal.”
PANGOI Group Sdn Bhd was established in 2014 by Patrick Goi, who is also its managing director.
Riding on its founder’s vast experience in the retail industry, the company dabbles primarily in leather lifestyle products and merchandises.
Although a new player, the company strives to maintain the highest standards of materials and workmanship. PANGOI remains committed to carefully upholding the principles of quality and integrity that define the company.
The company’s products represent the unique combination of Malaysian culture and attitude, and superior product quality and durability as well as its commitment to world class customer service.
Today, the company is carrying its own brand, PANGOI, which aims to fulfil women’s desires to own a high quality yet affordably priced handbags, wallets and purses.
For that, PANGOI creates fresh new looks to appeal to modern women not only in Malaysia but also across the region from Australia to the Middle East.
Goi is engaging designers from Australia, Indonesia and Dubai to design and produce PANGOI handbags and purses where rich details are paired with high technical innovation.
Today, PANGOI products are available at its six outlets in Malaysia. It also is opening its first international outlet in Istanbul soon. Plans are afoot to have more outlets in Malaysia and abroad.
To ensure that all will be able to enjoy his handbags, Goi has also introduced PG for PANGOI, a much more affordable line that encapsulates PANGOI’s elegant and upscale designs.
The intention of this line was to make inexpensive fashion available for all.
