The KESUMA Leadership Lecture Series kicked off with an enlightening talk by Bursa Malaysia Bhd chairman Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar at the National Training Week (NTW) 2024 Learning Carnival.
The series is a groundbreaking initiative to inspire Malaysians, offering unique insights through talks by prominent figures who have contributed to nation building, sharing some of the valuable lessons learnt during their distinguished careers.
The first of the series, the session with Abdul Wahid was entitled Sustainable Leadership — advocating for companies to embrace environmental, social and governance (ESG) principles, as those who do not do so will find it challenging to survive over the longer term.
“Companies that choose to ignore ESG in their operations will not be sustainable. They will not be able to get equity investors to invest in them and they cannot get banks to fund their projects,” he said.
“They will have difficulties getting insurance companies to underwrite their projects, or they could get hit with a huge premium. They will have challenges in getting or hiring talent because young people do not want to work for companies that are not responsible.”
Abdul Wahid has overseen and led numerous corporate transformations throughout his career. A seasoned corporate leader and a staunch advocate of Malaysia’s transition to net zero carbon emissions, he said it is vital for companies to keep up with the pace of technological developments to make their operations more sustainable.
He urged business leaders to never stop learning and to take advantage of technology in their journey towards sustainability, especially as Malaysia is looking to achieve net zero emissions by 2050.
“About 70% of our emissions are contributed by the energy and transport sectors, which is why the government is committed to decarbonising these sectors, as well as to increasing the proportion of renewable energy [in the energy mix to 70% by the year 2050],” said Abdul Wahid.
On a more personal level, he advised individuals and households to separate their waste for recycling, to compost food waste and, for those who live in landed properties, to consider installing solar panels on their roofs.
“It is not only good for the environment, it is also a good investment,” he said, pointing out that those with solar panels installed could see up to a 30% return on investment, thanks to the government’s Solar for Rakyat Incentive Scheme (SolaRIS).
He also advocated for higher use of public transport and, for those who can afford it, to switch to electric vehicles (EVs).
As chairman of WWF-Malaysia, Abdul Wahid had the chance to visit Antarctica and witness the effects of global warming firsthand.
“About a year and a half ago, I was fortunate to go on an expedition to Antarctica with a team of scientists. We were able to see some of the visible impacts of global warming. We saw glaciers that were receding much quicker than they should have,” he said.
The NTW 2024 Learning Carnival, which was officiated by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim, marked the conclusion of the annual week-long event, which aims to promote a culture of lifelong learning among Malaysians. This year’s edition of the NTW exceeded all its initial targets, offering more than 65,000 courses to over 375,000 participants across 736 programmes and activities.
These courses span diverse fields and are guided by the programme’s five pillars and focus areas: Life Skills, Future Skills, Creativity and Innovation, Financial, and Sustainable Development. The courses are designed to be highly flexible, offering a variety of delivery modes, including physical, online, hybrid and self-paced options, to accommodate different learning preferences and schedules.