Salwana Ali

President, International Women’s Federation of Commerce and Industry Malaysia (IWFCIM)
Managing Director @Salwana and Rahim Associates Sdn Bhd

Salwana is a visionary leader and current President of the International Women’s Federation of Commerce and Industry – Malaysia (IWFCIM). With over 37 years of leadership experience across multinational corporations, entrepreneurship, and non-profit organization, she has dedicated her career to advancing diversity, inclusion, and women’s economic empowerment.

Under her leadership, IWFCIM has become a catalyst for preparing women entrepreneurs and SMEs for the future economy. Salwana spearheaded the upskilling of 3,000 women entrepreneurs in digitalization and generative AI, and launched the Ready4AI & Security Malaysia initiative, equipping 200 TVET educators and 5,000 students with cutting-edge skills in cybersecurity and generative AI. These landmark programs, strengthened through partnerships with Microsoft Philanthropy ASEAN and the International Training Center International Labour Organization (ITCILO), amplify IWFCIM’s role as a driver of sustainable, inclusive growth.

An author and mentor, Salwana has published A Handbook for First-Time Managers and Give, Receive, Improve, both focused on leadership, people management, and continuous improvement. She continues to inspire women-led ventures to thrive with relevance, resilience, and purpose. At IWFCIM, she champions a future where women entrepreneurs are not only investment-ready but also impact-ready — uplifting communities and shaping the world we want.

YAM Tengku Zatashah binti Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah

YAM Tengku Zatashah, daughter of the current Sultan of Selangor, is a social advocate in Malaysia. She is Royal Patron for Make-A-Wish Malaysia, a charitable organization granting wishes to Malaysian children with critical illnesses and President of Alliance Francaise Kuala Lumpur, a not-for-profit association that promotes French language and French culture in Malaysia.
Tengku Zatashah received France’s highest recognition award Chevalier de la Legion d’Honneur (Knight of the Legion of Honour) in 2017, and in 2025 she received the prestigious and oldest award in France Officier de Palmes Academiques, in recognition of her contribution in education through Alliance Francaise de Kuala Lumpur. She was also awarded Datuk Setia Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah (SSIS) (First Class) award in 2009 from HRH Sultan of Selangor.

Tengku Zatashah is most notable as an environmental advocate in Malaysia as Founder of #sayno2plastic campaign launched in 2016. Tengku Zatashah was awarded ADEX Ocean Ambassador at ADEX Singapore 2019 for her work in environment. In 2020 she was invited to be one of the 250 speakers from 122 countries at the world’s largest sustainability expo in Paris at Change NOW Summit at the Grand Palais. Tengku Zatashah also launched her campaign #zerofoodwastage in 2016 getting hotels and supermarkets to channel their surplus food to Kechara Soup Kitchen to feed the homeless and urban poor families.

#Zerofoodwastage has saved more than 1,000 tonnes that has benefitted nearly 40,000 people. Tengku was a speaker for
TEDxUTM talk on #zerofoodwastage. She is Board of Trustee to Selangor Youth Community (SAY), NGO for the youth community under the patronage of DYTM Raja Muda Selangor; she is also Board of Trustee on Yayasan Raja Muda Selangor for underprivileged children; and Chairperson to Yayasan Food Bank Malaysia, as well as Chairperson for Alice Smith School Foundation. Tengku Zatashah has also been a TED TALKS speaker as well as Teach for Malaysia alumni teacher. Tengku Zatashah has also served 3 years in the Nomination Committee and 3 years in Selection Committee as Chairperson for Merdeka
Award, under the patronage of HRH Sultan of Perak.

Tengku Zatashah has over 30 years of experience in international corporate communications (media relations, brand comms, crisis comms and media training) having worked in London, Barcelona, Paris and Kuala Lumpur. Her previous work experience include an international advertising agency in Barcelona, journalist in New Straits Times in KL, columnist at The Edge and
The Peak Malaysia, and international corporate communications manager in L’Oreal headquarters in Paris.

Tengku Zatashah is a Master’s graduate with Magna Cum Laude from American Graduate School of International Relations & Diplomacy, Paris ; BA (Hons) Spanish with French Studies from Middlesex University (UK); as well as Cours de la Civilisation Francaise de la Sorbonne in Paris, Finance executive program from INSEAD Business School (Singapore) and Women Directors’
Programme by Ministry of Women, Family and Community Develeopment and NIEW.

She is currently Board Director (INED) of public listed company InNature Berhad, which owns The Bodyshop Malaysia, Vietnam and Cambodia, listed also on FTSE4GOOD Bursa Malaysia, as well as B Corp certified.

Moderator:

Shareen Shariza Dato’ Abdul Ghani

Director, Origination and Listing, Bursa Malaysia
Chaiperson, Malaysian Green Tech and Climate Change Corporation
Co-Founder and Managing Director, Sorga Innovation Sdn Bhd
Honorary Advisor, ESG Association of Malaysia

Shareen Shariza Dato’ Abdul Ghani is a visionary leader at the intersection of sustainability, human capital, and social impact. Currently serving as Chairperson of Malaysia Green Tech and Climate Change Corporation, she is supporting Malaysia’s transition toward a low-carbon economy and championing climate-resilient strategies that align with global sustainability goals.

As Managing Director and Co-Founder of Sorga Innovation, Shareen has pioneered advisory solutions in ESG, sustainable development, and talent strategies. Her expertise in ESG is distinguished by her work at Khazanah Nasional Berhad, where she spearheaded the design of a sustainability-adjusted valuation model for socially responsible investments—an approach
that laid the foundation that redefined value creation in Malaysia’s investment landscape.

Her career reflects a remarkable breadth of leadership: from serving as CEO of Talent Corporation Malaysia Berhad, shaping national talent policies under the Prime Minister’s Office, to her earlier role as Director of Corporate Responsibility/Sustainability at Khazanah Nasional, and as COO of Mercy Malaysia, a humanitarian organization with a global footprint.

Beyond her executive roles, Shareen contributes to governance and advocacy as a member of Bursa Malaysia’s Sustainable Development Committee, board member of MTT Shipping Berhad, AEON Credit Services Malaysia Berhad and Accelerate Global. She currently serves as Board of Trustee of Yayasan UEM and Board of Governors of Yayasan Bursa Malaysia. Shareen also serves as Honorary Advisor to the ESG Association of Malaysia and she contributes to academia as an Adjunct Professor at UNITAR International University.

Armed with a Master of Studies in Sustainability Leadership from Cambridge, a Master in Public Policy from University Malaya, and a Bachelor in Mass Communications from Universiti Sains Malaysia, Shareen embodies the rare blend of academic rigor, policy insight, and entrepreneurial spirit. She is committed to shape Malaysia’s sustainability agenda and empower future generations to lead with purpose.

Panel Speaker:

YM Raja Datin Paduka Teh Maimunah Raja Abdul Aziz

Renowned Banking Leader

YM Raja Datin Paduka Teh Maimunah Raja Abdul Aziz was appointed as the CEO of AEON Bank (M) Berhad in December 2022. She brings an extensive experience of over 30 years in the financial industry, covering a vast range of banking segments, including Investment, Wholesale, Islamic, and Digital Banking.

Prior to this, she was the Managing Director of Wholesale Banking at the AmBank Group and CEO of AmInvestment Bank. Previously, Raja Teh was also the CEO of Hong Leong Islamic Bank and COO of Digital Innovation and Transaction Banking for the Hong Leong Group. She had also served at Bank AlKhair in Bahrain and Kuwait Finance House, both of which are GCC based Islamic banks. In 2016, she was awarded the Islamic Finance Personality by the Global Islamic Finance Awards. At present, she serves on the Board of Directors of Kumpulan Wang Persaraan (Diperbadankan) (KWAP), as well as Bursa Malaysia’s Public Interest Director and Independent Non-Executive Director effective 1 July 2024. Raja Teh graduated from the University of East London with an LLB (Hons) and was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Laws from the same university.

Raja Teh is a Fellow Chartered Banker (Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers) and a Chartered Professional in Islamic Finance (Chartered Institute of Islamic Finance Professionals).

Panel Speaker:

Elain Lockman

CEO & Co-Founder
Ata Plus Sdn Bhd

Elain is the CEO & Co-Founder of Ata Plus Sdn Bhd, with a background in Actuarial Science and Operational Research from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

She has held positions at PETRONAS, Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), Malaysia Debt Ventures, Digi Telecommunications, and Packet One Networks.

Elain currently serves as a Council Member for the Malaysian Business Angel Network (MBAN), Advisor to Women in Tech Malaysia Chapter, and holds board positions at Reservoir Link Berhad, Propel Global Berhad, and Western Union Payments (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd.

She was appointed by the Ministry of Higher Education to sit on the Board of Universiti Tun Hussein Onn Malaysia (UTHM). She was also the President of the Registered Digital Markets Association Malaysia from 2018 to 2024. She is on the Board of Trustees for Khazanah Foundation, Prosperity Development Foundation, and KRU Foundation.

Elain has been recognised with the AFFIN INVIKTA TOP50 Women of Excellence 2025, the Muslim World Rania Award 2024, the Outstanding Women CEO Leadership Award at the World Women Economic & Business Summit 2022, the BERG 2019 Women Icons Malaysia award and also recognised in the 2020/2021Batch of Digerati50 for her exceptional contributions to Malaysia’s Digital Economy.

Panel Speaker:

Dr. Sivapalan Vivekarajah

Senior Partner, ScaleUp Malaysia Accelerator
 

Dr. Siva is an investor, mentor, author, ecosystem builder and popular speaker. As Senior Partner of ScaleUp Malaysia Accelerator, he has invested in 38 pre-Series A Startups and individually as an Angel in 16. As Co-Founder of Proficeo Consultants, he has coached more than 1,000 companies and 3,000 entrepreneurs over the last 16 years. He also founded the Soonicorn Collective, a membership driven leadership and nation building platform for late-stage tech companies.

As a coach and trainer, Dr. Siva has trained for over 10 agencies and organisations including Cradle Fund, MDEC, MRANTI and Unicef. The biggest program that Dr. Siva was involved in was coaching about 570 companies under the Coach & Grow Program (CGP) for Cradle Fund between 2011 and 2020. The companies in the program raised RM750 million in funding from various investors including Angels, VCs and IPOs. Dr. Siva also ran the GoIPO Program with a 25% success rate where 3 out of 12 companies in the program successfully listed on Bursa Malaysia.

Dr. Siva was the Founding President of the Malaysian Business Angel Network (MBAN) and in 2019 was appointed Chairman of the Ministry of Sciences’s Task Force to recommend the restructuring of the Funding Agencies under the Ministry. He was instrumental in policy proposals for the ecosystem including the setting up of Cradle Fund, Angel Tax Incentives and the exemption from capital gains tax for Venture Capital and Angel investors. He has authored two books: “Supercharge Your Startup Valuation” and “Blue Sky Innovation” and has written numerous articles in leading media like The Edge, Digital News Asia and other publications. He is a popular speaker and has spoken at numerous conferences and appeared as a guest numerous times on BFM radio. He is also the Investment Advisor to Petronas Innovation Garage (PING).

He has a Ph.D in Venture Capital from the University of Edinburgh, Scotland and is Adjunct Professor at the School of Science & Technology, Sunway University.

For further info please check the LinkedIn profile. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/drsivapalan/

Panel Speaker:

Dzuleira Abu Bakar

Director, Nineyard Ventures Sdn Bhd

Dzuleira Abu Bakar is a national leader in technology commercialisation, venture building, and innovation policy, with nearly two decades of experience shaping Malaysia’s innovation ecosystem at the intersection of government, industry, and academia. She has served as CEO of MRANTI, Technology Park Malaysia, MaGIC, and Cradle Fund driving national entrepreneurship and research translation agendas and led the merger of Technology Park Malaysia and MaGIC to form MRANTI, integrating people, processes, governance, and P&L, and turning around a loss-making entity.

Dzuleira is deeply experienced and highly knowledgeable in how government operates and how policy is translated into executable, on-the-ground programmes. She has contributed to national roadmaps and action networks including AI and DroneTech, and initiated and launched the National Technology & Innovation Sandbox (NTIS) to accelerate regulated sandboxing and adoption across priority sectors such as healthcare, energy, and drones.

Today, through NineYards Ventures, Dzuleira advises leaders and founders on strategy, transformation, and building “valuation-ready” ventures strengthening governance, sharpening commercial models, and crafting investor narratives that support scale across Malaysia, ASEAN, and global markets.

Key Facilitator

Professor Dr Cordelia Mason

Cordelia Mason is a professor in management and entrepreneurship, and a senate member of Universiti Kuala Lumpur. She is also a Member of the Board of Examiners for the Asian Institute of Chartered Bankers (AICB), an alumna of the UNESCO UNEVOC TVET Leadership Programme, a member of the International Women’s Federation of Commerce and Industry, research advisor and expert panel for the Global Knowledge Index and a pro-bono advisor to Pertubuhan Perkhidmatan Sosial dan Pembangunan Komuniti (PSPK), a women and youth development centre. She has close to 40 years of experience in tertiary education, and is actively conducting multidisciplinary research, most recently on refugee matters. A self-professed informal
knowledge-broker and a sought-after business storyteller, Cordelia enjoys exploring the meanings of life across geographical, social and economic boundaries using the lenses of strategic management, innovation, inclusive education, social entrepreneurship, multiple intelligences, and financial inclusion.

Profile of Key Facilitator

Moderator:

Sharmaine Kaur

CEO, EcoGarage Hub Sdn Bhd

Sharmaine Kaur is a dynamic social entrepreneur and environmentalist whose work embodies resilience, sustainability, and a deep commitment to environmental preservation. Armed with a degree in Environmental Science from the University of Nottingham Malaysia, she has transformed her academic foundation into impactful action. As Cofounder of EcoGarage Enterprise and CEO of EcoGarage Hub Sdn. Bhd., Sharmaine leads initiatives that bring climate education directly into Malaysian public schools. Her long-term environmental programmes equip students with essential knowledge, empower youth to take meaningful climate action, and embed circular systems that reduce schools’ reliance on landfills—ensuring sustainability becomes a daily practice.

Her leadership extends beyond classrooms. In 2024, Sharmaine co-hosted the Actions for Earth – Global Youth Summit Malaysia, a landmark event that showcased 40 youth-led climate projects from around the world and funded six high-impact initiatives. She also serves as a waste management consultant with OWD Consulting Sdn. Bhd., guiding retail spaces and malls toward more mindful, sustainable practices.

Sharmaine’s influence has reached the international stage: she proudly represented Malaysia as a youth delegate at the ASEAN Leaders’ Interface during the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo. With her vision, energy, and unwavering dedication, Sharmaine Kaur is shaping a generation of climate-conscious leaders and redefining sustainability in Malaysia and beyond.

Panel Speaker:

Dr. Vimaleswari K. Ramasamy CSSCP

Founder and CEO, STRAVIK Sdn. Bhd

Visionary Leader Advancing Productivity, ESG Transformation & Inclusive Growth in the AI Era

Dr. Vimaleswari K. Ramasamy (Dr. Vimi) is a transformative leader at the intersection of productivity, ESG, and AI-enabled business optimization. She empowers organizations to convert sustainability commitments into measurable performance, stronger competitiveness, and future-ready leadership. As Founder and CEO of STRAVIK Sdn. Bhd., she is recognized for translating strategy into execution through a rare blend of technology optimization, ESG integration, and human-centered
leadership.

With 25+ years of global experience spanning semiconductors, data analytics, consulting, and executive leadership, Dr. Vimi brings both boardroom clarity and operational depth. She made national history as the first Malaysian female Managing Director of IHS Markit Malaysia, scaling the organization into a 600-employee powerhouse while strengthening operational productivity and cultivating a culture of innovation, inclusion, and sustainability.

At STRAVIK, Dr. Vimi has built impact not only through advisory and capability development, but also through agile, high-velocity execution of national-value investments. She led the start-up of a global data analytics MNC under STRAVIK’s venture, successfully bringing in millions of FDI and establishing a white-collar workforce of over 500 professionals within a five-year roadmap. This initiative stands as a strong example of STRAVIK’s ability to translate vision into scalable, productivity-driven outcomes, fast, structured, and future-focused.

Today, she leads enterprise-level optimization and ESG transformation programs across multiple sectors. She also pioneered the STRAVIK-ESG Platform, a digital ESG and energy management solution that enables organizations to track, manage, and improve sustainability outcomes while strengthening service delivery and productivity performance. Her work consistently bridges board-level ESG ambition with operational execution, grounded in real-world case studies and practical frameworks that accelerate adoption.

Her academic and professional foundation reinforces her practitioner strength. Dr. Vimi holds a PhD in Organizational Development & Gender, a B.Eng (Hons) in Electrical & Electronics Engineering from Universiti Sains Malaysia, executive education from Harvard Business School, and is a Certified Sustainable Supply Chain Professional (CSSCP). Her expertise spans sustainable supply chains, ESG strategy, governance, digitalization, and inclusive workforce development, making her a highly relevant voice for organizations navigating Malaysia’s productivity and sustainability agenda.

Appointed a TalentCorp 50 Fellow (TF50), Dr. Vimi collaborates with national and industry leaders to future-proof Malaysia’s talent ecosystem across Emerging Technology, ESG, Education, and Entrepreneurship. She also founded Pertubuhan Ilmiah Pulau Pinang (KNOWA – Knowledge for All), advancing inclusive education and empowerment initiatives for underserved communities, reflecting her belief that sustainable progress must be both economic and social.

Internationally recognized for her leadership impact, Dr. Vimi is a United Nations Women Empowerment Principles Award winner (2024) and a Penang Pioneer of Change (2022). A sought-after keynote speaker with 50+ engagements globally, she inspires executive leaders to embrace agile, ethical innovation, positioning ESG not as compliance, but as a lever for productivity growth and long-term value.

Beyond the stage, she mentors over 100 women and entrepreneurs, serves as an Adjunct Professor at UNITAR International University, and advises stakeholders on organizational readiness for AI adoption, ESG compliance, and workforce transformation.

Dr. Vimi’s distinctive ability to connect productivity outcomes with ESG, AI, and inclusive leadership equips audiences with clear, actionable strategies to future-proof their organizations, turning sustainability into a competitive advantage and productivity driver for Malaysia’s next growth chapter.

Panel Speaker:

Yuki Aizawa

Co-Founder & Co-CEO, RINNE Technologies and Consulting
APAC Director, Women in Tech Global Movement

Yuki is a tech entrepreneur, strategic advisor, and an advocate for women in technology, with over 20 years of international experience spanning across fintech, emerging tech, Islamic Finance.

As Co-Founder and Co-CEO of RINNE Technologies and Consulting, Yuki is in charge of business and IT & digital strategies for blockchain-backed solutions with ethos in emerging tech for the force of good, championing Sustainability-Innovation-Inclusion.

Currently, as APAC Director and Malaysia Country Director for the International NPO Women in Tech® Global Movement, Yuki empowers girls and women in STEM across APAC, working to close the gender gap and foster digital inclusion by 2030.

Her leadership has been recognized with the UN Women WEPs Award (Malaysia), Top 50 Global Inspirational Women, and the 30% Club Malaysia Board Mentoring Scheme.

Yuki also serves as a member of the Digital Sub Committee of the Malaysia Australia Business Council (MABC) Executive Committee, contributing to digital transformation initiatives that strengthen bilateral business ties and innovation. She specializes in guiding enterprises to strategically integrate Al and emerging technologies for sustainable growth and investor appeal.

As a mother, yoga instructor, and global citizen, Yuki is passionate about leveraging technology for social good and inspiring future innovators.

Panel Speaker:

Roslina A. Rahman

Board, Investment Advisory and Panel Member

Roslina is an experienced board, investment advisory and panel member.  She is currently on the Boards of Wasco Greenergy, Pelaburan Hartanah Nasional Berhad,  Edotco Group, and Century Chemical Works. She is also a member of the DWS Group APAC Panel of Experts and the Investment Panel of Urusharta Jamaah.

She was an investment management professional with 28 years of experience in the asset management industry both in Malaysia and internationally.  Her last executive role in 2021 was as Group CEO of ValueCap.  Prior to that, she was Country Head and Managing Director of Amundi Malaysia between 2008 and 2018.

She started her career in 1990 in the AmInvestment Banking Group as an equity analyst and portfolio manager and then joined CIMB-Principal Asset Management in 2004. In both companies, she had equity analyst coverage of different industries and companies, and managed a range of conventional, ethical and shariah-compliant portfolios and products for retail and institutional clients.

She was a Board member of ValueCap, i-VCAP Management (Chairperson), VCAP Asset Managers (Chairperson), Amundi Malaysia and Amundi Islamic Malaysia. As senior management of these companies, she led and was involved in various Management, Operations, Transition, Investment, Risk, Compliance, Sales, Marketing, Product and Shariah Committees.  She was a holder of the CMSRL license issued by the Securities Commission of Malaysia.

Roslina completed the Advance Management Program at the Harvard Business School, Boston in 2022.  She received a Master of Business Administration degree from The Australian Graduate School of Management (a school of both The University of New South Wales & The University of Sydney, Sydney) in 2000 and a Bachelor of Business Administration from Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles in 1990.

Moderator:

Gina Phan

VP – IWFCI Malaysia
Managing Consultant and Principal Trainer , Zinfinity Consulting

Gina Phan is currently the VP, Operations Excellence for IWFCI Malaysia and the Managing Consultant and Principal Trainer at Zinfinity Consulting. As a certified trainer, she focuses on equipping people by improving their workplace performance skills, such as Purposeful Leadership, Consultative Selling, Negotiations, Problem-Solving, Conflict Resolution, Business Communication, and Business Presentations. Hr portfolio includes both domestic and international customers in various sectors such as Information Technology, Oil & Gas, banking, manufacturing, academic institutions, and manufacturing.

As a strong proponent of continual learning, Gina is certified in various learning and profiling systems such as Brian Tracy Success Series. John Maxwell Leadership, REACH Profiling, and DISC Profiling.  She recently was awarded a Certified Kaizen Institute Master Trainer in Continuous Improvement.

Gina spent almost 30 years in technical, marketing, and leadership positions in the IT industry. During these formative years, she was involved in product development, product roll-out and support, sales and key account management, corporate marketing, as well as being part of her company’s IPO team. She was the Managing Director of a subsidiary of an international software provider, in which she successfully set up and expanded the business regionally (Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, Indonesia, and Pakistan). In this role, she was responsible to build her team as well as the channels of distributors and dealers.

Speaker:

Dato’ Elaine Teh

Executive Chairman
Etagreen Group of Companies
Octopus Group of Companies

Dato’ Elaine is the Executive Chairman of the Etagreen group and Octopus group. She possesses more than three decades of business experience. Founded in 2002, the Octopus group is a leading consumer goods company in Singapore and Malaysia with interests in wholesale, distribution, and retail, distributing products to all major supermarket chains, major hotels and restaurants in Singapore. Group subsidiary Octopus Distribution Networks was awarded the Enterprise 50 award in 2019, which recognizes the 50 most enterprising local, privately held companies that have contributed to the economic development of Singapore, both locally and abroad. Dato’ Elaine founded the Etagreen group to expand into the industrial sector with the vision of driving sustainability and uplifting the agricultural processing industry. Drawing on her networks, she built the Etagreen group from scratch and turned it into a sustainable biomass energy and agricultural waste management player within a short span of two years. Dato’ Elaine is also actively involved in the non-profit sector and has held leadership and advisory positions at the Rotary Club of Sentosa, International Women’s Federation of Commerce and Industry in Malaysia, Singapore and Australia, and Honorary Advisory Council for University of New South Wales (UNSW Sydney).
In recognition of her social and community efforts, Dato’ Elaine was conferred her Dato ship in 2013, bestowed the Spirit of Enterprise Award in 2019 and Women Entrepreneur Award in 2020. Dato’ Elaine graduated from UNSW with a double major in Economics and Japanese.

Speaker:

Deborah Woong

Founder & Creative Director
House of Antara

Deborah Woong is the founder and creative director of House of Antara, a cultural fashion label dedicated to transforming Southeast Asian stories, legends, and traditions into objects people can live with every day. Over the past three years, her work has focused on making heritage tactile, emotional, and relevant—bridging folklore, performance, and history with contemporary design.

Through Antara, Deborah explores how storytelling can move beyond archives and into daily life, re-engaging modern and global audiences with the richness of Southeast Asia.

She is deeply passionate about elevating regional narratives and reimagining culture as something alive, evolving, and proudly worn.

Speaker:

TBD