Group Managing Director of Malakoff, Datuk Wira Azhar Abdul Hamid recently made his rounds, starting from Malakoff headquarters in Kuala Lumpur to five Malakoff-owned power plants throughout Malaysia in a close-to-heart townhall sessions with Malakoff staff.

This was the first townhall session for Datuk Wira Azhar, who took office on 1 May 2016. The sessions started with a slide presentation on the company’s performance so far, followed by a question-and-answer session with staff. During his presentation, he pointed out that Malakoff is a good, profitable company and urged everyone to get out of their comfort zones and work hard in order for the company to be sustainable in many years to come.

Datuk Wira Azhar emphasized on growing the company by securing more power-related projects in the future. As the existing power purchase agreements’ tenure reduces over time, he said that it is imperative to capture as many new projects as possible, either brownfield or greenfield, to fuel Malakoff’s growth and profits. “We also have an obligation to our shareholders and by creating a growth story, we will enhance Malakoff’s market value.”

Datuk Wira Azhar also touched on the cost optimization exercise that has been going on across the company since he took office. In order for the company to be profitable, the cost of running the existing assets must be kept in check, whilst improvements must be carried out to increase its efficiency and effectiveness. He also pointed out that a manpower optimization plan was also underway and will be implemented in the first quarter of 2017.

Referring to the challenging year ahead, Datuk Wira Azhar said, “Staff have to embrace a paradigm shift to make a difference. Doing the right thing within the company is important to ensure that the ship won’t sink.” He also mentioned that the Six Sigma methodology will be adapted across the board as a tool to improve business process capabilities and the company’s performance.

Moving forward, to ensure the sustainability of the company that aspires to be a leading power and water desalination company in Malaysia and Southeast Asia, Datuk Wira Azhar encouraged everyone to give added value to their roles at the workplace. While continuing with the on-going cost optimization efforts, Malakoff must also look for new business opportunities to expand its growth and momentum.