BANGKOK: Yayasan Pahang (YP) continues to make its mark on the global stage with chief executive officer Datuk Mahmud Mohd Nawawi being named one of the winners of the Outstanding Leaders in Asia 2024 award by the prestigious ACES Awards.
The award adds another feather to his cap after he was named Most Inspiring Leader at the Employee Experience Awards Malaysia 2024 in June.
The ACES award recognises inspiring leaders and sustainability advocates. It received 682 submissions for 31 categories from 22 countries across Asia.
Mahmud joined YP in 1992 after serving as an urban planner in California, the United States. He was appointed YP general manager in January 2014.
Speaking to the New Sunday Times, he said he was honoured to receive the award and described it as an acknowledgement of the joint effort put in by his dedicated and hardworking team at YP.
"The award is not about me alone, but a proud moment for YP in terms of helping increase its visibility.
"Earning domestic and global recognition will bring YP to another level and leave a lasting impact in the society."
Mahmud, who has 31 years of experience at the C-suite level, said at YP, everyone is free to voice their opinions and there is two-way communication between all levels of staff.
"We have regular meetings. There is an application for staff to directly channel their concerns to me. They can communicate with me openly through the platform without revealing their identity.
"I always tell my staff that we must be prepared to face challenges in our work and find ways to overcome the obstacles. Regardless of the challenges, we must think outside the box and strive to get the job done.
"I always believe it is important for good leaders to put themselves in the shoes of their subordinates.
"This has allowed me to see and understand YP from a bigger perspective and successfully execute our plans."
Mahmud said among the challenges he faced in his early days with the foundation was being financially self-sufficient.
"Previously, there were government grants, but we had to stand on our own feet instead of relying on others. We ventured into oil palm plantations and expanded over the years.
"YP is now a solid foundation with a stronger footing. I believe anyone who comes in the future will only need to make minimum changes to help the foundation achieve bigger things at the next level."
He said the foundation had always championed the livelihood of the people in Pahang, especially youth, through education and skills training by hosting specially tailored programmes.
"Apart from providing study loans and scholarships, we empower the less fortunate to be economically independent through fish breeding, pineapple farming and rock melon farming.
"We want to help the B40, including Orang Asli and asnaf, to move towards the M40 group.
"To produce future-ready leaders, YP organises leadership training programmes for Form Four and Form Five students from schools across Pahang.
"We also promote religious programmes at tahfiz, mosques and prisons."
Mahmud expressed his gratitude to YP chairman and Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail, board members, staff members and all partners for their continuous support and trust that led to the foundation making headlines.