The Conference was organized on Monday, 8th July 2019 at the JW Marriott Hotel, Kuala Lumpur from 9.30am to 5.00pm. Around 475 delegates from various companies and career backgrounds attended this conference including 120 – 150 students from upper secondary schools and universities. The Conference was comprised of 4 sessions namely, Session 1 – “Skills and Strategies to Supercharge your Leadership”, Session 2 – “The Efficient Delivery of Major Rail Projects”, Session 3 – “Pressing For Progress by Disrupting The Ordinary” and Session 4 – “Perspectives and Priorities: What’s To Come for the Global Rail Industry in the Next Decade”. The students were exposed to leadership ideas and to the career opportunities and development in the STEM space. There was an Opening Keynote Address by YB Loke Siew Fook, Minister of Transport Malaysia and the Closing Keynote Address was delivered by YBhg Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, Chairman of Air Asia X and former Minister of International Trade & Industry Malaysia. The Conference was driven by the motto “TOGETHER TOWARDS TOMORROW” implying to the fact that the people of Malaysia are committed and are ever ready in making Malaysia a better place to live in. Inter alia, the conference focused on current state of the global rail industry, leadership skills and also on the need to step up efforts to educate the young in the STEM space because human capital development is a critical enabler for driving and sustaining Malaysia’s economic growth. Exposing the young, providing a platform for cultivating business networks and an opportunity to learn about international best practices are just some of the initiatives Women in Rail Malaysia undertook via this conference to ensure the Malaysian rail space continues to thrive as a more competitive, inclusive and diverse one. The sessions and the speaker’s details are as follows: –
Session 1 – “Skills and Strategies to Supercharge your Leadership”
This session focused on leadership skills. The future is coming quickly and it is impossible to ignore the capacity to adapt. With the replacement of traditional social and biological hierarchies, the culture of the future is one where ideas and values can come from anywhere. How do you guarantee that you have an attitude of responsiveness to become a leader that stands out in a globe that never stands still? This session brought together worldwide speakers who shared their view on what it takes to develop now so that in an era of disturbance and chaos, one can survive and flourish. The speakers for the sessions were,
1. YAM Tengku Zatashah Binti Sultan Sharafudin Idris Shah – Founder Advocate #zerofoodwastage & #saynotoplastic; Royal Patron Make-A-Wish Malaysia; President Alliance Francaise Kuala Lumpur
2. Mr Leon Daniels – Principal, Leon Daniels & Associates (until recently Managing Director Surface Transport at Transport for London)
3. Ms Ruchi Naithani – President, Naithani- Today Software Systems Pvt. Ltd, Gurgaon, India
4. Ms Maya Ito – Partner, Attorney-At-Law, Nishimura & Asahi, Tokyo
Session 2 – “The Efficient Delivery of Major Rail Projects”
This session focused on the challenges and the development of the ever-growing rail industry. With highly evolving digitisation in the industry, only those who develop and adapt will survive in a fast-moving technology-savvy population. With a critical imperative to achieve value for cash, the landscape is full of difficulties and possibilities. The speakers discussed on what has been performed to increase technological norms in the sector lately and the possibilities of the fresh digital railway methods to solve the current problems in the industry. The speakers for the session were,
1. Ms Silvia Halim – Director for Construction, PT MRT Jakarta, Indonesia
2. Ms Dawn Chui – Regional Director, Asia-Pacific, Omnia Services, China
3. Mr Shahrin Abdol Salam – Senior Vice President, Plans & Development, SMRT Trains, Singapore
4. Mr Juan F. Alfonso – President & CEO, Light Rail Manila Corporation, Philippines
5. Ms Cassandra Gash – Senior Signalling Project Manager, Rail Projects Victoria
Session 3 – “Pressing for Progress by Disrupting the Ordinary” and Session 4
This session focused on the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) space. The speakers discussed on the measures to cultivate this STEM generation of rulers who are going to be at the helm of our future. This session explores whether the gender gap in STEM can effectively be bridged and what more do we need to do to accomplish that especially among women in Malaysia. The speakers for the session were,
1. Ms Sharifah Amirah – Chief Client Officer, Intent HQ, London, UK
2. Mr Colin Lim – CEO, mobilityX, Singapore
3. Ms Nadira Yusoff – CEO, Kiddocare
4. Ms Jennifer Tay – Partner, PwC Singapore
Session 4 – “Perspectives and Priorities: What’s to Come for the Global Rail Industry in the Next Decade”
This session focused on the future of the rail industry globally. The speakers discussed on the plans the global rail players planned for the next century with climate change, geopolitical change, technological innovation and the increase of artificial intelligence and on ways they ensure long-term sustainability of their investments. Besides, the speakers also talked about the certainty of worldwide rail leaders ensuring a balance between business achievement and the correct approach for urban growth despite unfettered development in the international rail space. The speakers for the session were,
1. Ms Chie Shimizu – Partner, Weston Williamson + Partners, Australia
2. Mr Mohamed Mezghani – Secretary-General, International Association of Public Transport (UITP)
3. Mr Torkel Patterson – Board member, JR Central, Japan
4. Mr Neil Robertson – CEO, National Skills Academy for Rail (NSAR), United Kingdom