logo
PERDANA LEADERSHIP FOUNDATION

SME LEADERS PROGRAMME 2023

KNOWLEDGE EXCHANGE FOR ENTREPRENEURSHIP EXCELLENCE

Micro and small businesses (MSMEs) in Malaysia are vital to the economy, making up more than 95% of businesses, contributing 38% to the nation’s annual GDP, and employing more than 7 million Malaysians. Yet the sector is also the one that struggles the most during tough times, as highlighted during the recent lockdowns that saw thousands of small businesses cease operations.

While external factors play a role, leadership often determines the success and longevity of a business, especially small and medium businesses founded on passion and vision, and led by solo entrepreneurs or small teams operating on limited resources and budget. The quality of leadership has a bigger impact in smaller organisations than in larger companies with established structures and teams.

The PLF SME Leaders Programme 2023 highlights successful leadership traits and practices among MSME leaders while at the same time facilitating knowledge and idea-sharing for mutual enrichment. The programme also features information sessions on the support and aid available to the MSME sector. This event will pack CEO Spotlights, Breakout Sessions, and Info Briefs into a unique one-day in-person programme in Putrajaya.

WHEN
8.00am – 5.30pm
13th July 2023, Thursday
(Refreshments will be provided)

WHERE
Perdana Leadership Foundation,
No.1, Jalan P8H, Precinct 8, Putrajaya 

Google Maps | Waze

Who Should Attend
Aspiring and Present Micro, Small, and Medium Business Owners and Leaders

Admission is only RM30 per person.

Please note that this is an in-person (physical) event. Only fully vaccinated individuals with no overseas travel in the two weeks immediately prior to the event are eligible to attend. Please do NOT attend if you are experiencing fever, coughs, cold, nausea, or any other symptoms indicative of Covid-19.

The PLF SME Leaders Programme 2023 is for business owners and leaders who seek to:

Learn from successful MSME leaders on specific aspects of running a small business.
Exchange ideas and widen networking through breakout sessions facilitated by past or present entrepreneurs.
Obtain information on assistance and financing schemes availablefor MSMEs in Malaysia.
Generate new ideas and gain fresh perspectives on their business.

Agenda

ITINERARY

TimeDuration Agenda
8:30 AM60 mins Registration, Coffee & Networking
9:30 AM30 mins

 Welcome Remarks by Tan Sri Azman Hashim, Chairman, Board of Trustees, Perdana Leadership Foundation (Virtual)
 Opening Remarks by Encik Mahmood Razak Bahman, Director, PUSPAKOM, and Alternate Trustee, Perdana Leadership Foundation

10:00 AM60 mins

 CEO Spotlight I – “How to Make Funders and Investors Say ‘I Do’” with Q&A

 Speaker 1: Mr Joshua Chan, Co-Founder of InspiresMe Asia
 Speaker 2: Mr Paramjit Singh, Chief Investment Officer of MAVCAP
 Speaker 3: Mr Kien Poon Chai, Country Head-Malaysia of Funding Societies Malaysia

11:00 AM30 mins

  Coffee & Networking

11:30 AM60 mins

 Parallel Breakout Sessions I & II

 Breakout Session I: “Build A Brand Customers Love”

  • Mr Ali Hassan Mohd Hassan, Founder & Chairman of Al-Ikhsan Sports Sdn Bhd
  • Ms Arieni Ritzal, Founder & CEO of Gula Cakery Sdn Bhd
  • Ms Kristy Yong, Chief Executive Director of Ms Read (M) Sdn Bhd

 
Breakout Session II: “Social Media Strategies to Skyrocket Sales”

  • Puan Jasmiza Yantee Jamaluddin, Principal Consultant and CEO of Jasmiza Solutions Sdn Bhd
  • Ms Dini Tajudin, Branding Coach & CEO of Diniflix.com
  • Mr Silmyi M. Sadek, Chief Geek of Brand Geeks Inc
12:30 PM30 mins

 Exhibition Visit & Networking

1:00 PM1 hour 15 mins

 Lunch

2:15 PM60 mins

 CEO Spotlight II – “Unveiling Key Success Factors of Entrepreneurship” with Q&A

 Speaker 1: Mr Jayson Lim Chin Hau, Founder & CEO of MediCap Sdn Bhd
 Speaker 2: Mr Ziwei Low, Founder of ZCOVA
 Speaker 3: Dato’ Mohd Subri Md Isa, Founder of Syauqi Excellent Sdn Bhd

3:15 PM45 mins

 Talk: “Fueling MSME Expansion with Cross-border E-Commerce”

 Mr Md Shaiful Md Sharif, Director of Development Assistance Section and Exporter Advisory and Training Services Section, MATRADE

4:00 PM30 mins

 Coffee & Networking

4:30 PM60 mins

 Closing Session with Closing Address by YABhg Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad,
 “Translating Vision into Action: Lessons for Business  Leaders”.
 Former Prime Minister of Malaysia and Honorary President, Perdana Leadership Foundation.

5:30 PM 

 Refreshments & End

   
   
   

CEO SPOTLIGHT

Ever wondered how other business leaders navigated their businesses through turbulent times and are still standing strong? The CEO Spotlight will host micro and small business leaders in conversations that will unearth the lessons learned and pointers forward for inspiration and practical take-aways.

Businesses need money to grow, but how do you convince potential funders and investors that your business is the real thing? This session will highlight the importance of understanding the needs and preferences of funders and investors, including risk appetite, stage of investment, and expected returns, so that your business plans can address their concerns. The session will also discuss the significance of aligning your business or project with funders’ investment goals, and of determining the right investor for your business growth. 

The exploration of key success factors in entrepreneurship aims to empower individuals with the tools and understanding needed to navigate the challenges of starting and growing a business effectively. This session will explore the essential elements that contribute to entrepreneurial success and to share valuable insights and guidance for aspiring entrepreneurs to thrive in the competitive business world.

INFO TALK

Short and punchy info-packed talks to aid small biz leaders by those in the know.

Cross-border e-commerce provides MSMEs with access to international markets that were previously challenging to enter. This session with MATRADE will explore how even the smallest businesses can offer their products on a global scale, expand their reach, and increase sales potential. The session will also highlight government initiatives to boost e-commerce adoption by MSMEs.

BREAKOUT SESSIONS

It’s more than just talk. Peer discussions are a great way to challenge assumptions, refine decisions, and build networks. When diverse minds get together, the result can be new ideas and synergies. Led by entrepreneurs themselves, the sessions enable knowledge-sharing as well as healthy exchanges among small biz leaders, and, who knows, they may even lead to new collaborations.

Building a brand that customers love is crucial for long-term success and customer loyalty. This breakout session will explore real-life examples to illustrate successful brand-building strategies that you can apply to your business. Get to know the nitty-gritty of brand-building in this valuable session.

Tik-Tok, the ‘Gram, FB, WhatsApp, Twitter, and now Threads, with more people on socials these days, no business can afford to ignore this channel of communications. But with a limited budget and limited audience data, how can a business craft posts, reels, and stories that translate into clicks and buys? This session provides insights into social media strategies from marketing experts who have helped businesses to have a meaningful social media presence.

Register

Our event is open to present and aspiring business owners and leaders. Admission is free but seats are limited, so register early to avoid disappointment.

Please note the following precautions:

  1. You need to be fully vaccinated with a MySJ certificate that you would need to show at registration.
  2. You have not travelled overseas within the two weeks prior to the event.
  3. You are not a close contact of any Covid-positive individual.
  4. You need to take a home Covid-19 test or clinic-administered Covid-19
    test within two days prior to the event. Snap a photo of the test result and e-mail to prior to the event or at registration.
  5. Please do NOT attend if you have fever, cough, a cold, or any other symptoms indicative of Covid-19, even if your test results come up negative.
  6. All participants need to be masked at all times, except during meals.
  7. Muslim participants need to bring their own prayer clothes and prayer mat
    as none will be provided in our building’s surau.
  8. There will be sanitisers placed at the event venue and all participants are
    encouraged to sanitise or wash their hands regularly.

Seats are limited, grab yours today at only RM30 per person.

Contact Us

Have questions? Contact us. We promise to get back to you quickly.

PHONE

603-8885-8960‬
ext. 8965/8952/8953

Locate Us

How to get to the event venue

We are situated in the nation’s administrative heart of Putrajaya, 20 minutes from KL International Airport and 45 minutes from Kuala Lumpur.

OUR ADDRESS
Perdana Leadership Foundation
No 1, Jalan P8H, Precinct 8, 62250,
Putrajaya, Wilayah Persekutuan
Malaysia

Perdana Leadership Foundation or
Yayasan Kepimpinan Perdana

PUBLIC TRANSPORT
The nearest rail stop is the ERL station at Precinct 7, a 10-minute drive away from our Foundation. The ERL goes from KL Sentral to KLIA2, with a stop at Putrajaya.

About Us

Perdana Leadership Foundation (Co. No. 200301002222 (604642-u))

Perdana Leadership Foundation was chartered in January 2003 as a non-profit organisation, founded with gifts from people who supported the vision of a thriving research and learning institution dedicated to the study of Malaysian leadership and nation-building. It is unique in the sense that it began as an entirely private sector initiative, seed-funded and organised by private sector individuals and corporations. Most of the Foundation’s present trustees were the early benefactors of this Foundation.

The Foundation’s physical home in Precinct 8, Putrajaya, was completed in October 2003. The stately building now houses the Perdana Library, an auditorium as well as a multi-purpose hall in addition to the offices of the Foundation’s Honorary President, Malaysia’s 4th and 7th Prime Minister, YABhg Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad.

A tax-exempt, non-profit organisation, the Foundation intends to become the premier institution for the study of Malaysia’s Prime Ministers and the central resource centre for research into national stewardship as well as a platform for reflection, debate, and discussion with distinguished figures in Malaysian leadership.

The Perdana Leadership Foundation was officially launched on the 10th May 2005, by Tun Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, 5th Prime Minister of Malaysia.

Visit our website at www.perdana.org.my

Perdana Leadership Foundation aims to:

Highlight the contributions of Malaysia’s past Prime Ministers in the social, economic and political development of the nation.

Create awareness of the development process of the nation and draw lessons from the nation’s history to enhance future development.

Become the premier resource centre for the policies, strategies and initiatives adopted under Malaysia’s various Prime Ministers which may be used and adapted by other developing nations.

The Foundation also has a broader objective i.e. to promote global understanding by providing a channel for scholars and thinkers to undertake research and idea-sharing for lasting, peaceful resolutions.​