Kuala Lumpur Chapter Focuses on Italy's Relations with Malaysia

The official opening occurred a few weeks ago, but the group has worked informally for more than a year. It was January 2014 when Narciso Podda started the first meeting of the Bocconi Alumni Association Chapter of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia's capital and largest city.

The first year of activity of the new BAA chapter mainly focused on networking, in order to build a strong alumni base on which to build future activities. While strenghtening their mutual ties, Podda and his colleagues also developed relationships with local institutions. "In the course of 2014, thanks to strong teamwork, we managed to organize quite a few meetings," says the Chapter Leader, who works as a Strategy & Innovation Consultant at UCSI Blue Ocean Strategy. "In March, we organized a dinner speech hosting the Italian ambassador Mario Sammartino, who discussed the role of Malaysia in ASEAN and the role of Italian business in the country." In turn, the Italian diplomat invited Bocconi alumni to his residence to have them meet Angelo Cicogna, representative of the Bank of Italy for Asia, along with managers working for Italian companies in Kuala Lumpur".

In December, we had the opportunity of meeting with Andrea Ambra, the representative in Malaysia of ICE, the Italian government agency for foreign trade," Podda adds. The Malaysian economy is particularly vibrant, Podda says: "The country has understood the importance of developing a flourishing entrepreneurial culture, and now is focusing on entrepreneurship among the young. Many startups are being born, and the entrepreneurial spirit is particularly strong among Malayans of Chinese descent".

areakualalumpur@alumnibocconi.it