Opening & World Environment Day Celebration 

OPENING SPEECH

Tan Sri Zarinah Anwar

Tan Sri Zarinah Anwar is the Chairman of the Board of Directors of Universiti Malaya. A UM law alumnus, she has extensive legal, regulatory and corporate experience. She is the former Chairman of the Securities Commission Malaysia (SC), where she is known for her efforts in elevating corporate governance standards amongst public listed companies by encouraging the integration of principles, ethics & values into the decision-making process and ensuring board diversity to promote inclusive growth. Prior to the SC, Tan Sri Zarinah was Deputy Chairman of Shell Malaysia. She was the Head of Legal, HR, corporate affairs and HSE, an integral member of Shell Malaysia’s business re-engineering team and oversaw its organisation effectiveness function. Currently, Tan Sri Zarinah is the Chairman of the Institute of Corporate Directors Malaysia, ProChancellor of Universiti Teknologi MARA, Founding Chairman of the 30% Club Malaysia, member of the Boards of Trustees of the Razak School of Government, Amanah Warisan Negara, Jeffrey Cheah Foundation and the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies, UK. She had also served as Chairman of Malaysia Debt Ventures Berhad, was a board member of Petronas and PNB and of the Advisory Board of the Emirates Securities & Commodities Authority.

WELCOMING SPEECH 

Professor Ir. Dr. Shaliza Ibrahim

Professor Ir. Dr. Shaliza Ibrahim is Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) at Universiti Malaya.  A graduate of Chemical Engineering from Texas A&M University (BS), Pennsylvania State University (MS) and the University of Birmingham (PhD), her area of expertise is mixing and hydrodynamics in reactor design and operation, namely multiphase systems involving solid particles, liquid and gas that occur widely in the process industries including food, chemical and pharmaceutical industries.  In her administrative role, she has over a decade of experience in research management. She was director for a project on enhancing Malaysian Research Management and Governance, and is founding President of the Malaysia Association of Research Managers and Administrators (MyRMA).  Her aspiration is to take research management in Malaysia to a professional level, and for MyRMA to be a role model in the South East Asian region.  As more resources are being invested for research and innovation, she is promoting awareness and understanding on research impact and qualitative assessment, full economic research costing, and sharing of research data through open science platforms.

HIGH LEVEL FORUM - MODERATOR

Prof Nik Meriam Nik Sulaiman 

Dr. Nik Meriam Nik Sulaiman is currently attached as an Honorary Professor at University Malaya Sustainability & Development Centre (UMSDC). She is a chemical engineer by academic training. Her sustainability journey is somewhat organic evolving from wastewater treatment research using membrane for FYP followed by a comprehensive Master’s degree in Environmental Pollution Control and a PhD in bioethanol as fuel. She is a pioneer in cleaner technology options and introduced sustainable process engineering studies in the Chemical Engineering Dept. Her current work includes a focus on mainstreaming sustainability in the process industries especially related to the analytics of GHG emissions and ESG matters. Her tenure-ship in University Malaya spread beyond academic teaching and research. She was entrusted with several administrative portfolios including as founder Dean of Sustainability Science Research Cluster (2009-2015).  She was the holder of the Dr.Siti Hasmah Mohd Ali Professorial Chair in University Malaya from 2010 to 2014. She is also a board member of Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Malaysia and a Fellow of Academy Sains Malaysia. She still offers advisory and consultancy work to several agencies in Malaysia.

Note: Unfortunately due to last minute overseas trip as a KSU, DS Ir Dr. Zaini Ujang could not make it for the event. 

HIGH LEVEL FORUM - PANELIST 

Dato' Seri Ir. Dr. Zaini bin Ujang

Dato' Seri Ir. Dr. Zaini bin Ujang  is currently the Secretary-General of the Human Resources Ministry. Previously he was  the Secretary-General of the Ministry of Environment and Water (KASA) and various ministries on higher education, energy, green technology, and water. He was appointed professor in environmental engineering in 2002, and became Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (2008-2013). He has vast academic and professional networks, as former Vice President, International Water Association (2004-2006), journal editor of Water Science and Technology (since 2000), visiting professor at Imperial College London, Lund (Sweden), Tsukuba (Japan) and research associate at MIT. He has published more than 300 articles and written 50 books. He was the first recipient of the prestigious Merdeka Award (scholastic achievement) in 2009.

HIGH LEVEL FORUM - PANELIST 

Prof. Emeritus Tan Sri Dato’ Dzulkifli Abdul Razak  

Prof. Emeritus Tan Sri Dato’ Dzulkifli Abdul Razak  is currently the Rector of the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM).  He was the Vice-Chancellor of Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) from 2000-2011. He was the 14th President of the International Association of Universities (IAU), a UNESCO-affiliated organisation, based in Paris. While helming USM, the University was chosen in 2005 as one of seven pioneering higher education institutions to undertake Education for Sustainable Development together with the UN University in Tokyo. Dzul is the first Asian to be awarded the prestigious 2017 Gilbert Medal by Universitas 21 in recognition of “his long-term commitment to a sustainable approach to international higher education.  He is a Senior Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (FASc), the Fellow of World Academy of Art and Science (FWAAS), and the World Academy of Islamic Management (FWAIM). In February 2021, he was invited to serve as an expert for the Futures of Higher Education Project at UNESCO’s Institute for Higher Education (IESALC).  He has been writing weekly Op- Ed columns for various Malaysia news media since 1995. 

HIGH LEVEL FORUM - PANELIST 

Datin Seri Sunita Rajakumar 

Datin Seri Sunita Rajakumar is a professional independent director who is a strong advocate of the importance of governance in general and risk management in particular. She is Chairman of Climate Governance Malaysia which is the country chapter of the World Economic Forum’s Climate Governance Initiative, the second in the world and first in Asia-Pacific. She is Chairman of Bursa-listed Dutch Lady Milk Industries, independent non-executive director at Bursa-listed Petronas Chemicals, HSBC Malaysia, MCIS Insurance (a member of the Sanlam group) and Zurich General Insurance, as well as trustee of 6 charitable foundations.  She is Adjunct Professor in Climate Governance and Sustainability at UNITAR International University, Fellow of the Institute of Corporate Directors Malaysia, member of the Global Advisory Board of Nottingham University’s School of Business, sits on the Advisory Panel of the UN Global Compact Malaysia’s Sustainability Center of Excellence and the External Advisory Committee for Sunway University’s Master in Sustainable Development Management and is the workstream lead for government policy for the CEO Action Network, an industry-led sustainability initiative. 

HIGH LEVEL FORUM - PANELIST 

Dr. Amir Hamzah Dato' Abdul Latiff, MMED, MRCP, FACAAI, FAAAAI

Dr Amir Hamzah is a Consultant Clinical Immunologist/Allergist and Paediatrician at the Allergy & Immunology Centre, Pantai Hospital Kuala Lumpur, and Adjunct Professor at the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health, Sunway University. He is currently the President-elect of the Asia Pacific Association of Allergy, Asthma and Clinical Immunology (APAAACI) 2023-2024. He was the Past President of the Malaysian Society of Allergy & Immunology (MSAI) which he led for 11 years from 2009-2020. He was appointed Fellow of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (ACAAI) in 2013 and Fellow of the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) in 2016, and recently he was elected as Honorary Fellow of MSAI which carried the title of Honorary Professor. He currently serves as an Associate Editor of Asia Pacific Allergy and Review Editor of Frontiers in Allergy (Food Allergy). Previously he was an Associate Professor in Paediatrics and Clinical Immunology and Head of Department of Paediatrics at the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, UPM and also the Clinical Associate Professor in Clinical Immunology and Paediatrics, Jeffrey Cheah School of Medicine and Health Sciences of Monash University, Malaysia. He has special interest in various areas of clinical immunology & allergy, particularly inborn errors of immunity (IEI) and chronic urticaria, and has more than 100 publications in various top allergy & immunology journals, as well as book chapters and books. He is also actively involved in supporting patients with IEI (primary immunodeficiencies) and is the Chairman of the Medical Advisory Panel for the Malaysian Patient Organisation for Immunodeficiencies (MyPOPI).

THE HABITAT FOUNDATION REPRESENTATIVE 

Madam Justine Vaz, Executive Director

Justine Vaz is the Executive Director of The Habitat Foundation, the non-profit sister organization of The Habitat Penang Hill, a rainforest discovery park on Penang Hill. The Habitat Foundation is dedicated to the conservation of biodiversity and environmental sustainability; and provided technical and financial support to the nomination of the Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve as a candidate site under the UNESCO Man & the Biosphere Reserve programme. Justine has over 25 years of experience as a conservation practitioner working in both urban and rural contexts in Malaysian Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia with a particular focus on enhancing community participation and strengthening the management of protected areas. She has degrees in Geographical and Environmental Studies from the University of Adelaide, South Australia and has published on a range of conservation and policy issues. She is the editor of the 2014 publication Living Landscapes, Connected Communities published by Areca Books, Penang. She is a member of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas and is currently the global Secretary for the Board of Governors for the Society for Conservation Biology.  She is also Chair of the national Working Group on Sustainable Tourism of the Tourism Productivity Nexus under the Malaysian Productivity Corporation (MPC). She is currently leading a sector-led initiative to develop a platform to boost the visibility of Sustainable Tourism and to provide resources for conscious travel for tourism providers as well as consumers.

INVEST KL CORPORATION REPRESENTATIVE 

Ms. Yam Hui Min, Senior Manager (Advisory & Ideation)

Since joining InvestKL in 2011, Hui Min’s primary roles include driving value-adding strategies and establishing future-facing insights for Foreign Direct Investment (“FDI”) attraction in Greater Kuala Lumpur (“GKL”). She now heads the Advisory & Ideation department that provide consultative support to global multinationals from the Americas, Asia and Europe region interested in establishing their Global Services activities in GKL. Her prior work experience also includes Equity Research at BNP Paribas, and Assurance & Advisory Business Services at Ernst & Young.

GLOBAL TUNIKARA SDN. BHD. (GTS) REPRESENTATIVE 

Ts. R. Puvaneswari - Managing Director

Ts. R. Puvaneswari is an experienced expert in the green technology industry with over 25 years of experience. Her expertise lies in innovation, technology commercialization, national strategy development, inclusive business models, and project management. She played pivotal role in the adoption of green technology by PLC, GLC, MNC and SME as the sustainable and economically viable solution through pioneering initiatives, lead the formation of strategic partnership between private and government, provided policy advise to government and established several start-up companies. Puvaneswari currently the Managing Director at Global Tunikara, a company focuses on investments, project implementation, product development, & advisory services in the fields of Renewable Energy, Solid Waste, Energy Efficiency & Carbon Management. Previously, she served as CEO of MYBiomass a JV company of FGV, Sime Darby Plantation and MIGHT, established to move up the value chain of biomass industry in Malaysia. She was also the VP in MIGHT, lead several national programs and technology blueprints in Renewable Energy, Green and Emerging Technology. Prior to that she was with Minconsult, MMC/Recycle Energy & Ebara Corp. Wide working experience with Global and local partners among others GEF, UNIDO, UNFCCC, Verra, Bursa Malaysia, MOSTI, KETTHA/KASA, MOF, EPU, Mitsui, BASF, DuPont, CHEMTEX. She Co-founded Global Envdk and director in Global Tecpower & ME Ventures. She was the Technical Advisor for EU/Switch Asia Programme for Biomass Action Plan for Malaysia, Technical Advisor for Green Technology Roadmap, Advisory Panel member for Renewable Energy Chair - AAIBE, Technical Panel for MGTC Green Directory, Technical Committee for SIRIM and MOHR. Puvaneswari obtained a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Science & a Masters in Environmental Management from UKM. In addition to Professional Technologist in Green Technology by MBOT, she has Professional Certificated in Green Technology Foresight and Competitive Intelligence; GHG Accounting and Verification; MRV, Life Cycle Analysis and Finance.