The last 16 months have been a long haul for everyone, but we are starting to see the light at the end of the tunnel (we hope).

The AMCHAM Executive Office Team has been doing our best to support all of our members in their varied needs through thick and thin since COVID-19 became our new reality. While there never seems to be a right or good time, especially in our most unpredictable of circumstances, we are giving the entire team a week to ‘decompress’.

Please direct any critical inquiries to: 09-13August@amcham.com.my

AMCHAM had an early start today participating in HSBC’s webinar: E&E Industry in Penang, Malaysia: Way Forward. The event featured Dato’ Seri Lee Kah Choon, Special Advisor to the Chief Minister of Penang; Andrew Sill, Country Head of Commercial Banking, HSBC Malaysia; Vishal Karanwal, Country Head of International Subsidiary Banking, HSBC Malaysia; and Debra Lodge, Managing Director, Head of Corporate International Solutions, HSBC USA; and our very own Siobhan Das, CEO, AMCHAM.

The National Security Council (NSC) will meet on Monday, 9 August, to review the strategy to handle the rise in COVID-19 cases in certain states.

The meeting will look at why this is happening and if measures that have been taken are not effective.

About 71.2 per cent of Selangor’s population have received at least one dose of vaccine through the National COVID-19 Immunisation Programme (PICK) and Selangor vaccination initiative (Selvax). The result of the efforts carried out could be seen by this September towards achieving herd immunity in the state.

For over a year, the Asia Pacific region has observed an increase in different types of fraudulent activities impacting businesses daily. In this curated webinar organised by Rajah & Tann Asia’s Fraud, Asset Recovery and Investigations Practice, our speakers from across the region will be exploring various types of fraud that organisations are facing.

MDEC will be organizing the MyDigitalWorkforce Week from 16 August to 30 August 2021 in conjunction with the Malaysia Tech Month (MTM2021).

The virtual event will feature a jobs expo, webinars and opportunities for job seekers to connect with industry employers.

On August 5, Intel donated and delivered 8 units of oxygen concentrators to Penang General Hospital. A timely donation in this period of rising daily COVID-19 cases.

Well done, Intel!

Cisco, the worldwide technology leader, today announced the appointment of Hana Raja as Managing Director for its Malaysia business. Ms. Raja will focus on accelerating digital transformation of customers across the country, working closely with Cisco's partner ecosystem. Ms. Raja brings with her 12 years' experience in strategic planning, business management and leadership roles across various sectors.

MDEC has appointed a new lead to head its innovation and technology division. Richard Loh Tian Hu will now be the new Chief Innovation and Technology Officer at MDEC. His primary responsibility will be to lead and develop MDEC’s Digital Information Technology Strategy, Plan and Transformation, in addition he will be tasked to review, reorganise and integrate the agency’s technology functions and infrastructures to maximise MDEC’s capabilities.

Hospital Kuala Lumpur is currently in urgent need of hospital equipments due to overwhelming number of COVID-19 patients. AMCHAM is seeking support from any of our member companies who is able to contribute.

If anyone is able to assist, please contact Kevin at kevin@amcham.com.my or Elaine at elaine@amcham.com.my

Hospital Ampang has close to 150 COVID patients now in, and for the past few weeks the hospital has been expanding the wards in terms of manpower, equipment, and proper isolation spaces.

Both patients and clinicians need equipments urgently to be able to do their work.

If anyone is able to assist, please contact Kevin at kevin@amcham.com.my or Elaine at elaine@amcham.com.my

Hospital Kepala Batas has set up the new Hospital Medan to cope with the rising numbers of ICU patients since May 2021. They are currently in urgent need of medical equipment. AMCHAM is seeking support from any of our member companies.

If anyone is able to assist, please contact Kevin at kevin@amcham.com.my or Elaine at elaine@amcham.com.my

AMCHAM is HIRING! Are you looking for a challenging and rewarding career in corporate affairs and policymaking? Are you enthusiastic and passionate about business and policy matters, especially related to Malaysian and U.S.?

If this is you, apply today to join the team as a Government Affairs Manager.

Are consumers truly paying more attention to sustainability—or just saying that they are? What are companies doing to ensure that their businesses are both sustainable and profitable? In this episode of the McKinsey on Consumer and Retail podcast, partner Sebastian Gatzer and senior partner Clarisse Magnin discuss highlights from their latest research on sustainability in the consumer sector. An edited transcript of their conversation with executive editor Monica Toriello follows.