Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia – October 18, 2021 – As climate change and Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) issues gain traction globally and locally, Sun Life Malaysia, a life insurance and Family Takaful provider, launched the country’s first investment-linked ESG fund, the Sun Life Malaysia Global Sustainable Fund, making it the first insurer in Malaysia to offer ESG investing choices to the insuring public.
Commenting on the new milestone, Raymond Lew, CEO and President/Country Head of Sun Life Malaysia shared that sustainability is essential to Sun Life’s long-term success and the Company’s sustainability agenda focuses on three key areas – sustainable investing, financial security and healthier lives.
KUALA LUMPUR – Ikano Retail, the IKEA franchisee that brings Swedish home furnishings to Malaysia along with three other markets, posted MYR 3.6 billion in turnover in its last financial year – up 3.3% in a year marred by COVID closures and turbulent times for the company’s shopping centre business.
“We lost 17% of our trading days, faced the worst supply challenges in our history and contended with limits on food operations and further restrictions,’’ said Ikano Retail CEO Christian Rojkjaer. “But, even amid COVID, we executed expansion plans, grew our ecommerce sales by 57% and safeguarded jobs. Most importantly, we continued to help our customers make life at home better.”
When Malaysia first took notice of the COVID-19 pandemic, not many businesses in the country were prepared to strap themselves for unprecedented times. The first nationwide lockdown declared in March 2020 subsequently became the first step to a challenging journey for F&B businesses.
Since then, many businesses have stayed resilient and adapted by finding new methods to stay afloat during this period, realising that digitalisation is one of the only options to sustain their business. This is also evident in the local F&B industry, with a report by Flanders Investment and Trade indicating that the pandemic has triggered Malaysian F&B retailers, such as food suppliers, supermarkets and restaurants being seen to shift their operations and embrace digital marketplaces.
