Gerard R. Sankar, CEO

Gerard R. Sankar brings close to five decades of experience across manufacturing, human resources, administration and industrial relations, with much of his career spent working at the intersection of employers, employees and trade unions.

Beginning his career in Johor’s manufacturing sector in 1979, Gerard developed extensive experience in collective bargaining, domestic inquiries, disciplinary matters, compensation and benefits, manpower planning and workplace training.

Beyond his corporate responsibilities, Gerard has held longstanding leadership roles within Malaysia’s employer and manufacturing communities. He served as chairman of the Malaysian Employers Federation’s Southern Region for close to 29 years and has been actively involved with the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers for almost four decades. He currently serves as one of FMM Johor’s vice-chairmen.

Before establishing his own practice, Gerard travelled to the United States to study the outsourcing of human resource management and related services — a model that was still emerging in Malaysia at the time. He returned convinced that Johor businesses could benefit from experienced, accessible HR and industrial-relations support.

Gerard & Associates was established in 2006. What began as a home-based practice later moved to Cyberport before relocating to Menara Landmark in 2013.

Over the years, Gerard and his team have supported local and multinational companies across Johor. As workplaces have evolved, the firm’s work has expanded beyond traditional industrial relations into areas such as responsible employment practices, labour compliance, whistleblowing procedures, foreign-worker management and preparation for third-party workplace audits.

Gerard is candid about what responsible consulting means.

“We will never say that we can solve every problem,” he says. “What we can do is study the situation, offer honest considerations and help the client make things better. If something is beyond us, we will say so.”

As Gerard & Associates enters its next chapter, he is bringing experienced HR leaders into the practice to broaden its capabilities while preserving the values on which it was built.

Asked what the firm stands for, Gerard’s answer is straightforward:

“Building trust and confidence — and being a dependable extra pair of hands.”