YB Rafizi Ramli is the Minister of Economy Malaysia effective 3rd December 2022, overseeing the nation’s medium and long-term socio-economic development planning.

Born in 1977, Rafizi holds a first-class degree in Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Leeds University, United Kingdom. He is a Chartered Accountant, with experience at Jeffreys Henry Chartered Accountants in London, and is also a member of the ICAEW and Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA).

His professional career began when he was appointed as the youngest manager in PETRONAS. More recently, he founded INVOKE, a non-profit organization dedicated to building expertise in technology in the field of political, economic and social change.

He is currently the Deputy President of the People’s Justice Party (PKR) and Member of Parliament for Pandan.

Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Sir Jeffrey Cheah KBE AO is the Chairman of Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute (ASLI).

He is also the founder and chairman of Sunway Group, one of Southeast Asia’s leading conglomerates with core interests in property, construction, hospitality, retail, education, leisure and healthcare.

As a champion and advocate of quality education and world-class research as well as sustainable development, Tan Sri Cheah continues to fulfil his personal life philosophy of “aspiring to inspire before I expire”.

In 2007, Tan Sri established the Jeffrey Cheah Foundation (JCF). And in 2010, he had transferred, in perpetuity, the equity and rights of Sunway Education Group’s (SEG) educational institutions, worth several billion Ringgit, into the JCF.

Adopting a social enterprise model, JCF is the largest of its kind in advancing education in Malaysia. JCF has disbursed RM670 million in scholarships and grants as of 2022. It is Tan Sri’s goal to give out several billion Ringgit in scholarships in his lifetime.

JCF also established active partnerships with top-tier universities such as University of Cambridge, University of Oxford and Lancaster University in the United Kingdom, and Harvard University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Boston and University of California, Berkeley, in the United States. Such collaborations facilitate knowledge transfer and make world-class expertise accessible to Malaysians.

JCF also endowed USD20 million to the United Nations to set up the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development at Sunway University to advance the sustainability agenda in this region, and the Asia headquarters of the United Nations Sustainable Development Solutions Network (UN-SDSN) at Sunway University, making it one of only three such global centres leading continent-wide sustainability initiatives.

This ranks Sunway City Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia alongside Paris, overseeing Europe and Africa, and New York City, overseeing The Americas.

Tan Sri Sir Jeffrey Cheah is also the co-chair of global initiative Mission 4.7, which was launched by Pope Francis alongside UN-SDSN President Professor Jeffrey Sachs, UNESCO assistant director-general for education Ms. Stefania Giannini and Marcelo Sánchez Sorondo, Chancellor of the Pontifical Academies of Sciences and Social Sciences at the Vatican in 2020. Mission 4.7 aims to accelerate the implementation of SDG Target which calls upon governments to ensure that learners acquire the knowledge, skills, values and attributes needed to achieve the 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals.

Tan Sri is also the mastermind behind the Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia (JCI), the first public-policy think tank based in a private university in Malaysia, to conduct and promote joint research and teaching on economies, societies, politics, and cultures in Southeast Asia.

Mr Yeth Vinel obtained his MBA from RMIT University (Australia) in 2007. Currently, he is studying his PhD in Economics at the University of Adelaide, Australia.

He has more than ten years of experience as a budget practitioner within the Ministry of Economy and Finance, Cambodia. Mr Yeth is currently an Under-Secretary of State of the Ministry of Economy and Finance and also a Deputy Secretary General of the General Secretariat of Public Financial Management Reform Steering Committee, overseeing the overall implementation of the PFM reforms program in the country. With his first-hand and deep knowledge both at the strategic and implementation levels.

Apurva Sanghi is the World Bank Lead Economist for Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur. He was previously based in Moscow and Nairobi holding similar roles for the Russian Federation, and the four East African countries of Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda, Eritrea. Prior, Apurva led the World Bank’s Global Economic Growth Cluster.

A macro-economist with environmental expertise, Apurva is also a lead author for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC). He has worked on development topics ranging from infrastructure & climate change to microfinance & agriculture. Prior to joining the World Bank, Apurva worked in the private sector (United States); Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI). He has held teaching and research positions at MGIMO (Russia), Thammasat University (Bangkok), University of Chicago, and Yale.

Apurva is a selective commentator with views expressed in the pages of major international media outlets such as the Financial Times; the Economist; Al Jazeera, New York Times, Project Syndicate; and popular blog sites such as the World Bank’s and Brookings. He was recognized by Forbes Magazine as a “leader and disruptor” trying to fix broken GDP. He has also given a TEDx talk, broadcast live from the Kakuma refugee camp in Northern Kenya.

Apurva holds college degrees in physics & economics from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). He earned his PhD in economics from the University of Chicago and wrote his dissertation on the economics of climate change.

Dato' Muzaffar Hisham leads the Maybank Group Global Banking’s business growth and regionalisation strategies, spanning across corporate and transaction banking, investment banking, treasury, as well as asset management. With over 25 years of regional banking experience encompassing wholesale and retail banking at large local and foreign banks, Dato’ Muzaffar was also previously Maybank Islamic Berhad CEO and Group Islamic Banking Head.

As the Group CEO of Global Banking, he focuses on strengthening and entrenching Global Banking business whilst linking ASEAN corporates to regional business opportunities through the Bank’s vast regional network.

Jasper is currently the Head of Real Estate & Hospitality, Construction and Infrastructure,Sector Solutions Group for UOB. He has strategic coverage focusing on developing sector-specific solutions in the real estate, hospitality, construction, infrastructure, solar and energy efficiency segment, leveraging industry insights, data analytics and valuechain analyses across UOB’s wholesale banking business.

Before taking up this role, Jasper was the Head of Infrastructure & Project Finance for Asia in UOB. He has over 25 years extensive project and structured finance experience in the region focusing on power, renewables, oil and gas, petrochemical, infrastructure and telecoms financing.

Prior to joining UOB, Jasper worked in the transportation industry as the director of Structured
Finance Asia for Bombardier Transportation.

Lai Pei Si is currently the CEO of GX Bank Berhad. Her role sees her leading a team of dynamic financial professionals who are passionate about transforming and redefining financial services.

They aim to make financial services more inclusive and catering to the needs of all, including the unbanked, underbanked and underserved segments.

A veteran in the financial services industry, Lai comes with an extensive experience and deep customer centricity honed over 25 years in retail banking, wealth management, corporate finance, product and business management, as well as governance, in both local and international markets.

Prior to her current role, she was the Managing Director and Country Head, Consumer, Private and Business Banking for Standard Chartered in Malaysia. Lai graduated with a Bachelor of Social Science (Honours) at National University of Singapore, with a major in Economics & Political Science.

Dr Hurriyah El Islamy is Bank Indonesia Award Winner as the Best National and Global Islamic Finance Activist/Proponent and the first recipient of the Anugerah Tokoh Alumni (awarded by IIUM) who is the CEO and Founder of HGC Firm. She serves as a member of the Board of Trustees of RFI Foundation and the Board of Directors Ethis Global. She is also pleno member of the Indonesia National Shariah Council of MUI, AAOIFI Master Trainer, FAA certified Assessor, IFN Global Advisory Board member, Shariah Board Member and Strategic Advisor of Islamic Fintech Alliance.

She was the Executive Board of Badan Pengelola Keuangan Haji Indonesia (Presidential Decree 74/2017), the IsDB’s APIF Supervisory Committee, IMF expert in Islamic Finance and a member of the Islamic Finance Advisory Council of the AIFC.

With over two decades of experience globally, she served, among others, as Director, Group Head Shariah and Governance and Group Legal - Islamic Banking and Capital Markets of CIMB Group; Director, Head of Legal Capinnova Investment Bank; Head of AML and Compliance and Legal Counsel Kuwait Finance House Bahrain; Chairperson, Audit and Legal Committee of Bahrain Associations of Banks, Senior Consultant Qays Zu’bi Attorneys and Legal Consultants and the Legal Consultant to the President of the Central Informatics Organisation of Bahrain.

She is a GMCA awardee of Judge Business School, University of Cambridge (UK) and was trained in Leadership in General Counsel (2019) and Negotiation and Leadership (2012) by Harvard Law School, received multiple academic awards including from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, graduated as the Best Overall LLB student from International Islamic University Malaysia, wrote multiple publications in several disciplines including Islamic finance and was IFN Correspondence on Legal Frameworks.

In addition to being a practitioner with impact, she had also drafted laws and regulations for several countries that drew the face and the state of those nations today. Despite the intensity of her contributions to the industry, her contributions and legacy in form of academic publications, public speech, etc. are equally as strong. The awards, her high-level appointment and prestige engagement worldwide speak for her repute and track record.

Henry is a Member of the Fusang Exchange's Exchange Committee, and is the Chairman of its Listing Committee. Henry works closely with global institutional investors and financial regulators tobring professionalism and structure to the industry, and is a regular keynote speaker on the subject of digital assets. He is also a member of the University of Oxford’s Digital Assets Project at the Commercial Law Centre.

Henry is a Board Director of Portcullis: The Asian Wealth Manager. Portcullis is Asia's biggest independent group of trust companies, and provides a one-stop shop for corporate, trustee and fund administration services to high-net-worth individuals, family offices, philanthropies, private banks, and investment managers.

Henry holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Philosophy, Politics & Economics, and a Master of Arts from the University of Oxford. Henry holds a Masters of Science inBehavioural Science at the London School of Economics & Political Science, where he wrote his thesis on the behaviour of family offices.

He also holds a Diploma in Information Technology, that he completed at the age of 12, and a Certificate in Chinese Language & Literature from Peking University. Henry is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and is a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society.

Kishan Jasani the Country CEO of Grant Thornton Malaysia and is dedicated to delivering professional advice and services to all clients.

Kishan Jasani has over a decade of experience in both advisory and assurance spheres. He has been involved with a broad spectrum of industries like asset management, banking, manufacturing and retail. He has undertaken audits for companies listed on the Singapore Exchange, London Stock Exchange and Bursa
Malaysia Securities Berhad.

He has also been involved with valuations of derivatives and financial instruments, corporate restructuring, Sarbanes Oxley reviews and ISAE3402 reviews. Furthermore, he has also assisted audit teams with issues in the area of technical accounting.

In his professional involvements, he is the Vice Chairman of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of England and Wales Malaysian Society (ICAEW) and the member of the Capital Markets Advisory Committee of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants. He is currently an Associate Chartered Accountant of ICAEW, a Chartered Accountant with the Malaysian Institute of Accountants and also a Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants Singapore.

Prof Pervaiz K Ahmed is a Management scholar exploring innovation and strategic dynamics of entrepreneurial change. His outlook on management is colored by moral responsibility, particularly ethics of care and sustainability. Pervaiz has held several senior positions in the UK before coming to Malaysia. He has published extensively in international journals and is a regular keynote speaker with a number of academic awards for his research. In addition, he has served as editor and sits on the editorial boards of several international journals. He has extensive experience working with and advising blue-chip companies and public sector organizations, such as Unilever, Ford, AT&T, NCR, British Telecommunications, and the NHS in Europe. He has also been involved with corporate clients in Asia, as well as government agencies, such as the Singapore National Productivity Council.

In recent times Pervaiz has been involved with the Government of Dubai’s Public Sector Innovation and Improvement Initiative, and also served on projects commissioned by Economic Planning Unit (EPU), Ministry of International Trade (MITI), and APEC Secretariat.

Suraya Zainudin is a writer, speaker and digital marketer specialising in personal finance. She is the founder of RinggitOhRinggit.com, writer of bestselling Bergaji and Pokai book and curator of the Money Stories from Malaysians book series.

Dr. Yeah Kim Leng is a Professor of Economics at the Sunway University, after having served as Dean of the School of Business at the Malaysia University of Science and Technology. He is also Director of the Economic Studies Programme at the Jeffrey Cheah Institute on Southeast Asia and Senior Fellow at the Jeffrey Sachs Centre on Sustainable Development at Sunway University. He is also a member of the Advisory Committee to the Finance Minister (ACFIN)

He is currently Deputy President of the Malaysian Economic Association. He had served as a trustee of the Malaysian Tax Research Foundation and was a former member of the National Consumer Advisory Council at the Malaysian Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs and Bank Negara Malaysia’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC).

He was previously Group Chief Economist at RAM Holdings Bhd, having served the organisation for two decades. Prior to joining RAM, he was a senior analyst at the Institute of Strategic and International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia.

Professor Dr. Yeah holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Forestry, an MBA and a PhD in Agriculture and Resource Economics obtained from the University of Hawaii.

Zhen's journey from education to corporate communications led her to her current role as Community Curator at 42 Kuala Lumpur, where she is dedicated to making tech education more accessible to all. On the side, Zhen co-lead Project R.ED, a learning programme for refugee children, driven by her passion for education and social impact.

Rouvin Thiruchelvam has a diverse work experience spanning various industries and roles. Rouvin is currently working as the Co-Founder and CFO of Swipey since June 2021. In his previous roles, Rouvin was a Non-Executive Director at Xperanti IoT | Sigfox Operator.

Furthermore, Rouvin has worked at ABACUS IB as the Director of Investments and at ABACUS TEKSERVICES as a Director. Rouvin also held various position at CIMB including Head of Direct Investments, Group Asset Management & Investments and Director of Group Strategy & Strategic Investments (private equity), and Manager of Private Equity.

Rouvin holds a Diploma in Business from the Queensland University of Technology and Bachelor of Commerce, Finance & Accounting from UNSW.

Danial Rahman, CEO of Asian Strategy & Leadership Institute, is an experienced professional whose career has traversed legal, technology, public policy, and media. Passionate for education, he has served the ministries of education and higher education, an edtech startup, and Sunway Education Group. He’s also had stints in the finance ministry and a GLC.

A law graduate of Oxford University and the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM) where he was a Tunku Abdul Rahman Scholar, Danial has given talks and conducted trainings on leadership, UN SDGs, future of work, and artificial intelligence for schools, ministries, and private companies.

He is also a columnist for TheStar and a part-time TV host for BERNAMA where he has interviewed ministers, industry experts, NGOs, diplomats, and international organisations. In his free time, Danial enjoys playing badminton and manages his 2 cats Instagram account.

Chin Kang currently serves as the CEO of Sunway Money, Malaysia’s first fully online remittance house wholly owned by a Malaysian public listed company. 

He is a member of the Board of Directors of Sunway Money, a remittance Fintech regulated by Bank Negara Malaysia and Credit Bureau Malaysia, a credit reporting agency regulated by the Ministry of Finance, Malaysia.

He graduated with a Bachelor of Laws (Hons) from the University of Sheffield, England and subsequently completed his Master in Business Administration (Distinction) from Saïd Business School, University of Oxford, England.