YAB Chow Kon Yeow
Chief Minister of Penang

YB Yeoh Soon Hin
Penang State Exco For Tourism And Creative Economy (PETACE)
Represented YAB Chow Kon Yeow Chief Minister of Penang speech on stage

Chng Huck Theng
Founder & President, CHTNetwork

It was a wonderful afternoon of camaraderie and networking for all guests amidst the recent Chinese New Year festivities at the launch of the much-anticipated Penang Power 100 coffee table book by YB Yeoh Soon Hin, Penang state executive councillor for tourism and creative economy (PETACE), who represented YAB Chow Kon Yeow, chief minister of Penang.

Held at The Wembley – A St Giles Hotel, Penang, the event saw a turnout of about 100 invited guests, comprising influential leaders, business-owners and dynamic entrepreneurs from the various industries.

A project initiated by founder and president of CHTNetwork, Mr Chng Huck Theng, this exclusive industry coffee table book is endorsed by the Penang State Government and supported by influential leaders of industries, personalities and organisations. Featuring brand stories of organisations from the industries which drive and support Penang’s economy, it also celebrates the Penang people for their resilience, achievements and contribution to continue to bring progress to the state in a concerted effort. 

In his speech, read by YB Yeoh, chief minister YAB Chow Kon Yeow, extended his congratulations for the timely production of this 159-page hardcover to recognise the resilience of the personalities and organisations featured, and to commemorate Penang’s 50 years of industrialisation.”  “I have every confidence that our existing electrical and electronics industry, supported by the services sector will ensure that Penang continues to move ahead in becoming a greater economic powerhouse whilst remaining steadfast in achieving our Penang 2030 vision of a family-focused green and smart state that inspires the nation,” he added.

Representatives of the featured establishments also received their certificates of acknowledgement and appreciation from YB Yeoh Soon Hin, and YB Dato’ Haji Abdul Halim Haji Hussain, Penang state executive councillor for trade, industry & entrepreneurial development. 

Also present at the event were Dato’ Lee Teong Li (director of Amphenol TCS (M) Sdn Bhd, who is also the chairman, Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers, Penang Branch (FMM Penang), Dato Syed Mohamad bin Syed Murtaza, (group executive chairman, Master-Pack Berhad), Dato’ Seri Jong East Full (principal/director, East Design Architect Sdn Bhd), Dato’ Seri Goh Eng Hoe (founder, IRM Industries Sdn Bhd), En Roslan Omar (head of Setia SPICE Convention Centre), Ms Chris Ooi, (chief executive officer, Everbest Soya Bean Products Sdn Bhd), Dato’ Goh Teng Whoo (chief operating officer, Ideal Property Group), Mr K L Bock (senior vice president, Western Digital), Mr Tony Goh (general manager, The Wembley – A St Giles Hotel, Penang), Dato’ Seri Lim Cheah Chooi (chief executive officer, Unimech Group Bhd) and Mr Wong Kee Wei (managing director, Safetywear Group) and Major Leena Lee (Founder, Wellpoint Corporate Group), amongst others.

The Penang Power 100 is not only available as a hard-cover publication, but also in various digital and social media platforms where its presence will remain entrenched for many years to come, immortalise the beauty of Penang and the powers that had propelled the state to become what it is today.

The INPenang International Awards 2021 presented biennially by CHTNetwork to recognise ‘Outstanding Penang People & Organisations’ is acknowledged as Penang’s most prestigious red carpet gala event. This edition which marks the fifth installation of the award presentation, saw a turnout of about 300 notable who’s who of Penang and Malaysia. Guest of Honour Tuan Yang Terutama Tun Dato Seri Utama Ahmad Fuzi bin Haji Abdul Razak, the Governor of Penang and YB Yeoh Soon Hin, Penang State Executive Councillor for Tourism and Creative Economy representing YAB Chow Kon Yeow, the Chief Minister of Penang were among the dignitaries who graced this award night. 

Back from Australia for a study break, Heidi Lim who serenaded the guests with two beautiful and soulful songs was the opening act to this glamorous evening, followed by a short video presentation of INPenang International Awards past years’ events. In his welcoming address, Founding President Chng Huck Theng wished all 17 INPenang International Award recipients continued success and hope that they will also use these blessed opportunities to contribute to the Penang community and YB Yeoh, in congratulating the winners, looked forward to the collaboration from all to realise the Penang 2030 Vision. 

The Winners

Heading the honours list was Dato Seri Chew Weng Khak, Founder and Group Executive Chairman of Pensonic Holdings Berhad, recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award followed by four respected personalities – Dato Seri (Dr) Syed Hussain Aljunid, Dato Dr Nick Ng, Dr Lim Ban Keong and Ng Kee Guan, winning the INPenang Outstanding Achievers Awards.

For the first time in the awards history, two out of the nine INPenang National Achievers Awards were bestowed onto two very special teams of frontliners, which are the Penang Police Force for Law Enforcement and the Penang Health Department for the Medical sector for their relentless effort and exceptional services during the Covid-19 pandemic. The other seven recipients honoured were Aida Lim Abdullah, Don Hoe, Ranndy Goh, CTG Group, Ee-Jia Enterprise (M) Sdn Bhd, Hectarworld Realty Sdn Bhd and The Wembley – A St Giles Hotel, Penang. June Goh, Low Chin Siang and Tan Wei Xin were presented with the INPenang Emerging Entrepreneur Award Winners.

Highlights of the evening also included a performance by Carinne Lee, who mesmerised the audience with her renditions of popular Malay and Chinese numbers, a fashion showcase featuring INPenang Award Fashion Designer Ranndy Goh’s latest 2021 creations and the Best Dressed Award presented by Ping Chng, CEO of  CHTNetwork Australia to five fashionistas who came dressed to impress. The evening ended on a high note where guests raised their hands and opened their hearts to support the Silent Auction with proceeds benefitting charity organisations. This tradition has always been an integral aspect of CHTNetwork’s charity drive initiatives as Chng believes in giving back to the society. Three art pieces among the other items auctioned raised RM28,000 which will be channelled to the Yayasan Amal TYT. Two of the art pieces donated were Chng’s own creations.

Amongst the other distinguished guests present were Chief Police of Penang Datuk Mohd Shuhaily, President and Group CEO of Affin Bank Bhd Datuk Wan Razly, Tan Sri Richard Koh, Tan Sri Tan Khoon Hai and Private Client Director of Louis XIII, Cheryl Xie McCallum.

When it comes to names like Gordon Ramsay in the culinary world, it all has to do with class, elegance, character and attitude. A British chef born in 1966, Gordon Ramsay founded his own Gordon Ramsay Restaurants in 1997 and has been awarded 16 Michelin stars overall where he currently holds seven. Besides the restaurants, there are three Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill in London’s Mayfair, Chelsea and Park Walk.

Sunway Resort Kuala Lumpur announced that the first Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill outside the United Kingdom is set to open its doors within its premise in 2022. The highly anticipated restaurant will be offering signature dishes and all-day dining selections ranging from classic British to South East Asian-styled favourites.

Sunway Group said the new partnership with Gordon Ramsay Restaurants is part of Sunway’s strategic vision to introduce world-class dining to Sunway City — which comprises three hotels, a theme park, retail mall, healthcare, residential spaces, and three universities. Sunway Design chief principal designer, Nelson Yong said that this new restaurant will be the perfect blend of Gordon Ramsay’s British heritage with the new look of Sunway Resort where guests will be mesmerised by their senses and create culinary journeys with a lasting impression.

Gordon Ramsay Bar & Grill is located on the Lobby Level, Sunway Resort, Sunway City, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia.

All images courtesy of http://www.sunwayhotels.com

“Promoting Business, Cultural & Digital Economy Cooperation and Diplomacy”

Resulting from the Global Pandemic and focusing on global recovery, the importance of global partnership, global leadership and global cooperation is imperative. Technology has also become a game changer and a key driver of the global economy – digital technology and innovations, green technology, health technology and agrotechnology will enhance global growth. 

The 2021 summit held in Penang recognised these strategic trends of global geopolitical and geoeconomics forces and the power of global partnerships in this new global era.  Senior officials, business leaders and experts at the Global Chinese Economic and Technology Summit discussed the need for nations to develop both physical and digital infrastructure and to invest more on renewable energy in line with global climate commitments. 

Various experts, business leaders, policy makers and civil society members spoke at the event which was held physically and virtually.

The KSI Strategic Institute for Asia Pacific was delighted to host its first physical event since the first quarter of 2021 in Penang. Jointly organised with the Wawasan Open University and MICCI Penang, the Penang Future Forward Summit took place on 25 October 2021 to provide a platform for the various captains of industry and civil societies to formulate successful strategies, capitalise on technological change and shape a more resilient, sustainable and competitive future for the state.

The joint welcoming speeches were delivered by Tan Sri Michael Yeoh, President, KSI Strategic Institute for Asia Pacific; Mr Michel Van Crombrugge, Chairman, MICCI Penang; and Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon, Chairman, Board of Governors, Wawasan Open University.

The Governor of Penang, TYT Tun Dato’ Seri Utama Ahmad Fuzi bin Haji Abdul Razak delivered the Opening Address. In his speech, the Governor highlighted that Penang can expect a faster economic recovery if the authorities can effectively contain the Covid-19 Pandemic and sustaining economic growth would remain a challenge for the remainder of the year right up to early 2022. The global demand for electronics and electrical products, the entry of several Fortune 500 companies into the Batu Kawan Industrial Park as well as the introduction of the Penang Transport Master Plan were among the contributing factors that would accelerate the state’s economic recovery.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) has recognised and awarded two Western Digital (WD) factories as the latest entrants to its Global Lighthouse Network (GLN). The smart factories are located in Malaysia and Thailand. Of the 90 total sites within WEF’s Lighthouse network, Western Digital factory in Penang is the first company to receive such esteemed recognition in Malaysia. CEO of WD David Goeckeler was delighted with the achievement and said that “It is an honour and a testament of our leadership efforts in 4IR with both technology innovation and workforce engagement.” “Western Digital, as a leading data infrastructure provider, is committed to enabling sustainable growth and transformation across our facilities around the world to deliver value to our customers, employees, and partners,” he added. 

At a press conference in Malaysia, Senior Vice President Global Flash Backend Operations – KL Bock, recalled that the solutions for lights-out were not available in the industry and the Malaysia team had to create their own blue-print from scratch to make it happen in order to provide cost efficient and effective enablers to support the growth taking shape in the global flash memory market. Arham Abdul Rahman, CEO of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) congratulated WD for this milestone. He mentioned in his speech that Malaysia is on board towards the 4th Industrial Revolution and Digital Economy and he is confident that this is an exceptional example to the rest of the industries operating in the country. 

The Global Lighthouse Network is a project that was initiated by the World Economic Forum and McKinsey & Co since 2018 that recognises production sites and value chains that are world leaders in the adoption and integration of the cutting-edge technologies of the 4IR.

In the world of luxury automotive brands, it is almost impossible to find a competitor that can come close to the history and beauty of Rolls-Royce. Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Kuala Lumpur with CHTNetwork invited 16 VIP guests for an exclusive dinner party at their company’s showroom which was transformed to provide a one-of-a-kind dinner experience. Among the VIPs were Tan Sri Richard Koh, Dato Seri Desmond To, Dato Seri David Yeat, Dato Seri Damien Chua, Dato Cher Chen Chiang, Dato Dr. Nick Ng, Tengku Abang Faisal Amir, James Tee with Dato Michael Ong, Koong Wai Seng, Anas Zawawi Khalid from Rolls-Royce Motor Cars Kuala Lumpur and Chng Huck Theng from CHTNetwork. Guests had the opportunity to be up-close-and-personal with the prestigious Phantom and Cullinan before dinner was served. 

Vanilla Crepe is now officially declared the ‘Largest Mille Crepe Chain in Malaysia’ by the Malaysia Book of Records with a total number of 23 outlets nationwide. During the presentation ceremony at 360 Atmosphere, KL Tower, Vanilla Crepe CEO, Nelson Liew said that achieving this recognition was one of his primary objectives for the brand when he started Vanilla Crepe back in 2015 with an initial target of 20 outlets by 2020. “I am very proud as it was a lot of hardwork from all of us to have actually met and surpassed our goal today” said Nelson. CEO of Malaysia Book Of Records Dato Michael Tio presented the official documentation to Nelson and his partner Lum Peng Keong accompanied by Ezzlyyn Lum. 

Vanilla Crepe currently has 23 outlets, with the majority in Klang Valley and a handful in Johor, Melaka and Ipoh. Some outlets are located in prominent shopping malls like Midvalley Megamall and Pavilion KL while some are stand alone outlets in historical places like Jonker Street Melaka. 

In celebration of not one, but two parties, Alvin Poh celebrated his 35th birthday in fashion and style where friends and associates were all in white. The first mysterious party was held at open sea where guests were ferried by boats to The Floating Island and treated with an amazing spread of fresh seafood. Party number two was on land in Penang’s latest fine dining restaurant – CaTCH by DAM. This birthday boy and CEO of InSync Group does not only know how to manage his clients’ private wealth, he is as good when it comes to partying.