For the third year running, Digi Telecommunications Sdn Bhd welcomed nine bright young individuals into its Digi CXO Apprentice Programme. Under direct mentorship of Digi’s management team members, these apprentices get to contribute their best ideas and actions to the company for the next 12 calendar months.
This year, the programme focused on reaching out to Malaysian students studying abroad, along with more outreach to local public universities, resulting in a very diverse application pool. Digi said a total of 870 applications were received.
The Digi CXO Apprentices selected for this year’s programme are:
| Inspiring Apprentices | Age | University | Background | CXO Attached To |
| Adhithiya Theawarajan | 22 | Monash University | Food Science and Technology | Albern Murty, CEO |
| Amina Husna Binti Ibrahim | 23 | Pennsylvania State University | Economics | Albern Murty, CEO |
| Emir Kamaruzzaman Elias | 22 | University of Nottingham | Business Economics and Finance | Nakul Sehgal, CFO |
| Jean Gan Lay Pin | 24 | Sunway University | Business Management | Elisabeth Stene, CHRO |
| Joyie Chooi Kar Mun | 21 | Durham University | Philosophy, Politics and Economics | Eugene Teh, CBO |
| Nur Yasmin Mortaza | 23 | Queen Mary University of London | Law | Joachim Rajaram, CCAO |
| Ooi Jin Chern | 23 | Monash University | Business and Commerce | Loh Keh Jiat, CMO |
| Tan Wei Jin | 23 | University of Warwick | Economics | Praveen Rajan Nadarajan, CDO |
| Tan Yi Xin | 24 | University of Manchester | Chemical Engineering | Kesavan Sivabalan, CTO |
Digi claims that the selection process for the Digi CXO Apprentice Programme emphasised on three eligibility criteria: Malaysians with less than one year working experience and who are available for employment with Digi in August 2018. There were no CGPA requirements for the submission as an all-rounded approach was taken to consider that while some talents may have academical strengths, others may have strengths in extra-curricular activities instead.
A game-based assessment was employed to better understand the candidates and help with the filtering process. Candidates who made through the shortlisting were then invited to Digi for individual and group assessment process, including one where they were required to be product managers, having to create new products and pitch their ideas within an hour. This was done to look into how well the candidates could think on their feet and work independently on their own as well as in a group.
Candidates who passed the third stage then moved on to the final stage, which was a round of interviews with the CXOs themselves.
Digi’s Chief Human Resource Officer, Elisabeth Stene said that people are Digi’s most valuable asset and that the company is committed to building future-ready talents. “We were searching for individuals who are able to break down problems and think out of the box for innovative solutions around things as we worked towards making a big impact in forming the digital future for our millions of customers. Through the CXO Apprentice Programme, we saw many young hungry individuals who are eager to grow, whom we felt could benefit from this programme,” she added.
“By having front row seats to decision making, and the opportunity to find solutions to real business challenges, it is important that the chosen apprentices are able to understand the local telecommunications industry and assimilate into Digi’s business operations quickly. Coupled with closer programme management and mentorship from their respective CXOs, the Apprentices will experience a steep learning curve in the next 12-months,” explained Elisabeth.
The Digi CXO Apprentice Programme has been crafted to allow the apprentices to spend their last few months assimilating themselves into their future roles to ensure a smooth transition from the apprenticeship to their new roles in Digi.
For more information on Digi CXO Apprentice, please visit the Digi website.
