- 21 JUNE 2024
- CONNEXION, BANGSAR SOUTH, KL
“Employees Make or Break a Business” – This panel focuses on the crucial role of leadership in attracting, retaining, and developing top talent within organizations. Effective leaders have the ability to create and cultivate a culture where employees feel valued, engaged, and motivated to perform at their best. And when our employees perform, our business succeeds. This panel discussion will explore various strategies, best practices, and challenges associated with empowering leaders to become effective talent magnets in today’s dynamic workplace landscape.
Kausern is currently the CEO of Nuffnang Malaysia, Asia’s leading influencer and content marketing company. He is also currently serving as the VP of the Malaysian Digital Association (MDA).
He has more than 15 years of sales, digital marketing experience, and hands-on expertise in leading people across different levels within such organization types: start-up, non-profit, and advertising agency.
He is passionate about leadership development and excels in helping companies bring out the best in their younger workforce; from driving performance to transitioning them into leadership positions. He is also an ICF-certified coach.
Kausern’s Ikigai: “I want to live in a world where young people feel inspired to become more than they could’ve ever imagined.”
A shot of brilliance with a splash of idiosyncrasy – loves donuts, and occasionally sarcasm. That’s how he would describe himself in 5 secs! Also a serial award winner in the industry; MSA Planner of the Year, MDA Digital Person of the Year and also South East Asia Engagement Planner of Year, Saravanan Asogan believes that the secret recipe to a successful career in advertising is being inquisitive and having a lot grit. Started his career as an investment banker in one of the largest bank in Malaysia, he decided to pursue something closer to heart and moved to advertising world through Leo Burnett which was a steppingstone to where he is here today; a Senior Business Director with Group M Malaysia.
Prema Ponnudurai serves as the Head of the School of Media and Communication at Taylor’s University, Malaysia, which holds a distinguished position in the top #200-250 rankings in the QS World Universities ranking and is the #1 Private University in Southeast Asia in Media and Communication for 2024. With a professional trajectory spanning over two decades, she has garnered extensive expertise in pedagogy, leadership, collaborative industry initiatives, and has authored numerous publications, book chapters, and news articles.
As an alumna of the US State Department’s Bureau of Education and Cultural Affairs, she successfully completed a Fellowship as a Visiting Scholar at New York University (NYU, US), further enriching her academic pursuits. Demonstrating a steadfast commitment to bridging the divide between academia and industry, she has played a pivotal role in collaborative ventures with renowned global media agencies and practitioners.
Her contributions extend to serving on advisory boards and international panel of judges and speaker at both local and international conferences and competitions. Currently, she serves as the Director of Taylor’s University’s Education For All impact lab in overcoming educational challenges locally and globally focusing on diverse aspects within the realms of education, media and communication.
Matthew joined our Group on 13 March 2024 as Managing Director, Astro Media Solutions.
He has worked extensively in the technology and media sector, blending over two decades of expertise in management, strategy, sales, and marketing. Prior to assuming his current role, his leadership at Omnicom Media Group, as Chief Client Officer for APAC, saw him spearheading expansion for global brands across Asia-Pacific. Matthew previously worked at Shopper360 (SGX-Catalist listed company), where he was Group CEO overseeing the group’s portfolio of companies and orchestrating breakthroughs in corporate innovation and strategic growth. His tenure at Facebook (now Meta) saw him managing multinational businesses across SEA. By consistently delivering outstanding results and unprecedented growth, he and the team were awarded multiple regional and global awards, including his selection to the Global Client Partner Advisory council.
A graduate in Engineering from Sheffield University, UK, Matthew is deeply committed to giving back. His belief in m paying it forward’ has seen him serve in various mentoring and advisory capacities. As an External Advisory Board member for Sunway Business School, he continues to inspire and be inspired by the next generation of leaders, co-partnering to build a brighter future in a world brimming with possibilities.
