AMCHAM Members' Briefing
2016-08-02 18:00 - 21:00 (Asia/Shanghai)
The Members’ Briefing is a regular session between the U.S. Embassy’s senior officials and the Chamber’s members’ attracted Senior Management from various industries. The August session was led by the Deputy Chief of Mission from the U.S. Embassy, Mr. Edgar D Kagan. He provided an update of the new wave of officials who have been assigned to the Embassy in KL and encouraged the members to reach out to the Chamber so their issues can be addressed.
On current issues affecting American businesses in Malaysia, he stated that Malaysia still remains an important destination for investments, citing some recent ground breaking events in Malaysia by U.S. companies like HP in Penang. Malaysia is an attractive place to do do business and likewise, more Malaysian companies are also investing in the U.S.
The Court of Arbitration ruled in favor of Philippines in the dispute over the South China Sea. All parties recognize the need to follow the international law and rules of the world. The claimants will take a step back to work together and find ways to resolve this together which is consistent with the law.
The U.S. Administration is still committed to conclude the TPP agreement and the USTR teams are making a visits to Malaysia in August and September to receive feedback and address issues from Malaysian companies and other stakeholders on the implementation. The initial visit would be focusing on areas such as labor protection, Intellectual Property Rights, customs declaration. The USTR will continue to stay engaged and in September, the discussion will cover the chapter on environment.
Mr. Kagan added on that the relationship between Malaysia and U.S. has grown tremendously, in countering terrorism. Malaysia is hosting the Regional Digital Counter-Messaging Communications Centre which will address cyberspace messaging, in collaboration with U.S., as it is important area for both parties.
The session ended with an interactive Q&A session and adjourned to informal networking over cocktails.
Please join us for the next briefing on Wednesday, October 5, 2016 at the Hilton Hotel, KL Sentral at 5:30pm with H.E. Ambassador Joseph Y. Yun and other key Embassy personnel.

Competition and Economics
2016-08-19 10:00 - 12:00 (Asia/Shanghai)
The Competition Law aims to create a fair business environment for organizations by promoting competition in the market and providing regulations that prohibit mergers that lessens competitions, anti-competitive agreements and abuse of a dominant position. The Competition Authority’s role is to protect the competitive process for the benefit of businesses, consumers and the economy.
Ms. Tanya Tang of Rajah & Tann kicked of this in-depth look at the Competition Law by giving an introduction on key points of the law and the work of the Competition Authority that engages in a balancing act, weighing the net effect between the anti-competitive effects of the conduct and benefits of the conduct. Should the benefits outweigh positively, the Competition Authority is able to provide an exclusion clause that allows an agreement to go though. Cooperation Agreements such as Airlines Agreements have been approved by the Authority as the airlines’ had been able to provide quantifiable data to substantiate that the respective alliances would be beneficial to customers.
Another point that Ms. Tang highlighted was how sellers are giving exclusive discounts and rebates to certain buyers. To ensure fair competition amongst the buyers, she went on to say, sellers should extend the discount and rebates to all their buyers. Exclusivity should not be practiced.
Ms. Tang moved on to the next topic of interest, the Most Favored Nation (MFN), which essentially involves a vertical agreement and is one of the cornerstones of the WTO trade law. With MFN status, the supplier commits to grant the distributor a price that is no less favorable than the prices granted to its other customers.
The speaker emphasized that a good understanding of economics and its tools provides more clarity on how markets operate, how firms behave in particular markets and whether their behavior will result in competition that benefits consumers. Competition Authorities fall back on economic tools to verify net benefits and competitive harm to protect consumers’ interest.
In ASEAN countries, Thailand takes the lead as being the first country to enforce its Competition Law (1999), whereas countries such as Brunei, Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar have yet to enforce it. The panel of experts representing the ASEAN countries gave an overview of the Competition Law in their respective countries and shared the similarities and differences of how the Competition Authority carried out its role. Though they are located in the same region, they do not foresee a harmonization of the law amongst these countries, as each country is at a different level of expertise on Competition Law in addition to its own cultural, political and economic landscape.
They advised the audience to know their competition profile and their position in the market to ensure their competitiveness. As there is general lack of awareness on Competition Law, corporations should seek ways to increase awareness among their business heads and to play a more active advocacy role.
The session ended with a Q&A amongst the audience.
AMCHAM would like to thank the main speaker Ms Tanya Tang (Rajah & Tann,, Singapore) and members of the panel, Fong Chuen Fuen (Malaysia Competition Commission) Vu Thi Que (Rajah & Tann, Cambodia), Kala Anandarajah (Rajah & Tann, Singapore), Anastasia Pritahayu R. Daniyati (Assegaf Hamzah & Partners, Indonesia) who gave a regional perspective of the Competition Law and Patrick Tay (PwC, Malaysia) who mediated the event.

HR Series in Penang: Updates on Employment Pass & Best Practices on Employee Engagement
2016-08-25
In an initiative to bring more programming to the our members based in the northern region, AMCHAM organized two events in Penang on August 25, 2016 specifically targeted at HR and talent leaders followed by some member networking:
1. Updates on the Employment Pass
The first session by Mr Tan Keat Meng, Manager of Foreign Talent Facilitation & Shared Services from TalentCorp provided members with the latest updates on the TalentCorp programs and initiatives including new requirements for Employment Pass (Category I, II & III) & sharing updated statistics on Employment Pass across all sectors in Malaysia. Members, espeicially those who were unable to attend, are encouraged to learn more by visiting the MYXpats Centre at: https://esd.imi.gov.my/portal/faq/myxpats
2. Best Practices on Employee Engagement
AMCHAM hosted a panel of three HR practitioners who shared their best practices on Employee Engagement led by Mr. Sam Haggag, Country Manager, Malaysia & Indonesia of Manpower Group emphasized on Using Employee Engagement Surveys to drive bottom line. Sam also briefly announced on the AON Hewitt Best Employers-Malaysia winners for 2016.
Mr. Suresh Chandra, HR Director of Intel Penang explained on the company’s strategic employee process that consists of four pillars which are: Healthy and Inclusive of Group Norms and Culture, Effective Management / Leadership, Pride and Connection to Intel and lastly, the Harmonious Employee.
Mr. Peter Lee, HR Manager of Celestica Penang presented on engaging a global workforce by building a virtual community. He mentioned, besides providing a good working environment, employees wants to be empowered, collaborative and rewarded.
The program ended after a vigorous Q&A session between members and all three panelists which was then followed by a networking cocktail.

Private Discussion with AON Hewitt’s Mollie Kohn
2016-09-05
AMCHAM members had the opportunity to meet Mollie Kohn, Chief Commercial Officer of AON Hewitt Asia Pacific and Middle East Region on September 5th, 2016. Mollie shared her insights on topics related to talent management and talent redistribution. Companies that were present at the discussion shared their views on the importance of talent retention.
Mollie leads the Talent Consulting Council for Asia Pacific, Middle East and Africa and has been with Aon Hewitt for over 15 years. She is a Senior Partner in the firm and is on the Aon Hewitt Executive Committee for Australia and Asia-Pacific Leadership team.

[SPOTLIGHT SESSION] Tax Audits: Are you ready? Strategies to Enhance Tax Risk Management
2016-09-05 10:00 - 12:00 (Asia/Shanghai)
Saravana, Partner of Tax, GST, and Customs Practice from Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Geldhill sets the tone of the program on Tax Risk Management by reviewing statements from public figures on tax avoidance and the (non) implication of the Panama Papers, had been seen as a moral concern rather than a criminal offence. He also shared recent articles show individual professionals and companies are targeted for failure to declare earnings and submit accounting statements for GST compliance.
Attendees were given guidelines and best practice approaches in attending to the tax department during an audit session. The briefing session followed by review of cases to look identify key takeaways and cases which set precedence for the authorities in Malaysia. From the Court’s ruling on these cases, summary of case learnings are:
1. Terms not defined in an Act should be given ordinary meaning
2. Tax imposed on royalty payments are subject to if the royalty payment is a condition for purchasing the goods for sale
3. Car registration under the taxpayer’s ownership does not constitutes withdrawal of company’s stock
4. An appointed independent director (in that case) is not an employee of the company, thus not subjected to tax imposed on employees of a company.
5. Release of debt (in the mentioned case) is not part of taxpayer’s gross income
6. Taxpayer was able to reclaim reinvestment allowance due to an error in interpretation of Public Ruling
7.
AMCHAM offers SPOTLIGHT Sessions where companies can speak on various topics or provide training to keep our corporate members abreast with latest development and offer opportunity to share learning experiences. If you would like to speak at a SPOTLIGHT Session, please email nadeeka@amcham.com.my.

Gender Diversity - Exploring The Localization of Gender Diversity in Malaysia
2016-09-09
Why Gender Diversity matters? Diversity in the workplace is important to our future business success because the world as we’ve known it has changed and will continue to do so.
AMCHAM, together with CnetG, organized a HR Roundtable on September 9, 2016 bringing together 15 senior HR leaders from U.S. multinationals and other international companies.
The discussion was led by Deepa George, Client Partner at CnetG and looked at the differences between western policies and the feasibility of adopting the western policies in our local corporate environment; whether or not Asian nuances play a role in the consideration of localization of western policies. Other areas that was discussed were how to create equitable opportunities and sharing of success stories.
AMCHAM would like to thank CnetG for facilitating the discussion and also thank you to all our members for their participation.
Stay tuned for our upcoming HR Series in Penang. For more information, please contact Nadeeka Sarah at nadeeka@amcham.com.my.

Healthcare Forum: Delivering Quality; Healthcare in Malaysia
2016-09-21
AMCHAM held its first Healthcare Forum on September 21, 2016 at the Ritz Carlton Kuala Lumpur. The focus of this half-day program was more on the development of healthcare and the technology supporting it as it responds to the demands and opportunities of the 21st Century.
The forum kicked off with the opening keynote by MetLife’s Dr. Nirmala Menon, Executive Vice President and Head of Designated Markets and Health for Asia at MetLife. Dr. Nirmala emphasized on how data sharing, tracking and monitoring one’s health is important as the cost of healthcare will continue to rise. She hopes that everyone will have easy access to affordable and quality healthcare with expansions on innovation especially within rural areas.
Moderating the first panel, Dr. Menon was able to dive deeper into a focused discussion on healthcare development in Malaysia. Panelists John Mckendry, Country Manager – Malaysia & Brunei at Pfizer, Dr. Hanafiah Bashirun, Medical Advisor at International SOS, YBhg Dato’ Dr. Jacob Thomas, Chairman at Ramsay Sime Darby Healthcare we led into an interactive conversation around critical areas such as the sufficient allocation of funds by the government to ensure easy access to affordable and quality healthcare by the public, the role of public private partnerships and the need for greater collaboration to build a sustainable model.
After the break, the second panel on Technology Advancing in Healthcare was led by Nik Ariff Nik Omar, General Manager Public Sector Group at Microsoft. Joining him on the panel were Paul Smith, APAC Marketing Director at GE Healthcare, Dr. Benjamin Cheah, Clinical Associate Professor at International Medical University, Dr. Zubin Daruwalla, Director – Healthcare at PwC South East Asia Consulting and Lee Yu Kit, Executive Architect and Former CTO at IBM Academy of Technology. The panelists pointed out how technology can make a difference, however not by not taking over doctors but how it will be beneficial in providing access to expertise especially for rural areas. Some time was also spent discussing the pros and cons of shared data and the inherent privacy and security risks involved.
AMCHAM would like to take this opportunity thank our sponsors: MetLife and Pfizer for their generosity and for the speakers for spending time with AMCHAM to make this in making this event a success. Thank you to all our members and guests for your participation.
If you’re in the healthcare industry or in an industry related to healthcare and would like to see more events within this industry or would like to contribute your knowledge or expertise, we would like to hear from you. Please contact Kay at kay@amcham.com.my.

Elevate Performance through Leading Mindset Change
2016-09-22 09:00 - 10:30 (Asia/Shanghai)
AMCHAM recently featured Professor Terry Warner, founder of The Arbinger Institute, a management consulting firm and scholarly consortium that specializes in peacemaking for various organizations, families, and individuals.
Departing from our usual business related programs, this event gave members the opportunity to look at themselves as leaders and the environments they work and play in from a slightly different perspective. Mindset change, Professor Warner explained often needs to start by reflecting on our own responses to various circumstances and, noting if we are responding ‘authentically ‘ or, only in a manner that is expected to even if that response goes against our instincts. Acting closer to our instincts, ‘authentically’ can often shift attitudes and mindsets. This can be applied to all environments including the workplace.
He went on to encourage us to better understand our peers and why they may behave in a certain manner. If your colleague is angry or moody for example, instead of reacting negatively at the person, try to understand why he or she is behaving that way and deal with the situation with a positive mindset. Seeing each other as people and not objects will ensure smooth running of a task delegated to them. “Understand that each and everyone of us has their own story, their own world”, said Professor Warner.
Professor Warner stressed that the key to changing ourselves is by allowing ourselves to be open. If we’re not opened to making changes within, nothing will change.
Professor Warner also shared with some real life corporate stories which left members something to ponder upon.
AMCHAM would like to thank Professor Warner for his time to meet our members and to share his valuable experience and success stories. Thank you to our members for their participation.

Digital Commerce Forum: Optimising Your Digital Commerce Strategy
2016-09-29
The emergence of Electronic Commerce (e-Commerce) has changed the traditional way of doing business. Consumers today have the choice of purchasing goods and services with no barriers of time and distance, through different channels and devices.
AMCHAM members had the opportunity to have a better understanding of e-Commerce via a Digital Forum that was organized on 29 September 2016. Mr. Sungkyu Chang, Partner, Advisory, ASEAN Customer Leader of Ernst & Young Advisory Services, led the session, by giving an overall view of this emerging market in Asia, stating that e-Commerce represents the largest economic growth in the Consumer Products and Retail Sector. In view of the potential size and growth, a growing number of brands are now focusing in this region.
Though e-Commerce does not need high technology, he remarked that resources, reliable partners, regulations (local and cross-border) and infrastructure are some of the challenges in this part of the world. Consumers on the other hand are concerned on the safety and security of electronic payment.
Ms. Wee Huay Neo, Director of e-Commerce at Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) concurred with Mr. Sungkyu on the potential growth of e-Commerce in the Asian Region. She added that with focused intervention, the potential to grow is bigger and thus the National e-Commerce Strategic Roadmap for Malaysia was set-up. Amongst the key initiatives are to
● increase the promotion and marketing of e-Commerce to SMEs
● mandate the adoption of e-procurement for statutory bodies
● lift non-tariff barriers
● create awareness on benefits and security of e-payment
The Government also has plans to encourage Malaysian business to move to e-payment systems and participate in international online marketplace.
Lazada, amongst the bigger platforms for e-Commerce business was represented by their General Counsel, Mr. Stelios Moussis,at the forum. He spoke on how the Company encouraged local business to sell online, which is aligned to the Government’s mandate of encouraging online businesses. Merchants benefitted as they need not worry about payment and customer service issues as it was managed by Lazada. He shared that though the Company is just a platform for transactions between buyers and sellers, regulators do not see it that way. Thus, the Company has put in certain controls to protect the interest of both transacting parties.
To get a perspective on e-payments, Mr. Rakesh Krishnamuti, Head, Large Merchants, SEAsia of Paypal, was the last speaker for the morning. He shared that customers are gaining more confidence in making online payments and they are trending towards mobile for purchases, ditching other devices as they can now make transactions on the go.
The panel discussion and Q&A session saw the speakers in consensus that e-Commerce has tremendous potential. To make it successful, all parties in this business need to collaborate with one another to enhance customers’ experience, by easing the process of buying. Only then would customers keep returning to buy online.
AMCHAM would like thank all the speakers who shared their knowledge and experiences with the audience.

AMCHAM Happy Hour @ Hubba Hubba
2016-09-29
AMCHAM is pleased to have organized recently its first ever “Happy Hour” networking event on September 29, 2016 at Hubba-Hubba in KL Sentral. A new initiative by the Chamber to gather our members and their friends to network after hours.
The program started off with an informal speech by AMCHAM’s Executive Director Ms Siobhan Das welcoming old and new acquaintances. The evening ended with a number of exciting lucky draw prize giveaways sponsored AMCHAM members The Federal Hotel Group, Grand Millennium Hotel, Le Midi Restaurant, CIAO Restaurant and Mondelez International.
AMCHAM would like to congratulate all the winners and stay tuned to the next Happy Hour evening very soon. We hope to see you there! If you have any suggestions for themes or venues, please email yvonne@amcham.com.my

Members’ Briefing
2016-10-05
The Members’ Briefing is a regular session between the U.S. Embassy’s senior officials and AMCHAM members. On October 5th, AMCHAM organized the members’ briefing and our guest of honor was U.S. Ambassador to Malaysia, H.E. Joseph Y. Yun. He was accompanied by Catherine Spillman, Senior Commercial Officer, Nat Turner, Economic Officer and Matt Keene, Consular General.
During his remarks, Ambassador Yun mentioned he will be leaving to Washington after three years in Malaysia, and will be the newly appointed Special Representative for North Korea Policy where he will be working together with various U.S Government Agencies. If confirmed by the Senate, Kamala Shirin Lakhdhir would replace Joseph Y Yun as the next US ambassador to Malaysia.
The briefing was well attended by our membership of about 40 attendees including Datuk Timothy Garland, Vice President of AMCHAM, Board Members, members from C-Suite levels and other members.
AMCHAM would like to encourage all our members to attend this briefing to get to know the Chamber, U.S. Embassy and other fellow members.

U.S. Visa Briefing & Update
2016-10-18 14:00 - 17:00 (Asia/Shanghai)
Matt Keene, Consular General at U.S. Embassy in Malaysia started off the session by providing a regulatory overview of the visa application process with particular emphasis on visas for business/training along with the visa interview process into the United States. It is very important to submit all the required documents to ensure smooth process of your application, said Matt. The consular officer at the U.S Embassy or Consulate will determine eligibility for visa including type of visa required based on the application.
Those unable to attend and would like to know more on the application process for travel or business visas, please visit www.travel.state.gov.

Panel Discussion on Performance Management System
2016-10-18 14:00 - 17:00 (Asia/Shanghai)
AMCHAM organized a HR panel discussion featuring Rahul Chawla, Practice Leader at AON Hewitt, Masliza Mansor, HR Director at First Solar Malaysia and Marcin Zabrzanski, HR Consultant at Motorola. The discussion led by Rahul Chawla was on the future of Performance Management Systems and how companies measure employee productivity.
Marcin mentioned that Motorola used to practice the traditional performance management system of the distribution curve, which was forced/guided and rigid. They have now moved to a more flexible system, whereby regular coaching and feedback are provided. This new methodology better suits the needs of the organisation and its demographics, especially so for the Generation Y (who do not like Performance Managements but like feedback).
First Solar’s appraisal system provides flexibility as well. Feedback is given on a quarterly basis and during these sessions, goals can be mutually reviewed. As the solar industry is very volatile, a flexible system suits their needs. Masliza also added that supervisors and staff are briefed on the process and assessment methods.
AMCHAM would like to thank HP Malaysia Manufacturing, Penang for hosting this event.

Briefing on the Malaysian Expatriate Services (MYXpats).
2016-10-19 10:00 - 23:30 (Asia/Shanghai)
This morning, Mr Tan Keat Meng, Manager of Foreign Talent Facilitation & Shared Services from TalentCorp Malaysia briefed members and guests latest update on the Malaysian Expatriate Services (MYXpats) mainly on The Residence Pass-Talent (RP-T)
The Residence Pass-Talent (RP-T) is a 10-year renewable pass for highly qualified expatriates to continue to reside and work in Malaysia. Introduced in 2011, the RP-T also offers expatriates an attractive range of benefits, including the flexibility to change employers multiple times during the validity of the pass.
Other areas that was discussed were the new requirement for Employment Pass (Category I, II and III), sharing on updated statistics of Employment Pass across all sectors in Malaysia, Scholarship Talent Attraction & Retention Program (STAR), Returning Expert Program (REP), including new programs.
Many questions were raised to seek clarification and to further understand TalentCorp and Immigration’s role in the many programs facilitated by TalentCorp.
AMCHAM would like to thank TalentCorp for briefing our members this morning and thank you to all our members and guests for their participation this morning.
If you have any questions about Malaysian Expatriate Services (MYXpats), please feel free drop us an email at events@amcham.com.my.

Briefing on TalentCorp's New Initiative APEC-YouthConnect Program
2016-10-21 10:00 - 11:00 (Asia/Shanghai)
AMCHAM together with TalentCorp organized a briefing this morning on a new initiative program called MyAPEC-YouthConnect as part of Malaysia’s effort under the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) to promote people-to-people linkage within the region in collaboration with Ministry of International Trade & Industry (MITI).
My APEC YouthConnect is a graduate mobility programme that aims to create a network of top talent for Malaysia and APEC economies.
Farah Delah Suhaimi, Manager of Industry Partnership at TalentCorp provided an overview of APEC-YouthConnect, its roles & responsibilities and benefits & opportunities for employers.
AMCHAM would like to thank TalentCorp for keeping our members updated on their latest program and also thank you to all our members for participating in this mornings’ briefing.

Powering Malaysia - Addressing the Demand for Energy
2016-10-27 14:30 - 17:00 (Asia/Shanghai)
AMCHAM was honored to feature Amos J. Hochstein, U.S. Special Envoy to Bureau of Energy Resources on his official visit to Malaysia at our new Energy Forum: Powering Malaysia – Addressing the Demand for Energy. The transformational change around the world in the energy landscape is shifting energy policy priorities in the U.S., the role of the Energy Bureau plays an integral interconnection of foreign ministry and energy policy.
The decline in oil prices and technological innovation saw an increase of investment renewable energy, and has proven that renewable energy is able to coexist with and conventional energy sources. As the future demand of energy will be led by the Asian countries, non-OECD countries, electrification accounts for the highest demand growth and the major challenges are for the industry players to keep up with the current state of play. Amos pointed out that in evaluating the future cost of energy source, it is important to consider its full life-cycle, health cost, environmental and clean-up cost.
As Malaysia is diversifying from conventional energy, these are opportunities to leverage latest technology for better cost, health and climate for the future generation.
Ir. Akmal Rahimi Abu Samah, Chief Operating Officer of Sustainable Energy Development Authority (SEDA) provided an overview of SEDA’s role of renewable energy (RE) and energy efficiency (EE) in Malaysia. Apart from Feed-in-Tariff initiative, SEDA is also implementing the large scale solar and net energy metering project as part of the 11th Malaysia Plan.
Currently there are 4 renewable energy sources qualified for FiT scheme such as Biomass, Biogas, Solar, and Small Hydro. SEDA is also exploring additional RE potential such as wind and geothermal energy. While acknowledging some of the challenges of implementing RE projects, the new RE roadmap and policy will be drafted to replace NREPAP to chart future growth of RE as important energy source for Malaysia to support the power demand of 20GW.
The session continues with a panel discussion featuring Ir. Akmal from SEDA, Ismail bin Haji Abd Rahman, Sr. General Manager from Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Dato’ P’ng Soo Hong, Managing Director of First Solar Malaysia, Azli Mohamed, Chief Operating Officer of GE Malaysia and the session was moderated by Lee Yuien Siang, Executive Director of PwC.
The panel discussed on the potential of setting a greater ambition for renewable energy in Malaysia and its requirement from policy, technical capabilities as well as its impact on cost of electricity to consumers. As the storage technology development is not as efficient, it is best to use the solar energy directly or through a hybrid system to improve access to electricity in rural areas.
Cross-country energy interconnectivity, usage of industrial technology and market deregulation best practices was discussed on its impact on capacity development and energy security. Malaysia will be implementing its Power Development Plan for 2025, chaired by the Minister of Energy, Green Technology and Water which assessed learning in new markets, financing structure, role of Government’s subsidy and regulatory framework to support the increasing demand for energy sustainability in Malaysia.
For further information, please email jesselynn@amcham.com.my.
For sponsoring and speaking opportunities at AMCHAM events, please email nadeeka@amcham.com.my.

Innovation: What are the Challenges and Opportunities in Malaysia
2016-11-14
Malaysia has a greater success story in comparison to some of its neighboring countries as it has four decades of growth. Due to its competitive workforce, modern infrastructure and social development, it attracts foreign investment into the country.
It also recognizes that innovation and research & development (R&D) are important for its growth as researchers and the number of publications have increased, but the quality and the usefulness of these publications are of concern.
This was one of the findings shared by Mr. Phillip Larrue, Science Technology & Innovation Directorate of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), during his session with AMCHAM members on 14 November 2016.
He went on to mention that the proportion of firms in Malaysia that are involved in R&D is low, and very few of these companies themselves carry out activities relevant to investment, production or technology. Most patents are by universities. However, allocation for R&D in universities has also been reduced, as they appear to be innovative rather than being innovative.
Resource is another reason Malaysia lacks in innovation and R&D. It does not have the resources with the right skills and thus is dependent on foreign technology, till to-date. Though there are linkages between the MNCs and the local companies, researches are performed within the MNCs.
Amongst the recommendations suggested to boost the innovation and R&D sector were
1) better execution of the Government’s innovation policies;
2) councils/bodies set-up for this purpose play their role in supporting all firms who are in the research industry;
3) education/training has to be provided to fill the huge resource gap.
AMCHAM would like to thank Mr. Philip Larrue.

Annual Thanksgiving Luncheon 2016
2016-11-23
Over the years, Thanksgiving Celebration hosted by AMCHAM for its members, stakeholders and guests has become a big tradition. This year we celebrated Thanksgiving on November 23rd, 2016 at The Ritz Carlton Kuala Lumpur. We were grateful to have The Ritz Carlton Kuala Lumpur to host us this year.
Thanksgiving is known for its plentiful menu and guests got to enjoy a traditional American Thanksgiving feast prepared by The Ritz Carlton Kuala Lumpur.
Our guest of honor Chargé d’Affaires, Edgard D. Kagan of the U.S. Embassy of Kuala Lumpur graced the event and carved the Thanksgiving turkey.
AMCHAM would like to take this opportunity to thank Ritz Carlton Kuala Lumpur for hosting us. We would also like to thank Philip Morris for being a corporate sponsor at this event and your generosity has made this event a success.
Last but not least, thank you to all our members and guests for your presence.

AMCHAM Annual Penang Dialogue 2016
2016-12-06 12:00 - 14:00 UTC
AMCHAM has recently hosted the Annual Penang Dialogue 2016 with YAB Tuan Lim Guan Eng, Chief Minister of Penang and Edgard Kagan, Chargé d’ Affairès of the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur on December 6, 2016 from 12:00 – 2:00p.m. at Equatorial Hotel Penang.
AMCHAM member companies in Penang have been a strong contributor to the Penang economy and despite the challenging global economic environment; Penang has recorded strong investment over the last 8 years. The Chief Minister stated, “For the 8 years period between 2008 – 2015, Penang recorded an investment of RM55 billion, a 90% increase compared to the previous 8 years of RM29 billion. Out of the RM55 billion approved investment recorded from 2008 – 2015, RM13.7 billion or 25% were from US investors, which makes US as the largest FDI contributor to the Penang economy.”
A large portion of Foreign Direct Investments in Penang is from the US, and this includes luminaries such as Jabil, HP, Sandisk and Flextronic. Boston Scientific is the latest in a series of FDIs and is the direct result of the State government’s efforts in steering Penang towards becoming a high-income and a knowledge economy. Apart from manufacturing, US MNCs are also expanding into the Global Business Services (GBS) sector in Penang.
The state government will continue to focus on good governance and clean leadership, increasing our talent pool and improving public infrastructure.
AMCHAM will be making a much stronger effort in 2017 to be more active in the area not only reaching out to our two important Committees MAEI and MARI, representing the E&E and Solar industries respectively but to other growing areas like healthcare and the services that support industry.
AMCHAM would like to thank our 4 corporate sponsors for their contribution towards making this event a success.
1. GOLD SPONSOR – FIRST SOLAR MALAYSIA
2. SILVER SPONSOR -MOTOROLA SOLUTIONS, NATIONGATE SOLUTIONS & WESTERN DIGITAL
Thank you also to all the companies that took up corporate tables.

AMCHAM Christmas Cheer 2016
2016-12-16
AMCHAM organized a Christmas networking evening for our members and guests on December 16, 2016 at Hubba Hubba Sentral. This was our final event to wrap up 2016.
It was a challenging year in economic and financial terms, both globally and locally in Malaysia, however at AMCHAM, we managed to remain remarkably positive throughout all this. We will doing things differently in 2017, so please stay tune.
We would like to thank all our members and guests for joining us and we hope you had as much fun as we had. We would also like to thank all our lucky draw sponsors – Mondelez, Federal Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Outback Steakhouse and Grand Millennium Kuala Lumpur.

Welcome Back - Members’ Briefing
2017-01-10
The Members’ Briefing is a regular member’s only networking and sharing between U.S. Embassy’s senior officials and AMCHAM members.
To greet 2017, AMCHAM hosted a welcome back members’ briefing and cocktail on January 10, with Nat Turner, Economic Counselor, U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur. Nat provided an update from the Embassy to the approximately 30 members who participated and helped ring in the year the year in with some champagne. During his remarks, Nat mentioned the anticipation around the Inauguration on January 20 and also mentioned the upcoming, informal, visit by Ambassador-Designate, Kamala Lakhdhir, to Malaysia.
Siobhan Das, Executive Director of AMCHAM highlighted some key areas that AMCHAM is actively involved in on behalf of our members, including the recent ruling on Foreign Exchange Administration by Bank Negara Malaysia and the impact of the Withholding Tax ruling that has since been gazetted on January 16 amending Section 2 and 15A of the Income Tax Act 1967. Siobhan also mentioned that there will be no changes to the membership fee structure for 2017 but urged members to renew early so that they can participate in the upcoming events and AGM.
The briefing was well attended by our membership of about 30 attendees. AMCHAM would like to encourage all our members to attend this briefing to get to know the Chamber, U.S. Embassy and other fellow members.

Growing Talent Partnership
2017-01-17 10:00 - 11:30 (Asia/Shanghai)
AMCHAM and TalentCorp jointly organized the first chamber briefing for 2017 on Growing Talent Partnerships. Held at AMCHAM’s Executive Office, the interactive session was led by Mr Tan Keat Meng, Manager of Foreign Talent Facilitation & Shared Services TalentCorp.
Mr Tan updated attendees with the latest on the requirements and benefits for Employment Pass (EP), Residence Pass Talent (RP-T) and new MYXpats Centre services.
He advised all companies who wish to employ eligible expatriates will need to register with the Expatriate Services Division (ESD) under the Immigration Department of Malaysia. This one-stop centre enables all expatriate applicants to deal with Immigration matters without having to go to different divisions to obtain different permits or pass.
Data shows that Manufacturing, Oil, Gas & Energy, Business Services, Construction and Education industries the Top 5 Sectors for Expatriate applications submitted.
Members, especially those who were unable to attend, are encouraged to learn more by visiting the MYXpats Centre at: https://esd.imi.gov.my/portal/faq/myxpats.

Malaysian & ASEAN Economic Outlook 2017
2017-02-15
The Economic Outlook 2017, one of AMCHAM’s signature event was held on February 15, 2017 at the Intercontinental Hotel Kuala Lumpur. The event featured Ong Sin Beng, Head of ASEAN Economics from JP Morgan Chase Bank and our panel of industry experts – Ramzi Toubassy, CEO of AmMetLife Insurance, Dato’ Wong Siew Hai, MAEI Chairman of AMCHAM and our moderator for the day was Freda Liu, Producer / Presenter of BFM.
Ong Sin Beng provided members with an overview of the current economy around ASEAN reflecting it in context of the other economies like China, Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia. Many questions were raised to seek clarity on the current economic state with the new Trump Administration and also areas involving the Trans Pacific Partnership.
Dato’ Wong provided an update of the Electrical & Electronics (E&E) industry in Malaysia. He pointed out the ongoing challenge is getting the right talent that most companies are facing. He also highlighted that many Malaysians are at the helm of many leading U.S. multinationals.

Insights Into Recent GST & Customs Issues
2017-02-22 10:00 - 12:00 (Asia/Shanghai)
Almost two years into the Goods and Services Tax (GST) that was implemented in Malaysia in 2015 the Royal Malaysian Customs Department has been conducting audits on companies to ensure compliance.
AMCHAM members were given a short briefing by Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill’s team of lawyers on the GST Act, GST documentation; legal remedies.
They emphasized on the importance of maintaining proper records of company’s derived transaction value of goods and services, as the GST is imposed on goods and services at every production and distribution stage in the supply chain. Likewise, the relevant authorities are also required to publish all the procedures and to ensure all forms are accessible to the public.
They also informed members that The National Revenue Recovery Enforcement Team (NRRET) has been set-up with the objective to recover the Government’s revenue and has the authority to raid companies. Companies were advised to co-operate with them and seek the assistance of a legal counsel if necessary.
What is GST? It is a fixed rate tax of 6% that was introduced to replace the sales and services tax which ranged between 5% – 10%.
The Spotlight Session ended with questions from the floor. AMCHAM would like to take this opportunity to thank the speakers, Mr. S. Saravana Kumar, Mr. Jason Tan and Ms. Ivy Ling of Lee Hishammuddin Allen & Gledhill for an informative session.

An Evening of Wine Tasting and Networking
2017-02-23 18:30 - 20:30 (Asia/Shanghai)
AMCHAM organized its first wine tasting event with the Malaysian New Zealand Chamber of Commerce at the Wine Connection at TREC, Jalan Tun Razak. Close to 50 guests from both participating chambers attended the event with many senior executives taking time off their busy schedule to try some new wines, a great venue and meet some members.
A delicious selection of wines provided at this event gave guests the opportunity to tantalize their tastebuds with a two wines (one red and one white) from U.S. and New Zealand respectively followed by and a full glass of their favorite pick. Many guests were seen purchasing bottles of wines after the event. Despite the event officially ending at 8:30p.m, guests were still having a great time till 10:00p.m.
AMCHAM would like to thank Mr. Richard Tankersley, Chairman and Mr. Bruce Hope, Vice Chairman of the Malaysian New Zealand Chamber of Commerce for partnering with AMCHAM. It is always nice to have our members meet members of other chambers to help grow their network. AMCHAM would also like to thank its members and guests for attending the event and making it a success.

Inter-Chamber Networking WTA Malaysian Open
2017-02-28 18:00 - 20:30 (Asia/Shanghai)
Eight years running, at the WTA Malaysian Open, members from the the Malaysian Dutch Business Council together with AMCHAM and other Chambers of Commerce and Business Councils participated in the jointly organised Inter-Chamber Networking evening at TPC Kuala Lumpur. Over 150 members and guests got to see some fabulous tennis with AMCHAM delivering the largest group of attendees.
The program started off with its traditional ‘Behind the Scenes Tour’ narrated by Tournament Director Keid Kristiansen, Carbon Sports which took over 20 guests on a tour of the courts, players warm-up courts and catch the players during the match. After the tour, members adjourned to the VIP Skybox main attraction of the day to watch the tennis match while enjoying drinks, including some delicious cider, and the sumptuous buffet.
The evening ended with lucky draw give-away of 7 prizes which included 2 autographed tennis balls by the Chinese world singles ranked 60, tennis rackets courtesy of Dunlop, tickets to watch the WTA in Singapore and the Grand Prize of Grandstand Tickets to watch Melbourne Open 2018.
AMCHAM once again would like to thank our members, fellow Chambers and to also congratulate the winners.

International Women’s Day - Woman Finding Success in SciTechInnovation
2017-03-08 08:00 - 17:00 (Asia/Shanghai)
AMCHAM celebrated International Women’s Day by engaging a panel of successful role models and women’s success advocate to discuss about Women Finding Success in SciTechInnovation on March 8th, 2017.
We were honored to have keynote speech by YBhg Dato’ Dr. Sharifah Maimunah Syed Zin FASc, Director of the International Science, Technology and Innovation Centre for South-South Cooperation (ISTIC) under the auspices of UNESCO. In the field of STEM, Dato’ Dr. Sharifah commented that women are still lagging behind in these areas, particularly in highest level of international awards reception.
Dato’ Dr. Sharifah who strongly believed that “when you educate women, you educate the whole generation”, women need to share more success stories, role models, to shift vision of young people.
UNESCO identified 17 sustainable development goals, an integrated, socio-economic environment where women is at its core of many sustainable development goals. While in Malaysia, the government has embarked on initiative to increase women in decision making responsibilities up to 30% in the public sector.
The session followed by panel discussion moderated by Belinda Ford, Public Affairs and Communications Director Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei of Coca-Cola. The participating panelists were Dr Reena Rajasuriar, Pharmacy Lecturer, MPharm PhD of University of Malaya and 2016 Winner of L’Oréal-UNESCO for Women in Science National Award, Norhizam Abdul Kadir, Vice President, Growth Ecosystem Development Division of Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Nadira Yusoff, Managing Director of Girls in Tech Kuala Lumpur and Chang Lee Hing, Head of Quality Assurance of Johnson & Johnson.
In relating to the International Women’s Day theme of “Be Bold for Change”, Belinda steered the discussion by having Dr Reena shared her story in achieving success and overcoming challenges. Norhizam acknowledged that women need to work harder to be more competitive than their male counterparts. However, MDEC came up with policies to encourage both female & male to get into techno-preneurship.
Speaking from experience, Nadira finds tiered-mentorship program called Women Rise taking place at Girls in Tech which helps to ensure women are equipped with capacity and capability to perform at a strategic level. Lee Hing believes that women empowerment is a shared responsibility among leadership, line managers and peers, beyond the traditional scope of HR.
The panel discussion was concluded with final thoughts that women empowerment promotes diversity and it is not about gender dominance. More women should aspire to be role models to create better opportunities for the next generation of women.
For events information, please email nadeeka@amcham.com.my.

Members’ Briefing
2017-03-22
At the bi-monthly Members’ Briefing on 22 March, the members were updated on the upcoming events in April and reminded to pay their membership fees for 2017. AMCHAM had met-up with the relevant Ministries, looking for solutions to move forward on some of the current issues.
There will be more U.S. ministerial meetings that will bring U.S. ministers to this region. In April, the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Treasury for East Asia will be visiting Malaysia and AMCHAM will be sending out invitations for a roundtable with him.
There were a few new faces from MDEC, Exxon Mobil and PGA Tours at this briefing. We hope to see more in the coming sessions.
We would like to thank Nat Turner from the U.S. Embassy for his updates.

AMCHAM Members' Briefing
2017-03-22 18:00 - 20:30 (Asia/Shanghai)
Yesterday evening, AMCHAM organised the Members’ Briefing bringing together members from various industries including C-Suite. Nat Turner, Economic Counselor from the U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur provided members with an overview of the current political and economic climate in Washington. The new U.S. Ambassador Lakhdir has been making courtesy visits with the local government including a recent trip to Penang to meet our northern chapter members. We would like to thank our members for their participation and look forward to seeing you at our next event.

The Modern Administrative Professional and Secretaries: You're An Ambassador
2017-04-26 08:00 - 17:00 (Asia/Shanghai)
AMCHAM recently organised its annual Administrative Professional & Secretaries day on April 26, 2017. This event featured the values and the importance of the administrative professionals & secretaries to their subordinates and organizations.
We had close to 100 administrative professionals and secretaries comprising of members from AMCHAM and CCI France Malaysia – CCIFM that attended the program which featured experts from various industries sharing their ideas, experiences and useful tips with other professionals.
AMCHAM designed a special program by inviting a panel of speakers from various industries to speak on the following topics: The use of Google app tools effectively at workplace by Lava Protocols, Working effectively in a cross-cultural environment by Culture Boleh Global Training PLT, Managing stress – Balancing work-life vs personal life by Ramsay Sime Darby Medical Centre and Communication strategies to effectively work together in harmony by TalenXcel.
The event ended with a 1-hour workshop on Grooming for both men and women, which was conducted by Syahidah Rahman and her team from Bobbi Brown Cosmetics.
To spice things up, we drew lucky draw prizes throughout the whole session.
AMCHAM would like to thank our sponsors and partners for making this event a successful one.
