AmBank BizRACE to also feature a series of five FREE AmBank BizCONFERENCEs to be held nationwide from 19 September onwards

KUALA LUMPUR: AmBank Group under its Business Banking division is launching the AmBank BizRACE in strategic support of the Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) scaling to the next level in Malaysia. It is part of the bank’s continuous efforts to provide additional support to SMEs that go beyond financial accessibility.

The AmBank BizRACE is an entrepreneurship challenge aimed at providing SMEs with access to valuable knowledge sharing sessions and development training that covers the area of leadership development, improvements in business model as well as system and structure, and culture transformation. Participating SMEs will also have the opportunity to have greater market accessibility from a branding perspective. This move is based on AmBank’s collection of significant data showing that SMEs need access to knowledge, skills, and opportunities to move to the next life cycle of their businesses.

According to current statistics, SMEs make up 97.3% of business establishments in the country. In comparison with other middleincome countries, Malaysia’s SME contribution to the GDP stands lower than average which calls for an urgent improvement. AmBank’s Managing Director of the Business Banking division, Christopher Yap understands that this is partly due to the high failure rate, as almost 80% of companies don’t get past the three-year mark.

“There is already a lot of focus on start-ups and ideation, where SMEs are given the tools to succeed at the early stages of their business. After that, they are often left on their own and not given the support that they really need to continue their journey. This Race will help us identify SMEs who want to grow and scale their business and enable us to provide them the platform to do so,” explains Yap.

“As a bank, we need to go back to the basics and focus on the people within the company rather than just supplying them with finances. We want to look at how we can help our customers succeed in the long run and not just provide short-term solutions.”

Interested CEOs of SMEs may register to participate in the AmBank BizRACE at www. ambankbizclub.com from 19 September until 15 November 2017. The Top 100 applicants will then be selected based on their plans for scalability and growth, and invited to attend a series of pitching sessions with an esteemed panel of judges including MD of Google Asia Sajith Sivanandan, CEO of Credit Guarantee Corporation Datuk Mohd Zamree Mohd Ishak, and CEO of IOI Group Dato’ Lee Yeow Chor.

Participants who make it to the Top 15 will be given complimentary development training packages for their SME worth up to RM350,000 and coaching opportunities with experienced entrepreneurs who can help them identify what is needed to scale their business. In addition, the Top Five will get an exclusive chance to network with an internationally renowned entrepreneur and the Top Three contestants will win media packages worth RM595,000 for their company.

During the AmBank BizRACE registration period, a series of five FREE AmBank BizCONFERENCEs will be held nationwide targeted at Malaysian SME CEOs. The AmBank BizCONFERENCE will feature successful business leaders from different industries who will share their insights on how they enabled their business to thrive and grow despite facing many struggles along the way. Among the line-up of speakers are Vishen Lakhiani (CEO of Mindvalley), Goh Ai Ching (CEO and Co-founder of Piktochart), Vimy Ramasamy (MD of IHS Markit Malaysia), Sharan Valiram (Executive Director of Valiram Group), and Bharat Avalani (Global Partner of Anecdote International). These conferences will be held in five cities nationwide: Pulau Pinang – 19 September, Johor Bahru – 4 October, Kota Kinabalu – 10 October, Kuching – 12 October, and Kuala Lumpur – 1 November.

Following the AmBank BizCONFERENCEs will be a series of ten smaller and more exclusive CEO Chat Sessions held in Kuala Lumpur, also featuring successful CEOs representing various industries. These sessions are designed to facilitate quality conversations between each featured speaker and a group of up to 50 CEO participants. Registration for the AmBank BizCONFERENCE and the CEO Chat Sessions are FREE with availability of seats being on a firstcome-first-serve basis.

For more information on AmBank BizRACE and to register for an upcoming event, visit www. ambankbizclub.com. About AmBank Group AmBank Group is one of Malaysia’s premier financial solutions groups with over 40 years of legacy in understanding Malaysians and provides a wide range of both conventional and Islamic financial solutions and services, including retail banking, wholesale banking, as well as the underwriting of general insurance, life assurance and family takaful.