IBM experts work with special kids in JB

01 July 2010 , By The Star

German IBM senior business analyst Sonja Grunke was charmed by the values of family and friendship that she found on her maiden trip to Malaysia.

She was part of the fourth IBM Corporate Service Corps (CSC) team to visit the country. The team of six IBM experts from four countries were here for about a month to carry out volunteer work at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and the Handicapped and Mentally Disabled Children’s Association of Johor (HOME).

In their time here, the visitors from the United States, Germany, China and Turkey helped set up UTM’s carbon footprint monitoring system and web presence, worked with Iskandar Malaysia UTM Research Centre (IMREC) and introduced new management and marketing methods to HOME.

Grunke, 33, said the opportunity to work with such a diverse yet focused and dynamic group on the UTM web development project was an extraordinary experience.

Her teammate from China, Hao Wu, 40, said that Malaysia was beautiful and colourful thanks to the rich and diverse cultures.

“What a privilege it has been to be here and contribute towards the advancement of this nation,” he said.

His friend, Vietnamese-born German Hoang Nam Nguyen, 44, who worked with HOME on new technologies that could aid in donation programmes, said that Malaysians struck him as dynamic, eager to learn, diligent and hospitable.

“The spirit of 1Malaysia is not only a national concept; it is practised at a local level, which shows the strength of this nation and its potential,” he noted.

American David Wade, 41, said that the staff at IMREC had welcomed the IBM group with open arms and treated them like family during their stay.

“We are sowing the seeds of a culture of ‘kaizen’, or continuous development, with our Malaysian partners and hope that we will continue to grow and learn with one another through this relationship,” he added.

Pinar Kilawuz, a 33-year-old from Turkey, said she hoped that her work with the UTM Carbon Footprint Project would produce sustainable results and a lasting bond between the two organisations.

“We aimed to establish continuity in the measurement of greenhouse gas offsets by brainstorming project management ideas and methods of reducing the university’s carbon footprint,” she said.

Andreas Reichert, 47, agreed, adding that the mutual learning and skill transfer that took place in their collaboration with UTM was invaluable.

“IBM and UTM do not have a business-to-client relationship. Instead, we have a wonderful partnership that will ultimately take us further and ensure longevity for these projects,” said the German.

The CSC is an IBM initiative that takes its top achievers to developing countries worldwide to work on challenging issues such as economic opportunities and access to education.

To qualify for the corps, employees must be an above-average performer with IBM for two years or more, have community service experience, received awards, possess leadership qualities and have excellent references.

Four Malaysians have participated in the CSC visits to China, Vietnam and Brazil, and three teams of international volunteers have been deployed to Malaysia since the programme’s inception in July 2008.