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eritakdn no: pp 9740/03/2010(023813) 

For Internal Circulation Only 

ISSUE NO: 41 

JAN – MAR 2009 

The Official Newsletter of 

IOI Makes A 

United Stand With 

08 IOI Wins the 4th Asia Pacific 

Super Excellent Brand – 

Elite Award 

18 Planting CBE Seeds 

in China 

20 Setting a New Level of 

Vibrancy in Puchong

02 CONTENTS 

BERITAIOI 

MESSAGE FROM THE 

GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 

04 Addressing Today’s Economic 

Challenges: Back to the Basics 

of IOI Core Values 

COVER FEATURE 

06 IOI Makes a United Stand with 

Earth Hour 

CORPORATE UPDATES 

08 IOI Wins the 4th Asia Pacific 

Super Excellent Brand – Elite 

Award 

IOI Corporation to Privatise 

Property Arm 

PROPERTY 

14 CNY Tea Party cum Special 

Property Preview 

“No Frills, Naked Deal!” 

Promotion at MAPEX Exhibition 

15 A Diamond on the Hill at 

IOI Resort City 

16 Lights Out at IOI Properties, 

Kulai 

SPECIALTY OIL & FATS 

PUBLISHED BY 

IOI Group 

Two IOI Square, IOI Resort, 

62502 Putrajaya, Malaysia 

Tel: 03.8947.8888 

Fax: 03.8943.2266 

WEBSITE 

www.ioigroup.com 

www.myioi.com 

EDITOR 

Karen Liew 

DEPUTY EDITOR 

Carine Yap 

PRINTED BY 

ST ENTERPRISE 

AS 8, Jalan Hang Tuah 1, 

Salak South Garden, 

57100 Kuala Lumpur. 

09 Syarimo 3 Estate Secures 

MPOB Award for Highest 

FFB Yield 

IOI’s Pamol Estates Awarded 

RSPO Certification 

HUMAN RESOURCE 

DEVELOPMENT 

10 Communication and Business 

Writing Skills Training 

New Faces 

11 When the Going Gets Tough, 

the Tougher Keeps Growing 

12 Property Division’s Effective 

Teaming Workshop 

13 IOI Loders Croklaan’s 

Accounting Seminar & 

Controllers Conference 

17 IOI Pan Century Committed to 

Earth Hour 

Safety Campaign Week 2009 

at IOI Edible Oils 

18 Loders Croklaan Library of 

Publications 

Planting CBE Seeds in China 

19 Spreading the News: Campina 

Makes Use of Marinol 

Teamwork in the Midst of a 

Gruelling Winter 

IOI MALL 

20 Setting a New Level of 

Vibrancy in Puchong 

22 Celebrating the Year of the Ox 

with Orphans 

Dance of the Dragons

HOTEL 

23 Putrajaya Marriott Hotel 

Goes Green for Earth Hour 

24 A Good Weekend Becomes 

Great at Putrajaya Marriott 

25 Prosperous Visit by Lions 

at Putrajaya Marriott 

26 Cheering the Cyclists On 

Valentines Under the 

Moonlight 

Delighting Customers 

with Campaign 

Move with the times! In this year’s first issue of Berita IOI, the Editorial Team has 

added in a Cover Feature, a brand new segment in our newsletter which will 

feature important issues related to all. We hope this new feature and fresh look will 

bring you a brand new reading experience. 

After the launch of our green campaign themed “Going GREEN, Living CLEAN” in 

2007, we continued our CSR effort to care for Mother Nature. This year, IOI Group 

pledged to support Earth Hour 2009, a green mission initiated by WWF, and received 

full support from our local and overseas establishments that gathered to make a 

group effort in the green movement. This move is in line with IOI’s long-term 

commitment to environmental protection, in which the sustainable development 

and energy efficiency are the core elements of our business strategy. 

Under our commitment to Earth Hour, we are also making it our responsibility 

to reach out to everyone at IOI to practise sustainable living in our daily lives. We 

are taking the opportunity to widen Earth Hour’s energy-saving mission beyond 28 

March 2009. Read more about IOI’s initiatives in Earth Hour 2009 in our Cover 

Feature on pages 6 and 7. 

Year 2009 started off well with many good news on IOI’s achievements and 

corporate development. Among them are IOI Corporation’s prestigious win of the 4th 

Asia Pacific Super Excellent Brand – Elite Award, Syarimo Estate which won the MPOB 

Award for Highest FFB Yield and the privatisation of IOI Properties. Furthermore, 

Pamol Estates’ grouping in Sabah has also been awarded the RSPO Compliance 

Certification for its sustainable palm oil production in early February this year. With 

the encouragement of this first RSPO certification, IOI is actively pursuing certification 

audits on its other estates and mills in Malaysia. Read more on pages 8 and 9. 

After all, sustainability is at the heart of our business model and this model 

makes perfect business sense because in the long term, we will save manufacturing 

costs and utilise fewer resources, energy as well as produce less waste in which we 

have to dispose of. 

Finally, I would like to share with you an 

inspiring note made by Tan Sri Dato’ Lee Shin 

Cheng in our new corporate video – “Life is 

about growth. To keep on progressing and 

succeeding, we have to keep on growing.” 

Let us put in our whole-hearted effort and grow 

together with IOI especially during these 

challenging times. 

03 


EDITOR’S NOTE 

Happy reading! 

Karen Liew 

27 Fire Breather Breathes Light 

to Support Earth Hour 

FOUNDATION 

28 Spreading CNY Joy to 

Rumah Love & Care Kajang 

29 Extending a Helping Hand 

to SJK (C) Kg Gajah 

Snapshots of Student 

Adoption Programme 

30 Delightful Colours at 

HUMANA Meeting 

Contributors 

Corporate 

Ms Molly Tam 

Mr Sasidharan A/L Muniandy 

Plantation 

Mr Lai Pui Leong 

Ms Jenny Goh Yen Ni 

Mr Lai Yue Yeong 

En Nor Ashari B A Latiff 

Mr Gopinathan Sangarapani 

Property (Klang Valley) 

Mr Chin Kim Keong 

Keep your contributions flowing in! 

The Editorial Team would like to express its heartfelt gratitude for the 

input of Berita IOI from the contributors mentioned below. We look 

forward to continued contribution of interesting articles and pictures from 

all of you. After all, Berita IOI is a newsletter for all the staff of IOI Group 

and we would all like to see this newsletter as a publication that we are 

all proud of. Kindly forward your contribution to carine.yap@ioigroup.com 

Property (Johor) 

Mr Simon Heng 

Ms Kang Shu Pyng 

Pan Century – 

IOI Oleochemicals 

En Wafli B Ali 

Loders Croklaan (Europe) 

Mr Ben Vreeburg 

Mr Louis Thörig 

Loders Croklaan 

(North America) 

Mr Tim Surin 

Lipid Nutrition 

Mr John Kurstjens 

IOI Mall Puchong 

Ms Stephanie Wong 

Putrajaya Marriott Hotel 

Ms Lydia Mae Hendroff 

Palm Garden Hotel 

Ms Audrey Yap

04 BERITAIOI 

MESSAGE FROM THE GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 

Addressing Today’s 

Back to the 

of IOI Core 

Everyone in the world today knows that we are in the midst of 

a deep global economic recession. Some say that the worst is 

yet to come. There are also others who say that the worst is over 

and we are on the path of a slow global economic recovery. Indeed, 

there are many economic data springing up from different parts of 

the world which may support either view. 

My take on this is that whichever view one holds, an important 

point which all of us should remember is that what we experience 

today is the cumulative result of our earlier good and bad decisions 

and actions and that what will happen to us tomorrow will be the 

result of what we think and act today. IOI Group is also no exception 

to the above: we have had two relatively bad quarterly results, 

largely due to our misjudgments in choosing customers, our limited 

trade exposure when palm oil prices were very high, our overexposure 

and procedural slackness in foreign exchange hedging for our 

downstream manufacturing and foreign borrowings, too much 

reliance on sales of commercial properties, and delay in launching 

more varied residential properties in Klang Valley for our property 

development. 

Our Strengths 

Fortunately, most of these problems are behind us now. What we 

should now do is to start working hard to improve ourselves and our 

business so that we are able to seize the opportunities tomorrow 

brings when the economic recovery takes place. We have to be 

disciplined and hold on to our strengths. 

And we have many strengths. In the plantation business, our 

productivity is high, our cost structure is relatively low and we have 

our own seed production unit and tissue culture laboratory which 

have been developed over many years. In the downstream 

manufacturing business, we have an extensive global sales and 

supply chain network and we are well-integrated with our upstream 

plantation business which gives us traceability in our raw material 

supply and satisfies the requirement of sustainability. In the property 

development and investment business, we have a mixed portfolio of 

developments, investment properties in good locations that gives us 

consistent superior yields and our reputation as a reliable and trusted 

property developer. 

IOI Core Values 

In utilising our strengths in the journey towards consolidating our 

position as a leading player in our chosen business sectors, we must 

go back to the fundamentals of Vision IOI and the basics of IOI Core 

Values. I shall highlight these Core Values and illustrate their relevance 

and importance to some of the challenges that we are facing today. 

1. Excellence in Execution 

In the plantation business, it is about basic agronomic practices 

such as maintaining the optimum harvesting interval, ensuring 

zero loose fruit in the fields, proper fertiliser application and 

timely evacuation of crop from the estates to the mills. For the 

estate managers and assistant managers, it is not enough to 

merely instruct your staff and workers on what to do: you must 

have a good monitoring system, provide proper tools and 

facilities, ensure sufficient number of motivated workers and 

give assistance and support to them. How do you do the latter? 

You must be personally ‘on the ground’ to monitor the actual 

situation and render assistance accordingly. 

In the downstream manufacturing business, to avoid 

customer defaults and expand business volume, sales managers 

and sales general managers must know our customers well and 

keep ‘your ears to the ground’. Visit our customers often and 

observe the quality and the behaviour of the people whom they 

have. From there, you can form a fairly accurate early impression 

if a particular customer looks like a company in trouble or 

otherwise. 

2. Cost Efficiency 

Cost efficiency is a trait which our plantation and property 

businesses have been proud of: The KPIs show that we enjoy 

one of the highest profit per planted hectare in the plantation 

industry and among the highest profit margins in the property 

sector. We strongly believe in getting value for our money; not 

paying the supplier more than what he is willing to accept as his 

reasonable returns and not providing features in our products 

and services for which we are not able to gain any value or 

benefit for our customers. This explains why we do not need to 

undertake downsizing or retrenchment for our businesses, unlike 

others in the same industry.

Economic Challenges: 

Basics 

Values 

MESSAGE FROM THE GROUP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR 

05 


However, due to the abnormally high inflation during the 

past two years, many of our cost structures have changed and 

our costs of doing business have increased substantially. Our 

challenge to go forward is to find ways to reduce some of these 

costs and redress the imbalances in the cost structures as 

well. 

3. Speed in Response 

In our property business, speed in response is important because 

the entire process, from development planning to building plan 

approvals, involves many governmental bodies and is typically a 

long and arduous process. At the same time, periodic market 

changes necessitate one to react quickly and change the 

development plans from time to time. The ability to forecast and 

detect market changes earlier than other players, coupled with 

the ability to execute changes quickly is a definite advantage for 

a property developer. 

Speed in response has to be complemented by good 

judgment on the nature and timing of changes occurring in the 

market; the competitors, the economy and the political situation 

in which the business operates. In our downstream 

manufacturing business, we were quick to respond to the 

rapidly declining palm oil market by entering into new contracts 

at the beginning of the palm oil down cycle in August and 

September last year to ‘average out’ the earlier high-priced 

contracts. But on hindsight I think we were not selective in 

choosing the type of customers with whom we did so and we 

did not consider adequately the socio-economic situation of 

the countries where these customers operate. Our volume of 

new ‘averaging-out’ contracts was also too large that when 

defaults occurred on these new contracts as well, our losses 

multiplied. 

To have a good judgment or instinct, the managers should 

‘go to the ground’ more often and interact with the customers, 

the suppliers and the ‘rank and file’ employees. To execute the 

response to changes appropriately, managers must take pains 

to look into the details of these changes and the particulars of 

the response plans. 

4. Innovation 

The 

plantation 

industry is generally known 

to be a slow-moving industry in that the agronomic practices are 

largely the same since the fifties, with little mechanisation and 

the milling technology virtually unchanged since the sixties. Still, 

there are new ways of doing the same things that will create 

better efficiency and produce improved results. 

In our estates, the introduction of a new loose fruits 

collection and payment scheme has improved the oil extraction 

ratio in the palm oil mills. In our palm oil mills, we have 

completed a successful separation and filtration machinery trial 

which will reduce the moisture and free fatty acid (FFA) content 

of palm oil and, equally important, substantially reduce the 

amount of effluent produced, thereby significantly reducing the 

environmental hazard posed by the effluent. 

In our property business, we continuously come up with new 

schemes to attract purchasers by addressing their needs, such as 

introducing privilege cards to increase business for our commercial 

property purchasers and tie-ups with our own and other golf 

clubs to increase the recreational options of our high-end house 

purchasers. We are also exploring new ways of reaching out to 

new groups of potential purchasers and tenants which involve 

new media such as Internet blogs and also networking with the 

food and beverage chain operators. 

Conclusion 

I firmly believe that embracing and practising the IOI Core 

Values is crucial to the success of IOI. The continuous re-evaluation 

of the contexts of application of these values will help us to ride 

through the present economic difficulties and emerge as a stronger 

organisation. 

In any difficult or depressed economic environment, there will 

always be a handful of winning companies or champions who are 

able to overcome the odds. Whether we can be one of them will 

depend on our shared values, self-initiated leadership and collective 

resolve to become a high-performing IOI team.£


COVER FEATURE 

IOI Makes a 

United Stand 

with 

Earth Hour 

On 28 March 2009, Earth Hour 

was transformed into the world’s 

first global election: between Earth 

and global warming. 

People of all ages, races, nationalities and 

backgrounds had the opportunity to vote 

for Earth for the first time in history. All it 

required was a flick of the switch for an hour 

from 8.30pm to 9.30pm on 28 March 2009. 

What began in Sydney in 2007 as a WWF 

initiative, when 2.2 million homes and 

businesses switched off their lights for one 

hour, evolved into a global movement that saw 

50 million people in 371 cities across 35 

countries switching off their lights in 2008. 

Iconic landmarks such as the Sydney Opera 

House, Rome’s Colosseum, the Golden Gate 

Bridge in San Francisco and more all stood in 

total darkness. 

In 2009, Earth Hour was taken 

to the next level to reach out to a 

target of 1 billion votes. A flick of 

the switch represents a vote for 

Earth and the cumulative votes 

will be presented to world leaders 

at the Global Climate Change 

Conference in Copenhagen to 

determine official government 

policies to take action against global 

warming. As UN Secretary-General 

Ban Ki-moon said, “Earth Hour is a way for 

citizens of the world to send a clear message 

they want action on climate change. [Earth 

Hour is] the largest demonstration of public 

concern about climate change ever 

attempted.” 

As an organisation that is resolute and 

wholeheartedly committed to giving back to 

the land on which our prosperity is based, IOI 

Group pledged our support to take a positive 

action on climate change and fight global 

warming. This move is in line with IOI Group’s 

long-term commitment to environmental 

protection, which has seen IOI Group adopting 

good plantation management practices plus 

sustainable property development practices 

over the years. All these align with our “Vision 

IOI”, where the emphasis is on “achieving 

commercial success in a balanced and 

sustainable manner by addressing the interests 

of all stakeholders”. 

What began as a corporate responsibility 

call to make a stand with Earth Hour at IOI 

headquarters at Putrajaya eventually spread to 

the entire IOI Group, which included all local 

and international IOI establishments such as IOI

COVER FEATURE 

07 


Properties in Puchong and Johor Bahru, our leisure 

and hospitality hotels and malls – Putrajaya Marriott 

Hotel and Palm Garden Hotel, IOI Mall Puchong, 

Puteri Mart, IOI Mall Kulai, IOI Mart Kulai, as well as 

our refineries and plants – Loders Croklaan (Asia, 

the Netherlands, North America and Canada), IOI 

Oleochemicals, Pan Century (Oleochemical and 

Edible Oils). 

To create the wave of participation, Earth Hour 

messages were disseminated via internal 

communication channels such as e-mails, the 

Intranet, bulletins, notice boards, posters, contests 

as well as through external communication 

channels including posters, banners and buntings 

across IOI townships, malls, hotels and properties. 

Various creative ways were taken to build up 

the momentum for Earth Hour. IOI Properties at 

Kulai engaged staff participation via creative 

contests and a sparkling launching ceremony (see 

page 16) whilst IOI Edible Oils emphasised the 

need for recycling by initiating a safety campaign 

week (see page 17). Our Putrajaya Marriott Hotel 

and Palm Garden Hotel (see Hotel section) went all 

out with their green efforts that entailed reaching 

out innovatively to their guests to leave an 

evergreen impression in their minds. 

While the main message was to encourage IOI 

Group’s employees, customers and tenants to turn 

off all their non-essential lighting 

including exterior and internal 

lights (excluding safety and 

emergency lighting) at the 

significant Earth Hour, the core 

issue was to slowly instill a 

socially responsible attitude that 

involves a concern towards the 

environment on a daily basis. 

To IOI Group, Earth Hour is 

more than just a fad that lasts 

for a momentous hour from 

8.30pm to 9.30pm on 28 March 

2009. Fundamentally, it is all about realising the 

tiny changes that everybody is capable of making 

in their lives and eventually adopting these habits 

into their everyday living, at work and at home.£ 

Coverage on IOI Group 

Earth Hour 2009 

Initiatives: 

IOI Properties, Kulai Page 16 

IOI Pan Century 

& IOI Edible Oils Page 17 

Putrajaya Marriott Hotel Page 23 

Palm Garden Hotel Page 27



IOI Wins 

the 4th Asia Pacific Super 

Excellent Brand – Elite Award 

YB Datuk Liew Vui Keong (second from left) 

hitting the gong to mark the opening 

ceremony. Looking on are (from left) Prof 

Dr Denver Tan, Kenyan High Commissioner 

David Gachoki Njoka and Pakistan High 

Commissioner commercial counsellor M 

Majid Qureshi. 

Recognised as a top leadership brand which has successfully created a strong and positive image 

for the branding initiatives of the company, product and services, IOI Group was awarded The 4th 

Asia Pacific Super Excellent Brand – Elite Award by Asia Entrepreneur Alliance (AEA). The award 

acknowledged IOI Group’s outstanding position at the forefront of high quality products and performance 

plus top achievement in producing strong top-of-mind recall among consumers in the sector for over 15 

years. 

IOI Group was among 21 renowned companies which received the Elite Award on 5 March 2009 at 

the Genting International Convention Centre, First World Hotel with the presence of guest of honour, YB 

Datuk Liew Vui Keong, Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry Malaysia. 

The “Asia Pacific Super Excellent Brand” is presented annually by Asia Entrepreneur Alliance 

Worldwide, a non-profit organisation with members consisting of CEOs from Malaysia, Singapore, China, 

Hong Kong, Taiwan, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Thailand, Korea and Indonesia. It identifies and pays 

tribute to prestigious companies that have achieved excellent performance and conformity of products 

and services, assurance of quality, service, reliability of products and manufacturing processes.£ 

IOI Corporation to 

Privatise Property Arm 

Corporation Berhad recently proposed an offer to 

IOI privatise IOI Properties Berhad, its property arm, at a 

consideration of RM2.598 per share. IOI Corporation Bhd, which 

already owns 76% of IOI Properties Bhd, made a voluntary general 

offer to buy all the shares it does not own in the property firm via 

a share swap plus cash payment. Under this proposal, IOI Properties 

Bhd’s minority shareholders were offered to exchange each IOI 

Properties Bhd share they have for 0.6 share in IOI Corporation Bhd 

and 33 sen cash. 

A full control in IOI Properties will give IOI Corporation greater 

room to plot the future of the property arm and let it streamline the 

plantation and property business. Furthermore, this deal also allows 

IOI Properties’ investors to swap the illiquid shares into more 

actively traded IOI Corporation. 

The privatisation exercise is expected to be completed by the 

second half of this year. Many viewed this privatisation exercise as 

favourable as it makes the group’s corporate structure more efficient 

and eliminates holding company discount.£

Syarimo 3 Estate 

Secures MPOB Award 

for Highest FFB Yield 


IOI’s Pamol Estates 

Awarded RSPO 

Certification 

09 


Corporation Berhad’s Syarimo 3 Estate was the 

IOI winner of the MPOB Award for East Malaysia’s 

Highest FFB (Fresh Fruit Bunch) Yield for the Category 

above 5,000 Hectares. 

Apart from Syarimo 3 Estate, this award includes 

Syarimo 4 and Syarimo 5 Estates. The award was received 

by Syarimo 3 Estate representative En Imbau B Taunangoi 

on 15 December 2008 at the 2008 National Seminar on 

Palm Oil Milling, Refining Technology, Quality and 

Environment, which was officiated by Minister of Plantation 

Industries and Commodities YB Datuk Peter Chin Kah 

Fui.£ 

Receiving the award on stage. 

The recipients of the MPOB award. 

IOI 

Corporation Berhad’s Pamol 

Estates in Sabah was awarded the 

Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) 

Compliance Certification for its sustainable 

palm oil production in February 2009. 

To achieve the RSPO certification, IOI’s 

Pamol Sabah Mill and the surrounding six 

estates, namely Meliau Estate, Bayok Estate, 

Nangoh Estate, Rungus Estate, Tindakon 

Estate and Ulu Estate, underwent 

sustainability audits to fulfil the RSPO’s 

Principles and Criteria. 

Currently, IOI is actively pursuing 

certification audits on its other estates and 

mills in Malaysia with a view of obtaining 

RSPO certification for all its estates and mills 

by the middle of year 2011. 

IOI has been employing good agricultural 

practices such as zero burning policy, 

integrated pest management, land terracing, 

recycling of biomass, reducing fossil fuel 

consumption and other measures. This has 

resulted in IOI achieving much higher than 

industry-average yields at reasonable costs. 

Ultimately, IOI’s goal is to ensure that 

efficient and successful production of palm 

oil go hand in hand with social and 

environmental responsibility. 

IOI is one of the founding members 

of the RSPO, an association created by 

organisations carrying out their activities 

in and around the entire supply chain for 

palm oil to promote growth and use of 

sustainable palm oil though co-operation 

with the supply chain and open dialogue 

with its stakeholders.£ 

En Imbau B Taunangoi 

from Syarimo 3 Estate 

with the MPOB Award.


HUMAN RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT 

A group work in session. 

Communication and 

Business Writing 

Skills Training 

The Training and Organisational Development Department organised 

an in-house seminar-cum-training session on Communication and 

Business Writing Skills on 24 February 2009. It was opened to relevant and 

nominated personnel from Property Division as well as other selected 

departments. This workshop is aimed at developing communication skills that the 

staff has already acquired, rather than trying to improve on the skills that the staff may 

be lacking in. 

Participants learnt the vital skills involved in being an effective communicator. The training 

also covered issues such as how to recognise and overcome communication barriers, the 

advantages of listening, ways to speak confidently and how to communicate effectively. The 

training session was conducted by Mr Sasidharan, Assistant Manager of the Training and 

Organisational Development Department.£ 

Ms Low Vi Vien sharing 

her write-up with the 

participants. 

New Faces 

To the following new members, 

welcome to the IOI family! 

Rupert Koh Hock Joo 

Group Finance Director, Corporate Division 

Rupert Koh, a fellow of the Institute of 

Chartered Accountants England and Wales, 

brings with him many years of experience 

in working with a few large organisations, 

such as Deloitte, Sime Darby and RHB Group. 

Prior to joining IOI Group, Rupert Koh was the 

Chief Financial Officer of RHB Bank. 

Mak Mei Lin 

Senior Legal Manager, Corporate Division 

Mak Mei Lin holds a Masters and Degree 

in Law from Universiti Malaya. She has 

been involved in various aspects of legal 

practice, including property conveyancing, 

banking and civil litigation, corporate 

finance, banking and securities. Mak brings 

with her broad experiences in both private and 

commercial practice.


11 


The arrival of IOI Group Executive Director Dato’ Lee Yeow Chor. 

Dato’ Lee sharing his 

point of view. 

Listening intently to a participant’s questions. 

Management dialogue session with the panelists. 

Research Controller Mr Joshua 

Mathews presenting his talk. 

Physical exercise on how to stimulate both 

the left and right parts of the brain. 

When the Going Gets Tough, 

the Tougher Keeps Growing 

The Plantation Division (Peninsular) 

organised a one-day management 

dialogue and talk session entitled “When 

the Going Gets Tough, the Tougher Keeps 

Growing” which was held on 28 February 

2009 at Bayview Hotel Melaka. It was 

specially organised for IOI’s executives and 

managers in view of the current economic 

uncertainties. A total of 56 participants 

attended the event, coming from 

departments of Head Office, Estates, Palm 

Oil Mills, Research Centres and Tissue 

Culture Lab. 

IOI Group Executive Director Dato’ Lee 

Yeow Chor delivered his welcome address 

and highlighted that the management 

dialogue would be useful in the current 

difficult global economic crisis. He also 

expressed hope that participants could gain 

some insights and be motivated by the talk 

given by Dato’ Lawrence Chan. In addition, 

he emphasised that all should continue to 

focus on Vision IOI and uphold the seven IOI 

Core Values as they are important in bringing 

the company to greater success. 

Mr Joshua Mathews, Research Controller 

began the event with his presentation on IOI 

Experience in Roundtable Sustainable Palm 

Oil (RSPO) Certification, followed by a 

question-and-answer session. Next, Mr 

Kuppusamy Sinnapan, Manager of Pamol 

Barat Estate presented on Implementation of 

Loose Fruit Incentive Payment and Its Impact 

on OER, also followed by a Q&A session. 

The one-and-a-half-hour management 

dialogue session was a platform for 

participants to pose questions to the panellists 

to exchange ideas and opinions, discuss and 

solve problems. The panel was made up of 

Dato’ Lee Yeow Chor, IOI Group Executive 

Director; Dato’ Foong Lai Choong, Group 

Plantation Director; Mr Yong Chin Fatt, Group 

Commodity Marketing Director; Mr Lim Eik 

Hoy, General Manager, Finance (Plantation); 

Mr Tay Ching An, Assistant General Manager 

(Plantation – Peninsular); and Mr Joshua 

Mathews, Research Controller. 

The dialogue session adjourned for lunch 

before award-winning international training 

consultant Dato’ Lawrence Chan Kum Peng 

conducted his talk, “When the Going Gets 

Tough, the Tougher Keeps Growing”. This 

entertaining, power-packed and highly 

motivational talk was specially organised for 

the management team to inspire them to 

be mentally stronger, become more 

proactive, innovative and effective in their 

leadership and work performance. This will 

also place them in a good position to 

successfully cope with inevitable changes 

and to go all out to achieve the objectives 

and goals of IOI Corporation Berhad. 

Dato’ Lawrence motivated the 

participants on how: 

To change and improve the mindset for 

breakthrough improvement and growth 

To improve the mental attitude in 

viewing problems, obstacles, changes 

and uncertainties in a more positive and 

realistic manner 

To treat and convert problems into 

solutions, obstacles as stepping stones 

and challenges as opportunities 

To instill professionalism, passion and 

enthusiasm in one’s work 

To look up to various role models and 

our leaders in order to perform better 

To charge ourselves up mentally, 

emotionally and physically for 

breakthrough performance and higher 

productivity 

During the talk, Dato’ Lawrence also 

guided the participants to some physical 

exercises that will enable the usage of both 

the left and right parts of the brain together, 

as well as demonstrated a ‘mind over 

matter’ experience by breaking a pencil with 

a finger. 

The event was a successful one indeed, 

as participants gleaned a wealth of 

information on how to improve themselves 

to perform better at work.£



Property Division’s 

Effective Teaming 

Workshop 

Dato’ David sharing his view. 

nvesting in executive training and development brings a powerful 

I message to the staff that the organisation values them and their 

contributions and sees merit in investing in them for the long term. 

With that in mind, an “Effective Teaming Workshop” teambuilding 

training kicked off on 6 March 2009 with over 100 participants from the IOI 

Property Division. Spreading over two weeks, two batches of 50 participants 

comprising Senior Management and Executives spent Friday and Saturday 

undergoing training at Palm Garden Hotel. 

Participants were selected from various departments such as Property 

Accounts, Sales and Administration, Marketing, Leasing, Customer Services, 

Contracts and from offices in HQ, Klang and Puchong. There was a general 

sense of camaraderie among the participants as training kicked off in the 

morning with various activities. The experiential training was tailored to 

gradually get the participants geared up for the main event on Saturday, 

which was to identify and discuss real-time business issues. They learnt how 

to use the Systems Design method in finding out the root cause of problems affecting 

their departments. Later in the evening, each department presented their findings and 

developed appropriate goals and action plans to be implemented. 

The training was conducted by Mr Sivakumaran from Ace Events and Location 

Services Sdn Bhd. Mr Siva has a total of 15 years’ experience in the field of training and 

consulting. He is also a trained Instructional Systems Designer and works closely with 

clients to customise learning programmes to suit their needs. 

At the end of the workshop, participants left with a greater sense of responsibility, 

interaction, cooperation and stronger team spirit geared towards achieving IOI Group’s 

aspirations.£ 

First winner for the group activity. 

Ms Lee Yoke Har and her 

marketing team as they 

discussed the Systems 

Thinking to identify the key 

issues.


IOI Loders Croklaan’s 

Accounting Seminar & 

Controllers Conference 

13 


Group Finance Director Mr. Rupert Koh with the facilitators and participants. 

At international level, IAS 39, Financial Instruments: Recognition 

and aMeasurement, which prescribes the recognition and 

measurement principles for financial instruments, has been 

effective for some two years. This standard makes greater use of 

fair value accounting and requires all financial assets and financial 

liabilities, including derivative instruments, be recognised on the 

balance sheet. It also prescribes principles for hedge accounting. 

In Malaysia, the Malaysian Accounting Standards Board (MASB) 

had issued FRS 139, Financial Instruments: Recognition and 

Measurement, but its effective date had been deferred to 2010. IFRS 

7, Financial Instrument: Disclosures, had also been issued as an 

exposure draft. Although these two international standards are not 

yet effective in Malaysia, it is important that reporting entities were 

aware and prepared for the significant changes required in the FRS. 

The seminar was initiated by Loders Croklaan Group BV – Mr Tan 

Chun Weng, Group Chief Financial Officer. IOI Group Financial Director 

Mr Rupert Koh and other key IOI staff plus participants from Loders 

Professor Dr Tan Liong Tong explaining 

the principles and standards prescribed 

in the FRS. 

Croklaan Johor, Netherlands, North America and China were invited 

to attend the seminar held at IOI Resort’s Training Room. The seminar 

covered theoretical aspects of relevant applicable accounting 

standards and practical application of the accounting standards in 

financial instruments specific to LC operations, inventory and FOREX 

matters. 

The seminar was conducted by Professor Dr Tan Liong Tong, 

who is currently a financial consultant to Mazars Malaysia and a 

few other organisations. He was assisted by Mr Woon Chin Chan, 

an independent director of a listed company and project manager 

of the MASB. 

The training was followed by the Controllers Conference with 

speakers from BDO covering issues relating to accounting and audit, 

salient features and interpretation of FRS. Later in the afternoon, 

speakers from Nomura Securities talked about managing FX and 

interest rate risks, best practices and practical insights into hedging 

operations.£ 

Listening intently are Mr Tan Chung Weng, Ms Patricia, Ms Jane, Mr Arnold and Mr Mike (left to right). 

Mr Sasi with the facilitators – Professor Tan Liong Tong and 

Mr Woon Chin Chan (left to right).

14 PROPERTY 


Greeting the crowd 

together with the 

auspicious lions. 

Happy children at the the tea party. 

The acrobatic husband and wife 

team delighting the crowds. 

A flaming performance 

by the duo. 

CNY Tea Party cum 

Special Property Preview 

It was a myriad of colours, sounds and 

laughter from little kids and their parents 

when Puteri Palma Condominium had their 

first ever Chinese New Year Tea Party cum 

Special Property Preview on 1 March 2009. 

The event was held on a lovely Sunday 

evening and began with a lion dance 

performance as the opening act. While the 

parents were seated in the hall to watch a 

presentation on the Puteri Palma Condo at 

IOI Resort, IOI Boulevard and PFCC, the 

children enjoyed themselves thoroughly 

with the clown, sand art and face painting. 

During dinner time, there was a Chinese 

Acrobatic show featuring a husband and 

wife team that elicited hearty laughter from 

the audience. The audience had a good time 

and enjoyed themselves at an event that 

was held especially for them.£ 

“No Frills, Naked Deal!” 

Promotion at MAPEX Exhibition 

Properties Berhad continues to make its presence felt in 

IOI the property scene in Malaysia by participating in the MAPEX 

Exhibition held from 5 to 7 March 2009 at Mid Valley Exhibition Centre. 

In times like this where most developers would shy away from new 

launches and hold back on property developments amidst the global 

financial collapse, IOI Properties Berhad’s solid desire to provide homes 

is evident in its latest promotion – “No Frills, Naked Deal!” 

Hosted by REHDA (Real Estate and Housing Developers’ 

Association Malaysia), this event witnessed developers offering 

attractive incentives, perks, lucky draws, cash rebates and flexible 

payments to regain market confidence in the soft property market. 

With our very own “No Frills, Naked Deal!” promotion, IOI Properties 

offered zero interest on loan during construction, flexible deferred 

payments and free stamp duty on Memorandum of Transfer (MOT), 

of which the total sum is 

equivalent to savings of up to 

IOI PROPERTIES 

No Frills, 

Naked Deal! 

0% interest on loan 

during construction 

Flexible deferred 

payments 

Free stamp duty on 

Memorandum of 

Transfer 

6%! Crowds started to fill the 

hall from start to end of the 

MAPEX Exhibition. The visitors 

left the exhibition centre with 

stacks of leaflets and brochures, 

while some walked away with 

purchases of their dream homes. 

It was also an awareness week 

by IOI Properties Berhad as they 

gave out free green bags in 

conjunction with Earth Hour, in 

the call for action to save our 

planet for the 

future generation. 

During the three-day event, IOI 

Properties showcased its prized 

projects in Penang, Klang Valley 

and Johor. 

Fettes Residences is 

strategically located along Jalan 

Tanjung Tokong, and only a fiveminute 

drive away from the 

famous Gurney Drive in Penang. The 35-storey building, comprising 

195 high-end luxurious units, is designed with a modern twist to 

traditional elements which are typical of Penang architecture. 

The parade of homes from Puchong, Klang and IOI Resort City 

consists of a myriad of choice properties on offer within a parameter 

of 45km or 30-minute drive to established townships like Bandar 

Puteri Klang, Bandar Putera Klang, Bandar Puteri Puchong, Bandar 

Puchong Jaya and the renowned IOI Resort City. 

Bandar Putra Kulai, located within the Iskandar Development 

Region (IDR), has won praise for its distinctive mixed development 

township strategically located in the Northern Corridor of Johor. It has 

progressively matured into a vibrant hub of commercial activities and 

residential communities and will be part of a sustainable region of 

international standard. 

This exhibition was a fruitful avenue for property hunters scouting 

for properties and also a venue for people seeking relief in the soft 

property market scene. It was also an enriching experience for the 

property marketing team to partake in this exhibition.£

15 


PROPERTY 

A Diamond 

on the Hill 

at IOI Resort City 

The month of March marked another milestone for IOI Properties 

Berhad when it participated in the Luxury Properties Exhibition 

2009 held from 20 to 22 March 2009 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention 

Centre (KLCC). This up-market exhibition showcased renowned 

property developers from Malaysia catering for both local and foreign 

property investors and homebuyers. 

Due to the global slowdown in the economy and weakness in 

the financial system, the soft property market was a blessing in 

disguise for property seekers to capitalise on options to purchase 

more innovative and competitive products offered by the 

developers. 

Catching the trend of today’s lifestyle of resort-themed living, IOI 

Properties Berhad showcased its latest luxury collection in the 

Southern Growth Corridor of Klang Valley, within the renowned IOI 

Resort City – a new green city in the making. 

IOI Resort City – dubbed the crown jewel within Putrajaya 

Gateway, the Garden and Intelligent City – is a promising premier 

resort set to grace the skylines and street-lines in one of Malaysia’s 

finest locale. A fully-integrated urban development spanning over 

800 acres of contiguous land in an exclusive region, it is affably 

flanked by the largest constructed freshwater in the wetlands in the 

tropics, known as Putrajaya Wetlands. When fully completed, it will 

host a unique collection of signature and luxury-themed components 

from residential to commercial developments. Towering right above 

the ridge of the resort is an exclusive resort bungalows development 

that will be the sanctuary for the rich and famous. 

The birth of Diamond Hill is set atop this impressive metropolis 

and is one of the most prestigious addresses to be owned in Malaysia. 

In total, there will be 78 exclusive residential lots for sale, with each 

lot expertly cut in generous land spaces, giving tribute to the owner’s 

wisdom of expression, creativity and freedom. 

Besides the properties on offer at IOI Resort City, there was also 

a parade of IOI’s niche market properties at Bandar Puteri Puchong. It 

was a well-attended expo as the guests were thoroughly impressed 

with the booths’ setup and displays of property collections. It was an 

enriching experience for IOI Property’s marketing team to forge an 

unforgettable presence to the expat and local community.£

16 PROPERTY 


Publicity materials of the Earth Hour. 

The first prize winner for “Best Idea 

on Energy Saving” competition. 

The first prize winner for “Making Things 

from Recycled Items” competition. 

Committee members 

in position. 

Lights Out 

at IOI Properties, Kulai 

Romantic candle holder. 

Properties at Kulai showed their full support for Earth Hour even before the countdown to the 

IOI significant hour began. Prior to 28 March 2009, banners and buntings were hung around the 

housing areas to create awareness. An Earth Hour committee was formed to work together with Kelab 

Keluarga IOI to promote Earth Hour 2009. Various steps were taken to publicise the event as well as different 

means that involve the participation of staff. For instance, two staff contests were held – “Best Idea on Energy 

Saving Competition” and “Making Things from Recycled Items” inspired the creativity and enthusiasm of the 

staff. Staff were also encouraged to log into an Internet forum for general discussion where ideas were 

welcomed on the green movement action. 

On 28 March 2009 at 8.30pm, IOI Properties held a get-together in front of their corporate office in Bandar 

Putra Kulai to witness the official turn-off of lights for Earth Hour ceremony. All were decked in Earth Hour 

T-shirts and ready to distribute IOI Group’s “Going GREEN, Living CLEAN” non-woven environmental bags with 

goodies. They lighted candles to the symbolic figure of “60” as Mr Simon Heng, Senior General Manager of 

IOI Properties, Kulai, cheered to the countdown of the significant hour. The winners of the contests were 

awarded for their hard work and creativity. 

Even after the event was over, green initiatives continued to be encouraged in order to reduce greenhouse 

gas emissions. Various green steps such as turning off the computer during lunch time and using recycled 

paper for photocopying may be small ways but are a start to lead to a greener way of life.£ 

Blossom flowers.

Mr Lee Sing Hin officiating the Earth 

Hour ceremony. 

17 


IOI Pan Century 

Committed to Earth Hour 


Executive Director/Chief Operating Officer of Pan Century Edible Oils Sdn Bhd Mr Lee Sing Hin officiated 

the Earth Hour launching ceremony at the main building lobby along with the employees. Mr Lee led 

them in an oath-taking ceremony, followed by the unveiling of an A3-size Earth Hour canvas. An Earth 

Hour slideshow presentation 

was also presented to promote 

the awareness of Earth Hour, 

while banners and buntings in 

four languages were hung at 

the entrances of IOI Pan Century 

Oleochemicals and IOI Pan 

Century Edible Oils. In addition, 

Earth Hour messages were 

displayed via wallpapers, flyers 

and leaflets and various means 

to motivate the employees to 

turn off their lights at their own 

residences and at work during 

and even after the Earth Hour 

event.£ 

Dedicated employees showing their support towards Earth Hour. 

Safety Campaign Week 2009 

at IOI Edible Oils 

In conjunction with Earth Hour, IOI Edible Oils showed their spirit of togetherness when they 

organised a Safety Campaign Week 2009 to save the Earth. Throughout the week prior to Earth 

Hour on 28 March 2009, staff were encouraged to separate their disposals into labeled recycling 

categories in a recycling station specially set up for the campaign. On 28 March 2009, the closing 

ceremony of the Safety Campaign Week 2009 was held and the staff came out in full force as early 

as 9.30am to show their full co-operation and worked hand 

in hand. They were in high spirits for the Earth Hour’s Safety 

Campaign as they gathered for the gotong-royong session at 

the recycling station.£



Loders 

Croklaan 

Mr Michael van Sallandt (left), 

Chief Operation Officer of IOI Loders 

Croklaan Europe, receiving a hardcover 

copy of Loders Croklaan Library of 

Publications from Mr Loek Favre, 

Director, Global Product Management 

and Process Engineering, IOI Loders 

Croklaan. 

Library of Publications 

book containing a selection of Loders Croklaan’s major research and development achievements in 

A 2007 and 2008 has been published recently. The first edition of Loders Croklaan Library of Publications 

makes as a suitable business gift for its esteemed customers. 

Loders Croklaan has established a solid international reputation for its technical expertise in oil 

processing, application know-how and new product development, especially in chocolate confectionery, 

over the past century. With the publication of this book, Loders Croklaan hopes to continue establishing 

itself as a reputable organisation among its customers.£ 

Planting CBE Seeds in China 

The growing demand for premium 

chocolate in China in combination with 

the “health and wellness” marketing trend 

has convinced Mr Foo Tiang Jin, Branch 

Manager of IOI Loders Croklaan China, to 

organise a CBE (Cocoa Butter Equivalents) 

roadshow in China. 

The IOI Loders Croklaan’s range of CBEs 

specifically addresses these issues, 

encouraging producers to improve the 

quality and health aspects of Cocoa Butter 

Substitutes-based and Cocoa Butter 

Replacers-based products, as well as to 

provide the opportunity for cost savings in 

cocoa butter-based recipes. 

Over a two-week period, the CBE 

roadshow team visited over 20 potential 

customers across China. Presentations were 

given at organisations of various scales. 

The CBE discussion at Le Conte, Shenzhen. 

Mr Foo Tiang Jin and Ms Aileen Yang, Sales 

Executive of IOI Loders Croklaan China plus 

IOI Loders Croklaan distributors took part in 

the roadshow. Mr Imro ‘t Zand, Manager of 

R&D and Application, IOI Loders Croklaan 

Malaysia presented the technical aspects of 

CBE applications in chocolate. The global 

perspective of CBE usage with focus on the 

EU, Russia and Brazil was presented by 

Mr Ben Vreeburg, Business Development 

Director. 

The CBE road show was compact due to 

time constraints, but provided a wealth of 

information on the state of Chinese chocolate 

confectionery market. Several producers 

already have the equipment to work with 

CBE and have serious plans to extend their 

product portfolio. Food manufacturers have 

understood that only with high quality 

chocolates can they compete with 

multinational companies dominating the 

market in China. At the end of the roadshow, 

we concluded that the change towards 

premium and healthy chocolate products 

will not happen overnight. Follow-up visits 

are needed to develop new CBE customers. 

The roadshow was timely but the real work 

has only just started. Over the next couple of 

months both IOI Loders Croklaan China and 

(From left to right): Mr Imro ‘t Zand, Manager, R&D and 

Application, IOI Loders Croklaan Malaysia, Mr Foo Tiang 

Jin, Branch Manager, IOI Loders Croklaan China, Mr 

Yang, distributor of Fujian province in China, Mr Ben 

Vreeburg, Business Development Director, IOI Loders 

Croklaan and Ms Aileen Yang, Sales Executive, IOI 

Loders Croklaan Malaysia. 

Carrefour offering a variety of choices with market 

leader Mars and their top brand Dove. 

the technical team at IOI Loders Croklaan in 

Pasir Gudang will work together to turn 

these opportunities into business. The ‘seeds’ 

planted will have to be nurtured so we can 

‘harvest’ them in the near future.£

Spreading the News: 

Campina Makes Use of 


19 


On November 2008 international dairy firm Campina has 

added their name to the growing list of spread 

manufacturers which incorporates omega-3 EPA and DHA in 

their margarine spreads. Now, shoppers in the Netherlands, 

Germany and Austria can enjoy a margarine spread that not 

only tastes good but is also low in fat and enriched with 

Omega-3 fatty acids. The new spread, known as Campina Elke 

Dag Botergoud in the Netherlands and Campina Leichtgold in 

the German-speaking markets, has only 25% fat, which is 70% 

less than traditional butter. It also contains Marinol C-38, a 

specially created Omega-3 oil manufactured by Lipid Nutrition. 

Combining health benefits with a good flavour, the new spread 

allows Campina to fit in perfectly with the consumer trend of 

wanting a healthier lifestyle without sacrificing taste. 

No More Fishy Taste and Smell 

Omega-3 fatty acids EPA and DHA, which occur naturally in oily fish, 

have long been recognised as good for the heart and brain health. 

The fatty acid EPA (eicosapentaenoic acid) promotes heart health 

and the fatty acid DHA (docosahexaenoic acid) promotes healthy 

brain function. Because of these benefits, doctors recommend we 

consume 500mg of these fatty acids daily. However, it is not easy 

to consume enough Omega-3 from our daily meals. Also, many 

people find products containing Omega-3 to have an off-putting 

fishy taste and smell. Thanks to Marinol, this looks set to change. 

Marinol is made through a natural enzyme-based process, leaving 

the oil with a pleasant taste and smell and does not degrade over 

time. One of the reasons that Marinol has proven to be so 

successful, especially among the spreads industry, is that it interferes very 

little with the sensory profile of the foods it is added to. 

Flexibility and Choice 

Food manufacturers want maximum flexibility and choice in the kind of 

functional foods that they produce. For this reason, Marinol is available in 

either liquid or powder, making it an easy ingredient to add to different 

kinds of food. Besides that, the product also comes in two distinct blends 

(Marinol D-40 has a high proportion of DHA, while Marinol C-38 contains 

more EPA), allowing food manufacturers to emphasise different health 

benefits. As a result, when Campina chose to use Marinol C-38 in their 

margarines, they were able to promote their new spreads as being beneficial 

for heart health. In an age when consumers have become increasingly 

health conscious, the application of Marinol to different food types 

ensures that people can eat the food they want without 

sacrificing nutrition or taste. With its healthgiving 

properties and carefully-developed 

taste and smell, it is likely that more 

companies will follow Campina in choosing 

to use Marinol in their food products. 

Want to know more? 

If you are interested to find out more about Marinol, visit 

www.lipidnutrition.com. If you wish to read more about the health-giving 

benefits of omega-3 fatty acids, download a detailed white paper by accessing to: 

http://www.nutraingredients-usa.com/smartlead/view/200340/ 

4/Marinol-Omega-3-Fish-Oils-Enhancing-Life-Long-Health£ 

Teamwork in the Midst of a Gruelling Winter 

The winter for IOI Loders Croklaan at Channahon, North America 

proved to be one of the most challenging in recent history as 

several weather records were set for cold temperatures and snowfall 

levels. Winters in the Chicago area have always been difficult, but 

this year’s combination of extreme cold, high winds and substantial 

levels of snow resulted in difficult conditions to move around. 

Whether it was driving to work or simply walking to the car, the 

weather made it very hard to do anything! 

Reviewing the weather statistics best illustrates how gruelling 

the past winter has been. In January, there was nine days of 

measurable snowfall for a total of 16 inches (40.64 cm). Channahon 

also had seen four days where the temperature did not rise above 

0°F (-18°C). For two days in a row, 15 and 16 January, the weather 

recorded an extreme low of -19°F (-28°C). The Channahon plant 

went for several days between 4 and 19 January 2009 without one 

hour above freezing temperature! In fact, other than a short period 

in late January, most of the month of January was below 0°C. 

With this sort of winter, one of snow, ice and bitter cold, plant 

operations were extremely difficult. Operations have been maintained 

only through the experience, desire, care (and several layers of 

clothes) of IOI Loders Croklaan’s operations and maintenance staff. 

We owe them a debt of gratitude for keeping this 

operation running smoothly in such a weather, 

while many other businesses have slowed or even 

shut down their operations. This proves that success 

is truly a determined team’s effort!£



Lots of space at the 

basement car park. 

IOI Mall, the landmark of Puchong. 

A live band performing at the atrium. 

Travelator. 

Setting a New Level 

Vibrancy in 

Enhanced Shopping 

Experience 

with More 

Retail Outlets 

The vibrant township of Puchong has 

been served well by IOI Mall throughout 

the years. As the township continues to 

grow, IOI Mall has taken the initiative to 

add new excitement to the mall to 

better serve the community. 

Since the soft opening on 13 March 

2009, the newly expanded IOI Mall, built 

side by side linking to the existing mall, has 

drawn many shoppers from around the 

Klang Valley. 

To meet the demands of today’s 

shopping trends, the mall has introduced 

new names to add to the already popular 

tenants under its roof. With an approximately 

300,000 square feet of additional net 

lettable space, the mall now offers 

renowned F&B outlets such as T.G.I. Friday’s,

21 



The majestic atrium. 

of 

Puchong 

The mall’s high ceilings provide shopping comfort. 

Sakae Sushi, Nando’s, Papa John’s Pizza and 

many more choices for the overall benefit 

of shoppers. 

It is enhanced with a large atrium with 

high ceilings, two levels of basement 

parking, travelators, passenger escalators, 

bubble lift, loading and unloading bay, 

goods’ lifts and passengers’ lifts. 

Being the friendly neighbourhood mall 

with a huge total net lettable space of 

1,000,000 square feet now, a new outlook 

and more exciting brands, the newly 

expanded IOI Mall will enhance the living 

standards of the entire Puchong township. 

It is geared to be a one-stop centre of 

convenient urban family entertainment and 

lifestyle shopping within the precinct of 

Puchong.£



Celebrating the 

Year of the Ox 

with 

Orphans 

An entertaining 

performance by children 

from a kindergarten. 

Celebrating the festive season with iloved ones is a blessing 

to many of us. However, not every one enjoys the same 

privilege, in particular orphans who have lost their loved ones. To 

cherish them as a valuable part of our community, IOI Mart 

organised the event “Celebrating the Year of the Ox with Orphans” 

to share the joy of Chinese New Year with 50 orphans from the 

Handicapped & Mentally Disabled Children Association Centre in 

Johor Bahru on 17 January 2009. 

The event began with a singing performance of Chinese New 

Year songs by a 10-year-old boy who also played the violin in his act. 

Next, there was a drama and dance performance by Young Malaysians 

Movements, who hail from Taman Johor Jaya, with kindergartners 

from Tadika Musytari, Taman Putri Kulai. IOI Mart’s Marketing and 

Promotion Officer Mr Heng then played emcee and storyteller for the 

day, as he regaled the children with a charming story of “Why the Ox 

Likes to Eat Grass”. The children listened attentively and enjoyed Mr 

Heng’s storytelling skills, supported by the colourful stage backdrop 

designed by IOI Mart’s Visual Merchandise Display Artist En Bukkari. 

Later, the Gods of Prosperity made an appearance, much to the 

delight of the children who received candies from them. The 

highlight of the day, however, had to be the lion dance performance 

by the Nan Wah Lion Group from Kangkar Pulai Johor, a well-known 

lion dance troupe in Malaysia. The performance was a spectacular 

showcase, with the two lions prancing effortlessly from pole to 

pole. The twin lions played and teased each other on the poles, 

their comic antics eliciting laughter from the crowd whenever one 

lion ‘accidentally’ kissed the rear of the other lion. 

The event was a very meaningful one for the orphans as they 

enjoyed an entertaining and heartwarming 

day with the IOI Mart 

staff.£ 

Dance 

of the 

Dragons 

Mall in Bandar Putra, Kulai came 

IOI alive with dance and drum beats on 

11 January 2009 as the third IOI Mall Open 

Dragon Dance Competition attracted spectators 

and shoppers around Johor Bahru and Singapore. 

Organised in conjunction with the Chinese New 

Year celebrations, the competition was a thrilling 

and exciting affair for both contesting troupes 

and spectators alike. 

The competition saw 10 troupes from 

Johor and Singapore competing in the event. 

Energetic and artistic performances put up by 

the competing troupes simply mesmerised 

the crowd. Johor Long Shi Sports Association 

emerged champions of the competition, which 

was not unexpected as they have won many 

competitions at national level previously. The 

team bagged a RM3,000 cash prize, trophy and 

medals for their victory. Singapore Dragon & 

Lion Athletic Association took second place and 

walked away with RM2,000, trophy and medals. 

Third place went to Yahya Awal Ang 

Shiang Tai Tee Temple, with a cash 

prize of RM1,000, trophy and 

medals for their effort.£ 

The victorious 

moment. 

Lions performing their dance 

on the poles. 

The winner for the lucky draw. 

Each Dragon 

displayed their own 

personality and spirit.

23 


HOTEL 

Handover of Green Message Board to WWF representative. 

Putrajaya Marriott Hotel 

Goes Green for Earth Hour 

The Putrajaya Marriott Hotel’s Earth Hour 

effort is part of its corporate social 

responsibility initiative to create awareness in 

the rise in global warming. At 7pm on 28 

March 2009, department heads and General 

Manager Mr Yeow Hock Siew went to the 

gardens to plant an Earth Hour tree – 

Xanthostemon Chrysanthus (Jambu Kuning) 

– with a message: “Think GREEN, plant a TREE. 

Putrajaya Marriott Supports Earth Hour.” 

IOI Group Executive Director Dato’ Lee 

Yeow Chor was invited to the “Lights Out 

Cocktail” at the Lobby Lounge and wrote a 

luminous heart-warming message on a 

Green Message Board. As in-house guests 

mingled with each other, special ‘green’ 

cocktails called ‘Mojito’ (a traditional Cuban 

cocktail that has fresh mint sprigs, raw sugar, 

fresh lime juice, rum & club soda), mocktails 

(‘Sproutman’ – an all natural and green 

combination of green apples, celery, alfalfa 

sprouts and lemon) and healthy snacks were 

served, all courtesy of the hotel. 

General Manager Mr Yeow Hock 

Siew and IOI Group Executive 

Director Dato’ Lee Yeow Chor with 

guests as they countdown to the 

lights out period. 

Associates with green 

ribbons on. 

At 8.28pm, guests gathered with 

Mr Yeow at the huge light switch for the 

countdown. All non-essential lights at the 

hotel went off at 8.30pm sharp, including 

façade lights such as signages, billboards, 

main lobby, function room foyers, 

restaurants and back of the house corridors. 

Only candle lights and tea lights were seen 

lit up. Everyone was silent for a moment, 

almost keeping vigil to the night’s 

momentous occasion – Earth Hour. To keep 

the atmosphere lively, guests were 

entertained by the hotel’s in-house band 

‘d’dynamic’ with performances of evergreen 

numbers until it was time to switch the 

lights back on. 

As the lights were switched back on 

at 9.30pm, a representative from WWF 

Potted plant as door gifts 

@ Lights Out Cocktail. 

Cik Intan Zurani was invited on stage to 

receive the green message board from Mr 

Yeow. The hotel also presented door gifts in 

the form of a potted plant, seen as a way of 

encouraging people to start a garden at 

home or maybe even at the office! 

On the hotel front, associates stitched 

green ribbons and wore them for a week 

from 23 March 2009 onwards to show their 

support. They even had vegetarian meals at 

the hotel’s staff cafeteria and adopted an 

“EAT ONLY WHAT YOU CAN” attitude to 

eradicate food wastage for the week. At the 

Engineering Department, used lightbulbs 

were collected and disposed to the recycling 

centre. Message posters were placed 

prominently on notice boards to promote 

these activities as a way of life.£

24 HOTEL 


A Good Weekend Becomes 

at 

Putrajaya Marriott 

Nestled away from the hustle and 

bustle of the city is the Putrajaya 

Marriott Hotel. This five-star deluxe hotel 

with 488 rooms is not just a place for 

business, but also makes a perfect 

destination for the avid weekender planning to have a relaxing 

time with the family without having to get too far away from 

the city. 

Putrajaya Marriott makes the perfect place to spend muchneeded 

quality time with your loved ones, rejuvenate tired 

minds and bodies, or indulge in a thrilling and pleasurable 

weekend. All these can be enjoyed within a reasonable budget 

when you book the Weekend Getaway Room Package, which 

comes with a complimentary choice of either breakfast, 

weekend hi-tea or an all-you-can-eat dim sum buffet for 2 

persons. With this package you can also enjoy a two-hour free 

usage of the karaoke room (excluding food and drinks) and 

free shuttle transfer to IOI Mall, 

Alamanda Putrajaya and KLCC. 

If a good meal is preferable over 

a weekend getaway, come dine at 

the Terrace Café coffee house. Every 

Saturday, Sunday and also on public 

holidays, from 12 noon to 4 pm the 

chefs at Terrace Café will spoil you 

with an exquisite spread of local and 

international culinary par excellence. 

Feast on an assortment of mouthwatering 

dishes, from sandwiches 

to Mexican tacos to curry laksa. The 

sumptuous food aside, children will 

be gloriously entertained by Yoyo the clown, whose specialties 

are balloon sculpting and magic shows that will have the little 

ones jumping for joy all afternoon. 

While Yoyo has the children’s rapt attention, adults are free 

to walk down memory lane with the String Notes Strollers. 

Performing until 30 April 2009, the musical duo of Kamal Jaffar 

and Nour Yusuf have a vast repertoire of evergreen oldies from 

various musical genres – light jazz, country and western, rock 

and roll, blues, reggae, et cetera. They also perform during 

dinner, between 7 pm and 9.45 pm nightly except Mondays. 

For lovers of Japanese cuisine, there is top-quality Japanese 

restaurant Midori. Explore a splendid variety of Japanese 

delicacies on a buffet line with a spread of over 100 dishes. The 

restaurant’s weekend draws definitely are the Saturday dinner 

buffets and Sunday lunch buffets. Relish at the prospect of 

savouring mouth-watering mushimono, robatayaki, crispy 

deep-fried tempura, hot and cold udon, soba dishes, grilled 

teppanyaki, sukiyaki, sushi, sashimi and freshly-shucked 

oysters! 

Perhaps the sound of Italian cuisine whets your appetite 

better. If that’s the case, award-winning Italian eatery Alfresco 

at Tuscany is the place for you. Diners are in for a great treat 

with choice cuts of rosemary lamb, tarragon chicken, honey 

barbecue ribs, black pepper crabs, chorizo sausages and much 

more at barbecue night, alfresco style every Sunday. The sizzle 

of the grill will tempt your taste buds and the wafting aroma of 

the special barbecue marinade will make your mouth water 

instantly! On hand to provide complementary entertainment to 

your delightful meal will be the Bagoustic Strollers, who will 

serenade you with classic, melodious Italian tunes for an 

authentic ambience.

Great 

HOTEL 


25 

For some all-time favourite Oriental cuisine, head over to 

our award-winning Chinese restaurant Summer Palace. 

Drop by during lunchtime and savour over 40 varieties of 

scrumptious, steaming dim sum at our All-You-Can-Eat Dim 

Sum Buffet. Dig into a wide selection of steamed, deep-fried 

and baked dim sum such as har gao, siu mai, wan tan, guo teik, 

prawn balls, glutinous rice dumplings, congee and lots more. A 

selection of Hakka, Teochew, Cantonese and Hokkien dishes are also 

available to further enhance your Oriental gastronomic experience. 

A multitude of offerings await you and your family at Putrajaya 

Marriott, so come on down here this weekend and experience 

great fun and scrumptious meals with your family! 

For reservations or inquiries, please call us at 03-8949 8888. 

Weekend Getaway Room Package @ rm268++ per room per 

night and is exclusive for Malaysians and Singaporeans. Not 

applicable for M.I.C.E. events. Valid until 30 April 2009. 

Terrace Café (Coffee House) – Weekend Buffet Hi-Tea @ rm48++ 

per adult and rm29++ per child. Clown and Strollers 

performances are between 1pm and 3.30pm. 

Midori (Japanese Restaurant) – Saturday Buffet Dinner @ 

rm75++ per adult and rm45++ per child. Sunday Buffet Lunch 

@ rm68++ per adult and rm41++ per child. 

Alfresco at Tuscany (Italian Restaurant) – Sunday Barbecue 

under the Stars @ rm68++ per adult and rm41++ per child. 

Summer Palace (Chinese Restaurant) – All-You-Can-Eat Dim 

Sum Lunch @ rm48++ per adult and rm29++ per child. Available 

on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays between 10.30am 

and 2.30pm (also available for lunch on weekdays). 

Further terms and conditions apply for all. 

General Manager Mr Yeow and the lions at the lobby. 

Prosperous 

Visit by Lions 

at Putrajaya Marriott 

Chinese New Year celebrations 

i would not be complete without 

a lion dance performance. So 

Putrajaya Marriott Hotel welcomed 

Kwong Ngai Lion Dance Troupe on 

3 February 2009, which was the 

ninth day of Chinese New Year. 

The lion dance performance began at the hotel’s main lobby, where 

the lions were greeted by General Manager Mr Yeow Hock Siew, 

departmental heads, associates and patrons of Putrajaya Marriott. The 

lions then went over to the reception counter, food and beverage 

outlets, function rooms and ballrooms, the Executive Office and the 

General Manager’s office. At each place, the lions were treated with 

oranges and red packets for good luck. 

The grand finale was back at the hotel 

lobby where the lions displayed an 

acrobatic performance before mingling 

with the crowd. Putrajaya Marriott hopes 

the lions’ visit would herald a prosperous 

year to come for the hotel!£ 

Executive Chef Lim 

giving the thumbs 

up. 

Spreading prosperity and cheer at Terrace Café.

26 HOTEL 


The management team of Palm 

Garden Hotel joining in the 

start-off parade. 

Cheering 

the Cyclists 

On 

The VIPs 

joyfully starting 

off the race. 

Valentines 

Under the 

Moonlight 

Palm Garden Hotel staff may not be able to ride 

alongside cyclists of Le Tour de Langkawi but the 

management team joined in the festive start-off 

parade to cheer and support the cyclists with Wilayah Persekutuan Minister, Dato’ 

Seri Zul Hasnan Rafiq and President of Putrajaya Tan Sri Samsudin Othman. 

The atmosphere was certainly festive with colourful helium balloons, an 

aerobics session, a cultural dance performance and a showcase of paragliders 

lining the skies before the VIPs flagged off the race. The tour, which has grown into 

one of the most important events in the annual sporting calendar, has not only 

been an attraction to cycling enthusiasts but also serves to act as a showcase of 

Malaysia, with the route of the tour passing through some of the most scenic parts 

of the country. 

Palm Garden Hotel was proud to be the contributor of refreshments for the 

VIPs after the start of the Le Tour de Langkawi race.£ 

The romantic 

courtyard set for 

the lovely night. 

Delighting CustJmers 

staff campaign by Palm Garden Hotel was 

A launched on 13 February 2009. Called the 

“Delightful Customer Service Campaign”, the 

Mr Simon Yong campaign was formed to highlight the importance of 

launching the 

“Delightful Customer making each and every guest’s stay or visit a 

Service Campaign”. memorable one, said General Manager Mr Simon Yong 

in his speech to the staff during the launch. The campaign 

will reward staff who receive positive, personally-written 

recommendations from hotel guests. By recognising the positive 

attitude displayed by staff who 

receive customers’ compliments, it 

is hoped that all employees of the 

hotel will be motivated to perform 

better.£ 

Palm Garden Hotel staff listening to 

the importance of the campaign. 

with Campaign 

Love Notes 

performs 

under the 

moonlight. 

he evening for romancing was truly 

Twonderful on 14 February 2009 at the 

Courtyard, Palm Garden Hotel. The beautiful 

weather was perfect, for romance was 

certainly in the air as 50 couples from all 

walks of life came to enjoy a lovely fivecourse 

Western Set Dinner at Palm Garden 

Hotel’s alfresco dining outlet on Valentine’s 

Day. The romantic mood was further 

enhanced with the presence of the band, 

Love Notes which delighted couples as they 

went around table to table serenading.£

Fire Breather 

Breathes Light 

to Support Earth Hour 

27 


HOTEL 

Palm Garden Hotel joined 

the whole world on 

Saturday, 28 March 2009 for 

Earth Hour. For a hotel in a resort, 

lights and air-conditioning prove 

to be an integral part of daily life 

but the hotel put itself to the test 

by turning the switches off from 

8.30pm till 9.30pm. 

At exactly 8.30pm, the lobby 

hotel’s façade, corridors and Food 

and Beverage outlets, as well as 

the neighbouring Palm Garden Golf 

Club were plunged into darkness. 

Even the tinkling fountain and 

waterfalls in the Courtyard outlet rested its 

melody for one hour. Candles, pelita and even 

an Indian traditional light were lighted to bring 

light to the darkened areas. 

During the one hour, Palm Garden Hotel 

enticed the guests to join in on the latest food 

promotion at Mulligans Bistro, the Weekend 

Chill-Out Barbecue. Some 45 guests came to join 

the atmosphere at the Mulligans Bistro, enjoying 

their barbecue in the light of candles and 

kerosene lamps while the resident band, Love 

Notes entertained the crowd. The end of the 

Earth Hour was marked with a fiery performance 

of fire breathing that left the crowd 

awestruck. 

To make Earth Hour more of a 

daily practice, even after 28 March 

2009, Palm Garden Hotel embarked 

on a greener approach to life by 

initiating the “Going Green 

Programme”, which included kicking 

off a recycling and energy-saving 

programme as well as a mass 

gotong-royong. All the more to 

make the world a better place to 

live and work at Palm Garden Hotel 

while instilling good habits for the 

employees.£

28 FOUNDATION 


Spreading CNY Joy 

to Rumah Love & Care Kajang 

On 17 January 2009, during the festive Chinese New Year, 

Yayasan Tan Sri Lee Shin Cheng, a charitable foundation 

sponsored by IOI Group of Companies, decided to bring a 

smile to 24 old folks residing at Rumah Love & Care Kajang. 

The residents were in high spirits at the arrival of Dr Chua 

Yee Yen, Executive Director of the Yayasan, along with 

volunteer members of IOI Group at 11am. The home was 

alive with the spirit of the Lunar New Year as the members 

brightened up the home with festive decorations and served 

the residents with a delicious festive lunch treat, followed by 

a fun “Toss the Ball” interactive game. 

Cheery Chinese New Year songs were playing in the 

background as Dr Chua distributed red packets to the residents. 

Festive goodies comprising basic necessities, cookies and food in IOI’s environmentallyfriendly 

“Going GREEN, Living CLEAN” non-woven green bags were handed out to 

each resident, who also received mandarin oranges. 

Funds were also donated to the home in a cheque presentation by Dr Chua to 

Pastor Ling Kong Hoon. Dr Chua remarked, “This event is part of the Yayasan Tan Sri 

Lee Shin Cheng’s Corporate Social Responsibility programme to bring joy to the less 

fortunate in conjunction with the Chinese New Year.” 

The Yayasan also contributed household items to the home which was set up in 

early 2003 and is currently run by Pastor Ling Kong Hoon. Rumah Love & Care Kajang 

is home to the underprivileged, some of whom have been abandoned or suffer 

from Down’s Syndrome. Located at No. 1 Jalan S 8, Taman Sakapp, 43000 Kajang, 

Selangor, the home can be contacted at 603-8733 8075. The home welcomes contributions 

from the public in the form of cheque / money order / 

postal order made to: Rumah Love & Care Kajang.£

Extending a Helping Hand 

to SJK (C) Kg Gajah 

O 

n 

14 January 2009, Yayasan Tan Sri Lee Shin Ching donated RM5,000 to SJK 

(C) Kg Gajah, Kluang as funding aid for the poor students and purchase of 

teaching tools. 

Mr S Gopinathan, Acting Manager of Pamol Timur Estate, presented the mock 

cheque to Mr Tan How Chye, headmaster of SJK (C) Kg Gajah at the school hall. 

Other neighbouring IOI estate and mill manager and assistant plus Mr Tan Kim 

Wah, the chairman of PIBG, Mr Goh Thin Sing, the chairman of JPS, parents, 

school staff, teachers and all the school children also attended the ceremony. 

Headmaster Mr Tan thanked Yayasan Tan Sri Lee Shin Cheng for the donation. 

He remarked that the school has 96 students and 20% of them came from poor 

backgrounds. Furthermore, the school is not fully funded by the government; 

hence, they had to find their own financial source to develop the school. 

In addition to the donation, the students also received school uniforms and 

school bags. The ceremony ended with a hi-tea session.£ 

Mr Tan How Chye, headmaster of SJK (C) 

Kg Gajah delivering his welcome speech. 

Mr Gopinathan (left) receiving a souvenir from 

Mr Goh Thin Sing. 

29 


FOUNDATION 

Mr Gopinathan with Mr Tan (left), Mr Jerome Lai Gim Nyean (right) 

and staff plus students of SJK (C) Kg Gajah. 

Mr Tan receiving the cheque from Mr Gopinathan in the 

mock cheque ceremony witnessed by other invites. 

Snapshots of Student 

Adoption Programme 

Yayasan Tan Sri Lee Shin Cheng’s Student Adoption Programme has benefited various students and 

continues to make a positive impact on their lives through the educational funding. Here, the handing 

over of the Student Adoption Programme cheques was held on 28 January 2009 at Bukit Leelau Mill Office 

and Pukin Oil Mill in February 2009.£ 

En Musa (top right) and En Samsudin 

(bottom right) receiving their cheques 

from Bukit Leelau Mill Manager. 

En Awang receiving the cheque 

from Mill Manager, Pukin Oil Mill. 

En Md Isa Bahari receiving the cheque from 

Mill Manager, Pukin Oil Mill. 

En Ahmad Hassan receiving the cheque 

from Mill Manager, Pukin Oil Mill.

30 FOUNDATION 


Delightful 

Colours 

at HUMANA Meeting 

On 21 March 2009, a district meeting was held at the 

Learning Centre in IOI Pamol and attended by about 70 

teachers from the Sandakan district. The children put up a 

wonderful performance as they demonstrated their creative 

abilities in dancing, singing, reciting and acting in a sketch. All 

who attended were impressed with the high standards displayed 

at the IOI Pamol Learning Centre. It was a colourful and delightful 

presentation by the children. 

At the end of the event, an astronomical telescope was 

presented to the learning centre by Borneo Child Aid Society, 

Sabah (HUMANA) to establish a mini science laboratory and library, as 

well as other improvements in co-operation with IOI, which is the main 

contributor in sponsoring the highest number of HUMANA schools and 

kindergartens in Sabah.£

Traditional Weddings @ Summer Palace

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