12 July 2021
Programme remains priority for CIMB in supporting and helping future proof micro-SMEs
Kuala Lumpur: CIMB Bank Berhad and CIMB Islamic Bank Berhad (collectively “CIMB” or “the Bank”) has reached a key milestone in the CIMB MicroBizReady programme, where 112 participants from the B40 community, have been upskilled with sound business knowledge and a solid grasp of digital tools to power their businesses for growth. Launched in October 2020, CIMB MicroBizReady is run in collaboration with Taylor’s Community.
The programme is targeted to micro-SMEs to help them scale up their businesses with training in digitalisation, business strategy and finance. Throughout the programme, each participant is assigned a mentor who will guide and evaluate their progress. Mentorship will continue even after they have completed the programme to ensure the entrepreneurs have access to free consultation and advice while they grow their business.
Since its launch, three cohorts have completed the programme, comprising of general business owners in the Klang Valley, women entrepreneurs and the Asnaf community.
The latest cohort, consisting of a group of 43 participants from the Asnaf community, were recently feted in a virtual graduation ceremony. The ceremony was officiated by Dato’ Abdul Rahman Ahmad, Group Chief Executive Officer of CIMB Group, as well as May Wong, Head of Group Communications & Corporate Social Responsibility, Taylor’s Education Group.
Dato’ Abdul Rahman said, “The CIMB MicroBizReady programme is tailored to help future proof micro businesses in reaching their goals and dreams. Its objectives reflect CIMB’s commitment to support the SME and B40 communities, underscoring the Bank’s aim of becoming a ‘purpose-driven organisation’, an important strategic theme in our Forward23+ business strategy. Concurrently, we are also glad to be able to help SMEs take advantage of the opportunities presented to them throughout their business journey in a more empowered manner, especially during this challenging period. My sincere congratulations to all the graduates, and I would also like to thank our partner Taylor’s Community in this long term project as we celebrate the success of the programme’s graduates.”
The latest cohort included Muhammad Amirul Kamaruddin, owner of Soliloquy Enterprise, specialising in canvas tote bags and various types of apparel as well as Intan Ziana Harun, proprietor of Pasar Mini Coart, selling sundry goods. Given the pandemic special attention was placed on building an effective website for online sales, facilitated by EasyStore Malaysia. For their hard work and diligence during the programme, two-year subscriptions to EasyStore worth RM5,988 were awarded to the five top participants as encouragement for them to mobilise their business immediately.
In August, a new cohort will undergo similar training, focusing on the differently-abled community.
