Mon, 20 May 2002

Indonesia, Malaysia to hold business forum in June

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Malaysian deputy prime minister Dato' Seri Abdullah bin Ahmad Badawi and his Indonesian counterpart, Vice President Hamzah Haz, will address business leaders at a two-day business gathering at the Shangri-la Hotel here in early June.

The Malaysia-Indonesia Business Forum will discuss the economic problems and outlook of both countries, chart out opportunities for business alliances and provide a valuable opportunity for business people, including 40 corporate leaders who will accompany Ahmad Badawi, to explore joint ventures.

"Indonesia can learn a lot from Malaysia, which stood against the IMF and yet succeeded in coping with its economic crisis," said Tanri Abeng, chairman and founder of the Bali-based Executive Center for Global Leadership (ECGL), which is organizing the business forum slated on June 4.

Tanri said the meeting would also feature Coordinating Minister for the Economy Dorodjatun Kuntjoro Jakti, State Minister of State Enterprises Laksamana Sukardi and three other prominent speakers from Malaysia -- Dato' Mustapa Mohamed, executive director of the National Economic Action Council, Tan Sri Dato' Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, group chief executive of Kumpulan Guthrie Bhd and Rozali Mohamed Ali, chief executive officer of Bumiputra-Commerce Bank Bhd.

"This forum is part of a series of programs being prepared by the ECGL to help senior executives in the public and private sectors broaden their skills and knowledge necessary to be effective leaders in an increasingly complex and challenging global environment," Tanri added.

He said Gregory Maassen of Erasmus University, who has led various positions at the International Finance Corporation, the private-sector arm of the World Bank, will present a three day world-class professional development program on corporate governance at the ECGL campus, Bali Handara Resort, starting on Tuesday.

Two other leadership training programs, each running for three days, will follow in the second and third weeks of June, also in Bali.

Tan Jing Hee, an affiliate of the American Louis Allen Associates Inc., will introduce the Allen Management Leadership System to help senior executives implement an effective and proven framework for improving managerial performance in an organization, Tanri said.

James J. O'Toole of the University of Southern California who has written 13 books on leadership and corporate culture will train Indonesian executives on how to lead changes in an organization, to overcome resistance to change, and to enlist employees in the process of change.