Summary of Nominee Profile
Ku leads the Group's sustainability, strategy, risk, communications, investor relations, corporate responsibility, and government relations functions. He is an alternate council member to the Malaysian Palm Oil Association (MPOA).
KLK is a plantation company with oil palm and rubber plantations in Malaysia, Indonesia, and Liberia, with a corporate history dating back more than 110 years to its formation as a rubber company in the then British Malaya. The company has downstream resource-based manufacturing activities, principally in oleochemicals, as well as in property development.
Prior to KLK, he was Group Chief Strategy Officer from October 2020 to December 2021 at a public-listed digital enterprise Green Packet, leading the strategy, change management, people, academy, investor relations and communications functions. He re-organised its strategic thrusts, prioritised businesses, organisation structure, culture framework and processes.
Ku served as Partner & Executive Vice President at PEMANDU Associates, a consultant in public sector and business transformation from March 2017 to September 2020, working across multiple sectors and locations in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Eurasia.
Before that, Ku last held the position of Director, Palm Oil & Rubber NKEA, ETP Investment & Innovation at PEMANDU, a transformation unit within the Prime Minister’s Department of Malaysia where he served from Aug 2010 to February 2017, that drove Malaysia’s Economic Transformation Programme (ETP). He co-authored a Harvard Business School case study on the ETP published in late 2012 and participated in the International Visitor Leadership Programme by the State Department of the United States in 2013.
Prior, Ku served FleishmanHillard for seven years and last held the position of Managing Director & Partner, Market Development, Southeast Asia. He led some of the fastest growing offices in the network including Kuala Lumpur, Manila and Jakarta. Ku was the Asian recipient of the John D Graham Award for Excellence in 2007, the highest honour in the firm, and has also served three other communications firms and a Malaysian conglomerate as a senior executive.
Ku holds a Bachelor of Law degree from the University of London and Certificate of Legal Practice. He is a Fellow and was former Vice President of the Public Relations & Communications Association of Malaysia.
Summary of Organisation Profile
The Malaysian Palm Oil Association (MPOA) is the umbrella body for the private growers of plantation tree crops in Malaysia. The Association has been tasked with the important function of balancing the needs and interests of the various sectors for synergy and development of the plantation industry as a whole. Though a crop specific body that will focus on oil palm, MPOA will also serve the interests of other plantation tree crops such as rubber, cocoa, tea, coconut and bananas, and including non-crop issues relating to land, labour, trade and pricing. Apart from being the single voice representing member interests to government, various statutory bodies, stakeholders and external parties, its mission is to ensure the growth and sustainability of the Malaysian plantation industry sector as well as providing the relevant support service to members. More information can be found on our website: www.mpoa.org.my
Summary of Nominee Profile
Dr. Surina Ismail currently holds the position of Group Head of Sustainability, IOI Corporation Bhd. In this capacity, she is responsible for corporate sustainability which includes aligning the strategy and sustainability policies together with their implementation for the whole IOI Group (Plantation & Manufacturing Divisions).
Prior to this, she was the Global Director for Intellectual Property (IP) Management at Emery Oleochemicals where her main responsibilities include IP Strategy, Valuation & Portfolio Management. At the same time, she was also a Business Development and Operations Director for Emery Advance Material, a subsidiary company of Emery which specializes in the dispersion of Nanocarbon in Materials (she holds several patents in this field) and where she was responsible for developing the business strategy for their patented technology as well as oversee the operation’s side of this technology.
She holds a BSc. (Hon) Chemistry from Indiana University, MSc. (Polymer Organic) from University of Massachusetts and PhD. (Bio-organic Polymer) from University Akron, USA with past experiences in the academia working as a Research Fellow, Visiting Scientist & Assistant Professor in the USA before returning to Malaysia and entering the Industrial Sector. She joined Sime Darby Technology Center, a technical center focused in the field of rubber and tires, as Materials Testing & Analysis Manager cum Quality Manager. Later on, she moved on to UCB Asia Pacific, a leading multinational company in UV Coatings, as Technical Development Manager for Asia. She then joined KLK Oleo as R&D Director at KLK Oleomas, a major manufacturing company in the oleochemicals industry.
In Regulatory and Sustainability Matters, she has been involved in activities such as the Supply Chain Certification for RSPO, RSPO’s Trade & Traceability Committee as well as in the sub-working group in Oleo Derivatives, LCA as well as in REACH, GHS, etc.
Summary of Organisation Profile
The Malaysian Palm Oil Association (MPOA) is the umbrella body for the private growers of plantation tree crops in Malaysia. The Association has been tasked with the important function of balancing the needs and interests of the various sectors for synergy and development of the plantation industry as a whole. Though a crop specific body that will focus on oil palm, MPOA will also serve the interests of other plantation tree crops such as rubber, cocoa, tea, coconut and bananas, and including non-crop issues relating to land, labour, trade and pricing. Apart from being the single voice representing member interests to government, various statutory bodies, stakeholders and external parties, its mission is to ensure the growth and sustainability of the Malaysian plantation industry sector as well as providing the relevant support service to members. More information can be found on our website: www.mpoa.org.my
