NEWS
Malaysian-based organisation recognised globally for their excellence in grooming leaders
Hewitt Associates, The RBL Group and Fortune Announce Global Top Companies for Leaders

11 Feb 2010 Kuala Lumpur | IBM, Procter & Gamble and General Mills head the 2009 list of Global Top Companies for Leaders, the most comprehensive study of organisational leadership in the world. The Global Top Companies for Leaders is conducted by Hewitt Associates in partnership with The RBL Group and Fortune. This year’s winners were selected and ranked by an expert panel of independent judges based on criteria including strength of leadership practices and culture, examples of leader development on a global scale, impact of leadership to communities in which they operate, business performance, and company reputation.

For Top Companies for Leaders 2009, a Malaysia-based organisation was globally recognised for their excellent leadership practices. British American Tobacco Malaysia – who made the Asia Pacific Top Companies List – impressed the judges with a comprehensive leadership pipeline ecosystem which grooms its leaders from within the organisation. One of their strengths is being able to focus on the execution of their Leadership development programmes where their leadership bench strength is closely monitored and leaders being developed consistently. In particular, British American Tobacco Malaysia’s top team lead by Managing Director, Jack Bowles, came across as champions to drive results on nurturing leaders which has cascaded throughout the organisation.

The company also stood out for its comprehensive leadership development programmes which leverages on its multiple business lines and cross border locations to provide opportunities for leaders to accelerate their leadership effectiveness. Hewitt recognises the company’s passion to constantly build leadership capabilities and improve their leadership pipeline.

When asked about the importance of leadership development practices in BAT Malaysia, Human Resource Director Cheryl Wong responded, "Having a sustainable leadership pipeline is imperative in driving results, towards the achievement of our business strategy. As one of the key on-going initiatives in BAT Malaysia, developing a robust leadership pipeline is the responsibility of every one of our managers, as they directly interface with their teams and have the biggest impact in growing and retaining our people."

When comparing the Global Top Companies with more than 500 companies around the world, Hewitt identified one distinguishing characteristic that sets them apart from their peers—even during the economic downturn, Global Top Companies remained committed to building leadership capability within their organisations. In other words, tighter budgets and fewer resources forced these organisations to think and act smarter and more creatively about what really mattered when it came to leadership—but they didn’t lose focus.

“Strong leadership is a critical element in helping global companies successfully compete, yet many organisations lack the know-how and infrastructure for creating a robust pipeline of leaders for future success. Simply put, they lack the discipline of building leaders,” said Robert Gandossy, global practice leader of Leadership Consulting at Hewitt. “Our research and experience tells us that while leadership talent is in short supply around the world, the Global Top Companies for Leaders are still able to groom a near-constant supply of world-class leaders...year after year and regardless of economic conditions. This capability gives them a unique advantage over their competitors and will poise them to emerge stronger—and more quickly—out of the economic downturn.”

“The quality of the leadership within a company helps meet the expectations of investors, customers and employees, and sets the stage for growth,” said Norm Smallwood, co-founder of The RBL Group. “So developing the next generation of effective leaders is perhaps the most important undertaking of a forward-thinking company. The Global Top Companies for Leaders understand the urgency of a robust leadership culture and are learning to master how to build and sustain one.”

Since the study’s inception in 2002, Hewitt has identified a set of standard leadership characteristics embodied by companies that possess a winning leadership culture, including the 2009 Top Companies for Leaders. Leaders at these organisations are passionate and committed. Their leadership programmes are practical, relevant and aligned with business goals. Top Companies have an intense focus on talent, and they are deliberate about who they hire, who they coach, who they promote and who they reward. Finally, leadership development at these organisations is an institutionalized practice and mindset.

In the Asia Pacific region, twelve companies were recognised for their outstanding leadership practices. The panel of judges commented that these organisations are making tremendous progress in setting the leadership agenda and tying it to business results. As the fastest growing region in the world, Asian-based organisations realise that they need strong leadership talent to drive growth. It comes as no surprise then, that talent is highly regarded in the Asia-Pacific Top Companies. Next generation leaders are receiving accelerated and customised development opportunities as a result of the growing complexity and scale of the market. As the Top Companies in Asia-Pacific continue to assess and strategize the challenges of a new economy, their innovation and diligence in cultivating leaders will position them well for both short and long-term success.

“The Top Companies for Leaders in Asia-Pacific do three things exceptionally well,” said Dr. Mano Ramakrishnan, the APAC project manager for the Top Companies for Leaders Study. “First, they place great focus on assessing and selecting their leaders. In particular, they are very clear about the type of leaders they need to drive business success. Second, they accelerate leadership development by emphasising experiential learning and customised development programmes. Third, they recognise the importance of building a leadership brand. In particular, many Top Companies emphasise corporate social responsibility as a key aspect of their leadership brand. They understand that many talented people want more than success at their organisations – they also want to positively impact their greater community.’’

Global Top Companies for Leaders
Featured below is the list of Top 25 Global Companies for Leaders, announced on Fortune.com. Conducted by Hewitt Associates in partnership with The RBL Group and FORTUNE, this list was selected by an independent panel of judges, consisting of world-renowned authors, professors, business executives and executive coaches:

Hewitt Associates (NYSE: HEW) provides leading organisations around the world with expert human resources consulting and outsourcing solutions to help them anticipate and solve their most complex benefits, talent, and related financial challenges. Hewitt works with companies to design, implement, communicate, and administer a wide range of human resources, retirement, investment management, health care, compensation, and talent management strategies. With a history of exceptional client service since 1940, Hewitt has offices in more than 30 countries and employs approximately 23,000 associates who are helping make the world a better place to work.

The RBL Group is a strategic HR and leadership systems advisory firm. For over 25 years, its principals have collaborated with leading global organisations to strategically align corporate and business strategy to ensure sustainable high performance through the integration of theory, applied research, and practice. The RBL Group has trained and redesigned some of the best-managed companies in the world, helping them achieve significant improvements in bottom-line results. It is recognised internationally for innovative research and publications on Leadership, Intangible Assets and Strategic HR, including hundreds of articles, more than 400,000 books sold, numerous industry awards, and recognition as outstanding educators and advisors by leading business publications.

Source :Hewitt Associates