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Business
TheSharedServices&Outsourcing(SSO)sectorpromisessolidcareerchoicesforyoung
Malaysians. The Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC)’s Shared Services and
Outsourcing Cluster has played a key role in moving the country’s SSO industry up the
value chain in a bid to help realise Malaysia’s aspiration to be a developed, high-income
nation. In this issue, we speak to
Zainur Nadia Abd Malek
of MMC Oil & Gas about her
role as a Project Engineering Executive and the options available in the SSO industry.
Can you share with us a brief introduction
about your job and the category of your
SSO?
My responsibilities are a little similar
to a Project Engineer’s work scope. I
coordinate interface issues between the
technical team and the client, assist the
Project Manager in executing engineering
projects in a timelymanner and efficiently
ensure operational support and resources
for projects. As my job requires advanced
& specialty knowledge and capability in
handling projects in the engineering design
industry, it would fall under the category
of Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO).
Because the SSO industry is so vast, indi-
vidualsmay sometimes not be aware that
theyarepart of it.Wouldyou agree?
Indeed. I think this is largely because the
SSO industry is still not widely known yet.
There are a lot of sub-sectors spanning
various industries such as in traditional IT
Outsourcing where companies brimming
with IT personnel are specifically hired to
manage IT services in other companies,
but it can very well apply to any other
sector, really. For example, in the BFSI
(Banking, Financial Services & Insur-
ance) sector – the top three industries
The SSO Advantage: Career of Choice
are outsourcing vendors who provide
specialised services (such as accounting)
to companies.
Howdidyoumanagetofindyourself inyour
current position?
I joined MMC Oil & Gas after graduating
from UUM in 2006 as a Project Secretary.
My career path changed in 2010 when my
Project Manager, recognising my ability,
entrusted me with a bigger responsibility,
which is to execute the project engineering
role (with supervision). I was able to
deliver my responsibilities well, and as a
result, I was promoted to Project Engineer-
ing Executive.
Howhasyourcareer intheSSOhelpedyou
professionally?
I think that the shared services approach
has given me plenty of opportunity to
continuously improve my work processes
as well as knowledge through exposure to
the industry. Furthermore, I had the op-
portunity to meet different clients, which
has allowedme to gain the necessary skills
and experiences that are vital tomy career
development – I find that I ammore ready
for global challenges.
In your opinion, is the concept of a “work-
lifebalance” a luxuryor a necessity?
A necessity. Contentment as a result of
a balanced life and work load leads to
happiness, which will positively impact
everything you do. It is a simple philoso-
phy – being happy and having a balanced
lifestyle will make you a productive and
efficient worker.
Sodoyouthinkacareer intheSSOindustry
has allowed you to achieve a work-life
balance?
Definitely, yes! Despite being demanding
& time-consuming, my career allows me
to meet a lot of interesting clients through
my travels, which balances the tougher
points quite nicely.
What doyou like themost about your job?
I think it would be the different chal-
lenges that I face in every project that I
handle. Also, I do meet different types of
people, not just locals but fromother Asian
countries, Europe and America.
Shared Services and Outsourcing (SSO) is a categorical
term to describe the combination of both the Shared
Services and Outsourcing industries, both of which
are, by design, implemented to reduce HR costs and
ensure more efficient business services provision.
Where Outsourcing deals with the hiring of third-party
business services providers, Shared Services is where a
company’s internal department provides specialised
business services to the rest of the company.
To know more about career opportunities in the SSO
sector, visit
www.mscmalaysia.my/ssococ
Quick Bites
2013MSCMalaysia SSO Industry
Performance
Total Jobs:
72,730
Revenue Generated:
RM12.79b
Export Revenue:
RM8.40b
Mean Salary:
RM5,976
Total Companies:
288
A career in the SSO industry
prepares you for global challenges.
Zainur Nadia ... ‘My
career allows me
to meet a lot of
interesting people.’