STIMULATING CREATIVITY AND EXCELLENCE IN ICT: MSC MALAYSIA APICTA AWARDS 2008 GIVES RECOGNITION TO SPONSORS

Previous winners return this year as sponsors to the MSC Malaysia APICTA 2008 Awards, reinforce their commitment to the development of ICT in Malaysia

KUALA LUMPUR, September 4, 2008: Themed “Stimulating Creativity and Excellence in ICT”, this year marks the ninth year of the MSC Malaysia Asia Pacific Information and Communications Technology Alliance (MSC Malaysia APICTA) Awards Programme.

The MSC Malaysia APICTA Awards recognizes outstanding achievements in ICT amongst students, technopreneurs, small and medium enterprises (SMEs), and operating organizations in Malaysia who have contributed to the development of the MSC Malaysia initiatives or who have developed applications and services for the benefit of Malaysia.

The MSC Malaysia APICTA Awards 2008 is a successful example of the collaboration between the public and private sectors in their efforts to enhance the development of the ICT industry in Malaysia. These joint efforts go a long way towards nurturing the local talent pool and developing a knowledge-based society, whilst transforming Malaysia into a preferred global ICT hub. Sponsors of the MSC Malaysia APICTA Awards 2008 are exemplary of generous contributions and efforts in the development of the local ICT sector, and Malaysia as a whole.

Furthermore, some of the sponsors for the MSC Malaysia APICTA Awards 2008 are also previous winners of the MSC Malaysia APICTA Awards Programme. Among them include:
Cuzzy Media Sdn Bhd
Jobstreet.com
Asia Pacific University College of Technology and Innovation (UCTI)
ASTRO
Redtone International Bhd
Britesoft Solutions (M) Sdn Bhd
Technodex Bhd

The return of these winners as sponsors for the MSC Malaysia APICTA Awards Programme demonstrates the leverage that the Awards Programme provides to participants, and the local ICT sector in general, in reaching out to a global audience.

A total of ten sponsors have contributed in cash and in kind to the MSC Malaysia APICTA Awards 2008. The sponsors are:

Cuzzy Media Sdn Bhd
Jobstreet.com
Asia Pacific University College of Technology and Innovation (UCTI)
ASTRO
Huawei Technologies (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd
Redtone International Bhd
Britesoft Solutions (M) Sdn Bhd
Technodex Bhd
Microsoft Malaysia
Shell International Bhd

Dato’ Badlisham Ghazali, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC), said “Efforts from MSC Malaysia alone would not have been sufficient in shaping the local ICT sector. The collaboration between both the public and private sectors in enhancing the development of the local ICT sector signifies that this is a team effort.”

He also added that, “The post-Awards success experienced by these past winners demonstrates their achievements and capacity to provide such generous sponsorship for this year’s awards.”

The MSC Malaysia APICTA Awards 2008 Programme sees the highest number of nominees ever with an increase of 37, from the previous 321 submissions in 2007 to 359 nominees this year. Winners of the MSC Malaysia APICTA Awards 2008 will stand a chance to represent Malaysia at the annual International APICTA Awards 2008, which will be held in Jakarta, Indonesia, this year.