KUALA LUMPUR: The Malaysian-German Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MGCC) has undergone a massive transformation since the onset of the Covid-19 outbreak in January 2020, keeping on its toes amid the new normal to continuously serve its members and clients.
A recent business outlook survey by the Association of German Chambers of Commerce, the global umbrella organisation of all German business chambers, revealed that Malaysia remains the preferred business destination for German investors, despite the turbulence caused by the pandemic.
CEO Daniel Bernbeck (pix) said the pandemic brought some unprecedented challenges, wherein the chamber had to adjust to the new normal very quickly to help the members in keeping their businesses afloat.
He said MGCC had to take drastic measures by writing a confidential letter directly to the Prime Minister’s Office to relay the concerns and plight of its member companies on the prolonged movement control orders (MCO) and multiple sets of standard operating procedures (SOP).
“The sentiments were echoed by other chambers of commerce and it garnered tremendous support from the industry players. We felt that our concerns and those of our members are justified to ensure Malaysia stays competitive as a business destination,” Bernbeck told Bernama recently.
He said the chamber is very grateful to the government for its positive response and efforts to address the issues plaguing industries.
“The government was quick to improve the SOP for manufacturing sectors, sorted out visa issues and reopening the economy in stages through the National Recovery Plan,” he said.
He elaborated that the new normal has pushed the chamber to online events, new podcast series and services to assist companies affected by the MCO, as well as the establishment of a “war room” to provide immediate information update to members on policies and SOP via email and website.
“We introduced a work-from-home policy and revamped the workflows to be running fully in digital so that our staff can work safely within the comfort of their homes. We also started an internal transformation process by restructuring departments and building internal working groups to work on MGCC’s vision and mission, human resource, leadership, products and services,” he said.
Bernbeck said he is proud to highlight that MGCC has successfully managed to lobby the interests of its members through numerous advocacy efforts directly or by joining forces with other chambers of commerce in Malaysia.
“The MGCC today is not the same as it was in early January 2020. We are now working with flexibility via a hybrid setup from home or the office, something that would have been completely unthinkable two years ago,” he said.
The transformation, he said, continued into 2021 with more new and innovative services, staff, and ideas through many initiatives which included personalised approaches to assist members.
He said the chamber foresees a positive outlook for 2022, in line with the expectation of economic recovery and the endemic stage of the Covid-19 outbreak.
