since 1976
since 1976
This year’s competition kicked off on 14 November and for 2025, the case-study based question posed to all teams asked them to consider how PROTON can lead Malaysia’s transition from ICE to EV while remaining competitive across both segments, reinforcing the company’s focus on the evolving automotive landscape and supporting Human Capital and Administration (HCA) efforts to engage high-potential local undergraduates and identify future talents for PROTON, including 30 conditional offers to join the company under its Proton Young Talents (PYT) programme.
Team ANOVA from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) and Team SAA UMK from Universiti Malaysia Kelantan secured the first and second runners-up positions with cash prizes of RM5,000 and RM3,000 respectively, while the champions received RM8,000. Phibert Goh Jie Hao from UNIMAS won the Best Individual Presenter Award with a cash prize of RM1,000. The grand finale was judged by leaders from PROTON and MARii, and attended by Dato’ Ir. Abdul Rashid Musa, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of PROTON.
Finalist teams represented six regions across Malaysia, comprising Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS), Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK), Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM) Shah Alam, Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) and Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS).
Building a Talent Pipeline
The roots of the Proton Business Case Study Challenge originate from 2023 when the company started its first business case competition in collaboration with the Association of Malaysian Students studying in Beijing (AMSIB). From there, the event progressed to the first national level competition that was won by Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP) in 2024 before advancing to this year’s event.
Through initiatives like the Proton Business Case Study Challenge, PROTON continues to demonstrate its commitment to nurturing local Malaysian talent and strengthening ties with universities across the country. These efforts complement the company’s PYT programme, which has welcomed approximately 400 young graduates into the organisation. With structured job rotations, mentoring, peer and performance reviews, as well as hands-on projects, PYT provides participants with a strong foundation in the automotive industry and within PROTON itself, while building a pipeline of future leaders to support the company’s long-term growth and Malaysia’s automotive ambitions, a commitment that earned PROTON the Human Resources Minister Award in the Large Employer category at the HRD Awards 2025 on 26 November 2025.
“The Proton Business Case Study Challenge reinforces these aims by allowing PROTON’s Human Capital and Administration division access to high potential undergraduates who show an interest in the automotive industry and to assess their suitability under specific conditions. This year, 30 conditional offers to join PROTON as part of the PYT programme have already been handed out to rising talents, demonstrating the value of such an event towards the company reaching its long-term goals,” said Dr Kasuma Satria, Chief Human Resources Officer, PROTON.
Benefits for the company are wide ranging and include the building and strengthening of partnerships with students and universities. It also raises PROTON’s profile as a preferred employer of young talents and helps to reinforce the talent pipeline needed to drive towards its future corporate goals.
