Our People
Founders

Chairman & Founder
YB Tan Sri Dato’ Haji Muhyiddin Bin Haji Mohd Yassin
YB Tan Sri Dato’ Haji Muhyiddin Bin Haji Mohd Yassin has served as the eighth Prime Minister of Malaysia from March 2020 until August 2021. He is a man of vast experience and has served three different governments in the modern Malaysian political era.

Founder
YABHG. TUN DR. MAHATHIR MOHAMAD
YABhg Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad served as the fourth and seventh Prime Minister of Malaysia. His first term was from 1981 to 2003 and his second was between 2018 to 2020. With a career spanning over seven decades, he is one of the most respected political figures in Malaysia.
Board of Trustees

Trustee
YB SENATOR DATUK DR. MOHD. RADZI MD. JIDIN
YB Datuk Dr. Mohd. Radzi holds a Ph.D. specialising in Auditing from the Australian National University, a Master in Business Administration from Universiti Utara Malaysia and a Bachelor of Commerce from the La Trobe University, Melbourne, Australia. He has dedicated time in the academic fields as a lecturer in Economics, Accounting, and Auditing.

Trustee
TAN SRI DATO’ SERI DR. SULAIMAN MAHBOB
Tan Sri Dato’ Seri Dr. Sulaiman was a prominent career public servant and his last designation was the Director-General of the Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister’s Department (2006 – 2009). He also served in the Ministry of Finance (Economics and Budget Divisions) and the Ministry of Domestic Trade & Consumer Affairs.

Trustee
DATUK SERI HAJI MOHD NARDIN BIN HAJI AWANG
Datuk Seri Haji Mohd. Nardin received his education in Accounting from Institut Teknologi Mara in 1984. He started his career in Nadi Holdings as an Admin Executive moving on to Sky Courier International and Pro-Active Solutions Sdn. Bhd. as a Commercial and Operation Manager.

Trustee
DATUK DR. MARZUKI MOHAMAD
Datuk Dr. Marzuki Mohamad holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from the Australian National University, a Master from the National University of Malaysia, and an LL.B with Honors from the International Islamic University Malaysia (IIUM). His decorative career is in the academic and governmental arenas holding positions as Special Tasks Officer to the Minister of Home Affairs, Head of the Department of Political Science from IIUM, and Political Secretary to the Minister of Education.

Trustee
MOHD HASHRIZAL ZAINOL HARIS
Mohd Hashrizal is the Founder & Group Chief Executive Officer of Aexis Group of Companies with an interest in information technology and agriculture industries. Equipped with sound technical and commercial skills acquired throughout the years and practiced across a wide range of demanding roles in various fields (namely healthcare, telecommunication, public safety, education & agriculture) with more than 19 years of experience.
Senior Fellows

Senior Fellow
YBhg. Prof. Datuk Dr. Denison Jayasooria
YBhg. Prof. Datuk Dr. Denison Jayasooria former Practice Professor for Public Advocacy and Principal Research Fellow at the Institute of Ethnic Studies, National University of Malaysia (UKM). He is associate Research Fellow at KITA-UKM.

Senior Fellow
YBhg. Prof. Datuk Dr Ahmad Murad Merican
YBhg. Prof. Datuk Dr Ahmad Murad Merican is professor of social and intellectual history, International Institute of Islamic Thought and Civilization, International Islamic University Malaysia [ISTAC-IIUM].

Senior Fellow
YBhg. Prof. Datuk Seri Dr. Awang Sariyan
Prof. Datuk Seri Dr. Awang Sariyan, widely known as Awang Sariyan is currently the Chairman, Board of Directors at Dewan Bahasa Dan Pustaka (DBP) and the Director of Institut Alam dan Tamadun Melayu (ATMA), Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM).

Senior Fellow
YBhg. Prof. Dr. Jamal Othman
YBhg. Prof. Dr. Jamal Othman is currently Professor of Economics at the Faculty of Economics and Management, National University of Malaysia (UKM).

Senior Fellow
YBhg. Datuk Dr. Habibah Abdul Rahim
YBhg. Datuk Dr. Habibah Abdul Rahim is Adjunct Professor at Universiti Teknologi Malaysia and Senior Fellow at Institut Masa Depan Negara.

Senior Fellow
YBhg. Dato’ Dr. Madeline Berma
YBhg. Dato’ Dr. Madeline Berma received her Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Hull, England; Masters of Arts from the University of Wisconsin-Madison USA; and Bachelors of Economics (Honors) from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Senior Fellow
YBrs. Dr. Rais Saniman
YBrs. Dr. Rais Saniman was among those who had contributed to the formation of the New Economic Policy (NEP) in 1970. He was a senior General Manager of the now-defunct Bank Bumiputra Malaysia Berhad (BBMB) International Banking Division and an alternate director of Bumiputra Malaysia Finance (BMF).

Senior Fellow
YBrs. Dr. Saat Shukri Embong
YBrs. Dr. Saat Shukri Embong is a highly qualified technology leader with sound engineering knowledge and background and demonstrated functional abilities in a fast-paced highly competitive environment.
Fellows

Fellow
ERHANFADLI MOHD AZRAI
Erhan is running a data company, Kotak Sakti Sdn Bhd. He is passionate about data and how people use data to help with decision making.

Fellow
FAROUK ABDUL KHALID
Farouk Abdul Khalid is with The CADS based in the firm’s Kuala Lumpur office.

Fellow
NORLIZA HASHIM
Norliza Hashim is the Chief Executive of Urbanice Malaysia, a Centre of Excellence for Urban Well-being and Sustainability of Malaysia, under the Ministry of Housing and Local Government Malaysia.

Fellow
ZARA PHANG
Zara Phang is WWF-Malaysia’s Sustainable Economy and Policy Analyst, providing content, research, analysis and insights on relevant issues to effectively communicate and support advocacy work on Green Economy.
Our Team

Chief Executive Officer
Azril Mohd Amin
Azril Mohd Amin has more than 18 years of extensive experience as a legal practitioner and leader of non-governmental organizations, and engagement with leading research institutions in regional and international settings.

Head, Corporate Services
MOHD AZMI RASHEED KHAN
Azmi comes from a corporate background and has over 12 years of experience in project management, corporate compliance, and project financial planning/management.

Senior Research Analyst
Marhaini Kamaruddin
A seasoned writer with more than 25 years of experience in journalism, Puan Marhaini was appointed as Press Secretary to the 8th Prime Minister in May, 2020. Prior to that, she served as Head of Corporate Communications at the Ministry of Home Affairs.

Senior Research Analyst
Rozaman Ismail
Appointed as Special Officer to the 8th Prime Minister, YAB Tan Sri Dato’ Haji Muhyiddin Yassin in June last year. In his capacity as Special Officer to the Prime Minister, he was directly involved in the planning and management of communication strategies and media plans, with stakeholders from within and outside the country.

Senior Research Analyst
Hamidah Atan
Appointed as Special Officer to the 8th Prime Minister of Malaysia, YAB Tan Sri Dato’ Haji Muhyiddin Yassin, in June, 2020, Puan Hamidah who has more than 30 years of experience in journalism, was tasked with specializing in policy and strategic writings, especially for English publications and media.

Research Analyst
Khairul Syakirin Zulkifli
Encik Syakirin holds a Bachelor’s Degree (Political Science) from the International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM)

Programme Manager
Lili Fariza Ariffin
Ms. Lili holds a Bachelor of Science and Technology Studies in Policy and Management and a Master of Science, Technology and Sustainability from the University of Malaya.

Executive, Programme
AYOB HASSAN
Ayob graduated with a Bachelor of Communication (Hons) from Universiti Utara Malaysia (UUM) and has eleven (11) years of experience in programmes media management.

Research Analyst
MOHD NOOR MUSA
Mohd Noor holds a master’s degree of science (MSc) in science, technology and sustainability from the University of Malaya (UM), Malaysia.

Research Analyst
Sim Why Jean
Sim Why Jean (or fondly known as Sebastian) is a law graduate from the University of London external programme. Prior to his graduation, he interned at the esteemed ZICO Law as well as Skrine, where he gained valuable insight to different areas of legal practice from some of the best legal professionals in the country.

Research Analyst
Nurul Hazirah Kamaruddin
Hazirah recently graduated with a Bachelor of Economics (Hons.) (Majoring in Industrial and International Economy) at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. She joined MASA as a Research Analyst Intern and had written three articles relating to Shared Prosperity Vision 2030 and developed an interest towards research and policy.

Research Analyst
Mohammad Zulhafiy Zol Bahari
Zulhafiy recently graduated with a Bachelor of Administrative Science (Hons.) from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM).

Support Staff
ZAINAL IZZUDIN BIN ZAINAL RAHIM
Zainal has over 20 years of experience as an administrative and logistics support staff in several companies. He also has experience working directly with the Chief Executive Officer.

Support Staff
MOHD ARIF KAMARUDDIN
Arif has almost 10 years of experience in supporting office administration and management. He also plays an important role in facilitating the CEO’s office. Arif is among the pioneer staff members of Institut MASA.

Assistant Data Management
Muhammad Ainul Hakim Norazmi
AINUL HAKIM graduated with a Bachelor of Technology Management with Honors from Universiti Kuala Lumpur Malaysia Italy Design Institute (UniKL MIDI). His interest includes big data and technology management. Ainul Hakim has previously worked in the private sector, focusing on training and production. In MASA, he assists the Policy and Research Division by managing MASA’s database, which includes social, economic, and political data. He is also currently updating data involving Malaysia’s voting behaviour at the federal and state levels. Concurrently, he also undergoes Occupational Safety and Health Officer (OSH) (Green Book) courses.

Research Analyst (Intern)
Maryam Husna Maznorzuhairi
Maryam is currently pursuing a Master’s degree in International ASEAN Studies at University Malaya. Prior to that, she served as an International Mobility Advisor at Shell Business Operations and was sent as a representative to visit Shell’s joint venture partner in Sakhalin, Russia.