Malaysia's economic transformation journey

Malaysia's economic transformation journey will be highlighted at the 11th annual Forbes Global CEO Conference which will be held in Kuala Lumpur from Sept 12 to 14th. Minister of International Trade and Industry, Datuk Seri Mustapa Mohamed said the conference will provide an update on the implementation of the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) and an assessment of where the country was heading in its transformation journey. This will also give a positive perception of Malaysia and of its commitment to ensure that the country continues to enjoy peace and stability, he said. "Many of the participants have not been investing in Malaysia and this is the value of the conference which is to raise the profile of Malaysia as an attractive investment destination," he said during a media briefing today. Mustapa said the conference is expected to attract participants with a net worth of about US$120 billion. Among the most influential speakers at the conference will be Kumar Birla, Chairman of India's Aditya Birla Group, a commodities congolomerate who is on the Forbes billionaires list with a net worth estimate of US$9.2 billion. Others include Zong Qinghou, Chairman of China's Hangzhou Wahaha Group who is ranked the third richest person in China with a net worth of US$5.9 billion and Herbert V. Kohler Jr, Chairman of Kohler Co in the US, listed on Forbes billionaires with a net worth of US$2 billion. Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak and Deputy Prime Minister, Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin will conduct respective dialogue sessions with Steve Forbes, Chairman and Editor-In-Chief of Forbes, to discuss isues of global interest, and highlight Malaysia's economic and investment prospects, a statement issued by Forbes Media said today. In its eleventh year, the Forbes Global CEO conference is organized in collaboration with host sponsor, the Government of Malaysia, Julius Baer, EMC Corporation, TATA Consultancy Services, Corporate Executive Board, ADS Securities, Steinway Lyngdorf, Royal Falcon Fleet, Research in Motion, FICOFI and Weber Shandwick.