Leading A Smart City – My Journey

RSOG Leadership Forum

Leading A Smart City – My Journey

 with

YBhg. Dato’ Faris Yahaya

About the Seminar

Planned townships in Malaysia can be traced back to as early as the 19th century when Charles Reade, a colonial town planner from New Zealand designed Kuala Kubu Baru as a ‘garden town’. Since then, the expectation for such developments have been transformed thanks to the accessibility and affordability of technology. Townships are expected to be able to ‘think’ and make routine adjustments for its people; in a more advanced setting, such townships offer virtual interfaces, sharing and collaborating – enhancing transparency, the democratisation of ideas, and paving the way for a knowledge-based society. With that, are such smart townships more a milestone in a city’s natural evolution/growth or a result of a purposeful, strategic plan? And in either case, what roles should the leadership of a smart city assume to influence the direction of its growth? These are some of the questions that Dato’ Faris Yahaya, Managing Director of Cyberview Sdn Bhd will address in this Leadership Forum; drawing from his experience in leading the transformation of Cyberjaya into a Global Technology Hub through collaborative innovation.

Summary

Dato’ Faris Yahaya has a wealth of insights to share as Managing Director of Cyberview Sdn Bhd. With calm confidence, he explained the uniqueness of his organisation, a Government-Owned Company (GOC) given the role of managing the smart city of Cyberjaya. Cyberjaya, a city within the Sepang district of the state of Selangor, was officially opened in 1997 as part of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) plan. While its authoritative power lies with Majlis Perbandaran Sepang, Cyberjaya’s strategic planning and development is tasked upon Cyberview.

Smart cities across the world have unique identities. The notion of ‘smart’ indicates that the city can translate technological assimilations into seamless living for its population. The advancements in ICT and IoT (Internet of Things) have allowed human beings to construct infrastructure that can ‘think’ and self-adjust to its surroundings; from municipal bins that monitor waste levels and optimised collection routes in Barcelona, to traffic sensors that deal with crimes in New York. Cyberjaya is constantly learning from its established counterparts in amalgamating the most suitable elements for its own ecosystem to work. It is built upon two key pillars: its positioning as a Smart City, and its Living Lab initiative. In relation to the Smart Selangor 2025 Blueprint, Cyberjaya is perhaps a precursor model city to be followed by the rest. #SmartSelangor seeks to make all Selangor cities ‘smart’ by 2025, thus positioning Selangor as an ‘innovation hub’, a concept that is all-too-familiar for Cyberview. Cyberjaya already functions as a ‘lab’, where tech players and solution providers test out their products and services, thus demonstrating a proof of concept.

Originally the landowners of Cyberjaya, Cyberview has now received a mandate to transform the city into a Global Tech Hub. It works closely with Setia Haruman Sdn Bhd, Malaysian Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Malaysian Global Innovation and Creativity Centre (MaGIC), and other stakeholders, to roll out strategic plans and infrastructure. It looks set on fulfilling the 2050 National Transformation’s (TN50) emphasis for Innovation and Creativity to propel Malaysia forwards. Cyberjaya is also the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation’s (MOSTI) city of choice as it boasts the right ecosystem for residents, companies, and startups to thrive in a smart setting. It embraces the ‘OPEN’ concept in doing business, welcoming new ideas, and meeting challenges. This openness is evident even in its architecture, such as the non-conventional design of the city mosque’s dome. Oftentimes they have been asked: are they the Silicon Valley of Malaysia? Dato’ Faris argues that while Cyberjaya may not have the same heritage and environment as Silicon Valley, they do share the same essence – a diverse population and a drive for innovation. Half of the 98,000 residents of Cyberjaya are not Malaysians, and this is an excellent proof of the city’s melting pot culture. This diversity is key to making Cyberjaya a ‘smart city’: functional and interconnected beyond any human differences.

Touching the lives of the people has always been Cyberjaya’s principle focus. Dato’ Faris is convinced that ‘Livability’ is what defines the city above all else. Cyberjaya is envisaged as a real, living city – a vibrant convergence of technology and urban living. One can enjoy the convenience of simply paying with a mobile app, even at the mamak stall down the road. The digital payments service was borne out of Cyberview’s partnership with Mastercard, with a vision to create a ‘cashless’ society. Generally, Cyberview believes that the city must be allowed to grow naturally, where human experience blends harmoniously with smart elements. The stories of other smart cities provide useful lessons for Cyberjaya. It strives to learn from their mistakes, ensuring that the human aspect is given utmost importance in any project. After all, cities are essentially human manifestations of how living should be. It then comes to no surprise that the Cyberview family itself embodies the values of Honesty, Integrity, and Passion. For success to happen, one must always go back to the core values of its people.

There are many critical issues that Cyberview wishes to tackle. Modern traffic is one of them, as millions of hours and approximately RM 5.5 billion in productivity are lost due to time spent on the road. Cyberview, in collaboration with Telekom Malaysia (TM), has rolled out the ‘Smart Traffic Management System’ that significantly reduces the amount of waiting time at LTE-upgraded traffic lights. Other pressing issues faced by the country are also highlighted: 36% of treated water is inaccessible, while RM1.5 billion has eluded Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) due to analog meters being easy targets for theft. It is evident that there is an urgent need for more efficient and sustainable management of utilities and resources. The Raja Haji Fisabilillah Mosque was built with sustainability in mind: light sensors, solar rooftops, a water harvesting system. In fact, it is the first Platinum-Green Building Index certified mosque in Malaysia. Besides that, the upcoming Cyberjaya City Centre will boast a solar-powered ‘walkalator’ which connects it directly to Putrajaya Central. The Cyberjaya station will also receive high connectivity as the second last stop on the new MRT2, and a tram service is expected to operate all over the city by 2019. In terms of ‘soft’ infrastructure, Cyberview is working with Atilze to be the first Southeast Asian smart city to implement LoRa, a long range, low powered, wide area network (LPWAN) technology. It is clear from all these efforts that Cyberview does not compromise on efficiency and practicality as it spearheads innovation.

Dato’ Faris credits the excellent progress of Cyberjaya to collaboration. Stakeholder relations play the most important role in materialising any kind of project: through open discussions, consensus, and a common direction. Cyberview is always in talks with the local council and all relevant companies to agree on overall objectives and goals. Ultimately, all parties must work together in a civil manner for the benefit of the public in general. To achieve this, effective leadership is necessary. Being a leader means providing the right parameters, motivations, and a clear direction, thus empowering the team to create and flourish. Dato’ Faris’ convictions lie in the saying ‘Absolute power corrupts absolutely’. He believes in relinquishing power and engaging even the youngest members of the team in generating creative and economical solutions for the company. Perhaps the most important thing is to establish a set of common values and mission for all team members to agree on despite individual differences. Only then can corporations create a common culture that nurtures its people and supports innovation.

Cyberview is setting its sights on being in the Top 3 ranking for GOC by 2020. It hopes to create a Global Tech Hub anchored on livability, efficiency, and sustainability. By 2035, the population of Cyberjaya is projected to reach its maximum capacity of half a million people. Will it be able to sustain a fertile ecosystem of integrated smart living? How different will smart cities be in the future, as human lifestyles evolve? Only time will tell, but Cyberview is arguably future-ready and committed to making Cyberjaya a true ‘home’ for its people – as diagrammatically illustrated in Figure 1.

Key Issues Raised

• There are still rooms for improvement for the city’s smart infrastructure. Despite solving Friday prayers traffic, the traffic light configurations can be fine-tuned to better address work and down-time traffic. The mosque also needs to consider improving water flow at its wudhu area, an issue that will be shared with Jabatan Agama Islam Selangor (JAIS) as they have assumed management of the mosque. On another note, diversity may have an impact on cultural sensitivities. Cyberview will work with the Police and related parties to ensure harmony and safety.

• The focus on stakeholder relationship is of great interest in today’s modern economy. To make things work, all parties should set aside their personal ego and instill trust among collaborators. The concept of a one-man ship should be avoided. Patience and humility are also key when dealing with different ideas and opinions. Cyberview emphasised that its smart city is not about grand, white-elephant projects, but more on small projects with big impact on the lives of its residents – and this is only achievable through close cooperation.

• What are the policies, procedures and frameworks needed to build a Smart City? The Ministry of Urban Wellbeing, Housing and Local Government (KPKT) has shared their concern for developing a guideline as they will take on the role of planning cities. Most importantly, the kind of city desired must be identified. Cyberview itself has laid out a 5-year plan for its Global Tech Hub target, while incorporating MOSTI’s IoT framework. The 4 layers of Sensor, Network, Platform, and Application have been identified in terms of planning, yet a ‘smart city’ guideline remains ambiguous. Cyberview has expressed its wish to work with KPKT to come up with a general framework for smart city conception.

• The Living Lab initiative is a good test bed for the FinTech industry. Cyberview works with Finex Capital, Mastercard, and various startups to upgrade the financial landscape of Cyberjaya. Going ‘cashless’ has been a focal aim, alongside giving small or local companies opportunities to flourish. The topic of bitcoins was also brought up, perhaps paving the way for collaborations with the Securities Commission to explore this further.

• Cyberjaya needs to polish up on surveillance, cybersecurity, data management, and PDPA-compliance. All relevant parties, including the Police must communicate to stay on top of public safety. Alerts and complaints should be directed to a Central Command Centre that also aligns all sensors and devices into one integrated system, with an open data concept.

• Public placemaking is still a work-in-progress for Cyberview; the Cyberjaya City Centre is only kick-starting as it is subject to differing developer goals. It will serve as a good centre with high connectivity in terms of transportation services. But, there are other aspects to be explored and refined, such as effective retail or pop-up spaces, and a design that promotes relaxation or social gatherings.

• The role of a leader is to make clear the overall direction for all stakeholders and team players. The vision and mission of a company must be identified so that people have common goals and values to subscribe to. The leader needs to motivate and get everyone on board, maintaining consistent interaction with staff. On the other hand, expecting instant results and being too hierarchical may not be helpful to the company. It is worth remembering to ‘walk the talk’ and to practice what you preach.

About the Speaker

Dato’ Faris Yahaya was appointed as the Managing Director of Cyberview Sdn Bhd in June 2013. He has more than 20 years of experience in Audit, Banking, Financial Advisory and Consultancy Services. Faris holds a BSc. (Accounting & Financial Analysis) from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom and attended Bank Negara Malaysia’s Global Leadership Development Programme at Drucker School of Management in Claremont Graduate University, Haas School of Business in University of California Berkeley and Marshall School of Business in University of Southern California. He is also a member of the Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the Malaysian Institute of Accountants.

Contact

To get more information on this event, you can contact us via email at programmes@rsog.com.my