Seeing Double: The English Premier League and Huawei Malaysia

By Adrian Leong, intern via the Cross Fertilisation Programme with the Public Service Department of Malaysia

The Excitement of a Summer Transfer

When offered the opportunity to join Huawei Malaysia in September, 2021, my emotions were like those of a soccer player who had realized a dream move to his favorite [NR1] English Premier League club. The opportunity came about when Huawei's Public Affairs and Communications Department (PACD) joined the Public Service Department's Cross Fertilization Program (PCF) as a receiving agency. PCF is an initiative by the Malaysian Government for officers [NR2] to be placed temporarily in the private sector. This program aims to add value and hone the leadership skills of government officers through observing best practices in the private sector and applying them to government agencies. Having served in the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister's Department for five years, this was a fresh start of sorts, pastures new.

The Passion of Dennis Bergkamp

"When you start supporting a football club, you don't support it because of the trophies, or a player, or history, you support it because you found yourself somewhere there, found a place where you belong."

This quote by Dutch player Dennis Bergkamp, one of Arsenal Football Club's favourite sons, has lingered at the back of my mind ever since it was uttered in the 1990s. It very much reflects my own working philosophy and experience, where, to achieve some sense of belonging, one needs to adapt well and be agile in methods of doing things. In football, talent without hard work will achieve nothing, and this is relevant in the public and the private sectors, too. Being flexible and having the ability to easily absorb new knowledge from your new working surroundings are vital to fitting right in and hitting the ground running.

Huawei Malaysia

In this country, Huawei Malaysia always excites. Under the 3G banner in 2008 then later 4G in 2012. Communications service provider Maxis's FDD (Frequency Division Duplex) Massive Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology is also a good example. The world's first smart 8 Transmit, 8 Receive (8T8R) solution with Celcom is another. Currently, flagship projects include Kuching Smart City, Huawei Spark, My5G, and TM ONE's Alpha Edge. Through these projects, Huawei has opened up the country to a whole new world of digitalization.

Recognizing Strengths

Just as the Premier League showcases many internationally renowned soccer clubs, Huawei, too, has been trailblazing with a plethora of internationally recognized products. Think, Huawei's RuralStar solution ensuring connectivity in rural outskirts, or My5G at Cyberjaya city. There are more: sorting through chilli peppers [NR3] and keeping sturgeons alive for Malaysian-made caviar as well as connecting seaports and airports, just to mention a few.

This leads to a second observation about the Premier League, which is also evident in Huawei. That is, how innovation and technology are being applied. A new development in soccer around the world is the deployment of Video Assistant Referees (VARs), who sit in a control room to help the referee on the field make better decisions. Similarly, Huawei's technology for a command center aims to make daily lives better.

The experience I obtained from Huawei in the areas of new technologies and advanced innovation has been top of the league[NR4] . There is no other place I would rather be to witness the evolution of digitalization from a front row seat.

Lessons Learned

Maybe I was getting a little stuck in the rut with more than 15 [NR5] years in government service, but Huawei has offered me an invigoration of sorts since joining in September 2021. The opportunity that Huawei has offered to[JD6]  me is to learn and also relearn skills picked up from government service.

Relearn as in participating and enjoying the accomplishments of the PACD officers when the Prime Minister, YAB Dato' Sri Ismail Sabri, visited Huawei's Customer Solution Innovation and Integration Experience Center (CSIC) in November 2021. It was one of the main highlights of the year and surely one of the most significant ones. The visit was the culmination of months of planning and toiling, not to mention tears and fears[NR7] . It was nice being part of the PACD team in achieving one of its key targets.

There were also many other opportunities to learn, such as when helping to organize the online Empowering Women Leader's Conference, involving 26 speakers, which magnified the importance of female empowerment in Huawei's agenda. Kudos to the PACD team again for being able to bring together successful and important women to speak at this conference. These included successful leaders of the country such as the Deputy Minister in the Prime Minister's Department, Datuk Mastura Mohd Yazid, and retired Federal Court Judge Tan Sri Zainun Ali. Huawei's very own Madam Chen Lifang, Corporate Senior Vice-President and Director of the Board, as well as Ms. Afke Helprigdina Maria Schaart, Senior Vice-President, also lent their voices. These women spoke with vigor on ways to advance women in finance, technology, business, the judiciary, and the government.

Being involved in the nitty gritty of organizing this conference, right down to the last detail, taught me the importance of patience and how to deal with last minute unforeseen circumstances when things sometimes do not go as planned.

Finally, this program provided me with the biggest opportunity to learn two totally new fields, namely 5G mobile networks and cyber security. I was given the opportunity to be part of the launch of My5G — the first 5G cyber security test lab in Southeast Asia — at CyberSecurity Malaysia in December 2021. I have been able to witness the work Huawei is putting in with various partners, to ensure the success of the test lab and I feel this will be the most valuable experience that I will gain from my stint at Huawei.

Moving forward

At Huawei, I have experienced the working culture and environment of a leading multinational company, witnessing the development of effective presentation materials and the importance placed on time management[NR8] . However, my journey is not yet over and I am looking forward to many more opportunities to learn in the months to come. I look forward to improving and developing my interpersonal and communications skills and I believe the skills acquired will be useful in my future placements in the civil service.

"Watching others, listening to their advice, and reading about people are three of the best things I ever did." [NR9] These words of wisdom from Sir Alex Ferguson, the man who won almost every major trophy at the club level as the manager of Manchester United, are perhaps the three guiding principles that can hold me in good stead as I continue my attachment at Huawei. With bated breath, I am excited to see what comes next.