The country\u2019s marketing graduates may be entering the workforce with degrees, but many are missing something far more fundamental \u2014 the ability to speak Bahasa Malaysia (BM).<\/p>\n
Pepsi Etika chief executive officer (CEO) Santharuban Thurai Sundaram said 70% of the regulated market is Malay, yet many fresh graduates cannot communicate in the national language.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey can\u2019t articulate themselves, they don\u2019t understand local slang or nuances.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd when you don\u2019t have that ability, you become irrelevant in the market,\u201d he said, adding that localisation and cultural fluency are essential in marketing.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you want to work in marketing \u2014 especially at an entry-level \u2014 how can you not know the consumer and how to communicate with them?\u201d he said, noting that graduates from international school backgrounds often underestimate this skill gap.<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, local brands thrive precisely because they speak in a voice Malaysians recognise.<\/p>\n
\u201cLocal brands get the nuances. They know how to speak to Malaysians.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn contrast, many large multinational corporations rotate employees frequently or hire talent who do not understand the culture or language. They miss the connection entirely,\u201d he explained.<\/p>\n
Strong on paper, silent in person<\/strong><\/p>\n Beyond cultural fluency, Santharuban said graduates also struggle with something more fundamental \u2014 self-awareness.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I conduct management training, I see two types of people.<\/p>\n \u201cThose who are academically strong but can\u2019t converse, and those who speak confidently, come prepared with tablets, and want to tell you everything about their coursework,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n He tells all of them the same thing: \u201cDon\u2019t talk about your education or work experience. Tell me about yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, 90% have nothing to say, he said, adding that they prefer to talk about their studies rather than about who they are.<\/p>\n This gap between confidence and substance, he said, reflects a deeper mismatch between expectations and readiness.<\/p>\n The shortcut mentality<\/strong><\/p>\n This mismatch also shows up in career expectations.<\/p>\n Santharuban\u2019s own journey to leadership was built on patience and progression \u2014 something he feels is increasingly rare among fresh graduates now.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen I joined my current company, I just wanted to work my way up.<\/p>\n \u201cI didn\u2019t have this idea of becoming a head of department in two months or a CEO in two years,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Today, however, he sees graduates expecting rapid promotions and instant rewards.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen they come in, they want to move up super quickly. Then, they jump for minimal gains. If someone offers them RM25 more, they\u2019ll leave,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Noting that career progression traditionally requires years of slow, steady growth, he shared how he would not have be a CEO today if he were looking for instant rewards.<\/p>\n \u201cToday, most of the talents are moving into the gig economy for a quick reward,\u201d he pointed out.<\/p>\n The instant earning power of gig jobs, he added, is pulling young Malaysians away from long-term career paths and deepening the country\u2019s growing brain drain with many choosing to work abroad for faster remuneration packages and higher entry-level salaries.<\/p>\n \u201cPeople also think if they move to Singapore or get a job in Europe, they instantly have a better package. Everything is about short-term remuneration,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Note: All interviewees were speakers at Market Buzz 2025. Held on Nov 13, the flagship Monash University event, themed \u201cMarketing for Impact: Nurturing Talent for a Changing World,\u201d brought together industry leaders and academic experts from across the region to tackle a shared challenge: how to prepare, empower, and retain future-ready marketing talent in an era of global disruption.<\/p>\n What industry leaders want graduates to know<\/strong><\/p>\n Don\u2019t stress too early about your life purpose. I feel a lot of young people today take on stress too early. It\u2019s good to be conscious and self-aware, and I\u2019m glad the new generation is thinking deeply about purpose\u2014 but overthinking can push you into decisions that aren\u2019t right for you. Take it easy. Enjoy the process. In your first two years, trust me, you won\u2019t know what you\u2019re doing \u2014 and that\u2019s actually a good thing. If you already feel certain about your career in the first two years, you\u2019re probably in the wrong place. Let the chaos happen around you. Settle in and figure out what you want. Don\u2019t stress too much about finding your life purpose too early. Be aware, but don\u2019t let it consume you. Even today, I don\u2019t know my exact life purpose. But if you believe in the power of your dreams, they will take you where you need to go. Your destiny is yours \u2014 no one decides it for you.<\/p>\n – Mastercard vice president and Southeast Asia integrated marketing and communications head Dheeraj Raina<\/strong><\/p>\n Seize the moment when you\u2019re in a room with influential people. Make sure the people you want to notice you actually see you. And if you\u2019re hunting for a job, then you must have a hunter\u2019s tools. Your CV should be online, real-time, scannable via QR code \u2014 something that leaves an impression the moment someone interacts with it.<\/p>\n – Media and strategic communication advisor to the Prime Minister Datuk Seri Shazalli Ramly<\/strong><\/p>\n We use a lot of artificial intelligence (AI) in our work, especially in content creation. But AI still lacks empathy, judgement, and imagination. To be future-ready, you must know the tools \u2014 you need to know how to use AI \u2014 but you must also understand people. Human behaviour matters. That means going out, socialising, talking to people, exposing yourself to real interactions. All the \u2018old-school\u2019 advice still applies. Put yourself out there, so that when you enter a room, you know how to read it. Once you can read the room, you are future-ready. You already have digital skills \u2014 but the real value comes from humanising those skills and integrating them with strategy.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/apicms.thestar.com.my\/uploads\/images\/2025\/12\/07\/3658513.jpg\")
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