Hectic schedule: Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Francis Yeoh alighting from the helicopter for the talk
“So how did the Western civilisation, who invented only a 26-lettered alphabet in their literary paradigm, succeed in superseding the rest of the world’s civilisations?” The answer to the mind-boggling enigma is as simple as ABC, if one were to heed the futuristic talk on technology evolution delivered by Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Francis Yeoh Sock Ping, Managing Director of YTL Corporation Berhad and Executive Chairman of YTL Communications Sdn Bhd at UTAR Perak Campus on 30 January 2013.
As part of the “UTAR Entrepreneurial Talk Series”, the prominent business magnate Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Francis Yeoh was invited to deliver a talk titled “Power Yourself with Mobile Internet” with the aim of giving students the opportunity to enhance their understanding of the mobile internet revolution and at the same time enlightening them further on the subject ‘entrepreneurship’.
Aided by entrancing power point and video presentations, the business tycoon spoke about the importance of technology and its power in revolutionizing the world. He elaborated on the history of how information was communicated and transformed from the Paleolithic Era with drawings on cave walls, to the Gutenberg printing press and right up to digital media that is commonly used today.
He motivated the students to take advantage of the incredible technology and mobility of internet widely available to them to drive towards betterment and advancement in education.
After the talk, Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Francis Yeoh together with UTAR Council Chairman, Tun Dr Ling Liong Sik and UTAR Vice President (R&D and Commercialisation), Prof Ir Dr Lee Sze Wei launched ‘Lightbulb’, an innovation campaign that seeks to inspire and foster entrepreneurship among students in higher education by utilising the internet as platform.
Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Francis Yeoh was ranked by both Fortune Magazine and Business Week Magazine as one of Asia’s 25 Most Powerful and Influential Business Personalities. Trained as a civil engineer, he took over the reins of his family’s business, YTL Corporation Berhad, in 1988 as its Group Managing Director and grew it into a business conglomerate comprising six listed companies, with a combined market capitalisation of over RM38 billion or USD10.5 billion. (www.ytlcommunity.com)
Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Francis Yeoh’s success brought him many awards. These awards include the Ernst and Young’s Master Entrepreneur in Malaysia, CNBC’s Malaysia CEO of the Year, Asia’s Top Executives in 2008, among others.
The “UTAR Entrepreneurial Talk Series” has been regularly organised by the University’s Department of Consultancy and Commercialisation to promote the spirit of entrepreneurship and the concept of commercialisation among the university community.
Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Francis Yeoh: Power yourself with mobile internet
From Left: Prof Ir Dr Lee, Tun Dr Ling and Tan Sri Dato’ Dr Francis Yeoh launching the ‘Lightbulb’ campaign
