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CONTENTS
03-04THE QI STORY
05-06LEADERSHIP
07-08GUIDING VALUES
09-12BUSINESS LINES
13-20RECENT INVESTMENTS
21-24STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
25-32BUILDING A GLOBAL BRAND
Showcasing Creativity Nurturing Champions Entertaining Asia
33-43 CORPORATE HEARTBEAT
RYTHM Foundation Vijayaratnam Foundation
1998 was a time of speculative optimism.It was the year when Southeast Asia was christened as one of the world’s thriving economic centres. And yet, barely a year later, it was embroiled in one of the worst and most uncertain financial crises it had ever encountered.
At the same time, the dot com bubble was in decline. The economic meltdown caused an alarming number of failures in the e-commerce industry. There could be only a few winners in each sector, and even the largest companies suffered.
But in spite of the turmoil, QI was born, due to great perseverance, foresight, rational thinking and determination.
Using e-commerce, with the Internet as its main business thrust, QI delivered its diverse range of products and services to customers at every corner of the globe.
Today, the QI Group has grown into a multinational conglomerate with six key business lines — telecommunications, lifestyle and leisure, luxury and collectibles, training and conference management, property development and a global retail & direct sales business.
Our subsidiaries can be found in over 30 countries with key regional offices in Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.
These achievements are a reflection of the creative and entrepreneurial spirit of a resourceful, multi-cultural team led by a global board of directors schooled in solid economic fundamentals.
But we believe that this is just the beginning. The constantly evolving group is expanding organically with strategic investments, creating high-quality interrelated ventures, products and services worldwide.
And as we move ahead into the future, it is our vision to keep on growing, no matter what the odds. Just as our journey began in 1998, we know — the road tomorrow may be uncertain, but with spirit and determination, we can achieve all that we dream of today.
QI’s newly acquired headquarters in Malaysia.
QI Headquarters at Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong.
THE QI STORY
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Upon completing his higher education in the United Kingdom and the United States of America, Eswaran worked in several blue-chip companies in Europe, Canada, Australia, and the U.S. before returning to Asia in the early 1990s. He started a business venture with a small group of partners that soon transformed itself into the multimillion-dollar global conglomerate, the QI Group. The multicultural organisation achieved spectacular growth in its first decade spearheaded by his consensus-driven management style.
Eswaran is also a highly respected and much in-demand motivational speaker who is well versed in subjects that range from spirituality, leadership and business innovation to economic affairs. His repertoire includes speeches at the Commonwealth Business Forum at CHOGM 2007 in Uganda, the Global Entrepreneur Summit in Singapore, the International Business and Leadership Symposium in Brussels, and Pravasi Bharatiya Divas, the global Indian Diaspora meet in India.
He is also the author of the best-selling book, In The Sphere Of Silence, which encapsulates his personal philosophy in attaining a fine balance between success and individual fulfilment. His most recent book, In The Thinking Zone, is a collection of his thoughts and reflections through a series of quotations aimed at helping readers adopt a healthy attitude in dealing with day-to-day situations.
Eswaran divides his time between Hong Kong, Malaysia, London, and Sydney and provides strategic direction for the QI Group’s growth and global expansion.
To learn more about him and to read his blog, please visit his website www.vijayeswaran.com
LEADERSHIP Vijay EswaranExecutive ChairmanQI Group of Companies
Vijay Eswaran, the Executive Chairman of the QI Group of Companies, is a man of multiple talents: a visionary entrepreneur, a talented author, and a renowned speaker.
His life’s journey commenced rather unconventionally, when at the age of nine, he left home to live in an ashram in the mountains of the Philippines until he was 17. Since then, Bismark has actively pursued an innate thirst for knowledge, and excelled in his various interests as a vedic philosopher, yoga instructor, bonsai master, tai chi coach, a classical musician and even a martial arts exponent.
A founding director of the QI Group, Bismark assumed the role of Group Managing Director in December 2008. His open and consultative management style is anchored around the tenets of his vedic philosophies.
A philanthropist at heart, Bismark is also a firm believer in spiritual growth acquired through meaningful service to humankind and devotes a significant part of his time to the activities of RYTHM Foundation - the Corporate Social Responsibility arm of the QI Group.
Bismark is currently based in Singapore, from where he oversees the QI Group’s business operations.
To share his musings and reflections on life, visit his blog at www.gemsofwisdom.com
Joseph BismarkGroup Managing Director QI Group of Companies
Joseph Bismark, the Managing Director of the QI Group is a talented, dynamic and versatile leader, who lives by the adage “everyone has the potential to do extraordinary things.”
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GUIDING VALUES
At the core of this unity was the inspiration of one man. A man whose teachings the founding team unanimously admired. A man whose teachings changed an entire generation, long before technology turned the world into a global village. That man was no other than the great Mahatma Gandhi.
He had inspired a new generation of leaders, from Martin Luther King to Mandela to Aung San Suu Kyi. So perhaps it was apt that the four pillars of QI Group are derived from his teachings.
Truth, Service, Care and Raising Oneself lies at the heart of all that we do. Inspired by Gandhi, they are meddled into the mettle of leadership that is being built at QI.
TRUTH We believe that the first thing people should care to know is the truth about themselves. Only then can they have the desire to change. This value translates itself into our training programmes, literature and all our communication. We also constantly attempt to set higher standards of the application of truth in all that we do.
SERVICE The second pillar is a fundamental value weaved into the fabric of our organisation. In-Service is a tagline inculcated into all our companies and departments, all the way to customer service. It is a statement of pride, as we believe that it is more than just a philosophy. It is a value that lives constantly at every moment of all our lives.
CARE This value takes life in the form of the RYTHM Foundation. We care for the communities where we live, operate and do business in. We work hand in hand with local communities — setting up free hospitals, providing medical care, homes for the underprivileged, shelters for women or even ground support during disasters.
Care, as per Gandhi’s teachings, is not just limited to fellow human beings. His concept of ahimsa can mean non-violence but in a broader sense, it also means that all life is sacred.
At QI, we embrace this teaching by practicing vegetarianism, just as Gandhi did. But it is more than just a food choice, lifestyle statement or health preference. It is our statement that all Life is Sacred.
RYTHMIt stands for Raise Yourself To Help Mankind and is the most important pillar and mission of the QI Group. In all its forms, RYTHM is about recreating the message of Gandhi. It is our corporate heartbeat that fuels our growth and it defines the purpose of our existence. Most of all, it continuously propels us towards higher goals.
These core values are the pillars that hold the QI Group together and help it flourish. It brings us together, regardless of language, culture, creed or stature. It gives us a common goal — to achieve RYTHM. It’s the special magic that we attribute to Mahatma Gandhi. And at QI, this special magic has perpetually weaved its own brand of miracles amongst everyone in our family.
In 1998, the QI Group was born from a diverse group of people of different nationalities and cultures united by a vision. It was a vision to create something that would change the lives of people everywhere. And in spite of their diversity, a common value system held them together and guided their road ahead.
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Lifestyle and Leisure
QI’s lifestyle division embraces the concept of living life to the fullest. We believe that work and play should co-exist, and good times spent together can bring both family and friends closer.
BUSINESS LINES
Training and Conference Management
The V is QI’s training arm that consists of a professional team of trainers offering customised training and support to international entrepreneurs through global marketing events, network management and development programmes.
The V’s flagship event is the V-Convention. The largest global event within the Group, it converges participants from over 30 countries for an intense four-day training programme.
To date, The V has organised 12 highly successful V-Conventions in various East African and Asian capitals. Smaller scale regional conventions are organised at least once a month in different parts of the world.
Luxury and Collectibles
Qatana is QI’s luxury and collectibles division that has a collection of brands considered to be the world’s best-kept secrets in terms of product excellence and artisanship.
For example, CIMIER® timepieces are known for their technology and handcrafted designs. Meanwhile, CHAIROS® watches are renowned for their fashionable, sporty designs that complement a modern lifestyle.
Other brands include Bernhard H. Mayer®, specialising in manufacturing high-quality jewellery and timepieces for a discerning clientele. JR Mayer Collections® is internationally recognised as one of the world’s leading numismatic companies, minting an exclusive range of coins and medallions.
Armed with foresight, innovation and a collection of prestigious brands, Qatana is poised to make a lasting impression in the luxury goods sector.
Direct Selling - E-commerce
Direct selling is a key business of the Group. Operating on an e-commerce platform, we provide customers with a diverse range of products and services that help them build an innovative and self-efficient business.
QuestNet is our flagship subsidiary with a network marketing business model that supports Independent Representatives (IRs) and retail customers with a structured training programme, marketing seminars and conferences. We arm them with essential tools to facilitate a start-up business.
Today, we have more than five million IRS and retail customers operating globally.
Telecommunications
Following the acquisition of an independent UK-based telecommunications provider, QI has positioned itself strategically to penetrate the European telecom industry.
Our investment provides end-to-end services tailored to meet the requirements of international telecommunications network operators and enterprises. These include systems integration, engineering services and advanced telco solutions.
The team’s industry knowledge of new and emerging technologies plus its competitive rates will go a long way towards strengthening our presence in this area.
Property Development
From luxury villas to holiday resorts and hotels, QI is also aggressively investing in property development.
Our team works closely with prominent architects and development consultants. This venture has enabled us to begin work in developing high-end residential properties targeted at discerning investors and homeowners.
Today, the fruits of this labour can be found in the Group’s flagship development, a 167-acre luxury resort nestled in Kuala Rompin in Peninsular Malaysia.
Which is why Q Lifestyle offers a wide range of services such as vacation club memberships, hotels and holiday resorts, spas and wellness centres, leisure travel, and entertainment. They all provide opportunities for people to relax, unwind and have a good time.
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Luxury Timepiece Manufacturing
When QI acquired CIMIER®, an 85-year old watch manufacturer based in Zug, Switzerland, the acquisition facilitated the full cycle of in-house design of its luxury timepieces, including other exclusive brands in the stable – Bernhard H. Mayer®, CHAIROS®, and the coin timepiece series produced under the JR Mayer Collections® label.
QI’s luxury timepiece manufacturing division adopts an integrated production flow management under the strict supervision of skilled artisans. Each timepiece offers the best in performance and value for future generations.
At QI, we believe that growing is an essential part of existing. Which is why we are constantly expanding organically into various new segments through strategic investments around the world.
QI Asset Management is the mergers and acquisitions arm of the QI Group. It serves the financial needs of the group’s subsidiaries and explores new business opportunities for the group locally and internationally. QI Asset Management also provides the group’s newly established companies with a broad range of financial services specially tailored to their needs, including business loans, credit, and financial management.
RECENT INVESTMENTS
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Lifestyle Hotels and Resorts
Lifestyle Resort in Thailand
QI recently renovated a five-star resort rechristened as Prana Resorts & Spa, a multimillion-dollar investment in one of Thailand’s most popular holiday destinations, Koh Samui.
QI’s newest jewel in the crown is the world’s first international hotel chain to embrace vegetarianism and is also home to a world-class, all-vegetarian restaurant, Amala Restaurant. The resort also houses the Amezcua Wellness Centre, a QI subsidiary and award-winning health spa. The environmentally- conscious resort runs on solar power with green conservation programmes that revolve around the practice and ideology of wellness from within.
Travel Agency
The launch of Bonvo Travel heralded a new beginning for QI in the travel, resort and vacation industry.
Bonvo Travel is a premier, full-fledged travel agency that provides comprehensive and personalised travel services. Registered with the Singapore Tourism Board, Bonvo’s three divisions include Bonvo Corporate, Bonvo Conferences and Bonvo Channel Sales, which involves the distribution of travel products through reward and redemption programmes.
Beach Resort Suites in Patong, Thailand
QI has invested in a number of suites within the Patong Tower Condominium in Thailand’s vibrant beachside holiday destination, Patong. The investment allows thousands of members of the company’s subsidiary, QVI Club, to embrace the idyllic beach playground with access to luxury rooms in one of the few high-rise resorts in Patong.
RECENT INVESTMENTS
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Eco Tourism in Malaysia
With expertise in the leisure and hospitality industry, QI has now embarked on its most ambitious project: a 167-acre luxury resort in Kuala Rompin. The planned resort, costing an estimated US$28.1 million, is designed to allow visitors to appreciate Kuala Rompin’s natural beauty.
The resort, featuring a combination of beachfront villas and bungalows, is advantageously planned to promote eco-tourism. Phase One of the project will see the development of 14 acres of the property housing 200 rooms, cluster villas, and a spa managed by QI’s Amezcua Wellness Centre. Other attractions planned include an infinity pool facing the South China Sea and a beautiful scenic view of the river water flowing from the 200 million-year old Rompin Forest Reserve.
Wellness Health Spas
The Amezcua Wellness Centre was born with the aim of directing QI’s already strong standing in the wellness industry into a luxury chain of health spas.
Every Amezcua Wellness Centre offers a comprehensive approach to health care, combining integrative screening procedures, wellness therapies, spa treatments and fitness activities.
The development of the health spas has proved to be highly fruitful, with phenomenal growth that has garnered accolades, namely two consecutive nominations as Medi-Spa of the Year in the Baccarat AsiaSpa Awards 2008 and 2007, where Amezcua shares top billing with the region’s finest players in the industry.
Such recognition has come with commendations for Amezcua’s implementation of high quality standards and innovation, unique business concept, the use of purely natural ingredients and treatments and service excellence.
RECENT INVESTMENTS RECENT INVESTMENTS
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STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
Member of Commonwealth Business Council
The QI Group is a member of the Commonwealth Business Council (CBC). The CBC provides leadership in increasing international trade and investment flow, creating new business opportunities, promoting good governance and corporate social responsibility. It helps integrate developing countries into the global market and is the voice of the private sector in the commonwealth and beyond. It plays a crucial role in bridging the gap between the public and private sector, small and large businesses, and developed and developing markets.
Based in London, it has an extensive rapport with the 53 Commonwealth governments, giving members a unique opportunity for dialogue with these governments. It has been working with governments and the private sector to stimulate the investment climate, contributing to some impressive economic growth achievements.
The extensive range of international conferences, forums, special receptions and focused working groups give ample opportunity for members to discuss issues of common interest. QI joins other illustrious CBC members such as Standard Chartered Bank, MTN Group, Coca-Cola, Virgin Atlantic and more.
Mr Richard Zinkiewicz, Director of International Operations, and Mr Vijay Eswaran, Executive Chairman, presenting the CHOGM Medallion to President Museveni of Uganda.
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East Africa International Business Forum
With its expanding business investments in Africa, QI sponsored the East Africa International Business Forum (EAIBF) 2008 organised by the Commonwealth Business Council in association with the Government of the Republic of Rwanda.
The EAIBF provided various Heads of Government, senior ministers and prominent business leaders from all over the world with networking opportunities and active participation in various round-table sessions.
QI was acknowledged and recognised as a potential investor, alongside other international investors from the United States, Germany and France, in assisting to improve the investment climate in East Africa.
Mr Vijay Eswaran, Executive Chairman with President Paul Kagame of Rwanda.
Director of Investment Management, Mr Kuna Senathirajah with President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, at EAIBF.
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS
Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM)
CHOGM is the summit featuring heads of government from all Commonwealth nations. It meets every two years to discuss matters of common interest, development policies, and advance initiatives to benefit the Commonwealth’s miscellaneous membership.
In 2007, QuestNet was accredited by CHOGM as a partner for the summit’s commemorative medallion programme and as a Forum sponsor at the Commonwealth Business Forum.
The forum focused on the African continent as a burgeoning Commonwealth investment destination. The positive environment for networking and the support of African leaders encouraged QI to become one of the first foreign investors to expand its business services in Africa.
The Arab-Americas-Asia- Africa Business Summit
The Arab-Americas-Asia-Africa (AAAA) Business Summit examines the role of South-South Cooperation for Greater Economic Growth.
Amidst the global financial crisis, the 2009 Summit in Dubai addressed the role of new economic factors in emerging economies in driving development and wealth creation.
QI was the Principal Sponsor of the summit. Some key topics included how emerging nations can increase investment inflows, trade and capacity in sectors that allow them to create a sustainable competitive advantage. It also addressed the subject of financing for infrastructure development, as well as resource mobilisation, managing food price rises and the role of businesses in supporting the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGS) Call to Action.
With the current economic crunch and realignment of the axis of power, the third world is indeed coming into its own. Hence, South-South cooperation is more significant than it has ever been. As a global company based out of Asia, with key markets in Middle East and Africa, QI’s support of the AAAA Summit is in line with its strategic vision.
B.H. Mayer’s Mint in Germany
The Mayer Mint is a private master mint founded by Bernard H. Mayer in Pforzheim, Germany in 1871. B.H. Mayer had dedicated his time to collecting knowledge in minting, precious metals and production, later using it to develop Mayer Mint’s reputation as “Europe’s Finest Privately Owned Mint”. It was even the official manufacturer of medallions for the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games.
Today, it boasts 5 generations of experience in the gold related industry and the manufacturing of exquisite jewellery and timepieces.
QI has a strategic partnership with B.H Mayer’s Mint and has produced coin programmes for institutions such as the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO), the Royal Monetary Authority of Bhutan and the Central Bank of Oman, among others.
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Ambition is the tool that all leaders use to lead others to excel. Business is a very human endeavour. Innovative business leaders recognise that successful brands are built by people – creative employees, loyal customers and committed partnerships.
With optimism and a carefully constructed business plan, QI set the stage globally by shaping its profile pragmatically. The game plan – feed the entrepreneurial calling of individuals with a solid support system – was a win-win proposition.
QI, which literally translated from Taoism means “energy of life,” fosters a positive corporate image by investing in meaningful socio-civic projects and sponsorship programmes collaboratively with international organisations.
Today, QI supports a multitude of successful business ventures with a single-minded vision: To champion a global village of entrepreneurs with proper guidance, counsel, training, support and patronage.
BUILDING A GLOBAL BRAND
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SHOWCASING CREATIVITY
International Timepiece Exhibitions
Entrepreneurial companies like QI often maintain a diversified portfolio of assets and enjoy profitable and synergistic relationships that complement the business as a whole.
Since 2006, QI has attended Baselworld in Switzerland. Which is commonly acknowledged as the top-ranked timepiece trade show and birthplace of new trends, attracting the finest luxury timepiece manufacturers.
When the company unveiled its newest acquisition, Swiss timepiece brand CIMIER®, at Baselworld 2008, it was accorded luxury status. CIMIER® distinguished itself with a stellar collection of ladies’ timepieces and its exclusive Seven Seas collection.
BUILDING A GLOBAL BRAND
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International Coin Exhibitions
QI’s strategic partnership with B.H. Mayer’s Mint in Germany expanded business opportunities for both companies on a global scale.
The ability to control, monitor and maintain the highest levels of manufacturing excellence has seen QI’s numismatic company, JR Mayer Collections®, displaying fine quality coins and medallions in major coin exhibitions around the world to much acclaim.
QI representatives unfailingly attend the World’s Fair of Money coordinated by the American Numismatic Association (ANA). And over the years, QI has exhibited its exquisite coin collection at numerous events:
1999 – PresentWorld’s Fair of Money, American Numismatic Association (ANA) Congress, USA
1999Beijing Numismatic Coin Congress
2000Basel Coin Convention, SwitzerlandGuangzhou Numismatic Coin Congress, China
2001Asian Coin Convention, Singapore
2002Kuala Lumpur Money Fair, Malaysia
200317th Singapore International Coin Show, SingaporeSingapore Collectible Fair, Singapore
2004Beijing International Coin Exposition, China
2006World Money Fair Berlin, Germany
2007World Money Fair Berlin, GermanyBeijing International Coin Exposition, China
2008World Money Fair Berlin, GermanyBeijing International Coin Exposition, China
BUILDING A GLOBAL BRAND
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QI-IBF
QI’s pledge to help build champions was also extended to badminton. QI’s title sponsorship of the Badminton World Championships held in Birmingham, England, in 2003 and in Madrid, Spain, in 2006 capitalised on the company’s commitment to the pursuit of excellence.
It affirmed our belief in empowering individuals by creating opportunities for athletes and encouraging the spirit of camaraderie and friendly rivalry.
Samba in Switzerland
Once every four years, the whole world engages in a show like no other — the FIFA World Cup™. In 2006, QI got into the action by sponsoring the “Samba in Switzerland” football camp for the Brazilian world football championship team.
The football camp served as a resource in improving the game at grassroots level with underprivileged young and aspiring footballers. The sponsorship also coincided with QI’s launch activities in the Brazilian market.
Team QI-Meritus
If the science of building a brand is an art, then motor racing is a spectacle of sight, speed and sound that can propel a brand to greater heights.
QI pursued motor sports with a resolute mission: To promote the QI brand globally. In 2006, QI allied itself with the Malaysian-based Team Meritus to become its title sponsor. A year later, QI sponsored Team Meritus for the Formula BMW Pacific series under the team’s new official name: QI-Meritus.
In 2008, new drivers joined Team QI-Meritus.Mahara (the sole full-fledged Asian team) for the GP2 Series in Asia and the Middle East. GP2, commonly referred to as the training ground to F1, opened its second season in Shanghai before moving to Dubai, Bahrain, Qatar and Malaysia.
Mr Vijay Eswaran, Executive Chairman, presenting soccer superstar Ronaldinho with an exclusive watch from the Bernhard H. Mayer® collection.
Tun Abdullah Badawi, former Prime Minister of Malaysia, and Mr Kuna Senathirajah, Director of Investment Management, officiating a GP2 event.
NURTURING CHAMPIONS Disney On Ice
Since 2005, QI has been bringing the highly popular Disney On Ice (DOI) shows to Asia, transporting children and families to magical landscapes with The Lion King, Cinderella, Peter Pan and The Little Mermaid.
In 2009, QI continued its relationship with DOI with the spectacular Princess Wishes series that beautifully recreates the moments when the wishes of seven
popular Disney princesses are fulfilled. Each Disney production is an unforgettable event, with its high-energy music, glittering sets and dramatic choreography.
Holiday On Ice
Charged with the success of Disney On Ice, QI presented the world’s undisputed leader in ice entertainment, Holiday On Ice.For more than 60 years, Holiday On Ice has captivated audiences around the world. The show, reputedly the world’s largest touring live entertainment production, averages a tour of 110 cities across 20 countries annually.
And in 2005, appreciative audiences in Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur, Jakarta, Singapore, and Hong Kong were treated to a breathtaking show after a 17-year hiatus in Asia.
International Concerts
Rap and rock and business? QI’s venture into music concert sponsorship is part of a larger investment to raise awareness of its various business entities and to transition its corporate profile to a young generation of future entrepreneurs.
In 2007, QuestNet sponsored the Malaysian leg of rap superstar Akon’s concert. And in 2008, the baby boomer generation was treated to a concert by multiple Grammy Award-winning Toto, in conjunction with the Formula One season.
QI has also invested in promoting local artists in various countries, including a concert headlined by up-and-coming Iranian artists at the Iranian New Year celebrations in Dubai in 2007.
Shaolin Warriors
QI’s crowning glory in the performing arts was its 2006 sponsorship of the Shaolin Warriors’ debut in Hong Kong. Shaolin Warriors is a theatrical performance based on the lives of Shaolin monks. The show covered a remarkable Kung Fu display, the Buddhist meditation custom and martial arts training during the coldest and hottest times of the year.
The Shaolin Warriors toured from 2000 to 2004 and earned rave reviews in China, Australia, North America and New Zealand. Audiences were delighted with their acrobatic skills and came away with a better understanding of the doctrines of the “Unity of Zen and Martial Arts.”
Mr JR Mayer, Director of Business Development, presenting an exclusive Bernhard H. Mayer® watch to Hip Hop superstar Akon in Malaysia.
ENTERTAINING ASIA
BUILDING A GLOBAL BRAND
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Since its inception, philanthropy has been part of QI’s DNA, and the concept of RYTHM (Raise Yourself To Help Mankind) is the guiding principle in all that we do.
After years of providing aid and donations to worthwhile causes, QI established the RYTHM Foundation to serve as the company’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) arm.
Fondly referred to as QI’s ‘corporate heartbeat’, RYTHM Foundation is the enabler of the Group’s charitable endeavours and represents QI’s spirit, compassion and dedication to serving the communities in which it operates around the world.
CORPORATE HEARTBEAT
The aim of the RYTHM Foundation is to contribute to the sustainable economic development of communities and help improve people’s quality of life. It is not merely about implementing a platform, but more critically, it is about demonstrating impact, measuring it and communicating an evocative message.
QI works in alliance with a number of international institutions, foundations and socio-civic groups such as the Soedirman Hospital in Indonesia, the World Fellowship of Buddhist Youth, the Full Gospel Business Men’s Fellowship International and the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations.
As an inherent part of its corporate policy, QI also practices and promotes vegetarianism as a means to raising awareness of the benefits of a healthy vegetarian diet. Vegetarian meals are served at all QI corporate events and functions.
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The focus of RYTHM Foundation spreads across four key concerns:
• The promotion of education. • The reduction and ultimately, elimination of poverty.• Protection and care for the environment.• Providing disaster relief.
RYTHM (Raise Yourself To Help Mankind) is the driving force that propels QI. The RYTHM Foundation is a charitable trust registered in Hong Kong designed to serve as a code of belief that transcends every strata of the company.
The Foundation works in concert with a wide cross-section of partners — governments, charity foundations, the private sector and non-profit organisations — in accelerating the momentum, scale and sustainability of change. In critical situations, it acts as a catalyst between generous partners and the underprivileged.
The Hong Kong Council of Social Services (HKCSS) recently awarded RYTHM Foundation the Caring Company Logo for the third consecutive year. The award is given to Hong Kong-based companies in appreciation of the initiatives demonstrating good corporate citizenship.
The scope of assistance, support and rehabilitation administered by RYTHM Foundation goes beyond merely signing cheques. The Foundation members live and breathe their responsibility to mankind.
For example, the Foundation’s manager lives within the Philippine squatter community of Taguig to help oversee the ongoing work of RYTHM Foundation within the community, administering free nutritious meals, providing education and ensuring the sustainability of the community. Plus, all QI subsidiaries engage in routine charitable initiatives, in which employees give to the needy of their own community, visit charities and bring necessities and joy.
The RYTHM Foundation has undertaken numerous projects and initiatives all over the world.
Projects in the Philippines
When typhoons ruined parts of Luzon, the RYTHM Foundation was among the first to respond. PHP 1 million was donated to the ABS-CBN Foundation for its ‘Sagip Kapamilya’ project as relief aid for 75,000 families in 88 areas in the affected regions.
To meet societal needs, the Foundation, through its global technology subsidiary Quest Technologies, also raised funds for schoolchildren in Mindanao. It sponsored the ‘Gitara, Lapis, Atbp’ project, an educational campaign to send impoverished children to elementary school, spearheaded by the Philippines Business For Social Progress.
The Foundation’s donation and financial aid from private donors also enabled us to improve the academic performance of children in The Taguig Project which supported 60 children to attend non-profit private schools with full scholarships.
The project focused on supporting the development of schools towards self-sustainability, alleviating poverty of the squatter community, enhancing community-building initiatives and improving health needs of the Taguig community in Metro Manila.
Support for the African Nation of Uganda
RYTHM Foundation recently made three separate donations to three worthy charity organisations of the Republic of Uganda, totalling USD 30,000.
The donations were the beginning of an ongoing commitment to improve the lives of Africans and assist the continent’s development.
The three charities to benefit from the donations were Her Majesty Queen Sylvia Nagginda of Buganda’s Nnabagereka Development Trust Foundation; Her Excellency, Mrs Janet Museveni, the First Lady of Uganda’s UWESO (Ugandan Women’s Effort to Save Orphans) Foundation; and ‘Think Tank’ of the Makerere University Private Sector Forum, under the patronage of Governor Emmanuel Mutebile of Bank of Uganda.
Mr Vijay Eswaran, Executive Chairman, presenting a token to Her Majesty Queen Sylvia Nagginda of Buganda
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Helping to spread goodness in Sri Lanka
The Foundation is a supporter of the Foundation of Goodness in Sri Lanka, which works in the region in and around the village of Seenigama, a two-hour drive from Colombo. In 2004, the tsunami deluged the village and since then, The Foundation has been working with local supporters to rebuild the region.
In 2009, the Foundation also partnered with the Foundation of Goodness in sponsoring the Village Heartbeat project. The project aims to address the key areas of need in the rural community. These include learning English, computer training, libraries, women’s enterprise, youth developments, children’s goodness clubs and a cottage for volunteers who are willing to share their expertise and help develop the village.
The Foundation has since made a significant donation towards this community and also the 30 sectors currently serving 20,000 beneficiaries from 25 villages in the Seenigama region.
Support for Autistic Children in Hong Kong
RYTHM Foundation’s long-term association with the Rainbow Project in Hong Kong has helped the special education needs of autistic children.
A team from QuestNet, under the auspices of the Foundation, participates in Rainbow Trek, the 25km fundraising walk along the trail starting from the famous Hong Kong Peak. In 2006, HKD 50,000 was raised by the Foundation.
The Foundation has also raised funds for a new classroom for autistic children at Island School. More recently, it also donated to the Rainbow Project for a new classroom at a secondary school in the New Territories.
Mr Richard Zinkiewicz, Director of International Operations, (left photo) and Ms Donna Imson, Director of Network Affairs and RYTHM Foundation Trustee, (right photo) supporting the children of the Rainbow Project. Mr Bernhard H. Mayer, RYTHM
Foundation Trustee, presenting a cheque to UNICEF.
Mr Magandran Rajadurai, Director of Finance And Administration, presenting a wheelchair at a Blood Donation Camp.
Mr Joseph Bismark, Group Managing Director, and Ms Donna Imson, Director of Network Affairs, presenting a cheque to First Lady Madam Bunrani Hun Sen of Cambodia.
Projects in India
Through integrated partnerships with philanthropic institutions and QI’s Indian subsidiary, QuestNet India, RYTHM Foundation supports various charities in India. This includes the Sivasakthi Home for Mentally Challenged Children in Chennai. The Foundation also administers annual fundraising events in aid of the Home.
Most recently, RYTHM Foundation supported UNICEF’s commitment in helping the victims and survivors of the 2008 fatal floods in North Bihar (India). The enormity of the devastation is ongoing, with almost 4.57 million people displaced and infrastructure destroyed. Long-term and sustainable action is crucial to the flood-ravaged community.
Hence, RYTHM Foundation’s Trustee personally met with representatives of UNICEF Bihar to present USD 30,000 in support of its emergency programmes. Presently, the Foundation also continues to work with UNICEF towards similar relief and support programmes in the state.
In 2005, the RYTHM Foundation made a cash donation to the First Secretary of the Social Republic of Vietnam in Cambodia and the President of the Vietnamese Association based in Cambodia.
The donation was in support of more than 200 Vietnamese and Cambodian families who had lost their homes and properties in a bushfire in the outskirts of Phnom Penh.
The Foundation’s trustees also presented a cheque to First Lady Madam Bunrani Hun Sen, the Chairperson of the Red Cross in Cambodia, for projects undertaken by the voluntary organisation in rural Cambodia.
Support in Vietnam and Cambodia
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In December 2005, the region was left battered by a tsunami with far and destructive consequences. But in its aftermath, the RYTHM Foundation executed an action plan to assist in the recovery and rehabilitation of these disaster-stricken countries.
It mobilised a team of volunteers to Sri Lanka’s coastal areas with relief material and financial aid. The Foundation also committed USD 1 million for long-term rehabilitation projects.
In Thailand, it raised much-needed funds and provided relief workers with clothes, medical supplies, and necessities. The Foundation also donated THB 10 million to the Thai Prime Minister’s Disaster Relief Fund for relief operations in six coastal provinces.
QI’s Indian subsidiary, QuestNet India, also raised funds through the Rupee-for-Rupee campaign to buy clothes, medical supplies and food for the affected. QuestNet India contributed an equal amount for every Rupee contributed by a customer or an employee for the campaign.
In Indonesia, where the tsunami’s effect was at its worse, funds raised from QI customers and employees were donated to a development organisation working on the rehabilitation of victims in the Banda Aceh area, the village nearest to the epicentre of the earthquake.
Tsunami Rehabilitation in Southeast Asia Earthquake Relief in Yogyakarta, Indonesia
When an earthquake hit central Java in 2006, the Foundation let its actions do the talking. Volunteers were sent to Yogyakarta to set up relief camps and provide victims with food, blankets, medical supplies and essentials. It also made a donation to the Sultan of Yogyakarta for rehabilitation projects.
Ms Donna Imson, RYTHM Foundation Trustee, distributing essential items at a relief camp in Yogyakarta.
Mr. Bernhard H. Mayer, RYTHM Foundation Trustee visiting Yogyakarta relief camp.
A pledge to young ones
One of QI Group’s underlying beliefs is that children are a sacred part of our future and hence, deserve the right to grow up in a safe and supportive environment. In conjunction with its 11th year anniversary celebration, the QI Group, under the QuestNet Pays Forward Programme and RYTHM Foundation, formed a two-year commitment with World Vision, a non-profit child-focused emergency, relief, development and advocacy organisation, to provide 121 impoverished children in 11 countries with education opportunities, health care and support systems. This, to date, is the most wide-spread corporate partnership in the history of World Vision.
Leveraging on World Vision’s advanced local-level knowledge and support infrastructure, RYTHM Foundation was able to identify 11 children in poverty-stricken conditions from 11 of the programme’s targeted countries and donate USD 110,000 for their benefit. The targeted countries are Ethiopia, Sri Lanka, Tajikistan, Indonesia and India, just to name a few.
This uniquely designed programme is tailored to meet the specific needs of each child, and ensures that all participants are actively engaged in its planning and implementation, so that the beneficiaries get the most out of the sponsorship. This helps foster self-sufficiency within the community, and also ensures the long-term sustainability of the benefits resulting from the sponsorship, even long after it ends.
Aiding typhoon victims in The Philippines
The world watched in horror as Typhoon Ondoy (recognised by international code name, Ketsana), packed with maximum wind speeds of up to 110 kph, brought a month’s rain in less than seven hours, flooding 80 percent of Metro Manila and nearby provinces, leaving hundreds dead and thousands displaced.
With water levels rising, time was short, and flood victims were far too many. RYTHM Foundation, recognising the severity of the situation after receiving word that many QI employees and customers in The Philippines were among the severely affected, hurriedly responded to World Vision’s urgent call for help by setting up a Typhoon Ondoy 5-5-5 Emergency Fund under the QuestNet Pays Forward Programme. Under this program, a donation of 5,000 Pesos covers the emergency relief needs of a family of 5 for 5 days.
The appeal for contributions resulted in generous donations pouring in from QI employees and Independent Representatives from across the globe.
Trustees and volunteers from RYTHM Foundation joined World Vision as they conducted relief response by air to reach 20,000 families in the hardest hit areas of Marikina, Pasig, Rizal and Cainta. World Vision, in partnership with the Philippine Coast Guard and the Local Government Unit, was the first NGO to provide airlifted relief goods to the hundreds of families trapped on their rooftops without food or water, after their homes had been wrecked or submerged by the violent storm. The Foundation also provided aid in many other ways; volunteers were deployed to set up a help desk and collect relief goods for distribution to evacuation centres, doctors from the Amezcua Wellness Centre were sent on medical missions to treat the injured, and the QI Group’s facilities were opened up to the public as shelter, and as a place to treat the wounded. While the storm had swept away homes and loved ones, our volunteers worked tirelessly to bring ashore one thing that would help these victims rebuild their lives – hope.
Partnerships with World Vision
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Executive Chairman of the QI Group, Vijay Eswaran, established the Vijayaratnam Foundation as the Malaysian Chapter of the RYTHM Foundation to continue the philanthropic activities started 60 years ago by his father, Mr. S. Vijayaratnam. The Foundation has close ties with the RYTHM Foundation but works on an independent mission: Empowering Lives, Transforming Communities.
The Foundation focuses on building human capital and is committed to the social empowerment of individuals, to help them raise themselves and contribute to their families, communities and society. It creates these positive changes by:
• Developing and implementing its own projects.
• Giving grants to civil societies that adhere to the Foundation’s mission of enhancing human capital and capacity building.
• Collaborations with the public sector, private sector, civil society and philanthropic community.
The Foundation focuses on three main areas: education, community development and arts and culture.
In support of the arts
The Foundation works closely with the Temple of Fine Arts in Malaysia to sponsor various cultural events in the country. Some of the key projects have included a musical evening with World Music Exponent Prem Joshua and a dance and music extravaganza titled ‘JumpStart’ which was a collaboration between Malaysian and international artistes.
Empowering individuals through education
Rescue Project
This project with the Hindu Youth Organisation (HYO) in Port Klang focuses on underachieving secondary school students. The Foundation supports the project by empowering, assisting and motivating these students to improve and fulfill their potential. RESCUE stands for Realise, Empower, Self-Esteem, Committed, United and Education, and these are the core values of the programme. RESCUE identifies underachievers at the Form 1 level and administers various empowerment and academic programmes for them every Friday evening at the HYO hostel. This programme is designed to run over a period of three years and will help these students build themselves holistically.
In partnership with the Education Welfare & Research Foundation (EWRF)
The EWRF is a non-profit, voluntary organisation founded in 1979. Its C3G Skills Training Initiative aims to create awareness of the skills training opportunities available to Malaysian youth and encourage their participation in these trainings.
Vijayaratnam Foundation jointly funded the initiative along with Astro Vanavil and the MCEF.
Education Loans
As of 2009, the Foundation has awarded education loans worth over RM1.5 million to deserving students all over the country to study for professional degrees in International Universities.
Building and empowering communities
Projects in collaboration with TV3 Bersamamu
In partnership with TV3, the Foundation has assisted numerous families and individuals via the TV channel’s Bersamamu initiative. Volunteers from Vijayaratnam Foundation have visited families of those in need to assess their needs and provide the necessary support. TV3 has filmed all the activities involved in this outreach programme for broadcast on local news networks.
CSR with Questnet Malaysia
Under the QuestNet Pays Forward Programme, and in association with QuestNet Malaysia, Vijayaratnam Foundation sponsored tickets for 600 children from various orphanages in Selangor and Kuala Lumpur, providing them with a chance to watch the GP2 race held at the Sepang International Circuit. The Foundation also sponsored tickets for 40 children from Rumah Kasih in Petaling Jaya and Rumah Bakti in Ulu Kelang, to watch the Disney On Ice Princess Wishes show which was sponsored by QuestNet Malaysia in March 2009. This project was yet another successful effort under the QuestNet Pays Forward Programme.
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Footprints Project
This project focuses on the mentoring of 30 underprivileged children from the Agathian Home and Ti-Ratana Welfare Society. Volunteers from the QI Group and its customers in Malaysia work on a mentoring program with these children to help guide and motivate them and help these children find a purpose in their lives.
DLS Kindergarten Project
This initiative will result in the building of a kindergarten managed by the Divine Life Society for underprivileged children at Batu Caves, Selangor.
FUTURE PROJECTS
Building and empowering communities
Donations to charitable organisations
The Vijayaratnam Foundation is focused on building human capital and the social empowerment of individuals, so they can raise themselves and contribute to the well-being of their families, communities and society at large. We believe in creating positive changes by improving systems, inventing new approaches and advancing sustainable solutions that create social values.
The Foundation carries out various initiatives through its work with the public and private sector, civil society and philanthropic community. By reaching out to the grassroots, we have been able to build ties with the community in various humanitarian projects. A few beneficiaries of these projects include:
• Hindu Youth Organisation Port Klang• Educational Welfare & Research Foundation Malaysia• Klang Samaritans • Persatuan Kebajikan Kasih • Persatuan Mental Malaysia• Yayasan Orang Kurang Upaya• Yayasan Istana Abdul Aziz• Geetha Ashram
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55/F Bank of China Tower1 Garden RoadCentral, Hong Kong
Tel: +852 2263 0910 +852 2263 0913Fax: +852 2802 0961www.qi-ltd.com
