MR D.I.Y. is UM’s Excellent Corporate Partner 2022

 Malaysia’s premier university honoured MR D.I.Y. Group Berhad [MR D.I.Y] with its Excellent Corporate Partner Award 2022, in recognition of the retailer’s continued support of and contribution to the university and its communities.

Universiti Malaya [UM]’s Excellence Award programme, launched in 2009, is an annual award programme designed to recognise outstanding employees of the university and corporate organisations that have contributed to the university’s pursuit of excellence. In the 2022 edition, the award programme recognised 56 UM academicians, employees, and faculties, as well as public figures and corporate organisations in 45 categories. MR D.I.Y. was the sole recipient in the Excellent Corporate Partner award category. 

The awards were presented by Universiti Malaya’s Chancellor, the Sultan of Perak, His Royal Highness, Sultan Dr. Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah Ibni Almarhum Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah Al-Maghfullah, and the university’s Pro Chancellors, Toh Puan Dato’ Seri Hajjah Dr. Aishah Ong and YBhg. Tan Sri Dato' Seri DiRaja Ramli bin Ngah Talib. 

Welcoming the recognition, MR D.I.Y. Group, Chief Executive Officer, Adrian Ong, said, “At MR D.I.Y, our ambition is to build a sustainable business that positively impacts lives. We firmly hold to the adage that alone we can achieve a little, but together we can do so much. Partnerships are the bedrock of some of our most successful and sustainable community impact programmes, and nowhere is this more apparent than right here at Universiti Malaya. 

“Our founder, Mr. Tan Yu Yeh, is an alumnus of this university and has helped us over the years to initiate various programmes to benefit the university, its students, and the community it serves in a myriad of areas, including providing pandemic-related assistance, offering financial aid to undergraduates, promoting sustainability concepts in secondary schools nationwide, as well as upgrading equipment and facilities at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre [UMMC]. Our long and mutually-rewarding partnership is something we highly value, and this award is a welcome recognition that our efforts have made a difference. On behalf of the Board of Directors and the management of MR D.I.Y. Group, we thank UM for the recognition.” 

Commenting on the award to MR D.I.Y., Universiti Malaya Vice Chancellor, YBhg. Professor Dato’ Ir. Dr. Mohd Hamdi Abd Shukor said that UM greatly appreciates MR D.I.Y.'s continued support of the university. 

“The UM-MR D.I.Y. partnership is an example of a thriving university-industry partnership with an impact that extends far beyond the university community.  The various initiatives we have undertaken together have positively impacted undergraduates, the teaching community, our teaching hospital Universiti Malaya Medical Centre [UMMC], as well as young Malaysians in secondary schools nationwide, who are the future of this university and our country.  Their support has been consistent, manifold and invaluable, which is why we are proud to name them ‘UM’s Excellent Corporate Partner’.  On behalf of the Universiti Malaya community -- thank you for all that you have done and continue to do for us.”

MR D.I.Y. has a long-standing collaboration with Universiti Malaya [UM] across several areas. Since 2017, it has been partnering with UMCares to organise ‘DIY Made Simple’,  an annual national competition for secondary school students designed to inspire awareness of sustainable lifestyle choices and inspire new ideas on ways to reuse, recycle, regenerate, and upcycle. The competition has benefitted over 3,000 students since inception. Earlier this year, MR D.I.Y. announced that it would be continuing the partnership for another three years for the 2023-2025 competitions.  

When UM undergraduates returned to campus post-pandemic, MR D.I.Y contributed COVID-19 test kits and RM3.6 million in cash aid to more than 12,000 UM undergraduates to help ease their return. The retailer has collaborated with UMMC by contributing equipment and supplies to hospital frontliners during the pandemic, and building a multipurpose room called The ZONE for educational purposes. It also contributed RM300,000 to PPUMCare to be used to cover the cost of treatment for underprivileged patients. 

MR D.I.Y.’s ambition is to build a sustainable business that positively impacts lives, and to this end, had successfully established a comprehensive and forward-looking environmental, social, and governance (ESG) framework. The retailer was inducted into Bursa Malaysia’s FTSE4Good Index in 2021 and received its first ESG-related award, as Best Newcomer in the Equities Category, at the inaugural The Edge ESG Awards 2022. The company views sustainability as a collective effort and cultivates meaningful relationships and collaborations with companies and organisations across its value chain, with customers, vendors,  regulators, and the communities in which it operates.  For more information on MR D.I.Y.’s sustainability efforts, visit its website,  www.mrdiy.com , and social media, Facebook, and Instagram.