On 17 April 1959, sixty-six employers representing various sectors of Malayan business gathered at the Selangor Club, Kuala Lumpur, to officially form the Federation of Malaya Industrial & Commercial Employers' Consultative Association. The purpose of establishing the Federation was to ensure that employers had a unified voice in representing their interests to the government. This objective was made clear by the inaugural Chairman, Mr. I.P. Bruce of Shell, who highlighted the need for a recognised body to offer consultation and advice to the government on economic policies concerning private enterprise. The Federation was launched with 73 founder-members and one affiliate member, the Pan Malayan Road Transport Operators' Association. Mr. R.J.E. Price of the Malayan Tobacco Company was appointed as the first Chairman, while Y.B. Tan Sri Dato' S.O.K. Ubaidulla was elected Vice Chairman, who would later succeed Price.