Speakers' Profile

YBhg. Datuk Mohamed Azman Yahya -
Board Member, Khazanah Nasional Berhad

Datuk Mohamed Azman bin Yahya was appointed as Director of Khazanah Nasional on 1 June 2004. Dato’ Mohamed Azman is the founder and Group Chief Executive of Symphony House Berhad, an outsourcing services company. He is concurrently the Executive Chairman of Bolton Berhad, a property group. Both companies are listed on Bursa Malaysia.

During the 1997 – 1998 Asian Financial Crisis, Datuk Mohamed Azman was appointed by the Government of Malaysia to set-up and head Danaharta, the national asset management company. Subsequently, he also served as Chairman of the Corporate Debt Restructuring Committee, set up by Malaysia’s Central Bank, to mediate and assist in debt restructuring programmes of viable companies until its closure in 2002. During his tenure with Danaharta from 1998 to 2003, he received a number of international accolades including being named one of Asia’s “Most Influential Banker” by Institutional Investor and “Restructuring Agency Chief of the Year” by Asiamoney. Datuk Mohamed Azman sits on the advisory panels of Bursa Malaysia’s Securities Market Consultative Panel, the Malaysian Venture Capital Management Berhad and the National Council for Scientific Research and Development, the National Innovation Council and is a member of the Special Taskforce to facilitate Business (PEMUDAH), a public-private sector partnership to improve the public service delivery system. He is also a director of the Kuala Lumpur Business Club and Chairman of Motorsports Commission of Malaysia.

Tan Sri Dato’ Azman Mokhtar -
Managing Director, Khazanah Nasional Berhad

Tan Sri Dato’ Azman bin Hj. Mokhtar was appointed as Managing Director of Khazanah Nasional on 1 June, 2004. Between 1994 and 1998, he was a Director and Head of Research for Union Bank of Switzerland in Malaysia. Between 1998 and 2002, he was Director and Head of Research at Salomon Smith Barney in Malaysia. From 2002 until May 2004, he was the Managing Director of BinaFikir Sdn. Bhd.

Tan Sri Dato’ Azman Mokhtar graduated with distinction in M. Phil in Development Studies from Darwin College, Cambridge University, United Kingdom as a Chevening scholar. He is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants, United Kingdom and is a Chartered Financial Analyst charter holder. He also holds a graduate diploma in Islamic Studies from the International Islamic University, Kuala Lumpur.

YB Dato’ Seri Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah -
Minister of Finance 2 & Board Member, Khazanah Nasional Berhad

Dato’ Seri Ahmad Husni Mohamad Hanadzlah was appointed as Director of Khazanah Nasional on 18 May 2009. He is currently the Second Finance Minister. Dato’ Seri Ahmad Husni has held key positions in the Malaysian Cabinet since 2004 – namely Deputy Minister of International Trade and Industry, and later, Deputy Minister of Finance 1.

Dato’ Seri Ahmad Husni has an extensive working experience in the corporate sector having served in several financial institutions, namely Bumiputra Merchant Bankers Berhad, Asiavest Merchant Bankers and Chase Manhattan Bank N.A. He also served at several state government-linked agencies, namely Syarikat Majuperak Berhad and Perak Islamic Economic Corporation. He was previously Chairman of several key agencies and corporations, including the Malaysia External Development Corporation (MATRADE), Bumiputra Commerce Bank Berhad, Commercial Vehicle Licensing Board and National Higher Education Fund Corporation. He was also previously the Chairman of the Public Accounts Committee, Parliament of Malaysia. Dato’ Seri Ahmad Husni holds a degree in Economics from University of Malaya.

Dr Simon Ogus - CEO, DSG Asia, Hong Kong
SESSION 1: MACRO & MARKETS

Dr. Simon Ogus is the founder of DSGAsia Limited, and an economic historian who has studied China and the region over many years. DSG Asia is an independent consultancy, offering analysis of the economies and politics of Asia. It works with a variety of multinational and regional entities in the financial, non-financial and governmental spheres.

Until May 1999, Simon was Managing Director and Chief Economist at UBS Hong Kong. He also held the position of Adjunct Professor of Economics and Finance at the City University of Hong Kong. Simon currently serves on the board of a number of companies and official bodies, including the Council of Advisers for the Hong Kong Monetary Authority’s Hong Kong Institute for Monetary Research. Prior to joining Swiss Bank Corporation/UBS, he has trained as an actuary with William M. Mercer Fraser.

Simon gained his PhD in Economics from the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies. He also holds an MSc in Management and Finance from the University of London’s Imperial College, and a BA in Economics and Econometrics from the University of Manchester.

Kevin Lu - Regional Director, Asia Pacific Region, Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA)
SESSION 1: MACRO & MARKETS

Kevin Lu is MIGA’s Director for the Asia-Pacific Region. In this capacity, Mr. Lu serves as the senior representative of MIGA in the region, manages relationships with key regional clients and partners, oversees regional business development activities, and runs MIGA’s regional presence in Hong Kong, Singapore, Beijing, and Tokyo. Mr. Lu is a member of MIGA’s Senior Management Team. Prior to his appointment in Asia, Mr. Lu was MIGA’s CFO and Director of the Finance and Risk Management Group where he was responsible for MIGA’s financial reporting, risk analytics, investments, budget, and reinsurance/syndication functions.

He has been an advisor to sovereign wealth funds clients of the World Bank. In his tenure at the Bank Group, Mr. Lu has been responsible for investment portfolios totaling $16 billion, and participated in complex multilateral funding packages in excess of $25 billion for the World Bank’s concessional finance business. Mr. Lu served on various Bank Group committees and working groups, including Emergency Management Team, Business Continuity Management Committee, Diversity and Inclusion Advisory Group, US Minority Working Group, etc.

Mr. Lu was previously associated with Credit Suisse First Boston and Global Risk Advisors LLC, both in New York. He was also on the adjunct faculty of American University’s Kogod School of Business. He is a frequent speaker at international conferences on topics such as the role of emerging markets economies in the post-crisis world, sovereign wealth funds, Chinese outbound investments, and international financial architecture. He is a co-editor and an author of Investing with Confidence: Understanding Political Risk Management in the 21st Century (Washington DC, 2009). In 2010, Mr. Lu was honored as a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum in Davos, where he co-chairs the Task Force on Investments between Emerging Markets. The Task Force focuses on opportunities and issues related to cross-border investment activities in developing countries, such as China-Africa investments.

Zhou Yuan - Managing Director and Head, Asset Allocation & Strategic Studies, China Investment Corporation (CIC)
SESSION 1: MACRO & MARKETS

Mr. Zhou Yuan is head of Asset Allocation Department of China Investment Corporation. Mr. Zhou started his career in finance and investing in 1988 at State Street Bank in Boston, where he served as Vice President and Director of Research until 1994.

After that, he was UBS’ senior-most banker in China between 1994 and 1998. In 1998, Mr. Zhou took a senior position at Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing Ltd. He left the bourse operator in 2000 and since then has held executive positions at a number of organizations.

Prior to joining CIC, Mr. Zhou was Executive Vice Chairman of Hong Kong Mercantile Exchange. Mr. Zhou gradated from Peking University and obtained a masters Degree from Brandeis University in Massachusetts.

Teoh Kok Lin - Managing Director, Singular Asset Management Sendirian Berhad
SESSION 1: MACRO & MARKETS

Teoh Kok Lin, CFA is one of the most highly regarded and successful fund managers from Malaysia. He is the Founder and Managing Director of Singular Asset Management - a boutique fund management company that caters to institutional investors and high net worth individuals. Singular funds are among the top ranking Asia funds in the world.

Kok Lin has more than 20 years of experience in the investment industry with international financial institutions such as Citicorp Citibank, ING Barings, HSBC Research (as Managing Director) and UOB Kay Hian (as Director and Strategist). Kok Lin has built up a solid reputation actively advising both foreign and local fund managers on equity investment ever since the early 1990’s. He is today regarded as a top Asian equities fund manager who frequently traverses the region in search of good companies to invest.

Kok Lin graduated with two first-class honour bachelor degrees in Electrical Engineering and Finance. He also graduated 1st in his Master of Business Administration (MBA) class from Purdue University in the USA. Kok Lin is one of the earliest Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA) in Malaysia and is a past Chairman of the Malaysian Society of Financial Analysts. Kok Lin is an active member of the Kuala Lumpur Selangor Chinese Chamber of Commerce (KLSCCCI) and is currently the Deputy Chairman of Economic Research.

A well known and sought after expert on Asian stock investments, he is regularly interviewed for his opinions on investments by national newspapers and magazines such as The Star, Sin Chew, Nanyang Siang Pau, The Oriental Daily, The Edge, Personal Money as well as TV news programs such as Bloomberg, Al Jazeera, NTV 7 and Astro News. Kok Lin is also a regular speaker in investment seminars and talks on issues such as global economic trends, currencies and investments conducted for the Securities Commission, public investment forums organized by news media companies and also private investment talks organized by various local and overseas associations and institutions.

DYTM Raja Dr. Nazrin Shah Ibni Sultan Muhibbudin Shah - Crown Prince of the state of Perak, Malaysia
SPECIAL ADDRESS

His Royal Highness Raja Nazrin Shah, born on 27 November 1956 in Penang, is the Raja Muda (Crown Prince) of the state of Perak. He is the eldest son of the Sultan of Perak, Sultan Azlan Muhibbuddin Shah and the Raja Permaisuri of Perak, Tuanku Bainun. He served as the Regent of Perak from 1989 to 1994 when his father became the ninth King of Malaysia.

His Royal Highness holds a B.A. (Hons) degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University; a Master in Public Administration from the Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University; and a Ph.D. in Political Economy and Government from Harvard University. His research interests are in the area of economic and political development in Southeast Asia, historical national income accounting and economic growth in developing countries. He has written articles and spoken on a wide range of issues including constitutional monarchy, nation building, Islam, ethno-religious relations, education and socio-economic development.

His Royal Highness is the Financial Ambassador of the Malaysian International Islamic Financial Centre (MIFC) and Pro-Chancellor of the University of Malaya. He is the President of the Perak Council on Islam and Malay Customs and is Eminent Fellow of the Institute of Strategic and International Studies, Malaysia. He is also the Royal Patron of the Kuala Lumpur Business Club and Chairman of the Board of Governors of the Malay College of Kuala Kangsar.

His Royal Highness was Malaysia’s head of delegation to the Third Global Forum of the United Nations Alliance of Civilisations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil from 28 to 29 May 2010. He participated at the plenary session, “Education for an Intercultural Citizenship”, organised by the United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO); and at the thematic session, “The Role of Religious Leaders in Promoting Peace and Human Development”, organised by Religions for Peace.

His Royal Highness was also Malaysia’s Special Envoy and head of delegation at the Special Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Ministerial Meeting on Interfaith Dialogue and Cooperation for Peace and Development, held in Manila from 16 to 18 March 2010.

From November 2008 to April 2009, His Royal Highness was the Honorary Chairman of “Bridges - Dialogues Towards a Culture of Peace”, an event organised by the Vienna-based International Peace Foundation under the patronage of 21 Nobel Peace Prize Laureates. Noble Laureates from all over the world were given an independent platform in Malaysia to speak on a range of topics such as peace, human rights, democracy, physics, economics, chemistry and medicine.

His Royal Highness was conferred an honorary Master of Business Administration by the Cranfield Institute of Technology, United Kingdom in 1993, an honorary Doctor of Economics by Soka University, Japan in 1999 and an honorary membership of Magdalene College, University of Cambridge, United Kingdom in 2005.

The 426th Armed Forces Council, which convened on 1 April 2004, appointed His Royal Highness as an honorary officer of the Malaysian armed forces, with the rank of Brigadier General.

His Royal Highness is married to Tuanku Zara Salim. They have one son.

S. Dhanabalan - Chairman, Temasek Holdings
LUNCHEON ADDRESS

S Dhanabalan is currently Chairman, Temasek Holdings (Private) Ltd, Member, Council of Presidential Advisers and Member, Presidential Council for Minority Rights. He was Chairman of Singapore Airlines (1996-98), Chairman, DBS Group Holdings Ltd (1999-2005) and Director, Government of Singapore Investment Corporation Private Ltd (1981- 2005).

Mr Dhanabalan started his career in the Singapore Civil Service in 1960 and later served, from 1961 - 1968, in the Economic Development Board, the government investment promotion agency. He was part of a small group that established the Development Bank of Singapore where he served from 1968-1978. He entered politics in 1976 and was a Member of Parliament from 1976 to 1996. While a Member of Parliament, he was Minister for Foreign Affairs (1980-88), Minister for National Development (1987-92) and Minister for Trade and Industry (1992-93).

During this period, he was also concurrently Minister for Culture (1981- 84) and Minister for Community Development (1985 -86). Mr Dhanabalan received a Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Economics from the University of Malaya, Singapore. He speaks English, Tamil, Malay and enjoys golf and reading.

Michael Powell - Board Member, Jadwa Investment, Saudi Arabia
SESSION 2: FIRMS & TRANSFORMATION

Mike has over 25 years experience in financial markets in a variety of senior positions. Until April 2008, Mike was Global Head of Markets at HSBC, where he ran all trading, sales and origination. This position covered over 80 countries with more than 3500 staff globally and revenues in excess of USD8bn.

After leaving HSBC Mike acted as a consultant to a wide range of contacts; advising HSBC on their investments in hedge funds and sitting on HSBC’s Principal Investment Committee as an advisor. Mike acted as a senior advisor to the principals of Moore Capital in 2008/2009 during the height of the financial crisis. In 2008 Mike established Thematic Capital Partners which has invested in technology and web based companies, including Curverider, Fixnetix, Smart Trade and Hedgehogs.net.

Currently Mike is a non-executive director of Jadwa, a Saudi based investment bank. In addition Mike acts as advisor to a number of wealthy private individuals. Mike is particularly interested in building an ethical and sustainable alternative asset management business and has recently launched FAST a systematic hedge fund. Mike has an MBA from Henley Business School and is married with 3 children.

Norman Abdul Halim - President & Global CEO, KRU Group of Companies
SESSION 2: FIRMS & TRANSFORMATION

Norman was exposed to the world of business at the early age of 20, after graduating with a Diploma in Accountancy from a renowned college. Armed with a vision, his first foray was in 1992 with a modest capital of RM2,000, whereupon he put to practice the knowledge he had accumulated together with his natural instincts and flair for marketing to bring KRU Capital to life and almost immediate success.

Since then with his vision and strategic leadership, he has masterminded success after success, putting his unique combination of skills, talent and business acumen to the test. His numerous achievements resulted in him receiving the Outstanding Entrepreneur Award in 2007 from the Asia Pacific Entrepreneur Awards. Today, more than fifteen years later, he has propelled the Company to the forefront of the world of media and entertainment both domestically and across foreign shores.

Norman’s expertise is sought by many other organisations as reflected by his posts in various associations, among which are Regional Board Member of The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), Chairman of The Recording Industry Association of Malaysia (RIM), Chairman of Anti Piracy for the Malaysian Film Producers Association, and Director on the Boards of Kuala Lumpur International Film Festival and Public Performance Malaysia. As the Group’s President and CEO, both his business and creative skills are leveraged upon. His creative skills can be seen via his role as Executive Producer of all KRU’s motion pictures, documentaries, television programmes and music products. Meanwhile his business skills shine through as he oversees the Group’s numerous ventures, expansions and positioning, both today and tomorrow.

Dr Adrian D. Cheok - Director, Mixed Reality Lab, National University of Singapore

SESSION 2: FIRMS & TRANSFORMATION

SPECIAL ADDRESS: Synthetic Reality: The Science and Applications of Virtual, Mixed, and Augmented Reality

Adrian David Cheok is Director of the Mixed Reality Lab and Associate Professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, National University of Singapore. He was appointed to be a Full Professor of Graduate School of Media Design, Keio University, from April 2008.

He received several outstanding awards: A-STAR Young Scientist of the Year Award 2003, the SCS Singapore Young Professional of the Year Award 2004, Fellow in Education, World Technology Network in 2004, and Microsoft Research Award for Gaming and Graphics in 2005. He was also awarded the Young Global Leader 2008 by World Economic Forum.


Atilla Kurama - President, Financial Services Group, Yildiz Holding, Turkey
SESSION 2: FIRMS & TRANSFORMATION

M. Atilla Kurama is Executive Board Member and President of the Financial Investments Group of Yildiz Holding, one of the oldest food production companies in Turkey. He is also Board Member of Türkiye Finans Katilim Bankasi and Godiva Chocolatier , Chairman of Fon Leasing and BMD Securities Inc, and Board Member of Fajr Capital.

Atilla worked in the National Commercial Bank between 1993-1997 as Product Development Manager and in the Swiss Bank Corp. from 1997 to 1999 as the Director of Credit Risk Management. From 1999 to 2001, he worked in UBS Warburg, Mena-Turkey. He was the general manager of Family Finance Inst. prior to joining the ULKER Group in 2005.

Atilla graduated from the Faculty of Administrative Sciences of Bosphorus University, Istanbul and received his MBA degree from University of Wales, Cardiff Business School in the UK.

HENNY SENDER - Chief Correspondent, international Finance, Financial Times
SPECIAL ADDRESS

Henny Sender joined the Financial Times in 2007. Previously, Sender was the Wall Street Journal’s senior special writer for the Money & Investing section and covered private equity and hedge funds.

Before joining the Journal, Sender worked in Hong Kong for nearly ten years and covered regional finance for the Wall Street Journal Asia and the Far Eastern Economic Review; prior to that she was in Tokyo for five years for Institutional Investor. Last year, Sender was part of a team at the Journal which won a Loeb award for coverage of the meltdown of Amaranth, a hedge fund. Her work on the overseas Chinese received a citation from the Overseas Press Club and she was a finalist for the National Magazine Awards. Her book on India, The Kashmiri Pandits, was published by Oxford University Press.

Sender holds an MS from the Columbia University School of Journalism. She is a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. Sender is based in New York.


YB. Dato’ Shahrir Abd Samad - member of Parliament, Johor Bahru
SESSION 3: COMPETITIVENESS & DEVELOPMENT

Dato’ Shahrir Abdul Samad is MP for Johor Bahru, a position he has held since 1978. In 1987, he was also Federal Territory Minister. His last post in the government was as Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs Minister. He was also chairman of the Barisan Nasional Backbenchers Club (BNBBC) and Public Accounts Committee in the lower house of the Malaysian Parliament.

Dr. Alfonso Vegara - President, Fundación Metrópoli, Spain
SESSION 3: COMPETITIVENESS & DEVELOPMENT

Alfonso Vegara has a PhD in Architecture and is also an economist and sociologist. He was President of ISOCARP, the International Society of City and Regional Planners, during the period 2002-2005. Alfonso Vegara has been an urbanism teacher at the Escuela Técnica Superior de Arquitectura de Madrid, The Universidad de Navarra and the Universidad CEU San Pablo. He was also a visitor teacher at the School of Design of The Pennsylvania University where Proyecto Cities was born.

Alfonso Vegara is the founder and President of Fundación Metrópoli, and international institution whose headquarters are in Europe. Fundación Metrópoli does research on the future and leads the Proyecto Cities, a project that studies the innovations, competive advantages and success factors of 20 cities from five continents, among which are: Toronto, Boston, Shanghai, Curitiba, Dublin, Miami, Singapore, etc. Fundación Metrópoli is developing a series of programmes such as the Mayors´ Institute. Learning from Cities, Cities Art and the Fundación Metrópoli Fellowships programme. The aim of which is latest to train young professionals in the field of urbanism.

Its projects on cities and territories have been developed by Alfonso Vegara´s firm Taller de Ideas. These projects have been disseminated through a number of publications and frequent conferences given by Alfonso Vegara in different cities in Europe, United States, Latin America, Asia, Australia and Africa. His projects have been awarded with prizes by the United Nations, the European Union, the European Council of Spatial Planners, architects´ associations, managerial associations, town councils and national governments. He also has been awarded the Premio Rey Jaime I Prize in the category of Urbanism, Landscape and Sustainability. At present he is advisor to the Government of Singapore for the development of One North. The key contribution of Alfonso Vegara´s work has been the defence for the strategic value of cities and of urban politics in our society and his ability to discover the future vocation of different territories based on their idiosyncrasy and their component of excellence in a complex and interrelated world.

YBhg. Tan Sri Andrew Sheng - Board Member, Khazanah Nasional Berhad and Member, National Economic Advisory Council (NEAC)
SESSION 3: COMPETITIVENESS & DEVELOPMENT &

SPECIAL ADDRESS: Clash of Civilizations: Crisis or Opportunity?

Tan Sri Andrew Sheng was appointed as Director of Khazanah Nasional on 22 July 2008. He is currently the Chief Adviser to the China Banking Regulatory Commission. He also sits on the Boards of the Qatar Financial Centre Regulatory Authority and Sime Darby Berhad.

He is a member of the Advisory Council of the Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), the International Advisory Panel of the Labuan Offshore Financial Services Authority (LOFSA), the Governing Council of the International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF) and the Advisory Council of the National Institute of Securities Market, India (NISM). He is also currently an Adjunct Professor at the University of Malaya and Graduate School of Economics and Management, Tsinghua University, Beijing.

Among his previous appointments include as Chairman of the Securities and Futures Commission of Hong Kong (Oct 1998 - Sep 2005), Deputy Chief Executive at the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (Oct 1993 – Sep 1998), Senior Manager of Financial Sector Development at the World Bank (1989 – 1993), as well as various senior positions including Chief Economist and Assistant Governor at Bank Negara Malaysia (1976 – 1989). He is a Chartered Accountant by training and holds a first class honours degree in Economics and an honorary doctorate of law from the University of Bristol, United Kingdom.

YB Senator Dato’ Sri Idris Jala - Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department and CEO, Performance Management and Delivery Unit (PEMANDU)
SESSION 4: LEADERSHIP & SOCIETY

Dato’ Sri Idris Jala was appointed Minister in Prime Minister’s Office and CEO of PEMANDU on 1st September 2009. PEMANDU’s objective is to oversee the implementation of the Government Transformation Programme (GTP), which aims to transform Malaysia into an advanced, united, safe and just society with a high quality of life for all. The social transformation effort of the GTP covers six National Key Results Areas (N-KRAs) and 29 Ministries National Key Results Areas (M-KRAs).PEMANDU currently has embarked on an Economic Transformation Programme in order to accelerate Malaysia into achieving a high-income nation by year 2020.

Prior to this, he was Managing Director and CEO of Malaysia Airlines, a post he held since December 2005, in the aftermath of the company’s biggest financial loss in its corporate history. In February 2006, Idris announced the airline’s Business Turnaround Plan (BTP 1). From a 9-month loss of USD400 million in 2005, Idris succeeded in turning around the company in less than 2 years, with the airline achieving a record profit of USD260 million in 2007.

Building upon its successful BTP 1, Idris announced Malaysia Airlines’ 5-year Business Transformation Plan (BTP 2) in January 2008. The BTP 2 features bold profit targets of up to USD630-USD950 million per annum by 2012. Under BTP 2, Malaysia Airlines aspires to achieve its profit targets by transforming into the World’s Five Star Value Carrier, while offering 5-Star products and services at affordable prices. Malaysia Airlines posted 10 consecutive quarterly profits during his tenure as the CEO between 2006 and 2008.

H.E. GÖRAN PERSSON - Former Prime Minister of Sweden
LUNCHEON ADDRESS

Göran Persson served as Prime Minister of Sweden between 1996 and 2006. During Sweden’s EU Presidency in 2001, Mr. Persson was President of the European Council. He served as Minister of Finance and Minister of Schools in the 1990s before becoming Prime Minister and Party Chairman of the Social Democratic Party.

As Finance Minister, Mr. Persson led a period of rapid and sustained economic recovery. He has unique experience in international politics and within the EU. He is known for his broad personal knowledge of issues such as climate change, European relations with Russia, and challenges facing the Swedish welfare state.

Since leaving the political realm, Mr. Persson currently holds the position of Chairman of Sveaskog, a leading Swedish forestry business.


YB Senator Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon - Minister in the Prime Minster’s Department
SESSION 4: LEADERSHIP, TALENT & CHANGE

YB Senator Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon is not an unfamiliar figure in the Malaysian political landscape, having become National Deputy President of Gerakan Party from 2005-2008 before assuming the presidency in 2008. A distinguished scholar, he returned home to Penang upon finishing his studies and contributed to the higher education scene in the island state in his early career.

His foray into politics began in 1982 when he was elected as a Member of the Federal Parliament of Malaysia. A true Penangite at heart, he subsequently served as Chief Minister of Penang for 18 years when he was elected as a Member of the Penang State Legislative Assembly in 1990.

In 2009, YB Senator Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon was tasked to take on a greater national leadership role, appointed as the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department in charge of national unity and performance management. His leadership as Chairman of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (PEMANDU) sees to the charting of new roadmaps for national development in the form of the Government Transformation Programme (GTP) and Economic Transformation Programme (ETP) that have dominated national public discourse of late.


Sarah Joseph - CEO & Editor-in-chief, Emel Magazine, UK
SESSION 4: LEADERSHIP, TALENT & CHANGE

Sarah Joseph is the CEO and Editor-in-Chief of emel, the world’s premier Muslim Lifestyle brand. By her creation of emel she fundamentally formed the concept of Muslim Lifestyle, creating a seismic shift in the way Muslims were perceived and marketed to.

Sarah has made countless media appearances including on the BBC, CNN and Al-Jazeera. She has also appeared on the Doha Debates. Sarah has written for international newspapers including UK’s The Times and The Guardian, and scripted and recorded for a variety of BBC and independent radio productions. She has a regular slot on the BBC’s most listened to radio show, Chris Evans Breakfast. She was a member of the Downing Street delegation in the aftermath of the July 2005 London bombings and was a member of the Home Office Task Force on extremism following on from that. She has been called in as an expert on contemporary Muslim life to numerous bodies and lectured at events across the world.

Sarah was awarded an OBE in the June 2004 Queen’s Birthday Honour’s List for services to inter-faith dialogue and the promotion of women’s rights. She was listed as one of the UK’s most powerful Muslims in the Muslim Power 100 by Carter Andersen, and one of the World’s 500 most influential Muslims by Georgetown University and the Jordanian Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Centre. Numerous newspapers articles, plus PhD and other academic theses have focused on Sarah and her work. Married to barrister Mahmud Al-Rashid, Sarah is the mother of three children: Hasan, Sumayyah and Amirah.


YBhg. Dato’ Sri Jamaludin Ibrahim - CEO, Axiata Group Berhad
SESSION 4: LEADERSHIP, TALENT & CHANGE

Jamaludin Ibrahim joined Axiata Group Berhad on March 2008 as the President and Group Chief Executive Officer. He is also a board member of Axiata Group. Prior to that, Jamaludin Ibrahim was with Maxis Communications Berhad, which he joined in 1997 and was appointed Chief Operating Officer in the same year, and Chief Executive Officer in 1998. In 2006, he was redesignated the Group Chief Executive Officer to reflect Maxis’ international footprint. He retired from Maxis in July 2007 but remained as a Board member till Feb 2008.

During Jamaludin’s decade of leadership with Maxis, the company’s revenue grew more than twenty-fold to about USD2.3 billion, net profit grew to about USD600 million and market capitalisation swelled to more than USD11 billion in 2007 (before the privatisation). Before joining Maxis, he spent 16 years in the IT Industry. He was Managing Director and CEO of Digital Equipment Malaysia (a Malaysian branch of Digital Equipment, then the second largest IT Company worldwide) from 1993 to 1997. Jamaludin also spent 12 years in IBM (1981-93), the first five years as Systems Engineer and then in various positions in Sales, Marketing Support and Management.

Prior to IBM, he was a lecturer in Quantitative Methods at California State University, United States in 1980. Jamaludin graduated from California State University in 1978 with a B.Sc. in Business Administration and minor in Mathematics. He obtained his MBA from Portland State University, Oregon in 1980. Jamaludin is the Chairman of Celcom Axiata Berhad (formerly known as Celcom (Malaysia) Berhad), the second largest mobile company in Malaysia, and sits on the board of PT XL Axiata Tbk (XL) Indonesia, MobileOne Ltd (MI) Singapore, as well as one local university. In 2008, Jamaludin was appointed board member of the GSMA (the global World GSM Association). He was also appointed board member of Multimedia Development Corporation Malaysia (MDeC) in 2009.


Prof. Dr. George Kohlrieser, Dean of Faculty and Head of Research, ICLIF Leadership
Centre and Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behavior, IMD
SESSION 4: LEADERSHIP, TALENT & CHANGE

Professor George Kohlrieser is an internationally recognized expert on leadership. He is Dean of Faculty and Head of Research at the ICLIF Leadership Center, Malaysia and is Professor of Leadership and Organizational Behaviour at IMD (International Institute for Management Development), Switzerland. He is an organizational and clinical psychologist.

His research, teaching, and consulting activities are focused on high performance leadership, high performance teamwork, conflict management, change management, dialogue and negotiation, coaching, stress management, work life balance, and personal and professional development. He is author of the internationally bestselling book Hostage at the Table: How Leaders Can Overcome Conflict, Influence Others, and Raise Performance, which received Best Business Book and Best Management Book awards.

Tan Sri Dato' Azman Hj. Mokhtar - Managing Director, Khazanah Nasional
& Dr. Nungsari Ahmad Radhi - Executive Director

Khazanah Megatrends Forum 2010 Summary
Reclaiming the Commons:
Collaborating and Competing in The New Economic Order