Made in Malaysia: A major success for Marc Chua in Southeast Asia
At just 34, Marc Chua is the CEO of a leading sportswear company in Southeast Asia.
Mr Chua founded ULTRON® not long after his graduation from the University of Southern Queensland (USQ) with a Master of Business Administration (MBA) in 2014.
His vision and ambition have led to a suite of commendations; most recently, the Young Entrepreneur Award 2018 at the Malaysian Australian Alumni Council (MAAC) annual gala.
“I’m truly honoured to receive this award and am even more proud to win this particular accolade for USQ,” he said.
“It followed fellow alumni Tawfique Roseli winning the same category last year, proving USQ’s MBA program is truly an incubator of entrepreneurs in Malaysia. 
“I was overwhelmed with joy to win and see it as a new motivation to keep going, taking my business to a greater height. At the same time, I want to set an example for the future graduates who share this same entrepreneurial spirit.”
Mr Chua developed ULTRON® to align with Malaysia’s growing sports industry, focusing on a ‘home-grown’ brand to match the country’s identity, culture, and lifestyle.
Since then the company has spread across 12 countries in Asia, distributing more than 2.5 million pieces of apparel across the region between 2015 and 2018.
ULTRON®’s latest initiative, ‘Made in Malaysia, Designed by Malaysian’, has involved engaging with the local design community, crowdsourcing new design ideas, and commercialising through partnerships to benefits credited designers.
Mr Chua’s success has led to him being named among the 100 Most Influential Young Entrepreneurs of the Year by Entrepreneur Insight Magazine in 2018.
Mr Chua said his time studying with USQ expanded his horizons and shaped his fundamental beliefs in business.
“I am a firm believer and advocate of education and have credited a lot of my skillsets and business acumen to my postgraduate studies at USQ,” he said.
In fact, his final assignment for a project management class was on a business plan for a home-grown apparel brand for the Malaysian market, laying the foundation for ULTRON®.
“The most ambitious people are often the most motivated to strive for what they want and what they believe in, and vision allows us to see and plan our road map towards success, and execution is the magic that turns all it all into reality,” he said.
“The most successful people reach the top not because they are free of limitations, but because they act in spite of their limitations.”
To learn more about USQ’s Master of Business Administration (Business Leadership), visit the USQ website here.
The MAAC is the national organisation for Malaysian alumni associations of Australian universities and other institutions of higher learning.
Image: Ms Melissa Tan (Education Manager, Austrade); Ms Nicole Lim (VP for Bilateral Relations, The MAAC); Mr Mark Chua Yee Kuan (winner of Young Entrepreneur Award 2018).