In Malaysia, we often highlight our competitive advantages such as multilingual talent, cost-effective operations, and strategic location. But the real differentiator is not just who we hire. It is how we grow, enable, and empower those people to act as true business partners.

💡 Technical and process capabilities can be replicated across borders. The bigger question is:
– Are we equipping our talent to think beyond transactions?
– Are we building the confidence, agility, and business acumen needed to influence stakeholders?
– Are we investing in leadership pipelines that understand both local strengths and global expectations?
– And critically, are we encouraging our people to be intentionally visible? To show up in conversations, raise their voices, and be present where decisions and ideas are shaped?

The truth is, Malaysia’s GBS landscape faces both advantages and disadvantages from a talent standpoint:
 ✅ Strengths: diverse language skills, cultural adaptability, strong work ethic, rising recognition of GBS as a career path.
 ⚠️ Risks: over reliance on cost arbitrage, uneven depth in critical skills such as digital, analytics, stakeholder partnering, and underinvestment in leadership readiness.

The connective tissue we need is not more SOPs or dashboards. It is a talent strategy that moves from doing work to shaping outcomes with people who not only deliver but also show up, speak-up and stand out. That is how Malaysia can compete, not just as a delivery hub, but as a GBS value hub. 🌏

As we mark Malaysia Day, it is a good reminder that our national strength has always come from the diversity, resilience, and spirit of our people. The same holds true for Malaysia’s GBS future. When our people grow, our industry thrives, and when GBS thrives, Malaysia rises. ✨