Frost & Sullivan: Gathering Of Minds At Leadership Session

Photo above: More than 260 delegates attended Frost & Sullivan’s Growth, Innovation and Leadership (GIL) Congress, making it a powerhouse of ideas and meaningful connections.

For the eighth consecutive year, Frost & Sullivan’s flagship conference – Growth, Innovation and Leadership (GIL) 2015 Malaysia – brought together visionary leaders and senior executives from all over the country, this time at the Mandarin Oriental Hotel, Kuala Lumpur on April 14.

Special guests, key speakers, industry think-tanks and over 260 delegates from various industries participated in the annual event to share and discuss opportunities and strategies to leverage innovation in the quest to address global market challenges.

This year’s conference turned the spotlight on “Convergence”, drawing in elements of technology and connectivity, which are creating some of the most volatile market disruptions.

According to analysts at Frost & Sullivan, Malaysia’s social networking users are expected to nearly double to 25.6 million people in 2020.

“Ninety-five per cent of all netizens, or Internet users, will be active social network users, presenting a huge potential for digital marketing and eCommerce,” says Barry Lim, director of Frost & Sullivan Asia-Pacific.

Change brings challenges, and without enough preparation, companies will undoubtedly find the disruption threatening. Manoj Menon, senior partner and managing director of Frost & Sullivan Asia-Pacific believes that most companies in Malaysia are unaware of new technologies that will soon arrive to threaten market positions and worse, send strategies, R&D and product development teams into tailspins.

Delegates were treated to a plethora of latest research findings, including the top 50 disruptive technologies, along with insights on what should be done to get ahead of the threat.

Key analysts who took to the stage to share their latest findings in the GIL Bytes Presentation, warned that the future is changing rapidly.

They offered delegates a huge chunk of insider data that covered market trends and issues, including the future of the telecommunication industry, impacts of cheap crude oil, emerging markets in the region as well as governance in the digital age, among many others.

Not only was GIL 2015 a rare opportunity for networking, its one-day programme included a number of interactive sessions with market experts who shared critical insights into game-changing trends that are impacting the country’s economy and its industries.

Finally, the conference’s agenda included an extensive session with some of Malaysia’s top chief executive officers, who revealed perceptive and visionary approaches in shaping their companies in this highly innovative and turbulent market environment.

Humility is a great virtue

There was a palpable hum in the air, as delegates hurriedly took their seats to hear one of Malaysia’s most prominent leaders speak on leadership in this country.

That leader was none other than Datuk Seri Idris Jala, CEO of Pemandu and minister in the Prime Minister’s Department, who headlined a session aptly titled “Legends of Asia” at the recent Frost & Sullivan forum.

Speaking with his usual wit, humour and candour, Datuk Seri Idris drew examples from his unique career in the private sector, the government sector and as a member of cabinet, to share these leadership tips:

To be a very successful leader you have to leverage both the emotion and intellect. If you use one of the two, you are using only half of your capability. We must push our intellect as well as our emotion. Communication cannot be just done rationally; it has to reach out to the hearts of people.
What separates a good leader and a GREAT leader is “Strength of Conviction”. A great leader should have the ability to follow through on his conviction. He should feel deeply about the cause or idea he represents. There are always lots of compelling reasons to not follow through. Conviction is what separates a great leader from a good leader.
Vulnerability is a virtue. Every leader should know that he/she cannot control everything that happens in our life.
This makes the leader humble. Humility is a great part of leadership. Humility should not be misunderstood with lack of assertiveness or being direct. The graveyard is full of people who thought they were indispensable. Leaders should also know when to put a full-stop and let their teams continue the journey.
The only way to develop your leadership is by doing it. No amount of education can help you become a great leader. Leadership is honed through experience.
Failure is the best teacher, but do not make it a habit. Do not repeat your failures.
Finally, a leader is all about his or her followers.

2015 Frost & Sullivan Malaysia Excellence Awards

Photo above: Frost & Sullivan honours Malaysia’s best-in-class companies.

For more than 50 years, Frost & Sullivan has been developing growth strategies for the global 1000, emerging businesses, the public sector and the investment community.

This “growth partnership company” collaborates with clients to leverage visionary innovation that addresses global challenges and related growth opportunities that could make or break today’s market participants.

This year, a total of 74 awards were given out to honour various companies in Malaysia in nine categories; automation and electronics, automotive, chemicals, environment, building, energy and power, healthcare, information and communication technologies, and transportation and logistics.

The award recognises Malaysian companies for best practices, outstanding performances, superior leadership, technological innovation, customer service and strategic product development within regional and global markets.

The winners were identified by a panel of independent judges comprising influential industry experts and leaders in the country.

A cocktail reception was held on April 14, 2015 to honour the companies receiving the 2015 Frost & Sullivan Malaysia Excellence Awards. The ceremony was graced by former prime minister Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad and his wife Tun Dr Siti Hasmah Mohamed Ali.