Love Working At MALAKOFF

MALAKOFF Corp Bhd is well established in Malaysia and beyond our shores.

WHAT THE PEOPLE HAVE TO SAY ABOUT THE COMPANY

The power company, which employs 900 personnel in Malaysia and around the world, has come a long way from its humble beginnings in 1975 as a plantation company.

Malakoff is a leading Independent Water and Power Producer with core focus on power generation, water desalination and operations and maintenance services.

It is Malaysia’s largest independent power producer with net generating capacity of 5,020MW from its six power plants.

Malakoff has power and water ventures in Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Kuwait and Bahrain, and is making inroads into the fast growing South-East Asian markets.

Not withstanding its business achievements in the industry, Malakoff has been publicly recognised for its commitment to its employees.

In June 2013, HR Asia’s Best Companies to Work for in Asia 2013 study selected Malakoff as one of the 21 winners from Malaysia, out of 145 participants.

We spoke to seven Malakoff employees to find out what keeps them excited about working with this organisation.

DANIAL LIEW

Head of production, Prai Power Plant

The phrase “our people are our greatest asset” that is constantly uttered by the management is not just lip service. It actually walks the talk by consistently engaging with and adding value to employees, and encouraging employee empowerment.

In the context of adding value, Malakoff provides staff development programmes to strengthen their technical knowledge and soft skills. These span almost all levels of the organisation from the non executive level to senior management.

Throughout my 13 years journey with Malakoff, I have benefited a lot from its culture of emphasising human capital, from personal development to actual rewards and recognition.

Malakoff’s core values and culture has moulded its employees into who we are today, and the employees are now steering Malakoff’s future. This thought has always been a source of inspiration and excitement for me, and it fuels the passion I have for Malakoff.

LENY SAFINAZ ISMAIL

Executive secretary, chief operating officer office

At the beginning of my time here, I worked with the deputy CEO. Now, I serve three bosses of the group – the chief operating officer, MD and chairman.

I’ve been working in Malakoff for 20 years, and I really enjoy working here as I’ve grown both personally and professionally.

It’s a good company that offers a good variety of work, good bosses, opportunities, and benefits.

The work environment is open and we are like a family unit; yet we are professional when it comes to our work. There is a sense of flexibility and that shows the trust that management has in us.

Malakoff is a good company to work in, and you will be working with amazing people, while getting support, encouragement and guidance. The working environment and opportunities to learn new things keep me excited and committed to working here.

HUANG TIONG YEONG

Manager, enterprise applications

I have been with Malakoff for almost 3.5 years now. Malakoff’s working environment can be described as lively. It allows employees to network with everyone in the office, and it provides a family-like atmosphere.

Apart from that, it has great benefits,competitive pay, and a unique corporate structure that sets it apart.

We are offered benefits such as long employment service awards, yearly bonuses, healthcare insurance and training courses to enhance skills. As long as employees are willing to learn, Malakoff is fully supportive of helping us achieve this.

As Malakoff is a leader in power production, people around the world are lining up to join our group. We actively seek out the best students from around the world to join us.

The most exciting reason to work with Malakoff is the way the bosses bring out the best in us without us realising it. With their guidance, everyone in Malakoff has achieved a lot, and we are committed to provide the best service for Malakoff.

ILY ZAFIRA SHAHRINAN

Senior executive, human resources

I started my career with Malakoff five years ago after graduating from a local university. Job satisfaction is what makes me stay here. I’m doing something that I enjoy, perceive as valuable, and I am given enough responsibility to satisfy my desire to be “in control”.

The broad scope of work gives me the ability to work in areas outside of my bachelor’s degree.

I’m very lucky, or perhaps I just made a wise choice to build my career in this area. I enjoy what I do as my field of work gives me exposure and helps me improve my soft skills.

Malakoff doesn’t allow flexible working hours, but it really does care about its employees’ work-life balance. We are given the flexibility to manage our own time as long as we can finish the tasks. Personally, I think this really improves the productivity of the employees.

I stay on because I am doing something that I enjoy and feel is valuable and that I have some measure of influence over.

NAZIATUL SHAFEENAZ NASRUDDIN

Manager, human resources

I have been serving Malakoff for over two years under the umbrella of human resources, focusing on organisational development and recruitment.

In Malakoff, if you conceive a sound idea – be it on improvement or an innovation – more often than not, you will gain the support and resources to materialise it.

Malakoff believes in the concept of continuous growth and lives by that. We take small realistic steps that cumulatively over time breed sustainable success.

In terms of culture, when you walk down the hallway or pass through the pantry, you can certainly hear happy chats and bump into friendly smiling faces.

Do not be misled, however, on how serious those friendly faces can be when they are at their workstations or meeting rooms. They champion harmony, but they place higher importance on excellence.

This is a committed group of people who have been deliberately equipped with functional and leadership skills to take charge in the battlefield. I am – without any reservation – very proud to be in their good company.

VINODHAN GOPALAN

Senior manager, technical and commercial, ventures

As much as the organisation needs the employee to achieve his or her key performance indicators, the employee also relies on the organisation for the resources to grow as a person and a productive professional, on top of earning a decent living.

This partnership is something I have found in Malakoff in the 14 years I have worked here.

At a time when I didn’t really know how to build my career, Malakoff gave me guidance and support to be the person I am today.

Through the various roles I have taken up working in the power plants and now in the headquarters, I believe I have undergone a balanced and structured development.

Malakoff takes training and development seriously. The training opportunities provided by Malakoff are partly the reason why I was able to make smooth transitions between roles.

I am sometimes invited to host the Malakoff booth at career fairs and I tell the doe-eyed fresh graduates who visit our booth this: I still get up excited to go to work because I look forward to the fun that I experience in every aspect of my job.

NOR AZIZI MAZALAN

Manager, technical training, Tanjung Bin Power Plant

I have been working with Malakoff since May 2008. Malakoff is very flexible in terms of giving the freedom to its staff to carry out their responsibilities.

On top of that, almost all bosses at Malakoff embrace an open door policy without any restrictions on lower ranking staff mingling with senior management.

In terms of people development, I consider myself very lucky as I was one of the participants of Malakoff’s leadership development programme back in 2011.

That programme was an eye-opener for me as it educated me on the importance of being a good leader in the company.

Another factor that keeps me happy working here is the sports activities organised for employees. Every year, there is a Malakoff sports carnival organised for all staff. This annual activity fosters friendships, despite the competitive nature of the tournament.

I definitely recommend working with Malakoff as opportunities abound here.