INDUSTRY

50 YEARS ON

Embracing Sustainable Change and Fostering Connectivity

Promotion video

AIM

The goal of Industry Talk is to embrace the synergy between universities, industries, and the public sector as a crucial role in making the world a more harmonious and resilient place.

In an era of rapid advancements in technology and unprecedented environmental challenges the principles of embracing change and fostering connectivity have gained popularity. The urgency of addressing environmental concerns has resulted in a global shift towards more sustainable practises, while the need for meaningful interpersonal relationships has highlighted the significance of building connectivity.

Embracing Change for Sustainability: In addition to climate change, resource depletion, and pollution, the environmental crisis has resulted in a pressing need for sustainable practises. As players in the built environment, we recognise and support the shift to renewable energy; using solar, wind, and hydroelectric energy.

Fostering Connectivity: While technology has made virtual interactions easier, it has also created alienation and loneliness. Face-to-face interactions that foster emotional well-being, empathy, and mutual understanding are critical for human interaction. Participating in local events, volunteering, and participating in shared activities strengthens links within neighbourhoods and towns. Accepting diversity and learning from people from other backgrounds broadens perspectives and promotes harmony.In a world at a crossroads between environmental catastrophe and technology growth, embracing sustainable transformation and fostering connectedness are critical components in crafting a prosperous and harmonious future.

We protect the world for future generations by shifting to eco-friendly practises, while meaningful human relationships foster healthy communities that thrive on mutual understanding and support. The interaction of sustainability and connectivity generates positive feedback circle, reinforcing responsible behaviour and the creation of new solutions to global concerns. We have the ability as individuals to drive these changes, resulting in a world that is both environmentally resilient and socially linked.

Talk

50 YEARS ON: EMBRACING SUSTAINABLE CHANGE AND FOSTERING CONNECTIVITY

Industry

Datuk Sundra Rajoo Datuk Sundra Rajoo is the current Director of the Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC) and President of the Asian Institute of Alternative Dispute Resolution (AIADR). He is a Certified International ADR Practitioner (AIADR) and Chartered Arbitrator. He played an active role in transforming the AIAC into a sought-after arbitration centre in the Asian region where the AIAC’s caseload grew massively from a mere 22 arbitration cases in 2010 to an accumulative total of 2761 arbitration, adjudication and mediation cases in 2019. He was also the past President of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators (2016) and past Chairman of the Asian Domain Name Dispute Resolution Centre (ADNDRC). He has a number of tertiary degrees in law, architecture and town planning with Hon LLD. He is the Founding President of the Sports Law Association of Malaysia, Founding President of the Society of Construction Law, Malaysia and the Malaysian Society of Adjudicators; and Past President of the Asia Pacific Regional Arbitration Grouping (APRAG).

Datuk Sundra is an Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya, Registered Professional Architect, Registered Town Planner, and Fellow of the Royal Institution of Surveyors. He has had over 310 appointments in international and domestic arbitrations across numerous international arbitral institutions. He was an Adjunct Professor, Law Faculty of University of Malaya, past Visiting Professor at the Faculty of Built Environment, University of Technology and the Law Faculty, National University of Malaysia. He was a pioneer member in the Monetary Penalty Review Committee set up under the Malaysian Financial Services Act 2013 for two terms.

Datuk Sundra is a former Deputy Chairman of the Adjudicatory Chamber of the Ethics Committee by the FIFA Council. Datuk Sundra has authored, co-authored and edited Law, Practice and Procedure of Arbitration, 2nd Ed, 2016, Lexis Nexis (LN); Arbitration in Malaysia: A Practical Guide, 2016, (S&M); Construction Law in Malaysia, 2012, S&M; The Malaysian Arbitration Act 2005 (Amended 2011) – An Annotation, 2013, LN; The PAM 2006 Form, 2010, LN; The Arbitration Act 2005 – UNCITRAL Model Law as Applied in Malaysia, 2007, S&M; The Malaysian Standard Form of Building Contract (The PAM 1998 Form), 1999, Malayan Law Journal. In 2015, he was conferred an Honorary Doctorate in Laws from the Leeds Beckett University, UK. He recently published the Law, Practice and Procedure of Arbitration in India (Thomson Reuters) and Standard Form of Building Contracts Compared (LexisNexis).

KEYNOTE SPEAKER

Datuk Professor Ar TPr Dr N. Sundra Rajoo A/L Nadarajah

Director of Asian International Arbitration Centre (AIAC)

Talk

SATURDAY

28 OCT 2023

DEWAN BUDAYA, USM

Ar. IDr. TPr. Michael Ong is a Vice President in BYG Group which is a leading consulting firm that offers Architectural, Town Planning and Project Management services under one roof. As an Architect, Urban Planner and Registered Conservator with the National Heritage Department, Michael is personally involved in the conceptualizing and design development of many of the firm’s notable projects both locally and regionally in China, India, Vietnam, Indonesia and Myanmar. Some of the accolades won by the firm include PAM Gold award, FIABCI Malaysia Prix d’Excellence Gold Award, FIABCI World Prix D’Excellence Silver Award, International Property Gold Award and Malaysian Institute of Planners Place-Making Gold and Platinum Awards.

He has been a state-appointed member of the Technical Review Panel that oversee the approval of development within George Town UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2010. He helmed the post of Chairman for Malaysian Institute of Planners in the Northern Branch for four consecutive years. He has been appointed as Studio Master for the Masters of Architecture programme in USM since 2018.

Leading the way in urban rehabilitation projects such as Sia Boey Urban Archeological Park and Penang Art District, he had been actively collaborating with the Penang City Council to “green” the city streets and backlanes as well as repurposing traditional shop house typologies into contemporary co-working and co-living “micro-housing” in an effort to re-populate and revitalize George Town.

Ar IDr TPr Michael Ong Chin Keong

Vice President BYG Group

SATURDAY

28 OCT 2023

DEWAN BUDAYA, USM

Datuk Sr Hj. Amran bin Hj. Mohd Majid serves as the Deputy Director General (Expert Sector) at the Public Works Department, known as Jabatan Kerja Raya Malaysia. He assumed the role of Chairman of the Board of Quantity Surveyors Malaysia from 2023 to 2025 and has been a dedicated Board of Director member since 1990. His extensive knowledge and experience in the construction industry have positioned him as an Expert Witness in court, government arbitration, and adjudication from 2003 until recently.

Datuk Sr Hj. Amran earned his Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Quantity Surveying from Liverpool Polytechnic, United Kingdom, and a Bachelor of Jurisprudence from Universiti Malaya. Furthermore, he holds several certificates in Legal Practice and Adjudication. He pursued his Master of Science in Project Management at Universiti Sains Malaysia.

His profound expertise in the construction sector has contributed to publications in the Malaysian Surveyor journal and various books on Construction Legal Contract Issues. He has been a distinguished keynote and invited speaker at conferences and seminars held by government departments and public universities. Additionally, Datuk Sr Hj. Amran serves as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Quantity Surveyors at Universiti Malaya from 2023 to 2025, and he has been appointed as an external industrial advisor at Universiti Malaya since 2019.

Datuk Sr Hj. Amran's remarkable contributions and renowned work in JKR Malaysia earned him the Tokoh Kerja Raya Award (ATKR) in 2011. He is also the recipient of multiple awards, including "Best Quantity Surveying Article of the Year" in 2001, 2006, and 2007 by the Institution of Surveyors Malaysia.

Deputy Director General (Expert Sector)

Public Works Department @JKR Malaysia

Datuk Sr Hj. Amran bin Hj. Mohd Majid

SATURDAY

28 OCT 2023

DEWAN BUDAYA, USM

Come and register now!