Dato' Noriyah Bt. Ahmad

DIRECTOR-GENERAL, ECONOMIC PLANNING UNIT (EPU), PRIME MINISTER'S DEPARTMENT, PUTRAJAYA

Dato' Noriyah Ahmad is the Director-General of the Economic Planning Unit (EPU), Prime Minister's Department. Having served for 34 years in the Malaysian public service, she was formerly Assistant Director (Social Services Section), EPU; Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Federal Territory; Economist, Klang Valley Regional Planning Secretariat, Prime Minister's Department; Programme Coordinator, National Institute of Public Administration; Principal Assistant, Ministry of Domestic Trade and Consumer Affairs; and Senior Principal Assistant Secretary, Ministry of Energy, Communications and Multimedia.

Dato' Noriyah completed her Honours Degree in Economics from Universiti Malaya and obtained her Masters in Development Economics from the University of Kent, UK.

E-mail: noriyaha@epu.gov.my

Dato' Latifah Merican Cheong

ADVISOR, CHAIRMAN'S OFFICE, SECURITIES COMMISSION, KUALA LUMPUR

Ms. Merican-Cheong is currently Advisor, Chairman's Office, the Securities Commission, assuming this position upon completion of a four-year tenure as the Program Director of the Financial Market Integrity Unit, in the Finance and Private Sector Vice-Presidency of the World Bank, Washington DC. Prior to joining the World Bank, Ms. Merican Cheong was Assistant Governor at Bank Negara Malaysia, in charge of monetary, macro-economic and exchange control policies, as well as responsible for the Central Bank's dealings with the international financial institutions, and policies related to trade in financial services, both at regional and international levels.

She was the spokesperson and led the World Bank work on all aspects and supervises a team of legal and regulatory experts in undertaking several product developments. Ms. Merican Cheong has 30 years experiences in central banking. She also had past experience include leading the negotiations on financial services within the WTO, revamp of insurance and export credit facilities in the export-import bank in Malaysia, and design of policies and institutional frameworks to promote services as a source of economic growth. Ms Merican Cheong was also an Alternate Executive Director in the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund.

Ms. Merican Cheong has a Bachelor Degree in Analytical Economies (Hons.) from the University of Malaya, 1973 and a Master in Economics, from Vanderbilt University Tennessee, USA (1979).

E-mail: latifahm@seccom.com

Dr. Nungsari Ahmad Radhi

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, KHAZANAH RESEARCH AND INVESTMENT STRATEGY (KRIS), KUALA LUMPUR

Dr. Nungsari Ahmad Radhi is currently the Executive Director of Research and Investment Strategy of Khazanah Nasional Berhad. He has served in this post since 2007. After ten years in academia, he resigned as Dean of the School of Economics at Universiti Utara Malaysia before winning a Parliamentary Seat in 1995. Besides representing the Malaysian Parliament in a number of international organisations, he was also a Board member of Bank Pertanian Malaysia, Yayasan Pelajaran MARA and the National Library. Prior to joining Khazanah, he had a brief stint at Sime Darby Berhad and was an Associate Director of Innovation Associates before that. His areas of interest have been in industrial organisation, applied game theory and public economics. He also writes regularly for The Edge and the most recent book he edited is on New Challenges Facing Poverty Eradication and Rural Development (2005), another subject close to his heart. He holds a PhD from the Krannert School of Management, Purdue University.

E-mail: nungsari@khazanah.com.my