Frost & Sullivan Opens Global Innovation Center of Excellence in Iskandar Malaysia

- Frost & Sullivan to create 830 global knowledge economy jobs by 2020

JOHOR BHARU, Malaysia, Aug. 29, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Frost & Sullivan today opened its doors to their Global Innovation Center (GIC) of Excellence in Iskandar Malaysia. The project is the result of a strategic collaboration with the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC) and Iskandar Investment Berhad (IIB) that was announced by the YAB Prime Minister, Dato' Seri Mohd Najib Tun Abdul Razak during the Iskandar Malaysia 5th Anniversary celebration late last year.

Frost & Sullivan Global President & Managing Partner, Aroop Zutshi said "We are very pleased to be part of the developments in Iskandar Malaysia. Frost & Sullivan believes that the development of the GIC here will be a real game changer for the future of the company."

Aroop continued, "Our goal is to create new knowledge-based activities and develop specialized skills that will support Malaysia's goal to be a high-value, high-income nation by 2020."

Frost & Sullivan has always been at the forefront in driving growth for its clients, with a range of innovative products and services tailor-made to address clients' needs. Frost & Sullivan Malaysia currently has 120 employees in Kuala Lumpur and aims to add another 830 in Iskandar by 2020.

"The Global Innovation Center in Iskandar will serve Frost & Sullivan's global operations and offices, providing opportunities for local employees to work on global projects. We are committed and invested to effectively contribute and bring new competencies and skill sets into the country," said Manoj Menon, Partner & Asia Pacific Managing Director, Frost & Sullivan.

Manoj added, "We are constantly on the lookout for local talents to join us and the opening of our GIC will allow us to cultivate these talents. With our presence in Iskandar, we will be able to support our clients down south better and we look forward to a more integral role with the country, government and industry."

MDeC Chief Executive Officer Datuk Badlisham Ghazali noted that Frost & Sullivan has had more than 10 years of experience in Malaysia and is a part of the MSC Malaysia initiative. "MSC Malaysia welcomes companies who continue to look at Malaysia for future growth and bring new competencies and skill sets into the country. One example is the digital media COE which will see content being developed in new formats for different applications."

IIB President/Chief Executive Officer Datuk Syed Mohamed said, "As a catalytic developer of Iskandar Malaysia, IIB, via our flagship project Medini Iskandar Malaysia, is committed in putting the crucial foundation in place in the quest to transform the corridor into one of the regions emerging economic powerhouse.

We believe the Frost & Sullivan GIC project is a critical component that would further add value to Medini Iskandar Malaysia; a multi-billion dollar integrated urban development, envisioned to be the pulse of Iskandar Malaysia."

Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) Chief Executive Datuk Ismail Ibrahim commented, "The inauguration of the Frost & Sullivan GIC is indeed a development that Iskandar Malaysia can celebrate. Aligned with our vision to create Iskandar Malaysia as the first choice to Invest, Work, Live and Play, we are confident that the presence of Frost & Sullivan in the Iskandar Malaysia eco-system will be an impetus for further growth in the Business services sector and lead to many more high value employment opportunities in Iskandar Malaysia."

About Frost & Sullivan's Global Innovation Center

The Global Innovation Center will specifically host five centers of excellence. Frost & Sullivan defines a Center of Excellence to have the following characteristics:

1. It provides Global Services (It has to address the needs for the entire company globally)
2. It develops thought leadership and Intellectual Property for the company
3. It helps the company and its clients to operate at Best Practice Level

Each of these Centers of Excellence will drive a very unique value proposition for Frost & Sullivan to service global customers. Specifically, the five centers of excellence are:

1. Consulting Center of Excellence
2. Innovation Center of Excellence
3. Growth Innovation Leadership University
4. Financial Center of Excellence
5. Digital Media Center of Excellence

About Frost & Sullivan Malaysia
Frost & Sullivan is a global leader in growth consulting with a proud history of providing cutting-edge innovative growth solutions and strategies to many of the world's leading Global 1000 companies. The company, headquartered in Mountain View, California, has more than 1,500 consultants globally researching and analyzing new market opportunities for corporate growth.

Frost & Sullivan is the world leader in growth consulting and the integrated areas of technology research, market research, economic research, corporate best practices, training, customer research, competitive intelligence and corporate strategy.

Frost & Sullivan established an office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in 2000 with 10 employees. The company clinched its first project from a government agency in 2003. The company expanded rapidly in Kuala Lumpur with the setting up of a regional research center in 2004. Two years later, Frost & Sullivan set up the Business & Financial Services division to undertake IPO-related projects in Malaysia. The company was awarded the MSC-status in 2007.

The Kuala Lumpur office currently has more than 100 dedicated consultants covering 9 major industries across 18 countries in Asia Pacific. It is also the company's largest office in South East Asia. Industries covered include: Aerospace & Defense, Automotive & Transportation, Automation & Electronics, Business & Financial Services, Chemicals, Materials & Food, Energy & Power Systems, Environment & Building Technologies, Healthcare, and Information & Communication Technologies.

Our key clients in Malaysia include a good mix of multinationals, local conglomerates and government agencies across all major industries. They include MIDA, MDeC, MIMOS, Malaysia Debt Ventures Bhd, Toyota, Honda, Perodua, Proton, DRB-Hicom, Edaran Otomobil Nasional, Telekom Malaysia, Goldman Sach, Merrill Lynch, Sime Darby, Felda Holdings, Cisco, Oracle, Scomi Group, Petra Group, Pantai Hospitals and Pfizer.

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