KT Pillai – The Master of Ceremonies Who Will Kau Tim Pei Lei
From deejaying college parties in the early 1980s to emceeing royal functions in the 2000s, the unmistakable booming voice of KT Pillai has graced many an event or function, mesmerising guests over four generations, from Canada to Malaysia and quite a few countries between.
Since turning professional in 1989 as a Master of Ceremonies, KT Pillai’s career has spanned four decades and then some. Yet, Pillai believes that he has never worked a day in his life, holding true to the old adage that if we do what we love, we’ll never work a day in our lives. This is exactly the case for this accidental emcee, who was self-taught and self-trained, with skills honed during each and every assignment that he took on.

Recalled Pillai, “I was 20 years old in the middle of pursuing my degree in Statistics at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada when I had my first exposure to deejaying. One day, I volunteered to be the DJ at an Asian student party using turntables & records. Somehow, I ended up being the default deejay for my fellow students for every party following that evening and was especially sought after during semester breaks.” Despite a life of partying, albeit at the DJ console rather than on the dance floor, Pillai successfully graduated in 1984 with a Bachelor of Arts (BA) Hons in Statistics.
Born as Tamby Pillai Kathirgamer in 1962 in the small town of Beruas, southwest of Perak, Pillai is the second child of six children. His mixed parentage has proven to be of tremendous advantage when it comes to emceeing, as Pillai speaks fluent languages; Bahasa Melayu, English and Cantonese, intermediate Tamil & beginner-level Mandarin plus a smattering of Spanish and French picked up during his university days in Canada.
While his strict and much-respected father, the late VN Kathirgamer JP, had high hopes for Pillai, as he was the eldest of four boys, and had wanted him to be a doctor, he and his wife, Mdm Leong Eng Neh, were supportive of Pillai’s choice of study at university. “Funnily, my parents had to adapt their minds once more when I returned and began working at an Advertising & Promotions company based in Kuala Lumpur and Ipoh. It was certainly a different field from my degree,” he chuckled.
Holding a full-time job, shunting between KL and Ipoh, Pillai side-hustled as a DJ/MC on weekends as and when time allowed. His early-day clients included supermarkets and bridal couples. Then there were birthday parties when an emcee was required to enliven the occasion.

Within three years, Pillai’s name, or rather his voice and gift of the gab, became known in the industry, thus his side job escalated to emceeing at annual dinners, symposiums, including family days. Leaving the A&P job to handle an events management company and then as a General Manager for a Family & Recreation Club during that time, it was finally in 1989 that Pillai took the leap of faith to go full time in emceeing. “I saw great potential in the industry which I love very much and hold close to my heart. I have no regrets about leaving my full-time employment or not pursuing my ambition of being a pilot. Emceeing is a hundred percent more satisfying,” he added.
With thousands of events under his belt to date, Pillai considers emceeing for dignitaries such as the YAB Menteri Besar, Cabinet Ministers, the Prime Minister, and Royalties, as his biggest achievement so far. Too modest to name-drop, Pillai just said, “Functions with such distinguished guests require total composure, concentration, and confidence. There is zero room for error!”
According to Pillai, it is not uncommon for blunders to happen during any live event. However, these usually occur between the technical crew and the emcee. Experience comes in to quickly fix whatever issue that arises, without the audience even noticing. There was once, though, that Pillai had forgotten to request the audience to be upstanding for the National Anthem but was luckily reminded by his event coordinator who signalled him from the back of the hall. “After that incident, I make doubly sure to never let that slip again. Phew, that was close,” he let out a sigh of relief.

That may be an unforgettable episode, but what will stay forever in Pillai’s mind is emceeing Miss Tourism World Pageant 2019 with the participation of fifty nations which was hosted in Ipoh, as well as the National Marketing Conventions for Allianz General Insurance that were held in five countries: Thailand, Vietnam, China, Sri Lanka, and the United Arab Emirates. There was also an assignment at the Perak Tourism Expo hosted in Singapore. Pillai quipped, “I undoubtedly have one of the best jobs in the world. I get paid to have fun on stage. I get to travel for free & at the same time get paid to have a good time. What more can I ask for?”

Indeed, there is no stopping Pillai at this point. His sixtieth birthday has come and gone but retirement is still not on the cards. Like a world-renowned celebrity, Pillai is booked for events a year in advance! “How to retire lah, like this,” he mused in exasperation, jokingly. He continued, “I am not ready to hang up my microphone yet. There is still so much more I can do to serve my esteemed clients,” he continued.
Having been forced to take a long break from emceeing during the pandemic, Pillai is refreshed and raring to go once again with new ideas. Reflecting on the unfortunate incident, Pillai shared, “Life is uncertain. COVID-19 taught me to think out of the box. For the first three months, I took a long-deserved break and devoted time to my classic cars, cleaning and polishing them back to shining glory.
“As the lockdown dragged on, I took the opportunity to pursue my Communication & Leadership Highest Award (Distinguished Toastmaster- DTM) with Toastmasters International. I also completed my Human Resource Development Corp (HRD Corp) certified training programme and started to conduct online training for hospitals, corporate companies, colleges, universities, Government Linked Companies (GLCs), and more. It was tough but I didn’t give up. In fact, I was busy juggling between online meetings and training. I also helped my wife with taking care of stray cats and dogs in her pet shelter.”
Life is now back to normal, but Pillai still helps out at his wife’s pet shelter. There are five dogs and eighteen cats at MimiSu’s passion project. The animals require daily attention, so it’s not easy. “Seeing the furry kids healthy and happy is definitely worth the time and effort that we put in,” he said with a smile.
Recently, Pillai ticked off another item on his bucket list by purchasing a big touring bike, the Kawasaki Versys 650. “I intend to travel all over the country to explore the smaller towns and experience the countryside,” he said dreamily. Let’s hope that with his packed schedule, he doesn’t have to wait ’til retirement.

Before wrapping up this interview, we took the golden opportunity to seek his advice for up-and-coming emcees in the country. A veteran like Pillai surely would have nuggets of wisdom to impart. “Firstly, they need to have a passion for emceeing. They should also have dedication. Remember to always keep abreast of current affairs. They should upgrade their skills, such as learning a new language. Also, be engaging and witty. Enjoy the event like it was your own. The audience can evaluate the emcee on stage. In a gist, be humble, friendly, patient, focussed, and punctual.”
While there may very well be someone to take over Pillai’s position as Malaysia’s King of Emceeing one day far in the future, how many people can claim that they will “Kau Tim Pei Lei” (settle everything for you in Cantonese) like KT Pillai can, just by playing on his initials?
All the Best Big Bro and keep up the great Job to shine in Perak, hopefully one day Tuanku will grant you a Datukship for your contribution to Perak.