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(L-R) Mr Suresh Menon welcoming everyone to the networking event followed by a presentation on the Group's businesses
by Mr Kelvin Phuan, and TalentCorp's drive to attact Malaysian talents overseas to return home by Encik Johan Merican.
HR Networking Event On 27 May 2011, the Group hosted a networking event at its Head Office for some 30 senior HR professionals and partners from major corporations. Among the invitees present were Dato Dr Hamzah Kassim (National Economic Advisory Council (NEAC) member), Dato Aziz Bakar (CEO, MINDA) and Encik Johan Merican (CEO, TalentCorp).
After a warm welcome by Group HR Director, Mr Suresh Menon and the screening of our corporate video, Mr Kelvin Phuan from CeDR Consulting Sdn Bhd gave an overview of the Group’s businesses. The diversity, size and scope of the Group’s business operations was a revelation for some of the guests.
The networking event saw an enthusiastic turnout by senior HR practitioners from various industries.
As part of best practice sharing, the Lion Group team consisting of Major (R) Ravindran (Asst Manager-HR, Megasteel), Mr Ivan Leong Kok Hoe (SMP Production Executive, Megasteel) and Ms Lim Lee Suan (QA Executive, Amsteel Banting) shared the Group’s experience with developing technical talents for its Steel Division via scholarships to study at University of Science and Technology Beijing (USTB). The testimonies of Ivan and Lee Suan regarding their challenges and experiences as students at USTB, industrial attachments in Mongolia and subsequently their integration into the challenging work environment in our steel plants after their graduation were very inspiring. Overall, the presentation was very interactive and engaging and provided insights and ideas for other companies to adopt . |
Smiles from (left to right) Major (R) Ravindran, Ivan and Lee Suan to the positive response to their interesting presentations.
This was followed by TalentCorp’s presentation by CEO, Encik Johan Merican on attracting Malaysian talents overseas to return home. TalentCorp’s efforts also involve attracting foreign talents whose expertise and skills are in short supply in Malaysia. There are a number of government policy interventions such as immigration and tax incentives which will fast-track and ease the process for attracting talent back. | Johan suggested that the sizing of talent demand be done on a collaborative industry or sectorial basis such as telecommunication and steel sectors. He also felt that we need to develop graduates for better fit into jobs or to start out on their own. The requirement for more R&D activities was also emphasized. Johan concluded by saying that the talent agenda is mission critical to achieve the objectives of the Economic Transformation Program and to assure investors that Malaysia can provide the needed capability to support their investments and growth in the country.
Another topic debated was the prospect and issues of raising retirement age in the private sector. Concerns were expressed on the increased costs of doing business if work productivity does not improve significantly. However, as people are living longer and have better medical support, it makes sense for “senior” citizens to work longer and mentor the upcoming talents. As expected, the controversial topic resulted in “hot” and animated exchanges from both sides of the fence!
The 3 hour meeting concluded with a “makan kecil” and further networking. |
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