Speakers for Asia Economic Forum 2022

Dato’ Abdul Halim also sits as a member of Board of Directors for several state-owned companies that include Invest Penang, Penang Development Corporation, Digital Penang Corporation and presently the Chairman of Penang Halal International.

Afiz brings with him over 30 years of experience and accomplishments in the Information Technology and Telecommunication industry with hands on experience in managing end to end business operations, developing high performing teams, driving business strategy, effective execution and operational excellence.

Celcom Axiata Berhad
Afiz is responsible to provide overall leadership to Celcom Technology Group, namely Network, IT and Cyber Security Afiz also has responsibility for Enterprise Business, Regulatory, USP and Enterprise Data Governance Previous roles includes Chief Advanced Data Officer, Chief Digital Services Officer, Chief Business Services and Solutions Officer and Head of Service Excellence FLM.

On Site Services Sdn Bhd
As the Managing Director ( Afiz has the responsibility of driving company performance He focused on driving operational excellence, business growth and employees well being Afiz was involved in carving out of the FLM division from Celcom to the establishment of On Site Services This includes building the business plan, managing the employee movement, setting up the various agreements including the MSA while at the same time ensuring no slippage in performance.

Maxis Berhad
Afiz last position was Vice President, Maxis Home Services As VP of the Maxis Home Services Division, Afiz is responsible for providing leadership and guidance for the business which spans across sales, marketing, product development, pricing, operations and customer service Prior to that Afiz was the Senior GM and Head of Broadband Afiz build and developed wireless broadband business from its infancy to a core business, with responsibility spanning sales, marketing, commercial, product development, operations and customer service.

IBM Malaysia Sdn Bhd
Afiz held numerous leadership position in his 14 year career with IBM Malaysia Afiz last position was General Manager, Public Sector During his tenure as the General Manager, Afiz almost double the size of the business during his tenure Afiz focused in developing a strong ecosystem with involved engagement with central agencies, large government department and system integrators Key part of the engagement are solution and skills development Afiz received numerous awards and recognition during his tenure with IBM such as invitation to the Golden Circle, which marked one of highest recognition of sales achievement He was also part of the ASEAN/SA Leadership Team ( a program that earmarked the top 100 individuals with high potential in IBM ASEAN/SA.

AK is the Vice President of Manufacturing, Supply Chain and Operations, Managing Director for Intel Malaysia site and General Manager of the System Integration & Manufacturing Services (SIMS) operations in the Assembly Test Manufacturing (ATM) group at Intel Corporation.

AK has been with the company since. Starting off as a Microprocessor Failure Analysis engineer, AK held numerous technical leadership roles in the Corporate Quality Network group where she spent her first 26 years at Intel, focusing on products, manufacturing and quality systems. This includes several stints in Santa Clara US and Shenzhen China that spanned 10 years. She then led ATM’s quality and reliability group, driving overall factory quality performance before moving on to being General Manager of SIMS and Managing Director of Intel Malaysia.

Apart from leading one of Intel’s factories as well as the Malaysia site, she is also the founding chair of the Malaysia Women Leadership Development Steering Committee, which aims to implement initiatives that help develop women leaders and establish strategies for women progression and advancement in Intel, in line with Intel’s RISE Inclusive 2030 Goals – and she also sponsor the Malaysia Women at Intel Network.

Dr Allinnettes Go Adigue is the Head of the ASEAN Regional Hub of the Global Reporting Initiative. As Head of GRI’s ASEAN Hub, Ally is tasked to promote the practice of sustainability reporting across the region by working with relevant stakeholders in creating a conducive policy environment for sustainable business practices, foster the business case of sustainability reporting and build the capacity of organizations in sustainability reporting.

A lifelong learner and a global citizen, Ally has lived in 3 continents in the past 15 years. Prior to GRI, Ally has previously worked for the academe, and both the public and private sectors. While working on her PhD, she worked as a graduate research assistant in the field of Climate Change Policy and Economics. She also worked in a retail electricity company in Singapore and for the Office of the President of the Philippines. Ally earned her PhD on Public Policy from the Crawford School of Public Policy at the Australian National University in 2017. She has two Master’s degrees: one in Development Studies from the Institute of Social Studies, Erasmus University, The Netherlands; and another in Public Administration from the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy in Singapore. She also has Bachelor’s degrees in Law and Political Science.

Amar Chhajer, in his role as the Senior Director and Country Head, Malaysia for UST, is responsible for leading the Semiconductor Business for APAC and Europe Region. Amar is focused on developing business and managing its operations. Since 2011, Amar has served in several positions at UST doing Technology Consulting, Engineering Delivery, Client Relationship, and Center management. Prior to joining UST, Amar was with Accenture and Oracle in Software Engineering roles.

Driven by UST’s mission of Transforming Lives through Technology, Amar’s been instrumental in building the local ecosystem in Digital skills.

He is currently the Chairman for GBS Focus Group of Penang. Also a part of Seed funding evaluation committee for tech start-ups in the state of Penang, and part of the mylead committee by Talentcorp.

Amar’s been instrumental in building the local ecosystem and capability development in niche and emerging areas like IoT, Silicon Engineering, Automation, and Industry 4.0. He is actively involved with multiple government agencies, academic institutions, and trade bodies in Malaysia. He has represented the Malaysia Tech industry & Malaysian government institutions in various global forums.

Amar was conferred the title of PJK by the Governor of Penang in 2020. In 2018, he received the Golden Globe Tigers Award for Excellence in Business Leadership 2018 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Recently, Amar was named one of the Top 100 Inspirational leaders in 2022 by White Page International.

Amar is an alumnus of Harvard Business School, and he earned his degree in Engineering (Electronics and Telecommunications) from the Kalinga Institute of Industrial Technology (KIIT).

Started humbly as a helper at his father’s hawker store, Chan enrolled into a local college at 18 years old, selling PC hardware on a part time basis to earn his tuition fees. As he discovered the potential of web hosting and lack of providers in Malaysia when building a website for his customer, at 19 he set up his first web hosting reseller business which was 100% Online based, and business kept coming in. To grab the once in a lifetime opportunity, Chan dropped out of college to concentrate on his online business.

Under the leadership of Chan, today the Exabytes Group consists of 12 subsidiaries, with businesses ranging from web hosting to eCommerce and e-Deliveries, serving over 160,000 businesses with over 1 million users worldwide. Besides being the local director of Founder Institute, Chan is also the former president of the Internet Alliance, Malaysia, and the honoree of TOYM (Top Outstanding Young Malaysian), 2015.

Chan is also co-founder of EasyParcel, EasyStore, EasyWork, EasySpace and angel investors in several startups.

Danny Quah is Li Ka Shing Professor in Economics and Dean at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy, NUS. His research on inequality and income mobility characterises the range of experiences across economies to suggest that a single narrative on inequality is unlikely to be correct or helpful. His work on world order takes an economic approach to international systems, studying the supply and demand of world order: what international system do the world’s superpowers wish to provide; what world order does the global community need?

Quah is a Commissioner on the Spence-Stiglitz Commission on Global Economic Transformation and on LSE’s Global Economic Governance Commission. He serves on the Executive Committee, International Economic Association; the Advisory Board, LSE IDEAS; the Eminent Advisory Council of the UNDP Bureau for Asia-Pacific; and the World Economic Forum’s Global Future Council for Geopolitics. He is Vice President at the Economic Society of Singapore.

He is the author of “The Global Economy’s Shifting Centre of Gravity”.

Dr. David Khoo is the founder and Chairman of iHEAL Health Sdn Bhd. He also heads IHEAL’s flagship hospital, Iheal Medical Centre, Kuala Lumpur as the Medical Director.
Dr David Khoo began his medical career in 1989 at University Hospital Kuala Lumpur and within 4 years, he qualified as a Surgeon having obtained the Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. He then started his training in Cardiothoracic Surgery as a Senior Registrar at the National Heart Institute, Kuala Lumpur in 1993.

Subsequently in 1996, Dr Khoo underwent a Fellowship in Advanced Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgery at the Mayo Clinic, USA. He returned to Malaysia in 1997 and was promoted to the post of Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at the National Heart Institute where he served until the year 2000, when he then started the first Cardiothoracic Surgical service in Perak at the Ipoh Specialist Centre.

He returned to Kuala Lumpur in 2004 and was the Consultant Cardiothoracic Surgeon at Subang Jaya Medical Centre and Gleneagles Intan Medical Centre until his appointment as Head of Cardiothoracic Surgical Services at Prince Court Medical Centre and his founding of iHEAL Health. He has won numerous academic awards and has been an active participant in various local and international conferences. An innovative surgeon, Dr Khoo has pioneered many operations in Malaysia including beating heart coronary artery bypass surgery as well as surgery for sweaty palms.

He is currently the most experienced local surgeon in the field of Less Invasive Cardiothoracic Surgery. In entrepreneurship, Dr Khoo as the founder and leader, had steered iHEAL Medical Services Sdn Bhd to 6 accolades namely, Asia Success Award in 2013, Sin Chew Business Excellence Award in 2015, Asia Pacific Entrepreneurship Award in 2016, Malaysia Health & Wellness Brand Awards 2017 and Grandeur International Business Award 2017/2018 and SOBA Awards 2019-Male Entrepreneur of the year. Born in Penang in 1963,an alumni of the Penang Free School, Dr Khoo had an illustrious academic background with many scholarships and awards. He graduated in 1989 from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia with a Doctor of Medicine degree and was awarded the University Gold medal. He is also a Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and an alumnus of the Mayo Clinic, USA in 1993.

Dato’ Seri Lee Kah Choon is the Special Investment Advisor to the Chief Minister of Penang.

As a Director of Invest-in-Penang Berhad, Penang Development Corporation and Penang Hill Corporation, Dato’ Seri Lee is actively involved in deciding the policy direction of these government linked corporations for the State of Penang since 2008.

Dato’ Seri Lee is a member of the Investment Committee of Areca Capital, a licensed fund manager for individuals, corporations and institutions. He is also an adjunct Researcher of Penang Institute and writes regularly on subjects covering investment and economic development.

Additionally, Dato’ Seri Lee sits on companies listed on Bursa Malaysia as well as private companies. Industries covered by these companies/corporations include: manufacturing, packaging, logistics, research/ design/ development of electrical & electronics equipment, trading, food production, tourism, township & property development, wealth management & startups mentoring.

Being a former member of the federal legislature & the state local council, Dato’ Seri Lee has an in-depth understanding of the workings of the public sector.

Dato’ Seri Lee is a Barrister at Law of Middle Temple & a Certified Financial Planner.

Dato’ Loo Lee Lian is the Chief Executive Officer of InvestPenang, the principal investment promotion agency and wholly owned company of the state of Penang. It is the leading point of contact for investment attraction, facilitation and support for foreign and local businesses.

She came into her position in 2010 backed by 25 years of industry background in the various sectors of the manufacturing industry. She is responsible for identifying new areas of growth and strategizing the state’s investment and industrial policies. Underpinned by the state and InvestPenang’s achievements, the sustained performances of the manufacturing and services sectors have elevated Penang’s per capita income and maintained the state’s status as an economic powerhouse of Malaysia.

Dato Loo has led companies in strategic planning, project management, operations, business development, supply chain management, customer strategies, and international business migration. Her invaluable experience has made her a highly sought-after guest speaker at multiple corporate conferences and also community seminars focusing on job diversity, women empowerment and youth education programs.

Dato Loo holds concurrent appointments as a Director in Penang STEM, member of the Selection Committee of the Penang Future Foundation, Penang State Government’s scholarship program for university undergraduate studies, and is the Chairperson of the Penang i4.0 Seed Fund Evaluation Committee.

Born and bred in Penang, Dato Loo graduated with Bachelor of Economics from the University of Adelaide, South Australia, and received her MBA from the University of South Australia.

An experienced leader with extensive experience in HR leadership and greenfield startups. Highly passionate towards discovering, transforming and maximizing human potential. Enthusiastic about coaching and assisting others find their career paths.

Served in several multinational companies in the capacity of HR leader.

Was involved as part of the start up team in two different green field startups in Penang.

Has led Micron Malaysia to several accolades especially from the Malaysian government as well as other prestigious bodies such as HR Excellence and Great Place to Work.

Currently leading the Global HR Operations Function for Micron Globally.

Nungsari Ahmad Radhi is an economist and in a career of almost 40 years, he has been in academia, corporate advisory, a Member of Parliament and policy research and advocacy. He holds a PhD in economics from Purdue University and has been a contributing columnist for The Edge since 2000.

He received his Ph.D. in Sinology from Stockholm University, Sweden. Before returning to the region, he worked at Ericsson Electronics in Sweden for 22 years during the heyday of that company’s mobile phone era.

He writes regular opinion pieces for regional and global mass media on Malaysian matters and regional matters. He was Visiting Associate Professor at the City University of Hong Kong (2009-2012); Adjunct Associate Professor at the National University of Singapore’s Department of Southeast Asian Studies (2009-2011); He is the Founder-Editor of Penang Monthly and ISSUES (Penang Institute) and ISEAS Perspective (ISEAS). He is also Series Editor for Trends in Southeast Asia (ISEAS).

He has written several biographies on important political personalities of Malaysia and Singapore, and has won awards for his works.

Ms. Ooi Lay Pheng is the Group CEO of L&P Global Berhad and CEO of Berjayapak Sdn Bhd, a leading group of companies that creates solutions for the logistics and packaging industry. Since she joined the group since 2015, she has transformed the Group from a traditional wooden pallet family business into an integrated industry packaging solutions company serving multinational corporations.

Unafraid to forge new paths, she expanded the footprint of the group from one location to five locations, in Malaysia and Vietnam. Under her leadership, the Group has transformed from a loss-making company to a profitable one. The Group has been enjoying double digit compounded growth rate for the top and bottom line over the last 5 years. Her bold innovation in incorporating sustainability elements into the business model is what contributed to the exponential growth of the group. And now, she is bringing the Group to yet another higher level of the playing field — the listing of the Group in the stock exchange.

Some of the many accolades won by the Group recently are as follows:
• Sustainability Business Awards by Global Initiatives – Winner in Supply Chain Management (2021)
• Asia Corporate Excellence & Sustainability – Asia Leading SMEs (2020)
• Golden Bull Award – Outstanding SME (2018)

Her achievements not only bring many accolades to the Group but also for herself. She was recently awarded the EY Woman Entrepreneur of the Year for Malaysia in 2021.

Lay Pheng holds a Master of Arts in Economics from Wichita State University, US. As a firm believer in lifelong learning, She has completed executive courses namely “Competing on Business Analytics and Big Data” organized by Harvard Business School and “Circular Economy and Sustainability Strategies” organized by Cambridge Business School.

Philip is an entrepreneurial, creative and driven executive with 25+ years of expertise in developing, launching, managing and restructuring sales, marketing, commercial, licensing and operations across a range of public, private and government-linked companies to deliver top-line and bottom-line growth. He is also a hands-on skilled strategist, negotiator, facilitator and communicator with proven fundraising and networking skills, building fruitful partnerships with hundreds of companies. His industry experience includes retail, leisure, hospitality, sports, entertainment, media, FMCG, financial services and local, state and federal government sectors in Australia and South East Asia.

Philip is currently the Chief Executive Officer of leading Singapore listed leisure company, Sim Leisure Group Ltd, having previously worked as the Commercial Director and a Corporate Advisor to the group.

He has previously served for over nine years as the CEO Attractions and Chief Marketing Officer of Themed Attractions Resorts & Hotels Sdn. Bhd., a subsidiary of Malaysia’s sovereign wealth fund, Khazanah Nasional Berhad. Prior to that he has 20 plus years’ experience in a range of senior marketing, operations and management roles working with leading global brands including Village Roadshow Theme Parks, Goodwill Games and Warner Bros. Entertainment. Philip has also successfully founded and managed his own leading Marketing and PR agencies.

His academic qualifications include a Bachelor of Hotel Management, Master of Business and a Graduate Diploma in Digital Business. He is a Fellow and Certified Practising Marketer (CPM) of the Australian Marketing Institute.

In 2011, he was inducted into the Sponsorship Australasia Awards Hall of Fame for services to the industry and in 2016 was awarded Asia’s Best Marketer, CMO Asia 7th Edition.

Dato’ Shidah Ahmad is the vice president & general manager of Keysight’s Global Order Fulfillment &
Supply Chain. She has full accountabilities for the company’s worldwide end-to-end Supply Chain and the
Manufacturing & Technology Centers operations across the US, Europe, and Asia. This encompasses
Order Management, Planning, Production, Engineering, Procurement & Supplier Management as well as
the Global Logistics function. She leads a global team of more than 3000 employees.

Dato’ Shidah has 30 years of extensive international experience in the Semiconductor, Electronic
Instrumentation, and IT industries and has held many key global positions in these fields. She has been
instrumental in driving the company’s Supply Chain organization to become an award-winning operation
that is recognized as best-in-class by the industry today.

Besides her business responsibilities, Dato’ Shidah is also the General Manager of Keysight’s Malaysia
site. In this role, she is responsible for ensuring the site’s smooth and efficient operations. She has played
a key role in fostering strong collaborative ties with the Malaysian government and its agencies towards
making Malaysia a knowledge-driven, high-income economy.

Dato’ Shidah is also a passionate champion of local community outreach programs and has channeled
many of Keysight’s corporate social responsibility initiatives towards making a difference in people’s lives,
especially in the areas of STEM. She is spearheading the proliferation of science and technology in the
community through her role as Director of the Penang Science Cluster and shaping the next generation of
talents through her role as the patron of the Girls in Engineering and Technology (GET) program.

Dato’ Shidah holds a bachelor’s degree in science with a double-major in computer science and
mathematics, and an MBA from Ohio University, USA.

Soon Kuek of Lam Research Corporation is General Manager for Lam Manufacturing Malaysia, the company’s latest and largest advanced technology production facility at the Batu Kawan Industrial Park in Penang. Sized at 700,000 square feet, Lam Manufacturing Malaysia is expected to be ready by mid-2021. The facility will manufacture key products for all of Lam’s customers across the globe.

Born and raised in Penang, Soon Kuek is excited to head the new factory in Penang after living and working in the USA for more than 20 years. Prior to this role, she was senior director of supply chain management, as well as senior supplier business manager and engineering manager at Lam Research in California, USA. Before joining Lam, Kuek spent 11 years at Xerox Corporation, where she held several roles. Soon has a BS degree in Chemical Engineering from University of Kentucky and a MS in Materials Science and Engineering from Rochester Institute of Technology.

Lt. General Sharma retired from the Indian Army in 2008, after four decades of an illustrious and brilliant career of selfless service to the nation. During his career he has seen active service in India and other countries and has held very critical and challenging appointments in higher echelons of defense management, including a diplomatic assignment in London as the Defense Attaché of India. He commanded the largest operational force in the world and led the logistics and administration of the 1.3 million strong Indian Army in his last assignment before retirement. A strong votary of sustainable and responsible development he has developed expertise in areas of environment, renewable energy and ecology. Gen Sharma now writes on national strategy and security issues and lectures business leaders on decision making, motivation and positivity. He is deeply committed and passionate about entrepreneurship and has helped and guided many start up companies to realize their potential

Since April 2020, Tony is CEO of Digital Penang, a government agency of the State of Penang, Malaysia, established to accelerate efforts to capture opportunities in the digital economy and promote a digitally engaged society.

Prior to that, over 10 years he was the regional Chief Information Officer for Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) Asia Middle East Africa region based in Singapore.

Over 12 years, Tony led the Hewlett Packard Consulting and Systems Integration practice in Taiwan, Thailand, Singapore and Malaysia, until his last assignment as General Manager of Consulting & Systems Integration in Beijing, China HP.

Vic Sithasanan is the Managing Director for JobStreet Malaysia. Vic is a recognised leader in digital businesses, having led several successful turnarounds and startups in the region.

Prior to JobStreet, Vic was co-founder and Chief Growth Officer for HYPERLAB, one of the most awarded AI companies in APAC. Hyperlab was acquired by Everise, a global CX group, in 2018.

Vic also co-founded FutureLab in 2010 and grew it to be an award-winning digital and social agency in Malaysia and Singapore. APD (ASX: DIG) fully acquired FutureLab in 2012 and Vic took on the role of CEO Asia. Vic grew the group to encompass Shanghai, Philippines, Malaysia and Singapore, contributing close to 40% of the group’s revenue from less than 5%.

Prior to FutureLab, Vic was General Manager for BBDO/Proximity in Singapore and in Malaysia, helping both agencies grow their revenues and industry recognition. Malaysia was ranked #1 digital and CRM agency in Asia by The Won Report in 2008 and Singapore was ranked #2 digital agency in APAC in 2009.

Datuk Seri Dr Victor Wee was the Chairman of Tourism Malaysia, was also previously the Secretary General of the Ministry of Tourism, Malaysia, as well as the Program Chairman of United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO), and Advisor to the Ministry of Finance.

Dr Wee had also participated in training at the East West Center in Hawaii, Institute of Manpower Studies at the University of Sussex, and Harvard University. He was also the Senior Director of Macroeconomics of the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department, where he was instrumental in formulating Malaysia’s macroeconomic policy framework.

As a member of the World Bank, he helped review the planning and implementation methodology of Saudi Arabia in 2003 and assisted in a UNDP mission on the formulation of Saudi Arabia’s long-term economic strategy in 2004.

Mr. Chow Kon Yeow is Penang’s fifth Chief Minister. He assumed the State’s top leadership role after Pakatan Harapan’s thumping victory in Malaysia’s 14th General Elections in May 2018. He has also been a Penang State Executive Councilor since 2008.

He has been the DAP Penang State Chairman since 2000 and DAP National Vice-Chairman since 2004.

In a recent interview after his swearing-in, the fifth Chief Minister of Penang reiterated his administration’s commitment to ensure delivery of three mega projects, namely the Penang Transport Master Plan, flood mitigation and affordable housing. Undaunted by the higher expectations, he takes this as a challenge to serve Penangites and find ways to make this state, a better home for all.

Besides that, Mr. Chow also aims to transform Penang into ‘A Family-Focused Green and Smart State that Inspires the Nation’ with the Penang2030 Vision and this is the current focus of the State Government.