Tan Sri Dato’ Ajit Singh

Tan Sri Dato’ Ajit Singh was a former Malaysian diplomat who had once served as the Secretary General of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) from 1993-1997. During the course of his career as a diplomat that has spanned over 30 years, he served in various positions in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs including at Malaysian Missions in Canberra, Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) and New York. He served as Malaysia’s Ambassador in Vietnam, Austria, Brazil (with concurrent accreditation to Bolivia, Colombia, Peru and Venezuela) and Germany.

In recognition of his services, both Laos and Vietnam awarded him the prestigious Friendship Medals in December 1997. He also was awarded the Panglima Setia Mahkota award, which carries the title of “Tan Sri” by His Majesty the King of Malaysia in conjunction with His Majesty’s Official Birthday on June 6, 1998. The Indonesian Government awarded him the “Bintang Jasa Utama” in February 1999, in recognition of his work in ASEAN helping to improve Malaysia-Indonesia relations.

In 1997 he joined the National Petroleum Oil Company (PETRONAS) as a Director of International Business Ventures for two years. He was elected the first Secretary-General of the Boao Forum for Asia in February 2001. He is now the Principal Adviser for ASEAN to the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), based in New Delhi; Advisor to the Malaysia-India Business Council and a member of the Malaysia-India CEO Forum.

In early 2009, he was appointed to the Indian Prime Minister’s Global Advisory Council of Overseas Indians. In January 2011, the Indian Government awarded him India’s highest award for an overseas Indian, the Pravasi Bharatiya Samman Award.

Tan Sri Dato’ Ahmad Fuzi Haji Abdul Razak

Tan Sri Ahmad Fuzi is currently Malaysia’s Representative to the High Level Panel (HLP) on the Drafting of the Terms of Reference of the ASEAN Human Rights Body, and the Secretary General for the Permanent Secretariat of the World Islamic Economic Forum (WIEF).

He joined the Malaysian Diplomatic and Administrative Service in 1972, and served in various capacities at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, mainly in the Political Division, and at the Malaysian Missions abroad in Moscow, the Hague, Canberra, Washington and Dhaka. He then assumed the post of Director General of the Institute of Diplomacy and Foreign Relations, Deputy Secretary General I (Political) and Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. As Secretary General, he played a prominent role in organising the Non Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit (2003), the Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC) Summit (2003) and the ASEAN Summit and Related Summits including the East Asia Summit in Kuala Lumpur (2005).

In recognition of his service to the nation, he was awarded the AMN (1979), the JSM (1999), the DSPN (1999), the DMPN (2002) and the PSM (2003).

He holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree (Honours) from the University of Malaya (1972) and a Foreign Service Course with a Certificate in Diplomacy from the University of Oxford (1974).

Gaik Wong

Mrs. Gaik Wong is the founder and director of The Chicken Rice Shop (TCRS). She has more than 40 years of experience in the food and beverage business, including franchised and chain store operations. Prior to being the founder and director of TCRS, she was the Chief Operating Officer cum Director of KFCHoldings Bhd. She played a major role in developing KFC as a household brand name in Malaysia.

Mrs. Wong is an active member of the National Association of Women Entrepreneurs of Malaysia (NAWEM) and is always ready and available to mentor young entrepreneurs and share her experiences with them.

In recognition of her contribution to the F&B industry, she was awarded “The Innovative Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award 2004”.

Toh Puan Dato’ Seri Dr Aishah Ong

Toh Puan Dato’ Seri Dr Aishah Ong is currently the Pro-Chancellor of the University of Malaya. Toh Puan Dato’ Seri Dr Aishah Ong has dedicated most of her life to charitable causes. She is currently the Chairman of the National Heart Institute Foundation, The New Straits Times Press Charity Fund and the Welfare Sub-committee of the Welfare Organisation of Wives of Ministers, Dept Ministers, Parliament Secretary (BAKTI).

She has been the Chairman of the Board of Health Promotion in the Ministry of Health since 2007. Toh Puan Dato’ Seri Dr Aishah Ong plays an integral part in academia; she was the Chairman of University Hospital in University Malaya for nine years, before becoming the Pro-Chancellor of University Malaya. She is also Chair of the Foundation of the International Medical University and a founding trustee of the Alzheimer’s Foundation Malaysia and the Cancer Research Initiatives Foundation.

In recognition of her services to the nation, she was awarded JMN (1990), DMPN (2003), DPMS (2005) and DGPN (2007) and PJN (2010). She received her degree in Medicine in 1969 from the University of London (The Royal Free Hospital).

Prof. Tan Sri Dato’ Dzulkifli Abdul Razak

Tan Sri Professor Dato’ Dzulkifli Abdul Razak is currently the Vice-Chancellor of Albukhary International University (AIU). Prior to this he was the Vice-Chancellor of Unversiti Sains Malaysia (USM), where he held the office from 2000 to 2011. He is the 14th President of the International Association of Universities (IAU), a UNESCO-affiliated organisation based in Paris. He was the first Vice- President of IAU between 2008 to 2012.

His other involvements include being a member of the Asia-Europe Meeting (ASEM) – Advisory Education Hub Committee, Executive Council of the Association of Commonwealth Universities (ACU) until 2011 and the Advisory Committee of the World Universities Forum, Davos (2008).He has served as a member of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Expert Advisory Panel on Drug Policies and Management since 1995 and a member of WHO Scientific Advisory Committee of Tobacco Product Regulation (2004-2006).

At the national level, he was Chair of the Malaysian Vice-Chancellors’ / Rector’s Committee and Malaysian Examination Council, including being an Advisor to the National Higher Education Research Institute (IPPTN). He has chaired METEOR Sdn. Bhd., the parent organisation of the Open University of Malaysia (OUM). Tan Sri Dzulkifli was a member of the National Economic Advisory Council established in 2009 (until 2011) and co-chaired the Malaysian Industry-Government Group for High-Technology (MIGHT) from 2006 to 2011. He has been Director of the Malaysian Productivity Corporation (formerly National Productivity Corporation) Board since 2008 and leads the Innovations and Consultive Panel.

He serves on the National Innovation Council, the National Biotechnology Implementation Committee, the National Information Technology Council and the Malaysia Innovation Agency (AIM). He is a member of a number of Boards of Trustees including Razak School of Government, Asian Women Leadership University, MCKK foundation, Prime Minister’s Fellowship Exchange Programme and Yayaysan Bumiputra Pulau Pinang.

More recently he was appointed Chair of Independent Review Panel on Education for Malaysia, beginning 2012. He is the Co-editor of the People’s Sustainability Treaty on Higher Education launched in conjunction with the Rio+20 Conference in Rio de Janeiro in June 2012.

He is a Fellow of the Academy of Sciences Malaysia (FASc), the World Academy of Art and Sciences (FWAAS) and the Malaysian Institute of Management Malaysia (FMIM).

He has been a weekly columnist for the New Straits Times since 1995 writing mainly on issues about education, science and current affairs.

He has received a number of national and international accolades for his work and services provided to the community.

Tan Sri Datuk Johan Jaafar

Tan Sri Datuk Johan bin Jaaffar is currently Chairman of Media Prima Berhad. He was appointed to the Board of Media Prima on 30 April 2009.

Tan Sri Datuk Johan is also a member of MERCY Malaysia Board of Trustees and Chairman of the Consultation and Corruption Prevention Panel, under the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC). He is also the Chairman of Sekolah Sri Nobel, a private school and one of the members of the National Information Technology Council (NITC).

Tan Sri Datuk Johan was the Chairman of the Board of Dewan Bahasa and Pustaka (DBP) from 2006 until 2010. He started his career with DBP in 1977. In 1998, he was appointed as the Chief Editor of the DBP’s magazine division. His last post was the Head of General Publishing Department of DBP. In November 1992,Tan Sri Datuk Johan joined Utusan Melayu (M) Berhad as the Group Chief Editor for six (6) years before leaving the company in July 1998. In 1995, he was appointed as one of the members of Malaysian Business Council. When the government mooted the idea of the Multimedia Super Corridor,Tan Sri Datuk Johan was appointed to the Board of the Multimedia Development Council.

Tan Sri Datuk Johan was also a board member of the National Academy of Arts, Culture & Heritage (Akademi Seni Budaya & Warisan Kebangsaan or ASWARA) from 2010 until 2011. He had also served as a director of Sindora Berhad, once a committee member of Yayasan Anak-anak Yatim Malaysia, a member of Jawatankuasa Diplomasi dan Hubungan Antarabangsa and also a member of Majlis Perpaduan Negara. He was a member of the National Brains Trusts on National Education under the auspices of ISIS and the National Economic Action Committee (NEAC).

He is currently a columnist for The New Straits Times.

Elizabeth Lee Fuh Yen

Ms. Elizabeth Lee Fuh Yen is the Executive Director of Sunway University and the Sunway Education Group. Having helmed the education section of the Sunway Group since 1992, she has been instrumental in developing the organisation from Sunway College to the dynamic Sunway education group consisting of eleven institutions, including Sunway University, Monash University Sunway Campus Malaysia, the Sunway International School and Sunway-Le Cordon Bleu Institute of Culinary Arts.

Educated and trained in the U.K., and a graduate English teacher specialising in Multi-Cultural Education; Ms Lee read for the M.Phil. in Education at the University of Cambridge. She currently sits on the Executive Committee of the Oxford and Cambridge Society of Malaysia and she is the Regional Co-ordinator of the Cambridge Society for the University of Cambridge.

Ms. Lee sits and serves on various committees, tasked by the Malaysian Government with charting Higher Education direction, strategy, and policies. Her appointments include membership of the Ministry of Higher Education’s International Promotion Council. She sits also on the Board of Advisors of National Higher Education Research Institute and is a founding member of the Academic Advisory Committee of Monash University Malaysia. She sits on the Master Builders Association of Malaysia Education Fund Board of Management.

She has received the Outstanding Asian Women Community Contribution Award from the Malaysia Women’s Career Building Association presented by Y. A. Bhg. Datin Paduka Seri Rosmah Mansor.

In her personal capacity, she has written and edited a number of children’s English storybooks for early language learning services. Her culinary interests find her serving on the National Council of the Confrérie de la Chaîne des Rôtisseurs, Baillage de Malaisie.