From those we have worked with

What clients say

These are accounts of actual engagements — what firms brought to us, what we worked on together, and what they found useful. No embellishment; just the work as it was.

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47+

Firms assisted

4.8

Average satisfaction (out of 5)

93%

Return for a second engagement

ASEAN countries covered

Client accounts

In their own words

Tan Kah Hoe

Managing Director, Penang trading firm

We used the Vietnam Cultural Engagement before signing a distribution agreement in Ho Chi Minh City. Honestly, I was not sure how much practical value a written note could offer — most of what I had read on this topic before was very general. What Onyrra produced was not general at all. It addressed the specific kind of relationship we were entering, the points in the negotiation where we were most likely to misjudge our counterpart's signals, and what to do if the relationship slowed unexpectedly.

April 2025 · ASEAN Cross-Cultural Engagement

Norzarina Radzali

Director, Selangor manufacturing firm

The Counterpart Relationship Review was something I was reluctant to commission — it felt like admitting that our Indonesian partnership had problems. The review helped me see it differently. Onyrra did not tell us the relationship was broken; they helped us understand where it had drifted and where it was actually quite strong. The three working sessions were where most of the real thinking happened. The written review was something we shared with our Indonesia team and it opened a productive conversation that would not have happened otherwise.

March 2025 · Counterpart Relationship Review

Wong Pui Ling

CEO, Johor Bahru professional services firm

We needed a Grove Note before a sensitive message to our Philippine joint-venture partner — we had made a decision about equity terms that we knew could land badly if worded carelessly. The note gave us not just the suggested wording but an explanation of why certain phrases would be read differently on their side. We sent the message with real confidence that it would be received in the spirit it was intended. It was.

April 2025 · Grove Note

Azreen Mokhtar

General Manager, Kuala Lumpur distribution firm

We had been dealing with our Thai distributor for nearly five years and felt the relationship had plateaued. The Cultural Engagement for Thailand gave our senior team a much clearer sense of what was likely going on beneath the surface — not just cultural background, but practical guidance on how to shift the dynamic. The discussion guide was used in our team's next two meetings with the Thai side.

February 2025 · ASEAN Cross-Cultural Engagement

Loh Chun Wei

Founder, Ipoh consumer goods firm

The Grove Note on Singapore business etiquette was more useful than I expected for what seemed like a simple brief. Singapore feels close to home, so I had assumed our approach there was already well calibrated. The note surfaced a few things I had genuinely not thought about — particularly around how Malaysian directness reads in formal Singapore business settings. The follow-up call was helpful for questions that came up after I had read the note properly.

March 2025 · Grove Note

Suresh Rajasekaran

Operations Director, Penang light manufacturing

We commissioned the Counterpart Relationship Review with some trepidation — our Indonesian supplier had indicated things were going well on their side, but we had a different sense from our interactions. The review confirmed our instinct and helped us understand why there was a gap between what was being said and what was being felt. The working sessions were substantive, not just a rehearsal of what we already knew. I would use Onyrra Group again without hesitation.

April 2025 · Counterpart Relationship Review

In more detail

Two engagements, described

Case Study — ASEAN Cross-Cultural Engagement

Preparing a Selangor trading firm for a Vietnam distributor relationship

The situation

A mid-sized Selangor trading company had identified a distribution partner in Hanoi and was about to begin formal negotiations. Their senior team had commercial experience in the region but had not worked with Vietnamese partners before. They were aware that they were likely missing context but were not sure what form it would take.

What we worked on

Over ten weeks, we prepared a grove note covering Vietnamese business meeting conventions, the role of hierarchy in decisions, how time and scheduling expectations differ from Malaysian norms, and what the company's existing approach to contract negotiation would likely communicate to their Hanoi counterpart. Four working sessions explored each area in the context of the specific relationship.

What followed

The firm entered the negotiation better prepared. The managing director later described two moments in the first formal meeting where, without the grove note, he would have read the situation incorrectly. The distribution agreement was signed within the expected timeframe. The firm commissioned a Grove Note six months later on a specific concession point in the relationship's first year.

"The most valuable part was being told what not to do. There was one thing I had planned to say in the opening meeting that the note suggested I hold back. It was right."
— Managing Director

Case Study — Counterpart Relationship Review

Taking stock of a stalled joint venture with an Indonesian partner

The situation

A George Town professional services firm had been in a joint venture with a Jakarta partner for three years. Meetings had become shorter. Decisions that should have been straightforward were being deferred. The Malaysian side suspected the relationship had lost momentum but could not identify why — and were uncertain whether the Jakarta partner saw things the same way.

What we worked on

We conducted three working sessions with the Malaysian team and, with both parties' agreement, a structured conversation with two senior figures on the Jakarta side. The resulting review identified a specific mismatch in expectations about decision-making authority — a structural issue that had developed over time and was being read by the Jakarta side as a lack of trust, and by the Malaysian side as unusual slowness.

What followed

The review was shared with both parties and used as the basis for a structured conversation between the two managing directors. A small adjustment to the joint venture's internal decision process was agreed. Both sides described the subsequent period as a noticeable improvement. The Malaysian firm described it as recovering a relationship they had been quietly worried they were losing.

"I had not expected Onyrra to speak with our Indonesian colleagues — and I was nervous about it. The fact that they were willing to participate said something about how Onyrra had approached them. The review was a turning point."
— CEO, George Town firm

Reach us

We are based in George Town, Penang

Telephone
+60 4-261 8493
Email
[email protected]
Office
Wisma Pantai, Lebuh Light
10200 George Town, Penang, Malaysia
Hours
Mon–Fri 9:00 am – 6:00 pm MYT
Sat 10:00 am – 1:00 pm MYT

Credentials

Professional affiliations

Penang Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry — member firm
Malaysia-Vietnam Business Council — registered advisory practice
Malaysia-Indonesia Business Council — listed advisory practice
Penang Business Awards 2024 — shortlisted, Best Professional Services Practice (SME)
Registered under Malaysia's PDPA 2010 for personal data handling

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