The UTARian Issue 2

The 

UTARian 

ISSUE 2 

JANUARY - JUNE 2018

CONTENTS 

NEWS 

4 UTAR Hospital 

5 UTAR iCGPA & Blockchain Certificate 

ALUMNI ACTIVITIES 

6-7 Alumni Annual Dinner 

8-9 Alumni CNY & Business 

Networking Dinner 

10-11 Alumni Oversea Trip to Hanoi, 

Vietnam 

12 Alumni Regional Visit 

ALUMNI 

SUCCESS STORY 

13 Mr Kang Kee 

Chuan 

14-15 Ms Dhaarshini 

Balachandran 

16-17 ALUMNI ASSOCIATION 

Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman 

Department of Alumni Relations and Placement 

Room KB317, Level 3, Sungai Long Campus, 

Jalan Sungai Long, Bandar Sungai Long, 

Cheras, 43000, Kajang 

Tel: 03-9086 0288 ext 866, 868, 213 

Email: alumni@utar.edu.my 

Contact Person: Mr Foo Wai Wai, Head of Department of Alumni Relations and Placement 

Advisor PROF. DR. CHOONG CHEE KEONG 

Editor, Illustrator and Design MS ONG YIN HWAY 

Publicity DEPARTMENT OF ALUMNI RELATIONS AND PLACEMENT 

Special Thanks DIVISION OF CORPORATE COMMUNICATION AND PUBLIC RELATIONS 

For more information or to read UTARian online, please visit http://www.utar.edu.my/darp

Greetings to all our alumni 

As we progress from 

another successful 

year of more than 5000 

new graduates joining 

our alumni this year, 

I am proud to say that 

more than 54000 of 

our graduates are now 

engaged members of the 

society carving a new path 

in life and contributing to 

the nation’s growth. 

Among our alumni are 

visionaries, entrepreneurs, 

educators, professionals, 

doctors, specialists and 

businessmen in all fields 

of work transcending 

geographical boundaries. 

Within our alumni and 

university community, 

there may be differences 

but we share some core 

values which include a 

commitment to service 

and the penchant for 

achievement and success. 

Over the years, some of 

you have helped to pave 

the way for many of our new students to commence their career - motivating them, sharing lessons you 

have learned and creating opportunities for the next generation. There are so many stories to tell and 

each graduate’s story is unique and powerful. 

Therefore, this e-magazine by our Department of Alumni Relations and Placement (DARP) serves as a 

platform for our alumni to tell your stories, and share your views, advice, experiences, achievements and 

successes. We look forward to hearing your thoughts and your stories as you pursue your career while 

we update you with the happenings on campus. 

I would like to thank all of you for being a part of UTAR and for the support you have always extended 

towards your alma mater all these years. As we welcome our new students every year, we are always 

reminded of the legacy left behind by our alumni. 

We are indeed proud of all your achievements and we look forward to documenting inspiring alumni 

stories in this e-magazine. 

Thank you. 

Prof Chuah (far right) and Tun Ling (second from right) posing with the one of the Lion 

at Lion Eye Dotting Ceremony 

Ir Prof Academician Dato’ Dr Chuah Hean Teik 

The UTARian | Issue 2 January-June 2018 

3

4 The UTARian | Issue 2 January-June 2018

UTAR launches Key Generation of UTAR iCGPA 

and blockchain certification system with Silverlake 

Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR), with 

the support from Silverlake, launched the Key 

Generation of UTAR integrated Cumulative Grade 

Point Average (iCGPA) and Blockchain Certification 

System. 

Being the first University in Asia to launch this 

certification system, UTAR graduates are issues 

an actual and a digital certificate which is secured 

whereby potential employers are able to verify the 

authenticity of the certificate. 

The Blockchain was introduced in UTAR with the 

aim to set a secure, verifiable, accessible, distributed, 

immutable and sustainable education database 

information. The Blockchain is able to store all 

records, certificates and awards, transfer credits and 

learning achievement throughout lifetime without 

Prof Chuah inserting the username and password to initiate 

key generation. 

any central database. Information stored within the 

block is more distributed and encrypted, making 

each block tamper-proof. Thus, the information is 

secured and at the same time easily assessed by all 

the parties. 

How to verify a UTAR Blockchain Certificate 

Step 1: Go to http://ismartcert.com 

Step 2: Upload your UTAR Blockchain Certificate. 

Step 3: If the UTAR Blockchain Certificate 

verification is successful, the following 

message will appear: 

However, if the Certificate verification is not 

successful, a message box will appear to inform that 

the uploaded document is not a registered Blockchain 

Certificate. 

Please take note that an unsuccessful verification of the 

Certificate may be caused by the uploaded Certificate 

is not the original issued by the University. Any 

amendments in the content of the UTAR Blockchain 

Certificate issued by the University or uploading of 

scanned physical copy of the certificate by the graduate 

will result the verification to be unsuccessful. 

All UTAR graduates prior to March 2018 Convocation are required to put in their request to Department 

of Alumni Relations and Placement (DARP) at alumni@utar.edu.my if they would like to get their 

UTAR Blockchain Certificate so that the Digital Certificate can be emailed to them (with all the security 

information). 


5

Alumni Annual 

Genting Awa 

Organised by the Department of Alum 

(DARP), the Alumni Annual Dinner w 

UTAR’s 15th Anniversary at the Gen 

Highlands on 11 November 2017. 

“This dinner is organised with many objectives in mind. 

However, the most crucial one, I believe, is the opportunity 

to mingle and network with one another. When you grow 

older and mature, you’ll really treasure this kind of gathering. 

We will continue to work hard to bring the University to 

a greater height so that the alumni will feel proud to be a 

part of UTAR. The degree that you’ve earned will only allow 

you to win the bronze medal; your experience will bring you 

silver medal; human networking is the one that will bring 

you gold medal. If you have the right mentality, that will 

bring you the royal medal.” 

From left: Lim Swea Jen, Lim Guat Yen, Dr Lai, Nurul, Dr A 

Yong, Prof Choong, Koh, Prof Chuah, Prof Ewe, Dr Sia, Lee 

Foo at the cake-cutting ceremony for the celebration of UTA 

15th Anniversary. 

Some UTAR alumni attending “Alumni Business Networking session” 

Prof Chuah (fifth from left) with UTAR Alumni Association 

Committee members. 

Prof Chuah (fourth from right) with UTAR Alum 

The UTAR Alumni Annual Dinner 2017 Organising 

Committee members 


Dinner 2017 

na Hotel 

ni Relations and Placement 

as held in conjunction with 

ting Awana Hotel, Genting 

A 

B 

C 

D E F 

u 

and 

R’s 

G 

A 

B 

C 

D 

E 

F 

G 

Dancing performance by UTAR Dance Club 

Singing performance by Grace Anne 

Singing performance by Evelyn Foo and Jor Jun 

Salsa performance by professional dancers 

Singing performance by Eric Yang and Alson Tan 

Acapella performance by The Black Muffin 

Winners of Alumni Badminton Friendly match 

ni 

UTAR Alumni 


7

Alumni Chinese New Year 

& Business Networking D 

“I am glad to see so many alumni gathering here today and keeping the 

alumni network strong. At this gathering, we will learn about the latest 

developments of the University as well as the achievements that the 

University has made. It is important that we do not forget the supporters, 

donors and every individual who have contributed to UTAR 

to ensure the sustainable growth of the University.” 

Tun Ling delivering his speech 

“It was a good year for UTAR as the University celebrated its 15th Anniversary 

in 2017. It was also in 2017 that the University had a string of accomplishments 

and awards both locally and internationally. UTAR is indeed proud of its 

international rankings by the Times Higher Education as well as for 

being awarded the self-accreditation status from the Malaysian 

Qualifications Agency of the Ministry of Higher Education. UTAR 

garnered recognitions due to the support of all staff, students, the 

alumni and the community.” 

Tun 

Prof Chuah delivering his speech 

Prof Chuah (second row, first from right) with some alumni 

“ 

We hope to continue striving forwa 

better improvements through variou 

of effort such as the establishment 

teaching hospital, research, publicati 

community projects.” 

“We want the alumni to explore business opportunities as well 

as build network and meet new business partners through this 

platform. In the future, we will establish various interactive 

platforms such as exhibitions, business seminars and a 

business networking portal to allow our members to share 

their business ideas and resources.” 

Gordon Low delivering his speech 

8 The UTARian | Issue 2 January-June 2018 

For more information on UTAR Alumni 

Business Club (Official), join us on:

inner 2018 

Some alumni joined the dinner with their family 

Ling (far left) with some alumni and students 

Caishen or the God of Wealth giving out Ang Pao 

The Black Muffin performing few acapella songs 

rd for 

s forms 

of a 

ons and 

UTAR management teams and alumni group photo before the event ended. 

Afterwords from UTAR Alumni 

UTAR Alumni Association Secretary Aw Chan Yann who is 

Psychology graduate said, 

“I am proud to be a UTAR alumna. I feel grateful that the UTAR 

alumni are supportive towards the alumni events and stay connected 

with the University. There will be more events in the future such as 

gatherings and overseas trips. We hope to see more alumni join and 

keep in touch with one another through these events.” 

English Language graduate Tan Wei 

Keong said, 

“This is my first time joining an 

alumni event at my alma mater. 

I studied in the UTAR Kampar 

campus until the year 2014. It is 

great to visit a different campus as 

an alumnus. I will join the alumni 

events again.” 


9

Alumni Oversea Trip to 

Hanoi, Vietnam 

01 03 

We visited Hoan Kiem Lake and Ngoc 

Son Temple located on an islet in 

the lake. Its name “Returned Sword” 

comes from a legend of a sacred sword 

being lent to an ancient Vietnamese 

King by a holy turtle from the lake 

and later returned to the turtle. The 

fantastic view and the cool breeze 

blowing over the lake was wonderful. 

Later in the afternoon, we had 

another wonderful experience, 

enjoying the famous and special 

Vietnamese traditional performing 

02 

Our trip started with a visit to the 

Temple of Literature, known as the 

first University of Vietnam built in 

1070 by the Ly Dynasty to honour 

Confucius, sages and outstanding 

scholars. 

We visited a park nearby and later 

10 The UTARian | Issue 2 January-June 2018 

arts, which displayed the Vietnamese 

folklore musical instruments with a 

compelling “The Water Puppet show” 

at Thang Long Theater. 

As we walk around the local markets 

nearby our hotel, we can see the 

artistic, traditional and creative side of 

Vietnam with centuries-old traditions 

still alive, with street sellers wearing 

their traditional dress and Vietnamese 

conical hats (or “leaf hat”) selling local 

handicrafts, local foods etc. 

continued to the Ho Chi Minh 

Museum and the colonial Presidential 

Palace. We had a stop by one of Hanoi’s 

icons, One Pillar Pagoda which was 

built in the 11th Century in dedication 

to Avalokiteshvaraor Buddha of 

Compassion and reminiscent of a 

lotus blossom rising from a pond. 

We took a 4-hour bus ride to 

Ha Long Bay. Before board 

boat to explore the legendary 

we visited the morning wet m 

Ha Long Pearl Workshop. 

On the cruise boat, we had o 

lunch. Relaxing on the bo 

absorbed with all the scenery 

we needed after the buzz an 

the honking cars and motorb 

At the bay, we saw the incred 

cruise boats navigating the se 

huge crowds of tourists, this 

unique. The landscape of li 

emerging from the water is m 

found no better way to enjoy i 

04 

The trip ended with us flying 

Lumpur. Many thanks goes to 

for organizing this amazing a 

trip for us. And thanks to th 

planned this tour, the choice o

the legendary 

ing the cruise 

Ha Long Bay, 

arket, and the 

During the 4-hour trip, the cruise boat 

stopped at Dau Go Island to visit Thien Cung 

Cave (Heaven Palace) and Dau Go Cave 

(Wooden Stakes). The rock formations inside 

the caves were truly a nature’s wonder. 

ur sumptuous 

at and being 

was just what 

d craziness of 

ikes in Hanoi. 

ible number of 

as. Despite the 

place is truly 

mestone cliffs 

agical and we 

t than the sea. 

Later, we were shifted to smaller row-boats 

with which we cruised through the amazing, 

craggy, limestone karsts. With this, we were 

able to experience the mystical-looking little 

caves, hidden beaches and tropical plants 

and birds, and the turquoise water sparkling 

all around us. It was truly amazing. 

Finally, as the trip ended, we return to the 

dock, disembark and travel back to Hanoi. 

back to Kuala 

UTAR Alumni 

nd memorable 

e guides who 

f hotels, advice 

on where to eat, and breathtaking experiences 

with the hearty people, the vibrant culture 

and the amazing diversity of landscapes 

made all the difference to this wonderful trip. 


11

Alumni Regional Visit to 

Melaka, JB, Singapore 

Melaka 

Johor 

Bahru 

Singapore 


Alumnus Awarded Honorary Citizen Certificate 

Kang (left) displaying his certificate and trophy 

UTAR alumnus Lawrence Kang Kee Chuan was honoured as a Hejian Honorary Citizen ( 河间 

市人民政府 ), by the Municipal Government of Hejian ( 河间市人民政府 ), Hebei, China in early 

January this year. 

A Bachelor of Commerce (Hons) Accounting graduate, Kang first started his career with Deloitte 

Malaysia as an auditor and subsequently climbed the career ladder which brought him overseas 

including Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam and China. 

Currently the Supervisory Board Chairman of He Bei Ming Shang De Glassware Company Limited 

( 河北明尚德玻璃科技股份有限公司 ), a listed company in China and also biggest heat-resistant 

glass manufacturer, Kang was pleasantly surprised by the honour. “From my understanding, this is 

the first time a non-national citizen is awarded the Hebei Honorary Citizen award. This makes me 

delighted and honoured,” Kang mentioned. 

When asked why he was given such prestigious accolade, Kang explained, “It could have been my 

initiatives in introducing latest manufacturing technology which boosted the industry’s efficiency 

and productivity. Besides that I have also been actively expanding the businesses and promoting 

Hejian City’s glassware and glass art globally, thus receiving global recognition.” 

Also dedicating his success to his alma mater UTAR, the alumnus who hails from Penang said, “UTAR 

has also played an instrumental role in my life. Its quality education has acted as a solid foundation 

for me to progress in my career.” 

“A skilled and capable person creates opportunities; a wise person grabs hold of opportunities; a 

weak-willed person lets go of opportunities,” said Kang when asked to give advice to fellow alumni, 

current and future students in chasing their dreams. Also likening a skill or qualification to a potent 

weapon, Kang added, “A skill or qualification is like a weapon, you don’t know when you will need it 

or what type of weapon you will need until you face the enemy. The more weapons and the sharper 

they are, the better chance you will win the war. Or at the very least, it will save your life in dire 

circumstances.” 

An honorary citizen award is bestowed by a country on a foreign individual deemed especially 

admirable and worthy of the distinction. 


13

First and foremost, 

UTAR for giving 

to share my succes 

news about the ope 

Chartered Accounti 

my dream to be a 

and have my own p 

I have really worke 

many things in life. 

nothing comes easil 

works and sacrifice 

achieve goals. I’m he 

Accountant at a qui 

hard works and sa 

continuously at var 

I obtained my De 

in year 2013 and m 

Management in yea 

Tunku Abdul Ra 

am pursuing my 

Management at Uni 

I started my car 

Accountant in a 

company in year 20 

acquire my experie 

field by working as a 

firm. There I was a 

Ms Dhaarshini, 

Dhaarshini & Co. 


a big thank you to 

me the opportunity 

s story as well as the 

ning of my very own 

ng firm. It was always 

Chartered Accountant 

ractice. To achieve it, 

d hard and sacrificed 

I strongly believe that 

y in life, a lot of hard 

s need to be made to 

re today as a Chartered 

te early age due to my 

crifices that I made 

ious stage of my life. 

gree in Accountancy 

y MBA in Corporate 

r 2015 from Universiti 

hman. Currently, I 

PhD in Technology 

versiti Sains Malaysia. 

eer as an In-house 

Telecommunication 

13. Then I went on to 

nce in the Auditing 

n Auditor in an Audit 

ttached to Audit, Tax 

Let’s Achieve! 

By: Dhaarshini Balachandran 

MBA (CM), B.Com (AC), C.A. (M) 

and Accounts department. After gaining 

invaluable experience on the practical 

aspects of audit, taxation and accounts, I 

advanced my career by joining a Sdn. Bhd. 

company to serve as the Group Accountant. 

There I had the opportunity to familiarize 

myself with the internal auditing functions. 

Finally, in year 2018, after mastering all 

the areas in the accounting field, I decided 

to set up my own Chartered Accounting 

firm (Dhaarshini & Co.) and my own 

Management and Consultancy company 

(Prriya Management and Consultancy 

Services) to further advance my career. 

My employment with the public practice 

firm and the private businesses have given 

me the opportunity to familiarize myself 

with a variety of accounting specialties. 

Today, I can proudly call myself as an 

exceptionally versatile Accountant that 

are comfortable in managing clients 

ranging from struggling small business 

to established corporations from various 

industries. Starting a business is never an 

easy affair. It requires a lot of investment 

in terms of money and time. Apart from 

that, it also requires a lot of self-motivation, 

willingness to achieve, hard works and 

sacrifices. However, with proper planning, 

good strategies, and great support from 

family, everything is possible. This is how I 

managed to achieve what I wanted in my life 

regardless of the challenges I faced during 

the journey towards achieving my dream. 

My advice to fellow juniors, don’t limit 

yourself into employment, consider 

yourselves to be an entrepreneur one day. 

The world needs more entrepreneurs. The 

entrepreneurs’ helps to create jobs, lift the 

standard of living, usher new technology 

into society, and keep competition alive in 

the marketplace. If you have an idea, don’t 

fear to bring that idea to life due to the 

challenges and roadblocks that you may 

face along your journey towards achieving 

your goals. Don’t ever give up and fear of 

challenges that you face in the journey 

towards your success, those challenges are 

meant to strengthen you and not to shake 

you. On a closing note, once again thank 

you to UTAR for giving me this opportunity 

and all the best to my fellow juniors for 

their future undertakings. Let’s Achieve ! 

016-5333336 

Dhaarshini & Co. 

dhaarshini_co@yahoo.com 

www. prriya.wixsite.com/ 

dhaarshini-co 

Address: No.31 Jalan Raja Perempuan Mazwin, 

Taman Rishah, 30100, Ipoh, Perak, Darul Ridzuan. 


15

Committee Members 

Koh Fook Huat 

President 

Nurul Izwazi 

Vice President 

Assistant Manager 

UTAR 

Alumni Association 

Committee Members 

Aw Chan Yann 

Secretary 

Recruitment Drive 

Chia Kho Yee 

Assistant Secretary 

Chin Ken Thin 

Assistant Treasurer 

Wong Jun Chong 

Assistant Treasurer 

The association has been established for all UTAR alumni since 10th Dec 

2010 with the following objectives: 

>>To promote communication and enhance rapport among its members 

>>To serve as a liaison between the association members and the univers 

>>To promote and enhance the image of the university 

>>To contribute towards the development of the university 

Benefits 

>>To stay updated with the participate in UTAR Alumni events 

>>To network with all alumni for industry updates, knowledge and 

information exchanges. 

Join the UTAR Alumni Association of Malaysia by scanning the QR Code 

Toh Kun Han 

Auditor 

Ng Yi Ming 

Auditor 


Simon Chong 

Weng Yeap 

Council Members 

Alumni Association 

Council Meeting 

2813-10-SEL 

Ivan Ooi Jieun Vei 

Chen Khang Jiunn 

Alumni Badminton 

Friendly match 

ember 

Foo Wai Wai 

Assistant Manager 

UTAR 

ity 

Fook Oi Yee 

Senior Manager 

UTAR 

career 

below: 

Eddie Lim 

Tee Chee Hoong 

Mr Koh Fook Huat, President of UTAR Alumni Association 

of Malaysia is delivering his speech during Alumni Dinner 

opening ceremony 

Goh Cher Hou 


17

Have something to share to all 53,300++ 

Are you an entrepreneur? Want to advertise 

your company? 

Calling out all UTAR Alumni!! 

Do you know a UTAR graduate who has 

extra something? 

Someone who you think deserves to be 

recognized for his/her great work or 

achievement? 

Help us honor outstanding graduates doing 

outstanding work in their careers and 

communities. 

Get an award / significant achievement in 

your life? Share with us. 

Have meaningful article or words of wisdom 

to share? 

Want to find your long lost university friends? 

Have something to say to your loved ones? 

Anything good / news to share? 

Drop us an email at alumni@utar.edu.my 

CALENDER OF EVENTS 

November 

17.11.2018 - Alumni Annual Dinner at Grand Lexis, Port Dickson 

December 

26-29.12.2018 - Alumni Oversea Trip to Bangkok, Hua Hin, Thailand 

Register online for all events at alumni@utar.edu.my 

Please visit UTAR DARP website at http://www.utar.edu.my/darp 

for up-to-date events and activities. 

If you have any questions, please contact us 

05-468 8888 ext 2506, 2545, 2537 or 

03-9086 0288 ext 866, 868, 213 

DARP Social Networking Media 

Department of Alumni 

Relations and Placement 

UTAR Alumni 

Kajian Pengesanan Graduan Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia (SKPG Update) 

Updating your current / latest employment status for the SKPG 1 Kemas Kini. (Kajian Pengesanan 

Graduan Kementerian Pendidikan Malaysia) which is very important to our institution and the 

Ministry of Higher Education (MOHE) in planning national human capital development. 

Kindly log-on to http://graduan.mohe.gov.my/update/ and Click ‘Update Your Status Here’. 

“Your data privacy is important to us. Personal data collected will be protected in accordance to Personal Data 

Protection Act 2010. Please visit https://www.utar.edu.my/PrivacyNotice_English.jsp to view our Privacy Notice”. 



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