CEO of The Body Shop Malaysia receives Alumni Laureate Award

01 October 2013

Nottingham University Business School MBA graduate Molly Fong was named Malaysia Campus 2013 'Alumnus of the Year' at the Alumni Laureate award ceremony held in Kuala Lumpur on 28th September.

Molly achieved her Masters in Business Administration in 2011 while she was working with Rampai-Niaga Sdn Bhd., the franchise holder of The Body Shop in West Malaysia and Vietnam. In a career so far spanning more than 15 years with the company, Molly has risen from communications officer, when she joined in 1996, to her current post as the company’s Chief Executive Officer.

Body Shop International plc is a global manufacturer and retailer of naturally inspired, ethically produced beauty and cosmetic products. It’s no coincidence that Molly’s meteoric rise through the ranks has coincided with the company’s expansion from 16 stores when she started, to some 64 stores located strategically today in major urban centres throughout the peninsula.

Molly gained a broad experience in all relevant departments of the company and became its General Manager in 2003. Four years later she led the pitch to win the franchise for Vietnam then established the business in 2009 and expanded to the 10 stores it has today in that country. She also launched the e-commerce business in 2012.

The Body Shop has a reputation internationally for its campaigning stand on many issues and Molly has developed and managed the company’s values to bring about social and environmental change in Malaysia, including her promotion of the Stop Violence Against Women campaign, in conjunction with the Women’s Aid Organisation. This campaign raised an awareness and funds over a decade of activity at a time when domestic violence was still treated as a ‘behind closed doors’ issue and battered women had no recourse.

Similarly, the Save Belum-Temenggor Forest campaign with the Malaysian Nature Society, collected a 100,000-name petition to save this 130 million-years-old forest with the result that it is no gazetted as a protected forest.

For her exceptional business acumen and the championing of her company’s campaigning stance in Malaysia, Molly Fong is the deserving winner of the Alumnus of the Year award.