Dribbling in a New Partnership

Tune Groups signs a deal to become the new Principal Partner for the Professional Games Match Officials (PGMO) for three seasons beginning from 2010/11. The PGMO is the body responsible for providing and managing all professional match officials in English football and uniquely works with all three major English governing bodies to provide match officials for their competitions.

With an estimate of three billion cumulative global TV audiences, the partnership will give Tune Group access to 2,000 professional football matches.

“We have seen how AirAsia and AirAsia X benefited from this sponsorship before by establishing its brand in such a mature, competitive market as the UK, and with Tune Hotels opening its first London property later this month, this sponsorship by Tune Group could not be timelier,” says Mark Lankester, Tunes Hotel Group CEO.

He adds: “Communicating to EPL’s three billion viewers globally presents the Tune Group of Companies a powerful global branding tool for us in enhancing our brand awareness, not only facilitating our regional expansions but most importantly, connecting with our customers.”

Mike Riley, general manager of PGMO, shares: “We are very pleased to be working with Tune Group and are of course very familiar with them already thanks to our previous successful partnership with AirAsia. Their investment resulted in significant investment in the training and development of officials at all levels of the game.”

The Angel of Investments

Budding entrepreneurs can count their blessings as the Virtuous Investment Circle (ViC), an independent not-for-profit angel investment group set up to grow the angel investment community in Malaysia.

The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) was commissioned to conduct a thorough review on Malaysia’s financial and investment sector in 2007 and 2008. The group produced two reports – “Funding to Achieve an Innovation Economy by 2020” and a “Study on Funding an Innovation-led Economy.”

Says ViC’s Chairman, Bob Chua:  “In both reports, BCG highlighted that Malaysia has a very poor angel investment ecosystem and tapping into a group of angel investors was the single biggest challenge for start-up companies.”

Also present during ViC’s official announcement are Goh Ching Ying, Executive Director of Strategy & Development, Securities Commission Malaysia; Nazrin Hassan, Chief Executive Officer, Cradle Fund Sdn Bhd; and a number of high net-worth private investors.

“Much work has been done by Cradle’s Ideas Bank team to structure a suitable and workable model to formalise a local angel network. It is encouraging to see our very own angel investors stepping out to extend a helping hand to our hardworking entrepreneurs via a professionally managed establishment,” commends Goh.

Locally Made, Internationally Acclaimed

Local BMW lovers can now enjoy as BMW Group Malaysia introduces the locally assembled production model of the new BMW 523i at its assembly plant in Kulim, Kedah.

The new BMW model boasts of its success in Malaysia with its first shipment of units generating tremendous interest in the Malaysian automotive industry and was sold out within the first month of its local launch in May this year.

Managing Director of BMW Group Malaysia, Geoffrey Briscoe shares that the move will lead to significant benefits to its Malaysian customers especially in reducing total cost of ownership, waiting time for complete unit and spare parts. That said, Briscoe assures its customers even though it is locally assembled, it will maintain the same premium standards and offering that are expected of a BMW car.

Green Motoring

Exciting times for Malaysians as the organising committee of the Kuala Lumpur International Motor Show 2010 (KLIMS’10) announces that it will give away a Toyota Prius to one lucky visitor this coming December.

This year’s motor show aptly themed, “We CARE”, is an acknowledgement of the worldwide concern for environmental health.  Says Datuk Aishah Ahmad, President of MAA and Chairman of KLIMS’10 Organising Committee: “Electro-mobility, electric and hybrid cars are very much the way of the future. Hence, this time round we wanted to give away a car which was specifically designed with the ‘green’ theme in mind.”

Improving Infrastructure

Serving the needs of the community surrounding Bandar Kinrara and the Zest service apartments, Trinity Group Sdn Bhd unveils its plans of constructing a dedicated service lane for the area.

The integrated boutique property developer heads the RM600,000 improvement works, which will widen the slip road to and from Lebuhraya Bukit Jalil and is set to be completed in mid-October 2010. The 400-metre long section is expected to provide smoother traffic flow for those wanting to turn into the Zest service apartments’ development.

“The dedicated service lane will be built with the convenience of our residents in mind, providing a smoother and safer ride when driving into Zest. In line with Trinity Group’s commitment to our customers and the neighbouring community as a whole, we believe that the lane will offer an added advantage for all users,” reiterates Dato’ Neoh Soo Keat, the founder and Managing Director of Trinity Group Sdn Bhd.

Leveraging Supply Chain

CIMB Group and Perusahaan Otomobil Nasional Sdn Bhd (Proton) signs a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), formalising an Islamic supply chain financing solution for all Proton vendors.

The solution aims to alleviate the cash-flow burden faced by vendors by closing the working capital gap from the initial stage of procuring raw materials to the final stage of payment by Proton.

“We are proud to be the first financial institution to offer this Shariah compliant facility to the manufacturing industry and are honoured to be part of Proton’s efforts to assist their vendors,” says Dato’ Charon Wardini Mokhzani, Deputy CEO of Corporate & Investment Banking, CIMB Group.

Dato’ Haji Syed Zainal Abidin Syed Mohamed Tahir, Group Managing Director of Proton Holdings Berhad adds: “The introduction of this Supply Chain Financing programme is a critical component in our overall strategy to achieve the aspirations of becoming a competitive global car manufacturer.”