When the third generation steps into the business

BURSA SGX Home Edge Weekly Make The Edge Malaysia your preferred source on Google This article first appeared in The Edge Malaysia Weekly on September 7, 2026 - September 13, 2026

OVER the past decade or so, a new crop of third-generation family members has been moving into management roles and boardrooms at Bursa Malaysia-listed companies.

Some are still being nurtured while others have accumulated years of operating experience and are moving into the top jobs. In at least one company — United Malacca Bhd (KL: UMCCA ), founded in 1910 — the fourth generation has arrived.

Corporate advisers observe that the arrival of the third generation can mark a critical turning point, where family conglomerates “either reinvent themselves or begin a slow institutional decline”. And as with all conglomerates, they face increasing pressure to reinvent their business models or risk sliding behind more focused rivals.