On 14 May, at our Member’s Briefing, we had the opportunity to hear from Hazree Mohd Turee, Managing Director of Bower Group Asia Malaysia, Leslie Lopez, Regional Correspondent of The Straits Times of Singapore and Nat Turner, Economic Counselor of the U.S. Embassy Kuala Lumpur for their perspectives on the  results of Malaysia’s General Election along with thoughts around the impact on businesses and the economic landscape as a whole.

Questions raised about what to expect in the next 100 days, the appointment of the Ministers so far, and what signals businesses are watching for that will inform them of the future investment landscape.

We’d like to thank all our panelists and members for their vibrant contribution this afternoon. As mentioned by Siobhan Das, Executive Director of AMCHAM, we’ll be hosting similar meetings to provide as much information to members as possible while using the opportunity also hear from our members as we form start to reach out to the new government.  

If you were not able to attend these Member Only sessions, please check you are receiving our notices and if you are not, please contact Kevin Roch at [email protected]  Member Briefings are for registered AMCHAM members only, and make sure you are getting your notices.

Almost immediately after the results of GE-14 were confirmed, on 11  May, a small group of AMCHAM CEO’s were able to sit with Bridget Welsh, the renowned Malaysian-watcher, author and Associate Professor of Political Science at John Cabot University in Rome for a ‘de-brief’ about what transpired in the past 48 hours. The candid conversation captivated 20 members as they were still trying to process what it all meant and how the business world would be impacted.  

What better way to a guilt-free networking evening than getting in a quick round of golf, walking about 8000 steps before adjourning to some cool drinks and a light buffet.  

AMCHAM organized a casual round of golf (9-holes) on 3 May at the Royal Selangor Golf Club for our members. Luckily for us, we seem to have a great overlap between RSGC and AMCHAM members so everyone was made to feel right at home.  The rain came a bit early that day so the golfers who were able to play mid-week eagerly hit the fairways and had no problem getting around this walking course. The casual golf event the Chamber is trying to hold each month is a perfect opportunity to meet other AMCHAM members on the course and have fun in a relaxed atmosphere.

The evening ended with a networking session where non-golfers were able to join everyone on the treasured ‘19th hole’.  It was a fun-filled evening with a great selection of local and international cuisine together with free flow of wine and beer. Guests enjoyed themselves and already looking forward to our next casual golf outing on July 3rd at the Royal Selangor Golf Club. If you’re interested to join us for our next Nine to 19, please drop Kevin Roch an email at [email protected]

Interested in participating in more golf and getting ready for our Ambassador’s Cup corporate golf day in September? Kindly click here to be part of our golf mailing list.

The U.S. Embassy recently launched its Visa Renewal by Mail program. On 3 May, Marcelyn Sanchez, Deputy Consul General from the U.S. Embassy of Kuala Lumpur provided AMCHAM member companies, an update on the U.S. Business Visa process including this new program that they hope will make the process more efficient.  Members had the opportunity to ask as many questions as they wished and were able to attain further clarity on the visa application process.

AMCHAM would like to thank Marcelyn for briefing our members this morning and if you have any questions, please email at [email protected]

Following a successful launching of our American Speaker Series, AMCHAM was delighted to have Dr. Rajni Goel of Howard University (Washington D.C.) on 7 May  join our members in Penang for a more technical cybersecurity discussion. Coming out the hear and meet Dr Rajni were members involved with supply chain activities along with IT specialists.

Thank you to Motorola Solutions for hosting us and we look forward to bringing more expert speakers to Penang soon.

In collaboration with the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur and the US-ASEAN Business Council, AMCHAM will be presenting a series of programs that brings speakers from the U.S. to address some of the more topical issues of the day.  Please keep an eye out for these unique events.

Kicking off the series on 3 May, we had the opportunity to host Dr. Rajni Goel, Information Systems and Cyber-Security Professor from the School of Business of Howard University in Washington D.C. to speak on cybersecurity, one of the hottest topics for both businesses as well as the average Joe!

Cybersecurity represents one of the most serious economic and national security challenges we face as a nation. Dr. Rajni highlighted that many companies, be it a large corporation or a small business,, fail to pay the necessary attention to cybersecurity. Hackers are aware of the complacent nature of small businesses with SMEs investing little-to-no money on improving their cybersecurity making them more vulnerable. Large corporations meanwhile may have sufficient funds to invest in cybersecurity, not many are aware of the importance nor the critical role employee behaviour plays.

Dr. Rajni’s session was an eye-opener for many; it helped everyone in the room understand the importance of cybersecurity and Dr Rajni was peppered with a host of questions that touched on regular cyber health checks, HR systems and practices, the benefits of cloud computing that are protected with the more up-to-date safety measures.

AMCHAM would like to take this opportunity to thank Dr. Rajni for meeting our members this morning and we would also like to thank the U.S. Embassy and the U.S. ASEAN Business Council.