16 Jul 2022
TM Tree-Planting Campaign latest in group’s ESG efforts to achieve sustainability targets
TM Towards a Sustainable Tomorrow campaign latest in TM’s comprehensive efforts to achieve Net-Zero emissions by 2050 and improve business operations and social impact.
Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) today launched an initiative titled Program Kelestarian Hari Esok TM: Kempen Penanaman Pokok (TM Towards A Sustainable Tomorrow: Tree Planting Campaign) – an expansion of its short- and medium-term ESG commitments towards environmental sustainability, operational improvement, and value creation for the wider community.
Aligning with the Government’s Penghijauan Malaysia (Greening Malaysia) programme and international aspirations namely the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals and the Paris Agreement, this campaign is the latest in TM’s commitment to plant 12,000 trees throughout the country by the end of 2022, to offset greenhouse gas emissions and slow down the impact of climate change.
This campaign follows closely on the back of TM’s earlier Gutta Percha tree planting programme, which saw the planting of 5,000 Nyatoh Taban Merah heritage trees in 23 locations in conjunction with World Telecommunications and Information Society Day 2022 – which also garnered a Malaysia Book of Record recognition.
Launched at the Sultan Idris Shah Forest Education Centre, Puchong, TM’s latest campaign was graced by YB Datuk Ali Anak Biju, Deputy Minister of Energy and Natural Resources. Also in attendance were YBrs Ahmad Norhad Zahari, Secretary of Communication Technology, Ministry of Communications and Multimedia; Amin Abdullah, Chief Executive Officer of Yayasan Hijau Malaysia; Professor Dato’ Dr. Abdul Mua'ti @ Zamri Ahmad, Director, Centre for Strategy and Corporate Relations, Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM); Tan Sri Mohammed Azlan Hashim, Chairman of TM’s Board of Directors; and Imri Mokhtar, TM’s Group Chief Executive Officer.
Co-organised with Yayasan Hijau Malaysia, Jabatan Perhutanan Semenanjung Malaysia and UPM, the campaign supports the Government’s commitment to plant 100 million trees by 2025, with 5,000 trees being planted during this latest effort, and another 2,000 to be planted in the later part of the year.
60 Warga TM (TM employees) participated in planting the first 100 trees, with all of TM’s designated tree-planting sites to be known as “unifi Green Zones”.
YB Datuk Ali Anak Biju said, “Malaysia serves as a habitat for thousands of flora and fauna species and is the ‘green lung’ for oxygen generation and carbon storage for Malaysia and neighbouring countries. Our rainforests and bio-diverse ecosystems remain popular ecotourism destinations for local and international tourists, and serve in furthering environmental research and education.
“Over the last decade, tree planting initiatives have intensified to mitigate the effects of greenhouse gas emissions and climate change stemming from commercial and industrial activities and population growth.
“I am proud and grateful to see corporate organisations, government agencies as well as NGOs and education institutions collaborating on green initiatives with greater commitment, such as today’s event by TM and its partners. I hope more corporate companies will follow in their footsteps to help us realise our Greening Malaysia goals,” he added.
Tan Sri Mohammed Azlan explained, “Our ESG commitment is something we take seriously as it aligns with our transformation towards becoming a human-centred technology company. This pledge is reflected in our innovative solutions and services, and our efforts to improve business operations and fulfil our social responsibility to our customers, partners and communities.”
“In addition to tree planting, TM’s Klang Valley Core Data Centre, Iskandar Puteri Core Data Centre and KL City Data Centre have been powered by renewable energy since January 2022 – significantly reducing the impact of our business operations while supporting the nation’s digitalisation. We have achieved an 11% emission reduction in Q1 2022 against the baseline year of 2019 – putting us on track to achieve our goals of reducing emissions by 30% in 2024, 45% by 2030 and Net-Zero by 2050,” he shared.
TM also continues to strengthen its social and governance pillars – continuing to serve as the nation’s connectivity leader and providing high speed internet access to at least 70% of premises nationwide. The Group has also ensured 30% women representation among its Board of Directors and Senior Management, and works with organisations such as the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) to uphold zero-tolerance towards corruption. TM continues to maintain the highest standards of corporate governance in all its partnerships and undertakings.
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TM R&D inks MoU with AL-QUDS University to foster industry-academia collaboration for research and innovation excellence in next generation communication technologies
Telekom Research & Development Sdn Bhd (TM R&D), the innovation arm of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM), recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Al-Quds University (AQU) to foster industry-academia collaboration for joint research in Next Generation Communication Technologies and to create an institution for innovation and technology transfer. Dr. Sharlene Thiagarajah, Chief Executive Officer, TM R&D, signed the MoU on behalf of TM R&D while AQU was represented by its President, Prof. Dr. Imad Abu Kishek. The agreement was sealed under the support and presence of H. E. Mr. Walid Abu Ali, Ambassador of The State of Palestine to Malaysia, Brunei, Thailand and Maldives. Under the MoU, both entities will join forces to explore research and knowledge exchange activities including staff exchange for scientific works and student visits, in addition to development of impactful digital solutions with a global outlook. Commenting on the latest collaboration, Dr. Sharlene said, “We are excited to have AQU on board as the first university that we’re collaborating with post COVID-19. This MoU is testament of our efforts to work with innovative and entrepreneurial academic institutions to deliver excellence in the field of research and innovation.” “The knowledge sharing and technology transfer between Malaysia and Palestine will definitely boost research capabilities and cross-cultural innovations,” she added. Meanwhile, Prof. Dr. Imad Abu Kishek shared, “The university’s strategy encompasses building strong cooperative relationships with the Malaysian industry and academia. We believe that this is the first step towards a sustainable partnership with TM R&D, which will provide our staff and students the opportunity to access expert knowledge, latest technologies, innovation labs, and industry in Malaysia.” “We hope that this collaboration will result in a symbiotic relationship that furthers the economy, innovation, and technology transfer among both institutions,” added Prof. Dr. Imad. AQU is an academic research university that currently offers more than 120 undergraduate and postgraduate programmes, delivered through its 15 degree-granting faculties that cover main scientific disciplines such as medicine, life and natural sciences, business and management, arts and humanities, law and jurisprudence, engineering, computer science, information technology, and social sciences. In addition, AQU pursues educational distinction through a culture of innovation and strives to develop entrepreneurs who are able to partake in the development of the Palestinian economy.
unifi encourages MSMEs to maximise Government Digitalisation Grant and accelerate their digitalisation journey with its suite of digital-first solutions
Government’s announcement to increase digitalisation grant to RM200 million next year is a big step in the right direction unifi is set to accelerate MSMEs in their digitalisation plans with its complete range of digital-first solutions. This comes after the Government’s announcement to raise the Digitalisation Grant for Malaysian micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to RM200 million next year. The increase is a big step in the right direction and is expected to have a significant impact on the push for digitalisation especially in a period when businesses are looking at technology to fast track their road to recovery and beyond. Along this road to recovery, unifi Business has positioned itself to become the preferred digitalisation enabler for MSMEs with its digital-first solutions while playing its part as a responsible corporate citizen in supporting the Government’s push to digitalise MSMEs. Anand Vijayan, Chief Commercial Officer of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) said MSMEs should fully utilise this opportunity to accelerate their digitalisation journey and unifi Business is here to support them. “The decision to raise the digitalisation grant to RM200 million is a big move in the right direction and we’re ready to support the needs of MSMEs in Malaysia that want to accelerate their digitalisation journey.” “As a government-appointed Technology Service Provider Partner (TSP) under the MSME Digitalisation Grant, we have the complete range of digitalisation solutions for MSMEs in every step of their digitalisation journey,” said Anand during a virtual media briefing session held today. Since unifi launched its bespoke initiative that leverages on the Digitalisation Grant in August this year, the response from MSMEs have been overwhelming, further strengthening the brand’s position as the digital partner of choice among the MSMEs. Currently, unifi serves a significant portion of the nation’s MSME ecosystem with more than 375,000 MSMEs subscribed its solutions nationwide. Under this Grant, MSME entrepreneurs can subscribe to unifi Business Solution packages with savings of up to 50% across 12 months. In addition, unifi is offering prizes worth RM1.5 million to encourage MSME entrepreneurs to start digitising their businesses. Meanwhile, Mohamad Yusman Ammeran, unifi Head of SME Segment who was also present at the session said feedback from MSMEs showed that digitalisation served as a booster that helped these businesses recover and thrive. “The pandemic has transformed the business landscape in Malaysia and digitalisation is the way forward. We see a positive impact in the many businesses that we’ve supported during this very challenging period and I’m happy to see that many not only recover but have thrived thanks to our digitalisation solutions despite the challenges,” said Mohamad Yusman. unifi has a host of solutions to cater to the different needs of individual MSMEs. These include Microsoft 365 which allows businesses to increase productivity with real-time solutions to connect and collaborate anytime, anywhere. This solution also offers access to files in real time across multiple devices while ensuring a high degree of data integrity. For new businesses venturing into the digital marketplace, unifi offers a comprehensive Digital Marketing Solution where they can enhance their online presence with increased visibility especially on social media. Another unifi Business innovation is the cari@unifi Premium Listing site, a solution that allows businesses to reach a wider customer base through online listings and articles on the hugely popular local e-commerce platform, cari@unifi. In addition, unifi also organises complimentary awareness and training programs for MSMEs to increase their digital proficiency. On top of that, unifi has business consultants at 83 MSMEs Corners nationwide to provide advice and guidance to business owners – the only technology company in the country to provide such services. To encourage sign-up for the Digital Grant, unifi is also offering exciting prizes to successful applicants under its “Sign Up & Drive Away” contest. Prizes include nine (9) four-wheel drive (4WD) vehicles during the contest period which will end 31 December 2021. Other interesting prizes include laptops, smartphones and tablets. For more information on unifi Business Solutions and SME Digitalisation grant offerings, please visit www.unifi.com.my/business/smegrant.
Funding Societies and TMIM team up to provide digital financing access and support to MSMEs
Financial assistance for underserved local MSMEs from Funding Societies utilising Yellow Pages digital advertising solutions to help with business expansion and sustainability during these challenging times. Funding Societies Malaysia, the largest peer-to-peer (P2P) financing platform in the country and Southeast Asia recently collaborated with TM Info-Media Sdn Bhd (TMIM), a subsidiary of Telekom Malaysia Berhad (TM) to offer business financing solutions for the underserved and unserved local micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). The mission kicks off into high gear with the prime utilisation of Yellow Pages' digital platform, a product of TMIM and also the leading digital business directory in Malaysia. The collaboration will provide MSMEs with greater access to digital financing solutions. The solutions will facilitate business expansions as well as ensure sustainability of the MSMEs. It provides vital financing options to existing MSMEs and serves as a launch pad to aspiring entrepreneurs. The synergistic collaboration takes momentous steps towards Funding Societies' mission to improve the livelihoods of MSMEs and TM's role as the enabler of Digital Malaysia. It also opens the door for as many as 70,000 MSMEs under the Yellow Pages listings to a variety of tailor-made financing products. With the aim of bringing game-changing revolutions to their customers, Yellow Pages Malaysia is no stranger to making innovative transformations in order to stay current in the digital age. Wong Kah Meng, Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer of Funding Societies Malaysia, commented on the partnership: "Digital financing is becoming more prevalent in Malaysia given its ability to promote financial inclusion, particularly benefiting the MSMEs that are either unserved or underserved by traditional financing avenues by providing easy access to financing solutions. As the largest P2P financing platform in the region, our partnership with TMIM will serve to accelerate our reach in providing the financing support that is much needed by our local MSME players. This is especially relevant given MSMEs are among the most impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic." Meanwhile, Sean Koh Chin Soon, Chief Executive Officer, TMIM said: "Our Malaysia Yellow Pages platform which has evolved from print to digital, interactive website and mobile app, is the perfect avenue to bridge the MSMEs out there with the resources they require. We are excited to collaborate with Funding Societies Malaysia in empowering local businesses through financial solutions. This will enable them to further expand their potentials thus supporting the sustainability of the businesses, especially during this Covid-19 pandemic. This is also in line with the Government's efforts to boost the growth of Malaysian economy and to propel local businesses. This initiative is befitting of TM Group's unique role in nation building and as the enabler of Malaysia's Digital Nation aspirations." P2P financing is a digital financing solution that has been gaining traction in recent years. Its modern approach and speedy process makes pain points of traditional financing a thing of the past. Such setbacks including collateral requirement, onerous documentation, slow turnaround time, and high minimum requirements, all posed as hurdles for smaller businesses to obtain quick financing assistance. Through this collaboration, eligible businesses on the Yellow Pages platform can apply for the financing from Funding Societies without even needing to visit a physical branch. Eligible MSMEs stand to enjoy the following financing benefits from Funding Societies: Discount on processing fee Fast disbursement with quick approval within five (5) working days Flexible tenure of up to 18 months No collateral requirement Minimal documentation requirement Besides the collaboration with Funding Societies, TM through its consumer and SME product brand, unifi has also been continuously assisting businesses to stay productive in this emerging digital economy. Via unifi Business Club (uBC) specifically for its SME customers, unifi enables access to complete business solutions which include digital marketing tools, productivity boosters and financial solutions. By allowing businesses to leverage on its strategic partnerships, unifi aims to expedite its customers' recovery and enhance sustainability. Interested MSMEs can apply for financing from Funding Societies on Yellow Pages website starting 5 October 2020. For more information on the partnership between Funding Societies and TMIM, please visit https://biz.yp.my/solutions/yellowpagesfinancing/.
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