Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation

MONDAY, 7 AUGUST 2017, KUALA LUMPUR: In an effort to transform Malaysia into a brand-driven trading nation, the Branding Association of Malaysia (BAM) and Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) co-organised the Brand Entrepreneurs Conference (BEC) 2017 for local Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Malaysia. The event is supported by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) and took place at Menara MITI.

Themed as “Sailing in Uncharted Waters – Opportunities & Threats in this Ever Changing World”, the event was graced by the Minister of International Trade and Industry, YB Dato’ Sri Mustapa Mohamed and MATRADE’s Chairman YB Dato’ Noraini Ahmad.

The BEC was aimed at providing local business community with a platform to learn from and interact with upcoming and successful Malaysian entrepreneurs who have excelled in branding. The conference embodied a strategic public-private partnership, designed with the aspiration to build more successful Malaysian brands and to strengthen Malaysia’s nation branding through the export of local products and services.

According to Ir. Dr. Mohd Shahreen Madros, MATRADE’s Chief Executive Officer, Malaysian businesses must invest in creating brand value. “A strong brand value leads to a brand equity that is imperative to a company’s business health. As a trading nation, Malaysia is known to produce high quality products that are reliable and are competitively priced. A sturdy brand equity will further add value to our local products and services abroad. This is why a capacity building initiative such as the BEC will help develop more export champions who are brand-savvy, and in the long run this will be truly beneficial for the Malaysian economy,” he said adding that in 2016, Malaysia was ranked by World Trade Organisation as the top 24th trading nation, 24th largest exporter and 26th biggest importer in the world.

The BEC covered topics related to Innovation, Digitalisation, Brand Culture and the Malaysian Business Landscape and featured speakers from CIMB, iPay88, IX Telecom and Alibaba.com, just to name a few. Considered as the largest of its kind, the conference was attended by over 600 participants from Malaysia and abroad.