On 18 October, AMCHAM held an insightful, private briefing session with Hans Vriens, founder and managing partner of Vriens & Partners, focusing on the evolving geopolitical landscape and government relations in Southeast Asia.

Federal Express Corporation has appointed Bianca Wong as the new Regional Vice President for Southeast Asia. Bianca, previously Vice President of Human Resources for Asia Pacific, will now helm the operational strategies in one of the company’s fastest-growing markets. She succeeds Audrey Cheong, who assumed the role of Vice President for FedEx China in September 2024.

Plexus is proud to celebrate another milestone with the Silver Award for Excellence in Employee Volunteerism at the HR Excellence Awards 2024 Malaysia.

On 18 Oct 2024, the team, led by Vice President of Human Resources (APAC) Chuah Cheng Leong, proudly accepted the award during the ceremony. This recognition reflects Plexus’ ongoing commitment to empowering employees to make a positive impact through meaningful community engagement.

On 18 October 2024, Malaysia’s Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Dato’ Seri Anwar Ibrahim tabled the Malaysian Budget 2025, themed “Reinvigorating the Economy, Driving Reforms, and Prospering the People”.

This is the third MADANI themed budget, with the largest ever allocation at RM421 billion that aims to drive economic growth, achieve long-term fiscal sustainability and elevate the people’s standard of living. This infographic sets out the key tax highlights from the Budget 2025 announcement.

The coming years will accelerate shifting supply chains, with manufacturing and production locations diversifying across Southeast Asia. JLL (NYSE: JLL) reports that Southeast Asia and other developing economies in the APAC region stand to be net beneficiaries of this trend.

On 31 July 2024, the Malaysian Parliament passed the long-awaited Personal Data Protection (Amendment) Bill 2024 (“Amendment Bill“), tabled by Digital Minister Gobind Singh (“Minister“).

With the Amendment Act now gazetted, this indicates that its official enforcement is forthcoming. Businesses should start taking steps to review their internal data protection policies and practices to ensure compliance with the new changes introduced by the Amendment Act.

Azmi & Associates released a number of articles from the 15th to the 18th of October. Click on the links below to read the article(s).

Franchising has emerged as a significant trend in Malaysia, offering attractive opportunities for local and foreign investors to expand their businesses as well as allowing entrepreneurs to operate under an established brand, significantly reducing the risks associated with starting a new business from scratch.

The franchise industry in Malaysia is governed by the Ministry of Domestic Trade and Cost of Living (the “Ministry”) with a strong support of the Malaysian Franchise Association.