Author name: admin

KUCHING: Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB) has appointed Gabungan Parti Sarawak’s Satok state assemblyman Datuk Ibrahim Baki as its chairman effective Oct 1. Ibrahim succeeds Datuk Amar Abdul Hamed Sepawi, who has been with the company since 2005, leading its transformation into a major regional player in renewable energy and sustainability. “Ibrahim brings over three decades of experience across industries, such as property development, shipping, and media,” SEB said in a statement on Thursday. A legal professional by training, Ibrahim started his career as a legal officer at Petroliam Nasional Bhd (Petronas) in 1984, before co-founding a law firm in Sarawak. SEB also acknowledged the lasting legacy of Amar Abdul Hamed, noting that under his leadership, the company grew from a traditional utility with 2,042 employees and a generation capacity of 849 megawatts (MW) in 2005, to over 6,000 employees and a capacity of 5,745MW at present day. “During his tenure, the company achieved 99.5% electrification across the state, up from 80% in 2009,” it said. Amar Abdul Hamed’s contributions earned him numerous accolades, including the Sarawak State Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2004 and 2005, and the BrandLaureate “Man of the Year” Brand ICON Leadership Award in 2015. In 2022, he received the Outstanding Global Muslim Entrepreneur Lifetime Achievement Award at the Global Muslim Business Forum. Most recently, in 2023, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim appointed Amar Abdul Hamed to a special advisory body of professionals and economic experts to advise the prime minister in his role as finance minister. Meanwhile, SEB also extended its gratitude to Tan Sri Mohd Hassan Marican, who served as its independent non-executive director from June 9, 2010, until Aug 1, 2024.–BERNAMA

SINGAPORE: Venture Corporation has appointed Wong Chee Kheong as its group CEO. Wong will effectively take on the role from Nov 1. Wong joined the Venture Group in 2003 and has led several of the group’s businesses including product development and manufacturing to IT and global supply base management. He was the group’s chief operating officer (COO) from January 2022 to May 2023 and became the CEO for its advanced manufacturing and design solutions business in June 2023. At the same time, Venture’s CEO for technology products & solutions, Lee Ghai Keen, has resigned due to personal reasons. His last day will be on Oct 31. However, Lee will remain with the group “for a period of time” to facilitate a smooth transition. “On behalf of the board, management and staff, I would like to express our deep appreciation to Ghai Keen for his invaluable contributions to the Group over the past years, and we wish him well,” says executive chairman Wong Ngit Liong. “As Venture continues on our transformative journey and in developing innovative and differentiated capabilities in various technology domains, we are confident that Chee Kheong, with his substantial technical knowledge, close relationship with key customers and alignment with Venture’s values, will drive the continued success of the group,” he adds. “I am honoured to have the opportunity to lead Venture in our next phase of growth. Together with my colleagues and the leadership team, we will continue to deliver the highest quality of service to our customers. I look forward to building on our strong foundation to maximise long-term value creation for all stakeholders,” says CEO Wong. “I would like to thank the Executive Chairman Mr Wong Ngit Liong and the Board for their trust and confidence in me to be the new Group CEO and I look forward to the wise counsel of the Board in the next phase of the Venture journey into the future. I commit to give of my best to build the next level of excellence for the Venture Group.”

JAKARTA: To strengthen AI literacy across ASEAN, the ASEAN Foundation, with support from Google.org, officially launched the AI Ready ASEAN initiative today at the AI Opportunity Southeast Asia Forum. Supported by a USD 5 million cash grant from Google.org, the ASEAN Foundation will implement AI Ready ASEAN over the next 2.5 years, aiming to equip 5.5 million ASEAN citizens with essential AI skills. The programme’s goal will enhance AI literacy in all ten ASEAN Member States through a combination of train-the-trainer approach, creation of a regional AI resource hub with localised content tailored to youth, teachers, parents, and research on AI literacy and ethics, and awareness raising campaigns. Through this programme, the ASEAN Foundation aims to train 2,000 master trainers, who will, in turn, deliver in-depth AI literacy training to over 800,000 end-beneficiaries in local communities. To ensure the training addresses the specific needs of impacted communities, the ASEAN Foundation will work with local partners across the region to tailor the training curriculum for each country’s unique context. “At the ASEAN Foundation, we are thrilled to launch the AI Ready ASEAN initiative with support from Google.org, which will empower millions of individuals across the region with the knowledge and skills to thrive in the digital age,” said Dr. Piti Srisangnam, Executive Director of ASEAN Foundation. “Enhancing AI literacy in ASEAN is not just about preparing our youth, educators, and communities for the future of work—it’s about ensuring that every citizen has the tools to navigate and shape the rapidly evolving technological landscape. By investing in AI education, we are building a stronger, more resilient ASEAN that can harness the power of innovation for sustainable growth and development,” he concluded. The AI Ready ASEAN will also contribute to achieving the goal of the ASEAN Digital Economy Framework Agreement by equipping millions with AI skills to drive the region’s digital transformation. It fosters local expertise to help build an inclusive and sustainable digital economy. At the same time, the initiative will also follow the ASEAN Guide on AI Governance and Ethics, ensuring AI is adopted responsibly, with a focus on transparency, fairness, and inclusivity. The AI Ready ASEAN builds on the success of the previous digital empowerment initiative, ASEAN Digital Literacy Programme, that ran from 2021 to early 2024. Supported with a USD 1.5 million grant from Google.org, the programme addressed misinformation in ASEAN by facilitating access to media and information literacy materials for youth, teachers, parents, and the elderly. Commenting on why Google.org chose to support the ASEAN Foundation again, Marija Ralic, Lead for Google.org, APAC shared, “Our $5M grant support to ASEAN Foundation’s AI Ready ASEAN initiative underscores our commitment to help ensure everyone, especially people in marginalised communities, can access the digital, technical and AI skills to pursue opportunities in the digital economy. Building on the success of our previous support in 2021, through which the ASEAN Foundation has helped hundreds and thousands of individuals across ASEAN to develop essential digital skills, we are excited to continue this journey supporting the ASEAN Foundation to bridge the digital divide and ensure that everyone can benefit from the transformative power of AI.” H.E. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary-General of ASEAN, welcomed the AI Ready ASEAN initiative to uplift the AI literacy baseline and empower the region’s digital literacy and create opportunities for ASEAN youth to thrive in the digital age. He remarked, “I commend the ASEAN Foundation and Google.org for spearheading this initiative and for their commitment to advancing digital skills and literacy in our region…I strongly encourage the ASEAN Member States to seize this opportunity as we transform the region into a robust and resilient digital economy, guided by the ASEAN Community Vision 2045.” The AI Opportunity Southeast Asia Forum was co-organised by the ASEAN Foundation and Google, with the goal of connecting regional stakeholders to drive discussions and develop recommendations for AI policies and regulations suited for ASEAN adoption. The forum was opened by remarks from Dr. Piti Srisangnam, Ruth Porat, President and Chief Investment Officer of Alphabet and Google, and H.E. Dr. Kao Kim Hourn, Secretary-General of ASEAN. The forum hosted two expert panels that brought together leaders from fields such as economics, public policy, health, agriculture, and STEM in ASEAN. The first panel explored the prospects and impacts of AI in Southeast Asia, while the second panel focused on adoption opportunities within the region. Both discussions underscored the potential of AI to drive responsible and sustainable innovation across sectors, including the economy, education, health, and agriculture. A key highlight of the forum was the launch of the AI Ready ASEAN initiative and a new grant support from Google.org to EduFarmers, announced by Ruth Porat. The event also featured an AI booth showcasing Google and Google.org’s grantees’ contributions to digital empowerment in ASEAN.

SINGAPORE: The Manpower Ministry (MoM) has met with consumer electronics giant Dyson to work on an “amicable solution”, after the company gave a labour union just one-day’s notice of its retrenchment exercise. MoM said early yesterday that it received a request from the United Workers of Electronics and Electrical Industries (Uweei) for a conciliation session with Dyson. MoM met with Dyson on Wednesday and will also meet with the Uweei “to understand the concerns of both parties and to explore an amicable resolution”, the ministry said. It comes after Uweei executive secretary Patrick Tay reiterated on Wednesday that the union is disappointed that it was informed of the retrenchment exercise only a day before Dyson laid off an undisclosed number of workers on Tuesday. “This is unacceptable as it does not give sufficient time for discussion between Dyson and Uweei to ensure not just a fair, but also a responsible and progressive, retrenchment exercise,” Tay said, adding that more time for discussion would allow affected workers to be better supported. MoM in its statement yesterday said that under the Tripartite Advisory on Managing Excess Manpower and Responsible Retrenchment, unionised companies should give unions early notice when informing employees of retrenchments. “For Dyson, while the company is unionised, the retrenched professionals, managers and executives (PMEs) are not unionised, and they are not part of the scope of the union’s collective representation,” MoM noted. “Hence the period of notice to inform Uweei is negotiable,” it said. MoM added that the formula adopted for computing retrenchment benefits for PMEs does not have to be based on that used for a rank-and-file employee, and is negotiable between the union and the company. — The Straits Times/ANN