Through the Talentbank Boardroom Challenge, students present actionable ideas that inspire policy, industry, and educational transformation across Malaysia.
The inaugural Talentbank Boardroom Challenge has crowned its first champions, marking a pivotal step forward in Malaysia’s mission to close the education-to-employment gap. Three winning student teams presented forward-thinking solutions that could redefine how universities prepare graduates for the evolving world of work.
The Challenge has quickly become one of Malaysia’s most impactful student innovation platforms. Representing universities nationwide, each team was guided by an industry mentor to turn academic ideas into practical, scalable solutions addressing the country’s persistent skills mismatch.
The grand finale took place at the Talentbank Boardroom in Kuala Lumpur, where the Top 15 Finalists pitched to a panel of judges from Talentbank: Ben Ho, Chief Executive Officer; Muhammad Fadilah, Director of Government & University Liaison; and Li Kiat, Director of Employer Liaison.
Ben Ho emphasised the significance of the initiative in driving meaningful change to improve graduate employability.
“The Talentbank Boardroom Challenge is especially powerful because the solutions come directly from the students, the real ‘users’ of the education and employability ecosystem,” said Ho. “They understand the challenges first-hand and are unafraid to share honest, ground-level insights. By listening to their perspectives, we can inspire policymakers and industry leaders to create more relevant, future-ready pathways for Malaysia’s graduates.”
All finalists received certificates of achievement, and their CVs will be distributed to leading employers within Talentbank’s network. Teams demonstrating exceptional talent and a shared passion for driving positive change will be considered for career opportunities with Talentbank. Ideas with strong commercial potential will be evaluated for seed funding support or integration into Talentbank’s existing talent ecosystem.
The Top 3 teams will be specially invited to attend the 2025 Graduates’ Choice Award Gala — APAC’s Most Authoritative Graduate Employer Branding Award, a prestigious celebration attended by representatives from the Ministry of Higher Education, alongside over 1,000 leaders from multinational corporations and university partners. This exclusive invitation offers them a rare opportunity to connect with top industry decision-makers and gain real-world exposure at one of Malaysia’s most influential employability events.
Building on its success, the Talentbank Boardroom Challenge 2.0 will return in 2026 with an expanded focus on education, employability, and university–industry collaboration.
Talentbank will soon begin engaging with the winning teams to incubate and refine their ideas, integrating them into the existing employability solutions to create tangible impact. Through this process, they aim to help these young innovators turn their ideas into ventures and take the next step towards realising their entrepreneurship dreams.
Ultimately, the initiative creates a win–win–win–win partnership — empowering students with entrepreneurial experience, strengthening universities through innovation, supporting Ministries in driving national talent development, and enabling Talentbank to further its mission of bridging education and employment.Students interested in joining the next challenge can register their interest at boardroomchallenge.io.
