Forest Interactive Foundation partners with CIMB Foundation to empower aspiring strategists and new entrepreneurs through Digital Marketing Bootcamp

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‍KUALA LUMPUR, April 5, 2023 — Forest Interactive Foundation in partnership with CIMB Foundation today launched the second cohort of the #seKODlah programme, #seKODlah For Business, following the inception of the pilot programme last year.  The enhanced initiative is designed to empower aspiring Malaysians to deepen their knowledge in kick-starting their career or business in the digital and technology sector.  

The extended collaboration with CIMB Foundation is aimed at further enhancing and nurturing university graduates and budding entrepreneurs the required knowledge and skillsets to be future marketers through a rigorous curriculum to enable their full potential. Participants were provided with the required tools and resources to sharpen their digital marketing knowledge, enhanced with coaching in soft skills to encourage entrepreneurial spirit through a series of diversified workshops and group projects. The programme concluded with a final pitching competition where participants presented their best ideas to a panel of industry experts.

Johary Mustapha, Founder and CEO of Forest Interactive Foundation said: “#seKODlah For Business is our new initiative to prepare future innovators with the necessary skills to thrive in emerging roles within the tech industry. Malaysia is experiencing rapid digitalization, and as a homegrown tech company, we play an important role in influencing and encouraging the youths to participate in growing the local digital economy.”

“This second cohort with CIMB Foundation is different from our first #seKODlah,” Johary continues. “We wanted to address the importance of digital marketing this time around. The programme is tailored for passionate graduates or individuals that are interested in pursuing a career or starting their own business in the digital economy. Participants will be equipped with industry knowledge that will help them measure and achieve their career goals utilizing digital marketing best practices.”

Rafe Haneef, Chief Executive Officer of CIMB Foundation said, “With the intense digitalisation and transformation seen in the way to do business post pandemic, future-proofing our talents with the right knowledge and skill sets in the digital space is not only needed, but required. As such, we are pleased to once again work on a meaningful collaboration with Forest Interactive Foundation for the second cohort of the #seKODlah programme. Together, we are catalysing growth amongst graduates and aspiring entrepreneurs by providing them with an avenue to hone their talent and skills for the digital space. Underscoring one of the Foundation’s key impact areas, Economic Empowerment, we hope the #seKODlah programme will serve as an impetus to propel our youth and budding business owners to become future leaders in the high-demand technology industry.”

Malaysia has the highest internet usage rate in the region with 54.7% of users using the internet for information pertaining to products or brands, which is driven by the nation’s robust digital and technological advancements. This is a strong testament to the significance of digital marketing as the ideal way to unlock new opportunities in scaling up businesses and contribute to the longevity of business in the contemporary world.

Understanding the importance of youth development, Forest Interactive Foundation is one of the forerunners in organising educational campaigns that help nurture future digital talents and prepare them for the Fourth Industrial Revolution (IR4.0). The #seKODlah For Business bootcamp is open for final-year university students, between-job individuals, or founders of newly established start-ups.  

A total of 16 participants were shortlisted to take on this journey in discovering the most important aspects of leveraging digital tools and knowledge for business in a practical, hands-on, and intimate digital marketing class.  

Workshops & Mentoring

Supported by CIMB Foundation and facilitated by Forest Interactive Foundation, the 12-day intensive boot camp consisted of workshops led by established instructors from Elfo, a digital marketing agency, on topics, such as:

• Digital Marketing 101
• Social Media 101
• Facebook, Instagram & Google Ads
• Industrial Knowledge (Thought Leadership, SEO Foundation, Business Proposals, Advanced Digital Marketing Strategy)

These workshops were tailored to equip participants with the necessary tools and techniques to create an integrated digital marketing plan. By the end of each session, participants were able to develop an accurate and measurable objective for their digital marketing activities.

Pitching Competition

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As part of the campaign, participants teamed up to create a mock funnel deck to meet the needs of their client, Meeth. Participants were provided with a brief company background and tasked to create the company’s business profile, digital marketing strategy, social media and paid ad mocks on various platforms for the Japanese skincare brand.

The winning pitch, which edged over other participants and landed perfectly in the eyes of the jury, was by the group consisting of Haeshwana Subramaniam, Shivaneson Suppiah, and Emyra Sofea binti Mohd Suhairi.

The winners took home a total cash prize of RM3,000, certificates, and medals. They attributed their success to the inclusion of TikTok as the key platform in their pitch, in addition to the strong teamwork cultivated despite coming from diverse field of studies.  

Shivaneson explained, “Our pitch stood out from the rest because of teamwork. We had a collective mindset to go the extra mile, including recording advertisements on how to promote our product. That was just one of our many strategies that stood out.”

Haeshwana agreed that the workshops over the past few weeks proved to be beneficial, as there are lots of tools and technical terms in the digital marketing field that they were not aware of beforehand.

“Our mentors were very helpful; their guidance was also one of the biggest factors that contributed to our win. They always reminded us to be attentive to details, regardless of whether it was big or small. I really love this programme, trainers, and surroundings – they are the best!” shared Haeshwana.

The winners’ sentiments echoed the closing speech of Rafe Haneef, CEO of CIMB Foundation: Digital upskilling is essential for youths and entrepreneurs to forge ahead in the current climate.  

Johary also expressed, “#seKODlah For Business was launched with the unifying goal to provide resources for local talents to join the digital economy. I am glad to see each group incorporate learnings from the workshops in the pitch decks. Their creativity and assiduity prove that our next generation of tech talents are more than ready to advance the nation's digital economy. With CIMB Foundation as our partner, we hope to create more opportunities for equitable education and positive economic advancement in Malaysia."

Find out more information about Forest Interactive Foundation at forestcares.org.

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About CIMB Foundation

CIMB Foundation is a non-profit organisation established in November 2007 to implement CIMB Group’s corporate social responsibility and philanthropic initiatives, focusing on four impact areas: Education, Health & Community Well-being, Economic Empowerment, and Climate & Environment, to contribute towards sustainable long-term positive impacts in the communities around us, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Since its establishment, CIMB Foundation has disbursed over RM165 million through nearly 1,300 projects benefiting almost 1 million people in the communities served by CIMB Group, making CIMB Foundation one of ASEAN's leading CSR champions.

About Forest Interactive

Founded in 2006, Forest Interactive develops scalable mobile platforms to connect mobile operators, content providers, and game publishers with their subscribers. With over 15 years of industry experience, Forest Interactive has expanded to include a diverse workforce of 20+ nationalities in 15 regional offices.  

Delivering content subscription services, digital voucher and e-commerce platforms, and mobile apps for all ages, Forest Interactive operates in more than 30 countries, servicing 90+ mobile operators and 100+ content partners with the capacity to reach over one billion subscribers worldwide. To learn more, visit forest-interactive.com ‍

About Forest Interactive Foundation

Founded in 2021, Forest Interactive Foundation aims to nurture and develop talents through sustainable initiatives and programs, establishing empowered communities and upholding sustainable environments for our own people and the world’s future innovators in tech. As the corporate social responsibility (CSR) arm of Forest Interactive and a UN Global Compact member, we are committed to accelerating the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in the following areas:

• Future Innovators 

With the goal of developing future innovators in a fast-changing world, we shape initiatives that can help students prepare for a future where they can thrive with technology, one of it being the #seKODlah program.  

• People 

We strive to bring our company’s culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion to the broader community. By harnessing our strengths for social good, we are able to empower marginalized communities in our increasingly connected world.

• Community and Environment 

We are committed to sustainable actions and best practices:

1. Demonstrate empathy and sensitivity to the needs of others.

2. Aim for responsible material inputs that are renewable, recyclable, or reusable. 

3. Bridge public and private partnerships in support of SDG 17. 

4. Be a part of the climate accelerator program by implementing SBTi in line with the 1.5°C pathway. 

 
Prior to its establishment, Forest Interactive Foundation, through Forest Interactive, has empowered more than 3500 students and 2,000 people in the communities through more than 38 initiatives. Visit forestcares.org to learn more.