Maybank Go Ahead Challenge (#MGAC2015): Season Of Smile (‪#‎SOS)

Do you remember my previous post about Maybank Go Ahead Challenge 2015 ‪(#‎MGAC2015‬)? The global competition had been ongoing for months, and last week marked the final week of the top 60 challengers from around the world to accept final round of challenges.

Let's make the world a better place!

As part of the challenges, the global finalists of ‪#‎MGAC2015‬ took over Bukit Bintang with creative projects and activities for the general public, through their CSR fundraising initiative dubbed Season Of Smile (‪#‎SOS)‬. All the funds raised would go into different charities.

10 groups of finalists had set up their own booth along Bukit Bintang, namely in front of Pavilion KL, Starhill Gallery and Lot 10 shopping malls. Kudos to their strong perseverance and strong spirits, they were promoting for the good cause regardless of rain or shine!

Let's take a picture with the cute mascot!

Puan Nora, the Head of Group Human Capital for Maybank Group 

and her colleagues were there to check out this meaningful campaign too.

Among the 10 booths that we had visited, "Amsanna" was one of my favourite because of their great services and friendliness. The station was transformed into a beauty parlour where I managed to get my nail manicure fix while Carmen went for eyebrow shaping and hand massage. I guess a nice pampering session certainly makes girls happy! 

These ‪#‎MGAC2015 finalists really deserved a pat on the shoulder! They are really creative when it comes to creating CSR projects. "MR Mary & Ross" shopping kiosk allowed us to play a shopping game by matching the shopping bag price to a targeted amount.

For instance, Carmen and I were given 30 seconds to grab anything in store that can accumulate to the range between RM49 to RM51. If we succeed in this challenge, then we would be able to bring everything we picked home.

Haha, but neither of us were grocery shopping queen. Luck was not on our side, and our total amount was RM52.63. Anyway it was alright, because we managed to donate RM20 to the charity homes! 

After shopping, it was time to treat our hungry tummy. Thanks to one of the booths, "Finnie", Milkcow soft serve ice cream came perfectly at the nick of time as a late afternoon dessert. 

As we strolled along the street, more and more food were coming our way. The brownies and cupcakes from different teams were all selling like hot cakes! I could see it was indeed a great effort from the MGAC challengers to prepare for this event within such a short timeframe.

"Tom's Food: Best Hotdogs and Pizzas in Town"

On the other hand, the "Hamilton" team spread happiness by offering selfie and instant photo printing services for just RM5! Well, how often do you get instant prints like this? It's super worth it right! 

Thanks for being the smiley agents and painting the town yellow!

"Shroom"--- Another unique idea I've seen, combinning both Uber cab and AirBNB accommodation services into one.

Look at those angels! I can feel smiles are everywhere and love is in the air.

Despite of being just a short one-day Season Of Smile (‪#‎SOS)‬ fundraising event, it was great to see how hard everyone in MGAC2015 had worked to make a difference in other's lives. With this, MGAC become more than just a global challenge platform, but an avenue for everyone to become a winner because they have hearts of champions.

Now that MGAC2015 has come to an end, and congratulations to the winning teams who walked away with amazing cash prizes and global internship opportunities.

Champion : Team Star Wars (USD 40,000)

1st Runner Up : Team Terminator (USD 20,000)

2nd Runner Up : Team X-Men (USD 10,000)

Most Popular ‪#‎MGAC2015‬ Team : Team X-Men

Anyway, I hope to see you again in Maybank Go Ahead Challenge 2016.
Don't forget to check out www.facebook.com/roaringcareers for latest updates!

Maybank GO Ahead Challenge 2015 #MoreThanAChallenge

Hi guys! The Maybank GO Ahead Challenge is back! Have not heard about it? You can check out my blogpost last year about this amazing recruitment competition organized by Maybank. Now in its fourth year, the Challenge is open to final year students and fresh graduates from 14 countries around the world where Maybank has significant presence.

Yes, I am excited to meet the challengers from so many countries!

• Malaysia • Indonesia • Singapore • Vietnam • Cambodia • Laos • Thailand • Brunei • China

• Myanmar • The United Kingdom • Hong Kong • Philippines • The United States

During the grand launch of MGAC2015, I not only get to meet the prestigious team behind this Challenge but also the past participants who have been through the action-packed, multi-disciplinary fusion of business case study competition and mental and physical challenges.

This year MGAC2015 is offering us a total prize purse of $72,000 USD and the chance at a high-flying career in the banking and financial services industry.

Yes, you hear me right. 

The International Grand Finals (in August 2015)

Grand Prize: $40,000 USD

Second Prize: $20,000 USD 

Third Prize: $10,000 USD 

for each winning team

2015 will see a "People's Choice" award for the favourite team decided by a public vote.

For individuals who distinguish themselves throughout the International Grand Finals, MGAC is expanding its internship prizes to an all-expenses-paid two-week internship in Maybank's New York, London or Hong Kong offices along with cash prizes!

Moreover, there will be a special prize for the favourite Challenger as determined by public vote.

The challengers can also gain life-changing experience and a fast-track pass onto the prestigious Global Maybank Apprentice Programme, a bespoke, 2-year training and mentorship programme, with job rotations spanning across different departments and countries.

Why #MoreThanAChallenge? Because MGAC is not just about physical and mental tests. Challengers must be brave, compassionate, and well-equipped with business acumen in order to stand out from the rest! It really opens my eyes as I understand how MGAC works...

Since I'm graduating this year, I also take this opportunity to join MGAC 2015 and

hope to see you at the Grand Finals in August! 

For more information on the Maybank GO Ahead Challenge 2015 and to apply,
log on to www.goaheadchallenge.com. Be quick as application is only open till 17th May!

UNITEN Open Day: Decide Your Future

As some of you might know, I'm graduating from my Bachelor Degree within 2 months' time. How fast time flies! I still remember how lost I was upon leaving high school, not knowing my direction in future. For those who have just gotten the SPM or STPM results, are you feeling the same as I did? 

Well, we are luckier than our parents as we now have wider choices in terms of courses availability, universities, loans and scholarship options. Saw the banner on the above picture? It was Open Day for UNITEN on the 7th March 2015, therefore I decided to drop by at its main campus and inquired about its post-graduate courses :) 

Located between Kajang and Putrajaya, UNITEN is amongst the first private universities in Malaysia. It offers engineering and IT courses at its main campus. Its second campus located at Bandar Muadzam Shah, Pahang focuses on business and accounting related courses. 

As I stepped into the hall, the crowd was overwhelming during the Saturday morning! Most of them had already enrolled online, and they also enjoyed exclusive offers such as waived processing and commitment fees given during the Open Day.

We were free to visit the hall of exhibition with various booths from each faculty including College of Foundation and General Studies (CFGS), College of Engineering (COE), College of Business Management & Accounting (COBA), College of Information Technology (COIT) as well as College of Graduate Studies. 

Being a Tenaga Nasional university, no doubt UNITEN is famed for its prestigious Engineering courses that produce both undergraduates and postgraduates who stand among the best in the nation! But its business-related courses are equally notable, as I personally have few friends who did their Accounting degree here and are working in Big 4 now :) 

Apart from academic programs, I believe extra-curricular activities are always important to achieve a balanced student life. Private universities usually pay less emphasis on this due to the lack of facilities, but as for UNITEN, it has a full-fledged sports recreation centre and an Olympic-szed swimming pool for students who love outdoors. 

I saw a horse stable there too! Did I forget to mention that

UNITEN has its own Horseback Riding Club? So cool right!

We then took a quick tour around the campus. In fact, just by looking at the map, you'll realize that the campus is so huge and well-equipped with various facilities. From basic amenities such as mosque and food court, to golf driving range; you name it, they have it! 

For ultimate convenience, students from afar should check out the well-maintained hostel apartment.

I'd love to stay in this place that is high up the hill, so tranquil and comfortable! 

Students can't go wrong with the dedicated laboratories in this new building for IT faculty.

Research Management Centre and Power Engineering Centre; I believe this is for professional Engineering scholars.

Library and College of Foundation and General Studies 

There are plenty of walkways that connect one building to another,

and I simply love the green environment here! 

Another thing is, UNITEN has good news for high achievers! You can apply for different scholarships by Yayasan Tenaga Nasional, Yayasan Khazanah, PIDM and many more, before the deadlines ranging between April to May. 

Realize your dreams and enrol in Foundation, Diploma, Degree, Master and PhD courses
along with respective education loans and scholarships at UNITEN!

Call them at +603-8921 2020 for more details

or visit its official website: www.uniten.edu.my

and Facebook page: www.facebook.com/uniten

Maybank GO Ahead Challenge 2014 #WhatAreYouMadeOf

Woohoo! I couldn't be more excited for the Maybank GO Ahead Challenge that is coming this August. If you haven't heard of it yet, MGAC is an international business case competition that challenges your intellect, stretches your creativity and unleashes your true potential.

The challenge is open to all penultimate or final year university students; even fresh graduates with less than 2 years of experience, regardless of field of study. If you're from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos, Brunei, China, Hong Kong, United Kingdom and United States of America, then you're welcomed to join MGAC. 

Speaking of global networking, connecting with top industry leaders, experience working in a multi-national team and access to Maybank’s top management, well who doesn't want this golden opportunity? Best part? Fast pass to Global Maybank Apprentice Programme and you get to bag some seriously cool pocket money.


Sounds academic? No, definitely it is not! In fact, MGAC is an exciting blend of The Amazing Race, Fear Factor, The Apprentice, MasterChef and various reality programs that bring you fun, experience and new friends.

I personally think it is a great global platform for aspiring young talents to go beyond their boundaries and challenge themselves outside the comfort zones. Don't need to prepare yourself, just accept the challenge! 

During the press conference, I learn that the competition is already in its third season and this year Maybank has received a 50% increase of applications compared to last year. If you're keen to sign up, please do so before 30 April 2014!

We were then ushered to the cinema hall for the video teaser of MGAC 2014.

The video showcased plenty of fun activities done by the participants from previous years, including visiting old folks' home, dancing, debating and more. You can watch the video from Maybank Youtube channel too :) 

Puan Nora Abdul Manaf, the Group Chief Human Capital Officer, spoke during the launch.

MGAC 2014 officiating ceremony was witnessed by Maybank Islamic Berhad CEO, Muzaffar Hisham, Maybank Group Chief Technology Officer, Geoff Stecyk, Group Chief, Human Capital Officer, Nora Abdul Manaf, Maybank Group Chief Risk Officer, Dr John Lee and Maybank Head of Group Talent Sourcing & Development, Chen Fong Tuan

If you've sent your details via online application at www.goaheadchallenge.com, then be patient and wait for the good news. Who knows you may become a finalist and outshine yourself against high calibre competitors from across the globe and engage with top leaders from diversified industries!

Visit www.goaheadchallenge.com for more information!