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Business
Ahmad Bukhari Mohd Yunus opens up to
Jamilah Lim
about his career in the Shared
Services&Outsourcingindustry(SSO)withShellBusinessOperationsKL.TheSSOsector
promises solid career choices for young Malaysians with the Multimedia Development
Corporation (MDeC)SSOCluster playingakeyrole inmovingthecountry’sSSO industry
up the value chain tomeet her aspiration to be a high-income nation by 2020.
L
eading
a team of 68 HR
advisors responsible for
HR transactional activities
across 28 countries in the
APMEO region (APAC,
Middle East & Oceania),
you might be surprised
to learn that Bukhari does not have a
HR background. Coupled with his MBA
in Strategic Management, his Electrical
Engineering background has afforded
him the ability to view things from an
alternative perspective, which helps
tremendously with the adoption of more
holistic overviews when managing or
addressing issues within his purview.
Bukhari opines that these days, more
Multi-National Corporations (MNCs), and
Global companies adopt the SharedServices
approach because of the value it affords,
which tackles both costs and optimisation
perspectives. It was evident that he was
proud to be part of Shell Business Opera-
tions KL (SBO KL), one of the pioneers of
the SSO industry in Malaysia.
I learnt from our conversation that, in
SBO KL, opportunities are part of its Em-
ployee Value Proposition – the organisation
provides plentyof opportunities for personal
development and professional growth. As
part of its global setup (KL is the third
largest of only six SBOs globally), Bukhari
manages stakeholders and works at both
local and global levels, giving him critical
Global Opportunities
with a Global Career in SSO
and valuable exposure in the industry. He
started his career as a HR Generalist based
out of the Port Dickson Shell Refinery,
gradually transitioning into the Policy,
Process, and Services Management role
before becoming a Transaction Operations
Manager based in KL.
It is quite impressive how a career in
the SSO industry is so versatile and how
individuals can adapt to their organisation’s
needs. Says Bukhari: “A fresh grad with a
good degree fromvarious fields can join the
business, as long as they have the required
soft skills and capacity.”
With his portfolios, Bukhari is surely an
immensely busy person, hence I was quite
surprised to learn that his lifewas not all just
about work. He cites football and cycling as
his favourite activities to keep himself not
only healthy, but connected to his friends
as well. Family time is crucial: “My family
is my centre of gravity and it is important
for me to spend quality time with them.”
But how he finds the time to do so
was a mystery. On this, he shared: “SBO
acknowledges that each individual is dif-
ferent, hence affording various options
with flexible working arrangements, so
Bukhari
taking a we-
fie with his
family
As time was running short, I invited
him to share some last words for those
considering a career in the SSO industry:
“It’s great – fast paced, vibrant, and
challenging, with opportunities to perform,
compete, and gain exposure on a global
level. It’s also satisfying to know that you’re
directly adding value to your country.”
Shared Services and Outsourcing (SSO) is a categorical
term to describe the combination of both the Shared
Services and Outsourcing industries. Where “Outsourc-
ing” reduces costs by transferring portions of work to
outside suppliers rather than completing it internally,
“Shared Services” deals with the provision of a service
by one part of an organization or group to other parts
of the organisation, so that they effectively become an
internal service provider.
To know more about career opportunities in the SSO
sector, visit www.mscmalaysia.my/ssococ
Malaysia’s SSO sector: A snapshot
of career paths
•
Banking, Financial Services and
Insurance (BFSI)
•
Energy, Chemicals and
Resources (ECR)
•
Information and Communication
Technology (ICT)
•
Logistics and Transportation
(L&T)
•
Pharmaceutical and Healthcare
(P&H)
The best thing aboutmy job is
the opportunity to be involved
in the personal growth and
development of my team.”
employees can perform their best whilst
balancing personal needs.
For example, I can leave earlier on days
where I have late night teleconferences and
come in the next day slightly later, provided
I don’t have anyappointments ormeetings.”
Giving a
presentation
at a campus
career talk