Syed Faizal Shah, the Managing Director of Semasa Services Sdn Bhd tells WargaBiz during a recent interview, he has always been aspired to explore more in his life but never thought that the switch he made in his career three years ago would take him further in his career pathway.
“When I decided to take the plunge to be involved in the Facilities Management industry (FM) which is contrary to my academic background, I know it is going to be tough and would involve many sacrifices,” he says.
Syed Faizal seized his golden opportunity when he bought Semasa Services Sdn Bhd – a subsidiary of Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB), which was up for sale in 2017. The sincere hard work of the team behind the company under his guidance has proven fruitful with Semasa Services Sdn Bhd receiving several notable and outstanding awards that showcases the excellence in the brand and services provided by the company.
Semasa Services Sdn Bhd not only strives to provide high-quality integrated facility management services but it also guarantees that services provided are accompanied with customer-oriented assistance and convenience for their clients. The services are inclusive of many areas of engineering and technical services, namely Mechanical and Electrical Engineering Services (M&E), Energy Management, Asset Management, Building and Facilities Auditing, Indoor Air Quality Maintenance and Landscape Services.
Notable and most significant achievements
As the Managing Director of Semasa Services Sdn. Bhd., Syed Faizal was awarded as one of the 100 Most Influential Young Entrepreneur 2019 (MIYE). He strongly believes that the award is a result of the motivation and inspiration he acquires from the team in discharging his daily duties as the Managing Director of Semasa Services Sdn Bhd. Together with his team and the effective workforce behind it, Semasa Services Sdn Bhd has earned multiple awards within the three years of its establishment which has clearly proven the remarkable standard of the services they provide.
“Our success is primarily based on the team and its workforce. This goes beyond any personal achievement,” Syed Faizal reflects on the company’s success story.
One of his biggest pride in managing Semasa Services Sdn. Bhd. is the team’s successful effort in achieving the quality standard of ISO 41001:2018 from SIRIM; making them the first company in Malaysia to be recognised with the international standard certification in the Facilities Management industry. This is a magnificent success for the company to be known as the nation’s pioneer in receiving such a promising recognition in the industry. This achievement has placed them on a tremendous platform with a distinctive benchmark to drive towards the strategic direction of its organisation.
The year 2019 has marked many success stories for Semasa Services Sdn Bhd wherein they have received The Golden Bull Award 2019 for outstanding Small-to-Medium Enterprise (SME) and the Platinum Business Award 2019 for the SME Rising Star Award, acknowledging their excellence in providing their services and giving them the right motivation to reach for greater success in 2020.
Experience working in different industries
“I was very fortunate to have the opportunity to work at several prestigious companies pursuant to my graduation as an accountant and later as a chartered accountant at General Electrics and Petronas respectively. My experience has assisted in developing my skills to maintain an efficient operation of the company and to ensure its progressive growth,” Syed Faizal recalls on his early intention to do greater for his future, now that he is made known to the secrets of a successful company.
With the experience he has gained, and the skills he has sharpened throughout his previous years, Semasa Services Sdn. Bhd. has been a perfect platform for him to exercise his leadership skills. Fast forward to current times, Syed Faizal has proven the worth of his skills and experience as the company has now reached excellent heights by proving its high quality standard in the industry.
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“I am not an engineer by profession, however, I believe understanding the business is the key item which I hold and learning every aspect of the industry to ensure I would be able to understand the business that I am dealing with,” he emphasises his priorities in developing his business. Syed Faizal is also a keen believer of being different from your competitors in order to keep one foot ahead of the business.
Syed Faizal is very enthusiastic in learning new technology and is willing to challenge any possible process for the betterment and empowerment of the company. He is also optimistic in his long-term vision by staying bullish in the business because he believes such an approach , would propel the company further into greater success.
“It is understood that regardless of any economical state, building owners would require the services provided by Semasa Services Sdn Bhd to sustain and maintain their assets,” he says. Syed Faizal believes that the benefit of this economical sustenance brought by the nature of the business must be closely accompanied with excellent services to ensure the satisfaction of customers, and therefore he ensures that Semasa Services Sdn. Bhd. delivers outstanding services at all times.
Onwards and into the future
If the three years of success is by any means of a benchmark, Syed Faizal is very enthusiastic in his efforts to drive his company to achieve higher market demand and to establish Semasa Services Sdn Bhd as the champion in Facilities & Maintenance services. In doing so, he ensures that team and himself would not stop learning to better their services and to continue their existing hard work for the betterment of the company.
He has never looked back since he made the decision on his career pathway and if there is any advice he would give to any new and upcoming entrepreneurs, it would be, “Take the plunge if you must, nobody has ever failed in trying. If you fail along the way, it means you have learned something new. Use the experience to bounce back and persistence is always the key to success.”
