We Got Successful Young Malaysians To Share Their Easy Tips On How To Advance Your Career

From seeking a raise to going for that new promotion, giving yourself career goals and working towards them is an important part of progressing in your professional life and making sure that you're always improving.

Nadia is currently part of the Corporate Strategy team at UEM Edgenta Berhad and aims to positively impact people through her career. Meanwhile, Joseph is a Strategy Lead with Grab Malaysia who aims to one day become a well-respected business leader in the tech scene.

For Nadia and Joseph, they did this by participating in Axiata's Young CEO Development Programme (YCDP), a two-year leadership development programme for young Malaysian professionals. YCDP provides its participants with the opportunity to master the essential skills and business knowledge required of a future CEO.

Nadia: "Over the eight boot camps held throughout the two years, there were many workshops, business simulations, and challenges conducted to introduce / build your professional skills ranging from communications to marketing to data analytics. All of these modules really helped me to develop my skills which then allowed me to take on bigger roles in the workplace."

Nadia: "For me, that's truly the mark of a successful CEO. In fact, my ultimate career goal is to be able to positively impact / influence people surrounding me. There are a lot of people I look up to and the reasons why I look up to them mainly comes from how hard they work and what they are capable of doing."

Joseph: "During YCDP, I initially delivered very 'consultant'-like presentations which is what I thought would be most effective. In reality, this style was not very suitable or attractive for business pitches, which caused me to lose out in the early boot camps.

By innovating and improving the way we pitched and presented, my team and I ended up winning five out of the eight multi-industry business challenges; most of which took place in Malaysia, plus a final one in Indonesia.

I think the fact that I was awarded as one of the Top 10 Performers of the programme and won the title of Most Promising CEO had to do with the fact that I made it a point to learnt from my shortcomings and improve myself in each boot camp."

Joseph: "In my opinion, successful CEOs are people who are self-driven to make an impact (no matter which industry or sector). Above all, they are servant leaders that are able to inspire and motivate people around them to achieve a common goal. They are also able to stay humble and acknowledge they do not know everything, and that there is always someone smarter than them in the room."

Nadia: "Don't underestimate the importance of networking. That's why I was initially drawn to YCDP - I thought it would be a great opportunity to network with people from different backgrounds.

I got to learn from industry leaders and team up with many people that had different styles of working and leadership. That taught me a great deal of stakeholder management."

Joseph: "I do love reading self-development books (especially on leadership and productivity) and also seek to participate in development programs out of my work (like YCDP). This enables me to discover and shape my leadership potential while expanding my strategic network made up of inspiring and talented individuals."

Joseph: "To eventually be a leader, I realised that I must first understand the various aspects of a business, be data-driven, and more importantly, be a great people person.

For this, I have actively shaped my career to learn about different industries, diving into their business strategies and operations, before finally finding my passion in the tech sector where making data-driven business decisions has become an everyday norm."

Nadia: "One really cool thing that we got to do at YCDP was to work with actual companies and attempt to come up with strategies on how to fix real problems. My team ended up winning the Regional Business Challenge, in which we formulated a strategy for Boost Indonesia.

We also got to come up with ideas for our very own startup during the Digital Business Challenge. My team won first place for this too - we founded Spot It, a platform that does smart building maintenance management."

Joseph: "We had the privilege of receiving seed funding from Axiata Young Talent Programme (AYTP) to develop our own startup ideas, and had fantastic business mentors to guide us along the journey of launching the startups.

We got to end Year One with our first business challenge with a real industry partner in the Energy industry, where we helped TNB Malaysia strategically innovate their business model for the digital era.

In Year Two, we progressed to more 'action-based' modules. We learnt about the property sector and developed eco-friendly monetising strategies for Sime Darby Propery to self-sustain their business ventures.

We also embarked on a National Sustainability Challenge with the Perak State Government across a three-month project to solve pressing issues faced by the people (e.g. high unemployment rates among B40 women).

And lastly, the most exciting was the Regional Business Challenge in which we helped Boost Malaysia and Indonesia expand and strengthen their digital business model, footprint, and sustainability across the region."

This two-year programme gives you the chance to network with like-minded peers and industry leaders.

Participants will be introduced to key business tools through interactive workshops, take on the role of decision-maker through business simulations, and work on innovative solutions to complex challenges from various industries in Malaysia.

What sets YCDP apart from other leadership programmes is its sole objective in shaping the CEOs of tomorrow. It aims to nurture and develop talent that will lead the organisations and businesses of this country in the future.

1. Business Mastery - Master business leadership skills and tools through business challenges and hands-on workshops
2. Experiential Learning - Step into the shoes of corporate leaders and be challenged by the diverse perspectives of your peers
3. Professional Guidance - Receive personalised coaching, mentoring, and guidance throughout the programme
4. Regional Exposure - Gain an understanding of international markets through the Regional Business Challenge
5. Industry Knowledge - Learn from today’s influential business leaders through leadership and knowledge-sharing sessions
6. Diverse Community - Be part of an exceptional alumni association after successfully completing the programme