Elabram Systems Group: On Target Always: Sunny Yaw for Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Award 2014 (APEA 2014)

On August 15, 2014 at Marriot Hotel in Jakarta, Indonesia, Elabram Systems Group (ESG) in Indonesia under Yaw Lung Siong or better known as "Sunny" as the Group Deputy Managing Director received an award for Best Entrepreneur alongside with 11 others who are not only deserving because of their overall achievements but also an inspiration to many around the globe. Attendees during the awards night were ESG Managing Director Mikel Yaw, Usanee Yaw his loving parents and his supportive PTES team.

“For 15 years and at a young age of 39, this man is the inspiration of more than 3300 manpower that made Elabram Systems unique in every way and for appreciating and acknowledging that the team members are the backbone of the organization.”

" I believe that hard work always pay off when we are persistent enough. Basically to "never give up". - Sunny Yaw

ESG Group Deputy Managing Director Sunny Yaw at APEA 2014

Yaw Lung Siong “Sunny” experiences in a corporate world made him understand the importance of working hard to be on top. He experienced to be in a rank and file position after graduating from Federal Institute of Technology in Malaysia (FIT) with the Diploma in Electronic Engineering when he entered the corporate world as Core Network Executive from August 1994 to December 1995 under Mutiara Telecom (now knows as DIGI Telecommunication) in Selangor, Malaysia and got involved in the planning and execution of Mobile Network. A technical person with the right mindset, hardworking and with perseverance for success, after four years in Mutiara, he became the team leader and started managing and organizing the manpower resources regarding to functions staff developments, activities and facilities.

With the skilled he gained from that first job, he rose and joined the number one in equipment manufacturer in the world of Telecommunication. Ericsson made him a System Support Consultant in Dalian, China, he was appointed in implementation department and same time also helping in supervising. Sunny Yaw later joined Ericsson in Dallas, Texas, USA that made him a certified leader in telecommunication industry in Project Management.

After being employed as an Engineer for years, Sunny Yaw felt that he needs to share his expertise in telecommunication and the need for him to join his brother Mikel Yaw at Elabram Systems and to establish the company not only in their native land but also abroad. Sunny joined Elabram Systems in 1999 with the main purpose at the start to be focused just in the telecommunication industry.

Sunny Yaw is one of the key founders and the Group Deputy Managing Director of Elabram Systems Group, the preferred partner of different global telecommunication companies and specializing in 4 solutions- Network Planning & Optimization (NPO), Talent Acquisition & Deployment (TAD), Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) and Knowledge Process Outsourcing (KPO). Elabram Systems was founded in year 1999 and it has office in Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines, Thailand and with 26 footprints around the globe.

As the Deputy Group Managing Director of Elabram Systems, his areas of responsibilities covers project management, financial planning, and business development and operation management. His expertise is proven in handling and working in the wireless division to provide pre and post sales support for new and existing businesses within the Asia Pacific, Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

The winners at APEA 2014 Indonesia

Testament to his entrepreneurial spirit is the compliments from the top companies in the world. According to Sean Bowie who is the Establishment Director at Ericsson Telecommunications Pte Ltd,

“I engaged Elabram Systems to provide resources to projects I was conducting in Indonesia during 2005/2006.

Sunny has always met my project requirements even during difficult times and shows great professionalism and enthusiasm for the task at hand. I have always appreciated his commitment to finding solutions and ensuring that we are receiving the best in terms of potential candidates. His understanding of the requirements is key in this area, and his ability to keep me informed about the realities of a situation most useful.

Sunny is trustworthy, credible and very reliable. I enjoyed very much the opportunity to deal with Sunny and would do so again should I need project staff.”

Over the years, Sunny Yaw steered the company to a higher level of achievement of reaching RM 100 million group turnover with more than 300 permanent employees and 3000 outsource consultants working globally. His aim is to have branch offices in all countries not only in Asia Pacific but also to reach more countries outside APAC and to make Elabram Systems a top player not only in Telecommunication Outsource Manpower and Engineering Services in Asia Pacific by 2015 but also the best service provider under TAD, BPO and KPO. That’s why after 15 years, the company tagline “Your friend in Telecommunications” which specifically targeted the Telco industry was change to “On Target Always” to show that the company is not only catering for one industry but to all industries that ESG can serve in terms of providing empowered resources and skilled manpower who can deliver an output which is “On Target Always.”

The pillars of Elabram Systems Group: Managing Director Mikel Yaw and Group Deputy Managing Director Sunny Yaw during the APEA Awards Night 2014

Sunny’s answers for the usual questions from the media who likes to understand his visionary thoughts are summarized on his answers below;

What motivates you?

I would say my excellent team. I know that every day they come to work with the eagerness to excel and contribute more to the company. As a leader, I am motivated when they are motivated. I make it a point to ensure there is perpetual growth and to bring my team to where they want to be.

Your Passion and Hobbies.

I find my passion as being unique from what others perceive. "I love to love”. It is a strong word. Love has many definitions. To me it means Sharing, Caring and Giving more than you can receive. It’s a warm and fuzzy feeling when you are doing something good and it is a feeling that pushes you to do more. I put a lot of passion into my business and strive to build it from a good company to a great company, a company that my team would love working and representing. I would say we are close to being a great company but there is always room for continuous improvement.

What is success to you?

Successful is a strong word and it brings different meaning to everyone. To me, being successful means doing my job well. I would like to be recognized as someone who always tries my best to achieve my goals, a ‘never give up’ attitude. The journey of life is full of challenges. It is the experiences of failing and standing up again to reach the goal that means more to me than the final destination. I never stop when I reach my goals because I know I can always do better and move further.

Who are the founders of ESG, who started it? Me and Mikel (Managing Director and Brother).

Who are your inspirations?

My brother inspires me the most. He always has big dreams and the courage to take bold steps. He thought me that all these can be achieved if we have proper planning and to take things step by step. Most importantly he thought me to never give up. I have great admiration for my brother because I have learned a lot of life lessons from him in our fair share of failures and success stories.

For years, why do you think ESG is thriving?

ESG is thriving because we have a great team behind us. The company will not be where we are today if not because of them and I thank them for all their hard work, commitment and dedication. Hence, it is my duty to set the directions and to steer the team towards being recognized as the best company to work for. Last but not least, I owe a lot to our business partners for believing in us and help bring us to the region and hopefully to being a global company in the near future.

Motto and Beliefs.

I believe hard work always pay off when we are persistent enough. Basically to "never give up".

Elabram Systems Group in Indonesia

Elabram Systems Group since the inauguration in 1999 supports a lot of institutions for their Corporate Social Responsibility. Sunny initiated in Indonesia a campaign and just recently donated at Philippine Red Cross (PRC) to help the Super Typhoon Haiyan victims in the country and the earthquake survivors in Bohol, Philippines. In attendance to the turnover of donation at PRC was the former Senator of the Philippines and the incumbent Chairman of PRC Richard Gordon. Sunny Yaw believes that sharing is a must and to receive more blessings, we need to share more. A man of value and Integrity, Sunny believes also in Innovation not only in technology but for oneself, doing extra miles and volunteerism.
The Elabram Systems Inc. (ESI) in Manila is the newest branch under Elabram Systems Group and was established in 2008. Elabram Systems Group has supported ESI to be established and have won the Huawei Philippines Best Delivery Award (RF) with Huawei in year 2013. Sunny always make sure ESI is growing and ESI has provided the local Philippines staffs to experience work abroad in Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia to be exposed to different cultures and leadership. Sunny Yaw strongly believe that ESI will be the talents developer for Elabram Systems Group. Meantime, Sunny Yaw is planning to have ESI to expand into Knowledge Outsourcing, Education/Academy, End to End Network Optimization and RF Technology Solution Provider in Philippines.

ESG Managing Director Mikel Yaw and Usanee Yaw

Sunny Yaw and his proud family during the APEA 2014 Awards Night

Elabram Systems has been awarded in SME2010, APEA2011, Golden Bull 2012 in the recent years and only proof that Sunny’s leadership is the foundation of the organization side by side with his brother, Mikel Yaw who is the Managing Director of ESG. Right now, Elabram Systems Group supports different global companies such as Huawei, Ericsson, ZTE, Alcatel Lucent among others not only for their engineering needs but also for human resources, payroll and information technology.

Right now, Elabram Systems is being true to the core values from STAR (Sincerity, Teamwork, Adaptability, Respect) to ISTARS with the additional for “Innovation and Simplicity” because Sunny believes that the team members must find a way to get better solutions and to do everything in the most simplest way but exceptional results.

Some more photos during the APEA 2014 Awards Night