By Jerry Choong
PETALING JAYA, Oct 5 — The new Kerry Kuala Lumpur Centre by multinational taste and nutrition company Kerry Group plc is in aligment with the First Selangor Plan (RS-1), said Menteri Besar Dato’ Seri Amirudin Shari.
Speaking at the centre’s officiation ceremony in Bandar Utama yesterday, he said it is a pleasure to have Kerry operate its centre in Selangor where it will provide various multi-functional digital services and solutions.
“These are aligned with RS-1’s aspiration and key strategies. As such, this centre is both an important phase for Kerry but also for Selangor, as it positions itself as the destination of choice for both local and foreign players to set up their global business services, manufacturing operations and businesses in the state,” Amirudin said.
The opening of the RM15.8 million facility is indicative of Kerry’s commitment to Malaysia, which has the group’s largest workforce within Asia Pacific/Middle East/Africa (APMEA), and is expected to create over 400 new jobs, facilitate knowledge transfer and upskilling local hires, as well as driving Kerry’s sustainability ambitions.
The Kerry Kuala Lumpur Centre is also closely modelled after the organisation’s Global Business Services Centre in Mexico, which covers North, Central and Latin America. Malaysia’s strategic location will enable Kerry to recruit and develop top talent to the organisation alongside providing long-term career prospects in APMEA and beyond.
Group executive director and group global chief financial officer Marguerite Larkin said the centre’s establishment is a strategic move for Kerry, given Malaysia’s availability of talent, excellent infrastructure and transport links, varied languages, affordable cost, and geo-political stability.
“As we celebrate 50 years in business, we are pleased to expand our presence here to hone skilled digital talent to support our move up the value chain beyond traditional global business services.
“To this end, we invested in a bespoke world-class collaboration space to provide a stimulating, flexible, and engaging work environment for our teams so that they can bring their best work every day,” she said.
In over twenty years of operating in the country, Kerry has established two offices five state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities in Selangor, Johor and Penang; all of which are currently employing more than 2,200 people.
The sites in Malaysia produce customised food and beverage solutions for food products, sauces, syrups, emulsifiers, and infant formula for local consumption as well as export across the region.
