Les’ Copaque Production Sdn Bhd
Managing director Burhanuddin Md Radzi just can’t wait till the month is over. This is because rendering work on the three-dimensional (3-D) animation company’s first film Geng: Pengembaraan Bermula is expected to be completed and the company can then move into post-production. Should all go according to schedule, Les’ Copaque will be launching the film in December. “For us, the film means putting Malaysia in the global animation industry map. Our aim has always been to spearhead the local animation industry and providing opportunities for local graduates to showcase their talent. We are targeting to pave the way by producing high-quality 3-D animation with local images that has global appeal,” he said. Geng: Pengembaraan Bermula has been previewed in Cannes recently during a trade trip organised by MSC Malaysia custodian Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) and received favourable reviews. “Several parties from both Hollywood and Bollywood have already expressed interest to enter into partnerships with Les’ Copaque and we will see how it goes. In terms of response, we are confident that the film will be well-received by the domestic market. We are looking to testing the international market,” he shared, adding that Les’ Copaque is planning massive marketing strategy for Geng: Pengembaraan Bermula that include product placement and merchandising. And with the experience from its television series, Upin & Ipin, that won the Best Film (Animation) Award at the Kuala Lumpur International Film Festival 2007, among others, Les’ Copaque certainly seems to know what it is talking about. From its inception in 2005, Les’ Copaque now has a staff strength of 40. Burhanuddin said he would like to grow the number further but not necessarily to expand Les’ Copaque itself. “We are keen to enter new ventures through co-operations whereby a greater number of experts can be further developed in the industry,” he said.
JobStreet Corp Bhd
If you are a jobseeker in Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, Indonesia, India, Bangladesh or Japan, chances are one of the first places you will start looking is on online recruitment Web site JobStreet.com (www.jobstreet.com). Having played the role of online matchmaker for employers and jobseekers since 1995, JobStreet.com now boasts of servicing 50,000 corporate customers and five million jobseekers in the said countries. For Malaysia alone, employers number at 20,000 and jobseekers some 1.1 million at any given time. “Our focus has always been to make the recruitment process as transparent as possible. And with technology, life has been made easier for our clients, be they jobseeker or employer,” said the company’s head of regional communications Simon Si. JobStreet.com’s solutions include online job posting, resume search, branding and attraction services, campus recruitment services, e-recruitment solution and executive search. “Our key philosophy is ‘Serve Fast, Fill All’. Our corporate care team is focused on helping customers fill all their vacancies with speed and efficiency,” Si said. With the job market becoming increasingly borderless, JobStreet has forged a strategic alliance with The Network, a global network of recruitment Web sites across Europe, US, Australia and China to further extend its reach globally. For its first quarter results for the period ended March 31, JobStreet recorded profit after tax and minority interests of RM10.5 million. The figure represents a 75 per cent increase compared to RM6 million in the same quarter last year.
Pulse Group
Headquartered in Kuala Lumpur with offices in New York, London, Sydney and New Delhi, the Pulse Group is a research process outsourcing (RPO) company that services the market research industry globally. Its range of data and support services includes online data collection, processing and analysis; call centre solutions; translation services; and qualitative online and offline solutions. “Our services provide companies and organisations the confidence that allows them to focus on delivering value to their clients, transfer fixed costs into an on-demand cost model, and facilitate their business expansion with minimal risk,” said chief executive officer Bob Chua. With a staff strength of 50 people, the three-year-old company lists industries like the media, fast-moving consumer goods (FMCG) and research agencies as clients in Malaysia. “Online market research is a vibrant one, valued at US$2.5 billion (RM8.25 billion) globally. Our company has grown significantly in that space with revenues at RM2 million in 2005, RM8 million targeted for this year, and RM20 million for next year,” he said. Progressing from a private to public company (Pulse is listed in UK), the company is also looking at acquisitions to grow further. For Pulse, being part of the MSC has allowed the company to advance at a rapid pace.
Scicom (MSC) Berhad
Already in its 12th year, Scicom (MSC) Berhad has over 2,000 staff servicing 40 different countries. The public-listed company recorded a revenue of RM109 million last year, 96 per cent of which comes from servicing multinational companies. Chief executive officer Leo Ariyanakam likes to call the company “a new age outsourcing specialist”. “We are a global offshore customer contact management services provider within the business process outsourcing (BPO) industry. Our BPO model not only helps global companies build brands, reduce cost and improve existing operations by relocating customer contact centres and back-office services to Asia. We also provide the whole customer care experience by providing consulting and education,” he said. Scicom Consulting covers business process optimisation, contact centre optimisation, strategic transformation and Scicom developed software implementation, among others. Scicom Academy looks at training and development in soft skills, certifications and diplomas in contact centre management, customer-facing training, formal contact centre education, and executive post-graduate education. “We are aiming to move up the outsourcing value chain to be in the ranks of Indian players, able to provide medical consultancy, financial consulting, software development, biotech and bioinformatics services, for example. The key to all this is the right education,” said Leo.