EXCLUSIVE: Expert urges halal executives to upskill, move beyond tertiary qualifications

Whilst halal diplomas and degrees pose a significance in the market, an expert claimed it may have been oversold at times when real value lies in the capabilities of graduates produced. 

Halal Quality and Assurance Manager of BananaBro, Nik Aina Nadhirah said, tertiary education provides theoretical understanding, an entry ticket into halal departments and produces documentation-literate graduates. 

However, her report on the Salary Range Insights Across Halal Executive to Halal Managerial Roles in Malaysia stated that these qualifications are not equivalent to real market value. 

“A thoughtful point for educators to consider is, what the market clearly values? 

“They value business and operations literacy, audit and risk thinking, IT literacy, cross-functional exposure as well as communication and influence, not merely memorisation.

The compiled data from Nik’s polls on LinkedIn, prior to filtering spoilt votes from ineligible candidates. (credit photo: The Salary Range Insights Across Halal Executive to Halal Managerial Roles in Malaysia report)

“Higher paid managers are system builders, not file keepers, so if your skillset is limited to halal knowledge, your market value is capped,” she elaborated.

Her report was conducted based on LinkedIn polls– where she had gathered over 415 eligible votes from the platform users – and divided them into three categories; halal executive, senior halal executive to halal assistant managers and halal manager.

Based on her findings, Nik determined that the majority of halal personnel in the higher salary ranges are equipped with additional training and certifications while also carrying roles across different positions. 

She said, the data indicates a clear path for halal executives to elevate their salary, move up the ranks and increase professional value by upskilling– a similar initiative practiced for other professions outside of the halal industry. 

 “It is also worth noting that most halal managers are known to have transformed their company’s halal management system into a more advanced form or have significantly contributed to easing compliance processes within their management.

Bar charts on salary range for respective categories pertaining to Nik’s report, each showing the number of votes for salaries relevant to each role. (credit photo: The Salary Range Insights Across Halal Executive to Halal Managerial Roles in Malaysia report)

“The market does not seem to price halal as a standalone role, but consistently rewards risk management, system building, audit readiness and operational impact with halal being one important part of a larger skillset,” she said.

Nik encouraged halal executives, particularly in the junior role, to invest in upskilling and certifications including food safety and quality, operations and business understanding, systems, data and digital skill, training and people development, communication skills and leadership and management skills. 

She also urged more junior halal executives who aim to scale up to take on cross-functional roles, drive system improvements, make significant achievements, build a visible professional presence and stay engaged within the industry.

Although, Nik emphasised that the polls conducted are not a thorough study, as it is only intended to portray the general idea of salary benchmarking and advised the public to not pinpoint the root causes of lower or higher salary ranges based solely on the report.