Malaysian Corporate Governance Conference

I will be attending the Malaysian Corporate Governance Conference, orgainsed by the Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute, 15 - 16 May 2008 at the Securities Commission, Kuala Lumpur. Anyone else going?

In the world of globalization, there has been a growing need to efficiently compete internationally for global emerging economies. As a rising economy with robust regulatory and legal framework, it is not an exception for Malaysia either.

Many would agree that sound corporate governance in the global markets is imperative to national economic welfare as well as to the stability of a global economic environment. Asian countries like Hong Kong and Singapore realized that being small is not an option. For sound corporate governance framework is a key component of market competitiveness, good governance practices would counter the lack of market size and push the economy back into the investors’ loop.

As Malaysia falls into the radar screen of investors, industry players, professionals and public listed companies must indoctrinate strong compliance and greater corporate governance cultures. Furthermore, investment choice is aplenty amidst the capital market liberalization as institutional investors now have the option to invest locally or overseas.

Recognizing the intense market competition, the review on the Malaysian Code of corporate governance in October 2007 was timely to further strengthen corporate governance practices in Malaysia. In addition, competing in the international business arena requires good leadership, as it is what corporate governance is all about. While mergers and joint ventures are on the cards for many local institutions to achieve economies of scale and greater corporate synergy, there are also government initiatives to help SMEs meeting the challenge of the global emerging competition.

Nevertheless, those who truly emerge as winners are those who are able to crave out a niche for themselves in the industry.
So long as making a difference in business stands out and emerges as a leader, a good business cannot survive without sustainable growth. ...

Welcome Speech by Dato’ Dr. Michael Yeoh
Chief Executive Officer, Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute

Official Opening & Keynote Address by Y.Bhg. Dato' Yusli Mohamed Yusoff CEO, Bursa Malaysia Berhad

Session One
CREATING SUSTAINABLE GROWTH IN THE GLOBAL BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT
• What are the growing trends in corporate governance in global economies?
• What are the detrimental factors to the sustainability of businesses in global emerging economies?
• What do companies in developed economies do to create sustainability? What can Malaysian companies learn from them?
• Does size matter? Does sustainability differ from a large multinational company to a small company?
• What do Malaysian companies need to leverage on to create sustainable growth in global businesses?

Session Two
POWER OF THE BOARD – LEADERSHIP CALL IN GLOBAL BEST PRACTICES
• Some parties have argued that many Malaysian directors do not take corporate governance seriously enough. This does not only hurt the organisations, but the society and nation as a whole. Thus, what role does the board of directors play in ensuring the welfare of the society and the competitiveness of the nation? What are the principal responsibilities of the board?
• What constitute an effective board and what would be the demands and challenges to assume a leadership role in the emerging global environment?
• Having good judgement is a subjective matter, but it is important especially in determining the size of non-executive participation. Thus, what factors are deemed good judgement? Is there a quintessential guide in exercising good judgement for directors?
• Maintaining a successful relationship between the board and management is all about an issue of effective communication.
Thus, what are the key elements in ensuring an effective communication between the two parties?


Session Three
IMPACT OF COMPANIES (AMENDMENT) ACT 2007 AND CAPITAL MARKETS SERVICES ACT ON BOARD DECISION MAKING

Session Four
ACCOUNTABILITY & INTERNAL AUDIT FUNCTION (IAF)
• What are the duties of audit committees in relation to IAF? What are their roles in accountability?
• How do audit committees establish and preserve their independence with the management?
• What would be the expectations and perceptions of internal audit in the continuous engagement with the management?

Session Five
SHAREHOLDER ACTIVISM AND PROTECTION OF MINORITY INTEREST - THE MALAYSIAN EXPERIENCE

Session Six
BUILDING ACCOUNTABILITY & SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH INVESTOR RELATIONS
• What is the power of investor relations (IRs) function?
• How does a company maintain an effective communication policy with shareholders through IRs?
• How would one draw the line differentiating between Corporate Social Responsibility and IRs? They seem the same, but they are not.
• In order to achieve greater transparency and accountability in financial performance reporting, what would be the best IRs initiatives proposed/practiced by award winning companies?
• Whilst limitations on voluntary disclosure do exist as it may facilitate comparison by competitors, too little disclosure will defeat the purpose it serves. Thus, what would be the ‘right’ amount of disclosure to ensure the desirability of disclosure is achieved?

Session Seven
“COMMITING TO RESPONSIBLE BUSINESS PRACTICES”
• How do responsible business practices contribute to the success of a company in global businesses?
• What kind of value do companies see in committing to responsible business practices in the long run?
• CSR encompasses many different aspects in relation to responsible business practices. The concern is how does a company manage all different aspects of CSR in the global competitive environment? What is the art of balancing the social aspect, economic welfare and environmental aspect of CSR?


Session Eight
ICT IN CORPORATE GOVERNANCE - THE AUSTRALIAN EXPERIENCE
The importance of information and communication technology (ICT) can not be ignored as the whole world is heading towards this direction for effective sources of information, communications and world-wide connectivity. Thus, the questions are:
• What is the implication of ICT for Malaysia?
• What can ICT offer to companies in achieving better corporate governance?
• Are Malaysian companies ready for it?
• Can companies do without ICT in global businesses?
• How do Malaysian companies leverage on ICT in measuring, monitoring and benchmarking of CSR activities?
• Can ICT manage the challenges of non-financial performance?
• There has been an increasing number of cyber fraud cases. What are the pre-emptive measures that companies should take to prevent online fraud or fraud in ICT?

Session Nine GLOBAL BEST PRACTICES – EMERGING AS A LEADER IN GLOBAL BUSINESSES ...

From: Malaysian Corporate Governance Conference brochure, Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute, 2007.