PIKOM honours MDEC’s Gopi Ganesalingam for championing tech growth

• Receives special recognition for ‘Tech Growth Catalyst’
• Role seen as enhancing visibility of tech firms beyond Malaysia

The National Tech Association of Malaysia (PIKOM) recently honoured Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) senior vice president Gopi Ganesalingam with a Special Recognition Award for ‘Tech Growth Catalyst’.

“As a prominent figure in Malaysia’s digital economy, Gopi’s work at MDEC has been transformative, earning him a reputation for enhancing the success and visibility of technology companies in the country and beyond,” said PIKOM chairman Ong Chin Seong.

At his end, Gopi, who has been with MDEC since 2015, views his role as more than just a job – it’s a “God-sent mission to serve the nation.”

Known for the zeal he brings to the job, Gopi credits his success to the robust team at MDEC and his division’s experienced professionals, many of whom have successfully run businesses and are from industry.

Gopi was brought into MDEC tasked specifically with leading a team dedicated to identifying and nurturing promising MSC Malaysia companies, and propelling them into the global arena as regional and global players.

This goal aligns with one of MDEC’s strategic pillars: to build world-class tech champions.

Among others, Gopi leads a team focusing on MDEC’s GAIN (Gateway, Amplification, Investor, Nurture) initiative.

This programme is designed to boost Malaysian companies’ presence on the global stage, starting with the ASEAN region. Established in 2015 the initiative has since engaged with more than 400 entrepreneurs throughout the country, while also encouraging foreign startups to relocate to Malaysia.

“Situated in one of the fastest-growing internet economies in the world, GAIN utilises Malaysia’s aggressive cost base, talent and connectivity to the region. The initiative focuses on market access, visibility, raising capital and fostering companies to emerge as industry leaders within their respective fields,” said Gopi.

He also emphasised the importance of technology and innovation as strategic assets, rather than just costs, for local mid-sized companies.

“To stay resilient, pivoting your business in now a norm as technology becomes less expensive and increasingly virtual, it is more vital than ever for businesses to adapt and innovate, or risk losing their competitive edge,” said Gopi.

As Head of Digital Exports for MDEC, Gopi is also encouraging companies to become strong players beyond the confines of Malaysia and the Southeast Asian region.

To achieve this, and building on GAIN, MDEC recently introduced Founders Centres of Excellence, or FOX which specifically aims to support a select number of companies by providing interventions under six key areas of focus: Specific market access initiative, fund raising (particularly Series A and beyond), policy intervention for ecosystem growth, talent acquisition, global mentoring and amplifying success stories.

Through these initiatives, Gopi seeks to drive further ecosystem growth while fostering the development of global tech champions.

Meanwhile, winners of Pikom Unicorn Tech Awards under the category of ‘Scale-Up Tech Icons’ are:

• SoCar Mobility Malaysia
• TnG Digital Sdn Bhd
• JuWai-IQI Holdings
• Gamer2Gamer Sdn Bhd
• MDT Innovations Sdn Bhd
• CompAsia Sdn Bhd

Michael Ang is a communications consultant based in KL. In his previous lives, he was a journalist with an English daily in KL and had stints as head of comms for IBM Malaysia and Microsoft Malaysia, before serving as Microsoft Corporate PR lead for the Asia-Pacific region in Singapore. Upon his return to Malaysia, he served, among others, as Comms Advisor to then MDEC Yasmin Mahmood from 2014 - 2018.