“What Matters in PR” shines the spotlight on PR leaders in the industry. We speak with Syed Mohammed Idid, General Manager, Strategic Communications & Stakeholder Engagement at West Coast Expressway. Syed reflects on the pivotal chapters of his career including working with the Chief Justice of Malaysia, and the lessons they impart.
What inspired you to pursue a career in communications and advocacy?
I never planned to work in public relations. I wanted to be a hotelier. My dream was to study hospitality in Switzerland, but life pulled me in a different direction.
During my A-Levels, Professor Dato’ Dr Elizabeth Lee, now the Group CEO of Sunway Education, called me “our resident PR man.” At the time, I had no idea what PR was, but it planted a seed.
After finishing my A-Levels, I joined a country club and wrote a short press release for an event. When I saw it published in the Malay Mail, something clicked: what I wrote could become news.
That moment led me to pursue a diploma in public relations at the Institute of Public Relations Malaysia. From then on, I knew I had found my path.
What experiences shaped your approach to leadership in communications?
I worked in agencies and in-house, and later started my own consultancies. Each phase taught me something different about how communications works in the real world.
A turning point was working with the Malaysian Deposit Insurance Corporation, helping explain to the public how deposit insurance protects consumers. It showed me how PR can build understanding in highly technical subjects.
One of my most unusual clients was the Chief Justice of Malaysia. I had the honour of bringing top journalists and editors to meet senior judges, which helped bridge a historic gap between the judiciary and the press. After that, I joined PLUS Malaysia and later moved to West Coast Expressway.
When did you realise communications could drive real business outcomes, not just visibility?
When I joined West Coast Expressway, there was no PR department. We built it from scratch. Our goal was to create credibility for the brand and show stakeholders that communication could drive tangible business outcomes.
Within a few years, the difference was visible. Bankers and investors began approaching us rather than the other way around. They had read about our progress and wanted to be part of it.
I do not claim that PR alone raised our share price, but awareness played a role. When shareholders understand your story, they believe in your direction. That belief has value. It strengthens the company’s reputation and helps leadership make the case for continued investment.
“If reputation isn’t measured, how can you claim to have a good one? You need proof. Measurement provides that proof and turns perception into data you can stand behind.«
Syed on the importance of measuring a company’s reputation
What is a myth about PR that you don’t believe in?
PR measurement is no longer about column inches or advertising value. Those days are gone. What matters now is whether communication has moved the needle – whether it has changed awareness, sentiment, or behaviour in a measurable way.
Working with CARMA gave us the evidence to prove this impact. Their insights helped us demonstrate to leadership that our work wasn’t just about visibility; it was about outcomes.
At West Coast Expressway, those measurements became proof points our CEO could take to the board, validating communications as a contributor to business value.
With CARMA’s measurement, we had data-backed insights and proof to show our initiatives were moving the needle, and WCE’s work was recognised at the Malaysia PR Awards, including a Gold in the Crisis Communications category.
We also received a Bronze in Financial Communications, an unusual category for our sector, which reinforced that the industry could see the impact.
Credible measurement matters because it gives leaders facts they can stand behind.
“Once you’ve been a journalist, you never lose that instinct to look for the real story. It helped me understand what editors want, how newsrooms work, and how to respect the craft of reporting.«
Syed on how his experiences shaped him as a communicator
How do you approach media relations?
The key to good media relations is to think like a journalist. Whatever I pitch must be genuinely newsworthy. An editor may help you once as a favour, but after that the story has to stand on its own merit. If you bring weak material, they will not take your calls the next time.
I have always believed in building real, long-term relationships with journalists. They are not just contacts in a phone book; they are professionals with integrity and pride in their craft. Many of my closest media partners started out as reporters and are now editors. That is why every interaction matters. Reporters rise through the ranks, and they remember who respected their time.
Newsrooms today are smaller than ever, but behind every system or AI agent is still a person making a decision. That is why relationships remain essential. Build them carefully, nurture them, and never forget that respect is what keeps the connection alive.
How do you rely on AI tools in your day-to-day?
AI saves time and helps sharpen ideas, but only if you use it thoughtfully. I often say AI will not replace communicators. It will replace those who refuse to use it.
AI has a place in communications. Used well, it can take pressure off routine work, improve responsiveness, and support better customer engagement without losing the human element.
AI is not the enemy of PR. For me, it is a partner that frees practitioners to focus on what matters most: judgement, relationships, and communicating with integrity.
How have you seen the PR industry in Malaysia evolve, and what advice do you give young communicators today?
Public relations in Malaysia has matured. Old stereotypes have faded, and more communicators are moving into senior leadership and sustainability roles. Communication is now central to how companies operate and grow.
What matters to me most is nurturing the next generation. I tell young professionals that PR is not an easy path. It requires ethics, curiosity, and stamina. Many enter thinking it is about glamour, events, and social media, but the reality is very different.
Those who enter it for the right reasons can shape outcomes quietly but powerfully.
Together with Dato P. Kamalanathan, we founded the Public Relations Practitioners Society of Malaysia because we believe in nurturing young talents, fostering camaraderie and a network of friendship between PR practitioners from every spectrum of the industry, and providing a platform for exchange of ideas and upskilling abilities. Through this, we also impart that measurement is the important ingredient for success.
My hope is to see more of them rise to board level, where communication shapes strategy, not just execution.
Read other What Matters in PR? interviews here.