JOHOR BARU: PARTICIPANTS comprising young and aspiring executives were recently given the opportunity to learn how to become leaders of tomorrow in a seminar titled ‘Iskandar Malaysia Leadership Series: Making A Difference’.
Jointly organised by the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (Irda) and The London Speaker Bureau, the seminar featured two distinguished speakers, Jonathan Yabut and Catherine Devrye, who spoke about talent development and bridging the generational gap.
The half-day programme aims to inspire leaders and leaders in-the-making to dream big, think out-of-the-box and challenge assumptions.
“This programme is part of a series of training and leadership programmes that we are organising in Iskandar Malaysia for the benefit of the locals, and it is especially targeted towards local business and corporate leaders wishing to excel at the highest level,” said Irda chief executive Datuk Ismail Ibrahim.
He said the objective of organising these seminars in Iskandar Malaysia is to expose the local folks to the skills and experience of internationally renowned experts.
Yabut, who is the winner of The Apprentice Asia, and Devrye, a best-selling author of eight non-fiction books and past winner of the Australian Executive Woman of the Year Award, gave their views on leadership.
Yabut was the youngest male contestant in The Apprentice Asia programme at the age of 27, and was well-known for his people skills, leadership and passionate speeches in the “boardroom”.
He entered the corporate world as a management trainee for Globe Telekom and later became product manager for International Services. In 2009, he moved to GlaxoSmithKline Philippines as a senior brand manager where he earned his first national award — the 2012 Mansmith Young Market Master Awardee.
For his leadership and marketing excellence, Yabut also served as a Filipino ambassador to the 2012 London Olympics for GlaxoSmithKline. As winner of The Apprentice Asia, Yabut today is based in Kuala Lumpur as AirAsia’s chief of staff under a one-year contract.
Devrye is an outstanding communicator with proven international management experience in the private and public sectors — speaking globally on customer service, change and turning obstacles to opportunities in our professional and personal lives.
She was awarded the Australian Speaker of the Year in 1999 and in 2010.
A former IBM executive, Devrye held roles in sales, marketing, communication and management development; and spent two years in Tokyo as Asia Pacific Headquarters HR Manager.
An Australia Day ambassador, she was a former board member of the third largest police service in the world, past CEO of Young Achievement Australia and worked for the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Education and Sport, where she was involved in the establishment of the “Life. Be in it.” fitness campaign.