PROTON NAMED TOP AUTOMOTIVE EMPLOYER FOR THE FIRST TIME AT M100 AWARDS

• Company ascends the most spots, takes home the Fastest Moving Employer Award

• PYT programme has hired 259 fresh graduates over the past seven years

SUBANG JAYA, 20 November 2024 - PROTON has been recognised as the sector winner in the automotive industry as well as the fastest moving employer for the first time by the Malaysia's 100 Leading Graduate Employers 2024 Awards (M100). The double win demonstrates graduates prefer the national automotive brand above all others and view it as their top choice for employment in the sector.

Notably, this is the first time PROTON has clinched the top spot in the automotive industry category, during the17th edition of the award, defeating two other OEMs. The Fastest Moving Employer Award was also awarded to the company as it ascended the most spots in the M100 rankings, from the 86th position in the overall ranking in 2023 to 44th this year.

A big reason for PROTON's success has been its efforts to develop fresh talent. The PROTON Young Talents (PYT) programme was launched in 2018 and is designed to recruit promising fresh graduates and develop the next generation of skilled professionals and leaders to drive innovation and growth within PROTON. The programme has been instrumental in shaping the company's workforce, and its success is reflected in the many awards earned this year. The current PYT cohort consists of 210 individuals, 72% of whom have a technical background, with 28% from non-technical fields. To date, 259 PYT graduates have been hired over the past seven years, including 110 PYTs hired this year, maintaining a remarkable 81% retention rate.

Collaborating with the Ministry of Human Resources (KESUMA) and industry partners such as TalentCorp, the M100 award night held at the Four Seasons Kuala Lumpur on November 7th celebrated the top graduate employer in 18 different sectors, ranging from accounting and professional services, banking, consulting, retail, travel and hospitality to name a few.

Results for the awards were decided by an annual graduate employment survey by GTI Malaysia, with 44,924 student votes collected across Malaysia from 220 campus events at 169 universities, including Albukhary International University. This year's survey ran from January to September and received votes from a larger pool, up from last year's 37,380 responses. The respondents were asked to list the employers they intended to apply to after graduation and identify factors influencing their job search process and choice of employers.

According to the survey, the graduate recruiters were valued and ranked under the following categories: leadership, personal development, salary and remuneration, work-life balance, and job security. 85.7% of respondents expressed concern about the cost of living in a Malaysian city on a graduate salary. Respondents expect their median salary for graduate-level positions to fall within the range of RM3,000 to RM4,000 per month in 2024.

GTI Media Managing Director Issac Hee said, "The awards speak volumes about the effectiveness of the hard work PROTON has put in to transform their hiring culture and build attractive talent development schemes for graduate hires. It is doubly exciting as we await their launch of our country's first domestically produced EV car, and I believe many of the graduates who voted Proton as their employer of choice are all excited to in this historic moment."

"At PROTON, we believe that a thriving workplace is built on a diverse and inclusive culture that empowers young talent to grow, innovate and lead. Our recognition as the top choice for graduates is a testament to our commitment to nurturing an environment where fresh ideas and strong values come together to drive success in the automotive sector," said Amran bin Mohd Tomin, Vice President of Human Capital Division, PROTON.