MIA Penang to host Business Conference 2007

PENANG: The Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) Penang Branch is organising its Business Conference 2007 aimed at discussing issues in the fast-changing landscape of business today.

Themed “Driving Innovation”, the conference, to be held on Nov 29 at Traders Hotel here, will discuss regional economic developments as well as feature talks by prominent captains of industry on key issues taking place in the business world.

Organising chairman Kevin Khoo said the conference was themed as such because innovation was a key ingredient for the state to move forward in terms of industrialisation.

“For Penang to progress, we need a lot of innovation as businesses cannot afford to house low cost manufacturing activities anymore, but they need to value-add their products to move up the value chain,” he told the Edge Financial Daily.

He said the conference, held for the second time in two years, would be focused on sharing sessions between multinational companies and public-listed companies.

“The conference is also a good networking opportunity for industry personnel across the board,” Khoo added.

Branch chairperson Adelena Lestari Chong said more importantly, the conference was aimed at bridging the perception gap between finance and operations departments within businesses.

“More often than not, there are misunderstandings between the two departments,” she said adding that the conference would be an opportunity for workers to understand how its chief executives strategised and planned for the future.

Among key issues to be covered in the one-day conference include CEO forums on how to compete in the global market and global investors’ perspectives of the region.

By The EDGE MALAYSIA