Address by : Dr Andy Woo Cheong Lai
Date : 1 July 2004

Our distingushed speakers:
Mr Hatim Tyabji - Chairman, DataCard Corporation
Mr Song Hoi See - CEO, Plaza Business Centre Management Ltd
Mr Tan You Tiong - Chairman, Datacard Group Malaysia
Honourable members of the MIM General Council
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen

Good morning to all of you.

Mr Tyabji, welcome to Malaysia and Mr Song, welcome home. And to all our invited guests and participants, a very warm welcome to this morning's inaugural session of the Entrepreneurship and Leadership and Leadership Talk Series.

As the National Management Institute, it is our strategic role at MIM to promote continuous management learning within Malaysian enterprise. Throughout MIM's existence, we have endeavoured to introduce the best in management practices from all corners of the world to our Malaysian companies, building what we hope are important bridges between the private and public sectors, and the professional services on the one hand, with the fast-changing world of management practices on the other.

However, through the decades, the demands on management skills have been relentlessly escalating. Never before has so much been expected of managers. Given the changing economic and environmental forces, managers need to be increasingly flexible. Not only must they develop effective leadership styles, they must also hone their entrepreneurship skills. It is for this very reason that MIM has initiated this Entrepreneurship & Leadership Talk Series. The Series will feature prominent entrepreneurs and leaders of distinct calibre just like our speakers this morning, who have selflessly volunteered to be here so that we can benefit from their wisdom and experience.

Dr Andy Woo delivering his welcome speech at the Entrepreneurship & Leadership Talk Series

Ladies and gentlemen, our first speaker for this morning, whose name is synonymous with the success behind Verifone, is Mr Hatim Tyabji. During his tenure as Founder, President and CEO, Mr Tyabji took Verifone Inc from US$30.1 million in revenues in 1986 to more than US$600 million at the time of the 1997 acquisition by Hewlett Packard for US$1 billion. Under his leadership, Verifone became the biggest force in electronic payment - fast on its way to its present scope as a vendor to over 100 countries.

This morning, we will have the privilege to tap into his rich experience gained from a successful career spanning corporations of many different sizes and endeavours. Mr Hatim Tyabji is presently, among others, the Chairman of DataCard Corporation - the only technology solution provider in Malaysia responsible for the Government Multi-Purpose Smart Cards (MyKad and MyKid), Payment Multi-Purpose Smart Cards (BankCard or ATM chip-based cards), and EMV (chip-based credit cards).

Our second speaker this morning, is no less a personality to be reckoned with when it comes to entrepreneurial qualities. With a wealth of experience accumulated through more than 10 years' exposure as an international investment banker with Lehman Brothers Hong Kong, Mr Song Hoi See decided to expand his private investment operations on business centres in Asia. His brainchild, named Plaza Business Centre, earned him corporate distinction in Hong Kong. Mr Song's entrepreneurial qualities, foresight and determination have played a major role in the growth of the Group. With this in mind, ladies and gentlemen, who better to share with us on tips for Successful Venture into China, than a Malaysian entrepreneur who has already made it big there.

At this juncture, I would like to take this opportunity to emphasise that all surplus from this event will be donated to the Rotary Club of Kuala Lumpur DiRaja to aid in their service to the Malaysian society. On behalf of the Malaysian Institute of Management, I would like to thank our partner, Datacard Group Malaysia, for introducing our distinguished speakers to us. And last but by no means the least, our gratitude goes out to all of you present here this morning for making this event a success.

Thank you and have a pleasant day ahead.

Related links:

'Success Stories: Entreprenership At its Best'

'The Star: Datacard plans to make Malaysia its base in Asia'