On June 25, AMCHAM held a light session on the subject of “Tactics to Advance Women in the Leadership Pipeline. Our special guest, Rebecca Tadikonda, Executive Vice President, Head of Strategic Growth Markets of MetLife Asia shared her journey moving up the corporate ladder.
With women still pushing to reach the top, they are faced with a range of challenges, including judgemental behavior that discourage women from improving through trial and error, how women handle failure, and finding the balance between family, work, and leisure. The session was very interactive as Rebecca values the input and stories from the audience.
Audience participation was high many of the attendees could relate to the issues raised, allowing members to learn from the sharing of experiences. . The session while short, was very meaningful.
The future of our country rests on the shoulders of the children today. To ensure the future generation can fulfill this task, it is important we instill their interests in science & technology, engineering, and math (STEM).
On June 27, AMCHAM held yet another insightful session with the help of our two speakers, Catherine Tang, Site Communications & Government Affairs Lead of Motorola Solutions Malaysia and Jenny Foo, Corporate Relations & Communications Director from Keysight Technologies.
Knowing the importance of STEM in our daily lives, Catherine and Jenny discuss the different educational programs that are being held in collaboration with schools around Malaysia. Also touching on the key steps that businesses can take to incorporate STEM programs to their CSR efforts.
The audience was very enticed with the topic and the efforts made by the company to ensure the children obtain good education to explore their talents.
Steven Chin, the General Manager/Director of Herbalife Nutrition Malaysia is a business leader who is both experienced and adaptive. He understands the importance of continuous growth and improvement in order to meet the changing times and new markets.
1. How would you describe your management style?
It has evolved over time and experience. Initially, it was a more empowering style of management; today, I am more conscious of team members at various degrees of development hence depending on the task assigned, the approach may vary from coaching to empowering.
2. Who inspires you the most and why? How have you incorporated this into your daily life?
There are a few role models – from a management lecturer who counseled that every debate has valid opposing viewpoints thus avoid jumping to conclusions and decide only after assessing various viewpoints, to my father who through his own experiences have taught me the virtues of patience and perseverance. Finally to some incredible people in Herbalife Nutrition that truly inspired me in helping others get healthier and happier.
3. How do you see your organization changing in two years, and how do you see yourself creating/being a part of that change?
It is obvious that the Millennial generation and technology advancements are powering rapid changes in businesses internally and externally. My role would be to ensure that we continue to maintain the agility to adapt, evolve and leverage these changes. This can only be achieved through propagating a culture of continuous improvement, innovation, and experimentation.
4. Tell me about an accomplishment or a memorable incident that shaped your career.
At one point in my career, I was promoted to lead the operations of a substantial healthcare distribution service provider. Then, we were trailing in second place behind the leading competitor in terms of client satisfaction. While others saw the impossibility or challenges in leading the industry, I approached it differently by focusing on strengthening the service fundamentals while always keeping pulse with the needs of our clients. Within 2 years, we led the market and many clients switched over. In essence, you can hardly go wrong once you know your clients’ needs and get the fundamentals right in meeting those needs.
5. What would we be surprised to learn about you?
No surprises, I would be surprised if there was anything surprising to learn about me.
6. What book are you reading or podcast you most recommend?
It would be hard to pinpoint a single favorite as a few book titles were instrumental in shaping my thinking process including Who Moved My Cheese?, Seven Habits of Highly Successful People, The 22 Immutable Laws of Marketing, Rich Dad Poor Dad…etc.
7. What do you do for fun?
Mountain-biking. There are some amazing trails around Klang Valley and usually, over the weekend I try to get out to the trails and ride. Also, our family welcomed a new addition – baby Vienna, last year; she’s such a bundle of joy. It’s definitely fun every time I spend time with her.
Nu Skin Southeast Asia Children’s Heart Fund was established in 2008 in Malaysia, with the aim of improve the lives of underprivileged children by helping them to live a life free from congenital heart diseases.
Since the project started, Nu Skin Malaysia, together with its partners – Institut Jantung Negara (IJN) Foundation and A Heart For A Heart Program from Gleneagles Kuala Lumpur have saved more than 270 children born with congenital heart disease in Malaysia, touching the hearts of these families from different parts of the country. Besides, the annual Force For Good Day with the objective of creating smiles for the underprivileged children and Wish List Projects by the company have fulfilled the dreams of more than 500 children nationwide on December 2018.
The impact of this initiative is not only limited to the children but also the Sales Leaders whose lives have been transformed because of their contribution to the community, making them better persons in the community and their families. With this effort, Nu Skin continues to play its role in empowering people to improve lives, making the world a better place for future generations, leaving behind a legacy for the next generation.
For more info, please visit to www.nuskin.my
In the afternoon of Tuesday, May 7th, AMCHAM held a workshop on the Importance of Measurability with a primary focus on Economic Social Governance (ESG) and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). The session was conducted by Chitra Hepburn, one of Asia’s leading voices in ESG. With the rise of ESG being a core component for investors and shareholders, the factors in regards to measurement had come into question.
Measurability is a vital aspect of how programs, especially in Corporate Citizenship, are assessed and nurtured. This workshop covered the areas of ESG that are measured within the CSR context.
It was a learning session on how the function CSR should be handled in the current age. Members were put into groups and shared their experiences in handling CSR, then determining if that CSR activity fulfilled the ESG criteria. This was accompanied by ideas on how to improve their CSR programs.
As for the segment on Metrics, the general outline was detailed in the program, but the full ‘step-by-step’ guide on application and calculation of the ESG measurement would require a follow-up event organized in the near future.
AMCHAM would like to thank our Corporate Citizenship Committee members & AMCHAM members for their participation.
On Tuesday morning, May 7th, AMCHAM hosted a closed-door seminar on the subject of Corporate Accountability and Non-Financial indicators, held at AMCHAM’s Executive Office. It was conducted by Chitra Hepburn, one of the leading voices on Economic Social Governance (ESG) in Asia.
The seminar dwelled into the topic of ESG and why it matters to businesses and how it influences the brand. Members actively participated in identifying the sections of their business strategies that should be a concern in regards to the growing trends.
This was then followed by a discussion among members and speaker to seek a solution. Participation was great, the discussion touched on the changes organizations should be making to meet the present and future environments derived from the members’ expertise and experiences.
ESG has become a key factor for today’s socially conscious investors and should not be taken lightly regardless if the firm is already established or if it is an upcoming one. It is better to prepare in advance, remove unnecessary risks than to deal with the consequences later.
