Since its establishment in 1992, the Malaysia Retail Chain Association (MRCA) has continually served its primary mission in providing a unified voice for its members to address issues faced by the retail community—by engaging with governmental and public agencies, as well as societies of interest. Today, the association comprises more than 600 members, representing 40,000 outlets and offering more than 400,000 job opportunities across Malaysia. To kick off 2025, the MRCA has set its sights on a herculean philanthropic effort to start the year—with a stated seven-figure target to be raised for charity via its upcoming Chinese New Year dinner.
The beneficiaries of the proceeds from this dinner will comprise charity homes as well as deserving scholars who receive annual disbursement from MRCA’s own scholarship fund. The latter has been a new initiative by the MRCA Branding Education Charity Foundation—designed to benefit employees of MRCA members by empowering deserving students, helping them achieve their fullest potential and supporting them in their tertiary education goals. Thus far, the foundation has awarded RM18,400 to students who have shown excellent academic results in secondary education.
MRCA council president Datuk Ken Phua says: “This programme seeks to recognise and reward exceptional talent, dedication and potential, enabling recipients to pursue higher education, develop their skills, and make meaningful contributions to their communities and chosen fields.” Among the criteria for selection are students of employees who have achieved a minimum CGPA of 3.5 in any field of study on a full-time basis at recognised public universities or selected private universities and colleges in Malaysia.
Thus, the upcoming MRCA Chinese New Year dinner seeks to further the greater good with its heartfelt appeal. Some of the auction lots include exclusive dining hosted by the association’s immediate past council president Dato’ Sharan Valiram, the executive director of Valiram Group, as well as an opportunity to pick the brains of the brightest minds in the country’s business and finance area; dinners with Tan Sri Dr Jeffrey Cheah, the founder and chairman of Sunway Group, and also with Brahmal Vasudevan, the founder and CEO of leading South and South-east Asia private equity firm, Creador.
For Phua, the idea of philanthropy tied to its curtain-raising 2025 calendar of events is a natural one. “Philanthropy has always been at the heart of MRCA’s mission, and we felt that the new year’s Chinese New Year dinner should reflect our commitment to giving back. The highlight of the event will be raising funds to provide scholarships for the children of our members’ staff, as we believe in supporting education and helping the next generation succeed,” he says. “This decision was unanimously made by the MRCA Branding Education Charity Foundation Trustees and the new MRCA council, as we believe that supporting education is one of the most meaningful ways to give back and recognise the hard work and dedication of our members and their employees.”
