CGS International Securities Malaysia Sdn Bhd won the Gold Award for Best Workplace Culture and Environment at the 2025–2026 HR Stars Awards Malaysia. By moving away from rigid handbooks and focusing on leadership trust, open feedback loops, and human connection, the investment house has established an operational model for how modern financial firms can build a close-knit corporate community.
At the very core of this cultural setup is “PACES”, a framework designed to serve as the firm’s daily behavioural compass. Standing for People-Orientated, Accountability, Collaboration, Excellence, and Sustainability, these five pillars guide how employees make decisions and experience their work. The Group CEO, Carol Fong, notes that people form the foundation of the business, a philosophy deliberately embedded in daily operations. To keep these values alive across different teams, specific employees are appointed as PACES Ambassadors. These culture champions model positive behaviours, pass feedback between executives and staff, and nominate peers for internal recognition.
The firm has broken down traditional department silos by creating open communication channels and social platforms. Accountability and psychological safety are structurally reinforced through formal corporate townhalls alongside highly successful, informal “Teh Tarik Sessions.” These casual tea sessions provide team members with direct access to senior leadership, creating a transparent workspace where employees can voice concerns, challenge norms, and share innovative ideas easily. At the same time, joint work is accelerated through structured cross-functional project frameworks, which help teams co-create solutions and learn from each other’s strengths.
Sustaining this high-performance community demands a balanced focus on professional growth and whole-person wellness, which the firm manages via structured sports initiatives and clear talent development paths. These positive shifts are balanced by a commitment to environmental initiatives and charity drives, such as the local “CGS Mah Bakti Kasih Ayah Bonda” community project. This Gold Award proves to the wider financial sector that when a business builds its foundation on people rather than policies, exceptional results follow naturally.
