Two days of rich conversations and one clear message for HR leaders in Malaysia: the function that proves its commercial value is the function that leads. Here is what we saw, shared and learned at the CHRO Nexus Forum and HR Future Leaders Forum 2026.
Key takeaways:
- Thriving Talents joined HRLC 2026 at the Grand Nexus Ballroom, Bangsar South City, as Gold sponsor of the CHRO Nexus Forum (7 Sep) and Platinum sponsor of the HR Future Leaders Forum (8 Sep).
- In his opening keynote, “Leading Through the Turnaround: People, Culture & the Courage to Transform”, Datuk Hishammudin Hasan challenged HR leaders to adopt a commercial mindset, because every function contributes to the organisation’s results.
- We were honoured to welcome YB Dato’ Seri Ahmad Fahmi bin Mohamed Fadzil, Minister of Communications, who officiated the event and visited our booth.
- Our founder and CEO, Michael Teoh, moderated the Day 1 closing panel and spoke on Day 2 about team building that transforms culture.
- Visitors experienced our experiential simulations, a VR-based communications workshop, a leadership journey roadmap and an HR-topics vote using LEGO bricks.
- We introduced ASAH, our new microlearning platform powered by exclusive partner frntlne, built to help HR prove training ROI.
- Datuk Hishammudin Hasan is now available as a panel speaker through Thriving Talents.
Introduction
If you lead HR or L&D today, you already know the pressure. Budgets are tighter, business leaders want evidence rather than attendance sheets, and your people are dealing with more change than ever before. The question in many boardrooms is no longer whether HR matters, but whether HR can show how it moves the numbers.
That tension was in the room at HRLC 2026. Across two full days at the Grand Nexus Ballroom, Bangsar South City, senior HR leaders and rising HR professionals gathered for the 3rd edition of the CHRO Nexus Forum on 7 September and the HR Future Leaders Forum on 8 September, both organised by UOA Academy.
We were proud to be part of both days, and we want to share what we heard, what we showcased, and what it means for anyone looking for a corporate training partner in Malaysia who can turn learning into measurable results.
The Wake-Up Call: HR Needs a Commercial Mindset
Day 1 of the CHRO Nexus Forum opened with a keynote from Datuk Hishammudin Hasan, a business turnaround, transformation and growth leader, titled “Leading Through the Turnaround: People, Culture & the Courage to Transform”.
The title captured the reality many organisations face right now. A turnaround is rarely just a financial exercise. Strategies and restructuring plans only succeed when people understand the direction, when the culture supports new ways of working, and when leaders have the courage to make difficult changes and see them through. That puts HR at the centre of every transformation, not on the sidelines.
From that starting point, Datuk Hishammudin’s advice to HR leaders was direct: adopt a commercial mindset. In a challenging business climate, every part of the organisation contributes to results, and HR serves the business best when it understands how revenue is won and how its own work drives it. In a turnaround, HR cannot afford to be seen as a cost centre. It has to be a partner in growth.
It was a message that resonated with us. For years, we have seen well-designed programmes judged on smile sheets rather than business impact. When HR speaks the language of sales, margin and productivity, and can show how culture and capability drive performance, it earns a stronger voice in strategic decisions, and L&D investment becomes much easier to defend.
We were also honoured by the presence of YB Dato’ Seri Ahmad Fahmi bin Mohamed Fadzil, Minister of Communications, who officiated the event and took time to drop by the Thriving Talents booth. His visit was a proud moment for our team.
Michael Teoh on Stage: Change, Culture and Team Engagement
Our founder and CEO, Michael Teoh, played two roles on stage. On Day 1, he moderated the closing panel, “Orchestrating Change: Insights from Top HR Leaders“, with Rich Fozi of Toyota Malaysia, Shankar Nagalingam of Lumileds and Masliza Mansor of Advanced Energy. The discussion explored how senior HR leaders guide their organisations through change without losing their people along the way.
On Day 2, Michael spoke to the next generation of HR leaders on “Beyond Fun & Games for HR as Organizer: Team Building that Transforms Culture“. His point was simple: team building should not be a day out. When it is designed with a clear outcome, it becomes one of the most effective team engagement solutions available to HR.
Inside the Thriving Talents Booth
Our booth was designed to let HR leaders experience learning, not just read about it. Visitors explored:
- I Am Introvert, the book by our founder Michael Teoh, on helping quieter talent lead and contribute with confidence.
- Exchange Extravaganza Ice Breaker Cards (Malaysian Edition), a ready-to-use way to spark real conversation in any team session.
- Mars Colony and Quantum Fleet, our experiential training simulations that put teams under realistic pressure to collaborate, decide and lead.
- A communications workshop with a VR experience, showing how immersive practice builds confidence faster than slides.
- A leadership journey roadmap, mapping how leadership capability can be developed step by step over time.
- An informal LEGO-brick vote, where HR leaders cast bricks for the topics that matter most to them right now.
You can see how the LEGO vote turned out in the photo gallery below.
Also read: Thriving Talents Success Stories
Introducing ASAH: Training You Can Finally Measure
HRLC 2026 was also where we introduced ASAH, which is Malay for “sharpen”. ASAH is our new microlearning platform, powered by our exclusive partner frntlne. It answers the exact challenge raised in Datuk Hishammudin’s keynote: how does HR prove that training pays off?
ASAH turns leadership, sales and soft-skills programmes into continuous learning with proof of impact, through three tools. Course extends a Thriving Talents workshop into a 30-day mobile habit with completion tracked per learner. Mimic offers AI role-play so people can rehearse tough conversations and sales pitches before they happen for real, and get scored on them. Playbook gives teams just-in-time guides on the job, so learning shows up where the work actually happens.
For HR Directors, ASAH brings completion, knowledge gain and behaviour change into one dashboard, with programme-level ROI reporting ready for board packs. Across frntlne deployments with more than 80 brands in 2025 and 2026, the platform recorded a median course completion rate of 89% and in-store sales uplift of 40% to 133% for a subset of supplier programmes. ASAH is opening to a limited first cohort of Malaysian companies, and you can register your interest at asah.thrivingtalents.com.
Ready to Build Learning That Moves the Business?
Thriving Talents is an HRD Corp claimable training provider specialising in customised corporate training, including workshops, experiential learning, leadership development programmes, keynote speeches and fireside chats. With more than 60 expert coaches and experience across 42 countries, we design outcome-based training programmes that start with diagnosis and end with measurable results.
We are also pleased to share that Datuk Hishammudin Hasan is available as one of our panel speakers. If his message on turnaround, culture and the commercial mindset resonates with your leadership team, reach out to us to bring him to your next conference, leadership offsite or fireside chat.
Book a free consultation with Thriving Talents or email sales@thrivingtalents.com for future engagements.
“Learning that continues after the workshop ends.“
