What would you do when six of your close friends suffering from advanced stages of cancer come to you for medical help, but all you could do was to recommend that they adhere to the prescribed healthcare treatments, knowing fully well that it was not going to work? Lew Hon Kean, Chief Executive Officer of Genecare Sdn Bhd shares with Top 10 of Malaysia about his experience and how he set up his genomics-based healthcare solution company in 2017, which focuses on Precision Preventive Healthcare.

As a pharmacist, Lew Hon Kean felt helpless as he could not do much to alleviate the suffering that his friends went through. He wished that he was able to do something to prolong their lives. Unfortunately, the existing healthcare approach and system meant pharmacists like Lew can only play a supporting role in the patient’s well-being.

“Those six friends died within three to six months of diagnosis of cancer. That incident struck me hard. I asked myself, am I running a pharmacy business or am I really helping people to improve their lives?” shares Lew who is the Chief Executive Officer of Genecare Sdn Bhd.

“Coincidentally, an old friend contacted me to inform about genomics-based healthcare solution. Genomic is a complete set of DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid) in a single individual and variation in DNA sequences give rise to inter-individual differences in health risks and complications. We learned about DNA in Pharmacology at university but genomics studies were fairly new and DNA sequencing was not commercially viable back then. If genome profiling was commercially available then, I would have helped my friends.”

Genomics-based healthcare solution allows the identification of an individual’s risk of getting diseases including cancers as well as differences in dietary requirements and response to medications. The genome profiling process involves extracting DNA from the patient’s blood samples followed by next-generation sequencing before a comprehensive analysis was performed to identify the patient’s genomic health data.

With genome profiles, doctors are able to diagnose the patient’s health accurately without having the patient sharing family medical history and other information which more often not, is based on the patient’s perception. “Genome profiling increases early detection of diseases as well as reduces mis-diagnosis and under-diagnosis of health conditions,” explains Lew.

Additionally, other healthcare providers such as Medical Practitioner, pharmacists and dietitians are able to leverage on genome profiling to recommend the right medication and/or supplement dosage and a precise healthcare plan for the patient.

“For example, a thirty-seven-year-old Malaysian woman has been treated for vision problems for some time. Through genome profiling, we discovered that she has Acute Zonal Occult Outer Retinopathy disease – a very rare disease caused by problems in the thyroid glands,” says Lew.

“Genomics is relatively new. Although President Obama launched precision medicine initiatives in the United States in 2015, we still lack practical applications and experience. That is why we need to increase public awareness especially among healthcare providers and academicians about genomics and its benefits in precision medicine,” suggests the former pharmacist.

“To increase public awareness about genomics, we work closely with various associations for healthcare providers, conduct monthly talks and collaborate with Taiwan Precision Medicine Society to deliver courses and to certify our healthcare providers and academicians in genomic sequencing as it is a highly specialised and technical process.”

Lew adds, “We also source technology expertise in Taiwan, and we do a lot of fund-raising within the region as well.”

Part of Genecare’s commercial plans is to introduce NexTx, an online platform for healthcare providers to access the patient’s genomic profiles (with consent) via blockchain applications with the purpose of providing the most effective and accurate healthcare solutions for them.

Genomics-based healthcare solution is a groundbreaking approach from the current primary healthcare system, at least in Malaysia and within the region. So, what are Lew’s plans for the future?

“We currently have a presence in Vietnam, the Philippines, and Indonesia, and intend to expand to Thailand, Myanmar, and Australia. We have also recently received an invitation to set up our company in the United Kingdom. We hope that would help us to expedite genomics profiling and precision medicine in a larger way in the South-East Asia region.”

The post RIDING ON THE WAVE OF A NEW FRONTIER appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

Beauty-with-brains has always seemed to walk in tandem in Shazreeyana Ahamad Shukri’s academic portfolio. She went to study medicine in Russia in 2005 fulfilling her parents’ dream to have a doctor-in-the-house, however, it came without passion and the burden made her time abroad a dreadful journey. Her leap of faith to becoming a make-up artist and a stylist would certainly not get her any blessings. This is how Shazreeyana, the founder of Shazreeyana Beauty Sdn Bhd describes her early journey to Top 10 of Malaysia in a recent interview. She talks enthusiastically about how her deep passion for beauty propelled her to new heights of success as an entrepreneur.

In her first year abroad, Shazreeyana Ahamad Shukri was diagnosed with a cyst problem and had to come back home for the operation and continued her study in Malaysia. She laments how depressed she was when she was diagnosed again with the second cyst and even hit her rock bottom when her mother passed away from cancer soon after that. She was faced with yet another heart-wrenching dilemma when she had to abort her first unborn child due to ectopic pregnancy in her final year of study. At this stage, Shazreeyana was losing herself. She found her knack for beauty during her time off from study which led her to self-realization of what makes her inspiration ticks. She was pregnant again and to keep her focus and balance she had to give up on becoming a doctor. This impacted her life tremendously because she had to keep up appearances with her family until she had made her first million.

Shazreeyana started making video reviews on beauty products and make-up tutorials while making her name as a make-up artist. She started with RM5,000 buying her first beauty product to work with and ended up with RM1.2 million in revenue during the first year. “I was happy and surprised to have believed in my instinct,” says Shazreeyana with a smile.

“Anything on beauty, health, and skincare just come naturally to me and I just know where to pin the tips for my viewers and customers,” she reiterates. Shazreeyana started to gain more confidence from her viewers and new clients which led her to a ready-to-wear (RTW) clothing line in 2015 and also appointed as an ambassador for several beauty products. Being an ambassador is easy which Shazreeyana is still currently active, however, the RTW came with its set of challenges when she lost quite a fortune due to her lack of proper business strategy. “Somehow I turned my disappointments into positive vibes and focused on what I do best. “Failure will never stop me,” she says enthusiastically.

She promoted herself by giving free make-up for renowned fashion designers like Rizman Ruzaini, Modvier and others during their fashion shows and also free services to celebrities like Ella, Zahira McWilson, Juliana Evans, DeFam just to name a few. Her magic touch sparks confidence among the influential circle in the entertainment industries and her brand was well received.

Since the inception of Shazreeyana Beauty in 2017, she has

spread her wings into promoting and distributing new local beauty and health products of her choice through her website. Dermova-Dream Skin Gel Moisturizer is Shazreeyana’s latest skincare product under her third company, Dermova Sdn Bhd and the response has been remarkably overwhelming.

Shazreeyana owes her success in the business to her self-reliance and self-determination and most of all, her husband’s blessings, understanding, trust and sacrifices during her tight schedules which have made their relationship even stronger. She sets her dreams to be successful in her way and her indifferences while underpinning for new job creators in the beauty business. “I am determined to lead and shape them to grow with me,” she says. Shazreeyana may not be the doctor-in-the house anymore but she certainly is the beauty-with-brains in the house.

The post THE LEAP OF FAITH TO A NEWFOUND SUCCESS appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

No love and trust is ever more heartfelt when you have your soulmate for life to constantly reassure you to never give up on your dreams and lift you up whenever the fall is hard. Aini Hafiza Hussin, stumbled into sudden hardships and rose to success and always has her past to remind her to never stumble twice. Counting her blessings, these are the gifts that Aini, the founder of Adreana Beauty will always be grateful for her success and she has her inspiring stories to share with Top 10 of Malaysia.

“I remember crying out loud when my mother couldn’t buy me a bag, I felt angry at her but later crying inside for being selfish after realizing she had no money at all. From that moment on, I promised to myself that my children will never have to feel what I felt back then,” reminisces Aini Hafiza Hussin.

Aini, a Bachelor in Technology Management graduate from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia has always been a self-motivated lady. However, her decision to give up her position as the Assistant Manager at Bumisoft Sdn Bhd, a company specialising in Information Technology, seemed very foolish back then. “I decided to raise my first child on my own, thinking my family could survive on a single income. However, fate struck deep when my husband was given the boot and the struggle took its toll with only RM1,000 left in my bank account after I delivered my second child.

“I had zero knowledge on beauty and health care, let alone on how to do retail of one,” says Aini. However, strong-willed as she has always been, she succeeded to convince a researcher from Universiti Malaya, who just came out with a new beauty product to let her carry and promote the brand despite having only RM500 left in her bank account.

“Without any strong testimonial reviews, the first 50 sets of the products did not go well at all and I had to give away 30 sets for free trial with no profit margin. During that moment, my husband, Ahmad Imran Ramli has always been by my side to constantly give me a pat on the back and for that, I am even more in love with him,” shares Aini.

“Luckily I received good reviews after the free trial packages that I had given out for samples were well accepted and restocked with the money I borrowed from my mother-in-law,” shares Aini. This time around, it is important for her to represent herself and her brand by thrusting herself into the limelight. With no rock unturned, she gained more trust and built broader networks with celebrities and those in the entertainment circle.

Adreana Beauty Skincare stands out among other local brands for its water-hydrating based product with sea salt and potassium as its main ingredients. The ingredients are beneficial in locking the skin’s moisture rather than dehydrating the skin due to the sodium lauryl sulphate foaming effects. A ‘hands-off’ solution to your beauty regime, it will only require spraying cleanser, toner, and moisturizer straight to the face without the circular motion of cleansing. As sceptical as it may sound, this will minimize the terminal contact. “You can find our products at GPharmax in Terengganu and Farmasi Durian Tunggal at Melaka. Besides, we also advertised our products on social media platforms for nationwide promotion,” says Aini who is persistent in collaborating with MATRADE and other related agencies to introduce her products worldwide.

At 34 years of age, Aini’s tremendous life-changing leap for the past two years can only serve to give assurance to all the young entrepreneurs out there – to be bold and never be afraid of falling down as you embark on your journey in life. Her humble approach with genuine understanding and full support for her business team really paved the way for her to keep building the right networks. “My husband would always remind me that unsuccessful people make a decision based on their current situations while successful people make decisions based on where they want in life. If you want to start and sustain a business, you have to know and focus on the reason why you are starting it. Don’t give up if circumstances are not in your favor. Show to the world that you can achieve your 5-6 digit income by doing online business,” says Aini who believes that everyone can have the opportunity to seize their moment of success in life.

The post AN ENTRPRENEURIAL PROWESS THAT GOES THE DISTANCE appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

Kuala Lumpur Metro Group, in a joint venture with Menteri Besar Incorporated (Negeri Sembilan government investment arm) recently announced the development of its latest resort, Lexis Hibiscus 2, in an official signing ceremony, witnessed by YB Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim, Member of Parliament for Port Dickson.

Scheduled to open in 2024, the 5-star luxury resort which will be situated adjacent to Lex-is Hibiscus in Port Dickson, has an estimated gross development value of RM 500 Million and will feature 760 rooms, comprising of 582 water villas and 178 sky pool villas. Just like the Lexis Hibiscus, each villa at the Lexis Hibiscus 2 will come with its own private dip pool for unsurpassed luxury and privacy.

“We are excited to once again partner with the Lexis Hotel Group for our latest iconic project, the Lexis Hibiscus 2. Leveraging on their expertise as a trendsetting hospitality company, coupled with strong local market knowledge, we believe Lexis Hibiscus 2 will emulate the success of Lexis Hibiscus and is set to surpass Lexis Hibiscus’ current positioning as the largest water homes development in the world,” said Ybhg. Dato’ Haji Mat Has-san Esa, Chairman of Kuala Lumpur Metro Group.

“Upon completion, Lexis Hibiscus 2 will bring in approximately 400,000 tourists annually to Port Dickson. If each tourist spends an average one night stay of RM600, this will generate tourist receipts of RM240 Million ringgit per annum and will benefit the local communities and enhance the international appeal of Port Dickson as a leading tourist destination.

The opening of Lexis Hibiscus 2 will strengthen the Lexis’ brand’s footprint in the seaside town of Port Dickson. We will work closely with the Malaysian government, with the aim to promote tourism in Port Dickson, for discerning leisure and business travelers from the FITs, tour series, corporate and MICE (Meetings, Events, Conventions, and Exhibitions) segment, both locally and abroad”, he added.

Speaking at the event, YAB Dato’ Seri Haji Aminuddin Bin Harun, Chief Minister of Negeri Sembilan said, “Menteri Besar Incorporated was given a 20 percent stake in the Lexis Hibiscus 2 development, in return for 32 hectares of land.”

“The state government also gains from the land premium paid by KL Metro Group, which will also pay 42 fishermen there who are affected by the project. Each fisherman would also receive RM1,000 a month for over five years,” he explained.

To date, the Group and its successful properties – Lexis Port Dickson, Grand Lexis Port Dickson, and Lexis Hibiscus Port Dickson have brought in 5.2 million tourists. Out of the 5.2 million tourists, half of them are foreign tourists from 156 countries worldwide. The Group aims to further attract more local and international guests, particularly in the Asia Pacific and Middle Eastern region, with Lexis Hibiscus 2, by providing them with its signature brand of hospitality and top-notch memorable experiences that will last a lifetime.

A key impact of this endeavor will also create many business and job opportunities. To illustrate, during the construction phase, approximately 2,000 jobs will be created and a further 1,000 jobs will be created during the resort management phase.

Lexis Hibiscus 2 will provide the finest in accommodation, dining, and meetings in the state of Negeri Sembilan to discerning leisure and business travelers. Among its key facilities include: a sunken aquarium with built-in restaurant – the first of its kind in Malaysia, a musical fountain, a Grand Ballroom – the largest ballroom in Negeri Sembilan to accommodate 2,000 persons, and the Hibiscus Walk – a unique outdoor shopping and dining destination featuring rows of “street food” style stalls offering authentic Malaysian cuisine.

Located about an hour’s drive from Kuala Lumpur International Airport (KLIA) or Kuala Lumpur city center, and nestled along Pasir Panjang beach, Lexis Hibiscus 2 Port Dick-son sprawls into the Straits of Malacca and will resemble the national flower of Malaysia.

The resort will be managed by the Lexis Hotel Group, who has won several accolades from reputable bodies including the prestigious World Luxury Hotel Awards, Haute Grandeur Global Hotel Awards, PATWA International Travel Awards, Business Television India (BTVI), BrandLaureate Best Brands Awards, Hospitality Asia Platinum Awards (HAPA), Asia’s Best Employer Brand Awards and Top 10 of Asia, just to name a few.

In addition, its current signature property, Lexis Hibiscus Port Dickson is the proud record holder of two Guinness World Records for achieving “The most swimming pools in a resort” and “The most overwater villas in a single resort”. Once completed, Lexis Hibiscus 2 will have taken over the record.

Key Facts

Lexis Hibiscus 2 Port Dickson

• The resort comprises 760 rooms – 582 water villas (on stilts) and 178 sky pool villas (high-rise)
• The average size of units: 800 sq ft to 1000 sq ft
• Average sale price: RM 600,000 to RM 700,000
• Unique features:
  • Each villa comes with a private dip pool
  • Sunken aquarium with built-in restaurant (first of its kind in Malaysia)
  • Musical fountain
• Full resort facilities and services including:
  • Grand ballroom (largest in state of Negeri Sembilan to accommodate 2000 persons)
  • Meeting rooms customized for all occasions
  • A wide variety of dining options including intercontinental, Japanese and Chinese cuisine
  • Hibiscus Walk: a unique outdoor shopping and dining destination featuring rows of “street food” style stalls offering authentic Malaysian cuisine
  • Helipad
  • Jetty
  • Gym, sauna and spa
  • Water sports and beach activities
  • Lobby lounge and concierge
  • Souvenir shop
• Project commencement: late 2020
• Project completion: 2024
• Estimated project GDV: RM 500 Million
• Target market: local and overseas (with a key focus in the Asia Pacific region & Middle East)

The post Kuala Lumpur Metro Group To Build Lexis Hibiscus 2 In Port Dickson appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

From being a model in the glitzy, colourful world of catwalk modelling to becoming the proponent of bare-faced beauty, Nurul Taherah Helmi Raflah, better known as Hera Helmi of Herv Natural Plt, is making a big name of her own in championing confidence through skincare. Known lovingly as “Mommy” to many of her business associates and fans of her Herv Natural products, Hera shares with Top 10 of Malaysia her rise as an all-natural skincare entrepreneur.

“I was a true blue kampung girl, raised by my grandmother in Kuala Kangsar till I was 17 years old. My father and my late mother brought me to Kuala Lumpur only after I have completed my high school. I wasn’t interested in continuing my studies after SPM (Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia) for some reason, so I decided to become a model, and then an established makeup artist,” shares Hera Helmi. “Later, I became a catwalk modelling coach. Now I am a business owner.”

“Being a model meant wearing a lot of makeup often. I was also a makeup artist. So, what I am doing now, promoting bare skin and using less makeup, is quite ironic,” says Hera. When she first came up with the product concept, many of her peers thought negatively about it. This only spurred her determination to become the champion in bare-faced beauty. “My products are for healthier, brighter skin that does not change the natural skin colour,” she explains. Hera also wants more women not to be tied down by makeup. “Nowadays, so many women are dependent on makeup to make them feel good and confident. My mission is to change that perception, to have confidence with less makeup,” enthuses Hera.

Another reason for that is more spiritual by nature. “For Muslim women, when we want to perform our prayers outside our homes, we would need to wash off our makeup during ablution. But if we have good skin, we can afford to use less makeup, making it more convenient for us to perform our prayers,” says Hera.

Hera is also very excited that her skincare is now available in the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. “The skincare sets are sold in convenient travel-sizes from a customised vending machine. I am proud to say that Herv Natural is now a pioneer in self-purchase on-the-go skincare in Malaysia,” she reveals.

“My business is a family-oriented one, so I am “Mommy” to everyone, especially to my 50 business leaders and more than 3,000 agents and employees. They are the backbones to my business.” Hera also holds regular business meetings that are geared towards spiritual strength. “I believe in having a team that has strong spiritual faith. This helps in keeping everyone in a positive mindset, which leads to better performance,” says Hera. “Family is always important. I believe that in treating my family well, my business will also be blessed with success.”

In the span of a year, Herv Naturals is one of Malaysia’s fastest-moving businesses. “It’s because I dare to go against the norm, to lead my team through spirituality, and to help women feel confident with less makeup,” says Hera. Her product wowed the international crowd in a cosmetics fair in Dubai recently. “Now I have set my sights on Jakarta, Brunei and Dubai for the next five years. In ten years, we will market all over the world.”

For the many aspiring entrepreneurs out there, Hera has this to say: “One, is to always have a clear mission and vision as these will guide you accordingly. Second, is to always be a trendsetter, not a follower. Be someone who dares to go against the norm and to set the trail for others. When one is a trendsetter, one will always be a pioneer.”

The post TAKING THE ROAD LESS TRAVELLED appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

Everyone should exude self-confidence in the way they carry themselves and the crowning glory, the hair, plays a vital part. In a recent interview, the enterprising Dato’ Foo Mei Yen, founder of HairMax Plus shares with Top 10 of Malaysia her inspiring story on how she helps restore confidence in people who have suffered from hair loss, baldness and Alopecia Areata.

“I am someone who loves to show the best side of me to my family and friends. I also love taking photos. However, when I had a hair loss problem not too long ago, I felt sad and was annoyed at the same time. That was when I decided to figure out how to overcome my problem,” says Dato’ Foo Mei Yen. “I have already spent a lot of money trying out hair loss prevention products, but to no avail. However, I was fortunate enough to find a solution to this problem two years back and I decided to introduce my products to help people restore their self-confidence. Initially, my friends and family members were the ones willing to try out my products for they have confidence in me,” she reveals.

Foo founded HairMax Plus with Sean Phan in 2017 and with great passion and hard work, her products has helped more than 30,000 customers hailing from Malaysia, Singapore, China, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. She realises that the people of this generation suffer hair loss at an earlier age, some as young as 20 years of age. “The cause of hair loss might be due to our lifestyle. I always believe that everyone deserves to have healthy hair with affordable hair loss solutions. Thus, I formulated affordable products with the needed ingredients and have introduced affordable hair solution packages which include hair shampoo, conditioner, hair boost tonic and anti-hair fall serum,” shares Foo.

The company prioritises customers’ needs and demands. “I emphasize on customer feedback and satisfaction, and will have frequent communication with them in order to understand their problems,” says Foo. “There are many customers who became our staff and distributors to help us promote and sell our products,” she says with a broad smile. The company frequently does surveys on related products available in the market to see how it can further improve its product quality.

Foo’s management philosophy encompasses open, direct communication and the solving of problems as a team. “I also want my staff to be honest in all their dealings with our customers,” says Foo. “I want our customers to truly experience the amazing beneficial effects of our products.”

Foo is grateful and honoured to be recognised as one of the Women Icons Malaysia 2019 with her award-winning product as one of the selected awardees in 2018. Foo strives to be more dedicated in improving her products to cater to the customers’ needs. Foo also won the Elegante International Business 2017/2018 and Asia Honesty Product Award 2018. She sees Hairmax Plus to be the leading brand for hair loss products in 5 years’ time, a preferred choice of people with hair loss problems.

Besides her success with HairMax Plus, Foo is also a housing developer. Her intense passion in the beauty line sees her owning Banyan Spa, a beauty spa which was awarded the Best Spa Award 2016/2017. In addition, Foo is also selling the StemCell Ageless Silk Mask online and will be launching the StemPro Double StemCell Marine Collagen by a new company called Skinnergy.

Foo’s advice for the younger generation is to be persistent and not give up easily. She also believes that challenges motivate her to reach for the next level of success. Her philosophy in life is to work hard, play hard and adopt a good lifestyle.

“A healthy and positive mindset is important in overcoming challenges. Do not fret too much about failure as you will regret later if you do not seize the opportunity and act on it! Just do it!” advises Foo.

The post ON TOP OF IT ALL appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

In Malaysia, a career in real estate has always been linked with encountering challenges, difficulties and earning an unstable income. In the recent interview with Top 10 of Malaysia, Ben Ling, the team leader of one of GS Realty Sdn Bhd’s award-winning groups – 168 Group, shares with Top 10 of Malaysia his experience in the real estate field and how he wishes to change society’s mindset by motivating youngsters to join the field and succeed despite being young and inexperienced.

Hailing from Ansun, Teluk Intan, the young and promising Ben Ling is already a team leader of 168 Group, one of the successful groups under GS Realty Sdn Bhd established by Dato Raymond Yeo. “After I graduated from Sekolah Menengah San Min (Suwa), I tried out various jobs which include being a gardener,” Ling shares. “When I was younger, I was unsure of what career path I wanted and so just like most people, I enrolled in a university.”

Later in his life, Ling was persuaded by some people to give it a try in the field of real estate. “I have a passion for almost anything. When I was in middle school, I participated in various co-curriculum activities and was the leader in nearly all the groups. Despite having interest in many things, I was unclear of what I wanted to do in life,” says Ling.

According to Ling, a career in the field of real estate can be luminous if given the right platform for people to succeed. “Nowadays, youngsters can earn a high income in real estate if they follow the correct system,” Ling says enthusiastically. “These days, the younger generation tend to lack confidence in themselves but if given the right opportunity, they will be able to achieve their dreams in life.”

Ling was the youngest member when he first joined GS Realty. “My family and colleagues’ initial impression was that I was too young to start a career selling properties and I proved them wrong,” laughs Ling. “Ever since then, we started recruiting more young people to join the company and many of them were arranged to be in my team,” smiles Ling with a sense of accomplishment.

Despite the successes garnered by 168 Group, Ling isn’t resting on his laurels and wishes to expand his team of young and successful property agents to be award winners in Malaysia. “When our team was at an initial stage, we only started out with around 10 members, now we have expanded to some 100 members,” reminisces Ling. “We didn’t have much resources then but after working hard persistently, we started to accomplish much through trial and error. Newcomers joining us these days are more privileged as we have already built a strong foundation of the work system for them to effectively help customers search for their dream homes,” says Ling excitedly.

Ling says that in Malaysia, the field of real estate isn’t a popular one. “I think that people in Malaysia assume that those who work in this field are usually the elders or middle-age adults. I hope that one day, their perception of this would change and this type of career will be widely accepted here,” says Ling hopefully. “In Taiwan, jobs in the field of real estate are pretty common and people believe that they could earn very good money just by being sacrificially diligent.”

168 Group has been winning awards for 3 consecutive years as a yearly champion for success in group sales. Ling personally has won awards for his outstanding performance for personal sales in 2016 and also as a top entrepreneur in 2017 and 2018.

Ling has this advice to give to youngsters out there: “Diligence is important but making a good choice in life is also vital as the same amount of hard work in whatever you do will yield different results based on the circumstances at hand.”

The post A WINNER IN MORE WAYS THAN ONE appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

The recent glittering Bursa Excellence Awards 2018 ceremony was held with the theme, “Outthinking, Outlasting, Outstanding”, a tribute to the market participants who persevered and were successful in taking the bull by the horn through challenging market cycles with their agility, versatility, innovativeness and sound judgement. Here, Top 10 of Malaysia shares its pick of the ten most outstanding award winners honoured for their contributions to the growth of the Malaysian capital market through equities, derivatives and the Islamic capital market.

Affin Hwang Investment Bank Berhad
Led by CEO, Datuk Maimoonah Hussain, Affin Hwang Investment Bank Berhad was the champion for the 2018 Best Overall Equities Participating Organization Award. It services encompasses 4 integrated departments which are corporate finance, equity capital markets, debt and capital markets and structured lending. Affin Hwang Investment also focuses around 3 principal business areas, namely, investment banking, securities (including research) and asset management. In addition, Affin Hwang also offers high quality advisory and execution services across investment banking, institutional securities and asset management.

Phillip Futures Sdn Bhd
Philip Futures Sdn Bhd, led by Lam Choon Jin focuses on Information Technology. It was the champion for the 2018 Best Overall Derivatives Trading Participant Award. Phillip Futures is a pioneer broking company in Malaysia that provides online trading for local and foreign specified exchanges. It also serves customers worldwide. The company handles everything from execution, settlement and reporting of various asset classes to customers. It also capitalizes on information technology to provide speed and convenience in trade execution while providing mobile trading in both local and foreign products with its product called Phillip Futures Mobile.

Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd
Champion of the 2018 Best Overall Bursa Malaysia-i Participating Organization Award, Malacca Securities Sdn Bhd, led by Lim Chia Wei, is more than 55 years in the stockbroking industry and has 18 branches located in West Malaysia. The company is well known for its business-friendly online trading digital platform, M+ Online for online stock trading solutions. M+ Online is a participating organization of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad. It enables investors to check real-time stock prices for free. Different customised trading strategies together with easy-to-read technical charts, financial analysis tools, daily stocks recommendations, live trading analytical records, market outlook and many more are provided by M+ Online.

CIMB Investment Bank Berhad
Led by CEO, Jefferi M Hashim, CIMB Investment Bank Berhad was the champion for the 2018 Best Retail Equities Participating Organisation (Investment Bank) Award. It provides market-leading conventional, investment banking and Islamic financial advice for its clients banking solutions. CIMB Investment operates through financial advisory, underwriting, debt, derivative, investment and securities services. Its financial advisory and underwriting segments operate offers services in areas such as structured financial solution, origination of capital market products, mergers and acquisitions, asset backed securities, corporate advisory and Islamic capital products.

Maybank Investment Bank Berhad
Maybank Investment Bank Berhad, winner of the 2018 Best Institutional Equities Participating Organization (Investment Bank) Award, is led by its CEO, Datin Ami Moris and is an investment banking arm of Maybank. After an acquisition of Kim Eng Holdings Limited with Maybank Group, Maybank Investment is known regionally as Maybank Kim Eng. It has an extensive network of offices in 11 countries including Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. It also offers a host of financial services such as corporate finance, investment banking and debt markets.

KAF Seagroatt & Campbell Securities
KAF Seagroatt & Campbell Securities is a subsidiary of KAF Seagroatt & Campbell Bhd. It the 2018 Best Institutional Equities Participating Organization (Non-Investment Bank) Award. This financial services group handles money market activities, investment banking, stock broking, Islamic banking, research, investment fund management, fund advisory and trustee services. It also deals with institutional and retail dealings, online trading, global equities trading, shares margin financing, nominee services. It has an efficient research team who provides quality research reports for the stock broking services.

UBS Securities Malaysia Sdn Bhd
UBS Securities Malaysia Sdn Bhd, established in 1992, was formerly known as UBS Equity Research Malaysia Sdn Bhd. The financial services provider won the 2018 Best Institutional Equities Foreign Participating Organization Award. The company provides insurance agent and broker services, operating in the securities and commodity exchange industry. It also provides advisory services and access to international capital markets.

Macquarie Capital Securities (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd
Founded in 1998, global financial service provider, Macquarie Capital Securities (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd was the winner of the 2018 Best Structured Warrant Issuer Award. Macquarie has more than 1,000 structured warrants over Malaysian listed companies in Malaysia and over the S&P 500 Index, Hang Seng Index, the local benchmark FBM KLCI and the iShares China A50 Index ETF. It keeps investors informed via its structured warrants website and has provided the highest quality market making.

RHB Investment Bank Berhad
Led by CEO, Robert Huray, RHB Investment Bank Berhad is known for its merchant banking business internationally and locally. It operates through segments like investment banking, treasury and asset management. Its investment banking segment provides services such as advisory, fund raising in structuring, issuance of debt securities, capital market instruments, corporate and debt restructuring, mergers and acquisitions and many more. Besides the services mentioned, the bank also provides services such as negotiation and arrangement of insurance contract and advisory of insurance related matters plus securities margin financing services. RHB Investment Bank Berhad was the champion for the 2018 Best Retail Derivatives Trading Participant Award.

Kenanga Futures Sdn Bhd
Led by CEO, Azila Abdul Aziz, Kenanga Futures Sdn Bhd is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad. In addition, it is also a trading participant of Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Berhad and a clearing participant of Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Clearing Berhad. Kenanga Futures was the champion of the 2018 Best Institutional Derivatives Trading Participant Award. It provides electronic and voice execution plus clearing services for products listed on Bursa Malaysia Derivatives Berhad and CME Group. Kenanga Futures is also a registered company with the US CFTC which enables it to document directly with entities in the United States of America.

The post MALAYSIA’S TOP 10 PERFORMING BROKERS AND MARKET INTERMEDIARIES – THE BURSA EXCELLENCE AWARDS 2018 appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

RHA Media was recently presented with the prestigious Asia’s Best Brands 2019 Award, organised by World Marketing Congress and CMO Asia. The selection was based on a team of international jurors. The grand awards ceremony was held in Pan Pacific Singapore where many of Asia’s leading brands, marketing professionals and leaders from various sectors and industries gathered. RHA Media received the award for its outstanding brands, namely, Top 10 of Malaysia, Top 10 of Asia and CSR Malaysia. The award was presented to the CEO of RHA Media, Dato’ R. Rajendran by industry professionals. In his acceptance speech, the industry leader said, “This award will inspire us to work hard on improving our contents and readership experience even more.”

The post RHA Media Soars to Greater Heights appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

CSR Malaysia was recently invited to the Korean Embassy in Malaysia’s 2019 CSR Award Ceremony and CSR Forum. The objective was to educate Korean companies about CSR and encourage CSR activities in Malaysia. The event provided a platform for the free exchange and discussion of CSR best practices and latest trends.

Speeches were given by Kim Jun Pyo, Chargé d’affaires of the Republic of Korea and YB Dr. Ong Kian Ming, Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry. YB Dr. Ong Kian Ming encouraged the use of latest technology in CSR due to its wide potential. He touched on several CSR issues and stressed on environmental issues in light of recent chemical leaks in Malaysia.

The award presentation saw Q Cells receive the Excellence Award for Corporate Social Responsibility. Junu Lee, Managing Director of Q Cells Malaysia was present to receive the award and share his company’s CSR best practices. Junu encouraged CSR spending in a sustainable manner and emphasised on employee satisfaction, giving an example of Q Cells’ safe channels for employee feedback.

The post CSR Malaysia Takes Part In Korean Embassy’s 2019 CSR Award Ceremony & CSR Forum appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

Having delivered more than 1,000 interior design projects across Malaysia for residences, office and retail spaces, and schools, Skyler Chong, founder of One Space Sdn Bhd shares with Top 10 of Malaysia on how he and his team aim to provide a one-stop interior design and build service, guiding clients to realise their concepts and offering customized solutions to fit.

Skyler Chong established One Space in 2009 as a sole proprietorship business, specialising in comprehensive interior detailing, space planning, project management and contracting. The company later became a private limited company in 2012.

Upon graduating with a diploma in Interior Design from the Malaysian Institute of Art (MIA), Chong secured an interior design position at one of the most successful local interior designer firms in Malaysia, which afforded him the learning experience in designing projects, from preparing proposals to scheduling and coordinating various project phases.

After working for four years, Chong set up One Space with the vision of designing and building a living concept which he calls it the “one-space philosophy”.

“One-space philosophy is a design philosophy that inter-connects various zones such as kitchen, bathroom and living room, in a home to support interaction and communication among family members,” says Chong as he starts explaining what it is all about. “For example, homemakers would be cooking in the kitchen but they need to monitor their children as well. The one-space design philosophy is used by not having a brick wall separating the kitchen from other areas in the house. Perhaps this might not be practical for a terraced or semi-detached home but feasible for an apartment. We can have the dry kitchen inter-connected with the living room that supports interaction among family members.”

The one-space design philosophy can also be applied to office space where there are no office cubicles but an open-plan concept to support communication and group discussions among employees. Similarly, One Space has used this design philosophy for restaurants where diners are able to see the kitchen space and interact with chefs.
“I was inspired by this one-space design philosophy when I was living in Hong Kong. I understood the concept of compact living and how to optimize limited space – the apartment that I stayed in was 400sq feet in size,” smiles the creative entrepreneur.

“Furniture suppliers and contractors call themselves interior designers as well but more often than not for they sub-contract the interior design services to freelancers. Clients also claim that they can do interior designing with the help of Pinterest, and as such, they are not willing to hire and pay for a proper interior designer,” says Chong.

“But to know interior design, you need to know about construction, materials, furniture, colours and paint. We, on the other hand, know all of that, and we also supply the products from furniture and curtains to kitchen and wallpaper,” he elaborates.

“We are able to supply all those products directly because we are dealers for various home products and accessories. For instance, we are one of the dealers for Signature Kitchen, and because we are dealers for many brands, we are able to provide from A to Z under one brand at attractive prices,” explains Chong.

Despite the competitive challenges in the interior design marketplace, One Space has garnered ten years of accumulated expertise coupled with an expansive portfolio. The company increased from a staff strength of ten to thirty employees, and its revenues grew from a single million digit to double-digit millions. One Space has also ventured into custom-made woodworking product as well, and has become one of the dealers for Baagus, a brand recognised for curtains, blinds and wallpaper. Additionally, it is expanding its number of outlets to Penang and Sanctuary Mall in Kota Kemuning.

“Within the next five years, we hope to become Malaysia’s first and leading E-Space Living provider. Clients will be able to submit their interior design and build plans online based on their styles, designs and budget – it could be standard or luxury range. We will then mix and match for them based on their submissions. Clients can also buy products from our website, from cabinets and appliance to upholstery and paint colours,” says the visionary Chong.

The post CREATING NEW FRONTIERS IN INTERIOR DESIGNING appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

The passion to help people within the field of education and self-development is reflective of Florence Tee’s entrepreneurial journey and she continues her venture into new fields based on her passion for helping people. In an interview with Top 10 of Malaysia, Florence, founder of Noodle NLP speaks on the success of her current educational enterprises, the establishment of a personal development centre based on neurolinguistic programming (NLP) and as an established NLP coach.

A teacher by training, Florence Tee moved from her home state of Sarawak to Penang, opting for the less secure path of seeking employment within the private education sector. Starting from scratch, like most entrepreneurs, the experiences and savings gained from each step were re-invested successfully in bigger startups. Despite the challenges of starting entrepreneurships, Florence has navigated towards notable achievements.

Florence chose to work independently after graduating from University Malaysia Sarawak in 2005. An initial stint in a private college and part-time tuition to foreign students provided the required capital and experience to start a tuition centre. “I was busy 24/7 learning as much as possible,” recollects Florence, “and that helped in establishing a 300-student tuition centre.” A demure personality exhibiting resiliency with a penchant for challenges characterises Florence.

By 2013, there were further developments with the setting up of a centre for tutorship targeted mainly for children who require additional coaching in English. “I moved from Penang to Petaling Jaya and started another centre in helping students,” says Florence. The centre, based in Damansara Jaya, with a 400 student population has since gained recognition for the quality of teaching with a special focus on children’s development. Florence’s involvement in helping others through entrepreneurship has been recognized through awards given by the Malaysian government. “It is my passion for teaching and seeing people transform for the better that has contributed to my success,” says Florence.

The venture into NLP training which started early this year was envisioned to help people. “It is important to ingrain the right values and mindsets early in children. I wanted to help them and with that intention, I took up NLP certifications,” explains Florence. The company, Noodle NLP, was set up in 2016 with Florence becoming one of the few certified hypnotherapists, trainers of NLP, trainer of Master Timeline Therapy and master coaches in the country. “Becoming a coach is one of the greatest achievements of my life and I want to use my knowledge in helping people move forward with their lives as my contribution towards society,” adds Florence.

The experiences encountered during childhood leaves a lasting impression throughout one’s life. Florence recollects the hardship her family endured with a bedridden father and mother taking care of five siblings on her own. “It was undoubtedly tough but it has made me into a champion problem resolver,” says Florence with a determined smile, “I have learnt that for every problem there is a better solution based on one’s ingenuity and creativeness.” This is evident in the courses provided, especially NLP courses geared towards helping children and adults.

A mother of three children, Florence spends as much time as possible with them. “My husband and mother-in-law help me in their supervision but on my off days and weekends, my time is solely focused on them,” says Florence.

Florence strongly believes that young people need not be afraid of the unknown, but instead be ready to face the risk of challenges by pushing boundaries and getting out of one’s comfort zone. She thinks that it is important to be ready to take on challenges as each challenge is a learning process. “Most youngsters are full of passion on their future pursuits but there is a lack of reality towards it,” notes Florence. “Although passion is a key ingredient for starting a venture, however, for the growth and sustainability of the passion, pragmatism is equally important in terms of financial and business plans. The underlying passion has to be framed by the realities of business.”

The post ENTREPRENEURSHIP WITH A DIFFERENCE appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

Music plays an important part in our daily lives. In Malaysia, local talents that made waves in the music industry locally are increasing. For the past 10 years, a new generation of talents have made it into the limelight, gracing the stage of various renowned festivals and also getting signed up by Malaysia’s renowned recording companies. Here, Top 10 of Malaysia takes a look at its list of the nation’s top ten new generation inspiring talents in the music industry some of whom have even made a name for themselves abroad.

Nik Qistina
Nik Qistina was signed up by Universal Music Malaysia at the tender age of 13 in 2016. The talented artiste then released her first English pop single called “Young Hearts” which reached 100,000 plays on Spotify. It also made its way to the iTunes Top 100 chart in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Philippine. Qistina also performed alongside American talented young singer, Greyson Chance at Istana Budaya in the presence of renowned pop queen, Siti Nurhaliza. She also performed at places such as Merdekarya, Timbre and Barlai.

Bil Musa
Nabilah Musa, commonly known as Bil Musa started writing her own songs and playing the piano at the tender age of seven. In 2014, her talents were spotted by Yuna Room Records after she performed a song she wrote for Yuna personally. A year later, the talented Bil released her self-titled Indie EP under the label, which attracted many other artistes. Also being a passionate storyteller and writer, Bil collaborated with Indie band Enterprise on their English single. She is also no stranger to performing at local festivals such as Rock the World, Soundsgood and Iskarnival. Surfing on a new wave in January 2017, she released her full-length album and was featured in Era’s “Baru Nak Up” list.

Talitha Tan
Young and talented singer-songwriter, Talitha Tan has won the hearts of many with her lovable personality and soulful voice. She has performed numerous times locally and internationally at festivals such as Sky Music Festival 2016 in Japan, during Malaysia’s SEA Games 2017 closing ceremony, Urbanscapes, Publika Jazz Festival, Tiger Bites and Good Vibes Festival 2017. Her single debut album “Okay” was streamed 1.8 million times on Spotify and was played frequently on radio stations while her second single “Please Stay”, which was released at the end of 2017, hit 1 million streams. Besides, Talitha has also performed alongside famous artistes such as Man Bai, Darren Ashley and Ali Aiman.

Kyoto Protocol
Local Indie Band, Kyoto Protocol is formed by Fuad Alhabshi, keyboardist Gael Oliveres, guitarist Hairi Haneefa, bassist Shakeil Bashir and drummer Shanjeev Reddy. The band won second place at the Yamaha Asian Beat Malaysian Finals 2009 and their debut album titled “An Album”, with its two famous songs, “Pussycat” and “Never Know” top the charts in 2011 at number one of various local radio stations. The band won numerous awards and also performed at various festivals such as at Rockway, Urbanscapes, Baybeats in Singapore and BeastieRock in Taiwan. The band also performed at Future Music Festival Asia in 2013.

Poovanesvary Sri Rama (Poova)
Multiple award winner, singer, songwriter, composer, producer, Poovanesvary Sri Rama, most commonly known as Poova is one of Malaysia’s well-known young talents in the music industry. She has performed at festivals such as Macau Jazz Festial and Hong Kong Asian Pop Music Festival at also at countries such as Hong Kong, Taiwan, Macau, Thailand, Indonesia and even the United Kingdom. Poova also represented Malaysia in the Asia wide Hong Kong Asian-Pop Music Festival (HKAMF) 2015 competition. Besides being a renowned singer, Poova also ventured into the world of fashion and modelling for designers, shows and magazines.

Sufian Suhaimi
Young singer, Sufian Suhaimi was acknowledged by the Malaysia Book of Records for his song “Di Matamu” that was one of the most viewed music videos among our local celebrities and Malay song category on You Tube. His song “Terakhir” also has more than 25 million views. The singer also made it to the final session of “Anugerah Juara Lagu” in 2017. Sufian was ranked second as the most streamed Malaysian artistes in 2018.

Santesh Kumar
Famous for the songs “Amalina” and “Mymuna”, the award-winning singer and composer, Santesh Kumar is also honoured with a place in the Malaysia Book of Records. His songs have also been one of the most trending Malaysian songs on You Tube in 2018. Santesh has also performed with famous Malaysian artistes such as Awie and David Arumugam. Besides being a talented singer, Santesh also plays the piano keyboard, guitar and drum. This zealous singer strives to be the top in the Malay music market and he has written two songs which are the “Joget Kahwin” and “Raya Malaysia”.

Kayda Aziz
Wan Nur Khaleda Roslan, commonly known as Kayda Aziz is one of the leading female artistes in Malaysia for Hip Hop and R&B. Kayda started writing her own music at the age of 13 and performed Hip Hop throughout her teenage years. In 2013, Kayda performed professionally at Singapore and Malaysia while completing her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology. She also collaborated with Malaysian singer cum rapper, Hunny Madu for “Go Hard or Gostan”. Her first album “Love for No Reason” was produced by Indonesia’s rising star, Emir Hermono.

Irma Seleman
Irma Seleman is one of Malaysia’s uprising R&B and Soul songbird. She was featured in a local TV show (Mentor) Talent Show as a background vocalist and was also the artist of the month Hitz.tv. She also performed at the Michael Buble Crazy Love Tourʼs pocket stage and was also featured at the Indie Youth Festival and Borneo Jazz Festival Preview. Irma has also performed at various festivals such as RAWBoston, Utica Music Festival in New York and the New England Indonesian Jazz Festival.

Elizabeth Tan
After being a You Tube sensation in 2013, award-winner Elizabeth Tan started her singing career and officially became a recording artist in 2014 and released her first single “Knock Knock” and it was ranked among the top 10 songs on all of Malaysia’s top radio charts. Elizabeth’s success made her one of the most sought-after talents and soon after, she released 2 albums titled, “Police Entry” and “Semua Sudah” and they earned her the number one spot as one of Malaysia’s well-known young artistes. Besides, this talented singer has also acted in movies such as “Misteri Dilaila (2018)”, “Busker (2018)” and “UWMMM (2015)”.

The post TOP 10 OF MALAYSIA’S NEW GENERATION INSPIRING TALENTS IN THE MUSIC INDUSTRY appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

Michael Tan’s entrepreneurial journey has been a swirling growth of resilient comebacks defined by slow and steady wins amidst intermittent losses. The continuous diversification of Tan’s business adheres strongly to the core principles of customer education. In a conversation with Top 10 of Malaysia, the founder of Freemen Group speaks on his entrepreneurship experiences, the importance of customer centrism and taking the business forward by adding value for customers.

The field of entrepreneurship based on the fundamentals of education and customer relationships has been an attractive lure for Michael Tan. Ever since leaving his day job as a mechanical engineer as it was not something he wanted, Tan has been involved in starting businesses that take into consideration customers’ benefits. “As a self-made entrepreneur, the journey has been an eye-opener in connecting with new ideas, business partners, customers and all crucial factors for business sustainment,” says Tan. There is overriding importance placed on education based on experience and knowledge. “The business consultant who coached me during my first business venture had a significant impact as I succeeded in achieving million-dollar sales within the first year,” adds Tan.

“My parents, father in sales and mother a teacher, were middle-income earners originally from the north and they were striving to make it in Kuala Lumpur,” says Tan when talking about his family background. “Father, being in sales must be where I got my initial inspiration for entrepreneurship. Plus, hard work is my second nature. With my two siblings studying overseas, I had to work doubly hard to get a scholarship for my studies in Singapore,” continues Tan.

The Freemen group started by Tan in 2008 is focused on empowering prospective property owners with the required education for financial freedom. There were ventures before this that did not produce the expected results especially for customers, which Tan acknowledges as lessons learnt. The highs have been sustained through learning the dynamics of business cultures and people. The business model, focused on adding value to customers within the property domain has been successful with the opening of property educational centres and involvement in property development locally and within the region. “From personal experiences in owning properties and with my expertise in mortgage brokering, I started Freemen based on my passion to educate and add value for prospective purchasers,” says Tan.

“The increasing fulfilment from our educational services led to us becoming a full-fledged training establishment. Our main areas of specialisation, which are interlinked, consists of mind-set development, property investment and entrepreneurship,” explains Tan. The company has grown locally in Malaysia and regionally through partnerships in Thailand, Cambodia and Hong Kong. “We teach financial management, property assessment, tenant management and pertinent actions to be taken in purchasing property either for own use or investment,” says Tan.

“My main inspiration in going to these places is to help and guide the locals in property investment, a form of social entrepreneurship,” says Tan. “Our passion and purpose in educating our students towards successful property ownership provide us with a sense of self-fulfilment and the inspiration to do more for such communities. We are grateful that we have been allowed to add value to these people’s lives,” says Tan.

Tan’s leadership style is based on an open concept and teamwork. “We have about 40 staff locally and 60 overseas handling training, administration and operations,” explains Tan. The other businesses consist of property investments in the form of block buying, hospitality and property management and land bank investment. “We are looking at transnational collaboration and teamwork involving shared resources between two or more locations which will enhance value-add for these areas.”

On the personal side, Tan’s family consists of a wife who is a Singaporean engineer by profession and three children, a son and two daughters. “As time constraint is a major factor, we do try and maximise quality time as a family during the weekends. My son accompanies me on some of my trips and we spend time together,” says Tan on work-life balance.

Tan’s advice for newcomers is to dare to dream and to be focused on realising that dream. He also says that one has to take a leap of faith sometimes to find out what one truly wants out of life.

The post EXPANDING THE SPHERE OF SUCCESS appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

The unique proposition of merging traditional Chinese medical practices with Western technologies defines the success story of Dr Jenny Goh. Trained as a beauty therapist and based on her steadfast track record in quality services and close rapport with customers, it was not long before she was sought out for the management of a new beauty centre, Doux Visage. A firm believer in holistic treatments and naturopathy, Dr Goh has leveraged on the Chinese medical practices of acupuncture and traditional medicines. In a conversation with Top 10 of Malaysia, Dr Goh speaks about her entrepreneurial journey and achievements within the total body wellness industry, challenges faced and her commitment towards holistic health.

Dr Jenny Goh, a bubbling personality who strikes out in laughter every now and then epitomises the cliché about great things coming in small packages. A demure and pleasant personality ensconced within a veil of humility, it is easy to understand the rapport she has built with clients. Dr Goh takes everything in her stride despite the challenges of managing a successful total body wellness practice, Doux Visage within the highly discerning upper-middle-class suburbia of Taman Tun, the launching of a new skincare line, Dr Goh’s Restorative Formula and pursuing for her second Doctor of Medicine qualification in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM). After some 17 years, the success of Doux Visage as an established total body wellness centre offering a varied range of health, slimming and beauty services for a large, discerning clientele is evidence of Dr Goh’s entrepreneurial and business development skills.

Born and raised in a middle-class Petaling Jaya (PJ) family, Dr Goh later moved to Sri Petaling Kuala Lumpur. Dr Goh’s first recollections of providing services was while working in her father’s restaurant at Sri Petaling. “My father owned a well-known restaurant in Sri Petaling and I helped out since the age of eight,” recollects Dr Goh. Her career ambitions of joining the medical field had to be put aside due to academic streaming. “I left it in my parents’ hands as to my future career choices and they decided on beauty school,” muses Dr Goh.

With a beauty school diploma in hand and six years of working experience, the freedom to be independent materialised from client recommendations. An accidental entrepreneur, Dr Goh’s career path has been strewn with opportunities that came knocking ferociously in terms of recommendations, repeated requests and specialisation in new health and beauty treatments. “I never intended to be anything other than a beauty therapist,” laughs Dr Goh. “One of my former clients was impressed with my work and offered me a management position for his new beauty centre, Doux Visage. It was too good an offer to pass and despite not knowing anything about managing a business, I took up the challenge.”

Doux Visage, interpreted as clear and smooth skin, has since expanded from a three-bed third-floor beauty salon to two adjoining shop-lots offering whole-body treatment services. The high-level of professionalism in skills and knowledge that ensures stellar services have become a signature brand of Dr Goh and Doux Visage.

The two significant milestones of Doux Visage are its unique proposition in the merging of Western technologies with TCM and the launching of the signature brand cosmeceuticals – Dr Goh. “Our services are a blend of Eastern practices supported by Western technologies,” says Dr Goh. “Based on what I have learnt at Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine on phytohormone treatment, we have successfully combined acupuncture with plant-based treatments and in the near future we hope to be able to include TCM which is a controlled item.” The massage and facial services, incorporating Eastern and Western techniques, complete the package of offered services.

The company’s vision of an established total body wellness centre that cares for the wellbeing of its customers is evident based on the continuing expansion in clientele. Doux Visage’s tagline ‘Your satisfaction is our assurance’ aptly illustrates the priority on customer services.

“My clients are part of the company as many of them have been coming since the start of Doux Visage, and quite a number have brought their friends, relatives and now children. It has become a generational fad with mothers and daughters walking in based on the trust in our services,” explains Dr Goh proudly. “There are also those who are seeking alternative treatments especially after having tried Western treatments.”

Doux Visage’s success is attributed to a supportive business partner backed by equally supportive clientele. “My business partner has guided me as a mentor with much-needed advice and suggestions in overcoming hurdles and moving forward,” says Dr Goh, “and secondly, my clients give me confidence through feedback, advice and recommendations for service improvement and exploring new ideas.”

An obvious feather in her cap is the launch of the Dr Goh’s Restorative Formula cosmeceuticals in early January 2019. The problems faced in inconsistent product supplies and quality prompted the creation of Dr Goh. Almost like a personal pet project, Dr Goh has been involved from ideation to retailing of the plant-based skincare products. “Being a hands-on person, I have been involved in every step of the creation of Dr Goh cosmeceuticals,” says Dr Goh, “Even though it meant intensive testing and quite a bit of travelling to Korea where the products are manufactured, it has been worth it as Dr Goh is my signature brand.”

The two most prominent challenges faced are the integration of acupuncture with Western technologies and bespoke services for customers. “As pioneers, we have successfully overcome the challenges of merging East-West services and technologies,” explains Dr Goh proudly. “As for bespoke services, I check the physical and psychological state of each patient before recommending customised packages. This can be challenging as all customers are different.”

The challenges of being up-to-date within a highly dynamic service industry have compelled Dr Goh towards further education. “One reason I am working on my second Doctor of Medicine qualification to possess an in-depth understanding of TCM practices. My professors have acknowledged the value of my research which will be presented to the Chinese government.”

A hands-on approach is used to train employees due to the importance of a close and personal rapport with customers. “I lead by example by demonstrating the quality of expected services to my employees who are trained acupuncturists and beauty consultants,” says Dr Goh. “Turnover of staff has been minimal.” However, with further expansion and specialisation of services, Dr Goh admits to the limitations of a one-man show. “I am now learning to delegate my work.”

In terms of inspiration and long-term vision, Dr Goh opines, “Seeing my customers getting healthier and better looking after Doux Visage treatments inspire me to further my education. It helps in staff mentoring and knowledge application for the improvement of my customers’ wellbeing. I want to leave a legacy behind for future acupuncturists and aestheticians who will benefit from the knowledge underpinning my treatments.”

“In my view, my greatest achievements are being able to get a Doctor of Medicine qualification from Guangzhou University of Chinese Medicine and the number of patients whom I have treated successfully at Doux Visage,” says Dr Goh impishly with a laugh, “And hopefully I will be able to continue doing research indefinitely.” Dr Goh has won numerous awards for entrepreneurship, the latest two being the Star Outstanding Business Award (2016) and a special mention for the Star Outstanding Business Award (2017) for female entrepreneurs.

Her advice for young people intending to make a career in business is to be focused and continue life-long learning. Dr Goh believes that while it is important to look forward, the past should not be ignored. The prevalent youth culture of immediate gratification has to be tempered with patience especially when dealing with the older non-internet savvy generation as filial piety still rules.

The post MAKING IT BIG & BUILDING A LEGACY appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

A creative and humble personality in the paint industry, Alec Chye, founder of Li Rex Sdn Bhd has received numerous accolades for his creativity and excellent customer service over the recent years. The innovative entrepreneur shares with Top 10 of Malaysia on what inspired him to establish his company and also his company’s invention of the one-of-a-kind “texture paint” that enables interiors of homes and buildings to appear three dimensional. The paint also has different textures and is a unique work of art.

Hailing from Cameron Highlands, Alec Chye came to Kuala Lumpur to gain some experience in building a career. He started working at the tender age of 18. “I chose to study and major in accounting as I had always wanted to own and run my own business,” says Alec, whose first job was a full-time salesperson in the automobile industry.

“During the year 2010, I noticed that there was a rise of popularity in Korea Wallpaper and this inspired me to establish Li Rex Sdn Bhd in 2012,” shares Alec who understood the importance of aesthetic appeal of wallpapers. “I had the idea of replacing regular wallpapers; which requires someone to paste them on walls, with the invention of paint that resembles wallpapers for a similar or even better effect. As soon as I had everything planned out, I acted and invented the Texture Paint.”

Li Rex offers a dazzling spectrum of paint colours with an amazing variety of textures and styles to suit the preference of exterior and interior painting jobs. “As different types of paint colours and textures are required for different buildings, it is vital for us to meet our clients’ expectations as every client would have different requests for their ideal type of paint. Thus, the need to understand what our clients want is crucial to ensure that they are satisfied with their selection and most importantly, the final result,” says the aspiring entrepreneur. “Also, an interesting fact about paint is that the colours on most items such as furniture will appear faded as time passes by but they could be restored back to their brand new look after some repainting.”

The iconic service provided by Li Rex is its award-winning Texture Paint. “I came up with the name, ‘Texture Paint’ as there are no words in the English language that could describe our product,” Alec says with a smile. “Our Texture Paint is paint created to form beautiful three dimensional illusions or even paint with various kinds of texture. The paint would enhance and draw attention to a wall in a room and people would notice it the first thing when they walk into the room. Besides, the most amazing part of the innovation is that if the walls are painted after a renovation, it could make an entire house or apartment look brand new,” the soft-spoken entrepreneur says with excitement.

“I always believe that it is vital to treat employees with respect as happy and satisfied employees will provide excellent customer service,” says the award winning entrepreneur.

When asked on how he balances his time spent in his professional and personal life, Alec says that his family is of utmost importance to him. “Spending time with family is very important to me. My wife is my rock and I believe that spouses could be the best business partners too,” says Alec who is grateful for his accomplishments. “With the newly developed branch in Johor, our vision is to diversify the business across Malaysia and in five to ten years’ time, to expand further to Vietnam, Indonesia, Cambodia and Myanmar.”

The post A TOUCH OF CREATIVITY TO SUCCESS appeared first on Top 10 of Malaysia.

Behind every popular song or music is a talented and successful composer, an author of music in its various forms. In this issue, Top 10 of Malaysia shares its list of the top ten music composers in the nation who have successfully made a name for themselves in the music industry with their inspiring works. Some of these music composers have written and composed evergreen songs for legendary singers while others have composed popular music for theatre plays and even orchestras.

Datuk Ooi Eow Jin
Legendary composer and songwriter, Datuk Ooi Eow Jin is also well-known as the iconic Radio Televisyen Malaysia’s orchestra’s “piano man” and was the resident pianist at The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur. This talented music composer wrote a song called “Teriring Doa” for the late Datuk Sudirman Arshad and toured with the late Tan Sri P Ramlee. Besides Datuk Ooi has also written songs and performed with several renowned artistes such as Tan Sri P Ramlee, Datuk Sudirman Arshad, Datin Rafeah Buang, Datuk M Nasir, Francis Yip, the Alleycats and Salamiah Hassan.

Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Nawab Khan
Datuk Seri Dr Ahmad Nawab Khan has set the record of composing over 2,000 songs, releasing 500 albums and grooming at least 75 singers such as Datuk Sharifah Aini, Datuk Jamal Abdillah, Datuk DJ Dave, Uji Rashid, Datuk Khadijah Ibrahim, Datuk Sudirman Arshad and Salamiah Hassan. Besides being a composer, Datuk Ahmad Nawab is also a saxophonist. His greatest achievement is the composition of the “Malaysia Truly Asia” song which was recorded in 17 languages and was used by the Tourism Ministry to promote Malaysia overseas. The well-experienced and talented composer has also worked with famous celebrities such as Tan Sri P Ramlee, Saloma, Datuk Sudirman Arshad, Salamiah Hassan, Datuk Andre Goh and M Sani.

S Atan
Hashim Said, popularly known as S Atan, is one of the most versatile composers of the Malay music of various genres such as pop, jazz, rock and dangdut. He has composed various songs such as Datuk Sudirman Ashad’s “Bila Wajahmu Kubayangkan”, Black Dog Bone’s “Dulu dan Sekarang” and Tan Sri S M Salim’s “Pandang-Pandang Jeling-Jeling”. S Atan was a conductor of Singapore Broadcasting Corporation’s Kalungan Nada Orchestra, and joined EMI as a composer. The talented composer has composed over 1,000 songs for singers such as Carefree, Anita Sarawak, DJ Dave, Tan Sri S M Salim, Jamal Abdillah and the late Datuk Sharifah Aini.

Datuk Wah Idris
Datuk Wah Abdul Hamid Idris or most popularly known as Dato’ Wah Idris is a multi-award winning music composer who is also a member of the International Jazz Festival held in Kuala Lumpur and the music director of “Malaysia All Stars Big Band”. In 1998, Datuk Wah composed the famous song “Standing in the Eyes of the World”, which was sang by Ella and also the song, “I Feel Good” for NTV7. In 2013, he rearranged the song “Negaraku” and it was played during a Merdeka celebration in Putrajaya. Besides, he also managed the Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra. Datuk Wah has won numerous awards for his astounding success and contribution of music works for the country.

Datuk M Nasir
Award-winning Datuk Mohamad Nasir Mohamed, popularly known as Datuk M Nasir has composed more than 2,000 folk, rock and pop songs since 1979. Besides, composing songs for himself, he also composes songs for other artistes such as Alleycats, Flybaits, Datuk Sudirman Arshad, Datuk Sharifah Aini, Datuk Jamal Abdillah, Datuk Ramli Sarip, Datuk Ahmad Azhar (Awie), Ella, Rahim Maarof, Search and Wings. Among Datuk M Nasir’s famous songs are “Mantera Semerah Padi”, “Sang Pencinta” and “Lagu Jiwa Lagu Cinta”. He has also released several solo albums which include Solo (1988), Saudagar Mimpi (1992) and Srikandi Cintaku (1999). Besides being a music composer, he is also a singer, songwriter, producer, actor, artist and film director.

Dato’ Johari Salleh
Dato’ Johari Salleh has composed many masterpieces for symphony orchestras which were performed by bigger orchestras such as orchestras from Spain, the National Symphony Orchestra and the Kuala Lumpur Symphony Orchestra. In 1966, he was the conductor of Radio Television Malaya’s orchestra. Some of his works have been performed by The New York Symphonic Ensemble, Singapore Symphony Orchestra, St Pittersburg Philharmonic Orchestra from Russia and Cadaquez Symphony Orchestra. In addition, Dato’ Johari also contributed to patriotic songs such as UMNO’s “’Bersatu Bersedia Berkhidmat’ (1986)” and also composed songs for famous singers such as Tan Sri SM Salim, Suhaili Shamsuddin, Frankie Cheah, M Rizal, Yasmin Yusuff, Herman Tino, Hanafiah Yunus, Shidee and Rahimah Rahim.

Fauzi Marzuki
Fauzi Marzuki is one of Malaysia’s renowned composers and he has composed songs for celebrities such as Ziana Zain, Sheila Majid, Erra Fazira, Jamal Abdillah, the late Datuk Sharifah Aini, Nash, Siti Nurhaliza and Amy Mastura. Among the songs written by Fauzi is “Pusara di Lebuhraya”, “Jejaka Idaman”, “Kekasih Awal dan Akhir”, “Pada Syurga Di Wajahmu”, “Tirai Semalam” and “Meniti Hari”.

Datin Saidah Rastam
Datin Saidah Rastam, a lawyer who turned music composer, has composed music for theatre, film, dance, gamelan performance, orchestras, electronica, Chinese opera singers and even choral groups. During her first year as a music composer, she wrote a musical with Jit Murad, which was called “The Storyteller”. Datin Saidah continued to compose music for local shows such as Occupation (2002), M! The Opera (2006) and Spirits (2005). Besides, composing music for the local scene, she also wrote a book “Rosalie and Other Love Songs” which was about the history to raise awareness about the beauty and importance of Malayan music.

Dr Tazul Tajuddin
Renowned Malaysian music composer, Dr Tazul Tajuddin, has won numerous awards and has written more than 50 works which were performed and broadcasted in 23 countries. Dr Tazul’s famous music works such as “Arabesque”, “Tenunan”, “Mediasi Ukiran”, “Gamelbati”, “Pantun” and “Topography” have been inspired by Malay-Asian cultures, Islamic geometrical patterns and Western European art combined with diverse contemporary cultural ideals. “Opera Puteri Saadong” was his first opera composition and the first in Malay language which was funded by Ministry of Culture and Arts and premiered in Malaysia, Japan and United Kingdom.

Dr Chong Kee Yong
One of Malaysia’s leading contemporary music composers, Dr Chong Kee Yong is well-known for his music works which consist of a rich palette of sounds and his experimentation into traditions, infusing his own Chinese and multi-cultural Malaysian heritage into his music. Dr Chong’s distinctive style of music has garnered him numerous awards locally and internationally. Besides, he was also recognized by Huddersfield University, a university in United Kingdom for his contributions to South East Asia’s contemporary music scene and was granted a full scholarship for PhD by publication 2014-2016.

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Artificial intelligence or AI which was founded as an academic discipline in 1956, has had its ups and downs since. However, in recent times, AI techniques have experienced a resurgence on the back of concurrent advances in computer power and in the Big data field. It has become an essential part of the technology industry, helping to overcome the many challenging problems in computer science, software engineering, operations research among others. Here, Top 10 of Malaysia shares its list of the top ten successful companies in Malaysia dealing with artificial intelligence that are transforming the way we live in more ways than one.

MIMOS Berhad
Led by Chief Executive Officer, Emelia Matrahah, MIMOS Berhad is Malaysia’s national Applied Research and Development Centre under the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI). MIMOS contributes to transforming Malaysia’s industry through patented technology platforms, products, and solutions. It also serves as a technology enabler to Malaysia’s digital transformation efforts by generating and promoting the adoption of advanced technologies such as artificial intelligence, big data analytics, internet of things and cyber security in key economic sectors such as government services, agriculture, manufacturing, finance, healthcare, and public safety.

Symprio Sdn Bhd
Symprio Sdn Bhd has offices in many countries including Malaysia, Singapore, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines, Indonesia, Australia, San Jose, and California. Symprio is famous for its chatbot design agency which assists organizations design, build and managed AI enabled chatbots. Besides, it also provides AI consulting and development services, assisting companies implement and run robotics automation projects. Among its project accomplishments are Chatbot Platform Administration, Computer Vision (turning images to structured data) and Robotic Process Automation.

Genaxis
Established in 2003, Genaxis’ core objective is to assist clients in their business transformation journey to be seamless and timely. It has successfully transformed organisations and provides exceptional level of consulting services in Digital Transformation, GovTech, Artificial Intelligence, and Big Data Analytics. In 2018, the company ventured into digital business by acquiring a home-grown innovation consulting firm with the competency of SAP skillset in the financial services. Its flagship implementation comprise 1GFMAS, the accrual accounting system for the government of Malaysia.

Fusionex
Established by Datuk Seri Ivan Teh, award-winning Fusionex is a data technology provider that specializes in data management, analytics and artificial intelligence. The company has been featured in many media channels such as Bloomberg, Forbes and Gartner. With a total number of ten offices locally and worldwide, Fusionex aims to enable clients manage and derive useful information from a vast amount of structured and unstructured data.

Atilze Digital
Established in 2014, award-winning Atilze Digital is a high technology company and is one of Malaysia’s leading artificial intelligence companies also focusing on smart mobility and smart Internet of Things (IoT). Among its services provided in the area of artificial intelligence is smart retail by leveraging facial recognition artificial intelligence to gather shoppers’ insights and convert valuable profiling to provide personalized shopping experiences for customers. Besides, it also provides smart surveillance and intelligent traffic systems.

Crayon
Crayon focuses on deep data science and artificial intelligence consulting with around 16 offices worldwide. Among its services provided are software and cloud economics, consulting services, subscription services and even training events plus development programmes for Information Technology professionals. It specializes in supporting customers across various industries such as regional and global Information Technology.

Appier
Founded by Chih-Han Yu, Winnie Lee and Joe Su, Appier was established in 2012 and is a technology company providing artificial intelligence platforms in order to assist enterprises solve challenging problems. The company has a team of computer scientists and engineers possessing in-depth knowledge of artificial intelligence. The team also handles data analysis, distributed systems and marketing. To date, Appier has served over 1,000 clients with 14 offices in 12 markets all over Asia.

Avanade Malaysia
Avanade Malaysia provides artificial intelligence solutions for customers by personalizing their experiences. It also provides technology that aims to deliver human-centered artificial intelligence experience for organizations which includes Microsoft Data Platform, Microsoft SQL Server, Microsoft Azure, Azure Machine Learning, Azure Cognitive Services, Power BI and Azure IoT Edge. With 4 branches in countries including Malaysia, North America, Europe and Singapre, Avanade has also won countless awards.

SAS
SAS provides software with artificial intelligence capabilities for more intelligent and automated solutions such as machine learning and computer vision, natural language processing, forecasting and optimization, data management, visualization, deployment and decision support for different environment and cater to ever-changing business needs. It has clients from various industries such as banking, government, health care, life sciences, manufacturing and retail.  SAS has also launched its latest artificial intelligence innovation, which is the SAS Viya 3.4, a cloud-enabled and open analytics engine that helps in delivering quick and accurate results in order to increase productivity for businesses.

Wise AI
Also known as the “Face of Asean”, Wise AI is recognized as the preferred artificial intelligence facial recognition platform company in south East Asia as it is equipped with laser focus on analyzing South East Asian faces. It has branches in Malaysia, Singapore and Thailand. The company’s facial recognition technology is recognized as a fully automated biometric system which accurately identifies a variety of facial characteristics of a person’s age, gender, degree of smile, emotions, vision and skin condition while its intelligent biometric system is capable of differentiating biological behaviours such as opening of one’s mouth, blinking of eyes and nodding. Wise AI has served clients from industries such as banking, insurance, fintech, telco retail, and security.

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There is no denying that singers are a big part of everyone’s life. But what makes a truly legendary singer? While there are many aspects to singing that can be studied or taught, a truly legendary singer is an individual who simply cannot be invented. These legends are a unique lot who are passionate about delivering the best and have found themselves firmly lodged in the hearts of many a soul. In this issue, Top 10 of Malaysia shares its pick (presented in no particular order) of the top ten legendary singers in Malaysia who have serenaded many with their soulful voices and famous chart-topping songs locally and even internationally.

Ella
Malaysia’s legendary queen of Rock, Nor Zila Aminuddin, better known as Ella, started her singing career as a former frontwoman for Malaysian rock band, “Ella & The Boys” before embarking on her solo career in 1988. Ella is popularly known as “Ratu Rock” or “Queen of Rock” as she is the foremost female rocker in a predominantly male business. She was selected to sing “Standing in the Eyes of the World” for the 16th Commonwealth Games in Kuala Lumpur and “Malaysia, Truly Asia” for Visit Malaysia Year 2014. Ella was listed in the Malaysia Book of Records as “Malaysia’s First Artist with the Highest Number of Sold Albums” and “Malaysia’s First Artist to Record a Full Album in the United States”. During the span of her career, she has released 12 studio albums, 2 video albums and several compilations and hit singles.

Anuar Zain
Anuar Zain started his career as a child star and all throughout the years as a performer, he has mesmerized the audience with his attractive persona and angelic voice. Anuar is well-known in the Malay music, film, television and fashion industries. Besides, he is also an icon with a resonating presence throughout Southeast Asia and has won numerous awards for his music career as a singer. Anuar has released several albums and is also a renowned actor who acted in films such as “Soal Hati” and “Bintang Hati”. He also appeared in numerous television programs and was the ambassador for Capital Boutique 2010, a business catalogue on luxury lifestyle products such as Noritake, Queen Anne and Tag Heur.

Faizal Tahir
A singer-songwriter and producer, the multi-talented Faizal Tahir is also the founder of Faithful Music with current artists such as Zamani, Hannah Delisha, Aziz Harun, Sissy Imann and Amir Masdi under his label. Faizal won multiple awards for his debut solo album “Aku Muzik Kamu” and also recorded five studio albums with countless hit songs and chart toppers. Besides being one of the most successful local artistes, he is also known for his charity works through his organization iamFaithmen, a growing social enterprise with the mission to inspire to do good works and give back to society by providing education, inspiration and opportunities.

Shila Amzah
Nurshahila Amir Amzah, better known as Shila Amzah won the “Asian Wave” at Shanghai, China and that was the start of the breakthrough of her singing career. She was listed as the Forbes’ 30 Under 30 Asia (2018) and has collaborated with well-known Malaysian singers such as Jaclyn Victor and Ning Baizura. Shila has won multiple awards over the years and also pursued a singing career in Mandopop at Hong Kong. Her success has garnered her honorific titles such as “Asia’s Sweetheart”, “Princess of Music” and “National Treasure of Malaysia”. Shila also participated in various singing competitions and was the only Malay artiste to be invited to the Global Chinese Music Awards.

Fish Leong
The multi-talented Fish Leong has starred in various commercials for brands such as JURE Jewelry Products, Franic, Avon (Ocean Elements), Uni-President (Crystal Sugar Pear) series, Pure Beauty and Colla-e. Besides, the singer has released a total of 12 albums over the years and organized concerts in several countries locally and overseas. Fish has sold over 18 million records over the years and has received popularity and success locally and also internationally. Her fame also spread to countries such as China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. She debuted her singing career in Taiwan and was signed to Rock Records in October 1997.

Dato’ Sri Siti Nurhaliza Tarudin
Dato’ Sri Siti Nurhaliza Tarudin started her singing career at a young age in 1995. She was a winner of the Bintang HMI singing competition broadcasted by Radio Television Malaysia on April 1995. She rose to fame after her producing her award-winning single, “Jerat Percintaan”. The talented Dato’ Sri Siti sings well in songs of various genres such as pop soft rock, R&B, Nasyid, Balada and dance-pop. Besides, she was the first artiste from Southeast Asia and the third artiste from Asia who held a concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London accompanied by the London Symphony Orchestra in 2005. Dato’ Sri Siti is known as “The Voice of Asia” and “Celine Dion of Asia”.

Datuk Sheila Majid
The popular “Queen of Jazz”, Datuk Sheila Majid rose to fame when she launched her first album called “Dimensi Baru” and won the Gold label status. Her fame soared high after the launch of her second album titled “Emosi” as she became well-known even in Indonesia. Datuk Sheila also went on a 1988 nationwide tour and in 1989, she performed at the Tokyo Music Festival and won the hearts of the people in Japan. Besides, she was also the first local artiste to perform at the Dewan Filharmonik Petronas. Her trademark music is contemporary pop with a Jazz and R&B flavour.

Gary Chaw
Also known as Cao Ge, Gary Chaw is a popular singer-songwriter who has achieved tremendous success in countries such as Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Singapore. Besides being renowned for his rich voice and wide vocal range, Gary also composes songs for himself and other singers. Gary has won numerous awards for his outstanding singing career and his famous song was the Mandarin version of Karyn White’s 1988 song called “Superwoman”. Besides, he also wrote songs which were ranked on top of song charts sung by singers such as Cyndi Wang, S.H.E. and Aaron Kwok.

Amy Search
Legendary rockstar, Suhaimi A Rahman, most popularly known as Amy Search, was the frontman of the band, “Search”. The band produced evergreen albums such as “Rozana”, “Fantasia Bulan Madu” and “Isabella”. The band members also starred in films such as “Fenomena” and “Isabella”. Amy has won several awards over the years and has been selected as one of the mentors for the reality program “Mentor 2”, aired on TV3 due to his wealth of experience in the music industry.

Michael Wong
Michael Wong is a Malaysian Chinese singer, composer and actor who made it into the Malaysia Book of Records as the “Malaysian Chinese Male Composer with the highest number of awards” and also for the Best Selling Chinese Album, “Tong Hua”. The award-winning, multi-talented singer has also achieved success in Taiwan, China and Hong Kong through his breakthrough album titled “Fairy Tale”. Michael has sung and written numerous love-theme ballads for himself and others such as the famous ballad “Courage” originally sung by Fish Leong. He is also well-known as the “The Prince of love songs”.

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Agriculture plays a crucial role in the life of an economy and most countries have an economy that is dependent on agriculture be it in a small or big way. From providing employment opportunities to contribution to the nation’s Gross Domestic Product, agriculture forms the base of many an economy, the backbone of economic systems. In this issue, Top 10 of Malaysia takes a brief look at the top ten inspiring agricultural products companies (listed in Bursa Malaysia and presented in no particular order) that have emerged as leading companies in the agricultural business.

Rhone Ma Holdings Berhad
Established in 2010, Rhone Ma Holdings Berhad is led by Dr Lim Ban Keong and the company is an animal health solution provider, integrating the provision of animal health services as well as the manufacturing and distribution of animal health products. Besides, it also engages in the distribution and supply of food ingredients as well as human healthcare services. Its subsidiaries, Asia-Pacific Special Nutrients Sdn Bhd involves in the trading of feed additives and nutritional feed ingredients while Link Ingredients Sdn Bhd, which was established in 2007, supplies food ingredients to the food industry. Among the ingredients produced by Link Ingredients are starches, modified starches, vegetable powders and these ingredients are sold to bakeries and confectioneries.

DBE Gurney Resources Berhad
DBE Gurney Resources Berhad was incorporated in Malaysia in 2001 as a private limited company under the name of DBE Gurney Resources Sdn Bhd. Led by Dato’ Alex Ding, DBE is in the business of poultry farming and operates principally in Malaysia. The company’s activities include operating integrated poultry broiler farms, processing plants, feed productions, and trading of farm products and materials. It also markets food and beverages under registered brands such as HARUMi and also collaborates with its Taiwanese partners in planning, researching and conducting surveys so that they could introduce Taiwanese food to people in the country. DBE has 23 HARUMi kiosks, 10 HARUMi food trucks, 10 HARUMi restaurants and 2 Harumi express outlets.

QL Resources Berhad
Led by Dr Chia Song Kun, QL Resources Berhad is one of Malaysia’s multinational agro-food corporations. Besides being known as one of Asia’s largest egg producer and surimi manufacturers, QL is also building a presence in the sustainable palm oil sector with activities such as milling, plantations and production of biomass clean energy. On the other hand, QL is also one of the leading distributors of animal feed and the company operates locally, provides supplies throughout Malaysia and also to countries such as Indonesia, Vietnam and China. In addition, it also supplies fishmeal, surimi and frozen food to countries such as Japan, Korea, Singapore, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Spain, Portugal and North America while its livestock sector supplies eggs to countries such as the Philippines, Singapore, Cambodia, Brunei and Hong Kong.

Leong Hup International Berhad
Leong Hup International Berhad is led by Tan Sri Lau Tuang Nguang and the company produces quality feed from feedmills locally and also in countries such as Indonesia and Vietnam. It is one of the largest fully integrated producers of poultry, eggs and livestock feed in Southeast Asia with branches in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and Philippines. The feed production is produced by raw materials such as corn and soybean meal, which is conducted under strict quality-controlled environment in order to produce feed of the highest standard. Leong Hup also produces broiler chickens, breeds day old chicks and produces Grade A to F fresh eggs and premium branded eggs enriched with Omega-3 fatty acid and Lutein.

Bahvest Resources Berhad
Led by Datuk Lo Fui Ming, Bahvest Resources Berhad was established in 2004 with five wholly-owned subsidiaries, which are Wullersdorf Resources Sdn Bhd, Plentiful Harvest Sdn Bhd, Marine Terrace Sdn Bhd, Salient Horizon Sdn Bhd and Plentiful Earnings Sdn Bhd (all collectively referred to as “Bahvest Group”). The group contributes to Malaysia’s aquaculture industry and is involved in the entire process of sustainable aquaculture such as broodstock management, research and development, breeding, hatching, rearing, production of live feed, marketing, transportation of live fishes and distribution of fish products. It also trades its fish products in Hong Kong and China and distributes them to the local distributors.

Teo Seng Capital Berhad
Incorporated in 1978, Teo Seng Capital Berhad is led by Nam Hiok Joo. The principle activities of Teo Seng’s subsidiaries are poultry farming and marketing of chicken eggs, manufacturing and marketing of animal feeds, production of egg trays and organic fermented fertilizer plus providing animal health care with quality products and customized solutions. The company is one of the largest commercial egg producers in Malaysia with daily egg production of 4 million. The poultry farms are operating under the globally recognised All-In-All-Out management system and accredited with Malaysian Good Agricultural Practice by the Department of Veterinary Services Malaysia. Happy Egg is the premium brand of Teo Seng and different commercial egg products are launched under the brand, such as Omega plus Lutein, Fresh Farm Eggs and Hi-Fresh.

CAB Cakaran Corporation Berhad
Led by Chuah Hoon Phong, CAB Cakaran Corporation Berhad is one of Malaysia’s largest food producers that produce high quality food from their poultry farms and also through other food-related businesses. Its integrated poultry farming, which is located in Penang, Kedah and Malacca, includes activities such as rearing grand-parent stock, parent stock farming and hatchery activities while its broiler farming activities are located throughout the Peninsular Malaysia. On the other hand, CAB Cakaran’s produce of chicken and chicken parts are also processed by companies such as Kyros Food Industries Sdn Bhd, Farm’s Best Food Industries Sdn Bhd and HK Food (M) Sdn Bhd.

Lay Hong Berhad
Lay Hong Berhad is led by Dato’ Yeap Weng Hong, Dato’ Yap Chor How and Ng Kim Tian and the company carries out mass production of chicken eggs, liquid eggs, chilled and frozen dressed chicken, chicken parts and processed chicken products such as frankfurters, nuggets and fried chicken. Its products are marketed under the brands, Nutriplus and Wise Choice. The company is one of the leading producers of fresh farm eggs in Malaysia and it processes chickens by using air-chilled technology.

PWF Consolidated Berhad
Established in 1997 and led by Dato’ Siah Gim Eng, PWF Consolidated Berhad is one of Malaysia’s leading integrated poultry producer with business activities which includes broiler farming, broiler breeder farming, layer farming, poultry processing and trading of raw materials. PWF has 4 breeder farms located in Malacca, Perak and Kedah, producing a total of above 2.5 million day-old-chicks each month. The farms are also well-equipped with temperature-controlled and automated feeding and drinking systems. It also has one of the largest broiler farms in the northern region of Peninsular Malaysia with a total of more than 70 broiler farms in Penang, Kedah and Perak. PWF produces over 30 million live broilers and sells them to the markets at the northern and central Peninsular Malaysia. Its main clients are wholesalers, wet market retailers and owners of chicken processing plants.

TPC Plus Berhad
TPC Plus Berhad is led by Lim Yew Chua and the company is well-known for its poultry farming, eggs production and feed mill operations. It engages in production, grading, packaging, selling of eggs and also producing poultry feed. TPC is also one of the leading marketers and distributors of chicken eggs in Malaysia. Among the different kinds of chicken eggs sold by TPC are brown eggs, sandy eggs, omega eggs and liquid eggs.

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