The success of major capital projects is rarely determined by engineering excellence alone. Increasingly, organisations are recognising that sustainable project success depends equally on leadership, collaboration, governance, and the ability to translate completed projects into long-term operational value.
PXP was honoured to contribute to these important conversations during the Malakoff Senior Leadership Symposium 2026, held on 7 July 2026 at Hilton Glenmarie, where our Managing Director & CEO, Ts. Alex Zulkarnain Zulkarim, participated in two strategic leadership forums alongside distinguished industry leaders from Malaysia and the region.
Although each forum explored a different perspective of project delivery, both ultimately reinforced one common message:
Project excellence is achieved not only by delivering projects successfully, but by creating lasting value through collaboration, integration and operational readiness.
The Owner–Contractor Ideal Ecosystem
Leadership Forum 1
PXP’s Ts. Alex Zulkarnain was entrusted to moderate the symposium’s first Leadership Forum, bringing together an outstanding panel representing owner, engineering consultancy and EPC contractor perspectives.
Distinguished Panel
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Ir. Shafidz Azhar
CEO, MMC Engineering
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Ms. Jee Yi Ying
Managing Director, Singapore, AECOM
Senior Vice President, Southeast Asia, AECOM
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En. Koh Kew Sek
COO & Senior General Manager, Jurong Engineering Ltd.
The discussion explored what truly differentiates successful owner-contractor relationships from those that become contractual battles.
Rather than focusing solely on contracts and commercial mechanisms, the forum highlighted the importance of:
* shared project objectives
* mutual trust and transparency
* early stakeholder alignment
* balanced risk allocation
* collaborative problem solving
* leadership commitment throughout the project lifecycle
The discussion was energetic, practical and engaging, demonstrating that genuine collaboration remains one of the strongest competitive advantages for complex capital projects.
Project Delivery Excellence for Operational Value Realisation
Leadership Forum 2
In the second forum, PXP’s MD/CEO participated as a Guest Panellist alongside one of Malaysia’s most respected engineering leaders.
Guest Panel
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Ts. Alex Zulkarnain Zulkarim
MD/CEO, Project Xcellence Partners
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Tan Sri Ir. Kunasingam Sittampalam
Executive Vice Chairman & Co-Founder, HSS Engineers Berhad
The session was moderated by En. Hairuzzaman Sagi, Head of People Division, Malakoff.
The discussion shifted attention from project execution towards a question that every project sponsor should continuously ask:
Are we merely delivering projects… or are we delivering operational value?
The conversation emphasised that project completion should never be viewed as the finish line.
Instead, true success is realised only when completed assets:
* achieve their intended business objectives
* perform safely and reliably
* are fully ready for operations
* generate sustainable value throughout their operating life
This perspective encourages organisations to move beyond measuring success through schedule and cost alone, towards measuring success through operational performance and business outcomes.
Distinguished Leadership Presence
Both leadership forums were attended by more than sixty senior leaders from across Malakoff Corporation Berhad.
The symposium also reflected Malakoff’s strong leadership commitment through the presence of:
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Tan Sri Wan Zulkiflee Wan Ariffin
Chairman, Malakoff Corporation Berhad
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En. Syahrunizam Samsudin
Group CEO, Malakoff Corporation Berhad
Their active participation reinforced the organisation’s commitment towards strengthening project delivery capability and preparing for future capital investments.
A Common Thread
Although the two forums approached project delivery from different angles, they converged on several important themes.
Successful projects require:
* leadership before governance
* collaboration before confrontation
* operational readiness before project close-out
* long-term value before short-term completion
These principles increasingly define high-performing organisations that consistently deliver successful capital projects.
PXP’s Perspective
At PXP, we believe project excellence is not achieved simply by completing projects.
It is achieved when organisations successfully connect strategy, governance, project execution, operational readiness and long-term value realisation into one integrated delivery ecosystem.
The discussions during the Malakoff Senior Leadership Symposium 2026 reaffirmed that future-ready organisations will be those that break down organisational silos, strengthen owner-contractor collaboration, and manage projects with operational success firmly in mind from day one.
We extend our sincere appreciation to Malakoff Corporation Berhad for the opportunity to contribute to these important industry conversations and look forward to continuing our mission of advancing project excellence across Malaysia’s energy and infrastructure sectors.
(Photos courtesy of Malakoff Corporation Berhad. Shared with sincerest appreciation.)