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Sasana Symposium is an annual conference hosted by Bank Negara Malaysia. It aims to promote in-depth discussions on pertinent issues while enhancing public understanding of the central bank's mandates and key initiatives.
This year, Sasana Symposium 2024 (SS2024) features experts and thought leaders in economics and the financial sector, among others. Key topics include monetary policy, financial stability and inclusion, payment systems, Islamic ?nance and sustainability.
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Amir Hamzah Azizan was appointed as the Finance Minister II effective 11 December 2023. Prior to assuming the role of Finance Minister II, he had helmed the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) as Chief Executive Officer since March 2021.
With a corporate experience spanning more than 27 years, Amir Hamzah began his career with a decade-long tenure at the Shell Group of Companies. During this period, he held diverse roles in Malaysia, Singapore, and the United Kingdom. Subsequently, he joined MISC Berhad in 2000 and held several senior management portfolios before being appointed as President and Chief Executive Officer in January 2009.
Following his tenure at MISC Berhad, Amir Hamzah took on the role of Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of PETRONAS Dagangan Berhad in June 2010. In August 2012, Amir Hamzah joined PETRONAS Lubricants International as Group Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, concurrently serving as the Vice-President for Downstream Marketing, and subsequently as Vice-President of Lubricants for the PETRONAS Group. In March 2016, Amir Hamzah joined Ekuiti Nasional Berhad (Ekuinas) to steer its investee company Icon Offshore Berhad as Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer. Subsequently, he took on the role of Group Chief Executive Officer at Themed Attractions Resorts and Hotel Sdn Bhd, a subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Berhad. In April 2019, he further showcased his versatility across industries by taking on the role of President/Chief Executive Officer at Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB).
Amir Hamzah has also contributed to various organisations in non-executive capacities. He formerly served as the Non-Executive Chairman of Malaysian Resources Corporation Berhad (MRCB) and held directorial positions on the boards of Sime Darby Plantation Berhad and Sime Darby Oils International Limited. Amir Hamzah holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Management (majoring in Finance and Economics) from Syracuse University, New York. He has also attended the Stanford Executive Programme at Stanford University, and the Corporate Finance Evening Programme at London Business School.

Professor Jomo Kwame Sundaram
Senior Adviser, Khazanah Research Institute
Jomo Kwame Sundaram is Senior Adviser, Khazanah Research Institute; Fellow, Academy of Science, Malaysia; and Emeritus Professor, University of Malaya. He was UN Assistant Secretary-General for Economic Development; Assistant Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO); Founder-Chair, International Development Economics Associates (IDEAs) and President, Malaysian Social Science Association. Jomo has authored and edited over a hundred books, written many academic papers, research reports and media articles, besides translating 12 volumes. He received the 2007 Wassily Leontief Prize for Advancing the Frontiers of Economic Thought.
Abdul Rasheed Ghaffour is the 10th Governor of Bank Negara Malaysia. He was appointed for a five-year term effective 1 July 2023. In his role as Governor, Rasheed also serves as the chair of the Bank¡¯s Board of Directors, Monetary Policy Committee and Financial Stability Executive Committee.
Rasheed joined the Bank in 1988 and has helmed various positions across the breadth of the Bank¡¯s primary functions. These include monetary policy and economics, international reserves management and financial markets, financial sector development, and banking regulations. In 2016, he assumed the role of Deputy Governor.
Rasheed has also played a leading role in driving the Bank¡¯s advocacy efforts on economic affairs, including in the areas of social protection and labour market reforms. This includes to support and advise the Government on issues relating to the management of the pandemic. He also played key roles in the development and implementation of the Financial Sector Masterplan and Financial Sector Blueprints.
At the international level, Rasheed has served and been a member of various international platforms, such as the Islamic Financial Services Board and Bank for International Settlements. He has also championed various efforts to strengthen regional financial integration and cooperation, such as the ASEAN Banking Integration Framework. Previously, he also served as the Alternate Executive Director of the Southeast Asia Voting Group Office of the International Monetary Fund.
Rasheed attended St. John¡¯s Institution in Kuala Lumpur, prior to obtaining his Bachelor of Economics from Universiti Malaya. Rasheed also holds a Masters of Business Administration from Sa?d Business School, University of Oxford.

Dato' Seri Dr. Awang Adek Hussin
Chairman, Securities Commission Malaysia
Dato¡¯ Seri Dr. Awang Adek Hussin was appointed the Executive Chairman of the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC) on 1 June 2022. He is also the Chairman of the Board of Governors of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM).
Prior to his appointment as Chairman of the SC, Awang Adek served as Malaysia¡¯s Ambassador to the United States of America (USA) from 2014 to 2016 and Chairman of Majlis Amanah Rakyat (MARA) from 2017 to 2018.
Awang Adek has extensive experience in economics and finance, having spent over 30 years in government and public service. He served as Deputy Minister of Rural Development from 2004 to 2006 and Deputy Minister of Finance from 2006 to 2013. He was also a member of Parliament from 2004 to 2008, and a senator from 2009 to 2013.
Awang Adek was with Bank Negara Malaysia for 17 years from 1985 until 2001, holding several positions and eventually rising to the rank of Assistant Governor. He had also served on the boards of directors of several financial institutions and organisations including the SC, the first Director General of the Labuan Financial Services Authority (LFSA), Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), Chairman of Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB), and also Chairman of Perbadanan Nasional Berhad (PERNAS).
Awang Adek received his Bachelor¡¯s degree in mathematics and economics from Drew University, USA, as well as his Master¡¯s and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in economics from University of Pennsylvania, USA.
Venon joined the ZUS Coffee family in 2020 ¨C a new-age, technology-driven company that focuses on quality yet affordable coffee.
Prior to joining ZUS Coffee, Venon was a serial entrepreneur and had co-founded several other businesses, including eziPOD (IOT), Asia Digital Capital (investments/e-commerce), and a super franchisee for a leading retail chain.
A law graduate from the UK who advocates for operational excellence, he leads the company in all strategic and operational matters, setting up the core structure and being responsible for the business transformation and expansion of the company.
Venon has led ZUS Coffee to become the fastest-growing and largest coffee chain in Malaysia. He has won numerous awards, including the EY Emerging Entrepreneur of the Year in 2023.
In January 2020, Mr. Mehdi Manaa was appointed as the Chief Executive Officer of Buna. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Manaa served as the Deputy Director-General of the Market Infrastructure and Payments Directorate General at the European Central Bank (ECB). During his 12-year tenure at the ECB, Mr. Manaa held several other roles, including heading the Market Infrastructure Development Division as well as the T2S Programme, a program in which he was involved since its inception. Prior to his career at the ECB, Mr. Manaa held various managerial and advisory positions in the private sector focusing on payment solutions and financial market infrastructures.
Siti Kamariah is a Chartered Accountant with over 20 years of professional experience in Malaysia, Australia and the US. She has held leadership positions, including as Chief Executive Officer of Wanita Berdaya Selangor and is a serving board member at INCEIF University. She has also served at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Khazanah Nasional, Yayasan Hasanah and the United Nations. Her strong background in both the commercial and social development sectors have been key in driving entrepreneurship, social and sustainable development. Siti Kamariah is a Chartered Accountant with over 20 years of professional experience in Malaysia, Australia, and the US. She has held leadership positions, including as Chief Executive Officer of Wanita Berdaya Selangor and is a serving board member at INCEIF University. She has also served at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Khazanah Nasional, Yayasan Hasanah and the United Nations. Her strong background in both the commercial and social development sectors have been key in driving entrepreneurship, social and sustainable development.
Professor Dr. Ong Kian-Ming is the Pro Vice-Chancellor (Pro VC) of External Engagement at Taylor¡¯s University (Starting on the 1st of June 2024). He was previously the Program Director, Philosophy Politics & Economics, at Taylor¡¯s University, Malaysia. He is Senior Adviser to Global Counsel, an international advisory firm with offices in five countries. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA). He was appointed in August 2023 for a two-year term. He is an adviser for the Malaysia China Chamber of Commerce (MCCC) since 2023. He is an adviser for the Federation of Malaysian Manufacturers (FMM), starting a two year term from Jan 2024 to Dec 2025. He is an adviser for Selangor Digital School / AI Nustantara, an initiative started by the Selangor IT and Digital Economy Corporation (SIDEC) and The Hive Southeast Asia, a venture capital firm, since December 2023. He is a member of the Danish Chamber of Commerce (DANCHAM) since 2023.
He was a Senior Visiting Senior Fellow at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute from March 2023 to September 2023 and an Associate Fellow from October to December 2023. He is a former two-term Member of Parliament (MP) in Malaysia from 2013 to 2022 (MP for Serdang from 2013 to 2018 and MP for Bangi from 2018 to 2022) representing the Democratic Action Party (DAP). He was the Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry (MITI) from July 2018 to February 2020.
He was a former Fulbright Scholar and holds a PhD in Political Science from Duke University, an MPhil in Economics from the University of Cambridge, and a BSc in Economics from the London School of Economics. Prior to his political life, he was formerly a lecturer at UCSI University, a researcher at the Socio-Economic Development and Research (SEDAR) Institute and the Institute of Strategic Analysis and Policy Studies (INSAP) and a consultant with the Boston Consulting Group (BCG) in the Kuala Lumpur office. He was an ASEAN Scholar in Singapore and completed his ¡°O¡± and ¡°A¡± levels in Raffles Institution and Raffles Junior College respectively. He attended primary and secondary school in La Salle Petaling Jaya, Selangor.
He enjoys jogging, watching movies, and listening to podcasts in his spare time. He recently started his own podcast channel called ¡°Are we OK?¡± (https://www.youtube.com/@areweokbymmtv).

Elmie Dato¡¯ Haji Aman Najas
CEO, AIA PUBLIC Takaful & Chairman, Malaysian Takaful Association
Elmie is responsible for overseeing AIA PUBLIC Takaful Bhd. as the Family Takaful Operator within AIA Malaysia. His role is to develop and propel the Takaful business to a leadership position in Malaysia by maximizing and leveraging on the capabilities and business synergies in AIA Malaysia.
Prior to becoming AIA PUBLIC Takaful¡¯s CEO, Elmie held several roles within AIA since he joined the company in 2011. He previously held the roles of Chief Agency Officer, Head of Channel Management and Head of Operations and Partnership, contributing to his breadth of experience within the industry. When AIA completed its acquisition of ING Malaysia, he successfully oversaw the integration of the two Takaful businesses, where he focused on integrating the distribution channels, sales staff, various product lines and the development of a new business strategy.
Elmie has more than 25 years of industry experience and has held various senior leadership roles within several prominent Takaful Operators in Malaysia. He has a Bachelor of Science from University Malaya and is a Chartered Islamic Finance Professional (CIFP). Elmie is also RFP Shariah RFP and FMII qualified.
He is currently the Chairman of the Malaysian Takaful Association (MTA) and is on the board of the Islamic Banking and Finance Institute Malaysia (IBFIM), and the Chartered Institute of Islamic Finance (CIIF).

Loo Siew Yee
Assistant Managing Director (Policy, Payments and Financial Crime), Monetary Authority of Singapore
Ms Loo Siew Yee is the Assistant Managing Director of the Policy, Payments and Financial Crime Group, overseeing prudential policy, anti-money laundering, enforcement, as well as the supervision of payment services providers. Prior to this appointment, Ms Loo was Executive Director and Head of Banking Department I, which oversees Singapore¡¯s three domestic banking groups and several foreign banks.
Ms Loo has served in different functions in MAS, including heading the Insurance Department and Capital Markets Department. She was also the Director of Corporate Finance, Secretary to the Securities Industry Council, Director of Strategic Development, Lead Policy Analyst and Assistant General Counsel. Concurrent with Ms Loo¡¯s appointment as Director of Strategic Development, she was the Chief Executive Officer of the Institute of Banking and Finance from 2006 to 2008.
Ms Loo holds an LLB Hons (2nd Upper) from the National University of Singapore and an MBA from the University of Manchester, UK.
Mr. Farhan Ahmad is the Group Chief Executive Officer of Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd (¡®PayNet¡¯). He joined PayNet in April 2022, bringing with him over 25 years of financial services experience as an entrepreneur and senior executive in the US and UK. As an entrepreneur, Mr. Ahmad most recently founded Bento for Business, a B2B financial operating platform for SMEs that he successfully grew and sold to US Bank, the fifth largest retail bank in the US. Prior to Bento, he founded 2 other successful start-ups, pioneered several ¡®first of its kind¡¯ payment solutions, including the very first online Buy Now Pay Later solution, and holds several patents in the payments space. As an executive, Mr. Ahmad most recently ran Digital Card Payments for Europe for Barclays. In the past, he has held various leadership roles with Discover Financial Services, JP Morgan Chase, Bank One, and FirstUSA. An International Baccalaureate scholar, he has a bachelor¡¯s degree in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania and is an Official Member of Forbes Finance Council since June 2019. About PayNet PayNet is the national payments network and central financial infrastructure for Malaysia with the vision to empower Malaysia's digital economy. Our extensive product suite, DuitNow (POS and P2P), JomPay (Bill pay), FPX (Online), MyDebit (Domestic Debit), MEPS (ATM), and IBG (Interbank GIRO) has near ubiquitous coverage across the nation and is part of the daily fabric of life in Malaysia. These 'everyday use' products combined with PayNet's domestic and cross-border ATM network, Check Clearing, and Cash Processing capabilities enable us to safely move money across the economy in real time, regardless of tender type, channel or use case.
Nurhisham currently serves as the Senior Director, Economics & Finance in the Prime Minister¡¯s Office (PMO). He plays a key advisory role, supporting the Prime Minister on matters pertaining to the economy, investments and the capital markets, social protection, and other related areas.
He was named Chief Strategy Officer, Employees Provident Fund (EPF) in January 2020 after serving the provident fund for five years in various roles. Nurhisham joined the EPF in 2014 and previously served as Head of the Economics and Capital Markets Department, overseeing economic surveillance of over 20 economies across the globe, contributing to the investment process at EPF. He served EPF after a stint with Malaysian Rating Corporation Berhad (MARC) and Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB).
He also presently sits on the Board of Directors of ProtectHealth Corporation Sdn. Bhd., an MOH company, and was formerly an EPF nominee to the Boards of Axiata Group Berhad and Astro Malaysia Holdings Berhad.
Nurhisham holds a BSc in Monetary Economics from the University of London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Masters in Economics from Universiti Malaya.
Encik Ahmad Shahriman Mohd Shariff was appointed the Chief Executive Officer of CIMB Islamic Bank Berhad on 1 October 2019. In this role he heads the Group Islamic Banking business of CIMB Group including Islamic wholesale banking, Islamic consumer banking, Islamic commercial banking and Islamic asset management and investment across key markets such as Malaysia, Singapore and Indonesia. Encik Shahriman is also Board Member of CIMB Islamic Bank, Secretary of the Association of Islamic Banking and Financial Institutions Malaysia (AIBIM), Member, Standing Committee on Islamic Financial Reporting, Malaysian Accounting Standards Board (MASB), and Honorary Senior Fellow, Centre for Islamic Economics, IIUM. As of 2 October 2023, Shahriman has also taken on the role of CEO, CIMB Foundation.
Encik Shahriman has over two decades of experience in the corporate and financial service sectors, of which 19 years were in Islamic Banking and Finance-related leadership roles at HSBC Amanah Malaysia Berhad as Director, Wholesale Banking and Citigroup where he served as Head of Islamic Banking, Citibank Berhad amongst other.

Dato¡¯ Khairussaleh Ramli
President, GCEO & Executive Director, Malayan Banking Berhad
Dato¡¯ Khairussaleh is currently President and Group Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of Maybank. He serves as Chairman of the Group Executive Committee and is a member of the Board Credit Review Committee, Board Sustainability Committee and Board Technology Committee.
Within the Maybank Group, Dato¡¯ Khairussaleh is President Commissioner of PT Bank Maybank Indonesia Tbk (Maybank Indonesia) and is a member of the board of Maybank Singapore Limited. He has over 30 years¡¯ experience in the financial services and capital markets industry.
Previously, Dato¡¯ Khairussaleh was the Group Managing Director of RHB Banking Group. Prior to that, he was with Maybank, having served as the Group Chief Financial Officer and subsequently, President Director and Chief Executive Officer of Maybank Indonesia.
In previous roles, Dato¡¯ Khairussaleh was the Group Chief Strategy Officer of Telekom Malaysia Berhad, Chief Executive Officer of TM Ventures and Chief Financial Officer of Bursa Malaysia Berhad, where he led the listing of the company on its own exchange in 2005. He also spent eight years at Public Bank Group in the Corporate Banking and Stockbroking/Futures broking divisions.
Dato¡¯ Khairussaleh holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Washington University, and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School. He is also a Fellow Chartered Banker with the Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers (AICB).
Dato¡¯ Khairussaleh serves on the boards of Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd and Financial Industry Collective Outreach. He is also Chairman of The Association of Banks in Malaysia, Vice Chairman of AICB and Co-Chairman of the Emerging Markets Advisory Council of Institute of International Finance.
Tan Sri Abdul Wahid Omar is currently the Chairman of Bursa Malaysia Berhad. He is regarded as one of the most accomplished corporate leaders in Malaysia having successfully led as CEO three major organisations in infrastructure development (UEM Group 2001 - 2004), telecommunications (Telekom Malaysia 2004 - 2008) and financial services (Maybank 2008 - 2013). He served as Group Chairman of Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), Malaysia's largest fund management company, from August 2016 to June 2018 following completion of his term as a Senator and Minister in the Prime Minister¡¯s Department in charge of Economic Planning from June 2013 to June 2016. Tan Sri Abdul Wahid also currently serves as the Chairman of WWF-Malaysia, MySDG Foundation and the International Advisory Council of the Economic Club Kuala Lumpur. He is also a Professor of Practice at INCEIF University and the Sultan bin Abdulaziz Visiting Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, UK. Tan Sri Abdul Wahid is a member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales (ICAEW) and the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA).
Mr. Mohamad Ali Iqbal Abdul Khalid was appointed Assistant Governor on 1 June 2024. As Assistant Governor, Iqbal oversees the Investment Operations and Financial Market, and Foreign Exchange Policy departments.
Iqbal joined BNM in 2002. He has served in various departments in BNM, including the Investment Operations and Financial Market Department, the Governor¡¯s Office, the International Department and as Chief Representative at both Bank Negara Malaysia Representative Offices in New York and London.
Iqbal holds a Master of Business Administration from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Master of Science in Wealth Management from Singapore Management University and a Master of Engineering from the University of Durham, United Kingdom. He is a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) charterholder and a Chartered Banker (CB) from the Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers (AICB).
Nor Rafidz Nazri joined Bank Negara Malaysia in 1999 and is currently the Director of Financial Inclusion Department. He has served in various capacities in the Data Management and Statistics Department. He was previously the Director of Data Management and Statistics Department and LINK & BNM Offices Department.
Nor Rafidz Nazri graduated with degree in Accountancy from the University of Dundee, UK.
Vijayadurai joined Bank Negara Malaysia in 2008 and is currently the Manager of LINK and BNM Offices Department. Prior to this role, he previously served in Corporate Communication Department and BNM Offices of Johor Bahru.
Backed by a degree in Law with Honors from University Malaya, he provides a solid foundation for understanding the legal complexities surrounding scams and fraud.
Currently, Vijayadurai has been at the forefront of spearheading efforts to combat scams and vital member of the task force on anti-scam initiatives.

Mohamad Ali Iqbal bin Abdul Khalid
Director, Investment Operations and Financial Market, BNM
Mr. Mohamad Ali Iqbal bin Abdul Khalid is the Director of Investment Operations and Financial Market Department, Bank Negara Malaysia since 2020. His current key responsibilities are managing the international reserves and overseeing the monetary and ringgit operations. As part of the function in domestic market operations, he also advises on the government¡¯s public debt management and issuance strategies. He has served Bank Negara Malaysia for the last 21 years, covering various roles and work attachments including Director in Governor¡¯s Office, Director in International Department, Deputy Director in Equity Management and Fixed Income, Chief Representative at both Bank Negara Malaysia New York Representative Office and London Representative Office. He received his MEng from Durham University, MSc from Singapore Management University and MBA from Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is a CFA charter holder, since 2004 and a qualified Chartered Banker (CB) from Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers (AICB).

Idwan Suhardi Hakim
Director, Economics, BNM
In his current role, Idwan leads and drives surveillance of global and domestic economic developments, assessment of emerging risks and its impact to the Malaysian economy. All this is in support of the Bank¡¯s key mandates, and in advising the Government on the design and formulation of high impact public policies. Idwan is an economist by training, and graduated from Purdue University, USA and subsequently continued his studies at the University of Manchester, U.K.
Qaiser heads the Payment Services Policy Department in Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM). The department is responsible for the regulatory framework to drive the development of the payments industry and to preserve payment system stability as part of the central bank¡¯s mandate. The department houses BNM's Digital Currency Research Hub which coordinates work on digital assets and central bank digital currencies. It has also been involved in multiple projects championed by the BIS Innovation Hub including Project Dunbar, Project Nexus and Project Mandala.
Prior to this, Qaiser led the Financial Surveillance Department in BNM, which is responsible for financial stability. He also spent a notable part of his career in BNM in the area of micro-prudential policy. Qaiser joined BNM in 1999, and between 2012 and 2015 served as a Senior Financial Sector Specialist with the Financial Stability Institute of the BIS.
Qaiser holds a bachelor¡¯s degree in computer and management science from the University of Warwick, United Kingdom.
Hsin Ying joined the Central Bank in 1999 and has accumulated diverse experience in various central banking disciplines. This includes prudential supervision of banks and development financial institutions, AML/CFT regulation and supervision of designated non-financial businesses and professions, financial intelligence and enforcement, national coordination and policy formulation for development of MSMEs, strategic communications and organizational restructuring.
She has served as the Director of CMC since May 2019. In addition to overseeing the conduct regulation and supervision of key financial institutions, she is also working with the relevant Ministries and authorities to enact a new Consumer Credit Act and establish the Consumer Credit Commission to oversee the regulation of consumer credit providers in Malaysia. She is also collaborating with the Securities Commission Malaysia to drive the merger of the Ombudsman for Financial Services and the Securities Industry Dispute Resolution Centre to enhance the efficiency and outreach of alternative dispute resolution services for the benefit of financial consumers and investors.
Hsin Ying holds a B.Sc (Hons.) in Economics and Accounting from the University of Bristol and a M.Sc. (Merit) in Poverty and Development from the University of Manchester. She has also completed the Executive Programme on MSME Development at Harvard¡¯s Kennedy School of Government.
In collaboration with members of Financial Education Network (FEN), Jasmina co-led the FEN Secretariat to drive strategic priorities and effective implementation of the National Strategy for Financial Literacy 2019-2023. She was also a former Project Lead at Ministry of Finance (Secondment) in charge of the National Employment Council (NEC) presided by the Prime Minister. Jasmina has vast experience in BNM with over 10 years experience in financial crime and financial consumer law under the regulator's purview. She has seven years in prosecution and civil litigation where she negotiated complex disputes, including arbitration and industrial relation issues. She also has six years experience in Redress and Advisory for financial consumers, particularly on market conduct surveillance and compliance.
As a Senior Economist in the Monetary Policy Department, Aimi currently manages several key projects centred on monetary policy communication and governance. She is also involved in BNM¡¯s climate change and monetary policy workstream, while supporting the NGFS subgroup on transition risks. With 10 years of experience in the department, Aimi has worked on diverse portfolios and projects, spanning inflation surveillance, fiscal research and advocacy, sovereign ratings, and monetary aggregates. In recent years, she served as the Secretariat to the Monetary Policy Committee. Aimi spent a year at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Paris (Economics Directorate), where she researched the impact of occupational licensing on inter-state job mobility in the US. She holds a bachelor¡¯s degree in economics from the University of Rochester, and a master¡¯s degree in Economics and Public Policy from the Institut d'¨¦tudes politiques de Paris (SciencesPo).
Nik Adlina Nik Mokhtar is a Senior Supervisor with Financial Conglomerates Supervision Department of BNM. She has been with BNM for 13 years. Nik Adlina holds a Master¡¯s Degree in Systemic Risk from Yale University and is a Chartered Banker from AICB.
Ahmad Zulqarnain Onn is Chief Executive Officer of the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), the largest Malaysian retirement fund. He was previously Group Chief Executive of Permodalan Nasional Berhad (PNB), the largest asset management company in Malaysia.
Prior to PNB, he was Deputy Managing Director of Khazanah Nasional Berhad, Malaysia¡¯s sovereign wealth fund, where he held various positions including Head of Strategy, Head of the Strategic Fund, and Head of the Financial Institutions Group. Zulqarnain was the founding Chief Executive Officer of a financial guarantee insurer which provided credit enhancement and structuring for large infrastructure projects.
He has had various roles in institutions leading debt restructuring and resolutions in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis and at investment banks. He holds a bachelor's degree in economics from Harvard University.
Adnan Zaylani was appointed as Deputy Governor on 1 September 2023. He is the Deputy Governor with responsibility over the financial markets and development sectors.
Adnan started his career at BNM as a foreign exchange trader and portfolio manager in 1994 and played key roles in managing the international reserves, the National Trust Fund and several other public sector funds. He also oversaw financial market operations and was involved in advising the government on its cashflow management and debt strategy, participating in its international Sukuk roadshows in 2015 and 2016. He became the Assistant Governor for financial markets, investment, foreign exchange administration and currency management in 2016 before furthering his studies in 2017. Upon completion of this in 2018, he took over as the Assistant Governor of the Development Sector until 31 March 2022 and oversaw the financial markets and investment sector.
Adnan sits on the Board Executive Committee (BEC) of the International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation (IILM), an organization set up to facilitate cross border liquidity management among Islamic financial Institutions. He is also a Board Member and Chairman of the Executive Committee of INCEIF University as well as a Member of its Nomination and Remuneration Committee. He also sits on the Board of the Government of Malaysia's Retirement Fund (Incorporated), including its Board Nomination and Remuneration, Board Risk and Compliance, Board Procurement Committees. He is the Chairman of the Financial Markets Committee, an industry-central bank platform for the development of financial markets, as well as a member of Financial Market Infrastructure Committee (FMIC), Rules and Compliance Panel. Adnan is also a member of BNM¡¯s Monetary Policy Committee and Financial Stability Committee.
Adnan holds a Masters in Public Policy from the Blavatnik School of Government at the University of Oxford, as well as a Masters' degree in Global Market Economics, and a Bachelor's degree in Economics, both from the London School of Economics and Political Science, United Kingdom.
Suraya Ismail (PhD) is Director of Research at Khazanah Research Institute (KRI). She is a council member for the National Costs of Living Council (NACCOL) and member of the Panel of Experts (POE) for the Ministry of Local Government Development (KPKT). She sits on the Advisory Board of Saw Swee Hock Southeast Asia Centre (SEAC), London School of Economics and Political Science, (LSE) UK and has served as a Visiting Scholar at the Centre of Housing and Planning (CCHP), University of Cambridge. She has authored and co-authored book-length policy reports, published chapters in academic books and journals, provided policy briefs for governments at home and abroad; and involved in collaborative work with agencies such as the Asian Coalition for Housing Rights (ACHR), UN-Habitat, Aga Khan Trust for Culture (AKTC) and Fundacion Metropoli.
Before joining the Institute, she was Program Director at Think City (a city-making initiative of Khazanah Nasional Berhad), where her role involved developing urban regeneration initiatives through a public grants program. Prior to that, Suraya was the Deputy Dean of the Faculty of the Built Environment at University Malaya as well as the Head of the Department of Quantity Surveying. Suraya was educated at the University of Reading, the University of Malaya and the Bartlett School, UCL. Her research interests include the history of economic growth; housing, cities and regional development; theory of the firm and institutional economics. She is a Chartered Surveyor with the Royal Institute of Surveyors, Malaysia (RISM).
Suhaimi Ali is a career central banker and was appointed as Assistant Governor on 1 April 2022. He currently oversees the Financial Development and Innovation, Islamic Finance, as well as Financial Inclusion departments.
Throughout his career with BNM, he served in various areas including financial sector development, regulation and supervision, strategic planning, consumer protection, market conduct, international negotiations, digital and cyber strategies in IT services, as well as in the Governor's Office.
In his previous role as the Director of the Financial Development and Innovation, he was responsible for the development of the financial sector and payments systems, as well as to drive digital innovation within the sector. He also recently led the development of the Financial Sector Blueprint 2022 ¨C 2026.
Suhaimi Ali graduated from the University of Notre Dame, USA with a Bachelor of Business Administration (Accounting) degree.
Tan Sri Azman Mokhtar is currently the Chairman of the Malaysia International Islamic Finance Centre (MIFC) Leadership Council, the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) and the Chairman of INCEIF University (The International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance). Between June 2004 and July 2018, he was the Managing Director of Khazanah Nasional Berhad, Malaysia's strategic investment fund with AUM then of ~ USD40bn. Between December 2021 and December 2023, he was the Chairman of Lembaga Tabung Haji Malaysia (Hajj Pilgrims Fund Board with AUM of ~ USD20bn)
Other current affiliations include as a member of the Global Future Council on Investing of the World Economic Forum, a member of the Steering Committee of the Global Ethical Finance Initiative (GEFI), a Development Leadership Dialogue Fellow at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) of the University of London, a member of the Investment Advisory Council of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and a board member of the international humanitarian relief organization, MERCY Malaysia.
Azman obtained an M.Phil in Development Studies from Darwin College, Cambridge University, as a Chevening scholar, and a Diploma in Islamic Studies from International Islamic University Malaysia. He is also a CFA Charter Holder and a Fellow of the Association of Chartered and Certified Accountants (ACCA). Between 2019 and 2022, Azman was a Bye-Fellow of Darwin College, Cambridge and the Distinguished Visiting Fellow at the Centre of Development Studies, University of Cambridge.
Datuk Jessica Chew Cheng Lian was appointed Deputy Governor on 1 January 2018. As Deputy Governor, Jessica is currently responsible for the supervision and regulation of the financial sector, as well as sustainability.
Jessica has over 25 years of experience in financial sector regulation and supervision in which she was involved in the development of the Financial Sector Master Plan (FSMP) (2001-2010) and subsequently the Financial Sector Blueprint (2011-2020). She was also involved in the formulation of the financial sector liberalisation strategy as part of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) and Free Trade negotiations. Jessica was also directly involved in the development of various human capital development strategies for the Malaysian financial sector which had led to the establishment of several initiatives including the Financial Sector Talent Enrichment Programme (FSTEP) and the Financial Institutions Directors' Education Programme (FIDE). She also directly contributed towards the enactment of the Financial Services Act (FSA) 2013.
Jessica is the Chairperson of the Board of Directors of Danamodal Nasional Berhad, and an Alternate Member of the Board of Directors of Perbadanan Insurans Deposit Malaysia. As Deputy Governor, Jessica is a member of BNM's Monetary Policy Committee and the Financial Stability Committee.
Professionally, Jessica is a fellow of the Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers, and a member of the Chartered Banker Institute in Scotland and CPA Australia.
Jessica joined BNM in 1993 and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree majoring in accounting and finance from the University of Melbourne, Australia.
Aznan Abdul Aziz was appointed as Assistant Governor on 1 July 2019. He is the Assistant Governor responsible for the Payments Services Oversight, Financial Conglomerates Supervision, Banking Supervision, Insurance and Takaful Supervision as well as Risk Specialist and Technology Supervision Departments.
Prior to his appointment as the Assistant Governor, he served in several departments including Financial Conglomerates Supervision, Governor¡¯s Office, Islamic Banking and Takaful, Financial Sector Development, Financial Intelligence Unit, Financial Surveillance and Bank Regulation Departments.
He was previously the Chairman of the Financial Technology Enabler Group that was responsible for developing strategies and regulatory policies to facilitate the use of technology in financial services and the Assistant General Manager of Danamodal Nasional Berhad, the special purpose vehicle established to recapitalise distressed financial institutions during the 1997 Asian Financial Crisis.
Aznan holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Accounting from the University of Bristol, United Kingdom.
Dato' Marzunisham was appointed Timbalan Gabenor on 15 June 2020. As Timbalan Gabenor, he is responsible for the operations and enforcement, the centralised shared services as well as the digital and technology sectors.
Marzunisham has has over 25 years of experience across various functions of central banking ranging from economic and monetary policy, financial sector regulation and development, financial inclusion and organisational development. From 2015 until 2017, Marzunisham served as Executive Director of the Southeast Asia Voting Group Constituency at the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Marzunisham is a member of the Board of Directors of ASB Management Sdn Bhd, a member of the Board of Directors of Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), and the Chairperson of MIDA's Board Audit Committee. As Deputy Gabenor, Marzunisham is a member of BNM's Monetary Policy Committee and the Financial Stability Committee.
Marzunisham joined BNM in 1993 and holds a Master¡¯s and Bachelor's degree in Economics from the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom.
A career central banker, Fraziali Ismail was appointed as Assistant Governor on 1 November 2019. At present, he oversees matters related to monetary policy, economics and international surveillance, as well as strategic communications.
Previously, Fraziali led BNM¡¯s financial regulation sector. His areas of responsibilities included financial surveillance, prudential regulations, consumer and market conduct, as well as payment services policies.
Fraziali began his career at BNM in the economics sector, progressing to assume the role of Director of the Monetary Policy Department and subsequently the Economics Department. In a career spanning more than two decades, he has been involved in several high-level Government policy and development committees. In this capacity, he shaped the design and advised on the formulation of key public policies, particularly to help Malaysia navigate through the Asian Financial Crisis (1997/98) and the Global Financial Crisis (2008/09). Under his various roles in the central bank, he has also authored and overseen the publication of working and research papers on the Malaysian economy, monetary policy and financial stability.
At the international level, Fraziali sits on the ASEAN Taxonomy Board. He was previously on the Working Group on Banking Supervision of the Executives¡¯ Meeting of East Asia Pacific Central Banks (EMEAP), Basel Consultative Group, and Project Dunbar (a BIS multi-CBDC project).
Fraziali holds a Master¡¯s degree in Economics from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a Bachelor's degree in Economics and Accounting from the University of Bristol, United Kingdom.
Abd. Rahman Abu Bakar was appointed as Assistant Governor on 1 May 2021. He is responsible for providing strategic leadership in the development of BNM¡¯s Human Capital architecture and in formulating and executing BNM¡¯s Human Capital framework.
Abd. Rahman started his career in BNM in 1992 and has served in various departments, including Financial Intelligence and Enforcement Department, Special Investigation Unit, Strategic Planning Unit, Human Resource Management Department, Economics Department, Insurance Regulation Department, and the Governor¡¯s Office.
Abd. Rahman holds a Bachelor's degree in Economics from the International Islamic University Malaysia.
Dr. Norhana Endut is the Assistant Governor of Bank Negara Malaysia responsible for the Financial Regulation Sector, which includes areas of Financial Surveillance, Prudential Financial Policy, Payment Services Policy, Consumer and Market Conduct, and Sustainability. Prior to that, she was the Assistant Governor of the Economics Sector.
Dr. Norhana is an experienced and trained economist, who has been serving the central bank in various capacities, including as Director of the Monetary Policy Department. Dr. Norhana is currently a member of the Monetary Policy Committee, Financial Stability Committee, and various apex decision making committees of BNM. She also oversees BNM¡¯s Digital Currency Research Hub and chairs the subcommittee on Bridging Data Gaps of the Joint Committee on Climate Change (JC3). Dr. Norhana also sits on the Board of Agensi Kaunseling dan Pengurusan Kredit (AKPK).
Dr. Norhana is Malaysia¡¯s representative for the Basel Consultative Group at the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) and a member of the Working Group of Banking Supervision of the Executives¡¯ Meeting of East Asia Pacific Central Banks (EMEAP).
Dr. Norhana received her Ph.D. in Monetary Economics and Econometrics and M.Sc. in Economics from the Washington University in St. Louis, USA. She received her degree, the B.Sc. (Hons) in Economics from Warwick University, UK and attended the Executive Programme at Harvard Business School, USA.
Puan Safiyyah Mohsin is the Deputy Director of the Currency Department, with 13 years of working experience in BNM in the areas of payments and currency. She currently leads the development of policies to ensure the adequate supply of banknotes and coins to meet demand, as well as maintain the quality and integrity of the currency. Additionally, she also oversees the regulation of currency players in the market, ensuring compliance to BNM's regulation and relevant laws, e.g. the Currency Act 2020.
Koh Kong Yong is currently the Deputy Director in Consumer and Market Conduct overseeing market conduct supervision of financial institutions in Malaysia.
Joined Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) in December 2001, Koh has over 22 years of experience in supervision and regulation of financial institutions as well as financial investigation under the purview of BNM.
He holds a Bachelor of Accounting (Honours) degree from University of Malaya. He is a member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants and the Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants as well as a Chartered Banker with Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers.

Jaya Balan Kathiravalu
Head, SME Banking MY, Group Commercial & Transaction Banking, CIMB Bank Berhad
Mr KJ Balan is the Head of SME Banking, Group Commercial and Transaction Banking, CIMB Bank Bhd, Malaysia. He has a Bachelor¡¯s Degree in Economics from University of Malaya(UM), Master in Management (UUM) and a Certified Credit Professional.
He started his career as a junior banker, as an operation executive to credit officer, sales manager, regional head and Head of Business Development for SME business in a local bank. In 2018, he joined CIMB as the Head of SME Banking and responsible for overall business transformation to ensure the bank remain in the forefront of SME Business of Malaysian market.
He has 35 years¡¯ experience in banking and spent almost 25 year in supporting SME businesses through various initiatives and program to develop the sme business financing. Works closely with various stakeholder like business chambers, supporting organisation, partners and stakeholder in the industry to support capability and capacity building of Malaysian SMEs. He is a member of SME Community of Qorus Europe bringing in global insight through collaboration with member banks across the globe.
Angelia Chin-Sharpe is a veteran in the financial services industry, and has over 20 years of experience in banking, capital markets and asset management. Since joining BNP Paribas Asset Management in 2007 as Head of the Malaysia business - an entity she set up and developed then - she also led the Southeast Asia Institutional Sales team between 2010 and 2012 from the Singapore office; before moving back to Malaysia as CEO of the local business.
As BNP Paribas Asset Management's Singapore CEO, she is responsible for accelerating and strengthening the firm's Southeast Asia business interests, while driving its sustainable solution offerings across the market's clients groups; and ensuring continuity and maintaining focus on delivering sustainable investment returns for clients in the targeted region.
Angelia holds a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Accounting from Curtin University of Technology, Western Australia She completed her Chartered Islamic Finance Professional exams with INCEIF and is registered as a Chartered Professional in Islamic Finance (CPIF) with The Chartered Institute of Islamic Finance Professionals
Angelia was awarded as the CEO of the Year for Malaysia by Asia Asset Management "2021 Best of the Best Awards". She was on of the most influential women in Islamic banking and finance in the WOMANi2022, WOMANi2020 and WOMANi2019 reports.
Angelia has also received the Community Achievement Award 2017 from the Malaysia Australian Alumni Council for her social work at The Lost Food Project - a not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing food for the needy.

Tatiana Didier
Senior Economist (Finance, Competitiveness, and Innovation Global Practice), The World Bank
Tatiana Didier is a senior economist in the Finance, Competitiveness, and Innovation Global Practice of the World Bank. Her work focuses on corporate finance and finan?cial sector development, with an emphasis on the challenges for firms in developing countries. She has played a leading role in several World Bank country and regional policy engagements related to corporate and MSME financing, competition and the growth of fintech in the financial sector, overall development of financial markets, and most recently, sustainable finance. She is also the leading author of several World Bank reports, including Unleashing Sustainable Finance in South East Asia and Managing Flood Risks: Leveraging Finance for Business Resilience in Malaysia, and a forthcoming World Bank Flagship Report, ¡°Boosting SME Finance for Jobs and Growth: The Case for More Effective Support Policies.¡± Tatiana holds a PhD in economics from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
ASP Rahmat is an Anti-Scam Ambassador for Royal Malaysia Police (PDRM) and a popular TikTok influencer with 850,000 followers.
He began his career as a Police Inspector in 2003 and has been part of the Commercial Crime Investigation Department (JSJK) and the Criminal Investigation Department (JSJ) of PDRM.
He graduated from University Malaya with an Executive Diploma Investigative Science in 2017.
As a certified investigation officer, he handled over 800 investigation papers, including cases of violent crime and commercial crime. His detailed experience and expertise in identifying and uncovering scam syndicate activities led to his appointment as PDRM¡¯s anti-scam ambassador on 13 September 2022.
He has also received numerous awards, with the highest being from the Deputy Prime Minister and Inspector General of Police.
Maha is Centre Head, BIS Innovation Hub Singapore. The centre develops public goods in the technology space to support central banks in how they discharge their roles in a digital economy and improve the financial system using novel ideas and emerging technologies. Prior to this, Maha was Head of Department for Early and High Growth Oversight leading the Financial Conduct Authority¡¯s (FCA) response to the Kalifa review of Fintech. A Senior Leadership Team member, she is setting up this new department from the ground up as part of the FCA¡¯s strategy.
Maha served as Chief Payments Officer at Pay.UK on secondment from the FCA, responsible for running the payments operations of BACS, Faster Payments, Image Clearing Services and related managed services.
Maha joined the FCA in 2017 to set up the first Payments Department and was responsible for crafting and implementing the FCA supervisory strategy for the UK Payments Sector. This included leading the implementation of the Second Payments Services Directive (PSD2) and Open Banking.
Maha has a keen interest in observing and participating in the many exciting changes that are unfolding in the financial services, innovation and fintech environment. She recently sat on the SteerCo developing the strategy and blueprint for the UK¡¯s newly created Centre for Finance Innovation and Technology.
She has a Degree in Commerce from Macquarie University and a Masters in Public Administration from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Dato' Mohd. Muazzam Mohamed
Group CEO, Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad; and President, Association of Islamic Banks in Malaysia
Dato¡¯ Mohd Muazzam Mohamed is the Group Chief Executive Officer of Bank Islam Malaysia Berhad. He joined Bank Islam on May 11, 2015 as its Chief Financial Officer before being appointed to his current position on December 5, 2018. He was formerly a Partner with KPMG in Malaysia and was also an Executive Director with KPMG Management Consulting. He is a Chartered Accountant with Malaysian Institute of Accountants; a Council Member of The Malaysian Institute of Certified Public Accountants; a Chartered Islamic Finance Professional of Chartered Institute of Islamic Finance Professionals; and a Chartered Public Finance Accountant of Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy.
He currently serves as the President of Association of Islamic Banking & Financial Institutions Malaysia (AIBIM) as well as a Board Member of Islamic Banking & Finance Institute Malaysia (IBFIM) and Financial Industry Collective Outreach (FINCO). Dato¡¯ Muazzam has over 25 years of experience in the field of finance, consulting and audit and holds a Bachelor of Accounting from International Islamic University Malaysia and is also a graduate of the Advanced Management & Leadership Programme from University of Oxford¡¯s Said Business School.

Dr. Runchana Pongsaparn
Group Head and Principal Economist, ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO)
Dr. Runchana Pongsaparn joined the ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) as Group Head and Principal Economist in 2022. She serves as the mission chief for Japan, Malaysia and the Philippines, leading a group of economists to undertake macroeconomic and financial system surveillance on the countries.
Before joining AMRO, Dr. Pongsaparn was in charge of the Bank of Thailand (BOT)¡¯s cooperation with international organizations, primarily the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the Bank for International Settlements (BIS), as well as regional central banks. She had 18 years of experience as a central banker at the BOT covering several key areas, namely: monetary policy, exchange rate policy, macroeconomic modelling and forecasting, macroeconomic analysis, monetary operations and financial markets, financial stability, banking risk assessment and crisis management. She was also a part-time lecturer for bachelors and masters courses in central banking, monetary policy, financial markets and institutions at Thammasat University, Chulalongkorn University and Kasetsart University between 2006-2022.
Dr. Pongsaparn also worked at the IMF for several years ¨C as an economist and a financial sector expert. She is experienced in country and regional surveillance for countries in Asia and the Pacific. She was Mission Chief for technical assistance missions to countries in Asia and Africa in the areas of monetary policy, monetary operations and financial markets, as well as an assessor for Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) focusing on systemic risks and crisis management. She was also an IMF Financial Stability Advisor to the National Bank of Cambodia.
Dr. Pongsaparn holds a Bachelor¡¯s and Master¡¯s degree in Economics from the University of Cambridge (UK), and a Ph.D. in Economics (Monetary Policy and Theory) from the University of Bristol (UK).
Dr. Yap Wei Aun is currently serving as the CEO of the Health Transformation Office within the Ministry of Health.
Prior to rejoining the Ministry of Health, Wei Aun was consulting for the World Bank and the World Health Organization. He also served as the Country Technical Director for the Malaysia Health Systems Research project, a collaboration between the Ministry of Health and Harvard University.
His clinical experiences include serving on the frontlines in a variety of hospital and clinic setting¡ªin the United Kingdom, rural Sarawak, and Kuala Lumpur.
Wei Aun received his medical degree (MBBS) from the University of Newcastle Upon Tyne, Master of Public Health (MPH) from Harvard University, and completed his membership exams for admission into the Royal College of Physicians (London).
Shahril Hamdan brings in-depth experience having built a career with a tri-sector profile in the public, private, and non-profit spaces. Besides his political history and affiliations that are fairly well-documented, he has broad experience in public policy, business strategy and operations, and finance in the private markets.
He brings all of these different areas to bear now as Managing Director of Watchtower Advisory, a firm he founded in 2023 after his exit from politics. Watchtower is a corporate advisory outfit assisting investors navigate Malaysia¡¯s corporate landscape, and a private placement agent helping various overseas asset managers raise and allocate capital - especially in Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia. As part of that broader private markets activity, Shahril was recently appointed Senior Advisor at GP Bullhound, a global tech advisory and asset management firm with 13 offices across Europe and the US.
Alongside this full-time career, Shahril co-hosts and co-owns Keluar Sekejap, Malaysia¡¯s most listened-to podcast, covering policy, politics and current affairs.
Outside work and the podcast, Shahril is a World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, and was also recently Visiting Fellow at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore.
Prior to his current activities, Shahril was Economic Director in the Prime Minister¡¯s Office and as a member of the National Economic Action Council under the 12-month administration of Dato¡¯ Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob. He also spent three years as a consultant with McKinsey and Company, where he worked across Southeast Asia advising multinational clients across various industries (2011-2014). From 2014 to 2018, he served as the CEO of Destini Oil, a mid-sized oilfield services company, managing operations across Southeast Asia and the Middle East. From 2018 to 2020, he ran IGV Partners, syndicating angel and venture investments into Malaysian startups ranging from pre-seed to Series A.
Shahril holds a BA in Economics from the University of Manchester (2008) and an MSc in Race, Ethnicity, and Postcolonial Studies from the London School of Economics (2011), where he also won the Hobhouse Memorial Prize for graduating top of his class.
Dr. Nungsari is an economist and Chairman of Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad. He is a member of the Policy Advisory Committee to the Prime Minister and also sits on the board of Bank Negara Malaysia, Majlis Tindakan Ekonomi Negara, Koperasi Tunas Muda Sungai Ara Berhad. Dr. Nungsari also previously sat on the board of other statutory and corporate entities such as the National Productivity Council, Majlis Amanah Rakyat, Bank Pertanian Malaysia Berhad and CIMB Islamic Bank Berhad.
Dr. Nungsari is also a trustee of Khazanah Research Institute and Yayasan Rahimah Yusof, a private charity foundation. He also held executive positions in various Ministry of Finance (Incorporated) companies, such as Khazanah Nasional Berhad, Prokhas Sdn Bhd, Pengurusan Danaharta Nasional Berhad, DanaInfra Nasional Berhad and Syarikat Jaminan Pembiayaan Perniagaan.
Dr. Nungsari holds a Doctor of Philosophy (Economics) degree from Purdue University, United States of America, as well as a Master of Science (Mathematics) and Bachelor of Arts (Economics and Mathematics) from Southern Illinois University, United States of America.
Puan Rohaya Mohammad Yusof is the Chief Investment Officer of Employees Provident Fund (EPF), appointed in January 2020. She joined the EPF¡¯s Investment Division as Head of Corporate Finance in 2008 and was appointed as Head of Capital Market Department in 2011, overseeing global and domestic fixed income. In August 2017, she was appointed as Head of Private Markets Department, managing investments in private equity, infrastructure, global and regional real estates.
She started her career with Arthur Andersen & Co as a Senior Financial Consultant in the Audit Division. In 1990, she joined Maybank Investment Bank and was promoted to the position of Executive Vice President, Corporate Investment Banking in 2005. She is currently a board member of Malaysia Airports Holdings Berhad and Tenaga Nasional Berhad. Puan Rohaya graduated from the Australian National University, Australia and is an Associate Member of CPA, Australia.

YB Senator Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Aziz
Minister of Investment, Trade & Industry
Dr. Carmelo Ferlito (Verona, Italy, 1978) is the CEO of the Center for Market Education (CME) and a Senior Fellow at the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Dr. Ferlito is also Research Advisor for Provalindo Nusa Property in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Senior Fellow (Southeast Asia) at the Property Rights Alliance in Washington, DC, USA. Since May 2024 he is also a Visiting Research Fellow at Bank Negara Malaysia.
Dr. Carmelo Ferlito earned a Master in Economics (2003) and a Ph.D. in Economic History (2007) from the University of Verona in Italy. Dr. Ferlito is author of seven books and more than forty scientific papers. His latest books are ¡°Assessing and Addressing Urban Poverty in Malaysia¡± (2022) and ¡°My Malaysia¡± (2021). His opinions are regularly requested by several Malaysian and international media, and they appeared, among others, on the following outlets: The Financial Times, Channel News Asia, The Edge, The Star, The Malaysian Reserve, Free Malaysia Today, BFM 89.9, The Jakarta Post, TV3, Astro Awani, Gatra, The Business Recorder, Voice of America, The Jakarta Post, The New Straits Times, Asia Times, Straits Times, Bisnis.
Dato¡¯ Charon Wardini bin Mokhzani is the Chairman of the Export-Import Bank of Malaysia Berhad.
He started his career as a pupil barrister in London in 1989. He then joined Shearn Delamore & Co on his return to Malaysia and later worked in corporate finance at Rashid Hussain Securities (as it was then called). Subsequently, he joined Zaid Ibrahim & Co as a partner in 1994 and rose to Managing Partner. By the time he left in 2004 to become the Deputy Chief Executive of CIMB, it was the largest law firm in Malaysia.
During his decade at CIMB he held various senior leadership positions in the CIMB Group, including head of Corporate and Investment Banking, Deputy CEO of the Group, CEO of CIMB Investment Bank and Chairman of CIMB-Principal Asset Management. He left CIMB to become an Executive Director of Khazanah Nasional Berhad as well as the first Managing Director of the Khazanah Research Institute in 2013. He then went to become the Group Managing Director of the Malaysian Industrial Development Finance Berhad from 2018 to 2023.
Charon read Philosophy, Politics and Economics at Balliol College, University of Oxford, and Law at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. He is a non-practising Barrister of the Middle Temple and Advocate & Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya, a Fellow of the Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers and a Chartered Banker.
He currently serves on the boards of Yayasan Tuanku Fauziah, Yayasan Tuanku Syed Putra Perlis and the Kuala Lumpur Business Club, and was on the board of Universiti Putra Malaysia. He was awarded the Darjah Dato¡¯ Paduka Mahkota Perlis in 2008. He is often asked to speak at conferences domestically and abroad on law, economics, and finance.

Dato' Rizal Rickman Ramli
Acting President & Group CEO / Chief Investment Officer, Private & Strategic Investments, Permodalan Nasional Berhad
Dato¡¯ Rick Ramli spearheads the overall investment and operational activities within four key areas namely Strategic Investments, Investment Stewardship, Real Estate and Private Markets investments. His main responsibility includes leading the overall engagement with PNB's Strategic and Core Companies, whilst steering all investment decisions for sub-asset classes under Real Estate and Private Markets portfolios to achieve their intended long-term investment objectives. Prior to joining PNB, he was a Partner & Managing Director at The Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and Country Head of BCG in Malaysia. Dato¡¯ Rick Ramli has an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management, Northwestern University and a BA in Economics from the University of Chicago.

Professor Hans Genberg
Senior Director, Central Banking and Finance Programmes, Asia School of Business
Prof. Hans Genberg is a Professor of Economics at the Asia School of Business and the Senior Director of Central Banking and Finance Programs. He has a distinguished academic career as a Professor of Economics at the Graduate Institute of International Studies in Geneva where he was also Head of the International Economics Department, responsible for the Diploma program, and a member of the Institute¡¯s Executive Committee. He has also had a teaching position at the Graduate School of Business at the University of Chicago and the University of Rochester campus in Switzerland.
During his position as Professor at the Graduate Institute of International Studies he supervised or co-supervised over thirty doctoral dissertations of students who have since held positions as Central Bank Governors and Deputy Governors, Senior officials at the International Monetary Fund, the World Bank, the Bank for International Settlements, and the Norwegian Oil Fund, and academic positions at universities such as HEC Montreal, Boston College, New York University, and Wharton.
Professor Genberg has also held positions as Executive Director at the Hong Kong Monetary Authority and at the SEACEN Centre in Kuala Lumpur Malaysia, Assistant Director at the Independent Evaluation Office of the IMF, as well as Director of the International Center for Monetary and Banking Studies and Director of Executive Education at the International Center FAME (Financial Asset Management and Engineering) in Geneva Switzerland
He has published over fifty scholarly paper and edited several books on issues related to central bank policy, international monetary relations, exchange rate regimes, reserve management, capital markets development, and monetary and financial issues in Asia.
Professor Genberg holds a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Chicago.

Professor Ozer Karagedikli
Professor of Practice and Director of Central Banking Research Centre (CBRC) at the Asia School of Business
Professor Ozer is a Professor of Practice, and the Director of the Central Banking Research Centre. He joined ASB in January 2022 after three years with the Southeast Asian Central Banks Research and Training (SEACEN) Centre in Kuala Lumpur where he was a senior economist. At ASB he teaches research methods, data analytics, and contemporary issues in macroeconomics. He also delivers related executive education courses, which can also be customized on demand. Prior to moving to Malaysia, he had been a central banker for 17 years. He worked as an economic adviser in research, modelling, and forecasting teams of the Reserve Bank of New Zealand (RBNZ).
Perpetua (Pep) George is Director, Asia Pacific Sustainability - Biodiversity at PwC Malaysia. She is a specialist covering biodiversity, nature-based solutions and related disclosure. She brings with her more than 20 years¡¯ experience in sustainability strategy development and implementation in the private sector and civil society.
Her role is part of PwC's approach to turn theory into meaningful action, as the firm expands specialist capabilities in sustainability and a few key areas in alignment with PwC's global strategy. Pep is building core competency and capability around the nature and biodiversity agenda, including integration into PwC's range of sustainability solutions and services.
Prior to joining PwC, she was Wilmar International¡¯s General Manager for Group Sustainability, overseeing one of the world¡¯s largest agribusiness and palm oil companies in their sustainability strategy implementation throughout their global business.
Dilip Asbe has been the Managing Director and CEO of the National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) since 2017, following his tenure as the Chief Operating Officer. A pivotal figure in the payments industry, he has significantly contributed to the design, development, and management of major payment platforms including Immediate Payment Service (IMPS), Aadhaar Enabled Payment System (AePS), the RuPay card network, and the highly acclaimed Unified Payments Interface (UPI). Under his leadership, NPCI processes over 15 billion financial transactions monthly, showcasing his exceptional team mentorship and operational expertise.
His groundbreaking work with UPI has earned him several prestigious accolades: the ¡®Changemaker of the Year¡¯ award from Business Line, presented by the late Finance Minister Arun Jaitley; the ¡®Policy Change Agent of the Year¡¯ award from ET in 2018, presented by former Vice President Venkaiah Naidu; and the ¡®Financial Express Award in Fintech¡¯ category in 2019, presented by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman. In 2020, CNBC TV18 recognized him as ¡®The Disruptor¡¯ at the India Business Leader Awards. In February 2023, he received the Public Service Excellence Award 2022 from AIMA, and in March 2023, he was honoured with the BMA TCS Business Leader of the Decade Award by Dr. Raghunath Mashelkar. Most recently, in May 2023, he received the CNBC-TV18 India Business Leader Award for outstanding contribution to Brand India, presented by Housing and Petroleum Minister Hardeep S. Puri.
Dilip Asbe holds a Master of Science (MS) degree in Global Management (Executive Programme) from the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), UK, and a degree in Electronics Engineering from Mumbai University.
Mr. Rizal bin Nainy is the Chief Executive Officer of SME Corporation Malaysia. He spearheads the planning, implementation, monitoring and value-adding of SME development programmes aimed to promote the growth of globally competitive, innovative and resilient SMEs. He has vast experience in entrepreneurship, business advisory, economics & policy, international cooperation, programme coordination, IR4.0, SME digitalisation and e-commerce. His areas of expertise include government relations, transformation & business re-engineering, electrical & electronics, innovation, strategic planning, business development, strategy & portfolio, sales & operations and project management. He had worked at the Prime Minister's Department on Strategic Transformation (Economic Transformation Programme) and held distinct positions at Shell, both locally and globally.
Mr. Rizal bin Nainy graduated from Imperial College, University of London in Mechanical Engineering with First Class Honours and obtained the Master Degree in Business Administration (MBA) from Charles Sturt University, Australia

Matthew Soursourian
Policy Advisor, OECD Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs
Matthew Soursourian is a policy advisor in the Capital Markets and Financial Institutions Division of the OECD Directorate for Financial and Enterprise Affairs. He has worked at the OECD on financial consumer protection since 2020. Prior to joining the OECD, he worked for CGAP at the World Bank in Paris, the International Finance Corporation in New Delhi, the New York City Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, and the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco. Matthew holds a Master of Public Affairs from the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs and a Bachelor of Arts in Urban Studies from Brown University. He was born in the U.S. and is a dual citizen of the U.S. and France.
Mark O¡¯Dell is the CEO of Life Insurance Association of Malaysia (LIAM) effective 2 January 2019.
A permanent resident of Malaysia, Mark has over 44 years of experience in the life insurance business (including 30 years in Asia) with an excellent track record in spearheading the transformation of the life insurance industry.
Mark holds both the Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU) and the Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) designations from the American College. He is also a Certified Financial Planner (CFP). In 2006, he was named the Personality of the Year by the Asia Insurance Review for his contribution to the industry and his leadership in the area of corporate social responsibility. In October 2018, Mark was honoured with the ¡°Outstanding Leaders in Asia¡± award from ACES (Asia Corporate Excellence and Sustainability Awards).
He was Senior Vice President, South East Asia of Manulife from November 2012 to January 2016, overseeing Singapore, Malaysia and Philippines during which the territories experienced strong growth. For the 20 years prior to his LIAM position, he served as CEO for AIA and Manulife in Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Taiwan.
He was also appointed the President of the Life Insurance Association of Singapore and the Financial Planning Association of Singapore in 2007-2008. Over the last 20 years he has served on numerous boards and charities.

Anwar Anis
Director, TE Asia Healthcare, & Board Member, Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia
Anwar Anis started his career in healthcare in Gleneagles Kuala Lumpur in 2003, setting up its International Business Development Department and subsequently heading Marketing and Corporate Communications. He briefly left the healthcare scene before joining Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur, as head of Business Development, before being transferred to Pantai Management Resources to head Group Marketing.
He had a brief stint with Sime Darby Healthcare, before returning to the Pantai Group to head Pantai Hospital Ipoh (PHI), and subsequently as CEO of Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur (PHKL), from 2013 to 2017. During this time, PHKL opened its new outpatient block, a 12-story building, setting new standards in outpatient care, and finalized plans for the redevelopment of an inpatient block adding beds and a nuclear medicine centre, among others.
Anwar has been a proponent of healthcare quality and accreditation, including leading PHI to achieve its inaugural MSQH accreditation. Since then, he has led PHKL and CVSKL during their respective MSQH accreditations, including JCI in PHKL. He has also been on the MSQH Board, both as a representative of APHM and as an elected board member.
Currently he is one of the Directors in TE Asia Healthcare (TE), an outfit which co-invests and develops single specialty centres around Southeast Asia. He is specifically involved in TE¡¯s Malaysia projects, assisting in commissioning and providing management oversight, in CVSKL, ALTY Orthopaedic Hospital and Northern Heart Hospital, the soon to open cardiac and vascular hospital in Penang, the first in the northern region. Additionally, he sits on the Board of APHM (Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia) and is co-lead of a workforce in Malaysian Productivity Corporation¡¯s Healthcare Productivity Nexus.
Mimi is currently an independent director on the board of Great Eastern Life Assurance (Malaysia), having stepped down from the board of Great Eastern Life (Singapore) after 11 years.
Mimi earned her Master¡¯s Degree in Mathematical Statistics from the Columbia University in New York City, USA. She is a qualified actuary with the Society of Actuaries.
She came to Singapore in 1991 and started her career with the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), where she served in various positions, including insurance supervision, capital markets supervision, and financial markets development.
She left MAS¡¯ full time employment in 2008 and became a pioneer in the GIG Economy by taking on assignments on behalf of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), until 2019. She has conducted work in over 20 countries over four continents.
Her private sector experience includes private pension plan design and funding in the US, and a senior executive position in a life insurance company in Singapore. She has also served on several boards of directors of public and private entities in Singapore.
Dato' Dr. Mohamad Hanis Osman is currently the Chief Executive Officer of Bank Rakyat. He has more than 27 years of experience in the Islamic banking and finance sector, where he held various roles in treasury and investment, retail banking and business banking.
Dr. Mohamad Hanis holds a Doctor of Philosophy in Economics and a Master of Business Administration in Finance from the International Islamic University Malaysia, as well as a Bachelor's (Hons.) in Accounting and Finance from the University of East London, United Kingdom.

Dr. John Loh
Director of Operations and Strategic Development, Emerging EPC Sdn Bhd; and General Committee SME Association Malaysia
Dr. John Loh is a seasoned entrepreneur with over 25 years of experience in oilfield services and the manufacturing industry. He co-founded Emerging EPC and Kompressoren Technic. Dr. Loh is a GRI-certified professional and serves as the Smart Manufacturing National Chairman for the Small and Medium Enterprises Association (SAMENTA) Malaysia.

Moreen Joseph
Co-chair of JC3 SME Focus Group, and Chief Sustainability Officer at United Overseas Bank Malaysia
Moreen is Executive Director and the Chief Sustainability Officer at United Overseas Bank Malaysia (UOBM). Her role is to drive UOB Malaysia¡¯s sustainability strategy and objectives of helping businesses transition to sustainable practices and fostering social and environmental well-being among colleagues and communities.
Moreen is also currently the co-chair for JC3 (Joint Committee on Climate Change) SME Focus Group, a collective effort amongst regulators, bankers, insurance providers and relevant ministries to raise the country¡¯s SME awareness and adoption of ESG. Internally, she chairs the Country Sustainability Committee and holds positions in various management committees.
She has in-depth exposures working with international management consulting firm, regulator, and banks. Her work experience cuts across sustainability, corporate planning, business strategy development and implementation, mergers and acquisitions, large scale transformational and change management projects.

Professor Geoffrey Williams
Dean, Institute of Postgraduate Studies, Malaysia University of Science and Technology
Geoffrey Williams is the Founder and Director of Williams Business Consultancy Sdn. Bhd. He was also a Professor and Provost at the Malaysia University of Science and Technology (MUST) until April recently. He is a Visiting Fellow at Universiti Malaya, a Visiting Research Fellow at Bank Negara Malaysia, and until recently, a non-resident Senior Fellow at the Malaysia Institute of Economic Research (MIER).
His most recent work focused on economic policy and higher education management. He is also interested in sustainability, social responsibility, economic impact and policy analysis. An economist by profession, Geoffrey is a graduate of the University of Cambridge, and has held academic positions at the London Business School, Pembroke College, the University of Oxford and the University of London.
Datuk Johan is a qualified Chartered Accountant (ICAEW) and graduated with an Economics degree from the University of Cambridge. Since 2004, Datuk Johan has served in various roles including Deputy Secretary-General (Policy) and National Budget Director at the Ministry of Finance, Deputy Director-General (Human Capital) of the Economic Planning Unit and CEO of Talent Corporation Malaysia. On 27 February 2023, he was appointed Secretary-General of the Ministry of Finance. Before joining the government in 2004, he worked for nine years in corporate finance and accounting roles in the private sector.
Surannit Chit is the Deputy Director of the Financial Development and Innovation Department in Bank Negara Malaysia. He oversees the formulation of strategic plans and policies to advance the development of the Malaysian insurance sector. These include initiatives to shape the industry¡¯s landscape and promote robust market infrastructure to support the growth of a progressive, inclusive and resilient financial sector. He also drives initiatives to promote greater insurance access and penetration among the underserved segments through microinsurance/takaful initiatives.
Hasni is currently the Director of Monetary Policy Department in BNM. He joined BNM in 1995 and since then has served in various capacities and sections in the Monetary Policy Department and Economics Department covering areas related to monetary analysis as well as macroeconomic and price surveillance for the Malaysian economy. He received his Bachelor degree in Economics from the University of Manchester and post-graduate degrees from the London School of Economics and Australian National University.
Mohd Zabidi is currently the Director of Banking Supervision Department that oversee thesafety and soundness of locally incorporated foreign banks, standalone Islamic andinvestment banks, as well as the development financial institutions in Malaysia. Mohd Zabidi has served Bank Negara Malaysia more than 25 years in various roles and functions including as the Director of Financial Sector Development Department, Director of Islamic Banking and Takaful Department and Director of Prudential Financial Policy Department. He has contributed to the development of strategic and prudential policies such as capital adequacy standards, financial reporting and governance framework for the banking and insurance institutions as well as takaful industries. He is a Fellow Chartered Certified Accountant and a Chartered Banker and currently is an Advisor to the Board of Malaysia Accounting Standards Board (MASB). In performing his role, he represented Bank Negara Malaysia in various international bodies such as the Basel Committee on Banking Supervision (BCBS), the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB), as well as local organisations such as the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA).
Mohd Zabidi received his BSc. of Economics (Accounting & Finance) from London School of Economics, United Kingdom. He is also a Fellow Chartered Certified Accountant, member of Malaysian Institute of Accountants, and the Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers
Charlotte Wolff-Bye, an award-winning business leader, at the forefront of the sustainability movement. She serves as the Chief Sustainability Officer of the Malaysian Fortune 500 company PETRONAS. Since joining in 2021, she has turned the company¡¯s Net Zero Carbon Emission aspiration into strategy and plans to drive decarbonization and social progress.
Previously Charlotte worked for the Norwegian energy company Equinor in the role of Vice President Sustainability. At Equinor she delivered the company¡¯s first sustainability strategy that laid the foundation for the company¡¯s low carbon focus.
Charlotte currently serves on the board of trustees of the UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC), Cambridge, United Kingdom
Shahira Johan is a Senior Financial Sector Specialist with the World Bank's East Asia and Pacific Finance, Competitiveness, and Innovation Global Practice. She is one of the key staff members conducting analytical work and providing technical assistance to government counterparts on Islamic finance, financial inclusion, and financial stability in Malaysia.
Prior to joining the World Bank, she was a prudential policy regulator with the Central Bank of Malaysia where she led policy development in the areas of sustainability, risk management, capital requirements, Shariah contracts, accounting and financial reporting. She also worked as an external auditor with Ernst & Young at the start of her career. Shahira holds a Master¡¯s in Public Policy from the University of Chicago and a BSc in Accounting and Finance from the University of Warwick. She is a fellow chartered accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
Noor Amy Ismail, BOD and Advisory Panel member at Wahed Ventures, and Advisor for Transformation at Menteri Besar Incorporated, Selangor (MBI), brings close to 24 years of corporate, SME, and start-up experience across diverse industries in Malaysia and internationally. She has held leadership roles at firms such as Malaysia Venture Capital Management Berhad (MAVCAP), Deloitte Touche, Media Prima Berhad, the Prime Minister¡¯s Office of Malaysia, MediaCorp of Temasek Holdings (Singapore), InvestKL, and FGV Holdings Berhad. Additionally, she co-founded a logistics and self-storage SME in 2006.
She has contributed to the United Kingdom¡¯s Department of Business, Energy, Industrial and Strategy in developing and executing a RM3 billion anchor collaboration initiative supporting over 30,000 SMEs in the UK to enhance their digital strategy and execution. Noor is a Sloan Fellow from the London Business School and is currently a final-year Doctoral (PhD) candidate at Brunel University, London, specializing in Malaysia¡¯s SMEs and start-ups inter-collaboration framework for digital adoption. She has been appointed as an Adjunct Professor at UNITAR International University. She is also a council member of a global social impact organization supported by Social Value International and currently serves on the Board of Malaysia Impact Alliance chaired by Khazanah.
Syed Ahmad Taufik Albar is the Group CEO, Community Financial Services (CFS) at Maybank Group, a leading financial services provider in Southeast Asia. In this role, he oversees a vast network of branches and financial products, dedicated to serving the everyday banking needs of individuals and SMEs.
Prior to joining Maybank, Taufik held a diverse career at RHB Banking Group, serving as Managing Director for Group Wholesale Banking, Group International Business, and Group Chief Financial Officer. He has over 25 years of experience leading financial and business operations across diverse industries, including banking, telecommunications, infrastructure, and oil & gas across Europe and Asia.
He holds a Master of Economics and Bachelor of Accounting (Hons) from the International Islamic University Malaysia. Additionally, Taufik maintains a professional designation as a Fellow Member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), UK.
Liew Chin Tong is the Deputy Minister of Investment, Trade and Industry. He is currently the Member of Parliament for Iskandar Puteri and the State Assemblyperson for Perling, Johor.
He was a Senator in Dewan Negara and served as Deputy Defence Minister from July 2018 to February 2020. He supported Minister Mohammad Sabu's effort to present Malaysia's first ever Defence White Paper which was passed in Parliament on 2 December 2019.
He was first elected Member of Parliament for Bukit Bendera (2008-2013) and was subsequently the Member of Parliament for Kluang (2013-2018).
Chin Tong graduated with a degree in Political Science and an honours degree in Asian Studies from the Australian National University, and holds an International Masters in Regional Integration from the Asia-Europe Institute, University of Malaya.
Chin Tong is the Chairman of Research for Social Advancement (REFSA) since 2012 and was the Executive Director of Penang Institute (previously Socio-Economic and Environmental Research Institute, SERI, from 2009-2012). He was also formerly a Senior Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), Singapore.
He is passionate about policies relating to the economy, defence and security, institutional reform, political Islam, security and international relations, and urban studies.
Kelvin Teo is the co-founder and Group CEO of Funding Societies | Modalku. As one of the Top 200 FinTech Influencers in Asia, Kelvin has spoken at major conferences such as Money20/20, Seamless Asia, and Singapore Fintech Festival. He has been a key member of the Singapore FinTech Association¡¯s Digital Finance Subcomm since 2018 and named by the association as among the Top 12 Fintech Leaders in Singapore in 2020.
Kelvin graduated with a Master of Business Administration from Harvard Business School and a Bachelor of Business Administration (Accounting) from the National University of Singapore. He is also a certified Chartered Accountant by the Institute of Singapore Chartered Accountants (ISCA).

Mohd Rithaudden bin Makip
Deputy CEO (Policy & Coordination), SME Corporation Malaysia
Mohd. Rithaudden is currently the Deputy Chief Executive Officer with SME Corporation Malaysia, a Central Coordinating Agency under the Ministry of Entrepreneur and Cooperatives Development (MECD) that formulates overall policies and strategies for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) and coordinates the implementation of SME development programmes across all related Ministries and Agencies.
Prior to joining SME Corp. Malaysia, he was the Vice President of Channel Management at a reputable bank in Malaysia overseeing the branch development, physical and virtual touch points of the bank. He has held various positions and responsibilities in various departments and financial institutions in his 12 years within the banking sector.
He holds a Bachelor of Management Studies in Management System and Marketing from University of Waikato, Hamilton, New Zealand. He presented and moderated papers on SMEs and entrepreneurship in specific platforms such as ASEAN, APEC, APO, JICA, OECD, G20, and OIC. He represented Malaysia in APEC SME Working Group, ASEAN SME Working Group, FTAs, and other bilateral relationships. He was also the co-chair of ASEAN-Korea Working Group of Economic Cooperation.
Norazlam is the CEO of Sumisaujana TCM Chemicals Sdn Bhd.
He obtained his Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Geology from the University of Malaya in 1990. In 2007, he completed the Advanced Industrial Marketing Programme at INSEAD Business School, Europe Campus (France).
He began working in 1990 with Shell in Sarawak, and has approximately 34 years of working experience in the O&G industry. He founded SSTCM in 2010.
He is responsible for the overall management of the Group, including overseeing the human resource, finance, operations and sales and marketing functions of the Group.
The Company has received the SME Bank Outstanding Entrepreneur Award as well as the Prime Minister¡¯s Award in 2022. These awards represent a proud milestone for the Company for the hard work over the past 12 years.
Datin Azalina Adham was appointed as Managing Director on 1 Jan 2023. She joined the SC as Executive Director, Strategy and Policy on 1 July 2022. She has over 29 years of diverse financial and capital market experience in investment banking, corporate finance as well as the exchange business. Some of her key areas of expertise are strategy and transformation, strategic communications and business development. She brings with her an extensive network amongst key capital market stakeholders in Malaysia namely senior policymakers, regulators, market participants and senior corporate figures as well as the global exchanges fraternity.
She was formerly the Chief Operating Officer of Bursa Malaysia Berhad. During her tenure, she led several transformational initiatives including Bursa Marketplace - the first-of-its-kind virtual marketplace; Bursa Anywhere - ASEAN's first mobile depository e-services app; and the Leading Entrepreneur Accelerator Platform (LEAP) Market - ASEAN's first-of-its-kind alternative capital raising platform for SMEs.
Prior to joining Bursa Malaysia, she was an investment banker with experience in corporate banking, corporate finance and privatisation having served with Maybank Investment Bank Berhad (formerly known as Aseambankers Malaysia Berhad) and Alliance Investment Bank Berhad (formerly known as Amanah Merchant Bank Berhad).
Datin Azalina had also served as an Independent Non-Executive Director on the board of several public listed companies in Malaysia. She was also an Independent Non-Executive Director of a Ministry of Finance Incorporated (MOF Inc) company, where she had served as the Chairman of its Board Risk Management Committee and Board Change Management Committee.
She graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Management/Finance from Purdue University, USA in 1992. She also completed the Advanced Management Programme at Harvard Business School Boston, Massachusetts, USA in 2018.
Dato' Ir. Muhamad Guntor Tobeng is the Group Managing Director and co-founder of Gading Kencana Sdn Bhd. He is a registered professional engineer with the Board of Engineers, Malaysia, with more than 34 years of experience in the field. He is also a registered Energy Manager certified by the Malaysian Energy Commission and holds an Honorary Doctorate in Science awarded by the Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia. He is an Adjunct Professor at the Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris, Tanjung Malim, Perak.
Muhamad Guntor is actively involved in the Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy sector in Malaysia and is a member of the Secretariat for the Development of Energy Efficiency Regulation. He participated in the drafting of the Performance Contracting contract document for energy efficiency services. He acted as the Technical Director for the Malaysia Industrial Energy Efficiency Improvement project forwarded by the United Nations Development Programme and was Project Director of the R&D team for the development of a power quality conditioning system ¨C Automated Conversation of Energy (ACE). As Project Director, he headed the drafting of a proposal for amendment to the Uniform Building By-Laws to incorporate Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Application.
Eugene Wong is the Chief Executive Officer of SFIA, an independent institute established to catalyse ideas on Sustainable Finance at the policy level in ASEAN, as well as propel action in support of those policy ideas. SFIA is currently the Host of the ASEAN Taxonomy Board.
Eugene was previously the Managing Director, Corporate Finance & Investments of the Securities Commission Malaysia (¡°SC¡±). He also served as a member of the Audit Oversight Board in Malaysia and was an Adviser to the Malaysian Accounting Standards Board. He oversaw the SC¡¯s ASEAN related initiatives and was a Chair of the Deputies of ASEAN Capital Markets Forum and a Co-Chair of the ASEAN Working Committee on Capital Market Development.
Eugene is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, Fellow of CPA Australia and a Chartered Accountant of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants.