In conjunction with the launch of the Malaysian Directors Academy (“MINDA”) which was officially launched by YAB Dato’ Seri Abdullah bin Haji Ahmad Badawi last Friday, MINDA held its Inaugural Lecture 2006 which was officiated by Minister of Finance II, YB Tan Sri Nor Mohamed Yakcop today.

The establishment of MINDA is part of the main policy thrust of the GLC Transformation Programme launched by the Prime Minister in July 2005 to enhance the effectiveness of GLC Boards. MINDA aims to address Board performance by equipping Directors of GLCs with world class knowledge, skills and mindset to perform to a consistently high standard.The programmes to be deployed are tailored specifically for Directors covering areas such as performance and leadership requirements, strategy and organisational development and global trends and challenges.

MINDA’s inaugural lecture on “High Performance Leadership” was presented by George Kohlrieser, Professor of Leadership and Organisational Behaviour at IMD and author of the book – “Hostage at the Table”. The Inaugural Lecture was attended by over 200 public listed companies and GLC Board of Directors, CEOs of GLCs as well as representatives from the local higher education institutions.

The event also witnessed the unveiling of MINDA’s logo and the induction of MINDA’s partnership with The International Institute for Management Development (IMD) based in Lausanne, Switzerland for its Flagship Programmes.

IMD is the leading provider of executive education and was ranked second in the world and first amongst European business schools for the overall quality of its programmes in the 2006 Financial Times rankings. IMD was also ranked first worldwide for its MBA programme in the 2005 Wall Street Journal rankings. MINDA is also in discussions currently with other local and international institutions to identify potential areas for collaboration.

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About MINDA
One of the main policy thrusts of the GLC Transformation (“GLCT”) Programme is to enhance the effectiveness of GLC Boards through learning which led to the establishment of the Malaysian Directors Academy (MINDA).

MINDA aims to address Board performance by equipping Directors of GLCs with world class knowledge, skills and mindset to perform to a consistently high standard. To be an effective Director, performance is critical. This includes understanding the boundaries between Board and management, active problem solving with both the Board and key management on strategic issues, whilst leveraging networks and managing multiple stakeholders in a proactive manner.

MINDA was launched by YAB Dato’ Seri Abdullah Hj Ahmad Badawi, Prime Minister of Malaysia, on December 8, 2006.