KUALA LUMPUR, May 26 (Bernama) -- CIMB Group (“the Group” or “CIMB”) today awarded scholarships to two outstanding participants in the CIMB BEST Programme of 2016. The scholarships will fully finance the winners’ tuition and exam fees, valued at RM50,800 per student, for the Bachelor of Business Management (Entrepreneurship) degree at UNIRAZAK. Present at the event were CEO of CIMB Group Commercial Banking, Yong Jiunn Run; the Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academics and Student Affairs) of Unirazak, Prof Dr Samsinar Md. Sidin; Deputy Chief Executive Officer of CIMB Group Commercial Banking, Ahmad Shazli Kamarulzaman; Head of CIMB Commercial Banking (Malaysia), Yew Teik Beng and Senior Managing Director, Group Human Resource, CIMB Group, Rohani Mustaffa. 

Established in 2014, CIMB BEST aims to support the development of the Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) sector in Malaysia by developing more able entrepreneurs, to facilitate the sector’s contribution to the Malaysian economy. In support of diversity and to encourage cross-cultural sharing of ideas, the programme is open to applicants from all races and backgrounds.

In commenting on the scholarship award, Yong Jiunn Run said, “Stimulating entrepreneurship and the SME sector are central to growing the backbone of Malaysia’s economy, and awarding this scholarship is one of CIMB’s ways to achieve this. Our effort in developing potential entrepreneurs supports the government’s SME Masterplan (2012 – 2020) to boost the sector’s contribution to GDP by 41% in 2020. CIMB – with its cutting-edge products, in-house expertise and strong ASEAN network – is ever-ready to partner with these entrepreneurs at every stage of their business, from providing them banking solutions to expanding their wings across the region.”

The latest scholarship winners are from the programme’s Track 2: The Emerging Entrepreneur Programme (Program Usahawan Berpotensi). The first winner, Dasyariwani Sariah Binti Daud, is the Director of Applied Energy Solutions Sdn Bhd; a company that specializes in manufacturing solar inverters. The second winner, Khalid Bin Awaludin is the owner of Viral Optimis Enterprise which makes a variety of cookies and cakes.

Dasyariwani said, “Through the programme’s public seminars that featured industry experts, sector specialists and successful entrepreneurs, I was able to enhance my network as well as gain valuable insights from their years of experience. Thus, I am grateful to CIMB for making this possible for me and I hope to make full use of this opportunity to improve myself and expand my business within the ASEAN region.”

Khalid remarked, “I am thankful to CIMB and UNIRAZAK for giving me the opportunity to pursue my studies. CIMB BEST programme has taught me a lot about running a business effectively which includes managing cash flow, developing strategy, overcoming challenges, and customer service. I truly look forward to this journey and hope UNIRAZAK could provide me with a stronger foundation in entrepreneurship and help me become a better business owner.”

About CIMB Group

CIMB Group is Malaysia’s second largest financial services provider and one of ASEAN’s leading universal banking groups. It offers consumer banking, investment banking, Islamic banking, asset management and insurance products and services. Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur, the Group is now present in nine out of 10 ASEAN nations (Malaysia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia, Brunei, Vietnam, Myanmar and Laos). Beyond ASEAN, the Group has market presence in China, Hong Kong, India, Sri Lanka, Korea, the US and UK.

CIMB Group has the most extensive retail branch network in ASEAN of over 900 branches as at 31 March 2017. CIMB Group’s investment banking arm is also one of the largest Asia Pacific-based investment banks, offering amongst the most comprehensive research coverage of more than 1,000 stocks in the region.
CIMB Group operates its business through three main brand entities, CIMB Bank, CIMB Investment Bank and CIMB Islamic. CIMB Group is also the 92.5% shareholder of Bank CIMB Niaga in Indonesia, and 93.7% shareholder of CIMB Thai in Thailand.

CIMB Group is listed on Bursa Malaysia via CIMB Group Holdings Berhad. It had a market capitalisation of approximately RM49.4 billion as at 31 March 2017. The Group has around 39,000 employees located in 15 countries.

About CIMB BEST

The annual CIMB BEST programme was first launched in September 2014 and is organized along three tracks to cater for participants at different stages of business:

The Aspiring Entrepreneur Programme (Program Usahawan Beraspirasi) is for participants who are looking to start a new business or are new to business.

The Emerging Entrepreneur Programme (Program Usahawan Berpotensi) targets those who are running a business but want to enhance their business skills and performance.

The Leading Entrepreneur Programme (Program Usahawan Peneraju) is for established entrepreneurs who are looking at business growth and expansion.

CIMB BEST is open to all Malaysians. There is are specific academic or professional requirements. Eligibility is based on business experience.
The CIMB BEST 2017 Track Programme is as follows:

Track 1: The Aspiring Entrepreneur Programme (Program Usahawan Beraspirasi) 7, 20 September

Track 2: The Emerging Entrepreneur Programme (Program Usahawan Berpotensi) 4, 18 October

Track 3: The Leading Entrepreneur Programme (Program Usahawan Peneraju) 8, 22 November

To register for the CIMB BEST programmes, visit www.cimb.com, or contact us at tel: 03-8913 6048/03-8913 6049, fax: 03-8913 6089 or email:contactlnt@cimb.com 

SOURCE : CIMB Group 

FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Name : Suria Zainal 
Director 
Group Corporate Communications  
Group CEO’s Office 
CIMB Group Holdings Berhad 
Tel : +603 - 2261 0638  
Email : suriawati.zainal@cimb.com 

--BERNAMA