Tan Sri Johan Jaafar, the Chairman of Media Prima Berhad, talked about creativity and innovation in the media to students from the faculty of Communication, Media and Broadcasting at Limkokwing University’s Hall of Fame on Monday 22 September.
Titled ‘To Be or Not to Be – Creativity in 10 Quotes’, Tan Sri Johan uses quotes from William Shakespeare’s works to address Limkowing students on the challenges, struggles and the beauty of the creative industry. Tan Sri Johan shared his thoughts, views and experience gained by his four-decade involvement in the media industry.
Starting his talk by quoting the famous ‘To Be or Not to Be’ line from Hamlet, Tan Sri Johan had the students totally immersed in his anecdotes and stories. He linked all Shakespeare’s quotes to various aspects of creativity and innovation. He gave examples of famous people who are creative and innovative, who thinks out of the box and became successful in their life. One such example was Tan Sri Limkokwing, founder and President of Limkokwing University, who Tan Sri Johan called the Messiah of Change. Starting from a small unknown institution in inconspicuous Taman Mayang, Tan Sri Limkokwing has built the university to be a globally recognised brand. According to Tan Sri Johan, “Tan Sri Limkokwing started with a creative mind!”.
He also shared his experience in the media industry; from his time as a field journalist in Afghanistan during the Afghan – Russian War in the 80’s, to how he manages his current position as Chairman of Media Prima Berhad.
Tan Sri Johan advised students that to be successful in life is never easy. Reminding students of the successful people he used as examples earlier, he told the students that they too can have successes like these, but students need to be committed and have the correct mindset to be successful. As he put it, “You can do it. You have all the attributes of Bob Geldolf, of Richard Branson, of Tony Fernandes. Believe in yourself”.
Tan Sri Johan Jaafar is the current Chairman of Media Prima Berhad, Malaysia’s fully integrated media group which owns interests in four of the largest TV networks in Malaysia, three national newspapers and 3 radio stations. Tan Sri Johan Jaafar was a former journalist and was the chief editor at Utusan Melayu who was famously sacked in 1998 from his post by Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad, Malaysia’s fourth Prime Minister, an event which Tan Sri Johan proudly described as, “my badge of honour”. Since 2011, Tan Sri Johan is also an Adjunct Professor at Limkokwing University.
On hand to introduce Tan Sri Johan in his talk was Limkokwing University’s Pro Vice Chancellor, Professor Cedric Bell.