Keynote Speakers

Professor Dr. Azlan Amran

Deputy Vice-Chancellor

(Industry, Community Network and Institutional Sustainability),

Universiti Sains Malaysia.

 Professor Dr. Azlan Amran has an impressive academic career spanning over two decades. Starting as a Lecturer in 2006 at the Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM), he gradually progressed through the ranks and became a Professor at the Graduate School of Business, USM of which he was also the Dean from 2015 till 2023. Equipped with a PhD in Accounting and an MBA in Accounting from Universiti Malaya, Azlan Amran has taught and mentored many undergraduate and postgraduate students, guiding them in their academic journeys. He is also a seasoned researcher having published numerous scholarly articles in high impact journals in the field of corporate governance, corporate social responsibility and sustainability reporting, while also serving in the Editorial Board of several journals of high repute. Professor Dr. Azlan Amran actively engages in both national and international research collaborations. He has worked on various research endeavors and consultancy projects with MNCs, SMEs, government agencies and various academic institutions. He is sought after for his ability to provide valuable insights and solutions to complex financial issues.

He also secured and successfully completed research for multiple research grants and won awards for his exceptional contributions to the field. Besides his academic and research pursuits, he is also recognized for his thought leadership and is often invited as a keynote speaker, panelist and expert commentator in forums, conferences and seminars. He has been actively involved in various committees at national and international levels, such as the Malaysian Institute of Integrity, Sirim, Asian Academy of Management (AAM) and the Alliance on Business Education and Scholarship for Tomorrow, a 21st century organization (ABEST21). Until recently, he was a member of the Board of Directors for the Association of Advanced Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB), an international accreditation body based in the United States of America. Professor Dr. Azlan Amran is presently the Deputy Vice Chancellor for Industrial and Community Network at USM where he spearheads efforts to preserve and enhance USM’s academia-industry linkages, community outreach initiatives as well as efforts to improve institutional sustainability.

Datuk Dr. Ahmad Parveez Bin Ghulam Kadir, FASc.

Director General Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) 

Datuk Dr. Ahmad Parveez is currently the Director General of Malaysian Palm Oil Board MPOB). He was appointed as Fellow of Academy Science Malaysia in 2016 and Member of National Biosafety Board (2018 – 2024). In July 2021, he was appointed as a Member of the Science Council of Malaysian Agricultural Research & Development Institute (MARDI) for 2 years. He sits on various other Boards; Board of Trustee of Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC, 2019 – July 2023), Board of Trustee of Malaysian Palm Oil Certification Council (MPOCC, 2019 - 2025) and Board of Trustee of Institute of Malaysian Plantation and Commodities (IMPAC). Datuk Dr. Ahmad Parveez was previously the Chairman of Genetic Modification Advisory Committee under the National Biosafety Board (GMAC, 2010 – 2018). In October 2021, Datuk Dr. AhmadParveez was appointed as an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, Faculty of Engineering, University Putra Malaysia (UPM). He is also very active in various professional societies including as the President of International Society for Oil Palm Breeders (ISOPB), Chairperson for the Asian Section of American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS) and Board Member of The International Society of Biocatalysis and Agricultural Biotechnology (ISBAB). Datuk Dr. Ahmad Parveez was born in Taiping, Perak and obtained his secondary education at Sekolah Menengah King Edward VII, Taiping. He graduated with Bachelor of Science (UKM) in Genetics, Master of Science (UKM) in Molecular Genetics and a PhD (UPM) in Plant Genetic Engineering. He has 33 years of experience in Plant Molecular Biology, Genetic Engineering and Biosafety. He developed world first transgenic oil palm in 1997. His interest is in genetic modification of oil palm, biosafety of living modified organisms and oil palm sustainability. He has obtained a number of prestigious awards both locally and internationally. He has 18 patents filed and six of them have been granted. He has authored and co-authored more than 100 papers in refereed journals and more than 250 conference papers.