SHAH ALAM (Sin Chew Daily) — Media Chinese International Limited executive director cum group chief executive officer Francis Tiong said during the recent award presentation ceremony for the seventh edition of Sin Chew Business Excellence Awards 2019 held at Setia City Convention Centre in Shah Alam that the world was full of uncertainties and companies must be versatile in embracing new mindset and diverse strategies to stay relevant, in addition to fundamental qualities such as determination, perseverance and diligence.

Versatility in bracing challenges

He said we not only needed to closely monitor the impact from Brexit but also new developments from the Sino-American trade war as well as the Middle East.

“Such unpredictable developments could further complicate the prevailing business environment, while the emergence of revolutionary technologies could shake the foundation of many existing business models.

“As such, business participants must rise up to ensure their continued survival and prosperity.”

Tiong emphasised that the success of a company lies with the vision of its leader, and that a far-sighted business leader would always have an edge over their peers.

“SMEs will continue to become the pillar of the Malaysian economy.

“To SMEs in Malaysia, constantly reshaping themselves in their continuous pursuit of excellence has become a priority task.”

Digitisation key to corporate success

Meanwhile, minister in the prime minster’s department Datuk Seri Liew Vui Keong, whose speech was read by his political secretary Martin Tommy at the award presentation ceremony, said digitisation was the key to the success of modern companies, in particular SMEs.

He said the Pakatan Harapan government had put in a lot of effort to help local businesses in their digitisation drive in the recently tabled Budget 2020, with the hope such measures would help Malaysian businesses take their brands globally.

“It is now time to make Malaysian brands among the most admired in the world, just like how the world sees leading brands like Apple and Alibaba.”