Basic HTML Version
Jamllah Lim
speaks toStewart Forbes, ExecutiveDirector of theMalaysian
International Chamber of Commerce and lndustry (MICCI), to understandmore about
themandwhat they do.
42 | FireFlyz
Business
Malaysian Business with an
International Flavour
I m a g e :
M I C C I
E
stablished
in 1837, MICCI isMalaysia’s
oldest established trade association with
over 1000 corporate members from all
sectors of the industry. Headquartered
in Kuala Lumpur, MICCI represents the
business community inMalaysia that has
an international trade interest and strives
to promote, protect and facilitate free enterprise, as well
as international trade and investment in Malaysia.
Canyoutellusmoreaboutyourself?Howdidyoumovefrom
shipbroking tobeing inMICCI?
My family worked in the Far East for four generations. I
spent my childhood in Singapore and Scotland, and then
returned toMalaysia as soon as I could. I joined a Scottish
ship owner, worked in a number of Far East offices and
finally settled back inMalaysia in 1981 – I have been here
for 33 years now. During that time, my company was a
member of MICCI, and initially as a Chamber member
and then as Branch Chairman in Perak, I moved up the
ranks and was eventually offered the Executive Director
position in 2000.
I understandthatMICCI hasavery longhistory, goingback
177years. HowexactlydidMICCI start?
As Malaysia’s longest established national trade associa-
tion, MICCI started out humbly enough as the Penang
Chamber of Commerce and Agriculture in Penang, which
was then the center of trade inMalaysia in 1837. Over the
years, MICCI has seen some changes such its name as well
as size, as it absorbed other local chambers of commerce.
It subsequently moved to set up headquarters in Kuala
Lumpur, the new national capital of Malaysia.
CanyoubrieflyexplainwhatMICCI doesnow?
MICCI is a Malaysian organisation with a particular focus
on international business. MICCI, like any other chamber
of commerce, is essentially owned by its members, and
exists in order to promote and assist companies in the
business environment. MICCI is one of the five founding
members of the National Chamber of Commerce and
lndustry of Malaysia (NCCIM), which was established
in 1962. The five members of NCCIM deal with various
aspects of business within Malaysia; for MICCI, our
primary interest is in international trade and business,
both inward (such as international companies doing