march-april 2012 - bmccmarch-april 2012 preferred airline partner: s economies across the euro-zone...

March-April 2012

08400_BMCC_March-April_2012.indd 4 3/27/12 9:02 AM

March-April 2012

Preferred Airline Partner:

s economies across the Euro-

zone continue to experience

debt crises, stunted

growth rates and rising

unemployment, governments

are struggling to keep pace. Swingeing

austerity measures introduced by some

administrations are causing their own form

of fallout with strikes and demonstrations

occurring in several countries.

Against this backdrop, forecasts by Bank

Negara Malaysia predicting that Malaysia’s

economy will grow between 4 to 5 percent

this year should make for encouraging

reading. That said, some of Malaysia’s top trading partners can be counted among

the nations affected, requiring companies to build a solid foundation of business

within the region in order to weather the prevailing international conditions.

Our theme for this issue - Protecting Your Business - deals with the growing risks

facing organisations in a global marketplace. Many of our members are involved

in this sector and our feature section highlights some of these risks and the

measures required to safeguard data, people and intellectual property in order to

ensure sustainability. It makes for interesting reading.

On the events front, the fi rst quarter of the year has seen a number of headline

events organised by BMCC. Our New Year Open House in January attracted a

large crowd catching up after the festive season, followed a couple of weeks later

by our fi rst business lunch of the year with guest speaker Lord Green, UK Minister

of Trade. This month, the very successful International Women’s Day Celebration

was also held in conjunction with Gleneagles Kuala Lumpur and DHL Express.

Well-attended and generously supported by our sponsors, these occasions

are fi ne examples of the quality of events that BMCC delivers. With our next

Premier Business Lunch in April and Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Celebrations, 8th

Charity Rugby Dinner and BMCC AGM in June, there’s plenty more in store as

we continue building business connectivity and creating opportunities for our

members to expand their networks.

First LinesBMCC Board of Directors:Patrons:YBhg Tun Musa HitamHE Simon Featherstone, British High Commissioner

Chairman: Dato’ Larry Gan, Catcha Media Bhd

Deputy Chairman: Andrew Sill, The Royal Bank of Scotland Bhd

Directors: Soo Kim Wai, Amcorp Properties BhdBob Olivier, Aspac Executive Search Sdn BhdMark Burgess, BAE Systems plcDatuk Peter Wentworth, OBE, CEO Solutions Sdn BhdDavid Ng, DHL Express Malaysia & BruneiDato’ Justin Leong, Genting BhdDatuk Seri Michael Yam, Impetus Partnership Sdn BhdAmanda Powell, KL Kudos Design Sdn BhdBill Addington, Leolaris Sdn BhdMichael McIver, Plus Three Consultants Sdn BhdOsman Morad, Standard Chartered Bank Malaysia BhdAndrew Diamond, Yakimbi Sdn Bhd

Ex O cio:Gavin Anderson, British CouncilTony Collingridge, OBE, UK Trade & InvestmentDr Zainal Abidin Majid, Advisor To The Board

Gold Sponsors:

Preferred Travel Partner:

Pla num Sponsors:

BMCC 2012 Annual Sponsors & Partners

Molly Jagpal: Executive DirectorWinnie Ng: Business Services ManagerNabisa Kassim: Manager - Commercial ActivitiesMary Anthony: Executive - Of ce SupportPriscilla Anan: Executive - Accounts & AdminRafy Anuar: Marketing & Events Assistant

Preferred IT Rental Partner:

Berita BMCC is published bi-monthly for distribution to BMCC members and other organisations in the British and Malaysian business community. The views expressed or implied herein are those of the authors or contributors and do not necessarily re ect those of the Chamber.

BMCC Magazine:Editor: Amanda Powell

Editorial Committee:

• George Aveling • Marcus Osborne • Molly Jagpal • Matt Smith • Bill Addington • Winnie Ng

Production: KL Kudos Design Sdn Bhd

Printing: Tinggi Press Sdn Bhd, Lot 6, Jalan Kuang Bulan, Taman Kepong, 52100 Kuala Lumpur.

BMCC Executive Offi ce:4th Floor, East Block, Wisma Selangor Dredging, 142B Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur.

Tel: +60 3 2163 1784/2163 1786 Fax: +60 3 2163 1781Email: [email protected]: www.bmcc.org.my

Twitter: BMCCMALAYSIA

Follow us on:

A


March-April 20124

In This Issue

Protecting Your Business:Businesses everywhere are at

risk: risk of their IT systems being

compromised, risk of fraud being

perpetrated, risk of personnel

being in danger. Our Feature

Section on Page 15 has more.

Gold Sponsor: E-Safe Systems

■ First Lines............................................................................... 3

■ Hot Happenings ........................................ 6

■ TradeTalk ................................................... 8

■ Special Report ......................................... 10Tapping Into Talent

■ Inside View ............................................... 12 Marlborough Moves Ahead In Malaysia

■ Cover Story ................................................................15Protecting Your Business In A World of Risk

■ Meet Our New Members ..................................25

■ News from Our Members ................................26

■ Intellectually Streaking ............................. 33 St George & The Dragon, by Datuk Paddy Bowie, OBE

■ Report Back............................................. 34 Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures

■ Insights ..................................................... 36 Life-Enhancing Care, by Gail Featherstone

■ Social Scene ............................................. 38

ContentsMarch-April 2012

Cov

er S

tory

Diary DatesAprilTues 3rd MICCI Leaders Luncheon Talk Guest Speaker: YB Dato Sri Idris Jala

“Sustaining Progress In The Face Of Economic Uncertainty”

12.30pm-2pm - The Banker’s Club, KL

Thurs 19th- British Theatre Playhouse Presents: Fri 20th “Out of Order” by Ray Cooney

DoubleTree by Hilton, Kuala Lumpur See Page 6 for details www.britishtheatreplayhouse.com

Sat 21st St. George’s Inter-Society Sports Day Bukit Kiara Royal Selangor Club

8.30am onwards Spectators: Free Entry Buffet BBQ inc free ow beer & wine RM50 Contact Irynne on +603 6201 0996

Sun 22nd & Standard Chartered EPL Masters Mon 23rd Football Malaysia Cup & Gala Dinner Stadium Malawati & DoubleTree KL

Sun 1pm: Masters Football Carnival5.30pm: Tournament Kick-Off Mon 7pm: Gala Dinner - See Page 13

Tues 24th BMCC Premier Lunch Series Guest Speaker: Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz Governor, Bank Negara Malaysia 12 noon-2.30pm - Intercontinental Hotel

See Page 6 for details

MayTues 8th- Sri Garden International - Open WeekSat 12th Taman Maluri, Kuala Lumpur Tel: +603 9200 9898 www.srigarden.edu.my


JuneSat 2nd- Queen’s Diamond Jubilee CelebrationsTues 5th Further details to be announced

Weds 6th 8th KL Charity Rugby Dinner Star Speaker Line-Up: Martin Corry/Peter FitzSimons/Paul Wallace 7.15pm onwards - Shangri-La Hotel KL


Sun 24th BMCC Golf ScrambleSponsored by Farrell Longbridge

Details to be advised

Tues 26th BMCC AGM & Premier Lunch Details to be advised

CORRECTION: January-February Issue Page 6 & 7: The name of the restaurant at the Hilton Kuala Lumpur is Senses. The name of Mr Collingridge, UK Director of Trade & Investment should have read Mr Tony Collingridge, OBE. Any inconvenience caused is regretted.


March-April 2012 5


March-April 2012

Hot Happenings

Platinum Sponsor:

BMCC Premier LuncheonTuesday 24th April 2012

Guest Speaker:Tan Sri Dr Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Governor, Bank Negara

Venue: Intercontinental Hotel, Jalan Ampang, Kuala LumpurTime: 12 noon-2.30pm Limited Places Left!

Diamond Sponsor:

Call the BMCC on: Tel: +603 2163 1784 [email protected]

BMCC 8th KL Charity Rugby Dinner!Title Sponsor:

Gold Sponsor:

Silver Sponsor:

Wednesday 6th June 2012

Guest Speakers:

Martin Corry - England Peter FitzSimons - Australia Paul Wallace - Ireland

Venue: Shangri-La Hotel Kuala LumpurTime: 7.15pm onwardsBookings: Call +603 2074 3900 Email: [email protected]

Exclusiv

e to BMCC Members!

DoubleTree by Hilton Kuala Lumpur and British Theatre Playhouse are bringing one of Ray Cooney’s most successful plays “Out of Order” to Kuala Lumpur. The all-British cast is headed by Robin Kermode, one of Britain’s most successful TV stars, as the hero “Richard Willey MP”, Junior Minister in a coalition British government (allegedly!). Others include Nick Wilton as “Mr Worthington”, Jolana Lee as “Jane Worthington”; Sasha Waddell as “Mrs Willey”; as well as Paddy Navin, David Streames and John Faulkner.

The play follows the hero as he and his beautiful mistress, Miss Jane Worthington (Oh, she’s the secretary to the Leader of the Opposition of course!) try to get away with spending a naughty night in a smart London hotel in the company of a dead body! Who will fi nd them out?

Thurs 19th & Fri 20th April at DoubleTree Hotel. Tickets RM245++ and RM265++ incl welcome cocktail & 3-course western dinner. www.makan-moments.com/Out-of-Order or call Sharon Kaur/Benjamin Teh on +603 2172 7272.

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March-April 2012

Trade Talk

8

It is unlikely that anyone present at the KL Panel Lunch at the Equatorial in late January would have attended the UN climate conference in Durban last year. The good humour

and common sense so signi cantly absent there were present in abundance at the Equatorial. There, the issues being addressed were ones that stood a reasonable chance of a sensible outcome.

Chaired with considerable wit by YM Tunku Abdul Aziz Ibrahim, HE Simon Featherstone, British High Commissioner, was guest of honour and there was strong representation from Sarawak and Sabah. The High Commissioner spoke on a variety of topics including the current relationship between our two countries, co-operation between the two judiciaries, British schools and universities investing in Malaysia, major oil deals, and the upcoming visit to Malaysia of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. After so much recent gloom, the good humour and commonsense that prevailed during the Q&A were inspiring.

Attending from the Society in London were Rod Noble, Datuk Peter Jenkins and Dato’ Anthony Cooper who provided a crisp summary of the Society’s recent activities. Also in attendance was Chris Smith whose considerable contribution was highlighted to two of the Society’s projects the ‘Spirit of Wood’ Exhibition at the Brunei Gallery in London, and the ongoing “Books for Rural Schools” scheme in Malaysia. In order to facilitate a wider involvement in such projects, the Panel is being converted into a company limited by guarantee.

The event marked an opportunity to say a fond farewell to an ‘old friend’ as the present Equatorial building is to be demolished after some 40 years of serving the KL community and will nally close its doors at the end of March.

Kuala Lumpur: Ms Roselyn Chuah Tel: +603 7728 2249London: Dato’ Neville Green Tel: +44 207 930 9118www.thebritishmalaysiansociety.org

The British Malaysian Society

NEWSFrom

Budget2012

London remains the top city in the world for foreign invest-ment, according to a KPMG report that reflects the rise of emerging economies. The next two cities are Shanghai and Hong

Kong, China’s nancial capitals, consulting rm KPMG and Greater Paris Investment Agency said.

Brazil’s Sao Paulo had the biggest leap, to fourth, increasing investment by 160 percent over the past two years. Other cities in the BRIC group of nations also rose strongly. Brazil, Russia, India and China are all growing at a blistering pace, while Europe has been in a slump and hard-hit by a sovereign debt crisis. It comes as Brazil recently became the sixth-biggest economy in the world, overtaking the UK. Its total output is worth US$2.5 trillion (£1.6 trillion).

In 2011, China of cially overtook Japan as the world’s second-biggest economy. China and India together now constitute 25 percent of investments, KPMG said. And Moscow has received a 60 percent jump in investment in the past two years, landing itself in eight place.

The ve cities at the top - including New York - took 50 percent of the total investment to the biggest 22 cities, KPMG said.

London: Top City For Investment

Trade On ShowUpcoming Industry Events & Exhibitions in KL

16-19 April: Defence Services Asia 2012Putra World Trade Centre

1718 April: SE Asian Healthcare & Pharma ShowKuala Lumpur Convention Centre

14-15 May: UKTI Trade MissionYorkshire & Humber and The Training Gateway Corporate Education

21 May: 5th Assessment Tomorrow Conference Kuala Lumpur www.assessmenttomorrow.com

15-19 May: MetalTech Malaysia / Automex 2012Putra World Trade Centre

4-8 June: World Gas Conference 2012Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre

26-28 June: ASEAN M & E ShowKuala Lumpur Convention Centre

26-28 June: Green Energy AsiaKuala Lumpur Convention Centre

18-20 September: MOGSECMalaysia Oil & Gas Services Exhibition & Conference Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre

29 September: IGEMInternational Greentech & Eco ProductsKuala Lumpur Convention Centre

The UK 2012 Budget was announced recently by George Osborne, Chancel-

lor of The Exchequer. With the current situation facing many businesses and inviduals in the UK, with low growth rates, un-employment and public sector spending cuts, the budget mea-sures have of course been the subject of intense scrutiny.

Views differ widely as to whether the budget makes economic sense, is practical, fair and above all whether it will produce the much desired result - to get the economy growing again. Some even go as far as declaring it ‘shocking’, with the lowest income households gaining nothing from the rise in the personal tax allowance and pensioners losing out in a surprise £3 million cut to their pensions. While new taxes on the rich are being introduced, the top rate of tax is being cut.

For businesses, the cut in corporation tax and the infrastructure upgrade programme are a welcome step in the right direction. While some of the measures are considered controversial, to many they are however an important sign that Britain remains open for business.


March-April 2012 9

Trade Talk

The BestIs Yet To Come

With UK Minister of State for Trade & Investment Lord Stephen Green as guest speaker, the first BMCC

Premier Business Luncheon of the year was a resounding success. Held at The Ritz Carlton Kuala Lumpur and sponsored by Amcorp Properties and Gleneagles KL, the prestigious event brought together over 130 senior corporate business leaders for an exclusive audience with Lord Green.

Speaking at the event Lord Green declared, “The best is yet to come and our two countries have lots to build on. There is no doubt the region is becoming an increasingly important player in the global economy. Robust domestic demand and improving macroeconomic fundamentals will also continue to sup-port economic growth. Malaysia is the UK’s second largest export market in South-East Asia and we want to build on this.”

Speaking on the global shift of the centre of gravity from West to East, Lord Green noted the emergence or rather re-emergence of some major Asian countries on the world economic stage. The newly formed United Kingdom (UK)-ASEAN Business Council (UK-ABC) was recently launched to further promote trade and investment between ASEAN and the UK. According to ASEAN statistics, this trade was worth US28.34 billion in 2010, a 23 percent increase year-on-year. UK exports in goods to Malaysia in 2010 were valued at £1.22 billion, placing Malaysia as the UK’s second largest export market in South East Asia. The UK is one of the largest investors in Malaysia, investing over £20 billion in the past 30 years.

Malaysia remains an attractive market for UK investors with its familiar historical and educational ties, commercial and legal frame-work and the widespread use of English. A signi cant and growing number of British companies have a presence in Malaysia, in a number of cases as a hub for their regional business interests.

The Q&A that followed also provided guests with a platform to openly ask Lord Green questions about two-way trade opportunities.

It was encouraging to hear that Lord Green thought that bilateral Chambers of Commerce such as the BMCC had a signi cant role in helping to facilitate more trade and invest-ment.


March-April 2012

Tapping Into Talent

Shareen Yee Joy Director of ICIMB Sdn Bhd

Why Malaysia?

People asked me “Why Malaysia?”. I’d say, “It’s the best place to be in”. In terms of a developing nation, the culture, and the way the people try and work, and always wanting to do better. With the right coaching and leadership the people are wonderful.

What is it about Malaysia that attracts you?

I enjoy the culture, the people and just the talent that we have in Malaysia. I work in a multi-national company, and just working with the local people that just drew my attention to be in Malaysia

What is your experience when applying for the Residence Pass-Talent?

Me applying, the service, the questions, the turn-around time in just getting my application through was just beyond my expectation. People say, you know, government of cials in any country, “It will take time Shareen”. That did not happen to me. Other than that I can’t say much more but it was a great experience for me.

What would you tell other expatriates about Residence Pass-Talent?

The papers (documents for application) are very easy, smooth, no worries. As long as you have the eagerness and the positive attitude to stay in this country, you’d be pretty silly to not go ahead and apply for the Residence Pass-Talent.

Special Report

Molly Jagpal Executive Director, BMCC

I am proud to report that Malaysia is now home thanks to Talent Corp! My Residence Pass has been granted and I now have the freedom to be a contributing resident in this exciting, growing and emerging market for the next 10 years!

This wonderful initiative was launched in April 2011 to retain professionals/expatriates in Malay-sia and entice Malaysian’s back home. It had never occurred to me that I might be eligible. Coming across Talent Corp’s website www.talentcorp.com.my, I discovered to my delight that I did indeed fall into the category of “foreign talent” that had been living and working in Malaysia for at least three years so was eligible to apply.

For the rst time in my working career, I don’t have to worry about my 3-year expatriate term expiring and tormenting over which country to settle in next. I was fond of Malaysia and enjoyed living and working here so the prospect of nesting here was very real under this scheme.

This route is the closest that an expat comes to a permanent visa. My parents are happily retired in England and may be more easily persuaded to consider the Malaysia My 2nd Home scheme since I now have a more permanent status here.

I was quite delighted and surprised at how stress-free and swift the whole process was - I only had to submit my documents and work through TalentCorp’s checklist and submit online. Preparation was key! There is a comprehensive list of things which I had to dig around for. Any “grey” areas (such as my missing degree certi cate) were handled very professionally though a dedicated helpline 03-8315 3195.

Malaysia’s administrative ef ciency is something I admire. Much of the civil service is now online and English translations for documents are always a click away.

I think I can now look forward to an extremely bright future in Malaysia. My employment opportunities are no longer tied to one employer, I have the option to even start my own business under this programme… not that I will! But it’s a great draw to retain talent in the country.

I want to thank everyone at Talent Corp who helped and supported me during the process. I would strongly urge all my Expat friends and colleagues to consider applying. Malaysia has been home to me for the last three years and the prospect of remaining here for a few more is very attractive.

I look forward to receiving my i-Pass shortly, this will serve as my ID card so I will no longer need to carry my UK passport as form of identi cation within Malaysia. I will also be exempted from lling up the embarkation card when entering Malaysia and my passport will not be manually stamped at immigration counters when I enter and depart the country. Malaysia BOLEH!

Major cities and strong economies thrive on diversity. A diverse talent pool presents expertise and experience that cross boundaries and cultures, bringing the best practices from around the world into one single entity. In order for Malaysia to remain competitive in the global economy, it is widely acknowledged that the talent pool must be enhanced with the best skills available.

To facilitate this process, last year the Malaysian Government introduced the Residence Pass Talent under the auspices of Talent Corporation. The aim of the programme is to attract and retain top talent in Malaysia and it comes with a range of bene ts including a long-term visa. Here’s the experience of just three individuals who are now enjoying working and living in Malaysia under the Residence Pass Talent scheme.

10


March-April 2012

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Yoshikazu AdachiPresident & CEO Nomura Securities Malaysia

What is your background and where do you work now?

After graduating Sophia University in Tokyo with a Bachelor of Arts degree, I joined Nomura Securities Co., Ltd. in1988. Spending most of my career outside Japan including Bahrain, Hong Kong and London, I was appointed as President & CEO of Nomura Securities Malaysia Sdn Bhd in July 2009.

What brought you to Malaysia and how long have you been here?

The Executive Management Committee of Nomura Holdings assigned me to my current position two and a half years ago.

What was your perception of Malaysia before you came here?

Honestly speaking Malaysia was a very new destination and I didn’t have any speci c idea about life in Malaysia.

Why did you choose Malaysia as your working destination?

Given my working background, it’s fair to say that my experience would be most ef ciently utilized in Malaysia.

What were your experiences while settling in Malaysia?

Overall it was reasonably smooth and without too much frustration. Actually, obtaining the proper licence and working permit was quite ef cient thanks to the Securities Commission.

What do you like most about working and living in Malaysia?

One of the virtues of Malaysia is that people are quite open to other cultures and hold high levels of English communication skills.

What is your opinion regarding the Residence Pass?

It would de nitely attract more talented people to Malaysia, it’s a very good scheme provided by the government.

What is it about Residence Pass that would attract you to apply?

Flexibility on working conditions, length of visa.

How do you nd the Residence Pass application process? Was it an easy and clear process for you?

Talent Corp Malaysia is very supportive and provides ef cient help, thus we didn’t nd any particular dif culties.

What would your advice be to foreign talent abroad who are thinking of moving to Malaysia for work?

Given the good living infrastructures, proactive government support and skilled but friendly people here in Malaysia, you will nd it a very fruitful and ful lling experience working in Malaysia.

www.talentcorp.com.my

Tapping Into Talent

Special Report


March-April 2012

Inside View

MarlboroughMoves Ahead In MalaysiaIn a few months’ time, pupils and students will walk through the

doors of a pioneering educational instititution that is set to combine

the very best of British tradition with innovation and opportunity and

unrivalled facilities. And the good news is, it’s in Malaysia.

Marlborough College Malaysia will open its doors for pupils on 27th August 2012. Built on a 90-acre site in Iskandar Malaysia, in the southern

tip of Johor just across the causeway from Singpoare, the new facility is based on the best traditions of its namesake Marlborough College in England but with a truly international dimension.

Marlborough College has come a long way since its early days as an all-boys college at the Castle Inn in Marlborough, England. First formed by a group of clergymen in August 1843, the School was one of the rst major public schools in Britain to admit girls in 1968. It has since been at the forefront of innovation developing new A’ level courses in Mathematics and Business Studies in the 70’s and offering full co-education in 1989.

Master of Marlborough College Malaysia Robert Pick says, “Marlborough College Malaysia is a direct expansion of the UK school and not a franchise. We have endeavoured to recreate the ethos, atmosphere, spirit and style of Marlborough College in England here in Malaysia. To this end, signi cant numbers of Marlborough teachers, ex-pupils and College Council members are involved with the establishment and development of the school.”

When full, the preparatory school (age 4-11) will have 432 day pupils and the senior school (age 11-18) a maximum of 915 day and boarding pupils. The opportunity to be involved in an exchange programme with the UK school will be part of the educational offering.

In addition to classroom learning, Marlborough College Malaysia prides itself, justi ably, on the extensive array of facilities available. A performance wing houses facilities for the teaching, practice and performance of music and drama, with over 15 music and drama practice and teaching rooms, each soundproofed and designed to acoustically enhance a player’s performance.

The Art and Design wing houses well-equipped classrooms, exhibition spaces and workshops for the teaching and practice of Art and Design Technology. The Design Technology area is well-equipped with advanced equipment to enable the design and construction of high quality products in wood, metal, plastics and textiles.

When it comes to sport, Marlborough College of Malaysia offers unrivalled facilities. Within the spacious grounds of the College, there are nine grass pitches, a cricket ground, 50m swimming pool, a smaller junior swimming pool, six tennis courts, netball courts and an all-weather astro-pitch for hockey. There is also a Sports Hall complex with a fully-equipped tness suite and markings for various sports, along with adjacent squash courts and a climbing walls.

Canoeing, shing, golf, equestrian, polo and sailing facilities are all available nearby with opportunities for outdoor activities such as hiking, camping, snorkelling and diving also in the vicinity.

Robert Pick says that Marlborough College Malaysia is guided by the belief that true education can be built upon a triple foundation of compassion, companionship and conversation.

“Put together, these three elements provide young men and women with the opportunity to maximise their full potential in an environment that helps them develop a capacity to make responsible individual judgements and with an awareness of the demands and opportunities in society.”

March-April 201212

“We are guided by the belief that true education can be built upon a triple foundation of compassion, companionship and conversation.”


March-April 2012

Inside View

Compassion: The willingness and ability to see the world through the eyes of another is a value which springs from our Anglican foundation and acknowledges our duty to build a fair and just society.

Companionship: The sharing of life with friends and colleagues both anchors us as individuals and strengthens us as contributors to joint endeavours and enterprise.

“Where scholarship

is cherished,

creativity celebrated,

diversity enhanced

and conversation is

paramount.”

Conversation: The means by which we can develop intellectual curiosity and academic enthusiasm. Learning is not a passive process, and conversation involves both listening and speaking, demanding the gradual taking of responsibility for one’s own ambitions.

With a list of alumni that includes Kate Middle-ton, singer Chris de Burgh and acclaimed poet Sir John Betjeman, the credentials of Marlborough College are well-established. With the opening of the College here in Malaysia, the world of Marlborough is now on the doorstep.

Email: malaysia@marlboroughcollege.orgwww.marlboroughcollegemalaysia.org


March-April 201212


March-April 2012 13

Protecting

Businesses the world over are battling increased

risk. With IT at the heart of almost every aspect

of company operations, the organisation is at risk

from various quarters. Malware, spyware, virus

attacks, networks becoming clogged up with

private data fi les - all present a risk to productivity

and sustainability. Cyber crime and identity theft

are increasingly common and ever bolder in their

extent, with companies suffering data and fi nancial

loss. The threat from social unrest or terrorist

attacks remains with personnel at risk when

travelling to an increasing number of countries.

Businesses must recognise these threats and

put in place robust defences in order to survive.

Cover Story

Business

1115March-April 2012

Your


March-April 201216

Even before the nancial crisis, managing businesses in a global economy had become increasingly complex. We

live in a world of myriad relationships and market opportunities, allowing far greater access to markets around the world than ever.

With this, however, has come greater sophis-tication in consumer demands, complicated supply and distribution chains, cross-border compliance, challenges around access to nance and a need to manage people as a strategic asset.

It is not surprising therefore to see that the nance professional is becoming more central to businesses of all shapes and sizes and across all sectors. Neither is it surprising to learn that the role has become more important following the nancial crisis and in today’s turbulent capital markets as companies seek to maximise opportunities and manage lean businesses.

This support has become increasingly import-ant, with nance leaders playing a far more strategic role in business, focussing on sustain-ing and delivering value.

A new emphasis on nancial expertise and integrity Late last year, ACCA sought the views of over 500 business leaders across nine countries, covering all sectors and sizes of organisation, about the role of the accountant in business.

The resulting report, The Value Creation Model for Business, revealed views and

unique perspectives about the role of the professional accountant, now and in the future. Respondents’ feedback presented a compelling picture.

The survey asked for their thoughts on the future role of accountants in their organi-sation, whether they considered the in uence of accountants to be greater in the wake of the global economic crisis, and what they saw as the key skills nance professionals would need to best support their organisations in delivering superior business performance and creating value.

The emphatic feedback was that accountants are helping businesses to create and sustain value. There was a clear message that account-ants play an increasingly strategic role for business, and 55 per cent of respondents said that the accountants’ role had become more important during the global economic crisis.

In an uncertain world with turbulent markets, there is a clear need to identify sources of value in an organisation and to manage costs efficiently. Respondents were clear that in addition to helping organisations to sustain the value they create, finance professionals are taking on a leading role in improving ethical standards across the organisation, with nearly 60 per cent saying this is the case.

This picture is also re ected in SMEs, where it is clear that businesses need fully equipped professional nance managers across a range of essential disciplines to manage their business, from nancial reporting to management accounting, compliance, risk and expertise in analysis, planning and management. Today’s SME needs fully-rounded nance experts to underpin pro table growth.

The accountant as a guardian of integrityA key role for today’s accountants is to act as guardians of integrity in their businesses. To recognise this developing feature, ethical values and the importance of acting in the

public interest are increasingly being embedded in the syllabus and training frameworks of the major accountancy bodies.

By showing ethical leadership and embodying the values of integrity, objectivity, and professional care, accountants help maintain and strengthen the reputation of the business they work for, while at the same time protecting the public interest.

As shown by the global nancial crisis, this professional commitment to ethical behaviour and leadership really matters. Regulation, codes of conduct, and compliance policies may not be enough in themselves to create a climate of ethical and responsible behaviour.

Given that all important business decisions are ultimately made by people, rather than systems, behavioural factors are at the end of the day crucial in determining how any business acts. So while it is essential to have a culture of ethical conduct, led from the top, it is also important to have people in positions of authority, especially in the nance function, who can be relied upon to make decisions in

the right way and for the right reasons.

The accountant delivering value in a more complex world A study by Ernst & Young has identi ed the top risks facing businesses in the 21st century in four domains: strategic, operational, nancial and compliance. It concludes that in every sector, regulation and compliance rank among the top risks. These ndings chime with ACCA’s own analysis of the needs of employers: that the accountant in business must also offer direction and guidance orientation around internal controls and good governance.

Protecting Integrity

By Jennifer Lopez, Country Head ACCA Malaysia

Cover Story


March-April 2012

As part of a review of our professional quali- cation last year, ACCA asked key employers to identify the knowledge and skill areas most important to them. They put professional ethics, regulation and compliance, nancial reporting and corporate taxation at the top of their list, with risk management an area that they believe will be more important in the future.

These ndings suggest that nance profes-sionals need to have excellent grounding across a wide and increasing range of areas, with management accounting and performance management, nancial accounting and report-ing, nancial management and ethics and professionalism, tax and compliance all part of the make-up in the corporate world. This, in addition to business planning and management and effective inter-personal skills, certainly means that business is seeking to employ people with excellent skills as ‘work ready accountants’.

It is clear that the profession is changing all the time. With developments in integrated reporting stemming from a greater integration of strategy, risk, nancial and governance the range of skills possessed by ACCA members will be essential in driving an agenda of change with the long-term view. ACCA calls this ‘accountants for business’ and it is clear to us that their value is increasing all the time.

Cover Story

ACCA (the Association of Chartered Certi ed Accountants) is the global body for professional accountants whose focus is on professional values, ethics and governance. ACCA champions sound business practices that drive great performance.

For more information on ACCA’s ‘Accountants for business’, visit:

www.accaglobal.com/

accountants_business

“In addition to helping organisations to sustain the value they create, nance professionals are taking a leading role in improving the ethical standards across the organisation.”

WARP-ing DefencesAs can be seen just by reading the

news, an increasing number of public and private sector organi-

sations are under attack from malicious hackers, cyber-terrorists, organised crime and others. These attacks are often via malware (e.g. spyware, keyloggers, viruses) but also include nancial fraud and cyber crime and in more extreme cases physical sabotage - such as a car bomb.

WARPs (short for Warning, Advice, and Reporting Points) have been developed to provide a cost effective method to support defence against such attacks.

Northumbria University in the UK has gone one step further and is at the heart of a service aimed at protecting businesses and their data. Known as nuWARP, the system has been developed by Dr Christopher Laing, Digital Security Programme Leader in the University’s School of Computing, Engineering & Information Sciences [pictured above].

nuWARP provides an online, community-based service, which enables members to receive and share up-to-date advice on information security threats, incidents and solutions. Any SME around the world can register.

nuWARP works at an international level and recently received approved scanning vendor status certi ed by the Payment Card Industry Security Standards Council to carry out vulnerability scans of cardholder data environments. To achieve and maintain its approval status, nuWARP complies with stringent requirements, which says much about the service’s integrity and commitment.

Dr Laing says: “The NE WARP is a collaboration between Northumbria University and a range of public and private sector stakeholders, including European Network & Information Security Agency (ENISA) and the International Association of Accountants (IAAITC). It provides an identi able point of contact, providing businesses with guidance, support and solutions to IT system vulnerabilities, helping to ensure that they are more resilient against threats and attacks in the future.” As well as providing a rich source of research and development opportunities, nuWARP also helps identify new threats and solutions.

nuWARP is managed by a team of quali ed and independent information security advisors with more than 18 years combined experience in Information Systems Security and Forensics.

This expertise is used to offer a range of different services to meet differing business needs. These include a ltered digital security warning service, an advice brokering service, IS security training, a trusted sharing service and an incident response service where members can seek independent technical solutions to their information security problems.

The School also works jointly with the International Council of E-Commerce Consultants (EC-Council) to offer their Certified Ethical Hacker professional quali cations to Northumbria students. The School’s digital security team also delivers a range of tailored programmes for international organisations, such as Cybercrime Investigation & Prosecution.

www.warp.gov.uk

March-April 2012 17


March-April 2012

Cover Story

In business, it is crucial that information is turned into knowledge and that knowledge, by skilful analysis, is turned into a

pro t. Conversely, the faster that information can be transferred and the easier it is to store and analyse, the greater the risk. The risks are that information will be lost, or perhaps worse still, be allowed to enter the public domain and the proprietary interest is lost.

The proud boast of the press used to be that a journalist never revealed his sources. If only the rule for data protection and business was as simple to state and apply.

Today, the journalist who applies this ancient rule of thumb may nd that he is doubly at risk - from the State, that will demand that he reveals the source on pain of crushing nancial penalties or prison. Alternatively, various data protection regimes, in particular those in the UK (and EU), may nd that revelation of a source was a breach of the rights of an individual under data protection.

What this illustrates is the inherent contra-dictions with any data protection regime. In the UK in 1998, the Data Protection Act came into force, giving rise to the EU Data Protection Directive. Two years later, the Freedom of Information Act 2000 entered the statute book. Not perhaps the best example of joined up government.

The dif culties faced by governments simply re ect the dif culties faced by businesses when it comes to data. Data is of course just raw information, raw information that has the potential to be turned into knowledge and needs to be protected. Once lost to the public domain information cannot easily be put back into the bottle nor the damage of that loss easily calculated.

To a business, data is the life blood, the knowledge of its clients, of the market, of changes. The acquisition, retention and analysis of that data is crucial to the success of every business. The business that fails to both protect and maximise its own data faces an uphill struggle.

All businesses of course understand this but what they also need to understand is how they can use the available legal tools in data protection, data security, data retention, data quality, data privacy and records manage-ment. These tools are already mature in the EU and are being developed increasingly around the world such as here in Malaysia and in India.

Using data carefully, legally and ef ciently should result in a reasonable expectation of enhanced pro ts.

The other side of the coin of course is freedom of information, con dentiality and the protection of data on individuals held by businesses. A business that forgets its duties risks much. Abuse of data can lead to downfall of a business. For example, a business that uses accurate and up-to-the-minute data to target its marketing should see positive returns. Conversely, one that loses its customer data will face public humiliation, the loss of those very customers and every likelihood of heavy regulatory nes.

Consequently, it is crucial for businesses to design and implement effective data protection. The dual bene ts of good data protection practice combined with high technical security standards should work not only to prevent the loss of data a direct bene t - but will also mean a reduced risk of a breach of data protection regulations.

Setting up whistle-blowing mechanisms will avoid expensive and intrusive investigations by the regulators. The wise use of securely protected customer/client personal data also allows business to develop new products and services. There is a virtuous circle that can develop from strong data protection.

Data volumes have grown exponentially and companies have increasingly and rightly seen this as a valuable commodity. However, at the same time there has been an equally exponential upsurge in public concern regard-ing the treatment of personal data and the fear of both large and small scale information security breaches. The result has been an increase in regulatory enforcement activity. Financial and data protection regulators (especially within the EU) are using their ever greater powers.

These include the ability to order the shut-down of whole systems, imprisoning of senior managers and imposing signi cant nes. In the UK, the FSA has already imposed nes in excess of £2,000,000 for security crimes.

It is understood that a Data Protection Regula-tion will replace the existing Directive and will give the regulator the power to impose nes of up to 5 percent of a company’s turnover for breaches.

This obviously will substantially raise the stakes in data protection compliance and put it almost on a par with EU competition law in terms of penalties. It could mean that nes for data protection breaches of hundreds of millions of Euros might be possible.

This will of course only be for the very worst offenders. But there is unlikely to be much in the way of sympathy for a large organisation that allows careless data loss of les containing personal data sent with inadequate encryption which could easily result in the personal data of millions of individuals being revealed.

The watchword for success in the digital data age has to be therefore ‘be ef cient’ - perhaps not so very different from the pre-digital world after all.

A Cautionary Tale By Barry Coulter

Barry Coulter is a UK-based commercial contract and insurance practitioner and also undertakes work with an international element, acting for foreign companies suing in the UK including in high value building disputes and arbitrations, and large scale insurance claims. He also lectures on ‘Piracy and the implications for the insurance industry’. He will be visiting Malaysia at the end of March and can be contacted via BMCC member company Raslan-Loong during his visit.

Tel: +603 6205 2778 Email: [email protected]

]

18


March-April 2012

The landscape for fraud has changed dramatically over recent years and continues to do so. Technology, partic-

ularly the internet, provides new ways of doing business for both the law-abiding citizen and the law breaker.

In fact, it is the very anonymity provided by the internet that enables the fraudster to cross jurisdictions and commit crime in a way that was only imagined 20 years ago. Given the extent to which computers have become part of modern life it was inevitable that some would see the wired world as an opportunity to make money or to cause mischief.

External attacks by cyber criminals are testing the traditional security systems of businesses. While larger corporations can afford blanket protection from the activities of computer criminals and the national infrastructure bene ts from an extremely good protection system, smaller businesses, universities and such are still dangerously exposed to global organised criminal groups who are looking to steal everything from cash and identities to intellectual property.

What is required for IT security is defence in depth protection strategies which have a long history stretching back to the medieval fortress, built with high walls, manned by armed guards, all placed behind a drawbridge and a protective moat. IT security architects build systems and networks by implementing layers of protection and these layers become the walls, guards and moats of today’s electronic fortress.

Untold DamageIn the UK, cyber crime is now perceived as a threat at the same level as ‘terrorism’ with recent crime losses estimated at a massive £27 billion. A recent government report written in conjunction with Detica, a subsidiary of BAE Systems, stipulates that the threat, if not tackled, is likely to have a profound effect on the economy. On-line hackers and fraudsters will ultimately cause a fall in the value of shares, pensions and business investments if they are not stopped in their tracks.

Other scams include the setting up of bogus companies on the Net. Unsuspecting buyers are offered products at tempting prices, inducing them to supply their credit card details only then to nd that the site suddenly disappears no phone number, no address and no redress. The .com becomes a .con.

Identity theft is another 21st century crime. The criminal can hack into wireless systems, trawl the web or other public databases for information about a person’s date of birth, social security number and address. They then use that to apply for credit cards and proceed

to run up huge bills with no redress or fear of criminal sanction from the credit card company.

Crime Without BordersThe Internet is a truly global system with criminals sitting outside the jurisdiction of the country on which they are focusing their attention - they have no need to physically come to the territory itself to commit their crime.

The notorious African ‘419’ letter scams that have evolved over the years are an example of how a long distance ‘scam’ has developed alongside technology the fraudster has gone from the simple method of a letter posted to the victim via surface mail graduating to fax and ultimately to email where they have become totally remote from their victims.

Traditional policing methods have their roots in the fact that victim and offender are geographically co-located. Today, however, policing has to shift focus and move into this new global arena where law enforcement agencies need to realise that cyber-crime, like the internet itself, is not limited by national boundaries. An investigation that begins in one country may quickly lead elsewhere and it will be critical that the co-operation of other nations is harnessed otherwise it will be impossible to track down perpetrators and secure their convictions.

Recent virus epidemics around the world, and attempts to extract money from major corporations, have demonstrated just how much damage these attacks can cause and that cyber-crime needs to be taken very seriously at an international level. It will not be easy however, particularly in the West where freedom of speech and freedom of expression have become the norm.

A case in point is the example where the Council of Europe produced a draft treaty addressing the issue of cyber-crime it was deluged by emails from internet users stating their concerns about the possibility of infringements of their privacy and liberty.

European officials say they have tried to address these concerns, stressing that it is their intention to simply consolidate laws against activities such as hacking, spreading viruses and computer fraud so that in future

there is a standardised way of securing the digital/electronic evidence required for successful prosecutions.

Minimising The ThreatCyber Forensic Examiners, security network experts and analysts are challenged by cyber criminals and network attackers on a daily basis. As such, companies can focus on reducing their vulnerabilities by enlisting the services of cyber forensic experts, who will undertake the search for malicious activity occurring on the company computer system.

For individual users it appears that the only tried and tested solution to privacy and security issues is to limit their personal presence on the net altogether. For the IT Manager, it will be a matter of educating the workforce to adopt tighter vigilance and ensuring that laptops, notebooks etc have the necessary security protection, rewalls and such, in place and up to-date.

The opposing doctrines of cyber security and cyber crime are constantly evolving. Emerging threats, new technologies and the development of ever more sophisticated intrusion techniques will further exacerbate the challenges in dealing with the threat.

Deploying an in-depth, layered approach through the use of an approved objective based framework, combined with robust forensic tool kits and the services of highly capable forensic experts and certi ed fraud examiners (CFE’s) will ultimately gain the upper hand in the ght against the cyber criminal community, hampering or defeating their malicious or criminal activity.

David Stearman-Smith, MSc (Management of Economic Crime), LLB (London), CFE and Director of QA Training & Consultancy, will review your existing IT infrastructure and offer solutions for improving security from the risk of internal or external fraud and vulnerability from cyber attacks. Tel: +6?17 328 8569 Email: [email protected]

19


March-April 2012

Cover Story

20

I’ve told my staff what they are allowed to do and I trust them! But is trusting your employees enough? If there are clear

speed limit signs why bother with speed cameras? If we have a parliament to make explicit laws why do we waste money on a police force?

Trust but Verify! A phrase famously used by Ronald Reagan to describe the new relation-ship developing in the disarmament talks with Mikhail Gorbachev.

The whole point being that companies make rules and publish them, but have no way of telling when the rules are broken or an audit trail to support their case if they have been.

People say they trust their staff, but imple-menting blockers is the antithesis of trust. If you say to staff “I am going to stop you doing something”, that is a challenge for them to try ask any school child!

If you say “I am going to give you complete freedom, but I have a clear set of rules, and I will know if you break those rules and have an audit trail as proof” you will effectively deter them from straying outside the boundaries. Trust but Verify!

What’s the problem?Every organisation is now reliant on IT for its very existence. It is the basis on which we communicate with each other and with the outside world. Without the power of information and communication that IT offers, organisations would quickly become uncompetitive and die.

However, we all learned long ago that there is a dark side to this technology. While IT makes it easier to manage, store and communicate information crucial to the organisation’s survival, it equally makes it much easier to put the organisation at risk.

That risk has legal implications - you become RESPONSIBLE for:

• the storage and distribution of porno-graphic material;

• any breach of con dentiality; the un-controlled storage and distribution of personal data (see the new Personal Data Protection Act)

• the use of unlicensed software

• the downloading of unlicensed music or video

• the risk of employment tribunals for allowing an atmosphere of sexual harass-ment or workplace bullying to pervade the organisation. This can be in the form of emails, documents etc sent to a particular staff member.

Ignorance of any of the above is not an acceptable defence in a court of law.

The risk is to PRODUCTIVITY.

• Staff might be playing computer games, watching pornography, spending hours on social networking sites (Malaysia is one of the highest per capita users of Facebook in the world), using on-line gambling; the list is endless.

• The performance of the organisation’s network can be seriously degraded by large amounts of imagery; anything from

sharing holiday photos, to watching news broadcasts, to sur ng pornography or watching YouTube.

• Data storage facilities can become clogged up with personal images, music, video, games etc.

• The misuse of increasingly expensive energy. Do staff “sleep”, “hibernate” or “shut down” their PCs when not in use for prolonged periods or are they routinely left on?

The risk is to SECURITY.

Do you know what staff are saying about the organisation when they are on Facebook, in chat rooms. “Our tender bid was RM5 million, bro”? Do you know if unauthorised staff are searching for sensitive documents? Acquisition target “Project Prism”?

What control do you have over what people bring into the organisation on USB connected devices? Games which frequently harbour viruses or malware? Unlicensed music? Porno-graphy? What control do you have over what staff take out of the organisation on USB connected devices? Your customer contact database? Your recent tender documents?

TRUST BUT VERIFYEnsuring Employee

Compliance In IT: A New Direction


March-April 2012March-April 2012

Cover Story

21

What is your current defence against these risks?

Traditionally organisations tend to do three things in response to these threats.

First, they publish an “Acceptable Use Policy” (AUP) that all staff are required to sign in order to use the company network - if you don’t already have one we recommend you rectify this situation immediately.

But, the AUP is ‘legislation’ as to what staff should do; how do you ensure “compliance”? Are you alerted to violations of the AUP with details of who did what, when and where? Do you have an audit trail that would provide evidence to a tribunal or are you simply relying on one person’s word against another? Without the ability to police it, an AUP is just a paper tiger and staff generally know it. Certainty of capture is a much more effective deterrent than severity of punishment.

Second, companies install “ rewalls”, “block-ers” and “ lters” on the gateway to their IT network. This approach assumes that all threats to the organisation are external from the internet. USBs, CDs, DVDs and a myriad of other storage and distribution media are now at least as great a source of threat. The gateway never sees these.

Some organisations have gone as far as physi-cally blocking the USB connection ports with resin. This is certainly effective for that particular threat, but clearly emasculates an otherwise very effective productivity tool for the organisation.

More and more organisations are choosing to give laptops to their staff to allow for better mobility and exibility. This gives rise to new challenges however as all blockers, lters and other server-based monitoring solutions fail when the laptop leaves the corporate network. The employee can easily carry the laptop and take any con dential data he likes or access any website of his choice from his home or any public Wi-Fi location.

More and more internet traf c is encrypted, therefore the gateway cannot analyse the

content because it is only decrypted when

it reaches the end user.

Blockers are easily circumvented by going to “anonymisers” or “proxy sites”. In a sample of UK secondary schools, where both the school and local authority have all the usual blockers installed, there are thousands of hits on “blocked” sites every week - the school children simply regard it as a challenge.

The majority of threats to an organisation come from within - disgruntled or disaffected staff; sloppy data management; thoughtless comments on social networking sites. The only place to monitor and capture all violations to the AUP is at the point of use.

The third action organisations take is to audit for compliance with the AUP on a regular basis. However, people usually know ahead of time when an audit is approaching and tend to do some ‘house-keeping’ upfront.

Plus, traditional audits only offer a snapshot of what is today’s behaviour with no guarantee that everyone will be good tomorrow. For example, they will fail to detect if someone is leaking sensitive data to competitors before or after the audit is conducted. They cannot ensure compliance to the AUP on an ongoing basis. And audits only check a small percentage of the machines hence do not really offer a full perspective of what is really happening.

What should you do next?Review your AUP: Make sure it properly re ects the social, productivity and security needs of your organisation; if necessary involve a lawyer - particularly with regard to your responsibilities under the new Personal Data Protection Act.

Audit your organisation for compliance to the AUP: It may be that your organisation is currently operating in full compliance to the rules, in which case it would be more dif cult for you to justify installing a system to ensure ongoing compliance. The problem is you don’t know whether staff are compliant or not - you just hope so because you want to believe it.

It is possible to install a system that will analyse all activities at the point of use and compare them to the rules you have set down in your AUP. These rules can, and will, vary by individual, by department, by machine and even by time of day. Different functions and different levels of authority bring with them different levels of privilege. Unlike with blockers and lters this is not a “one size ts all” situation.

Once you have established the rules, roll the system out to a representative sample of users in the organisation for, say, a month, in order to get a good “snapshot” of what is actually happening. It is important that people have already accepted the published corporate AUP as their agreed standard of behaviour; it is then reasonable for you to audit against that standard.

This trial audit should be conducted without generally informing those involved, as to do so would affect their behaviour and you would not have a valid “before and after” picture. The data collected is purely to determine the level of non-compliance to see whether further action is necessary or justi ed; it is very important not to take individual action on what is found during this phase - your ultimate objective is to deter not to punish.

If the trial indicates a suf cient degree of non-compliance that has legal, productivity or security implications, then you undertake a full roll-out of the system across the organi-sation. At this point you remind everyone of your AUP and make it clear that they are being monitored constantly for non-compliance and that the system will provide audit details to their responsible superiors. At rst you will get a few who still don’t believe that is possible (the ones who have been circumventing the blockers for years!), but after one or two disciplinary “reminders” the message will spread rapidly. You now have a compliance audit system constantly installed instead of taking the occasional sounding.

Despite being a new approach and new tech-nology, this system already monitors over half a million users in the UK and around the world. See details of the system capability on the advertisement on Page 23.

Who to contact for help?e-safe Systems is a software company specialising in automated auditing and monitoring solutions.

Get in touch for a free audit to check your IT usage and effectiveness of your existing monitoring systems.

E: [email protected] T: +603 8996 6061 F: +603 8996 6069M: +6012 974 1424

L2-i-2, Enterprise 4, Technology Park Malaysia, Bukit Jalil, 57000 KL.


March-April 2012

Cover Story

Security:AssessingThe Threat

According to Mick Sharp, Regional Security Director of Travel Security Services, companies can no longer

simply rely on risk ratings when it comes to security planning. “One of the biggest lessons from the events of 2011 was that major crises do occur in low and medium risk environments.” TSS is a joint initiative between International SOS and Control Risks.

Until last year, Japan, Egypt and Bahrain were not on any high-risk lists and few companies had these locations in mind for assistance requirements, but in terms of calls to its Alarm Centres and resulting cases, TSS says these countries were in the top ve for the year.

Andy Gilholm, Head of Asia Analysis at Control Risks, adds, “The Arab Spring was the main example of social protest but we’re seeing it everywhere from southern Europe to the UK and the US. We predict this is likely to persist in 2012, particularly with the economic and political crises that undermine public con dence in governments and companies, and provoke backlash against perceived unaccountable, corrupt or incapable regimes.”

Companies should also be aware of changing security risks in parts of Central America due to the expansion and evolution of drug cartels. Expanding militancy in West Africa, expanding maritime piracy along the east Africa coast and in the Gulf of Guinea, and ongoing political instability in the Middle East and North Africa are other threats.

While terrorist groups suffered signi cant setbacks in 2011, companies should not get complacent. “The threat of terrorism is not going away. There is increased opportunity for groups to take advantage of power vacuums in places like Yemen, and regional groups are increasingly carrying out transnational attacks. Practical implications to businesses in light of these threats have not changed,” says Gilholm.

In addition, in some countries even those with low security risk ratings, there are increasing operating challenges such as regulations,

IP protection, white-collar crime and other threats that will impact business opportunities and success.

In a recent survey, 80 percent of the respon-dents said business travel would increase at their company in 2012. Asia was the region identified by most as posing the biggest security threats, with China and India seen as the most risky countries, followed by the Middle East and Africa. An equal number of respondents viewed natural disasters, terrorism and social unrest as the greatest security concerns.

China: The October 2012 leadership success-ion, which occurs every 10 years, should be watched closely but is not expected to result in instability affecting business. International SOS anticipates that its members will continue to seek assistance as they are challenged by extreme weather conditions and accessing appropriate medical services.

India: Petty and opportunistic crime will continue to provide the main security risk to travellers, and there has been an increase in drugging/poisonings and scams, along with physical crimes against women. The political outlook has deteriorated in terms of land acquisitions and royalties in the energy, mining and infrastructure sector due to a lack of leadership ability to push through with reforms in the face of populist pressure. A threat of terrorist attacks by domestic rather than Pakistan-based groups remains.

Pakistan: Security risks will continue to increase in 2012. The terrorist threat from a multitude of extremist groups remains serious, and signs of signi cant expansion of militant operations outside of the tribal areas and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa should be monitored closely. Growing anti-US and anti-Western sentiment and the broader deterioration in the Pakistan-US relationship has further increased the direct security risk to Westerners, including through targeted bombings and kidnapping. This increasing sentiment also means that foreign particularly Western business travellers are likely to

be subject to greater scrutiny and travel restrictions in the country.

Thailand While there has been a lull in the fundamental political divide that has caused cycles of friction, this is expected to rise again with new military appointments, constitutional reform and efforts to once again facilitate the return of former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra.

Korea: Security risks on the Korean peninsula are still low, however long-standing uncert-ainties due to the nature of the regime in the North have intensi ed following the death of Kim Jong-il. South Korea’s elections and Kim Il-sung’s centenary celebrations are among potential triggers for incidents such as DMZ and West Sea (Yellow Sea) clashes and nuclear and/or missile testing.

Vietnam, Mongolia, Myanmar, Papua New Guinea, Iran and Indonesia are also popular business destinations that the security ex-perts warn have the potential for sudden developments. While not expected to change signi cantly in the next 12 months, businesses are advised to mitigate risk for travel in these areas by understanding the evolving global landscape of “variable” risk and undertaking rigorous pre-travel due diligence to understand local environs.

Companies are advised to equip themselves with access to information, monitoring, analysis and forecasting capabilities to ensure strong awareness and global understanding of issues. These include political, operational, security and travel risks, and their impact on speci c business activities. A review of response capabilities and preparation for contingencies is also advised.

“It is pertinent to keep abreast of political developments in countries, particularly those of a medium to high political risk rating as the situation on the ground could change rapidly, compromising the safety of travellers,” con rms Gilholm.

www.internationalsos.comwww.controlrisks.com

Companies sending business travellers overseas need to be aware of which destinations are expected to experience social and political turmoil, and the types of threats that may arise.

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eSafe_prism_ads2c_outline.ai 1 3/26/12 10:30 AM


March-April 2012

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eSafe_prism_ads2c_outline.ai 1 3/26/12 10:30 AM


March-April 2012

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January-February 201220

FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE GLOBAL BODY FOR

PROFESSIONAL ACCOUNTANTS

1800 88 5051www.accaglobal.com

YOUR GROWTH

IS THE MEASURE

OF OUR SUCCESS


March-April 2012

Talisman Malaysia Limited Part of global, diversi ed, upstream oil & gas company headquartered in Canada. Operating in Malaysia for over 10 years, holding 41 percent operated interest in Block PM-3 CAA between Malaysia and Vietnam, comprising six offshore elds located throughout a 1,350 square-kilometre area. Representing total investment of C$1 billion (gross). Also holds 60 percent interest in Block PM-305 and Block PM-314, and 70 percent working interest in Exploration Blocks SB309 and SB310 offshore Sabah. Net production in 2011 in Malaysia averaged over 35,500 boe/d, accounting for approximately 30 percent of the Group’s total SE Asia production.

Level 33 Menara Citibank, 165 Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur.Tel: +603 2055 2888 Fax: +603 2192 6972 Web: www.talisman-energy.com

Ron Aston - VP & Country Manager

New Members

25

A warm welcome to all our new members! Not a member yet? Email: [email protected] for details

CIT - Corporate Information Travel Sdn BhdEstablished in 1985, and now with over 60 staff, providing a range of travel related services including: airlines reservation & ticketing, hotel reservation, meetings, incentives & corporate events, trade fairs & exhibitions, holiday packages, golf adventure packages, student travel, transportation & guide services, travel insurance, visa applications etc.

B-1-3 (1/F, Tower B), Northpoint, Mid Valley City, 1, Medan Syed Putra Utara, 59200 Kuala Lumpur.Tel: +603 2091 9988 DID: +603 2091 9880 Fax: +603 2091 9989 Email: [email protected]

Foo Sze Zhaun - Business Development Manager

Global Business Advisory (GBA) Part of Job Hunt Group, award-winning, one-stop solutions provider to Foreign Direct Investment clients in Malaysia. Services include: company formation/company secretarial, provision of rst directors; employment permit/visa application; executive search, recruitment, call centre solutions; joint-venture partner search, business matching, market research reports; audit, tax, accounting & payroll administration; Intellectual Property services; legal & nancial due diligence, mergers & acquisitions; digital/internet marketing solutions; serviced/virtual of ces.

Suite 1.02, Level 1, Menara LYL, 12 Jalan 51A/223 46100 Petaling Jaya, Selangor.Tel: +603 2035 0733 Fax: +603 7957 6199 Email: [email protected] Web: www.gbadvisory.com.my

Dato’ (Dr) Michael CH Wong - Group Executive Director (pictured)Ruby George - General Manager Grace Kua - Senior Consultant

The Ritz-Carlton, Kuala LumpurRanked among the top 5 butler hotels in the world, featuring 365 spacious guest rooms and suites. Located in the heart of Kuala Lumpur, and linked to the upscale Starhill Gallery, the 5-star luxury hotel has been named “Best Business Hotel” in Malaysia by Business Asia and CNBC, is listed on Cond Nast Traveler’s prestigious Gold List and has received the AON Hewitt Best Employer in Asia-Paci c 2011 award. Also voted one of Travel + Leisure’s Top 25 City Hotels in Asia 2011.

168 Jalan Imbi, Kuala Lumpur, 55100 Malaysia.Tel: +603 2142 8000 Fax: +603 2143 8080Web: www.ritzcarlton.com www.facebook.com/ritzcarltonkl

Stephen A. Cokkinias - General Manager

In nity Financial Solutions Ltd One of the leading nancial services companies in Asia providing a unique brand of personalised nancial solutions to individual and corporate clients across the region. Areas covered include retirement planning and pensions advice, medical cover, wealth management, company formation, insurance, group pensions and employee bene ts packages. LOFSA Licence No. BS200548.

S06-A2, 6th Floor, South Block, Wisma Selangor Dredging, 142-A Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur. Tel: +603 2164 6585 Fax: +603 2164 7081 Mobile: +60 12 206 7950 Email: benbennett@in nity nancialsolutions.comWeb: www.in nity nancialsolutions.com

Ben Bennett - Finance Director


March-April 201226

Member News Member News

Etihad Airways Voted World’s Leading AirlineFor Third Year Running

Etihad Airways has been voted the World’s Leading Airline for the third year running, World’s Leading First Class and World’s Leading Airline to Middle East at the 2011 World Travel Awards.

These three coveted awards cap a 12-month period of unprecedented growth for the airline which saw the launching of seven new international routes and a strategic partnership with airberlin, which now offers passengers with a combined network of 239 destinations across 77 countries.

The awards were voted on by more than 213,000 travel industry professionals from over 160 countries.

www.etihadairways.com

BP myScience Programme Sees New Round Of Green Initiatives

Every year since 2007, several busloads of excited secondary school children and their teachers take a eld trip to Ma’Daerah Turtle Sanctuary to gather for BP myScience Challenge programme an event where students and teachers are recognised and rewarded for their outstanding performance in green activities.

These pupils from 10 schools across Kuala Lumpur and Selangor are part of the BP myScience Programme, which rst started with 200 students from 10 primary and 12 secondary schools in the Klang Valley, Perak, Pahang and Terengganu.

But there was nothing small about its aim which was no less than to fund the interactive educational programme for school children to inculcate a fun and creative way of learning science, mathematics and environment. By providing them with educational assistance, the financial burden faced by their parents would be alleviated and allow the pupils to concentrate on their studies.

Today, the programme has bene tted some 2,500 pupils, by sharing and providing them with knowledge on 3 E’s - Energy, Education and Enterprise. Partici-pating schools are also given seed money to help initiate and complete green projects.

The 2011 Challenge, which took place recently, saw 150 representatives comprising teachers, students and BP volunteers performing their school’s BP myScience initiatives.

This year, Sekolah Berasrama Penuh Integrasi Rawang emerged as overall champions and received RM5,000 cash, a trophy and certi cates. The teachers were also the proud recipients of an iPad 2, acknowledging their contribution in making the programme such a resounding success in their schools.

BP has invested more than RM500,000 in the Pro-gramme since it was rst launched.

Primary students at The International School @ ParkCity have become part of an online community of more than 10,000 schools around the world by taking part in an interactive programme known as Mathletics.

Mathletics provides a graded range of mental maths questions which children can complete independently as well as allowing them to challenge children all around the world in ‘Live Mathletics’. The programme keeps track of their accumulated score over time, and when they achieve 1,000 points they receive a bronze certi cate. Silver and gold certi cates are awarded for 5,000 and 20,000 points respectively.

ISP Principal Andrew Dalton commented, “Programmes like Mathletics embody our motto ‘Learning Beyond Boundaries’ by allowing our children to interact not just with those at other schools in Malaysia but worldwide.” www.isp.edu.my


March-April 2012 27

Member News

Scomi Drilling Services UnitFrom Merger of Existing Businesses

For the second year running, the Alice Smith School has awarded four exceptional post-SPM Malaysian students’ full scholarships amounting to more than half a million ringgit, enabling them to pursue their A’ Level studies. The scholars will be completing their A-Levels in ve school terms and the scholarship will cover tuition fees, building levy, enrolment fee and textbooks and materials, external exam fees and curriculum-based trips.

Roger Schultz, Principal at the Secondary Campus said the level of self-motivation, determination and ability of the scholars is extremely impressive as is their sense of self-awareness and maturity. A high achiever academically, one of the four scholars, Lai Yongqun said, “The scholarship will allow me to obtain a quality British learning experience; a key step as I am keen to pursue a Quantity Surveyors’ programme at a British university.”

Alice Smith School Grants ScholarshipsFor Exceptional Students To Pursue A’ Levels

Scomi Group Bhd and its associate company Scomi Marine Bhd have announced a proposed restructuring exercise to create a new business unit that will be a major upstream drilling services company.

The new entity will offer the combined expertise of both businesses including the provision of high performance drilling uids solutions, state-of-the-art drilling waste management services, completion, well-bore, clean up, cementing services and Offshore Supply Vessels to support the oil & gas industry.

The restructuring is seen as the next step in the development of Scomi Group as an innovative global oil and gas upstream drilling services company. In 2011, Scomi Marine and the Oil eld Services Eastern Hemisphere businesses recorded revenue in excess of RM1 billion.

Flowcrete Floors High FashionAt Luxury McQueen Boutique

More than 45 HSBC Bank Malaysia employees volunteered their time recently to help plant some 1,000 “Tenggek Burung” saplings at the Raja Musa Forest Reserve in Kuala Selangor.

The activity was carried out in conjunction with World Wetlands Day 2012 and the continued imple-mentation of Sahabat Hutan Gambut (SHG) or Friends of Peatland Forest and the Peatland Forest Ranger programme.

SHG and the Peatland Forest Ranger programmes are supported by HSBC Malaysia and jointly organised by Global Environment Centre (GEC), the Selangor State Government, Selangor Forestry Department and Kuala Selangor District Council. These initiatives are part of the continued efforts by GEC and the Selangor Forestry Department since 2008 to rehabilitate Raja Musa Forest Reserve.

Since being established last year, SHG has been implemented in four villages in the area with four schools becoming involved in the Forest Ranger programme. The programme empowers the local community to develop and implement their own action plan and so help improve the environment around them. An HSBC volunteer shared his thoughts on the programme: “This event has been an eye-opener for me. I am proud that HSBC is supporting the programme. We should continue to create awareness and participate in such activities. Together, we can make a difference.”

HSBC Employees Help With Peatland Forest Rehabilitation Project

With the rise in demand for luxury goods in China, international fashion house Alexander McQueen chose to set up its rst Asian agship store in the capital Beijing. The speci cation for the t-out of the two-level store was to the very highest standard, right down to the ooring.

Flowcrete’s epoxy terrazzo Mondéco Crystal was selected for the ooring throughout, as well as the special curved staircases and a unique ‘ oating’ display table top.

The clear recycled glass aggregate incorporated into the resin mix of the Mondéco Crystal delivers a decorative, eye-catching surface with a luxury feel. The hard-wearing system offers superior scratch and abrasion resistance to withstand the high levels of foot traf c expected at the store while the seamless nish makes for ease of cleaning.

www. owcrete.com


March-April 2012

Member News

28


March-April 2012

Member News

Masters Football ReturnsWith Tournament Set To Thrill

Women Leaders Reveal Their SolutionsIf Entrusted With Governing The World

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The Standard Chartered EPL Masters Football Malaysia Cup is back and this year it’s even bigger. Following on from the success of the 2011 tournament, Masters Football has now expanded regionally and this year can be found in six countries around Asia including Thailand, Indonesia and Brunei.

The fast-paced indoor tournament starring some of football’s greatest ever names lands in KL once again

on Sunday 22nd April Organised by Football Focus Asia, the event will be held at Stadium Malawati, Shah Alam.

Kick off is at 5:30pm, with 1 Malaysia Football Carnival open free to the public from 1pm, when fans can meet the legends of football themselves. Tickets are available through RedTix at Victoria Music and Rock Corner stores and online:

www.redtix.airasia.com/Events/EPLMastersFootballMalaysiaCup2012. Prices start from RM38

HSBC Bank Malaysia was recently awarded the coveted Prime Minister’s Hibiscus Award for Notable Achievement in Environmental Performance for 2010/2011. The main contributing factor towards the win is the Bank’s Environmental Management System (EMS) put in place to regularly monitor power and water consumption, and waste generation at its of ces.

At the Bank’s headquarters in KL, North Tower, certi ed Gold LEED standard, a number of energy saving features include rain water harvesting; T-5 energy saving lights; proximity sensor controlled lighting systems; thermostat feedback for air conditioning; energy saving and environmentally friendly chillers; solar panels and low emission generators.

The award also recognises HSBC’s partnerships with NGOs such as the Malaysian Nature Society (MNS), WWF, Global Environment Centre (GEC) and The Royal Society, with which it carries out various environmental initiatives.

HSBC Scoops Hibiscus AwardFor Environmental Performance

International auditing and advisory group Mazars has always been actively involved in its corporate social responsibility for diversity and parity.

As Group Global Diversity Director, Muriel de Saint Sauveur took the opportunity to interview 100 women in leadership in 33 countries and ask them the question: What would society be like if women were entrusted with governing the world? How would they change it? Would their priorities be different? What fundamental changes would be made to our lives?

More involved, more ambitious and less “ego-centric” in their suggestions, the women who took part in the book provide an open and constructive vision of the world. If they held the destiny of the world in their hands, they would apply concrete solutions and show their ability to rise above local quarrels to build a global project. In some parts of the world, they are already carrying out many of their proposed solutions, notably in the elds of education, justice and agriculture.

The book was launched in October last year to coincide with the Women’s Forum in France and was presented at the Women in Leadership forum held in Kuala Lumpur in February.

www.mazars.com

Starwood Raises The Stakes With New Programme Bene ts

Starwood Hotels & Resorts has announced new bene ts to its award winning loyalty programme Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) that are set to raise the stakes in the loyalty landscape. The more SPG Members stay, the more choices are available and the more personalised the bene ts become. Standouts include lifetime status, rst-of-its-kind 24-hour check-in and a dedicated Starwood ambassador.

In a revolutionary move, Starwood is abolishing the industry’s standard 3pm check-in time, enabling frequent traveller Mem-bers to choose their own 24 hour check-in and check-out window. A series of other tiered bene ts is designed to attract travellers to move up the rewards scale. The programme is applicable across the brands in the Starwood stable which include St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, and Aloft®.


March-April 2012

Member News

New Anya Hindmarch CollectionInspired by Hidden London Heritage

Standard Chartered KL Marathon Set To Break Records Again

Sime Darby Healthcare GroupOpens Third Major Facility

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Sime Darby Medical Centre Ara Damansara opened earlier this year and is the rst stand-alone Centre of Excellence in the country for brain, heart, spine and joint cases. Strategically located in the vicinity of Skypark Subang Terminal and residential neighbourhoods of Ara Damansara and Saujana, the new 220-bed Medical Centre is the third facility under the Sime Darby Healthcare Group, after the agship Sime Darby Medical Centre in Subang Jaya and Sime Darby Specialist Centre Megah in Petaling Jaya. The Ara Damansara facility represents a total investment value of RM240 million.

The Brain Centre provides the full range of treatment for patients with neurological disorders while a comprehensive Epilepsy Management Programme is the only one of its kind in the country. Neuro-spinal rehabilitation (stroke and spinal injuries), paediatric therapy, musculoskeletal rehabilitation, occupational therapy, hydrotherapy and speech therapy will all be available.

The Spine & Joint Centre will focus on minimally invasive spinal surgery and computer-assisted total joint replacement surgery, while at the Heart Centre, patients will nd the full spectrum of services from cardiothoracic surgery to interventional cardiology and electrophysiology. Busy executives will enjoy the privacy of a premier lounge and exclusive access to emergency consultation room and wards.

www.simedarbyhealthcare.com

The Anya Hindmarch Spring Summer 2012 collection draws its inspiration from the designer’s fascination with hidden London and a love of the forgotten history of the capital. It was on a chance visit to a Lost & Found Exhibition at Baker Street Tube Station that a beautiful but battered doctor’s bag that had been left on the Tube, was spotted by the iconic designer.

This led to the creation of the Collection’s hero style, The Bruton. Tri-colour leathers in fresh linen white, chic black and nude, or natural python with piped trim and handles in soft butter calf.

The Standard Chartered KL Marathon 2012 is expected to break another record this year with registrations already received from more than 19,000 runners and participation from 27 countries con rmed since registration opened in February. The fourth edition of the capital’s largest annual marathon is scheduled for Sunday, 24 June 2012. The closing date for registration is set for 31 May 2012, or when the target of 27,000 sign-ups is reached, whichever comes rst.

For the Full Marathon category, a 67 per cent increase in registrations has already been recorded compared to the same period in 2011. Registrations for the Honda Half Marathon have also increased by over 58 per cent with more than 3,800 sign-ups to-date; while the 10km category has recorded close to 7,500 registrations, a 48 per cent increase on sign-ups in the same period last year. The annual ‘Zero to Hero’ Training Circuits are also back to help prepare beginners and seasoned participants for race day.

www.kl-marathon.com

The Nevis: new combinations of navy, acid green and white; red, hot pink and orange or navy, pale blue and white. Created in rubber with leather handles. Makes an impact in the city but also ideal for the beach.

The Apple: Beautiful minaudiere clutch in a style encapsulating fun evening glamour. Hard cased and dusted with green, blue and gold glitter.

The Mini Gracie: AH classic designed in a new smaller cross-body size with pleats and folds in sumptuous soft calf or python. Colourful palette of cobalt, coral, apple green, post-box red, tan and black.

Tel: +603 2382 0877KLCC Suria, Pavilion KL, The Gardens, 1 Utama


March-April 2012

An Invitation to Explore

THE BEST OF BRITISH BOARDING ANDDAY EDUCATION IN 90 ACRES OF MAL AYSIA

Marlborough College Malaysia will build upon the excellent reputation established by Marlborough College in providing a holistic education that brings out the potential of each pupil.

Boarding at Marlborough College Malaysia will provide pupils with the opportunity to live and and work alongside people from varied backgrounds and countries and will provide the foundation upon which supported independence and youthful fellowship will be built.

O P E N I N G A U G U S T 2 0 1 2Senior School: Preparatory School: Day for pupils aged 4-11

www.marlboroughcol legemalays ia .org

OPE N

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March-April 201224Outer Trim: 3mm Artboard - X:224.80mm - 112.40mm, Y:311.80mm - 155.90mm


March-April 2012

Intellectually Streaking

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In the Chinese Horoscope, it’s the Year of the Dragon. During the recent Chinese New Year celebrations, there were dragon

ef gies everywhere. Not slithering, serpent style, but roaring in to the clash of symbols and the beat of drums.

Asia welcomes the dragon, the highest ranking in the Chinese animal kingdom. In Imperial China, it was always a symbol of power and majesty, especially associated with the Yellow Emperor and featured on his breast plate also close to the Jade Emperor. The Chinese believed their ancestors were “descendants of the dragon”. We can safely assume therefore that in this part of the world, it is seen as benevolent.

In Europe however, they were seen as aggress-ive and war-like, historically depicted as a huge lizard breathing poisonous re.

The word entered the English Language at the end of the 15th Century in the Old English poem Beowulf. The New Testament of the Bible identi es the Devil himself as a red dragon with seven heads and ten horns in battle against the Archangel Michael. English foot soldiers became known as “dragoons” because their muskets spat re. The anger of the re-breathing dragon is often attributed to spitting cobras. And when I was at school I dare not say how long ago that was the most unpopular teachers were labelled dragons.

Given its perceived ferocious nature, the dragon in Europe is a villain. And since every villain inspires a hero, we had St. George, the Patron Saint of England, famous for slaying the dragon.

St. George has an iconic image a handsome man on a white horse trampling a serpent underfoot. He is the Medieval version of today’s Brad Pitt the Hollywood type hero. He wears a pristine white tunic with a red cross and traditionally carries a lance or a sword to dispatch the beast.

The exact origins of St. George are somewhat obscure. He is rst depicted in the 10th /11th centuries and often related to Ovid’s Greek myth of Perseus. Originally of Eastern origin, the dragon was brought back by the Crusaders. When his story became part of the Christian legend, hero George became “St. George”.

An intriguing facet of the legend goes back to Libya a place we are very familiar with today. No, St. George was not an early Gadaf . But the story is told by a poor hermit of a village where all the maidens were automatically sacri ced one by one to a dragon.

This reminds me of a Shell story (and I’m happy to associate myself with this legacy) of how we rst discovered oil in 1910 on Christmas Eve in Miri. Rumour had it among the superstitious locals that there was a tiger at the bottom of the well. They were about to throw down two maidens to appease it (Why when it comes to human sacri ce, is it always women not men?). Shell saved the day by diverting the well, one of the earliest examples in the oil and gas industry worldwide of directional drilling.

Back to Libya and this time it was a dragon not a tiger they had to satisfy. Maiden after maiden on a daily basis fed its voracious appetite till only the King’s daughter was left. St. George spent the night in the hermit’s hut. Next morning there was a procession of women headed by a most beautiful girl decked in pure Arabian silk Princess Sahra, the destined sacri ce.

The dragon rushed out of its cave roaring with the sound of thunder and lashing its 50ft long tail. St. George struck the dragon with a spear. But its scales were so hard the spear broke into a 100 pieces whilst St. George fell from his horse. He rolled under an enchanted orange tree, so the story goes, to recover.

Once able to ght again, he smote the dragon with his sword. The dragon poured poison

over him. The hero’s armour split into two. But St. George battled on, on foot, pierced his opponent under its wing (no scales) and it fell dead at his feet.

There are many such stories but with a recurring theme, the common factors of which are 1) a town terrorised by a dragon 2) a young princess offered to him 3) St. George rescuing the princess and slaying the dragon. George was more a warrior than a Saint. But he is venerated.

Down history, there are recurring tributes to the heroic stature of St. George. Shakespeare refers to “St. George and the Dragon” in both Richard III and King Lear. In the rst he says:

“Advance our standards, set upon our foes, Our ancient world of courage fair St. George inspires us with the spleen of ery dragons” Whilst King Lear says: “Come not between the Dragon and his wrath”.

But what about today’s world? The would-be saviours of Britain are no longer knights in shining armour but prosaic gures like Cameron and Clegg. There are however plenty of “dragons” not in physical form but rampant in the debt-ridden nancial circles of London.

Things are so bad Nostradamus’ doomsday prophecy is being revived that 2012 will bring Armageddon - the end of the world. I must refute this. I just cannot have it. For me, no sweat, I’ve had my life. But I have three grandchildren who deserve to have theirs.

So I’d like to end on a hopeful note. It is a new beginning. Starting with BMCC. May I welcome Larry Gan, the rst Malaysian to hold the BMCC Chairmanship. And as a nal observation - The global economic centre of gravity is moving inexorably from West to East. First stop would normally have been the Middle East but the Arab Spring has turned to the Arab Autumn with the ever clear and present danger of an Arab Winter.

We arrive instead at the new global growth area of the Asia Paci c.

May I remind readers the gateway to this future world are the Straits of Malacca.

St George &

By Datuk Paddy Bowie, OBE

The Dragon


March-April 2012

Report Back

March-April 201234

Every year, on March 8th, women the world over mark International Women’s Day, celebrating the bonds that unite them, sharing their experiences, providing inspir-

ation to others. Kuala Lumpur was no exception with BMCC, Gleneagles Kuala Lumpur and DHL Express Malaysia joining hands to stage a highly successful event at the iconic Carcosa Seri Negara.

Adopting this year’s global theme of “Connecting Girls, Inspiring Futures”, the sell-out event attracted more than 130 senior professional women from companies like Tesco, Shell, The Royal Bank of Scotland, Air Asia, Amcorp Group, Anya Hindmarch, Accenture, Telekom Malaysia and Sime Darby, as well as many entrepreneurs running their own businesses. There were also one or two very brave men in attendance including Amir Firdaus Abdullah, Regional CEO of Gleneagles and Mr David Ng, Managing Director of DHL Express Malaysia, our two sponsor companies.

In an afternoon set against a backdrop of colonial charm, stylish elegance and English High Tea, the main highlight was the four talks from specially invited guest speakers Dato’ Dr. Mahani Zainal Abidin, Dr Dewi Ramasamy, Ms Asha Gill and Ms Yasmin Aladad Khan.

Molly Jagpal, BMCC Executive Director said, “International Women’s Day recognises the huge contribution of women to society and the business

world. Malaysia is over owing with exciting, dynamic and entrepreneurial women who continue to play a signi cant role in helping to build, grow and shape this country.” By 2015, 55 percent of Malaysia’s workforce will be women.

BMCC Board Director Amanda Powell added that “All of these women can be role models from which others can draw inspiration and motivation to strive for their goals. However, barriers do exist and women are still under-represented in business. Much work is still required in areas such as talent development, succession planning, equalisation of salaries, and embracing diversity in the work place – the diversity

Top L: Dato’ Dr. Mahani Zainal Abidin, Economist & Chief Executive, Institute of Strategic & International Studies

Top R: Dr. Dewi Ramasamy, Consultant Cardiologist at Gleneagles Kuala Lumpur

Bottom L: Ms. Yasmin Aladad Khan, Senior Vice President SEA, DHL Express

Bottom R: Ms. Asha Gill, Women’s Rights Activist, Model, Producer, Presenter at Capital FM

InspiringFutures

ConnectingGirls


March-April 2012 35

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21st April

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that women bring to an organisation. Our different perspectives, our different sources of inspiration, our different approaches to achieving the same goals. Diversity that can add tremendous value to business around the world.”

Asha Gill said, “Women are the catalyst for change, hope and progression and I feel proud to be part of this event which is a small ripple in a vast ocean of collective women’s energy.” She shared her own very personal experiences of the challenges faced by single mothers in a society still rife with stigma, especially when trying to secure work. “Women can exist, survive and thrive perfectly well without having to have a husband in tow - provided they are given equal opportunity to reach their full potential.”

Dr Devi Ramasamy outlined the main causes of heart problems in women and emphasised that while prevention is key, there needs to be better recognition of the differences in symptoms and subsequent treatment for heart problems among women. “We take pride in being accountable for decisions in the boardroom at work and at home. For many of us the same cannot be said for our health. We need to become more accountable for our health and empower ourselves by better understanding our bodies.

Yasmin Aladad shared her unique experiences of working overseas with large corporates and in industries traditionally dominated by men. After joining DHL, she became the rst women country manager in Asia Paci c. “When you are working in that kind of environment, you have to learn to ‘become one of the boys’. Everyone is born with talent. It is important to know your strengths and make the most of what you have to achieve your dreams.”

Dr Mahani Zainal Abidin of ISIS claims that luck was on her side when she chose a eld that enabled her to progress. “I was able to make my own decisions about my career. That said while life is never going to be equal all the time, it is up to us to make the most of the opportunities available.”

The event ended with a prize draw with some superb goodies courtesy of Anya Hindmarch, Gleneagles KL, Harrods and Carcosa Seri Negara. The ladies then adjourned to the verandah for champagne and canapés to mix, mingle and connect with each other.


March-April 201236

Insights

Life-Enhancing Care

My mother died in her local hospice just before midnight on November 11th, 2005. Peacefully. Without pain. I was

holding her hand. She knew she was dying and had written a letter for us telling us all she loved us, expressing gratitude for a “happy life”, and giving instructions for her funeral.

Writing these words has made me cry. The grief of losing her is still there. But it is the fact of her death rather than the manner of it that saddens me. Hers was, I believe, a “good death”. And it’s the kind of death I would wish for everyone, myself included. So why doesn’t this happen more often? I would argue that it can, if we only paid more attention to and spent more money on hospices and palliative care.

What is Palliative Care? The World Health Organisation de nes it as: “An approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identi cation and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual”.

Terminal cancer is not the only such disease: the ageing populations of the world are seeing an increase in the incidence of Alzheimer’s and dementia, for example. In all, there are estimated to be around 100 million people annually who would bene t from hospice and palliative care. Yet fewer than eight per cent of those in need actually have access to it. It’s heartbreaking to think of the pain and grief those statistics represent. It doesn’t have to be this way…

End-of-life care services are often, though not exclusively, centred in hospices. The modern hospice movement is at its most developed in the UK, spearheaded as it was by Dame Cecily Saunders, the founder, in 1967, of St Christopher’s Hospice in south-east London. Her mantra was: “You matter because you are you, and you matter to the last moment of your life”.

Yet, even in the UK, the access to hospice care is patchy and mostly privately funded via charitable giving. Palliative care in general and hospices, in particular, remain taboo subjects for many.

Gail Featherstone, wife of the British High Commissioner to Malaysia, gives a very personal view of

the bene ts of palliative care.

Preparing For The Inevitable Part of the problem lies in our own minds. We are understandably frightened of death. But, let’s face it, we all die. In the UK, we are fond of quoting Benjamin Franklin who famously stated that, “In this world nothing can be said to be certain except death and taxes”! None of us like to think about our own deaths or those of our nearest and dearest, but perhaps it’s time that we faced up to the elemental fact that, as one wit noted, “The global death rate remains constant at 100 percent”!

Death is a normal process in that it happens to us all. So it makes sense to prepare for it if we can. Not to say that it is an easy subject to discuss. Many people associate the word “hospice” solely with the end of life, as did my mother initially.

But as the months went by, she came to regard her two- to three-day treatments in the hospice much as one would view a stay in a nice hotel. As well as symptom control, she enjoyed complementary therapies such as massages and aromatherapy. There were daycare sessions to attend and counsellors and a chaplain on hand if she wanted to speak to them.

But, in between her visits to the hospice, my mother’s life continued as before: she went shopping, ran the house, cared for my father, watched TV, sometimes went out in the evening, and entertained or met up with family and friends.

Life-EnhancingWhen the time came and she was told that death was likely to be very near, she was given constant emotional help and support as well as the medical intervention she needed to control her pain and keep her as physically

comfortable as possible. In addition to this we, her family, were offered support and counselling both before and after her death.

The Malaysian LandscapeIn Malaysia, palliative care is impressively advanced given its relatively recent emergence as a recognised medical specialisation. However, as Dr Ednin Hamzah, Chief Executive of Hospis Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, is keen to point out, there are formidable challenges to be overcome if the huge and ever-increasing needs of local communities are to be met.

He told me: “Malaysian healthcare needs a paradigm shift both in terms of planning services as well as teaching doctors and nurses. This needs to happen because at the root of an illness is a patient and a family that simply want to have their fears understood, their suffering empathised with, their words listened to and their lives to have meaning. Palliative care can do this.”

I was privileged and moved to see for myself the way that Dr Ednin and his nurse put these words into practice when I joined them to visit two hospice patients (from widely different socio-economic backgrounds) in their respective homes.

As well as providing medication and advising on physical treatments, they spent a great deal of time just talking to the gentlemen concerned and their families, answering questions where he could and admitting when he didn’t have the answers. Both patients and their families were given time and treated with great respect, as “whole” people who were gravely af icted and affected by illness but not de ned by it.

Whether a person with a life-limiting illness dies in a hospice or at home, the aim remains the same: to give value and quality to that individual’s life, however long or short it is, by controlling the symptoms of their illness - especially pain - in a way which neither hastens nor postpones death.

By the time my mother died, she knew all the staff at the hospice well and thought of them as her friends. What better way to die can there be than to do so peacefully, painlessly, and surrounded by friends and family?

Such a death is possible for many more of us than we realise. But we need to think about it. Now.

www.hospismalaysia.org

]


March-April 2012

Trade Talk


March-April 2012

Social Scene

After the long festive season, BMCC members took the opportunity to catch up at the BMCC New Year Open House, held at the Hilton Kuala Lumpur poolside. The atmosphere may have been a little hot and steamy but

the large crowd soon settled down to the serious business at hand - meeting people, swapping stories, sharing experiences, exploring new business opportunities. Executive Director Molly Jagpal says, “It was a good turnout by a wide cross-section of the membership with many newcomers as well as long-term members. Everyone got the chance to make new contacts. The end of the evening came only when a downpour decided to arrive, with everyone having to run for cover!”

Building New Networks

It’s Jubilee Year! The Olympics are coming! There’s going to be a Royal Visit! With so much happening, the BMCC Events Team is working hard to make sure it’s a truly GREAT year! We’ll be keeping you posted with news as it comes in. Follow the updates via Facebook, Twi er and LinkedIn or log on to www.bmcc.org.my{ }

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March-April 2012

Gleneagles Kuala Lumpur, 286 Jalan Ampang, 50450 Kuala Lumpur, MalaysiaGeneral Line: (+603) 4141 3000 Fax: (+603) 4257 9233/2933 Email: [email protected] Web: www.gleneagleskl.com.my

We are convinced that high-class cuisine makes an important contribution to the body and soul and has a positive effect on recovery. That’s why at Gleneagles Kuala Lumpur, we offer a choice of 3 daily menus from our kitchen.In addition to full meals, we serve light meals drawn in line with patients’ specifications following the nutritional advice of our Dieticians and Diabetes Care Educators.

The WayHealthcareShould Be


March-April 2012

BMCC_Mar-Apr_cov.ai 1 3/26/12 7:29 PM
