On 3 November, AMCHAM held a Spotlight Session featuring Sunway Medical Centre.
The session featured a presentation on mental health in the workplace by Ms. Michelle Chong Hui Yi, Clinical Psychologist at Sunway Medical Centre. This presentation focused on the state of mental health and well-being in Malaysia specifically in the workplace. And went over what companies can do to help improve the mental health for the workforce. Attendees also learnt why psychological safety at the workplace is important and how to foster it.
Attendees also got to tour the medical centre and learn about their facilities and services. Thank you Michelle Chong for the presentation and Sunway Medical Centre for hosting us
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, November 1, 2023 – FedEx Express (FedEx), a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and one of the world’s largest express transportation companies, is further enhancing its intercontinental services between Vietnam and Malaysia as well as other markets in Asia, Middle East, Africa (AMEA) and Europe, with the introduction of a new flight offering faster transit times.
Effective October 31, 2023, the new flight will use a dedicated B767 freighter flying four evenings a week from Ho Chi Minh City connecting Asia and Europe through the FedEx Asia Pacific Hub in Guangzhou, China. Exporters shipping from Southern Vietnam will benefit from faster transit times for shipments to Malaysia and major Asian markets in just one business day and two business days to Europe*.
These new flights offer additional capacity on top of the current five flights to Asia, Europe and the US — four daily morning flights through the FedEx South Pacific Hub in Singapore and one current evening flight through the Asia Pacific Hub. With a total of nine weekly flights departing from Ho Chi Minh City, FedEx continues to support businesses in tapping the huge growth potential in the region.
Southeast Asia’s manufacturing hubs are growing and diversifying to include increasingly higher-value goods and services. Multilateral free trade agreements like CPTPP and RCEP[1] are creating close-knit ties that are helping make the region an increasingly important trading partner.
“We continue to transform our air network to offer differentiated service for our customers and that includes building capacity and creating faster connections to meet demand,” said Kawal Preet, president of Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa region, FedEx Express. “The Tiger Economies of Southeast Asia continue to grow at an accelerated pace, with a forecast of 4.9% growth in 2024.[2] What we see happening in Vietnam is a great example of these regional trends. Our enhanced service in Vietnam is part of our journey to build a more flexible, efficient, and intelligent network and deliver an outstanding customer experience.”
“The improved transit time from Vietnam to Malaysia will encourage more trade between the two markets,” said Tien Long Woon, managing director of FedEx Express Malaysia. “This is crucial considering the growing trade between the two countries, which reached USD19.44 billion in 2022[3], making Vietnam the tenth-largest trading partner of Malaysia[4]. This service enhancement is part of our continuous efforts to provide Malaysian businesses with differentiated solutions that enable them to expand to more overseas markets.”
FedEx has been supporting cross-border trade to and from Vietnam since it established operations in the country in 1994. With the new flight, local businesses serving international customers may gain a competitive edge with expedited delivery times. This latest announcement underscores the company’s dedication to improving services in Vietnam and strengthening operations across the AMEA region.
[1] Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)
* Transit times may vary depending on specific origin and destination postal codes.
[2] Asian Development Bank, Outlook July 2023.
[3] [3] MATRADE Facilitates Trade Deals Through High-Level Engagements With Vietnamese Companies – MATRADE
[4] [4] Malaysia’s Top Trading Partners 2022 (worldstopexports.com)
The first annual EAGLE Outreach as part of Service Learning was a big success! Different members from the OIS community showed up to The Assembly Soup Kitchen (T.A.S.K.) on a Saturday morning in October. The objective was to restock shelves with a new supply of food items and prepare and cook a large meal for their lunch service. Even the children were able to serve and meet new friends. Everyone who went was excited to do it again in the future!
Another weekend in October was dedicated to the HOSA (Health Occupation Students of America) club visiting The Peace Education Center, a refugee school, to provide hygiene supplies and education to the students. OIS HOSA club members covered crucial topics like handwashing, dental care, and preventing the spread of germs. HOSA also organized a series of fun and educational hygiene-related activities and relationship-building games. The members of the HOSA club not only helped educate the children about proper hygiene but also built meaningful connections with the students at the education center. HOSA members understand the importance of service and building connections across different cultural backgrounds.
On 1 Nov, AMCHAM hosted our annual luncheon with the Immigration Department of Malaysia at Hilton Kuala Lumpur.
The Immigration Department of Malaysia delegation was led by YBrs Nor Azizah Mohamad, Director, Depot and Detainees Management Division. She was accompanied by Zuhailah Jalani, Director Anti Trafficking in Person, Anti Smuggling of Migrants and Anti Money Laundering Division, Effa Nurzainani Jaafar, Deputy Director of Visa, Pass and Permit Division, Nor Shima Izni, Deputy Director of Visa, Pass and Permit Division, and Saw Chee Koon, Deputy Director, Expatriate Services Section.
YBrs Nor Azizah delivered the Keynote Address on behalf of YBhg Datu Ken Leben, Deputy Director-General, Immigration Department of Malaysia followed by a dialogue session moderated by Siobhan Das, Chief Executive Officer, AMCHAM.
This ongoing engagement with Immigration Department of Malaysia is aimed at strengthening the working relationship and providing a platform to learn more about the department’s policy direction, strategies and initiatives addressing the human capital issue in Malaysia.
The event was attended by 50 delegates from member companies and members of the Malaysian Dutch Business Council. The discussion centered around how the business community can collaborate with Immigration Department of Malaysia in the future.
We extend our gratitude to the Immigration Department and our members for their support and participation. We look forward to seeing you again next year.
AMCHAM Healthcare and Life Sciences Committee (HLS) engaged in an insightful discussion with YBhg Datuk Dr Fariza Ngah, Deputy Director-General, Ministry of Health.
Chaired by Tim Monk, AMCHAM Board of Governor & General Manager of Abbott, and joined by Shamie Zainal, Vice Chair of HLS & Director Global EM Policy and Public Affairs, Pfizer, as well as David Lin, Vice Chair of HLS & Director, Communications, Government Affairs and Strategic Customer Solutions,GSK. Other committee members from Johnson & Johnson, Davita, Viatris and Western Digital joined virtually.
The meeting explored the potential for collaboration and partnership between AMCHAM and the Ministry of Health through the Healthcare and Life Sciences committee. The focus areas included health literacy, addressing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and health digitalization.
On 26 Oct, our CEO, Siobhan Das spoke at the PwC Malaysia Budget 2024 Seminar on Balancing economic growth and fiscal sustainability focusing on Malaysia economic outlook: 2024 and beyond.
It was an insightful session where the session discussed Malaysia’s medium to long-term economic outlook and strategies under the 12th Malaysian Plan to strengthen Malaysia’s competitiveness for businesses.
