Kedah MB launches K&L-ISC joint venture agency

Co-founder and first Chairman of the ISC Group, Dato’ Seri Haji Mukhriz Tun Mahathir, officiated the launch of the K&L-ISC joint venture Japanese-Malaysian integrated marketing communications agency for Southeast Asia recently.

Dato’ Seri Haji Mukhriz, now the Chief Minister of his family’s home state of Kedah, co-founded the ISC Group in 1994 with its CEO Austen Zecha, a 48-year veteran and founder of about a dozen agencies to-date in the Asia-Pacific region after more than two decades of schooling and working in the United States.

And they together undertook ISC’s earlier brief joint venture in 2001 with Omnicom’s TBWA group, but with Dato’ Seri Mukhriz then relinquishing his stake in the ISC Group by 2007 when he entered politics and subsequently became the Deputy Minister of the country’s Ministry of International Trade and Industry.

“Some of you may not be aware that 25 years ago this year, I was the co-founder and first or initial Chairman of the ISC Group here, along with my then co-founder, President and CEO Austen Zecha who, now at nearly 80, must be trying to catch up with my father,” Dato’ Seri Haji Mukhriz quipped.

“Another point of interest for some is that when I entered politics – against the advice of Austen, by the way – I had to relinquish my Chairmanship to none other than the illustrious, Yang Berbahagia Tan Sri Rafidah Aziz, as she was then also just retiring from her remarkable political career.”

Dato’ Seri Haji Mukhriz also extended Malaysia’s best wishes to the visiting ladies and gentlemen from Japan at the launch on the recent coronation of their new Emperor, and added, “and especially my father’s heartfelt greetings always to the people of Japan.”

Tunku Kamil Ikram, Co-Chairman of the K&L-ISC said, “We at ISC are delighted to have Dato’ Seri Haji Mukhriz Tun Mahathir launch our Southeast Asian joint venture ‘hub’ with such an illustrious group as K&L which already has an impressive history in this region, the third largest market after China and India.

“But most importantly, K&L and ISC have already been working together successfully for the past two years as we belong to the same worldwide association of agencies, ICOM, and K&L is now also very keen on being part of Malaysia’s future growth and development.”

Echoed K&L-ISC’s Chief Executive Officer Austen Zecha, “K&L’s and ISC’s joint decision to base its new joint venture hub for Southeast Asia in Kuala Lumpur speaks volumes of our joint confidence in this country’s future. 

“And if this would be my last agency undertaking, then I really cannot ask for anything more than this auspicious start.”