ICDM to ramp up efforts in reaching out to more boards and directors locally and across ASEAN.

KUALA LUMPUR, 2 DECEMBER 2019: The Institute of Corporate Directors Malaysia (‘ICDM’ or the ‘Company’) today officially opened the doors of its new headquarters in the heart of the newly developed Kuala Lumpur Eco City. This launch comes hot on the heels of ICDM’s successful inaugural International Directors Summit 2019 and marks the beginning of their next phase of growth.

Thoughtfully planned with the central theme of an open networking space with dedicated areas for private conversations, the spacious 10,000 square foot space includes an exclusive Members Lounge, new training rooms with the capacity of 100 people, two private meeting rooms as well as a fully equipped 20-seat boardroom.

Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Zarinah Anwar, Chairman of ICDM said, “We hope, with this new office, which has enabled us to offer our own training toom, and member facilities such as meeting rooms and a member’s lounge, we are better able to strengthen our support for the professional development of our director community.”

Michele Kythe Lim, President and Chief Executive Officer of ICDM also said, “Our new headquarters will support our future plans and growth as we continue to ramp up our bespoke programmes and services for boards and directors. Setting up a conducive space that is fully tailored to the support needs of our members has been in the works since 2018. We hope that this platform will be a destination for boards and directors, locally and across ASEAN, to build and expand their network by leveraging on our resources and tools. Moving forward, we will be establishing more similar collaborations with regional experts and specialists, such as Black Sun Plc and the Center for Creative Leadership, as part of our efforts to establish a resource that promotes and incites thought and board leadership.”

In conjunction with the launch, ICDM is co-launching ‘Bold 3.0: Future-Fluent Board Leadership in Asia’ (‘BOLD 3.0’), a comprehensive research study produced in partnership with the Center for Creative Leadership (‘CCL’) and other Institute of Directors from Singapore, Philippines, India, Vietnam and Sri Lanka.

Elisa Mallis, Managing Director & Vice President, APAC of the Center For Creative Leadership (‘CCL’) also mentioned, “The findings of BOLD 3.0 point towards the transformation within boards and directors. Boards, especially Asian boards, are now looking to advance their knowledge on emerging trends, such as the broader applications of artificial intelligence (AI), oversight of culture and digital privacy. BOLD 3.0 also highlights critical and interesting insights on the state of leadership capability within Asian boards, including Malaysia, and what boardrooms may look like in the future. It also details action steps for boards and directors to align their capabilities to promote effective leadership. Very clearly, we are in a crucial time in the evolution of boards where there is increasing emphasis for collective leadership on boards, as stewards of companies, to lead businesses forward.”

“ICDM will continue to spearhead initiatives in building a strong network of professional directors in Malaysia and the ASEAN region. One of ICDM’s key focus next year is to accelerate our efforts in the area of ‘Board and Director Effectiveness Evaluation’ (‘BDEE’). We will be leveraging on BOLD 3.0 to offer an evidence-based approach as a basis to assess the effectiveness of boards and directors. It is important that we bring to the fore conversations around director and board accountability, including a 360 evaluation through the use of various assessment tools and confidential one-on-one interviews that we believe can elicit more candid and qualitative feedback on performance than pure survey-based assessments. We see the continual meaningful assessment and evaluation of board effectiveness as key to ensuring the success and longevity of businesses,” Michele concluded.

ICDM is recognised and supported by the Securities Commission Malaysia, Bank Negara Malaysia and Bursa Malaysia. Since its inception in 2018, ICDM has strived to enhance board effectiveness and promote excellence in governance. Their vision is to be the ‘Centre of Excellence’ for the professional development of Directors and an advocacy platform where ICDM also functions as an independent and trusted voice representing director’s interests. Ultimately, it is ICDM’s goal to become the one-stop centre for all Board and Director needs in Malaysia and the region.

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About the Institute of Corporate Directors Malaysia (ICDM):
ICDM is a newly established one-stop professional institution for Directors by Directors to enhance board effectiveness. It is recognised and supported by the Securities Commission Malaysia, Bank Negara Malaysia, Bursa Malaysia and the Capital Market Development Fund. For more information on ICDM, please visit our website at https://icdm.com.my/.

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