1. Let me begin by thanking the Cambridge Institute of Islamic Finance for giving me the honour to deliver the inaugural lecture on sustainability at this prestigious University of Cambridge. I must say I was initially undecided on how best to deliver this lecture. After consulting with the hosts, it occurred to me that perhaps the best way to talk about Purposeful Leadership is by sharing with you:1.2. Eight thoughts on organisational sustainability; and2.
7. Being my first CEO job, I still remember the nervousness and awkward feeling of having to chair the first UEM Group management meeting. After all UEM/Renong Group was a large conglomerate with some eleven public listed companies under its wings. Imagine a thirty-seven-year-old “freshie” being the boss to many much more senior CEOs of subsidiaries and associated companies. But I was fortunate. Myfellow management colleagues were professional and respected the chair.
extended working hours normally associated with the private sector. Many people thought removing tea breaks was an impossible task back then but the staff and Union officials were very receptive as they appreciated the need for cultural change and the benefits it will bring to TM and its people. This proved the point that when there is a clear purpose, you can expect to get all round support.
14. I had to face three major challenges in the first few months at Maybank. First, to follow through on the three major acquisitions costing some MYR11 billion and to raise the necessary equity and debt capital required to fund the acquisitions. Second, to deal with the Global Financial Crisis that was unfolding with the collapse of Lehman Brothers, among others, in September 2008. And third, to improve the financial performance of Maybank.
to number three in the market. The team worked very hard and after 18 months, the results were proven. Assets and deposits grew faster, customer service enhanced, asset quality improved and profit after tax bounced back to a record MYR3.8 billion for financial year 2010. Maybank was back as the number one bank in Malaysia and the most valuable company listed on Bursa Malaysia.
employees, regulators and business partners where relevant. Communicate your plans and update them regularly with all levels of employees. Set clear and measurable short term and long term targets with clear timeline and accountability. Implement balanced scorecard/performance management system. Align the interest of management with that of shareholders. Share the rewards not just with management colleagues but with all performing employees.
This brings me to the second part of my lecture on some of my thoughts on organisational sustainability. 26. Third is the need to strike a right balance between internal talent and external hires. I personally believe in the importance of nurturing our internal talent or ‘grow your own timber’. This is important to provide the employees with good career progression opportunities. However it is also important to bring in external talent from time to time to refresh the organisation and bring in external perspectives.
if you don’t control it further, it will become cronyism. Eventually, it may even result in being prejudice. I have worked in an organisation where a large number of CEOs in the Group were from the same school. 33. As a prelude to my fellowship, I did a quick poll among some renowned Islamic finance practitioners on what are the first things that come to their mind when I mentioned the word “Sustainability”.
34.3. The VBI Scorecard which provides an overview that covers purposes, key components of assessment and measurement methodology. financial performance with 16.8% increase in 2017 net income to RM17.7 billion; Transformation of strategic companies resulting in RM39.5 billion increase in market capitalisation. This represents total shareholder returns of 26.0%, double the total KLCI returns of 13.