AS palm oil continues to be a major pillar in the Malaysian economy, the Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC) continues to honour outstanding individuals to recognise their leadership efforts and qualities.
It was no surprise that Kuala Lumpur Kepong Bhd (KLK) chief executive officer Tan Sri Lee Oi Hian who is regarded as a true-blue planter by many of his peers in the palm oil industry was awarded the fifth Palm Oil Industry Leadership (PILA) award.
The former chairman of MPOC started his career in the palm oil industry at KLK in 1974 and later pursued his MBA at Harvard, the United States and returned to KLK as its head of production control division.
A true-blue planter: Dompok (second from right) presenting the fifth Pila award to Tan Sri Lee Oi Hian. Looking on are MPOC chairman Datuk Lee Yeow Chor (left) and MPOC CEO Tan Sri Dr Yusof Basiron He was appointed to the KLK board in 1985 and subsequently became its managing director in 1988 before being appointed chairman and chief executive officer of KLK Bhd in 1993.
Despite his busy schedule, Lee found time to serve the industry in various positions including as MPOC chairman (1996-2009) and Malaysian Cocoa Board (1993-1997).
He previously served as president of the Malaysian Estate Owners Association (1986-1990) and as a member of the Malaysian Palm Oil Board, Malaysian Palm Oil Growers’ Council and currently serves on the Malaysia-China, Malaysia-Indonesia, Malaysia-British business councils.
He is currently the honorary president of the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry, a trustee of the Leadership Foundation and Yayasan Tuanku Bainun.
Talking business: Guests gathering at the foyer before the event. The Lifetime Award for Excellent Services in the Palm Oil Industry was conferred to Interconti-nental Speciality Fats Sdn Bhd corporate adviser Datuk Er Kok Leong.
He has devoted nearly four decades of his life to the palm oil industry and associated business developments. He has excelled in the core areas of palm oil refining, fractionation and downstream applications to produce mainly palm-based speciality fats for the confectionery and chocolate industries.
His specialisations in vegetable oils and fats processing also includes technologies related to hydrogenation, interesterification and formulation of specialised cooking oils.
In all these areas, his expertise is globally recognised and he has been the recipient of numerous awards locally and internationally.
MPOC chairman Datuk Lee Yeow Chor said they had an exciting and productive year thus far as they continued to position the industry both domestically and abroad via educational and promotional efforts.
“We have continued a number of successful initiatives and begun new communication programmes as part of our commitment to strengthen the market demand for Malaysian palm oil and increase international exports which reached a record high of RM80bil last year.
“These efforts have positioned our industry to truly leverage our full potential as a leader in the oils and fats sector, while new markets are being discovered and novel technologies adopted.
“The result is a remarkable balance that is truly unique to Malaysia’s palm oil sector — through national economic prosperity as well as industry profitability,” he said.
The guest-of-honour at the event Plantation Industries and Commodities Minister Tan Sri Bernard Dompok presented the two prestigious awards to the two homegrown leaders.
“We should be proud of the achievements of two of our finest leaders who helped to start it all and who were there at the beginning,” said Dompok.
“Among the 12 National Key Eco-nomic Areas (NKEAs), the palm oil industry is the second most important sector after oil and gas. The initiatives identified are yield and oil extraction rate improvements, biogas, entrapment mill, development of oleo derivative products and expansion of food and health-based downstream products.
“The success if these initiatives will be benchmarked by the implementation of innovative and results-driven measures. It is envisaged that the palm oil industry will contribute a Gross National Income (GNI) of RM178bil by 2020.
“Last year’s performance clearly indicates we are on track to achieve this,” he added.
Source : The Star
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