FIND OUT MORE LEARN ABOUT high-value

opportunities in Malaysia. Contact Andrew Hinton at UK Trade & Investment on 07825 603097 or email andrew.hinton@ uktispecialist.com

MALAYSIA IN THE UK

THE BIGGEST MALAYSIAN investor in the UK is YTL Corporation, which owns Wessex Water. Other major players include the Genting Group, which has 44 UK casinos; Mui Asia, which owns Laura Ashley and Corus Hotels; and Air Asia owner Tony Fernandes, who has recently acquired Caterham Cars and has a rapidly expanding Tune Hotels business.

LAND-SWAP SETTLEMENT An historic land-swap deal between Malaysia and Singapore also gives rise to additional signifi cant construction and infrastructure opportunities. The parcels of land ceded by Malaysia

were part of a railway dating back to British colonial rule over both countries. Malaysia’s ownership of railway land that goes deep into Singapore territory had been an irritant for decades, but both nations have vowed to resolve all outstanding issues and to promote long-term co-operation. Four of the land parcels are at the

glamorous Marina South area, near where Singapore is building a new multibillion dollar fi nancial centre, with apartments and malls. Las Vegas Sands’ $5.5bn Singapore casino, the Marina Bay Sands, is located here. The other two parcels are in the Ophir-Rochor area, east of Singapore’s central business district (CBD). Malaysia has agreed to relocate a

railway station, near the CBD, to an area close to one of the two bridges linking the countries, freeing up land in the process.

LEARNING LINKS Education is one of the 16 pillars on which Malaysia is building its economy, and one of many sectors brimming with opportunities for UK companies. One Yorkshire fi rm is taking advantage of this by supplying its e-learning package to all of Malaysia’s 10,000 state schools.

Through its international ambitions,

Halifax-based Frog has become one of the county’s fastest-growing companies; with 80 employees, it has almost doubled its turnover every year for the past fi ve years. Frog’s joint venture partner, Malaysia’s

YTL Corporation, will provide internet connectivity to the schools through its high-speed wireless 4G mobile network. The partnership now aims to expand even further into the Far East. The University of Nottingham was early in spotting the potential in Malaysia and set up a campus in Semenyih, 30km south of Kuala Lumpur, in 2000. More recently, the Newcastle University

Medical School has established a centre in Johor while the Edinburgh-based Heriot-Watt University has signed a MOU to build a £20m campus in Putrajaya, Malaysia’s administrative capital. The universities of Southampton and

Reading and Malborough College are building establishments in Johor, while Epsom College is intending to set up in EduCity, just outside of Kuala Lumpur. Like Frog, many UK educational suppliers have discovered the lucrative market that Malaysia represents. This autumn, the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur will once again be promoting lively trade with a series of events and workshops to coincide with this year’s BES ASIA, a key event for the suppliers of educational resources.

“ THE COUNTRY IS GOING THROUGH A RAPID CHANGE AND GROWING QUICKLY AT OVER FIVE PER CENT IN 2011”

SHARED HISTORY “There are many positive features that should encourage UK companies to look to Malaysia,” says Tony Collingridge, director of trade and investment at the British High Commission in Kuala Lumpur. “The country is going through a rapid change and growing quickly at over fi ve per cent in 2011. The exchange rate is also good for exporters at the moment. “We have a long shared history,

a shared language – the majority of Malaysians speak English – and there’s a shared use of common law. All these things are important because it makes business easier for UK fi rms. Companies like HSBC, Standard Chartered and Prudential have been here for around 100 years and are doing very well indeed. “Kuala Lumpur and Malaysia provide an excellent base at reasonable cost and are good starting points for UK companies to engage in the wider ASEAN region. “One of the best benefi ts for business

is the easy access at the highest levels for companies here. There is also a particular willingness to do business with Brits, because of the history and familiarity, as many leading Malaysian businesspeople and politicians were educated in the UK.” UK Trade & Investment in Malaysia

helps around 500 businesses each year, primarily through introductions, advice and market reports. The British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (bmcc.org.my) has supported UK companies since 1964.

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