Creating products that are new, exciting and different has been an aspiration of Ahmad Izham Omar’s as he ignites the different industries that he has launched businesses in. The founder of 8TV, www.tonton.com.my, Hot FM, Fly FM and One FM has made a big difference with his innovative productions in local entertainment and broadcasting.
“I started out with a small record company, Positive Tone, in the 90s to create our own positioning in the highly structured local music industry – where all the music sounded alike. We went to the ground – literally jumped into the mosh pit – where a different kind of music was coming up among the urban crowd and we began promoting this alternative music among the rest of the populace. Success came with a lot of hard work and despite a lot of obstacles in the beginning,” said Izham.
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 Izham’s knack for learning what consumers want puts him in a position to deliver products and services that are often overlooked by the mainstream. |
Drawing over a thousand INTI students in a presentation that was part of INTI’s Business Leadership Series (BLS), Izham, a multi award-winning music producer, arranger, songwriter and musician, also shared his insights on knowing one’s product and customer.
“Don’t blame lack of sales on lack of advertising; product and service always come first. If your product doesn’t work, no amount of marketing will help. You’ve got to get out there and listen to what people are saying. Get out of the office, lose that tie, roll up your sleeves and win your customers one by one,” he said.
His address was delivered in a packed lecture theatre at INTI International University in Putra Nilai, and was also viewed via live stream by students and staff at INTI’s campuses nationwide.
“The Business Leadership Series brings to INTI leaders in the business community – entrepreneurs, operators and executives – that can share some of their experiences and wisdom with our students,” said Amit Sevak, CEO of Laureate Malaysia. “This is part of our long standing effort to become one of the premier educational institutions in Malaysia.”
Initiated last year, BLS has been held since then on an almost monthly basis. Industry leaders who have been featured included Siemen’s Prakash Chandran, Dell’s Bobbi Dangerfield, Microsoft Malaysia’s Ananth Lazarus, Ricoh Malaysia’s Lim Eng Weng, IBM’s Ramanathan Sathiamutty and many others.
“These outstanding individuals from the corporate world have been very inspirational and our students have been tremendously supportive of the series,” said Sevak. “I am confident that no other tertiary institution in Malaysia is offering this level of exposure to this level of community and industry leadership on such a regular basis.”
Students of INTI benefit not only from its 25 years of experience and strong track-record, but also gain from the global synergy and resources that Laureate International Universities provides. INTI is part of Laureate, the world’s largest private education network with a presence in 28 countries, with more than 60 accredited universities and 130 campuses, serving more than 650,000 students globally.
For more information on INTI’s programmes, call 06-7982000 / 03-56232800.