On 15 January 2026, H.E. Ms. Lada Phumas, Ambassador of Thailand to Malaysia, was invited to the CEO Series 2026 under the theme “Reinventing Growth: Innovation and Investment Opportunities in ASEAN and Malaysia”, organised by the Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association Malaysia (REHDA) at Le Méridien Hotel, Petaling Jaya. The event featured a Ministerial Keynote Address by YB Tuan Loke Siew Fook, Minister of Transport of Malaysia, and was well-attended by over 400 participants, including representatives from public and private sectors, academia and other interested stakeholders.

On this occasion, the Ambassador met with the Minister of Transport of Malaysia and senior executives of REHDA, and attended the keynote address, whereby the Minister emphasised the Government of Malaysia’s aim to designate 2026 as the “Year of Execution”, particularly in the context of advancing transportation infrastructure as the key enabler for economic growth through several priority projects, including the Rapid Transit System (RTS), linking Johor and Singapore; launching of the Electric Train Service (ETS) line between Kuala Lumpur and Johor; the development of central railway stations in major cities; and the enactment of legislation to facilitate border-crossing at checkpoints, among others. On the same occasion, the Minister also encouraged the real estate sector to participate in area development and connectivity surrounding railway stations, including within the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ) and along the East Coast Rail Link (ECRL) corridor, which will connect Port Klang on the west coast to Kota Bharu in Kelantan, adjacent to the Thai–Malaysian border on the east coast.

The Ambassador also participated in the launching of the “REHDA Institute Youth Initiative (RIYI)”, a collaboration between REHDA Institute and 13 Malaysian universities, which brings Malaysia’s corporate leaders to provide structured mentorship to university students about early business and industry exposure as well as career guidance.