Malaysia Inc needs to redefine its talent proposition to draw calibre

THE recent move by Malaysian telco Axiata Group to appoint a German national to head its homegrown unit Celcom has predictably reignited a debate that every now and then tends to stunt Malaysia Inc's progress.

Why wasn't a native, chiefly a bumiputera, picked for the top job at the Malaysian subsidiary? This time, as is most often the case, the criticism over Axiata's choice of a long-serving member of the firm, Michael Kuehner, to helm Celcom came from a politician. Bursa Malaysia-listed Axiata, which has a market capitalisation of RM49 billion (S$16.4 billion) and a subscriber base of 290 million across 10 countries in Asia with controlling interests in six mobile operators, is majority owned by sovereign wealth fund Khazanah Nasional Berhad. In Singapore, Axiata owns a strategic interest in M1.

The group that derived more than half of its operating revenue and Ebitda (earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation) from outside Malaysia last year deemed it fit to defend its move this week, explaining that Mr Kuehner's appointment was merely for the short term while it groomed a bumiputera successor. The remark may appease the insular-minded that nationality ought to trump meritocracy in such high-level appointments but it sends the wrong signals to foreign talent who may find yet another reason to shun Malaysia Inc.