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Many might know Tune Money CEO Tengku Zafrul Aziz as the man who hires and fires on the local hit corporate reality TV show called The Firm. But what they might not know is that Tengku Zafrul is no ordinary high-flier himself, having left a cushy multi-million- ringgit job to invest in a start-up.
THERE is nothing like a television reality show to propel you into the limelight. And that is exactly what happened to enterprising corporate chieftain Tengku Zafrul Aziz.
His portrayal of the hirer (a la Donald Trump in The Apprentice) in Malaysia's first corporate reality TV show produced by Popiah Pictures and ntv7 had a sizeable following.
So what was it like judging and `terminating' the participants one by one? `It's quite straightforward really ... we sort of know who should stay and who should go,' says Tengku Zafrul. The 34-year- old CEO of Tune Money Sdn Bhd says if given the opportunity, he is keen to return to the set if ntv7 is planning another season of the show. `Yes, I don't mind, but it takes a lot of my time,' he smiles.
Ironically, Tengku Zafrul had been very reluctant to come onto the set for Season One of the show. But Datuk Tony Fernandes, the controlling shareholder of Tune Money, urged him to take it up. `Tony asked me to get in there. He said it would be good for our branding ... so I did,' he says. Tengku Zafrul set aside one afternoon and one weekend for the filming of the show, which gave Tune Money valuable exposure to the public.
Hosted by Brand Mercatus head honcho Peter Pek and Carat Club (a diamond retailer) founder Chan Boon Yong, The Firm is directed by award-winning director Ng Ping Ho of Kopitiam fame.
In The Firm, a group of 10 professionals compete in an...