Star Media Group receives Global Media Excellence Award

KUALA LUMPUR: The Star Media Group (SMG) has been awarded the 2024 Global Media Excellence Award for International News and Features by the KSI Strategic Institute for Asia Pacific (KSI).

The award was received by SMG chief content officer Datin Paduka Esther Ng as part of KSI’s 2024 Global Corporate Excellence and Sustainability Awards ceremony on Tuesday (Jan 30).

The awards were handed out by Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof along with KSI president Tan Sri Michael Yeoh, KSI chairman Tan Sri Datuk Majid Khan and KSI deputy chairman Datuk Seri Mohamed Iqbal Rawther.

The awards, aimed at acknowledging the best players in various industries and sustainability practices, were held alongside the 2024 Global Economic and Strategic Outlook Forum, which provided insights into the global, regional and national outlook this year.

Over a hundred industry players and leaders attended the forum which had two interactive sessions on this year’s general economic outlook as well as another on the corporate outlook for the year.

In his keynote address, Fadillah said Malaysia’s economy was set to grow by up to 5% in 2024 due to an expected rise in both local and foreign investment.

“Our effective investment strategies have paid off well with data from January to September 2023 showing that we have attracted RM225bil in investments, a 6.6% increase from before,” he said at the 2024 Global Economic and Strategic Outlook Forum on Tuesday (Jan 30).

He noted that the investments came from 3,949 different projects and are expected to create 89,495 new jobs.

“This will continue to reinforce the country’s strong performance and position in services, manufacturing, and primary industries within the region.

“The implementation of key strategic plans like the Madani Economy, New Industrial Master Plan (NIMP) 2030, the National Energy Transition Roadmap (NETR) and Mid-Term Review of the 12th Malaysia Plan will further catalyse both Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) and Domestic Direct Investment (DDI) in 2024,” he said.

He added that planned major public transit infrastructure projects, such as the Klang Valley Light Rail Transit 3 (LRT3) and East Coast Rail Link (ECRL), were also set to become major economic drivers.

Together with the setup of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone and Special Financial Zone in Forest City in Johor, he said this was set to strengthen various key sectors, including education, finance and tourism.

Fadillah, also the Energy Transition and Public Utilities Minister, called for increased collaboration between private sector players and civil society, accelerating the country’s push towards sustainability.

“These partnerships will offer a powerful platform for innovation, information sharing and driving meaningful change.

“By working together and leveraging each other’s strengths and resources, we can create impactful and lasting solutions in addressing the environmental challenges we all face,” he added.