PETALING JAYA, 2 March 2021 — KPMG in Malaysia has launched its Board Leadership Center (“BLC”), providing a combination of resources and perspectives to help corporate boards deepen their engagement with insights into critical issues shaping businesses and board agendas. Part of an exclusive global network for board of directors, this initiative within Malaysia will be led by Kasturi Nathan, KPMG’s Head of Governance & Sustainability.

Kasturi observed: “A disruptive macroenvironment is testing boards like never before. Given the ever-evolving business environment and increasing scrutiny on boards to deliver long-term value, there is a growing need for board members to have timely access to the right information with a view of harnessing it to insights and intelligence.

“This is what we hope to do with the content creation and curation at BLC. Providing boards with easy access to targeted input not only raises their awareness on prevalent issues, it also provides them with the right prompts to drive discourses in their respective companies.”

The KPMG Board Leadership Center is an interactive platform which serves to capacity-build technical knowledge based on regulatory laws and authoritative promulgations, as well as practical knowledge through thought leaderships and other actionable board-ready resources in key oversight areas on business sustainability and strategy with specific focus on issues relating to ethics & culture, talent retention, risk and compliance, digitalization, cybersecurity, human rights, geopolitical influence, etc.

“Boards today are increasingly agile and are more diverse, as they work together and challenge with constructive feedback. We recognise that board diversity is not just in the areas of gender, age or experience but diversity of opinion, personalities and capabilities. Through our BLC, we aim to provide board members with the platform to network and exchange insights that will enable them to discharge their fiduciary responsibilities,” added Kasturi.

The BLC is open to all Non-Executive and Executive Directors across all sectors of corporate Malaysia. Last year, Malaysia was seen to be among the few countries to move the needle on corporate governance with a drive for coordinated governance framework across group structures, heightened disclosures and market-led impetus for sustainable practices.

Kasturi concluded, “We have already observed a growing understanding amongst Malaysian boards and companies on the long-term impact of the sustainability of its corporate performance and value as a result of the impact on the environment, economy and society. As this continues to gain traction, boards play a fundamental role in driving discussions on its business strategies, its corporate purpose and the long terms implications this has on their businesses.”

For more insights and to learn more about the KPMG Board Leadership Center, visit www.kpmg.com.my/BLC. 

About KPMG Management & Risk Consulting Sdn. Bhd.
KPMG is a global organization of independent professional services firms providing Audit, Tax and Advisory services. We operate in 146 countries and territories and in FY20 had close to 227,000 people working in member firms around the world. The history of KPMG in Malaysia can be traced back to 1928. KPMG Management & Risk Consulting Sdn. Bhd., a company incorporated under Malaysian law,is a member firm of the KPMG global organization of independent member firms affiliated with KPMG International Limited, a private English company limited by guarantee. Each KPMG firm is a legally distinct and separate entity and describes itself as such.

KPMG International Limited is a private English company limited by guarantee. KPMG International Limited and its related entities do not provide services to clients.