The Corporate Governance Capacity Building Initiative for Malaysian SMEs, an effort of the Malaysian Institute of Management (MIM) in conjunction with the Basel Institute on Governance kicked off with a half–day conference on "stepping up corporate governance and anti-corruption practices", specifically in the SME sector on 20 July 2017. It focused on the importance of SMEs, the backbone of the Malaysian economy, to take ownership of compliance and corporate governance to ensure sustained competitiveness on the global market.

For more key takeaways from the conference keynote speakers, Gemma Aiolfi (Basel Institute) and David Risser (Nestor Advisors), see this article by the Malaysian Reserve.

The event was flanked by a five-day training programme geared towards local experts with industry background and work experience in the areas of governance and compliance conducted by Gemma Aiolfi, Head of Compliance and Corporate Governance / Collective Action at the Basel Institute, and David Risser Partner of Corporate Governance, Nestor Advisors.

The participants will be certified as trainers in the following areas: Corporate Governance, Compliance and in Anti-Corruption Compliance. Following the completion of the training, MIM is planning to roll out its Diploma Corporate Governance and Compliance programme in the final quarter of this year.