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Maybank GO Ahead. Challenge 2014 enters third season

24 April 2014

4 min read

Maybank GO Ahead. Challenge 2014 enters third season with the ultimate adrenaline rush – bigger, bolder and better across 14 countries


KUALA LUMPUR, 24th April 2014: Maybank GO Ahead. Challenge 2014, an exciting international business case competition offers the brightest young minds from Malaysia, ASEAN and across the globe the opportunity to exhibit their potential in a multi-discipline and multi-national initiative with world-class experience, specially designed and organised by a truly regional financial services provider, Maybank.


The competition in its third season will see a series of challenges designed to stretch participants’ potential, pushing them to the limit and yet completely aligned to Maybank’s mission to humanise financial services.


It was launched by Nora Abdul Manaf, Group Chief Human Capital Officer, Maybank at a special event held in Golden Screen Cinema, Pavilion Shopping Mall in Kuala Lumpur today. The launch was celebrated in the presence of senior officials from institutions of higher learning both locally and abroad as well as other organisations like TalentCorp, ICAEW Malaysia and international graduate publications, GTi Media Asia and Graduan.


Speaking at the launch, Nora highlighted, “This is the first student competition in the region, we know of, that tests participants in multiple disciplines, where others focus on one like marketing, or stock-broking, or finance. The Maybank GO Ahead. Challenge combines multi-disciplines reflecting how we do business, bringing the whole Bank to the customer.


Secondly, the investment Maybank is making to have the Finalists actually experience having to work as a team to deliver not only stretch targets but also in a short period of time, with total strangers, and from different nationalities at that - an actual situation they will find themselves in today's challenging work climate in successful organizations, and likewise in Maybank. This commitment by Maybank to put them in this situation is highly costly, but Maybank regards as important enough to put our money into.


Third, it is unique as the finalists also participate in a corporate responsibility initiative to enable them to experience firsthand our humanising mission that Maybank embraces wholeheartedly. More importantly, the experience gives our participants an appreciation of the challenges that the disadvantaged face and offers them an opportunity to make a meaningful difference which we hope will inspire and spur them to continue with their noble efforts as they progress in life.


Fourth, it offers our Finalists a fast pass to our marquee Graduate Entry level programme; our pride & joy, the Global Maybank Apprentice Programme or GMAP, a graduate development programme to accelerate the development of junior talents.”


“The ultimate pride of the Challenge is that 85% of the graduated finalists from previous MGACs have joined us, demonstrating Maybank's attractiveness as the employer of choice amongst top graduates from across the globe. Currently we have finalists from Pakistan, Vietnam, Indonesia, Philippines, Bangladesh, Cambodia, India and Thailand in our GMAP.” added Nora.


Maybank GO Ahead. Challenge is deemed to be a blend of The Amazing Race, The Apprentice, MasterChef and various other reality programs - it is Maybank’s unique method of attracting young graduates’ the unconventional way. It proven to be a successful experiential platform to demonstrate to potential talents, the calibre and qualities that Maybank actively looks for.


The introduction of the Campus Level stage across 15 campuses in the region, a new feature in the 2014 edition of the Challenge, will spur even greater excitement amongst the Challengers this year prior to the National Levels and International Grand Finals in August 2014.


This Challenge is fully home grown which means it is designed and conceptualised in its entirety by Maybank. The Challenge is fully developed in-house by the Maybank Apprentices for future Maybank Apprentices. The judges/assessors too are drawn from the Group’s operations, including Group PCEO and EXCO as well as the seasoned bankers of the Group.


One of the primary value propositions of the Challenge is our emphasis on diversity and inclusion that is strongly aligned to Maybank’s philosophy. Maybank has attracted participants from Kyrgyzstan to India, from Pakistan to Mongolia, from Tanzania to Bangladesh. The participants also hail from the entire ASEAN community, China and Hong Kong. This year, thus far, they have drawn interest and received applications from Algeria, Russia, Spain, Kazakhstan, Mauritius, Maldives and Italy which reflects the geographical reach and appeal of the Challenge on the international platform. It is true that the Maybank GO Ahead. Challenge is a truly global event for young talents.


A unique differentiator of the Challenge is the fact that Corporate Responsibility is weaved into one of the activities where the Finalists will engage in a CR initiative to experience Maybank’s humanising mission of being at the heart of the community. In the last two editions of the Challenge, they have contributed close to RM25,000 to 2 different CR initiatives, with the proceeds garnered from the marketing & sales component of the Challenge by the finalists themselves. More profoundly, apart from the sum of money raised, the participants would experience what the disadvantaged experience and when they are competing in the Challenge, they are doing it for a cause, to help alleviate the sufferings of the underprivileged and not iust about winning- certainly leaving a deeper impact on the participants’ growth both as a person as well as a professional.


The right talents are identified from this unique international business case competition and the most important incentive is the opportunity to join Maybank, a regional organisation that is recognised as the 13th strongest bank in the world by Bloomberg Market in 2013, the fourth largest Bank by asset in the region and the only Asian organisation in Towers Watson Global High Performing Company Norm, which is an internationally recognised benchmark for high performing organisations.


Other recognitions awarded to Maybank that motivates them even more are being placed 2nd overall and 1st in Banking & Finance in the M100 Malaysia Best Graduate Employer Trendence scores improving by 15% from the previous year and voted Best Employer twice in a row last and the previous years in the Graduan Aspire poll.


Candidates worldwide will compete individually and in teams for the chance to make it to the international grand finals and win total cash prizes of USD 72,000. The Ultimate GO Ahead. Challenger (individual winner) will be awarded with USD1,000 cash plus a two-week internship experience in New York. The most attractive of all, both the Champion Team and the Ultimate GO Ahead. Challenger will win exclusive participation in Maybank’s Global Leadership Development Programme with the Bank’s most influential top 50 leaders, to exchange ideas, engage in intellectual discourse and share their thoughts.


All the grand finalists will earn a fast-track entry into the highly-sought-after, Global Maybank Apprentice Programme, an award-wining programme to kick-start their careers in the Banking and Finance industry. Maybank’s Global Maybank Apprentices are feeders into Maybank’s Junior Watchlist, the pool that provides the longer term bench potential for top management succession pipeline which has increased 4 fold since 2009.


This Challenge is one of the Bank’s key platform in their people agenda as their passion and commitment towards talent development is clearly shown from last year’s Maybank total investment of RM118.87 million in learning and development which is well above the statutory requirement. Together with their robust talent management framework, it will enable the Bank to accelerate the development of their people to be globally competent and proficient to operate in different roles, environment and geographies.


Interested applicants can find out more and apply to be part of this year’s exciting Challenge by visiting www.goaheadchallenge.com. Currently, we have received close to 7,500 applications, already a 50% increase from 2013. The application period is still open until 14th May 2014.


 


 


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