Dato Mohd Rawi Abdul Hamid (squatting on left), assemblyman for Ayer Hangat, Langkawi, and Abel planting mangrove saplings with Chris Niuh (standing), general manager of Berjaya Langkawi Resort.
CARING for the environment and the community comes naturally to Abel Nelson Nang.
Hospitality is second nature to this Mirian who heads a company that prides itself on exemplary teamwork in championing environmental preservation and community well-being.
As group director for corporate marketing & communications, Berjaya Hotels & Resorts (BHR) in Miri, he adopts a highly principled approach to blend the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) endeavours with measures to sustain the environment and the community within and beyond the work place.
Abel said gone were the days when a half-hearted token gesture to charity made the grade.
“In this initiative of giving, sustainability is the key. The drive behind it has to remain strong in the years after,” he told thesundaypost.
As head of the marketing and communications team overseeing BHR’s brand development across 14 properties, both local and international, Abel firmly believes it is crucial to engage with different stakeholders to demonstrate the importance of CSR programmes.
Since assuming his position in 2010, Abel has successfully conceptualised, executed and maintained the company’s CSR events by focussing on the community through its city hotels, and the environment through its resorts.
He believes such an approach is effective in streamlining the direction of the different properties that his 10-member team manages.
Chris Niuh presenting certificate of appreciation to Fadzil, chief of Kampung Kuala Melaka, Kuala Teriang, for M4L.
Community-based environmental projects
Abel has carried out many conservation projects. Among the most noteworthy is the annual Tioman Island Cleanup Day (TICD) and/or Tioman World Oceans Day (TWOD) project.
The event in June or October, is receiving strong support from the locals as well as divers and activists around the world who feel strongly about preserving the coral reefs, marine life and forests to ensure a sustainable ecosystem for Tioman Island.
What’s more heartwarming for Abel is being able to reach out to children on the importance of protecting turtles, through the group’s Turtle Conservation Workshop held during the TICD-TWOD project.
So far, they have reached out to almost 1,000 students since the project was launched in 2012.
“It’s really only through this process of education that we are able to change their behaviour or attitude, and nurture a caring spirit. The students are the future leaders and the ambassadors of change. We need to educate and instill good values in them,” he stressed.
Keeping the CSR spirit strong, Abel and his team recently launched the Mangrove 4 Life (M4L) campaign in Langkawi — a project aimed at conserving the rich natural heritage of mangroves in Langkawi Island.
Being an environment advocator, Abel spent his 41st birthday on Nov 22, 2014 in Langkawi, visiting the villagers of Kampung Kuala Melaka, Kuala Teriang, to share the importance of preserving healthy mangrove forests.
The village was the hardest hit by the devastation of the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami.
“I was moved by the loss of lives and properties as a result of the tragedy and felt the villagers needed to understand why mangroves have a higher potential to protect and save lives than engineered concrete structures,” he explained.
The M4L campaign was successfully inaugurated in early February this year as a collaborative effort, involving 100 participants, including the BHR team, the media children from SK Kuala Teriang and villagers from Kampung Kuala Melaka, Kuala Teriang.
During the event, 300 mangrove saplings were planted on the coastal shoreline of Kuala Teriang while 50 students, taking part in the Mangrove Awareness Workshop, planted an additional 100 mangrove saplings at the Berjaya Langkawi Resort’s mangrove site. The objectives were to create greater awareness on the importance of mangroves and conserving them, through interactive and fun-filled learning activities.
Abel (right) speaking with children from SK Tekek Tioman on turtle conservation awareness.
Driving force-mentor
As a Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) graduate with a Bachelor’s degree in Forestry Science, it is no surprise Abel is active in environmental preservation. He attributes his efforts of giving back to society to the mentor he had growing up — his dad.
“My father was a perfect teacher and headmaster, and he really cared for people. I used to conduct for him, motivation talks for his students on study skills and life in general. This seed planted in my younger days eventually led to me being community-driven, and it seems like a natural progression to bring that aspect into my work and life,” Abel revealed.
Satisfaction and acknowledgment
He said despite having to juggle work responsibilities, business travels and personal life, he feels satiated and content.
“It can be tiring and there’s a lot on my plate but being able to combine my passion for CSR into my work and make a difference on a larger scale — the satisfaction I derive from it is something money just can’t buy.
“This isn’t just about a PR exercise where I organise an event to highlight the plight of underprivileged communities or unfortunate situations. It’s about really wanting to give back to society and the environment. I believe a CSR culture should be ingrained within the company and trickle down as it rightly should from the top of the ladder to the very fabric of the organisation.”
Abel’s continuous dedication to and contribution for the industry has earned him and his team the Hospitality Asia Platinum Awards for Public Relations Excellence, Malaysia Series
2014-2015 — an award presented to marketing and communications divisions with the highest level of Public Relations efficiency, communication style, branding, CSR and excellent media relations.
Abel (front) with Chris signing on the M4L Pledge board.
Vision for Sarawak
On his dreams for Sarawak, Abel said: “I hope one day I can to do the same for my own roots — to speak about Sarawak and its neverending beautiful heritage, and perhaps be the ambassador for this place through my positive contributions, achievements, attributes and changes I’ve made in society.”
Abel also loves developing people and classifies himself as a natural motivator. He finds great satisfaction in sharing knowledge and his life experience with others.
“My hope is also to be able to reach out to the youth of Sarawak, especially those in the rural
areas, and share with them my passion about life. And to show them nothing is impossible if we work hard, have great attitude and continuously persevere to do great in everything we do,” he said.
Abel and the media at the launching of M4L (Mangrove 4Life) campaign in Langkawi