I heard from very reliable sources that you are “crazy about tech”. What is it about tech that makes you feel that way?
Technology has been a hobby of mine ever since I was young, I’ve always been known as the tech geek. I’m thankful that me being geeky has helped me through my 20-year corporate career. I get excited about the possibilities of Artificial Intelligence and the potential of machine learning in accelerating efficiencies in tandem with human-derived insights. Although talking about tech can get quite dry for some people, I find it very stimulating to discuss what’s really needed in our society today.
Being involved in the pioneering team that developed the Internet in Malaysia, as well as having led the development of Malaysia’s National Public Cloud has led me to further invest my time and efforts into learning and understanding the way technology works. I was also very fortunate to be working with one of the largest leading companies in technology in Malaysia, so it was a real dream come true for me. To be doing what I love most for the people of my country has been such a blessing. Being able to do all that together with a great team supporting me has helped me grow beyond leaps personally and professionally.
At HP Inc., we are very focused on bringing the best of what we have to offer to the table, especially when helping our country move forward into Industry 4.0 and the new normal that we are in today. As one of the key ‘technologies’ driving the Industry 4.0 revolution, Additive Manufacturing (AM) is one of the services we are passionate about. Recognising our position as one of the AM industry leaders, we want to partner with Malaysia to embrace and advance in the age of digital transformation.
We have made the power of distributed manufacturing a reality today, as we work on 3D printing hands-free door openers and face mask adjusters for frontline medical and healthcare workers in Malaysia.
We also apply Industry 4.0 to our manufacturing facilities in Penang, where we are focused in helping solve an industry-wide manufacturing problem. We are proud to localise production of HP Original ink and toner supplies for customers across the world since 2016 from our very own facilities in Penang. With the help of Industry 4.0 expertise and technology to seamlessly complement the relationship between humans and the high-level technology put in place, we are able to keep creating what we do best for our customer’s demand.
Through our innovation in PC and print solutions and services, HP remains focused on taking growing industries on their disruption and transformation journeys with breakthrough technology and applications that bring the best to the future of humanity.
In Malaysia, it’s important that we continue to support and create trusted partnerships with each other. This will bring about new possibilities as industries as they reinvent themselves through digital transformation of production.
Going through your profile, I cannot help but feel a sense of amazement, Fayza. You are a multi-talented lady and now, you are at the helm of HP Inc, Malaysia as the Managing Director. Can you walk us through the career path you have taken, that has brought you to where you are now?
It was a daunting but ultimately rewarding career path, full of challenges but I would not have done it any other way. Working with brands that share the same values, doing what you love, and a brilliant support system helped me in my 20-year career in this industry.
Although technology has been a hobby of mine ever since I was young, my career started out on a different path. I started out working as a journalist after graduation in political science. Through the invaluable experience, I developed a love for storytelling – a skill which will come in handy throughout my career.
After journalism, I moved on to the next stage of my career where my love for technology took centre stage. Continuous learning and keeping a growth mindset through all stages of my career kept me looking ahead for more exciting prospects and projects.
One thing is for certain, it does not matter where we land, but what we can take forward into our next journey of life that matters. That was what has given me a solid foundation that has now led me to being at the helm of HP Inc. Malaysia. Beyond just me is a team of brilliant and hardworking people who are equally passionate about delivering technology in service of humanity while we support the future of Malaysia together.
Growing up, is there anyone you look up to for inspiration?
I look up to my late father, although he was in a totally different industry than mine. He was an Actor, Film Director and Writer. He always believed in using his gifts in the Arts to give back to the society. I saw how the film industry in Malaysia respected him as one of the pioneers in noir movies with anti-hero subjects that tells stories in a completely different perspective and how it inspired a new generation of filmmakers. I grew up wanting to do the same, to contribute to Malaysia and to inspire future generations. This is what keeps me going and helps me stay passionate about technology and the good it can do for our nation.
HP Inc. does not need any introduction; as a matter of fact, many of us have used HP’s products. Let’s walk down a little and tell us how HP Inc. came about all those years ago and how it made it as an internationally known brand that it is now.
HP Inc.’s journey is one I find very inspiring. A product of their love for technology and the good it can bring to mankind, David Packard and Bill Hewlett started amidst humble beginnings in a garage. What came out of that garage was their strong friendship, mutual commitment to better the lives of many, and the birth of this company. Bringing that global ethos to Malaysia as a home-grown Malaysian has been an amazing journey, brought to life by our team here.
Since our inception in Malaysia in 1978, HP Inc., over the last 40 years has supported the growth of the nation across its business functions including sales, customer support, operations and manufacturing. We are proud to be a global brand with a local soul, with high hopes for our country’s big push towards digitalisation for Industry 4.0.
Let’s talk about your area of responsibility as the Managing Director of HP Inc, Malaysia.
It has been such an exciting journey so far!
My goal together with HP is to create better access to technology needed by Malaysians while nurturing talent for Malaysia’s future. I’m grateful that we have a clear alignment from global priorities to what we prioritise for our customers, partners and communities in Malaysia. This has made my job smoother – the importance of having a team that understands and is aligned on what we need to focus cannot be overstated enough.
We actively work with Malaysians across all age groups to support the growth of Malaysia. With university students, we launched the HP’s Creators of Tomorrow, an activation in collaboration with Tealive designed to foster entrepreneurial spirit for students in higher education. With children, we launched the HP Little Makers, a campaign which encouraged tactile learning in more than 90 schools nationwide, garnering more than 18,600 entries and over 90,000 hours spent on learning and bonding between children and their teachers and parents.
More recently, we launched our Generation Coding (#GenC) project in partnership with Microsoft and University Kuala Lumpur British Malaysian Institute (Uni KL). The project saw 400 primary and secondary school students undertaking necessary digital knowledge courses in coding to close the digital gap for the future. Our local initiatives are part of HP Inc.’s overarching goal to enable better learning outcomes for 100 million people around the world by 2025.
Beyond just encouraging entrepreneurship and creativity within the bright talents for the future, we are also dedicating our efforts and time to deliver our expertise in innovative technology and skillset for the local SMB community here in Malaysia. We are pleased to launch a platform for SMBs called HP for Business, where SMB owners and microenterprises can upskill themselves through a knowledge resource platform packed with lessons, courses and mentorship guidance from key business leaders across industries. These unprecedented times will require SMBs to constantly be creative and innovative in the ways they do business, and we are honoured to do our part by supporting such knowledge-driven initiatives. The key to us forging ahead is to be united and supportive of each other, by helping one another grow.
With HP Inc.’s focus to advance, disrupt and transform industries with cutting edge innovation and technology across products and services, we want to empower our employees to be strategic and creative, so they can each contribute towards HP’s goals in Malaysia while fulfilling their responsibilities as Malaysians. I look forward to contributing towards growth for both HP and Malaysia as we continue our digital transformation journey together.
With reinvention deep in its DNA, HP Inc. has the foundations that allow us to make a difference through reinvention of people, planet and our community in Malaysia. HP provides the most conducive platform for us to differentiate ourselves from others and pursue this differentiation for a better future.
You are part of the pioneer team that built the internet in Malaysia and led the development of the first National Public Cloud; I was truly wow-ed by that! What were the challenges you faced, paving way, per se, as it was something very new coming into Malaysia that time?
One of the challenges was to make everyone believe that having access to the internet and subsequently nationwide cloud services was real. Before these technology deployments became a reality, everyone knew that it was coming, but they all believed that it would be a long time before it would really touch them. I felt like a singer singing the same song repeatedly to the same audience. But fortunately, I “hacked” my way into their mind by exciting them about each new technology that I was about to bring. From then on, the challenges faded away as everyone I touched became a sort of evangelist of the technology themselves.
The first thing I noticed about you, Fayza is that you are very well put together in terms of your presentation and appearance. In your opinion, how important is image and personal branding when it comes to climbing up the professional ladder?
Personal branding is key to ensuring that you get heard and your message is accepted. To me appearance goes beyond how well you dress and how you carry yourself, because it should most importantly include your EQ when interacting with people at all levels. The ability to listen and to be open to opinions are some of the character traits that would enable you to get your message across. Being precise, clear but respectful is key to attracting listeners and believers. And your personal brand is usually projected within your ability to be confident when dealing with everyone. To be confident, you must be well prepared in your subject matters and precise in your communications. So, I would say being knowledgeable is part of your personal branding.
On a more relaxed note, your personal brand is also about loving yourself enough to make an effort to take care of your body, mind, and soul. It is all connected. Grooming, dressing, exercising and having a passion are all the components that would make your identity in life and in the corporate world. Having a unique identity makes a lot of difference when you climb up the corporate ladder.
For those who wish to get in touch with you, how can they do so?
I always look forward to connecting with my peers within the industry and Malaysians from all walks of life. I believe it is a great way to learn new things and find common areas of interest and opportunities for new partnerships and collaborations. I am pretty active on LinkedIn and Instagram, so do look me up there and stay in touch!
