Climate Roundtable by the British High Commission, Kuala Lumpur

BMCC Newsletter Issue #336 - 16 January 2023

Dear Subscriber,

Climate Roundtable by the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.

The British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur (BHCKL) organised a Climate Roundtable on 11 January 2023 to celebrate its successful collaborations with the Malaysian Government and NGOs, and to discuss the way forward to support Malaysia’s ambition towards becoming a carbon-neutral nation earliest by 2050. BHCKL showcased some of their work in Malaysia in the nature, green finance, low-carbon planning, and energy sectors with respective stakeholders, including government agencies, local authorities, and NGOs.

The BMCC is proud to collaborate with BHCKL on our climate action programmes over the last couple of years such as the Malaysia Climate Action Week, CEO's Roundtable on Climate Action and the BMCC Climate Action pledge, amongst others. BMCC will continue to partner with BHCKL to drive the sustainability agenda among businesses in Malaysia through our members and networks.

As part of the Chamber’s Sustainability initiatives, we initiated the BMCC Sustainability Network (Previously known as Green Interest Group) in 2021. Since then, members interested with the sustainability agenda have met to network, share best practices and learn from each other. We invite more like-minded members interested in Sustainability, ESG, and Climate Action to join the network to collaborate, advocate policy, exchange best practices and support each other in the journey towards a more sustainable future.

Richard Graham, the PM's Trade Envoy to Malaysia recognised in New Year's Honours List.

Congratulations to Richard Graham CMG, who was named in the HM King Charles III New Year's Honours List 2023. Richard is the Prime Minister's Trade Envoy to Malaysia, Indonesia, the Philippines, and ASEAN. He received the Companion of the Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George (CMG) in the Overseas & International list for his services to Trade and Investment in South-East Asia.

Richard was appointed for the first time in November 2012. Following his resignation in July 2022, he was reappointed in November 2022, reflecting a decade of outstanding performance. Richard is currently the MP of Gloucester.

The BMCC congratulates Richard Graham CMG on this exceptional accomplishment and applauds his tireless efforts to boost the UK's ties and businesses in South-East Asia.

BMCC Attended MITI’s Discussion on Sustainability Reporting Standards Used by the Manufacturing Sector.

The Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) hosted a discussion on the National ESG Policy Framework which will be introduced for the manufacturing sector in Malaysia. The discussion was aimed to brief and gather feedback from national and international chambers and manufacturing and business associations, on the National ESG Policy Framework which was announced by MITI last year. This is in line with the newly introduced National Investment Aspiration (NIA) that prioritises investments that are ESG-compliant as well as to prepare and supports Malaysian companies, especially exporting companies, to comply with global demand for green supply chains. The four key components of the framework are ESG standards, access to financing, capacity building and market support mechanism.

MITI is also planning to do a series of workshops and a forum this year to give a better understanding of the framework to all stakeholders. The meeting was chaired by Dato’ Sri Norazman Ayob, Deputy Secretary General (Industry) of MITI.

BMCC extends our appreciation to the senior officials of MITI for conducting this session so that the voices of the investors are taken into consideration in government policies.

Meet Our New Member, Aathaworld Sdn Bhd.

BMCC welcomes our new member, Aathaworld Sdn Bhd!

Aathaworld Sdn Bhd symbolises disruptive innovation in the construction and engineering sector. Aathaworld works on a project as a consultant (engineering, architectural, interior design), trading houses (purchaser and distributor), and contractors (installer and applicator) to develop a productive and efficient ecosystem. In this fast-paced world, dealing with them saves you time and resources.

At Aathaworld Sdn Bhd, its team of people and its solutions offerings are always meant to Simplify Your Future.

Meet Our New Member, Archer Bahari.

Welcome to our new member, Archer Bahari!

ARCHER BAHARI is an organisation built on Service Excellence, a group of time-served professionals who work in partnership with their clients and deliver innovative solutions that add real value to solve staff attraction and HR Management issues that ensure a company stays ahead in the global marketplace.

With over 30 years in delivering staff attraction and retention assignments to many of the world’s leading companies, ARCHER BAHARI attracts and helps retain the best individuals to help organisations to grow in this "War for Talent". They help leading organisations to understand their employees and build a culture of engagement that derives efficiency, retains top performers, improves employer branding and positions the organisation as a recognised 'Top Employer of Choice'.

Click here for more information on Archer Bahari.

ABAC Center of Excellence.

The Anti-Bribery Anti-Corruption (ABAC) Center of Excellence is an independent certification body that provides education and certification services for individuals and organisations on a wide range of disciplines, including the ISO 37301 CMS.

ISO 37301 Compliance Management System (CMS) can play a vital role in ESG strategy and Due Diligence by assisting organisations in identifying, measuring, and managing their environmental, social, and governance (ESG) risks. The system can aid organisations in ensuring compliance with applicable legislation and standards, supplying the requisite proof for ESG.

The ISO 37301 CMS can guarantee that a company is meeting its ESG aims and can play a significant role in ESG due diligence.

Click here for more information on the ISO 37301 CMS.

We would like to invite our Sterling members to participate in our Sterling Member Spotlight and join us in sharing your company's current projects, forthcoming events, and accomplishments. Interested members can reach out to comms@bmcc.org.my.

Malaysia to Implement New Sales Tax.

Malaysians will pay an extra 10% for any imported goods purchased, and this new sales tax will be officially imposed starting from April this year.

The Sales Tax (Amendment) Bill 2022 was passed by Dewan Rakyat last August. It will involve all “low-value goods” (LVG) purchased online and delivered to Malaysia by vendors registered with the Finance Ministry. This tax will not be imposed on the delivery charges or insurance costs for bringing the item from overseas to Malaysia. Additionally, the sales tax on the LVG will be charged when the online shopping platform issues the order confirmation.

LVG sellers are responsible for acquiring ‘Registered Seller’ (RS) status with the Customs Department. Sellers can register and help collect the new tax via the MyLVG online system using the LVG-01 form.

Please visit The Royal Malaysian Customs Department website to learn more about this new Sales Tax. Further information may also be obtained via the Chamber’s network of members with expertise in the area. If you require the support, please message us at info@bmcc.org.my, and we can make the introduction.

Government Relaxes Regulations for Hiring Foreign Workers.

The government has agreed to ease the requirements for hiring foreign workers in Malaysia by removing the preconditions required and enabling recruitment to happen as needed. Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim stated that the new Pelan Kelonggaran Penggajian Pekerja Asing (PKPPA), or Relaxation on Hiring of Foreign Workers, will allow employers to hire foreign labour from 15 countries without being constrained by any preconditions or quotas.

Secondly, a series of working trips by a Malaysian team will be planned to the 15 source countries to discuss concerns connected to the safety and welfare of foreign workers in Malaysia. If we can accelerate the employment of foreign employees to meet the demands of key industries, it is predicted that the country's gross domestic product (GDP) will rise by 1%, said Anwar. The government has also decided to carry out the Illegal Immigrant Recalibration Plan 2.0 (IIRP) until December 2023, especially for the Manpower Recalibration Programme (MRP).

Read more here.

Sunway Medical Centre | Frost & Sullivan's 2022 Malaysia Smart Hospital Company of the Year award.

Sunway Medical Centre won the 2022 Malaysia Smart Hospital Company of the Year for the second year at the Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Awards.

The award is given to companies in a wide range of regional and global markets that have shown outstanding leadership, technological innovation, customer service, and strategic product development, among other things.

BMCC congratulates Sunway Medical Centre and its team on this accomplishment and wishes them continued success as they strive to become a national leader in intelligent hospital technology.

BMW Malaysia.

BMW Group Malaysia has surpassed pre-pandemic business performance with over 14,400 units of BMW, MINI and BMW Motorrad vehicles delivered in 2022.

Hans de Visser, CEO and Managing Director of BMW Malaysia, remarked that while the company endured a slowdown in 2020 and a chip shortage in much of 2021, 2022 was an exceptional year of recovery and growth for BMW Malaysia, as it emerged from the difficulties of the previous two years.

BMCC applauds BMW Malaysia for their outstanding accomplishment and wishes them an even more successful year ahead!

KPJ Healthcare | Most Preferred Graduate Employers to Work for in 2023.

At the Graduates' Choice Award 2022, our member KPJ Healthcare Berhad was awarded the Champions in the Healthcare (Hospitals) category as the nation's Most Preferred Graduate Employers to Work for in 2023!

KPJ Healthcare's commitment to cultivating talent, maintaining a safe workplace, and providing a fantastic place to study, grow, and build a career is reflected in this award.

BMCC is pleased for KPJ Healthcare and hopes they continue to thrive in their mission to improve people's access to high-quality healthcare and a positive work environment.

Photo credit: KPJ Healthcare Instagram page.