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@ Halal | July-August . 2022

With the global halal market projected to be worth US $ 2.4 trillion by 2024 , there is no doubt the demand for halal professionals will continue to grow . In 2015 , it was anticipated that the Malaysian halal industry would need at least 20,000 halal professionals as the human resource to help move the halal economy .

Seven years on , the number could be even higher , considering the accelerated pace of halal industry growth .

Who is the halal executive ?

The workforce demand in Malaysia is reflected in the rise of halal certification companies and the ever-growing job market for halal executives .

The halal executive position in the Malaysian halal certification was introduced in 2009 . It is now a part of the compulsory requirements for multinational and medium-sized companies to obtain halal certificates from Jabatan Kemajuan Islam Malaysia ( JAKIM ).

These requirements are applicable in food and non-food sectors , including healthcare , cosmetics , and pharmaceuticals . As part of the Internal Halal Committee ( IHC ) in companies , halal executives are responsible for implementing , supervising , and managing all operational and non-operational halal activities and processes within the company .

Their responsibilities include but are not limited to the following :

• manage halal certification and halal management system , which includes the application of the halal certificate , internal halal audit , and training

• monitor the halal product processing up to the packaging process ^{[ 1 ]}

• identify any inadequacy in halal practices and provide recommendations for

improvement ^{[ 2 ]}

• represent the company during the halal audit conducted by the halal authorities ^{[ 3 ]}

The halal executive , the halal guardian

As the company ’ s controller of all halal-related functions , the halal executive is instrumental in creating an accountable internal halal control mechanism .

Halal executives ensure the companies can comply with halal standards and regulations to reduce the company ’ s dependency on certification bodies .

Halal executives , at their best , should also ensure that halal compliance is maintained throughout the supply chain . Such responsibilities make these halal executives the halal guardians , the eyes and ears of the halal certification body ^{[ 4 ]} .

Being eyes and ears to the certification body while concurrently serving as a representative for the company requires halal executives to have strong integrity . Indeed , integrity is the foundation for halal executives always to uphold ethical working culture , but integrity alone is insufficient to ensure the successful completion of complex tasks .

Halal executives need to be competent at developing solutions and implementing changes in the halal process . If a halal executive has a high level of integrity but low competency , he will not be able to work in an environment requiring sophisticated problem-solving .

Competencies give confidence that the halal executive can do the job effectively and efficiently , performing tasks at optimal levels .

Competencies make it possible for the halal executive to rise to the challenges in halal operations while minimising ethical risks and personal misconduct that could affect the status of halal products . After all , competencies reflect strong characteristics that are desirable

The Malaysian halal industry will need about 20,000 halal professionals

ANIS NAJIHA AHMAD AND

BY YUMI ZUHANIS HAS-YUN HASHIM

INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR HALAL RESEARCH AND TRAINING ( INHART ), INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA

in Islam . [“ A strong believer is better and dearer to Allah than a weak one , and both are good .”

[ Muslim ]. Riyad as-Salihin , 100 .

Halal executive core competencies

Competencies theoretically include knowledge , skills , and attributes . These elements are different for different positions . In some positions , the most critical competencies might be technical knowledge and skills .

In other positions , the most crucial competency might be the fundamental knowledge and the ability to work well with others . As no one list of competencies will work for all positions , academic and industry practitioners have been actively seeking and designing core competencies required by specific jobs and professions , such as nurses , project managers , and librarians , to name a few .

For halal executives , researchers have only recently begun to focus on the identification of the competencies .

Preliminary findings from a recent study conducted by the International Institute for Halal Research and Training ( INHART ) suggest that among the core skills required of halal executives are leadership , teamwork , decision making , problem-solving , planning and organising , and communication .

When managing the halal process , especially audits and documents , halal executives are expected to have high integrity and be committed and observant ^{[ 5 ]} .

One may ask , why does the halal industry need to identify and manage these halal executive competencies ? The benefits are many . Having clearly defined competencies allows halal executives to know exactly what is expected of them and how they should accomplish their tasks .

Understanding and communicating the values and skills required to succeed in such a role will allow the halal executive to spend their time more productively mastering the required skills rather than trying to understand what is needed from them .

It helps the industry recruit and retains the most talented employees as halal executives .

It takes a village to raise a child …

With halal activities spreading across the globe , it is crucial for the halal industry stakeholders to not only work to sustain but also further develop the halal executive competencies as part of the essential halal human resources to contribute to the halal ecosystem .

As the saying goes , it takes a village to raise a child . It may take the whole halal fraternity to build the competencies . It may sound like an intricate task , but an important shared mission must be accomplished .

So , what can the members of the halal fraternity do ? Some of the approaches are as below :

• Higher education institutions could play a role by researching the identification of core competencies of halal executives and the interrelationship between these competencies with resource planning , execution , and management .

• Higher education institutions could also develop advanced modules and courses tailored to halal executives ’ competencies .

• Policymakers and the authorities could develop continuous professional development ( CPD ) program . They could provide standard competency-based modules to ensure a standardised set of knowledge , skills and abilities of the halal executive with relevant certification for those who have completed the modules .

• Halal training providers could offer competency-based modules for halal executives .

Highly-competent halal executives as the pillar of halal governance

Halal professionals and talent support for the halal industry are necessary for enabling and accelerating the halal market ’ s growth . As such , proper career planning and development are essential to nurturing human resources that are mentally and educationally prepared to serve the industry .

As the pillars of halal governance in companies , a clear set of competencies is of utmost importance for the halal executive to play their role successfully .

The spillover impact is evident . An effective and efficient halal executive with intact integrity could help assure that the entire spectrum of the halal industry produces and provides only the halalan toyyiban products and services and not those with tampered and low-quality attributes .

It is part and parcel of fulfilling the amanah ( trust ) of being the guardian of the halal industry .

References : [ 1 ] Department of Skills Development and Halal Industry Development Corporation ( HDC ), “ Occupational Framework Halal Industry ,” Putrajaya , 2018 . [ 2 ] A . S . M . Salleh , F . Romlib , K . M . Salleh , and A . Adnan , “ Role of Internal Halal Committee in Ensuring Business Sustainability : The Case of a Multinational Slaughter House ,” J . Bus . Manag . Account ., vol . 10 , no . 2 , pp . 57 – 65 , Nov . 2020 , doi : 10.32890 / JBMA2020.10.2.12135 . [ 3 ] N . R . A . Rahim et al ., “ Negotiation of needs towards halal talents sustainability ,” J . Islam . Mark ., 2020 . [ 4 ] J . Ahmad Sahir , “ Halal executive as part of the Malaysian halal certification requirements : how did it all begin ,” Halal Note Ser ., pp . 4 – 5 , 2019 . [ 5 ] N . M . Rosli , H . N R , A . F . FH , Y . -Y . Hashim , and A . N . Ahmad , “ A Conceptual Core Competency Model for Halal Executives in Food Manufacturing Companies ,” J . Halal Sci . Technol ., vol . 1 , no . 1 , pp . 1 – 14 , 2022 .