Six Malaysian Students To Battle It Out At The 2021 APAC FedEx / JA International Trade Challenge Finals

FedEx Express / JA ITC Malaysia Concludes its 14th Year of Competition

Top 6 Winners

FedEx Express, a subsidiary of FedEx Corp. (NYSE: FDX) and one of the world’s largest express transportation companies, together with Junior Achievement (JA), announced the six Malaysian students who won the 2021 FedEx Express / JA International Trade Challenge (ITC) Malaysia. The students now advance to compete at the FedEx Express / JA ITC Asia Pacific Regional Finals later this month. FedEx Express Malaysia and Junior Achievement (JA), have been hosting the competition since 2008.

The FedEx Express / JA ITC provides a platform for students to gain firsthand experience of international trade and entrepreneurship while cultivating a business mindset. To date, the FedEx Express / JA ITC has reached over seven thousand students in Malaysia.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s competition was held virtually for second consecutive year. Over 500 students participated in a series of seven intensive virtual workshops held through April 2021 to prepare them for the competition. During the workshops, several FedEx volunteers facilitated and mentored the students on how to structure and present their business plans.

SC Chong

At the Malaysian finals, 15 shortlisted teams presented their market entry strategy plans for a fashion product targeted at the Pakistan consumer market. Applying the insights and knowledge gained from the virtual workshops, the students presented their teams’ business plan with value proposition, pricing strategies, identified market opportunities and distribution channels to a distinguished panel of judges that comprised of SC Chong, managing director of operations at FedEx Express Malaysia; Zaman Ahmad, head of corporate ventures of Tenaga Nasional Berhad and Jasmine Ng, co-founder of EnGame.

“We are delighted to see that more than 500 students from all over Malaysia have taken part in the FedEx Express / JA ITC workshops despite the lockdown,” said SC Chong, managing director operations, FedEx Express Malaysia. “The Top 15 teams that made it to the Malaysia Finals demonstrated thorough market research, creativity and smart pricing strategies, high quality financial analysis, and practical supply chain design. By organizing this competition year after year, we hope to continue inspiring a new generation that understands and appreciates the importance of international trade to help prepare their careers as future business leaders. The finalists this year have validated that we are on the right track.”

This year, the three winning Malaysian teams that will compete at the FedEx Express / JA ITC Regional Finals are:

• Team Venerable: Alyssa Goh Min Yi and Jayden Leong Jin Chern from SMK Seafield, created a handbag called “RRAW” (Reducing and Repurposing Agricultural Waste). The front and back panels of RRAW are made up of leather from natural fibres and the sides are made of hand-woven wheat straws. The pattern of this bag was inspired by combining Pakistani rugs as well as the Malaysian “anyaman” style. This product is targeted for women aged 15 to 54 years old, as they make up 54% of Pakistan’s population. Both Alyssa and Jayden believe that to reach the top of your game, you need to invest in an innovative and sustainable product.
• Team Shamsi Co.: Sree Sanjana Manoj and Krithika from SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 3, developed the Solar Shield - a sun protective clothing made for women to protect them from the hazards of UV rays as 67% of the Pakistan’s population are exposed to extreme heat conditions. The Solar Shield is made from a range of Sun Protective Fabric which typically has an Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) of 30. Hence, only 1 out of 30 units of UV rays will pass through the fabric. 
• Team Pyara: Lavanya Indran and Leanne Cheong from SMK Bandar Utama Damansara 3, who developed the AaRAM Boots, high quality footwear designed for labourers, working class women and young adults. It is made of plastic-free, natural fibres for the soles and tear-resistant shoelaces out of synthetic wool from recycled plastic bottles. This footwear caters to various foot types, from low to high arches. There were three objectives behind their design – meant for those unable to afford high quality footwear, have a footwear option that can withstand Pakistan’s weather conditions, and to provide a product that is Halal-certified.

Stuart Dean

Chairman of JA Malaysia, Stuart Dean shared his enthusiasm about the upcoming regional competition. Dean said, “Every year these young minds never fail to impress us with their talent and entrepreneurial spirit. Even though we are currently living in a challenging virtual world, we know that these students will excel at the Regional Finals. Thank you to FedEx Express Malaysia for this continuing collaboration and for sharing the same values and vision as us, which is to nurture and upskill our future talent.”

At the Regional Finals, the three winning Malaysian teams will be paired up randomly with students from other countries such as Vietnam, China, Japan, Hong Kong SAR, Philippines, India, Indonesia, South Korea and Singapore, to boost cross-cultural exchange of ideas.