Ms. Ivy Kwek is the Executive Director of Aurora Insights, a geopolitical analysis company that delivers strategic insights on Asia.

Prior to starting the company, she was China Fellow at the International Crisis Group, Visiting Scholar at the National Chengchi University Taiwan, and Special Functions Officer to the Deputy Defence Minister of Malaysia.

Ivy’s research expertise includes foreign policy and geopolitical affairs in Asia-Pacific, with a special focus on China, Taiwan and Southeast Asia.

Created by: Quan Tran

The officer is currently serving as Senior Assistant Director at Maritime Security and Sovereignty Department, National Security Council, Prime Minister’s Department (Malaysia)

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Mr. Hamzah Ishak currently serves as the Deputy Director-General of National Security (Security Management) at the National Security Council (NSC), Prime Minister’s Department of Malaysia, a role he has held since 2021. With nearly 30 years in public service, he has extensive experience in national and maritime security, crisis management, and international security policy.

He holds a Master’s degree in Strategic Analysis and Security from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), a Diploma from the National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN), and a Bachelor’s degree in Social Science (Geography) from the University of Malaya (UM). His professional training on security includes international fellowships and courses in India, Singapore, Russia, and the United States.

Mr. Hamzah’s expertise spans national and maritime security, crisis management, public order, international relations, human rights, and transnational issues He has represented Malaysia at the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) State Parties Meeting and the UN Human Rights Council’s Universal Periodic Review, in Geneva.
He played key roles in the ICJ cases on Pedra Branca/Pulau Batu Puteh and Pulau Sipadan and Pulau Ligitan. He also contributed to the formation of the Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency (MMEA), Eastern Sabah Security Command (ESSCOM), National Security Policy and key national legal frameworks, including the National Security Council Act 2016 and the Emergency Ordinance 2021

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Dr. Sazlina Salleh is an accomplished ocean scientist with extensive expertise at the intersection of ocean science and management. Currently an Associate Professor and Deputy Director at the Center for Policy Research, Universiti Sains Malaysia, she holds a Ph.D. in Marine Science from the University of Tasmania. Her research focuses on marine biodiversity, conservation policy, marine spatial planning, and climate change impacts on marine ecosystems. Dr. Sazlina has contributed significantly to marine spatial planning, serving as an expert in initiatives such as the Expert Group on Marine Spatial Planning in the Western Pacific (2023-2026). She has consulted on national and international projects related to sustainable ocean management, including Malaysia’s National Blue Economy Development and biodiversity conservation. Her roles as a national consultant for major organizations like Greenpeace Southeast Asia and the Maritime Institute of Malaysia (MIMA) highlight her ability to bridge science and policy, advocating ecosystem-based management approaches. Her leadership extends to research on marine conservation, particularly in areas like eutrophication monitoring, coral and seagrass ecosystem health, and climate resilience of marine species. As a member of the SCOR Capacity Development Committee and a resource person in various national workshops, Dr Sazlina actively promotes sustainable ocean governance and the integration of scientific findings into policy frameworks, mainly through her advocacy for data sharing and management to improve marine management strategies.

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Dr Abe Woo received his PhD in Natural History Sciences from Hokkaido University. His interest of study includes systematics, taxonomy, and diversity study of marine invertebrates, focusing on the group Echinoderms. Since 2009, he has been actively uncovering the marine biodiversity and systematics of sea cucumbers across the region. He is currently serving as a senior lecturer in the Centre for Marine and Coastal Studies (CEMACS), Universiti Sains Malaysia where he is also actively leading several marine biodiversity research in the Southeast Asian region that includes several taxa of marine invertebrate. At the global front, he is a serving in several UN Decade of Ocean Science Program ECOP co-chairs and also an active contributor to the IOC Sub-Commission for the Western Pacific (WESTPAC) programmes. Dr Woo recently graduated from the Advanced Masters in Sustainable Blue Economy from Unviersity of Trieste, Italy that focuses on science diplomacy through management and development of regional blue economy plans. He is now involved in formulating Malaysia’s Blue Economy Blueprint commissioned by the government

Created by: Quan Tran

Created by: Quan Tran

Dr Tricia Yeoh is Associate Professor of Practice at the University of Nottingham Malaysia’s School of Politics and International Relations. She is also currently a 2024/25 Atlantic Council Millennium Leadership Fellow and Senior Fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation of Canada. She also holds the positions of Senior Adjunct Research Fellow at Monash University Malaysia, and Campus Visitor at the Australian National University, as well as recently Senior Visiting Fellow at ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute. She is former CEO of the Institute for Democracy and Economic Affairs (IDEAS) Malaysia, where she served up to September 2024. She writes and speaks widely on federalism, comparative politics and institutional reforms. She has previously worked in the Chief Minister’s Office of the Selangor State Government. Dr Yeoh holds a PhD in Political Science from the School of Politics, History and International Relations at the University of Nottingham Malaysia. Her writings can be found at www.triciayeoh.com.

Created by: Quan Tran