CUCMS Pro-Chancellor Tan Sri Dr. Palan receives national awards

“The only thing more important than the pursuit of individual self-improvement is societal development”, says well-known social entrepreneur and human capital thought leader and recipient of the Panglima Setia Mahkota (Tan Sri)

CUCMS Pro-Chancellor Tan Sri Dr. Palan receives national awards.

Kuala Lumpur, 4th June 2016 – Y.Bhg Tan Sri Dato’ Dr. Palaniappan A/L Ramanathan Chettiar, known to many simply as Palan, was conferred the prestigious Darjah Kebesaran Panglima Setia Mahkota (PSM) which carries the honorary title “Tan Sri”. The award was conferred by the Seri Paduka Baginda Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Abdul Halim Mu'adzam Shah at a special conferment ceremony held in conjunction with His Royal Highness' birthday in Istana Negara.

Y.Bhg Tan Sri is a well-known thought leader in the field of human capital development and author of over 15 books on the subject of best practices in organizational development. Tan Sri has worked in the Education and Human Resources sector for the last forty years and served two terms as the Director of the Human Resources Development Fund (HRDF) at the Ministry of Human Resources. He is an avowed social entrepreneur.

Y.Bhg Tan Sri Dr. Palan is currently the Pro Chancellor of Cyberjaya University College of Medical Sciences (CUCMS), a top-tier private higher education institution specializing in undergraduate and postgraduate healthcare programmes. Tan Sri also serves as the Executive Chairman of SMR Group (SMRT Holdings Berhad), a company listed on Bursa Malaysia with a business focus on education and human resource development.

“I am deeply humbled by this award and I dedicate this achievement to my family who has been my foundation through this exciting journey of developing and empowering people”, said Tan Sri Dr. Palan. He was at Istana Negara along with his wife, Puan Sri Kamatchi Palan. “My passion is towards the pursuit of individual self-improvement and societal development” added Tan Sri Dr. Palan who is blessed with three children.

Tan Sri Dr. Palan an alumnus of the Harvard Business School who is also the recipient of the Certified Speaking Professional award, the highest earned award from the National Speakers Association of the United States of America. The British Institute of Learning & Development, U.K. accorded Tan Sri their highest level of membership by making him a Fellow of the Institute.

“The only thing more important than the pursuit of individual self-improvement is societal development”, said Tan Sri Dr. Palan. This sentiment had motivated him to establish the Palan  Foundation that seeks to promote educational opportunities for the underprivileged. Tan Sri further added that education is the most powerful tool in helping any society overcome their challenges and step up to the next level. “We must continue to be committed and work towards improving educational access for everyone regardless of their socio-economic background” he said.

Under his leadership Cyberjaya University College of Medical Sciences (CUCMS) and the SMR Group has continued to strive for the highest in quality. CUCMS is rated Tier-5 or Excellent by the Malaysian Qualifications Agency and provides more than 20 fully approved programmes to both local and international students. More than 1,500 CUCMS graduates are now young leaders in the healthcare sector. The institution which is over a decade old has a student enrolment of 3,500 and is based in a state-of-the-art, green campus in Cyberjaya. It will be relocating to a new purpose built campuses that will double its student capacity by 2018.