Forvis Mazars Malaysia’s William How Neng Fook highlights successes in Malaysia’s digital future

He explores Malaysia’s digital maturity, opportunities from Industry 4.0, and how cross-sector collaboration can advance the tech ecosystem in the country.

Malaysia’s tech industry is currently defined by a sophisticated transition to a high-value digital powerhouse. In the past years, it has become a regional hub for cloud computing and data centres. Such evolution from manual processes to automated ecosystems is precisely where the Malaysian tech landscape meets the global standard for operational excellence.

The profile of Forvis Mazars Malaysia’s William How Neng Fook is a testament to this trajectory, blending the precision of traditional financial oversight with the agility of modern tech consultancy.

With a career spanning consulting giants like Ernst & Young and PwC, and a current role as Transformation and Innovation Senior Manager at Forvis Mazars, he brings a rare "full-stack" perspective to the evaluation process. His deep-rooted expertise in auditing high-impact Malaysian sectors provides a grounded understanding of the industries that form the backbone of the region's economy.

Moreover, his commitment to aligning financial operations with long-term organisational goals ensures that companies are not just going to look for innovation but also for sustainable, data-driven success that can withstand the rigours of the modern digital economy.

Speaking at the Malaysia Technology Excellence Awards, the Forvis Mazars Senior Manager shares his insights on Malaysia’s digital landscape, transformation, and ecosystem development. He assesses the country’s current digital maturity, barriers preventing SMEs from adopting advanced technologies, and leadership factors that make digital transformation initiatives successful.

How would you assess the overall digital maturity of Malaysian businesses today?

Malaysia is moving, but not evenly. Malaysia’s digital maturity today is best described as “two speed.” Some organisations are moving quickly with cloud, data, automation, and stronger cyber practices. Others are still modernising the basics, processes, infrastructure, and consistent data discipline. What is exciting is that the national direction is clear and designed to be inclusive, building foundations so that digital progress is not limited to a handful of leaders.

Better connectivity also matters more than people realise. When broadband coverage and quality improve, adoption becomes easier, more reliable, and more scalable across sectors and locations.

Leaders are already using enterprise platforms to standardise workflows, strengthen governance, and unlock data-driven decisions. Others are still transitioning from manual workarounds to structured systems.

The opportunity now is to convert intention into execution and execution into outcomes that are visible on the ground.

What leadership factors determine whether digital transformation truly delivers value?

Transformation becomes real when leaders treat it as a business strategy, not a technology deployment.

Three factors consistently decide whether it delivers value. Outcome clarity requires leaders to define what improves — cost, speed, risk, growth, and customer experience — and to measure it. Visible ownership ensures that business leaders sponsor adoption and decisions, not only budgets. Adoption discipline ensures that training, change management, and accountability turn systems into capability.

“The biggest part of our digital transformation is changing the way we think.” - Simeon Preston.

That is why adoption matters so much. Even the best platform only creates value when people trust it, use it, and keep improving how they work with it.

What are the biggest barriers preventing Malaysian SMEs from adopting advanced ERP or cloud-based solutions?

Most SMEs are not anti-technology; they are pro-survival. The barriers are practical: cost sensitivity, limited internal capability, data readiness challenges, and fear of disruption during migration.

This is why structured pathways help. Malaysia’s Industry4WRD readiness assessment approach is designed to help firms assess gaps and prepare feasible strategies and plans toward Industry 4.0 adoption, especially relevant for SMEs that need clarity before committing to major platforms.

With Malaysia pushing toward Industry 4.0 and digital economy initiatives, where are the greatest opportunities for enterprise systems?

The biggest opportunities sit where Malaysia can win on execution, compliance, and scalability.

Manufacturing and related services can lift resilience and productivity when systems improve visibility, planning, and consistency, aligned with the Industry4WRD direction.

Across the economy, the national digital blueprint emphasises enabling infrastructure and inclusive transformation. That framing matters because enterprise platforms increasingly function as competitive infrastructure, not just back-office systems.

Connectivity is the multiplier. JENDELA’s focus on wider coverage and better broadband experience supports the conditions needed for cloud and enterprise tools to perform reliably at scale.

How can private sector, government, and academia collaboration drive Malaysia’s tech ecosystem forward?

Malaysia moves fastest when the ecosystem behaves like a delivery loop. The government sets direction through national initiatives and implementation phases, whilst the industry brings real use cases, real constraints, and real scale.

Academia builds talent pipelines and applied research that can be tested and commercialised.
Infrastructure is a core enabler. JENDELA explicitly frames benefits across education, productivity, and businesses, helping innovation spread more evenly.

“Technology is best when it brings people together.” - Matt Mullenweg  

Based on the nominated entries at the Malaysia Technology Excellence Awards 2026, how do this year’s entries benefit Malaysia’s broader tech landscape?

The awards help because they raise the bar of what “good tech” looks like, shifting attention from buzzwords to measurable impact. The Malaysia Technology Excellence Awards positions itself as recognising organisations at the forefront of technological innovation and digital transformation.

From a judging lens, strong entries tend to demonstrate practical innovation, usability, and attention to security and compliance, qualities highlighted in judging guidance and prior award-related materials.

Judging frameworks commonly emphasise uniqueness and innovation, effectiveness and impact, and dynamism, reinforcing that solutions should be scalable and sustainable, not only novel.

The result is bigger than the winners. It creates playbooks and reference points that other Malaysian organisations can adapt, improving the overall standard of execution across the market.