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Honorary doctorate for CIOB vice-president
CM Staff
Heriot-Watt University Malaysia has honoured Datuk Seri Michael Yam in a virtual conferment
Datuk Seri Michael Yam FCIOB has been awarded an honorary doctorate by Heriot-Watt University, Malaysia.
Yam was president of CIOB Malaysia 2005-2007 and subsequently elected onto the Board of Trustees in 2008. In June 2020 he was elected vice-president of CIOB, which will lead him to become the senior vice-president in June 2021 and president in June 2022. He will make history as the first Malaysian and second Asian ever to be president.
Heriot-Watt University has awarded honorary degrees every year since being granted its Royal Charter in 1966. The charter decrees that it may confer an honorary degree on any person whom it may deem worthy of such a distinction.
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“I subscribe to the principle that: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully”
In the ceremony, Yam was noted as: “Someone who is truly a world shaper… with a successful career in construction, project management and real-estate development spanning more than 35 years, Michael’s knowledge, expertise and values and exemplary impact across the sector and beyond provide an inspirational example of the futures we seek to open up for our students in this rapidly changing and increasingly connected world…
“It’s clear that Michael is an individual of huge talent and that through his business acumen he has been influential in contributing to the advancement of the construction and real-estate industry.”
Upon receiving the honour, Yam said: “Today is a very special day for me. I subscribe to the principle that: he who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Hence my desire to give back to society and the community, and advocacy work in the very industry that has served me so well.
“I want to live life as the famous American writer Maya Angelou once said: ‘My mission in life is not merely to survive but to thrive, and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humour and some style.’ I want to thank God for his grace to put wind beneath my wings in my endeavours to fulfil my calling, a substantive part of which has been achieved with today’s exceptional honour from Heriot-Watt University.”
You can watch the university’s first ever virtual congregation for a conferment ceremony on YouTube.
The January/February 2026 issue of Construction Management magazine is now available to read in digital format.
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