SUNWAY — The Malaysia Retail Chain Association (MRCA) organised Women Connect Circle 1.0, bringing together women leaders, entrepreneurs and professionals with a shared vision of building a stronger community through connection, inspiration, collaboration and elevation.

Established in 1992, MRCA has a vision of uniting Malaysian retailers as a single community and providing a collective voice for the industry.

The association also serves as a platform for engaging government agencies, industry organisations and other stakeholders to foster collaborations and create opportunities that benefit its members.

On behalf of the organising committee, Corinne Chieng and Dr Cassandra Chan welcomed participants to the inaugural gathering, describing Women Connect Circle as a platform designed to provide women with opportunities to be heard, seen, supported and empowered to grow.

The event centred on four key pillars: Connect, Inspire, Collaborate and Elevate.

The “Inspire” component featured 10 spotlight speakers who shared their experiences, resilience and perseverance, offering participants practical insights that could be applied to their own businesses and leadership journeys.

In her welcome remarks, Miss Racheal Tan, MRCA Women’s Division Chief, described the community as a “home” — a place where women can belong, be heard, supported and given the opportunity to grow.

“Our direction is simple: connect and collaborate,” she said, stressing that networking should go beyond exchanging business cards. Every connection carries a story, and meaningful relationships can create opportunities for women to grow together.

From Challenge to Change

One of the featured speakers, Puan Lai Lee Ching, Retired Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) shared her leadership journey under the theme “From Challenge to Change”, reflecting on how adversity can become a catalyst for innovation.

Drawing on nearly four decades with the Royal Malaysia Police, she spoke about how challenges throughout her career strengthened her ability to lead, adapt and create solutions. Her career included former roles in Special Branch, strategic planning, corporate communications and commercial crime.

She also reflected on her pioneering role in establishing the official PDRM Facebook presence, launched in 2010, at a time when government agencies were still heavily reliant on traditional communication channels.

For Lai, leadership is not about being the loudest person in the room, but about bringing clarity, courage and direction when others are uncertain.

She outlined five moves for turning an idea into a sustainable system: understand, challenge, introduce, build trust and sustain.

Her leadership journey also demonstrated how challenges can be transformed into opportunities. She recalled how gender barriers and difficult situations became sources of strength, particularly when courage was required in rooms where women were not always given an easy path.

She emphasised that leaders should not wait until everyone agrees that they are ready. Instead, they must have the courage to act when circumstances demand new solutions.

Turning to the growing challenge of scams, Lai highlighted the importance of moving beyond enforcement towards public education and awareness. She shared how campaigns and initiatives such as “Be Smart, Stay Alert” were developed to raise awareness and encourage the public to remain vigilant.

The discussion was particularly relevant in the age of artificial intelligence, where scammers are adopting increasingly sophisticated methods, including investment and romance scams.

Lai also stressed that cybersecurity should be a priority for small and medium-sized enterprises. Data loss and business disruption can have serious consequences for businesses, making it essential for SMEs to understand cybersecurity risks, existing cyber laws, reporting mechanisms and relevant guidelines.

She urged participants to take away three principles: lead with purpose and turn pain into winning possibilities. 

Taking Malaysian Businesses Beyond Borders

Another spotlight speaker, Diana D.Talit, Deputy Director, MATRADE with more than two decades of experience, encouraged Malaysian entrepreneurs to look beyond the domestic market and recognise their ability to compete internationally.

She highlighted three important areas that businesses need to strengthen: market knowledge, market access and confidence.

According to her, many Malaysian entrepreneurs have good products and strong motivation, but may lack the confidence or knowledge required to take their businesses to the next level internationally.

For businesses considering exports, she highlighted three fundamental questions: Are you export-ready? Do you have the capability to export? And are you financially ready?

Choosing an international market should also be based on research rather than personal preference. Entrepreneurs should not simply decide to enter a market such as China, London or New York because they like the country or believe it is a large market.

Instead, they should examine whether there is genuine demand, understand consumer behaviour, study the competitive landscape and conduct proper market research.

She also encouraged businesses to consider markets where Malaysia has an advantage through free trade agreements (FTAs), which can provide preferential tariffs and make Malaysian products more competitive.

The next question is how to enter the market. Entrepreneurs may work with agents, distributors or importers, but should conduct proper due diligence before entering into agreements.

Businesses should study a potential distributor’s network, market reach and financial capability, and should avoid granting exclusivity too quickly.

She also highlighted the role of the Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) in helping Malaysian companies prepare, connect and access international markets through advisory services, training programmes, workshops and guidance on product-specific rules and regulations.

RCEP Opens Regional Opportunities

The discussion also highlighted the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) as an important platform for Malaysian companies seeking to expand across the Asia-Pacific region.

Entrepreneurs were reminded that ASEAN and other regional markets should not be viewed as one homogeneous market. Consumer behaviour, regulations, competition and purchasing patterns can differ significantly from one country to another.

RCEP, together with Malaysia’s broader FTA network, can help businesses improve market access, diversify export destinations and potentially benefit from preferential tariffs.

The message to entrepreneurs was clear: do not simply ask which country is the biggest market. Ask where Malaysian products have an advantage, where demand exists and which trade agreements can make the business more competitive.

Building a Community That Moves Together

Throughout Women Connect Circle 1.0, the emphasis remained on the power of relationships and the importance of creating a supportive community for women in business.

The spotlight sessions were designed not merely as inspirational talks, but as opportunities for participants to learn from real business and leadership journeys — including setbacks, uncertainty, resilience and eventual breakthroughs.

The organisers said the vision is to build a platform where every woman has an opportunity to be heard, seen, connected and supported, while creating meaningful opportunities for collaboration.

The event reinforced the idea that meaningful networking begins with a story. Behind every introduction is a journey, and behind every connection is the potential for collaboration, business growth and mutual support.

As Women Connect Circle 1.0 concluded, participants were encouraged to leave not only inspired by the stories they had heard, but equipped with ideas they could translate into action and business results.

At its heart, Women Connect Circle is about creating a community where women do not have to grow alone — a community where they can connect, inspire, collaborate and elevate one another, while building stronger businesses and taking Malaysian ambitions beyond borders.

The inaugural event ultimately brought together MRCA’s community-building mission with a wider vision for women’s leadership and entrepreneurship: to create connections that lead to collaboration, collaboration that creates opportunities, and opportunities that enable women and businesses to grow together.