MDEC Announces Appointments Of Four Industry Trailblazers To Its Board

• Appointments intensify efforts to reinvent MDEC to drive digital economy
• Expertise will bolster Board & sharpen focus on strategic national initiatives

The Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) announced today the transformative appointments of four respected industry trailblazers to its Board of Directors, highlighting its commitment to intensify efforts to reinvent the nation’s digital economy in the era of 4IR, and towards the vision of Malaysia 5.0.

These game changing appointments will also recalibrate and bolster the board’s breadth of expertise to critical digital technologies such as Data & AI, Digital Transformation and Entrepreneurship, and Governance.

“My mission is to recalibrate and diversify the composition of our board to strengthen MDEC’s mission to bring the benefits of digital technologies and solutions to all levels of Malaysian society. Assembling this incredible breadth of industry trailblazers to serve on our board will strengthen the depth and breadth of our expertise to benefit rural and urban needs, while accelerating our positioning as the ‘Heart of Digital Asean’,” said Dr Rais Hussin, Chairman, MDEC.

“The globally-recognised track record of these accomplished leaders provides MDEC and all of our stakeholders with deep sector expertise, high performance leadership and effective governance. The new board members will also empower our efforts to harness opportunities in the next normal, benefitting MSMEs, gig workers, MNCs and the public sector alike.”

The four new members will complement the seven current board members, working alongside MDEC’s CEO, Surina Shukri, and experienced management team to spearhead the agency’s goal to reinvent its approach towards growth of digitally-skilled Malaysians, digitally-powered businesses and digital investments to achieve the Shared Prosperity 2030 agenda.

Aireen Omar is currently President (Air Asia Digital), AirAsia Group where she is responsible for its digital strategy, promoting innovation throughout the group and encouraging collaboration across AirAsia’s businesses and markets.

She oversees large, digital strategic group-wide initiatives to help transform AirAsia Group into a global, cloud and data driven, and platform company. At RedBeat Ventures, Aireen is also pivotal in incubating and growing the digital and fintech businesses such as BigLife, BigPay, Teleport, Santan, and in transforming airasia.com into more than just an airline platform. She is an Economics graduate of the London School of Economics and Political Science and holds a Masters in Economics from New York University.

Dr Dhesi Baha holds a Master of Public Health and DrPH (Doctor of Public Health) and is passionate about Data Science and Artificial Intelligence. One of his key contributions to Malaysia was i-Kelahiran, a software that organizes birth data, immunization coverage & tracks high risk pregnancies in real time. The technology was then implemented in government hospitals and clinics around Malaysia.

Pursuant to winning first prize in the Global Impact Competition, he was sponsored to the Singularity University in Silicon Valley where he co-founded Artificial Intelligence in Medical Epidemiology, a software that has the capability of identifying deadly outbreaks 3 month in advance & geo-locating them up to 400 meter radius. His work in AI & Infectious Disease has received various international acknowledgement, recently winning the top prize for the Pistoia life science innovations Award in King’s College London, Top 10 exceptional solution award by the United Nations in 2016 and Top 10 Under 35 Innovators Award by MIT in 2017.

He was also invited by the Honorable Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel to share his expertise on AI for Antimicrobial resistance and the use of technology to solve global grand challenges in Germany. Dhesi is one of the experts that drafted the use of technology to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals for the United Nations in an expert panel meeting in New York & Geneva.

Farouk Peter Lee has an extensive career with global multinational companies and is currently the Asia Market General Manager for AXA Group Operations, responsible for managing the delivery of IT shared services (Infrastructure and Application) for AXA businesses across Asia. Lee is also the Chairman of AXA Group Operations Hong Kong, and an Executive Board Member of AXA Group Operations Malaysia and AXA Group Operations Philippines.

He has more than 25 years of experience leading and driving operational and IT enabled change in Insurance and Banking industry across Asia, specifically in Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia, South Korea, and China (including Hong Kong). Lee has held leadership roles in Accenture, DXC Technologies, New York Life Insurance, Zurich Insurance, MetLife, and AXA.

He received his Bachelor of Science (Hons) in Electrical Engineering from Brown University, USA.

Jaleeludeen Abu Baker is currently Director of Legal & Administration at AHB International Bhd and was the Executive Director of Antah Holdings Berhad. He was part of the team entrusted to undertake Antah Group’s turnaround and corporate restructuring. The task also involved addressing and rectifying the various corporate governance issues faced. He also undertook a comprehensive legal and corporate review of its investment portfolios and led dispute resolutions.

He is also a Director at SAB Global, owner and manager of Axiom Learning and Child Enhancement center in Malaysia. He has previously held leadership roles in the licensed money services business, having represented the Malaysian money-changing industry at the 2014 Mutual Evaluation Report on anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing measures in Malaysia.

Jaleeludeen holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) (Honours) from the International Islamic University, Malaysia and was admitted as an Advocate & Solicitor, High Court of Malaya in 1995. In addition, he is a Trust Officer approved by the Labuan Financial Services Authority (Labuan FSA), a licensed Company Secretary and a Committee Member of the Institute of Approved Company Secretaries (IACS).

These four new board appointees follow the earlier appointments of Lee Chin Cheh and Associate Professor Dr. Muhammad Abdullah Zaidel as Non-Executive Independent Directors. The other serving board members include Afidah Azwa Abdul Aziz, Professor Dr. Halimah Badioze Zaman and Mohd Yuzaidi Mohd Yusoff.

MDEC has always pursued a forward-thinking agenda to firmly establish Malaysia as a regional digital powerhouse and industry pioneer, which is aptly reflected with these appointments that are effective immediately.

“I am humbled that these these industry stalwarts have accepted my invitation to serve on the MDEC board and the nation. This board packs power and I certainly look forward to working closely with all the board members, the MDEC CEO and her senior management team to intensify our outreach, deliver greater impact and equitable outcomes for the many. I firmly believe the diversity in experience and thinking will define and drive real-world strategies and outcomes, reinventing the digital economy to achieve our vision of Malaysia 5.0,” adds Rais.