Keynote Speakers

PROF. DR. NIK MAHERAN NIK MUHAMMAD

SENIOR DIRECTOR, UMK ENTREPRENEURSHIP INSTITUTE (UMKEI)

Nik Maheran Nik Muhammad is currently a Professor of finance and entrepreneurship at Universiti Malaysia Kelantan (UMK). Prior to joining UMK in April 2012, she has 10 years’ experience at Universiti Teknologi MARA and 11 years in the Inland Revenue Board of Malaysia. Academically, she holds a Doctorate in Business Administration specialized in Investment Decision making from University Sains Malaysia, Masters of Business Administration and Bachelor of Business Administration majoring in Finance from University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, USA. Professionally, she is a Shariah Registered Financial Planner, a member of Malaysian Financial Planning Council (MFPC) and Certified Financial Planner. Along her career as academician, she has taught 19 courses not limited to Taxation, Finance, Banking and Management, supervised more than 100 graduates. She has written more than 60 books which encompasses of text books, research books, monographs, case studies, modules and coffee table books. Professionally, she is a CITM (chartered Institute Taxation of Malaysia), FPAM (Financial Planning Association of Malaysia), Institute of Bankers Malaysia (IBBM), Alumni for International volunteer leadership Program (IVLP) of United States and a Distinguish Fellow of Global Strategic Management Inc. USA. She is also a distinguish speaker, trainer and consultant in the area of financial behavior, financial psychology, investment decision, entrepreneurship and professional image. She is a co-founder of Beehive Malaysia and a founder of Women Entrepreneurship Institute (WEC), a project under United States of Government for Social Innovation and Entrepreneurship for youth and women.

SALIZA ABDULLAH

BSEE (Purdue), MBA (MMU)

Certified Crime Prevention Specialist, CCPS (CIISCM)

MANAGING DIRECTOR & CEO BG CAPITAL HOLDINGS GROUP OF COMPANIES

Saliza is the Managing Director and CEO of BG Capital Holdings Group of Companies – owner of Berani Guard Sdn Bhd, Malaysia’s 28-year-old and 100% women-owned security services company. Under her leadership, the business expanded from a single-family entity into a corporate group of companies with more than 500 employees and has diversified into technologies, risk management, training and consultancy. She is also the founder of BGCH For The Community which is a social enterprise initiative advocating awareness on personal safety, women and community empowerment. She is an alumna of The East-West Centre Changing Faces and winner of the Alumni Engagement Innovation Fund from the US Department of States, for youth community policing and mentoring program.

Besides being an accomplished entrepreneur, she is a Crime Prevention Specialist certified by the Chartered International Institute for Security and Crisis Management (CIISCM). She currently serves as the Deputy President of the National Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Malaysia (NAWEM) and was recently elected as the first woman Vice President in the 40-year-history of the Malaysia Security Industry Association (PIKM). She also sits on several cooperative boards and serves as Project Director for L’OREAL- NAWEM Women in Business.

She is a multi-award recipient for her entrepreneurial achievement and contributions to the community. Her latest achievements are The National Council of Women’s Organizations Malaysia (NCWO) Young Iconic Award (Entrepreneurship) 2015 presented by the 14^th Queen of Malaysia, HRH Tuanku Hajjah Haminah; The Malaysia Service Providers’ Confederation (MSPC) SME Icon Award 2017; The KLSCWO Women of Excellence Award 2019 and The Outstanding ASEAN Woman Entrepreneur Award (AWEN) 2019 presented by HRH Princess of Thailand.

In February 2020, she was invited to speak at the 7^th World Women Leadership Congress & Award in Mumbai, India. Deliberating on the topic of Entrepreneurial Sustainability and Resilience in a Male-Dominated Industry, she shared her experiences on how she managed to apply Blue Ocean Strategy to pivot her business model and build a strong enterprise. During the event, she was also honoured with The Woman Super Achiever Award by the organiser. She graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Electrical Engineering from Purdue University, USA and Master of Business Administration from Multimedia University, Cyberjaya with industrial training at University de La Rochelle, France.