After 17 years of working in the Malaysian Government, where I’ve seen public services steadily improve, I’ve always believed there’s room for growth. This mindset led me to apply for the Cross Fertilisation Programme (CFP), which allows government officers to spend a year working in the private sector and learn best practices to bring back to public service.
When Huawei Malaysia selected me for the programme, it was a surprising yet exciting opportunity. I joined the company in November 2023 as an Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) Manager, initially believing that Huawei was mostly known for mobile devices and wearables. However, I quickly learned that the consumer segment represents only 5% of the company’s revenue. The majority comes from their work in Carrier Networks, Enterprise Business, Cloud and AI, and Digital Power, with Huawei playing a crucial role in Malaysia’s connectivity needs since 2001.
What stood out to me at Huawei was the company’s commitment to continuous learning. Employees must dedicate at least one hour per week to learning and take mandatory exams on the company’s platform, iLearning. Even I had to complete these during my tenure!
The inception of Huawei’s Digital Leadership Excellence (DLE) Programme came about after a call from Prime Minister Dato’ Seri Anwar bin Ibrahim, who, in his closing address at the Malaysia ICT Summit hosted by Huawei, mentioned that Malaysians are a very talented people, and leaders need that extra “niche” to guide their organisations through digital transformation. This call led me to the DLE Programme, where I had the privilege of visiting Huawei’s headquarters in Shenzhen, China, gaining invaluable insights into the company’s vision to “bring digital to every person, home, and organisation for a fully connected, intelligent world.”
What struck me most was Huawei’s focus on cultivating a strong corporate culture as the foundation of its long-term success.
As my time at Huawei concludes, I am deeply grateful to Vice President Mr. Oliver Liu and the team at the Business Environment Department for their guidance. I will forever be thankful to Huawei Malaysia for providing me with this extraordinary opportunity. As I move on to my next role, I carry with me the best practices and culture I’ve learned, which I believe will be valuable in enhancing government administration. The transformation of Shenzhen from a fishing village to a global tech hub is a testament to the power of technology, innovation, and visionary leadership — and this will serve as my ongoing inspiration.
William Syrillus Tunsin is the Deputy Director of the Security and Passport Division at the Department of Immigration Malaysia.
– Humans of Kuala Lumpur
