The International Council of Malaysian Scholars and Associates (ICMS) is a student organization focused on intellectual and career development for Malaysian students worldwide. Founded in 2010, ICMS organizes networking events, forums, and competitions to enhance leadership skills and connect talented Malaysian youth. Now led by its fourth Chief Executive Director, Jia Lok, ICMS has grown exponentially and aims to empower more Malaysian students through its global network and opportunities.

3. Louis Chuo
Founder of ICMS
the government. These partnerships have supported
our efforts immensely – more and more Malaysians
are benefiting from projects thave organised like the
MPPC, I2 and the ICMS Industry Roundtable Series.
I am confident that our growth for the coming year
will be exponential under Jia Lok’s leadership.
On the 28th of November 2010, we set out to
achieve goals we knew would test the
boundaries of our skills set and conviction.
More than ever before, I am confident of our
future, confident in our people and confident
that as Malaysians, we are able to collectively
succeed.
The ICMS was founded in an a empt to bring opportunities for professional and
intellectual self-­‐‑development to the average Malaysian student. It complements the
nation’s top agenda of progress and development. Whether in finance, public
policy, science or active citizenry, the ICMS was set up to support independent
projects and provide opportunities for active participation. The ICMS is likewise an
opportunity to establish connections across the Malaysian diaspora. At the student
level, this is the first ever concerted effort focused on supplementing national
dedevelopment and progress. Many have worked in partnership with us and thus far,
our success has exceeded almost any measure of expectations.
In our early days, we were faced with reputational and sustainability issues. Very
quickly, under the leadership of very capable directors, best practices were put in
place. Internally, we saw the need to measure performance and improve management
of the Council. Externally, the Council had to account for both financial and
non-­‐‑financial decisions. Our partners and key stakeholders need to trust us. Today,
we enjoy close working relationships with avariety of corporate partners, NGOs and

4. Lee Jia Lok
4th
Chief Executive Director of ICMS
This is our time. I look into the future of ICMS
expectantly with hope and excitement, and I
humbly invite you to be part of our story.
With the installation of the Fourth Council, it is now
our honour and duty to continue the good work of our
seniors. Come what may, I have complete faith that this
council has the right people with the character, values,
and resilience to bring the council to greater heights.
We remain commi ed in our vision to build a
meaningful global network of aspirational Malaysians
andand to impact youths for the future of Malaysia. History
has taught us what just one great leader can do; now,
imagine how much more we can be bring for Malaysia
with a country of youths excelling in professional
and leadership development?
I will always remember my first encounter with the ICMS as a very special one. To a
large extent, my participation in the Malaysia Public Policy Competition (MPPC) in 2013
was as amazing as it was accidental. Knowing next to nothing about what was to come,
I went on-­‐‑board when I was informed that my friends were short of one member to
complete their team. Li le did I expect that this was soon to be one of the most powerful
experiences I ever had. Just as it did for many other participants, the ICMS helped me
realised that I, too, have a part to play in shaping the future of this country. It was the
firstfirst time in a long time that I felt empowered and compelled to contribute in whatever
li le ways I can. Soon after, I joined the ICMS, and am privileged to now lead this
council to share these impactful experiences with other Malaysian youths.
This, I feel, is the very beauty of ICMS – our associates are not here to merely toil for
self-­‐‑fulfilment. We are here to impact, to inspire and to empower other Malaysian
youths by providing various leadership, intellectual, and career opportunities. It is
through this process that we simultaneously equip ourselves with valuable skills and
engage ourminds with important issues that are shaping our world today.
TheThe ICMS is now one of the most successful, professional, and highly-­‐‑regarded student
organisations in Malaysia. More than ever before, we now see our reach beginning to
traverse geographical boundaries, impacting Malaysian youths regardless of where they
are from. This, of which we are proud of, is not to be taken for granted. It was only with
sheer dedication and commitment that our predecessors were able to build such a great
Council within the short span of three years. Our partners and sponsors have also given
us valuable support, advice and trust which is an indispensible part of our ICMS story.
WWe are truly grateful for that.

5. The International Council of Malaysian Scholars and Associates (ICMS) is a student based-­
organisation committed to the intellectual and career development of Malaysian students
worldwide. The ICMS was initiated by the spark of an ambition to create a vast professional
network of the brightest minds and a multitude of talents. It was thus founded on the 28th
of November 2010 at St Hilda’s College, Oxford. Our organisation serves as a common
platform for passionate, enthusiastic young Malaysians, studying abroad and locally, to
exchange ideas, share experiences and expand connections towards career-­related
ambitions.ambitions. We aim to enhance their leadership, organisational and social capacities through
an array of challenging enterprises such as but not limited to networking events, forums,
debates, competitions and character-­building activities. The ICMS also facilitates members
seeking to independently initiate career-­related projects by providing the necessary
resources and professional networking opportunities.
A defining distinction of the ICMS from other student bodies is that it manages and
nurtures talents by encouraging its talent pool to create vocational (investment
banking, engineering, law, accounting and finance, medicine etc.) and intellectual
opportunities for themselves. We are one of the few organisations that currently offers a
highly focused vocational and intellectual opportunity. This is a highly integrated effort
that aims to make an impact on a global scale in the long term. We aim to bring on-­board the
ICMS a group of high achieving, driven and motivated Malaysian students regardless of
geographical locationgeographical location
Our motto this year, “Building networks, Empowering Leaders, Realising Ideas”, is a short but
apt description of what the ICMS strives to achieve.

6. The ICMS strongly believes in fulfilling our long term goals as a career-­‐‑ focused
student body which also emphasises personal development, the first of its kind in
Malaysia. With this in mind, we have set our vision and missions to help guide us.

11. WwHhAaTt IiSs MmPpPpCc?
TheThe Malaysia Public Policy Competition (MPPC) is an annually held case-­based competition set in the landscape of
Malaysian public-­policy making. The competition aims to provide an avenue for Malaysian students, spanning from
undergraduates to college students, to take on the role of a Malaysian public-­policy maker. The founders of MPPC
envisioned a competition that raised awareness of national issues among the younger generation. They believed
that it is vital for Malaysia to have a platform where youths are able to speak up their minds on national issues with
unwavering freedom. This the MPPC has delivered over the past three editions while also being hugely successful
inin fulfilling the goal of providing insights and technical experience to participants regarding how public policies are
constructed, from conception to implementation.
MmAaJjOoRr MmIiLlEeSsTtOoNnEeSs
The first MPPC was held in 2011 and since then the MPPC since grown exponentially in terms of recognition,
network and competition framework. MPPC 2012 managed to assemble a pool of 96 participants to come up with
policies that aimed to resolve education-­related issues. Most notably, the competition has even attracted the
recognition of Prime Minister Najib. The winners of MPPC 2012 were invited to Putrajaya to present their policies to
the Prime Minister’s Department for serious consideration. This was truly a milestone for MPPC as it signified great
recognition from the government of Malaysia.

12. RrEeCcEeNnTt DdEeVvEeLlOoPpMmEeNnTtSs
InIn 2013, the committee had the honour of inviting several well-­known figures as the judges and speakers of
MPPC 2013, including YB Tony Pua Kiam Wee, Member of Parliament for Petaling Jaya Utara, Wan Saiful Wan
Jan, Founding Chief Executive of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs, Elizabeth Lee Fuh Yen,
Senior Executive Director of Sunway University & the Sunway Education Group, Datuk Saifuddin Abdullah,
former Deputy Minister of Higher Education Malaysia as well as Tan Sri Michael Yeoh, Co-­Founder & CEO of the
Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute (ASLI). In addition to that, Tan Sri Dr. Ramon Navaratnam, Chairman of
the Centre for the Centre for Public Policy Studies (CPPS) attended the Opening Ceremony as our Guest of Honour!
The winners of MPPC 2013 were invited to assist Talentcorp in implementing their policy proposals while BFM
also interviewed them on their views of the education system.
WwHhEeRrEe IiSs MmPpPpCc HhEeAaDdEeDd TtOoWwAaRrDdSs?
MPPCMPPC 2014 promises to inspire intellectual discourse among the country's youths about pressing issues in
Malaysia. A quote from a past participant sums things up perfectly: “Being in a room full of sparkling Malaysian
minds who genuinely want to make home a better place -­ well, honestly, nothing's ever made me feel so
patriotic.”

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18. Sound Governance
TheThe ICMS has well-­defined decision-­making processes. Decisions are made based on
consensus. More acute problem which require more immediate responses are dealt
with swiftly within a core group of leaders accountable to the entire Council.
Directors are assigned well-­defined portfolios and are empowered to execute them
with competence and autonomy. However, each director is ultimately accountable
to the CED who oversees the general progress and overall performance within the
Council. This allows us to make well-­thought through and sustainable decisions in a
timely mannetimely manner.
Commitment to Quality
Quality of recruitment
Quality of events
Quality in delivering expectations of partners
Sustainability of Development
Internal Talent Management – We have in place a systematic induction programme for new
associates. Our leadership structure has been designed to guarantee checks and balances.
The Senate plays an advisory role while the Court of Governors plays an oversight role. The
Executive Committee actively administers council affairs and manages projects. Associates
are encouraged to develop leadership and esprit de corps through organizing events, and
grow intellectually by exchanging ideas with other associates.
External RelationshipsExternal Relationships – The ICMS establishes relationships with organizations in view of mutual
yet independent growth and development. We emphasize the need to deliver quality in line
with our partners’ expectations and to respond promptly whenever they might have any
concerns arising. To achieve all these, we believe it is important to maintain open channels of
communication with our partners. This way, partners and the ICMS are informed of key
developments in our respective organizations.
We handle sponsorship funds in a responsible manner. We have designed the
Financial Integrity Plan (FIP) consisting of two main policy documents -­ the Internal
Standards of Financial Processes (ISFP) and External Financial Reporting Standards
(EFRS). The ISFP consists of details pertaining to internal controls and financial decisions
made within the Council while the EFRS contains financial reporting standards. These
serve as a crucial financial decision-­making and reporting framework for the Council.
ByBy focusing on long-­term sponsorships, we ensure that we share the goals of our
partners and that our partners recognize the professionalism that we embody as
well as the direction we are headed towards. We are committed to helping our
partners understand what we do and this enables them to assess the suitability of any
partnership.
Financial Integrity & Transparency
The ICMS requires successive batches of capable leaders to operate with
high efficiency and effectiveness and to deliver excellent results. Our rigorous
recruitment process sees directors going through two stages of interviews with
a probation period in between. Each associate is given guidance to excel
with us, and we accept all deserving members, regardless of race
and religion. We recruit objectively and based on personal merit as well as a
self-­driven attitude for success.
Fair Recruitment