PENANG was home to significant anniversaries in the past month – starting with one of the oldest private hospitals in the country and ending it with the first-year anniversary of the state’s latest stable of five-star hospitality properties – the Amari Spice Hotel near Sg Ara.
In the midst of it all, is arguably the most well-known entrepreneur from Penang, Datuk Seri Vijay Eswaran, whose QNet multi-level global marketing empire celebrated its 25th anniversary celebrations at the sprawling Spice Setia Convention Centre here last Sunday.
Earlier, the tertiary care private hospital synonymous with the healthcare of many Penangites celebrated its 50th anniversary in a grand fashion at the E&O Hotel here.
The Gleneagles Penang Hospital was previously known as the Penang Medical Centre when it was first established in July 1973.
For the special evening at the hotel’s ballroom, dozens of specialists and doctors were seen mingling in a stress-free setting, as they gathered to honour the past, celebrate the present and look forward to another 50 years of treating the ailing here.
Penang Medical Centre was originally a three-storey hospital with 70 beds.
It was the brainchild of local, Penang-born tycoons, including the prominent Tan Sri Loh Boon Siew, who persuaded senior consultants from the Penang Hospital to start a new private hospital to meet the demand for specialist care.
And the rest, as the saying goes, is history.
Deputy Chief Minister II Jagdeep Singh Deo was the guest of honour.
He recalled when his son was born at Gleneagles, his legendary late father Karpal Singh (former DAP chairperson) stormed into the maternity ward with a group of assistants and relatives to look for his newly born grandson.
Today owned by the IHH Healthcare Malaysia-Singapore conglomerate, the hospital has expanded and offers the most array of specialist treatments in the state.
It also has a sister hospital – Pantai Hospital in Bayan Baru – and with the advent of medical tourism, Gleneagles is believed to be among the busiest healthcare services providers around.
Over the years, the hospital continued to grow and, in 2013, Gleneagles added a 19-storey hospital block.
The new building was fitted with upgraded facilities including 80 consultation suites, 10 operating theatres and two digital operating rooms.
Now, it has more than 360 beds, 80 medical consultants and 900 employees.
A few weeks apart, the multi-level marketing set-up QNet held its annual gathering for its worldwide delegates, namely from the Sub Indian continent, Africa, Middle East and closer to Penang; Indonesia, Thailand and the Philippines.
This time, it was different as the over 20,000 delegates came to not only celebrate their inroads into becoming top uplink achievers but to rejoice over the holding company’s 25th anniversary.
QNet was founded by Penang-born and raised Vijay, whose life story sparks a Bollywood script but most importantly, he has persevered despite the odds.
He took the road less travelled by touting direct selling in third-world nations from India to Pakistan, and now in Africa. But his legacy is all over – in Europe, North America and Asia.
Ironically, he is better known in India than in Malaysia due to his decision to position QNet in a bigger consumerism market, while the conglomerate headquarters is in Hong Kong.
Just like Gleneagles, QNet was actively involved in promoting healthcare, but for the latter, more supplements and devices as well as a range of beauty care products.
It has expanded to have a university and produce Swiss watches, as well as a strategic marketing partner with the Premier League football champions – Manchester City.
QNet is branded as a global lifestyle and wellness-centric direct-selling powerhouse, and since Penang is his hometown, each year since the 2000s, Vijay has made it a point to host his V-convention annual gathering of delegates in Penang.
This year, it was a dual convention with 13,000 delegates in the first session and another 7,000 in the later session, all throughout September.
Vijay chose the Spice Arena, which has now expanded to be the biggest convention centre in the northern region called the Spice Setia convention centre.
Initiated in 2013, the visionary founders of QNet have a “Touching A Billion Hearts” initiative, which is a testament to its profound mission to elevate individuals to a level where they can raise others as well.
The grand opening ceremony featured a breathtaking performance by Kings United, the epitome of world-class dance brilliance, famed from NBC’s World of Dance USA contest.
Not to miss out on the array of anniversary celebrations here, is the Amari Spice Penang Hotel, the five-star property with the largest room inventory of over 300 rooms.
Amari held its first-anniversary celebration in the midst of the V-convention with a cake-cutting ceremony by its staffers. It feted the media and its loyal supporters to a sumptuous buffet dinner spread.
The hotel has a few more surprises up its sleeves, especially with plans to establish the state’s tallest rooftop dining experience.
Meanwhile, the country’s oldest resort – the Shangri-La Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa – will also mark its own golden anniversary with a banquet later this year to honour guests, who had organised their weddings there 50 years ago.
Later in December, Penang will also mark the 50th sister city anniversary celebrations between the state capital of George Town and Adelaide in southern Australia.
The celebrations are unique as nowhere in the world has the son of a founder of one place, go on to establish another place on his own.
Francis Light founded Penang in 1786 and 50 years later, his eldest son Colonel William Light went on to discover Adelaide in southern Australia.
Both city councils of George Town and Adelaide have a few events lined up to mark the occasion, which began last month when the Royal Australian Commission held its southern Australian food promotion at the Queensbay Mall here. – The Vibes, September 21, 2023
