KPJ Healthcare Berhad is Malaysia’s leading provider of private healthcare services. Since its introduction of one of the first among private specialist hospitals in Johor in 1981, the Group has been at the forefront of the healthcare industry. Driven by its core values of Safety, Courtesy, Integrity, Professionalism and Continuous Improvement, KPJ’s integrated network consists of 30 specialist hospitals throughout the nation. With its expansion abroad, the Group currently has two hospitals in Indonesia, a sizeable share in a hospital in Bangkok, a hospital in Bangladesh, as well as a retirement and age-care resort in Australia.

KPJ Group of Hospitals have been receiving many health tourist patients from all over the world for various kinds of treatment. In ensuring patient safety, KPJ Hospitals have embarked on many initiatives to improve the Quality of care to customers including the certification of Malaysian Society for Quality in Health (MSQH), which is internationally linked to the international Society in health care (ISQua). KPJ hospitals have implemented the integrated management system (IMS) to guarantee high hospitals in groups have been accredited by SQH. Meanwhile 4 of these hospitals are accredited by the Joint Commission International (JCI).

One of the reasons we joined AMCHAM is because Americans were one of our top highest number patients who visited KPJ Specialist Hospitals, and the number keeps increasing. The other reason, we’re also strengthening our Health Tourism which is followed by the highest of medical technologies standard, well trained senior consultants (Specialist Doctors), and accredited hospitals from USA, such as Joint Commission International (JCI) Accreditation and Certification, which is recognized as a global leader and the international gold standard to ensure the best healthcare practices in quality and patient safety.

Kasper Wandi is CEO and Founder of Consider Digital, which has been acquired by Dentsu Aegis Network and operates as Consider iProspect.  His vision is to offer a unique digital proposition to companies across Southeast Asia wanting to tap into the online space. With his expertise in digital performance and business strategy, Consider iProspect has gathered numerous accolades in Southeast Asia.

In his previous role at Google in Denmark, Kasper helped top conglomerates transition numerous businesses online. He then transferred to Google Australia, where he successfully implemented digital growth strategies across the APAC region.

Kasper has more than 10 years of experience in digital, dating back to his first job after high school in his hometown,  Copenhagen — where he was already working hard to educate and convince companies that digital is the future.

Having studied and worked in Copenhagen, London, Paris, California, Dublin, and Sydney before moving to Kuala Lumpur, Kasper still has a solid appetite for travel and adventure. If not snowboarding or playing tennis, he can be found relaxing on an island such as Bali.

1. How would you describe your management style?

Passionate. Passion rubs off on people and keeps you motivated even when times are tough. It’s extremely important that you are able to shield your team from all the turbulence that is going on from outside so they can focus on what they do best.

Accountable. I understand, as a leader, that I am personally accountable for the success or failure of the team. So I give credit where credit is due and find innovative ways to make sure people want to work hard.

Versatile. I adapt to the strengths and weaknesses of the people on my team, all of whom are very capable and diverse. I believe in hiring the best people, and then I empower them with the right management approach, and providing them the resources and tools they need to succeed.

2. Who inspires you the most and why? How have you incorporated that into your daily life?

Besides my parents, who are entrepreneurial, during my career at Google, I had a manager named Stephen Riad, who has made a big impact in my professional life and shaped me to be the leader that I am today. Our bi-weekly catch-ups was something that I always looked forward to, as he was a savvy business professional, who also genuinely cared about you as a person. I have turned to him for advice several times when I am at the crossroads.

3. How do you see your organization changing in two years, and how do you see yourself creating/being a part of that change?

In today’s digital world, our clients need to future-proof themselves by nurturing the fundamentals which have always built brands, whilst embracing new levers for sustained growth.  First we were the only Malaysian agency that offered a full suite of Digital Strategy, Analytics, CRM, Content Marketing, e-Commerce, SEO, Paid Performance, Social Media and Influencer Marketing. Most recently, we have seen the need for consulting activities and we have evolved our portfolio to develop solid capabilities in Digital Consultancy, CRM, and Data. My role in that is continually scaling up our people and resources. I’m also a constant proponent for establishing closer relationships with our clients based on trust — we’ve never been afraid to set big goals and we aim to continue our strong trajectory.

4. Tell me about an accomplishment or a memorable incident that shaped your career.

I’m proud of being able to make tough decisions and having the courage to chase my dream, by leaving Google, moving to a country that I had never been in before, and starting a business from scratch. When we started Consider Digital, we wanted to build the best digital agency in the region. So when we joined Dentsu Aegis Network and became part of iProspect, the number one performance agency globally by RECMA, I felt very proud that they recognised the value of what we have built, and the talented team we have put together.

 5. What would we be surprised to learn about you?

I’m a very hands-on dad! I have a son who is about to start kindergarten, so I try to spend as much time with him and my wife as I possibly can. We love traveling, so whenever we get the chance, we are off exploring!

6. What book are you reading or podcast you most recommend?

Currently, I am reading a really witty book called ‘The Value of Art’ by Michael Findlay. My all-time go-to business book is ‘How to Win Friends and Influence People’ by Dale Carnegie. It is a must-read for understanding how people tick and communicating effectively as a leader.

(Article by Global Compact Network Malaysia)

Businesses play a central role in providing food to communities and combating hunger and malnutrition. Without careful management and safeguards, company operations can negatively impact the local food security of communities surrounding their operations and supply chain. A particular problem is abuse of land rights through land grabbing. Businesses in all sectors should ensure that land used throughout their supply chain is not, and has not, been taken without free, prior and informed consent from local communities. Companies can also negatively impact communities by restricting access to agricultural inputs including seeds, water supplies, knowledge and finance. Responsible supply chain practices that respect land rights and support smallholder farms can help two-thirds of the world’s population address hunger and achieve economic development. Business is also an emitter of greenhouse gasses, which contribute to climate change and thereby can exacerbate hunger through impacting yields.

State of Food Security and Malnutrition in Malaysia

1. Malnutrition (source: KRI, 2019)

• Stunting increased from 17.2% in 2006 to 20.7% of all children below 5 in 2016, while 13.7% of children were underweight in 2006
• 9 million Malaysians are affected by anaemia, around half of them women between 15 to 45 years of age. The median calcium intake of Malaysians was less than half the recommended level in 2014.
• Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as obesity and diabetes dominate the leading causes of premature death and disability in Malaysia
• The prevalence of known and undiagnosed diabetes increased from 6.9% in 1996 to 17.5% in 2015. In 2015, 30.0% of adults were overweight, and a further 17.7% were obese

2. Food Security

The widespread, if not consensus view is that Malaysia does not face serious food availability issues. Food supplies available in the country are, by and large, sufficient. However, having sufficient food in the country does not mean that every person in the country has equal access to food.

• Food accounts for a major share of expenditure of most low- and medium-income households. Households earning less than RM2,000 monthly spent an average of 41.4% on food. From 2003 to 2017, food prices increased by 69%, compared to a 42% increase in the overall consumer price index (CPI), i.e., food price inflation has been higher than the overall increase in prices. This poses a problem to people of lower income as they’re hardest hit by price inflation. (KRI, 2019)
• Moreover, climate change poses a threat to rice production in Malaysia. Projections by the FFTC Agricultural Policy Platform (FFTC-AP) indicate that rice yields will decline by 4.6-6.1% if the temperature increases by 1 °C, and from 5 mega-tonnes (MT) to 4 mega-tonnes per hectare if it increases by 2° This poses an accessibility risk to lower income households as the price of rice might further inflate.

Do your actions satisfy leadership qualities?

1. Intentionality

• Is your company committed to supporting the achievement of Goal 2? Have you developed a holistic strategy that reflects this commitment, covering end-to-end operations and the wider community?
• Are you committed to learn from your actions and do you have processes in place to improve them accordingly?
• Is your strategy supported by the highest levels of management, including the Board of Directors?

2. Ambition

• Do your actions achieve long-term outcomes that greatly exceed those resulting from current industry practice?
• Are your actions aligned with what is needed to achieve Goal 2?

3. Consistency

• Is support for Goal 2 embedded across all organizational functions?
• Are staff and board incentives aligned with achieving Goal 2?

4. Collaboration

• Do you proactively look for opportunities to partner with Governments, UN agencies, suppliers, civil society organizations, industry peers and other stakeholders to inform how to advance Goal 2?

5. Accountability

• Do you publicly express your commitment to advance Goal 2?
• Do you identify, monitor, and report on impacts, including potentially adverse impacts? • Do you mitigate risks associated with your action?
• Do you remediate negative impacts associated with this action?
• Do you engage stakeholders in a meaningful way?

Framework for Business Action

Business Action 1: Engage in the creation of secure and decent jobs, especially in least developed countries and for vulnerable populations

Smallholder farmers around the world can struggle to make a profit from producing food, and most of the world’s undernourished people depend on agriculture for their livelihoods. To address this challenge, businesses can help smallholders increase yields and incomes from sustainable agriculture. Responsible sourcing of agricultural products and acquiring land for other purposes requires businesses to respect land rights, pay fair prices, and ensure that all members of their supply chain avoid unsustainably exploiting resources such as water, land and (especially women’s) labour. Leading businesses go beyond this and support smallholders directly, including through building capacity and sharing knowledge on agricultural resilience techniques, developing risk sharing initiatives, supporting marketing skills for different agricultural markets, identifying practices for increasing agricultural yields in different environments, restructuring supply chains to avoid intermediaries that exploit producers, and enabling and promoting better pay and conditions for farm workers

Example Practice

• A coffee retailer shares ten years of proprietary agronomy research to farmers in developing countries to help them increase yields and farm sustainably
• A fruit company ensures decent income for small-scale farmers by providing long-term contracts, having direct relationships with growers, engaging in capacity-building for sustainable agricultural practices and having fixed pricing

Business Action 2: Alter food manufacturing, distribution and retail to contribute to ending malnutrition and hunger in all communities surrounding company operations

Companies that manufacture food and beverage products can deploy versions of these products that reduce hunger and increase nutrition for consumers. Leading companies will develop products responsive to the nutritional needs of the poor and disadvantaged groups, and support other Goals in their delivery

Example Practices

• A food manufacturing company develops nutrient-fortified grains to deliver nutrients and vitamins to malnourished populations, with production facilities in developing countries and workers including smallholder farmers, over half of whom are women
• An agricultural product development company develops ready-to-use therapeutic food products for infant and maternal consumption in areas suffering from malnutrition, while avoiding processed foods

Business Action 3: Work towards eliminating food waste and loss

A third of produced food ends up as waste. Reducing this waste in effect increases food supply and is an important element in reducing hunger and undernourishment. As with other resources, all business can strive to minimize food waste through planning, providing maximum information to consumers and reusing leftover food products as compost. Leading businesses go further, by shifting demand and creating new markets to include healthy foods that would otherwise go to waste due to cosmetic imperfections, lack of refrigeration or high prices. Waste management companies can lead on reducing food loss and waste by pricing waste by weight or volume, and engaging with other stakeholders on reducing the amount of waste they produce.

Example Practice

• A produce store sells produce that would be considered ‘deformed’ at a discount to reduce food loss and combat hunger
• A grocer incorporates ‘smart’ packaging that indicates when meat spoils to allow customers to use food products through their full shelf life

Businesses can benefit from ending hunger as it allows them to access new and previously underserved markets. The greatest market opportunities today are also the areas seeing the fastest population growth, which will increase demand for food up to 200 per cent from current levels by 2050. In many cases, reducing food waste directly improves the financial baseline: deploying sustainable agricultural solutions and reducing food loss and waste are each projected to deliver over $650 billion in annual value by 2030.

In January 2020 the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the outbreak of a new coronavirus disease in Hubei Province, China to be a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. WHO stated there is a high risk of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19) spreading to other countries around the world.

WHO and public health authorities around the world are taking action to contain the COVID-19 outbreak. However, long term success cannot be taken for granted. All sections of our society – including businesses and employers – must play a role if we are to stop the spread of this disease.

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