Petronas is continuing to invest in human capital through the downturn, having learnt early on that excellence in leadership is a key component to success.

The Malaysian state-owned firm, which was established in 1974, first demonstrated its dedication to executive workforce training with the establishment of an in-house training and development programme that soon evolved into its lauded Petronas Management Training Sendirian Berhad (PTMSB) course.

"Over the past 16 years PMTSB has evolved significantly from merely being an internal training department within Petronas, to a subsidiary company entrusted as a strategic and key enabler to competency building and people development," said chief executive Khairul Azman Yasin, speaking exclusively to Bernama yesterday (February 25th).

He added that over the years, the PMTSB has become internationally recognised for its inculcation of a team culture within students, a business ethic that has helped Petronas to become one of the most profitable companies in the world.

In the 2008 Fortune 500 list, Petronas was identified as the eighth most profitable company in the world.

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