YB Dato' Mansor Bin Othman

Deputy Minister of Environment & Water, Malaysia

YB Dato' Mansor Bin Othman is the newly appointed Deputy Minister of Environment and Water since August 2021. Prior to that appointment, he served as the Deputy Minister of Higher Education in 2020. He is the current member of Parliament for NibongTebal.

YB Dato' Mansor's career began in the research realm where he was involved in conducting and leading various research related to economic development, entrepreneurial empowerment and small business financing, education and human resource, agriculture, poverty, public administration as well as land management in Penang, Kedah, Kelantan, Terengganu and Johor from the late 70s to the 90s. During the same period, he held several academic posts through his roles as research fellow and from 1993 – 1999, he was the Associate Professor and the Director of Policy Research Centre of Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang.

From 1996 – 1998, he steered the establishment of TEKUN, which is an agency that provides simple and quick financing facilities to small businesses. Till today, he continues to support similar initiative by serving as the Founder and Chairman of KO Fitrah Yayasan Islam Pulau Pinang Cooperation and as the Advisor of the Warga Hijrah Selangor Berhad Cooperation (KOHIJRAH).

Meanwhile, from 2009 – 2013, he assumed the role as the Deputy Chief Minister of the state of Penang. With his vast experience, he assisted the state in many fronts notably in economic development, entrepreneurial empowerment and improvement of land management.

As the current Deputy Minister of Environment and Water, he is committed to support the Ministry in implementing various programmes and activities in line with the country's commitment under the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as well as various international and regional commitments. He believes that it is pertinent to build public awareness and increase the meaningful involvement of all segments of society including local communities in addressing environmental challenges such as pollution, waste management, flood risk management and climate change.

His Excellency Charles Hay MVO 

British High Commissioner to Malaysia

His Excellency Charles Hay MVO started as the British High Commissioner to Malaysia in March 2019 in succession to Vicki Treadell CMG MVO.

Prior to Malaysia, Mr Hay was the British Ambassador to South Korea from 2015 to 2018. During his time in the British diplomatic services, he has been posted to the Czech Republic, Spain, and the UK Representation to the EU in Brussels. Charles was also the Director of Consular Services in London, responsible for assisting British nationals and in crisis management worldwide. Before joining the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in 1993, he was a Captain in the British Army.

Mr Hay is married to Pascale Sutherland, and they have two daughters. He has a Master in Business Administration as well as a BA in Philosophy and Politics. His hobbies include golf, diving and archery.

Abrar A. Anwar

Chairman, British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce Berhad (BMCC) / Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer, Standard Chartered Malaysia

As Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Malaysia, Abrar is an instrumental figure in implementing the Bank's business strategies and overall corporate governance in Malaysia. In his role, he also oversees the Group's operations in the country.

No stranger to the banking industry, Abrar has close to 30 years of experience in corporate and investment banking. He has achieved many successes throughout his career, including setting up the first "Syndication and Structured Finance" business in Bangladesh (for the then ANZ Grindlays Bank) along with the successful closure of milestone transactions in the Energy and Power, Infrastructure, Telecom, Aviation, Domestic and Export-oriented industries. 

Abrar's banking journey has brought him to countries such as India, the UK and Bangladesh, where he first joined the Bank in 2011 as Head of Corporate and Institutional Clients. He rose through the ranks and was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of Standard Chartered Bangladesh in 2015. Under his leadership, he transformed the business of the franchise and positioned Standard Chartered as the most respected and profitable Bank in the country before assuming his current position in November 2017.

Prior to joining Standard Chartered Bangladesh, he was the Managing Director and Head of Global Corporate and Commercial Banking at Citibank NA in Bangladesh as well as Head of Specialist Finance and Advisory Services at ANZ Grindlays Bank. He holds an MBA degree from Bangladesh's premier business school, the Institute of Business Administration (IBA).

Abrar also serves as Chairman of the British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce since being elected to the role on 25 August 2020.

Dato' Azmir Merican

Group Managing Director

Sime Darby Property Berhad

Dato' Azmir Merican is currently the Group Managing Director of Sime Darby Property Berhad, one of the largest and most established property companies in Malaysia with decades of pioneering experience in residential, industrial and commercial developments. The Company is also present in the United Kingdom through the iconic Battersea Power Station Development Project in Central London.

Dato' Azmir has a wealth of cross-functional experience from his background in corporate advisory and as a senior business leader. He was previously the Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of UEM Edgenta Berhad, one of the largest Asset Management & Infrastructure Solutions companies in Asia ex- China. He led the merger & acquisition as well as integration of five companies involved in Healthcare Services, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Consultancy with operations in Malaysia, Singapore, UAE, India, Indonesia, Taiwan, New Zealand, and Australia as part of the creation of UEM Edgenta Berhad. 

Dato' Azmir is recognised for transforming UEM Edgenta into an award-winning services company offering proprietary systems and solutions, pioneering the use of IoT, data analytics, machine learning and AI for the asset management industry. The company became a digital powerhouse and regional market leader in the asset management and infrastructure solutions realm. Prior to UEM Edgenta, Dato' Azmir was Group Chief Operating Officer (Business Units) at its parent company, UEM Group Berhad. 

He started his career as an investment analyst with Maybank Group and later worked as a manager in the financial advisory arm of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). He then joined CIMB Investment Bank Berhad and was part of the team that established the bank's private equity business. 

He holds a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration (Finance) from Haworth College of Business, Western Michigan University, United States of America.

Datuk Kamal Khalid

Chief Corporate & Transformation Officer

Celcom Axiata Berhad 

Datuk Kamal Khalid was appointed as Chief Corporate & Transformation Officer of Celcom Axiata Berhad on February 1, 2021. 

At Celcom, Datuk Kamal provides leadership to the various corporate functions including legal, regulatory, societal development, sustainability, enterprise data governance and program management. Datuk Kamal brings with him over 25 years of experience and previously served as Group Managing Director for Media Prima Berhad from August 2017 to March 2020. He was also formerly the Head of Communications for the Prime Minister from October 2003 to April 2009. 

Datuk Kamal began his career in Bumiputra Merchant Bankers and then worked in various companies involved in technology and venture financing before joining the Kuala Lumpur Stock Exchange (now Bursa Malaysia) in July 1998. 

Dr Mohan V. Avvari

Associate Professor of Strategy & Innovation, Director of Research, and Malaysia Lead - International Centre for Corporate Social Responsibility (ICCSR) 

Nottingham University Business School (NUBS) Malaysia

Dr Mohan V. Avvari is an Associate Professor of Strategy & Innovation and Director of Research in the Nottingham University Business School (NUBS) at the University of Nottingham Malaysia (UNM). He received his doctorate in Management of Innovation from the Department of Management Studies, Indian Institute of Science (IISc), Bangalore following which he visited South Korea on a Research Fellowship at the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST). Prior to joining UNM, he served as a member of the Faculty of Management at Multimedia University, Cyberjaya, Malaysia.

His research interests are in the areas of Strategy and Innovation with a special interest in interorganisational linkages that enable business enterprises to develop Innovation and contribute to Sustainable Development. He has published his work in international journals and reports for international agencies. He is on the editorial panels of international journals in the area of Innovation and Policy. He has extensive experience in training and executive development for senior executives from business and government organisations He has served as a Council Member of the Consumer Forum for the Malaysian Communications & Multimedia Industry, as a recourse person in WTA-UNESCO workshops, Innovation Auditor for MIGHT, Malaysia and more recently as a UNESCO Expert for entrepreneurship and innovation.

Faroze Nadar

Executive Director

UN Global Compact Network Malaysia & Brunei

Faroze Nadar is an experienced corporate sustainability practitioner having led projects that have been featured at the national level and Fortune 500 companies' sustainability documents. He provides advisory and insights for the various private sector, government, and UN agencies on SDGs and corporate sustainability matters. He currently serves as the Executive Director for UN Global Compact Network Malaysia & Brunei, a local network of the United Nations Global Compact, where he is developing various strategic programmes and digital tools to accelerate private sector SDG performance. 

Previously, he was the global head of sustainability for a natural chemicals MNC organization of which he oversaw sustainability initiatives for sites in North America, Europe and Asia. He is a business sector representative to Malaysia's National SDG Steering Committee and has presented at various national and global sustainability forums.

Jennifer Lopez

Chief Executive Officer

British Malaysian Chamber of Commerce (BMCC)

She steers the BMCC's robust network composed of 260 MNCs & SMEs, together with its associates and key stakeholders from both the private and the public sector. In her role, she drives her team to leverage business matching opportunities for the Chamber's members, while providing a representative industry/sector voice to engage in purposeful public/ministerial dialogue with key government stakeholders.

She's also the chief liaison for the BMCC Board of Directors, the Malaysian spokesperson for the bilateral chambers under the British in Southeast Asia (BISEA) faction. Jennifer also supervises the BMCC's contract with the British government's Department International Trade (DIT), whereby the Chamber serves as a platform for British businesses looking to export products & services to Malaysia and develop a presence in-market.

As a Chartered Accountant by training, Jennifer has enjoyed a versatile career in professional education and financial industries, including assuming the role as Head of Malaysia at ACCA for 5 years; honing her specialities in developing strategic partnerships, corporate branding, and relationship management.

Raja Amir Shah Raja Azwa

Chief Executive Officer

HSBC Amanah Malaysia Berhad

Raja Amir was appointed as Chief Executive Officer of HSBC Amanah Malaysia Berhad in May 2021 and is responsible for executing the HSBC Group's strategy for Islamic banking in Malaysia, driving sustainable leadership and Value-Based Intermediation efforts while spearheading the development of talent, particularly in relation to Islamic finance and sustainability within the Group.

Prior to his appointment, Raja Amir was the Head of Debt Capital Markets, Malaysia. He has made many material contributions to the development of the international and Malaysian Sukuk market, having originated, structured, and executed multiple first to market landmark sukuk transactions across Asia for both corporates, financial institutions, and the public sector.

More recently, Raja Amir led the Government of Malaysia's US$ 800mn Sustainability Sukuk, Being the World's first ever Sustainability Sukuk by a Sovereign. He started his career in London in the tech industry with 1 and 1 Limited and moved to RHB Investment Bank in 2006. Thereafter, he joined HSBC Amanah in 2010 and have since held various roles within the International Currency Business Unit and Debt Capital Markets team. Throughout his time with the Debt Capital Markets team, HSBC has been consistently awarded the Best Bond House (Global) by the Asset Triple a Country Awards.

Raja Amir is also in charge of delivering Project Cocoon, an initiative to transform HSBC Amanah into HSBC Group's first sustainable bank by the end of 2022.

Stuart Milne 

Group General Manager and Chief Executive Officer, Malaysia

HSBC Malaysia

Stuart started his career with HSBC in 1981 as an International Manager and has been with the Group since then. During his career, Stuart has held a number of senior management positions in the Middle East, Asia, Europe and Americas, leading various businesses and functions. 

Stuart was appointed President & CEO, Japan in 2009 and in 2012, he moved to India as Group General Manager and CEO India. He was subsequently appointed Group General Manager and CEO Malaysia in April 2018. 

His experience across the banking domain and exposure to different markets puts him in a strong position to lead out Malaysia business into its next phase of growth.