Future Leader\’s Conference 1.0

KAJANG 29th July 2018 – Participants of Future Leader’s Conference faced numerous challenges as they traversed the treacherous path laid ahead of them. Elevator pitches and business cases were the least of their concerns as they negotiated with terrorists, all while juggling with the welfare of the country and looming national debt.

Future Leader’s Conference 1.0, conducted by Foundation Club on 27th July 2018 kicked off with a bang at 8am, with participants diving head first into a challenging elevator pitch session. After a short briefing, the participants hunkered down and racked their brains to tackle real-world problems with practical solutions. They then presented their ideas to an auditorium’s worth of participants and judges. The bright ideas that they came up with cast a shining light of hope on the future of our country.

The highlight of the event was the keynote speech by UNITEN’s very own Siva Nagappan. In his 30-minute speech, Siva shared with the participants the steps he took towards achieving what he has today and all the challenges that came with them. Siva related his lifelong struggle with dyslexia and mild ADHD and how it inspired him to make Project Paplet a reality. The participants were awed and inspired as he recounted his experience walking among other young leaders from throughout the Commonwealth in Buckingham Palace, where he received the Queen’s award from none other than the Queen herself.

The terrorist threat came as a shock to the participants after they had just returned from their lunch. Provided with only an envelope containing four top-secret documents, the participants were forced to take on important roles such as Minister of Finance and Minister of Defense to ensure the safety of the country. Their actions throughout the threat were closely observed by the facilitators and judged by the “Prime Ministers”, comprising of various lecturers from College of Foundation and Diploma studies. After many strenuous hours, the newly minted ministers had to present the results of their discussions before the press. The ministers were flagged by hordes of cameramen training their lenses on them and snapping pictures throughout their presentation. The participants commented that this added a sense of realism to the whole situation and made it much more difficult to speak on stage.

This was followed by a business case study where participants had to decide on the best location to open up a new branch of their upstart restaurant chain. The organizing committee prepared realistic news articles and market analysis to guide the participants in making the best decision for their company.

 

 

 

 

The closing ceremony was officiated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmad Kamal Zulkifle, Deputy Dean of College of Foundation and Diploma Studies. Dr. Ahmad Kamal delivered an inspiring speech on the importance of training young leaders and praised the organizers on their successful event. The committee members wish to express their utmost gratitude to all the advising lecturers – Madam Nurshuhaida, Madam Hanani, Madam Redia, Madam Alia, Ustaz Hafizan, Sir Ikhsan, Ustazah Syafa, Sir Rahmat and Sir Eddren who laboured to make this event a success.  The prizes for Most Outstanding Participant, Best Speaker and Best Team were also given out during the ceremony.

We hope that Future Leader’s Conference 2.0 will be even more successful than the first and we wish the next batch of Leaders the best of luck in all their ventures!

 

Written by: Rayden Sia

Pictures by: Skuad Media Uniten