MALAYSIA, January 11, 2021 – FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and one of the world’s largest express transportation company, together with Junior Achievement (JA), today announced the six winners of the annual FedEx Express / Junior Achievement International Trade Challenge (FedEx/JA ITC) 2020. The winners will advance to the FedEx Express / JA ITC Regional Finals which will be held in March 2021.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s FedEx Express / JA ITC Malaysian competition was held virtually for the first time since the competition began in 2008. This year, 542 students from the Central Region and Penang participated in a series of nine intensive virtual workshops held from 27 July to 8 September. In the workshops, volunteers from JA Malaysia and 24 FedEx mentored the students and guided them through the development of their plans.
At the FedEx / JA ITC Malaysia finals, 15 shortlisted teams presented their market entry strategy plans for a travel product with Cambodia as the target market. Applying the insights and knowledge gained from the virtual workshops, students presented their team’s business plan with value proposition, pricing strategies, identified market opportunities, and distribution channels to a distinguished panel of judges including CS Goh, Co-Founder and Chief Corporate Officer at MACROKIOSK Group, Lin Nah Tan, Chief Executive Officer of INTI International University & Colleges and Jack Farrell, Entrepreneur in Residence at START.
This year, the three winning teams are:
- Team BioDroplets: Pranav Kashyap and Pooja Nishani from Global Indian International School, who developed a Techno-Bio drinking bottle that can purify water on the go. It is aimed at tourists who do not have access to readily available clean drinking water. The product also targets to reduce plastic bottle waste normally generated by tourists during their travels.
- Team ViRo Tech Inc.: Rosalind Naruniranat and Vivian Ung Wei Lin from SMK Convent Green Lane, who developed an affordable personal mobility device – the Fit-Walk – which has a low fuel requirement. The product is aimed at working individuals who are unable to purchase a full-fledged car or those with poor access to public transport.
- Team Aurora: Poi Shie Chee and Clarisse Chin Xiao Hwei from SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 3, who developed a water bottle called WASH-ed that can filter and purify water on the go. It is designed with a 2-Stage filter that can remove disease-causing pathogens.
“The determination and commitment from the students despite the global pandemic is exemplary. They embraced the new normal in joining the virtual workshops and the Malaysian finale. We hope this valuable program, now in its 13th year, continues to shape our future global business leaders for the 21st century marketplace. We look forward to the winning teams representing Malaysia proudly in the regional finals,” said SC Chong, Managing Director of FedEx Express Malaysia.
"JA Malaysia is proud to continue collaborating with FedEx Express Malaysia in educating and empowering our youth. In this changed environment, we were able to adapt the various modules into a virtual blended learning format, with the support of FedEx Express volunteers. This also serves as a mock simulation for the participants to see what it would be like to start a business in a post-pandemic environment,” said Stuart Dean, chairman of JA Malaysia.
The FedEx Express / JA ITC regional finals will be held in March 2021, where students from 7 other international countries such as Vietnam, Korea, China, Japan, Hong Kong, the Philippines and Thailand will also participate in this competition.
