{"id":9762,"date":"2026-01-22T08:30:37","date_gmt":"2026-01-22T08:30:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/paparazzi.com.my\/newthemepaparazzi\/?p=9762"},"modified":"2026-05-25T04:17:13","modified_gmt":"2026-05-25T03:17:13","slug":"rehda-institute-launches-national-youth-initiative-at-ceo-series-2026-as-leaders-discuss-economic-direction","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/paparazzi.com.my\/newthemepaparazzi\/2026\/01\/22\/rehda-institute-launches-national-youth-initiative-at-ceo-series-2026-as-leaders-discuss-economic-direction\/","title":{"rendered":"REHDA Institute Launches National Youth Initiative at CEO Series 2026 as Leaders Discuss Economic Direction"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Groupshot at CEO Series and the launch of REHDA Institute Youth Initiative (RIYI): (from left) Cliff Siaw, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Progressture Solar; Tan Sri Datuk Eddy Chen, Trustee of REHDA Institute; Datuk Ho Hon Sang, President of REHDA Malaysia; YB Tuan Anthony Loke Siew Fook, Minister of Transport; Dato\u2019 Jeffrey Ng Tiong Lip, Chairman of REHDA Institute; Tan Sri Dato\u2019 Teo Chiang Kok, Trustee of REHDA Institute.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Petaling Jaya, 15 January:<\/strong> REHDA Institute today convened its flagship CEO Series 2026, bringing together more than 400 senior decision-makers from government, finance, industry, academia and the international business community to discuss Malaysia and ASEAN\u2019s economic outlook, investment priorities and human capital challenges for the year ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Held at Le M\u00e9ridien Petaling Jaya, the annual conference set the tone for early-year policy and industry engagement, as leaders examined economic direction, policy clarity and competitiveness amid evolving global and regional conditions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Reflecting the conference\u2019s relevance to national economic and development priorities, CEO Series 2026
featured ministerial participation from YB Senator Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan, Minister of Finance II;
YB Tuan Anthony Loke Siew Fook, Minister of Transport; and YB Tuan Chiew Choon Man, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Organised as part of a joint secretariat involving multiple supporting industry bodies and associations, CEO Series 2026 focused on Malaysia\u2019s economic trajectory within ASEAN at the start of 2026, amid global uncertainty, shifting capital flows and heightened competition for foreign direct investment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Discussions centred on innovation-led growth, investment readiness, recurring-income assets and cross-border integration, with particular attention given to regional competitiveness and policy coherence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dato\u2019 Jeffrey Ng Tiong Lip, Chairman of REHDA Institute, said \u201cThe CEO Series was designed to facilitate substantive dialogue and provides a neutral platform where policymakers and senior leaders from a diverse range of industries can engage constructively on economic realities and long-term priorities. This engagement helps align policy direction, gather market insights from the various industries  and investment decisions.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dato\u2019 Jeffrey Ng Tiong Lip, Chairman of REHDA Institute delivering his speech during the event<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

CEO Series 2026 also featured international economists, researchers and industry leaders from ASEAN, Australia and Europe, reinforcing Malaysia\u2019s continued engagement with regional and global stakeholders. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Speakers included Dr Koh Wee Chian from the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO), Denise Cheok from Moody\u2019s Analytics, as well as senior industry representatives with experience across global markets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Participants travelled from countries including Indonesia, Taiwan, Thailand, Australia and Singapore, contributing comparative perspectives on investment flows, capital markets and regional development trends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dato Jeffrey Ng added that continued participation by international experts and investors signals confidence in Malaysia\u2019s fundamentals and its role within the region and allowed Malaysia to benchmark itself realistically against regional peers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In line with national priorities, the conference addressed regional integration, including Johor\u2013Singapore collaboration and the Johor\u2013Singapore Special Economic Zone, examining cross-border synergies in manufacturing, logistics, infrastructure and urban development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The conference also explored opportunities linked to Visit Malaysia Year 2026, particularly tourism-led development, hospitality and experience-driven real estate, and the role of private sector investment in supporting national tourism objectives while delivering sustainable economic returns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A key outcome of CEO Series 2026 was the launch of the REHDA Institute Youth Initiative (RIYI), a national human capital development programme aimed at bridging academia and industry and strengthening Malaysia\u2019s future talent pipeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

RIYI was launched during the conference by YB Tuan Anthony Loke Siew Fook, Minister of Transport, underscoring its alignment with national workforce development priorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The initiative brought together more than 13 universities nationwide alongside corporate leaders and industry practitioners, with a focus on structured mentorship, early industry exposure and career guidance for high-potential students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ng said, \u201cEconomic resilience depends not only on investment and policy, but also on talent. RIYI reflects
REHDA Institute\u2019s belief that industry stakeholders must play a more active role in preparing young Malaysians to enter the workforce with practical skills and realistic expectations.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He added that RIYI formed part of REHDA Institute\u2019s broader commitment to Malaysia\u2019s human capital development as a social enterprise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs an independent think tank, we look beyond immediate sectoral needs. Investing in youth and human capital is a long-term national responsibility\u201d, he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As Malaysia enters 2026 amid global uncertainty and regional transition, CEO Series 2026 provided a platform for alignment, reflection and forward planning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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YB Tuan Anthony Loke Siew Fook, Minister of Transport during his speech at REHDA Institute CEO Series 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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YB Senator Datuk Seri Amir Hamzah Azizan, Minister of Finance II delivering the Lunch Ministerial Keynote Address at REHDA Institute CEO Series 2026.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

For more information on CEO Series 2026, visit www.theceoseries.com. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

END<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

About REHDA Institute<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

REHDA Institute is a social enterprise, focusing on training, research, and education for the real estate industry in Malaysia, which was originally initiated by REHDA Malaysia. The Institute is committed to driving thought leadership, championing professional development, and facilitating crucial dialogue among industry stakeholders in Malaysia to foster sustainable growth, innovation, and excellence within the real estate industry. Find out more on our Linkedin Page at \u201cREHDA Institute (Official)\u201d and <\/strong>www.rehdainstitute.com<\/strong><\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

REHDA Institute works in collaboration with universities and other institutions in many of its activities (including
University Malaya, Monash, Sunway Uni) and has also jointly offered a Master of Real Estate Development (MRED) programme with Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR) since 2020.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Groupshot at CEO Series and the launch of REHDA Institute Youth Initiative (RIYI): (from left) Cliff Siaw, Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Progressture Solar; Tan Sri Datuk Eddy Chen, Trustee of REHDA Institute; Datuk Ho Hon Sang, President of…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":9763,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-9762","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-property"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/paparazzi.com.my\/newthemepaparazzi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9762","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/paparazzi.com.my\/newthemepaparazzi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/paparazzi.com.my\/newthemepaparazzi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paparazzi.com.my\/newthemepaparazzi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paparazzi.com.my\/newthemepaparazzi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9762"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/paparazzi.com.my\/newthemepaparazzi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9762\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11162,"href":"https:\/\/paparazzi.com.my\/newthemepaparazzi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9762\/revisions\/11162"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paparazzi.com.my\/newthemepaparazzi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9763"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/paparazzi.com.my\/newthemepaparazzi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9762"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paparazzi.com.my\/newthemepaparazzi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9762"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/paparazzi.com.my\/newthemepaparazzi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9762"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}