From a File on My Desk to a Full-Circle Legacy: My Journey as Decathlon Malaysia’s First Employee 🇲🇾
In 2015, I was serving as an Assistant Director at the Malaysian Investment Development Authority. It was a regular day until my director walked over, handed me a brand-new file, and said, "Maziah, I want you to be the account manager for this."
The name on the file? Decathlon.
That was the exact moment my world shifted. As the account manager, my job was to assist this global sports giant with their official entry into the Malaysian market. I vividly remember the first time I sat down with their CEO and Expansion Director. Listening to them speak, getting to know them, and understanding the brand's vision, I didn’t just see a company—I saw a culture I wanted to be a part of. As someone who loved being active and sporty, it felt like fate.
I fell so deeply in love with their mission that by December 2015, I made a leap of faith. I left the government sector and officially joined the team. At just 24 years old, I became Decathlon Malaysia’s very first local employee, stepping in as their Expansion Manager.
Back then, it was an exhilarating, beautifully chaotic challenge. We were building the foundations from the ground up. I poured my heart into the brand for two years before moving on to explore new horizons in 2017. But you never truly stop rooting for the foundations you helped pour.
Fast forward to today, a decade later. I’ve watched Decathlon’s meteoric rise across Malaysia with immense pride. They’ve grown from a bold new market entry into a beloved household name—expanding so rapidly that they even opened and expanded a store right in my own township.
And now, my relationship with the brand has come beautifully full circle.
Today, I am a mother, and my two-year-old son is utterly obsessed with Decathlon. It is his absolute favorite place to go. If you walked into my house right now, you’d think we were a warehouse—he has collected nearly 100 sports balls from there!
Walking through the aisles recently, I caught sight of their anniversary poster, and a wave of pure nostalgia hit me. I stood there looking at how far this brand has come, thinking about that file on my desk in 2015, and feeling incredibly proud of the historic role I played in bringing this establishment to life in my country. Decathlon will always feel like my corporate baby—and now, my actual baby is falling in love with it, too. Who knows? Maybe he’ll carry on the legacy and work there one day.
Happy 10th Anniversary, Decathlon Malaysia! 💙 Thank you for the incredible memories, the phenomenal growth, and for continuing to inspire generations of sports lovers.
With love and immense pride,
Maziah Mokhtar
The First of Many
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