About HIC MY 2023

Mr. Roshidi bin Mat Moor studied a Bachelor of Laws at the International Islamic University Malaysia and later pursued his Master’s in Healthcare Management at the University of Manchester in the United Kingdom. He served at the Ministry of Health until 2015. Afterwards, Mr. Roshidi continued his service at the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security (MAFS) in the Policy and Strategic Planning Division. Currently, he continues his service as the Undersecretary at the Agricultural Modernisation Division in MAFS.

Kamarul A Muhamed is the Founder and Group CEO of Aerodyne Group, a Malaysian-founded drone solutions provider ranked 1st in the world by Drone Industry Insights of Germany. He led Aerodyne from a 3-person start-up in 2014 to a global company with a presence in 35 countries in just 6 years. Kamarul is the “EY Entrepreneur of the Year 2020” and “Technode Global’s Startup Leader of the Year 2021”, as well as a member of the Economic Action Council, the Digital Economy and 4IR Policy Council, the Bumiputera Prosperity Council, the Board of Directors of Bank Negara Malaysia and Forbes Councils. He is also an adjunct professor of UPM and KUIS.

Prof. Jennifer Ann Harikrishna completed her BSc in Microbiology at the University of Surrey then her PhD in Molecular Genetics at Cranfield University, before moving the USA for a post-doctoral fellowship at the University of California in San Francisco. In Malaysia, she has held positions at TropBio Research Sdn. Bhd., University Putra Malaysia and Malaysia University of Science and Technology. Prof. Jenni is currently a Professor of Genetics and the Director of CEBAR at the Universiti Malaya. Prof. Jenni is also an Honorary Visiting Fellow in the Department of Genetics and Genome Biology at the University of Leicester, UK.

A technopreneur, Dato’ Wong innovates and makes the best use of technology to reengineer business models in F&B and Agribusiness (staple foods). His expertise includes Supply Chain Optimisation, IP Commercialisation, Strategic Planning and Implementation. With 49 years in F&B experience, he has created and is managing 3 F&B brands, Atmosphere 360° @ KL Tower (since 2011), Satay Putera Kajang / Satay Prince (since 2017) and Mamiria @ National Zoo. He holds an MBA in Agribusiness, and his firm was appointed as the anchor company in national projects of pineapple plantation (1,500 acres) and Marine Fish Hatchery. His earlier 28 years of experience in the construction industry gives him an edge in Business Curation and Market Validation good practices.

Nor Hassuddin Abdullah is an Assistant Director at Terengganu State of Agriculture Department, leading the Division of Technical Training. With 15 years of experience in the Division of Agriculture Engineering, he has been involved in various projects related to agriculture land development, greenhouse structure, and the implementation of IoT and smart irrigation systems. As an Advisor for farm machinery and a trainer for agriculture officers, he has contributed significantly to the mechanisation and automation of the agriculture industry in Malaysia.

Akira UKAJI is Vice President and General Manager of Liberaware, which is Japan’s No.1 Industrial Drone Inspection company. He is responsible for overseas business development, sales and operation, and partnership building. His priorities are always on solving social issues and challenges with innovative business solutions, with an aim for leading a sustainable growth of a society and the business performance. He has extensive knowledge in Aerospace & Defense business arena with over 15 years of experience in both sales & operation and management consulting field. Prior to joining Liberaware, he worked at BAE Systems and Deloitte Consulting widely engaging with clients from both public and private sectors.

Prof. Mardeni Roslee serves as Chairman of Centre of Wireless Technology and Deputy Director of Research Management Centre, Multimedia University. At international/local level, he was a Chairman of IEEE Malaysia in Comsoc/VTS and the main founder of Armada Smart Tech MR Sdn Bhd. His experiences include consultation, professional institution and academic sectors. His current research interests are Internet of Things, LoRAWAN and 5G/6G. His contributions to academic and the engineering professional over the years have earned him recognitions nationally and internationally, he has awarded more than 70 international/local awards including the Excellence in European Creativity Special Award 2018 from Romania, Outstanding Researcher Award 2020 from USA and Top Research Scientist in Malaysia (TRSM) 2020 from Academy of Science Malaysia (ASM),

ACeT Innovates, a Malaysian biotech firm, produces enzymes for retting plant fibers, produces biofertilizers, provides consultations for bioretting and biocomposite production. The company aims to serve the local agriculture industry with their products and plans to expand globally. The company is based at Universiti Putra Malaysia (UPM) and was established in May 2016.

Qarbotech is dedicated to creating a greener world through its biocompatible solution boosting photosynthesis in plants. Shorter crop cycles and improved growth results. The company envisions widespread use of its enhancer to maintain air quality and reduce carbon dioxide emissions by agropreneurs, urban farmers, and municipalities in agriculture and city maintenance.

SHE Empire is a Malaysian company that is at the forefront of eco-friendly beauty technology. The company was founded by a research team from the Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). With its focus on sustainability and affordability, SHE Empire  is committed to making a positive impact on the world and changing the way people think about beauty and personal care.

Brainey is committed to promoting bee conservation and empowering beekeepers. The company offers high-quality, original bee products and aims to improve beekeeper income. Brainey’s goal is to make a positive impact on the environment through supporting bees and beekeepers, preserving the planet’s precious bee populations.

Phage-cific provides an environmentally friendly agri-biocontrol solution using naturally occurring phages. The company sources phages with AI-powered protocol that specifically target bad bacteria causing agriculture losses. Providing farmers with a safe and eco-friendly alternative to chemical pest control, Phage-cific promotes healthy crops and sustainable agriculture.

Abmanan Biomedical is a family-owned SME producing innovative products with Haruan extract as the main ingredient. Haruan offers unique benefits for users. The company focuses on producing high-quality, effective products to improve health and wellness. Abmanan Biomedical is dedicated to making a positive impact on people’s lives.

After graduating from the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Tokyo, Mitsuru Izumo joined the Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi Ltd. in 2002. Leaving the bank, he devoted himself, with Kengo Suzuki, a co-founder of the company, in cultivating microalgae “euglena” for commercial production in Ishigaki Island, Okinawa. In 2005, Izumo succeeded in outdoor mass cultivation of “euglena” after years of Research & Development efforts and founded Euglena Co., Ltd. to start healthcare business. He successfully and rapidly grew its business and the company was listed at the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange in 2014. He won “World Economic Forum (Davos Conference) Young Global Leaders”, as well as “the First Japan Venture award, Prime Minister’s Award” in 2015. In 2020, he became the youngest person to be appointed as vice-chair of the Japan Economic Association Federation(“Keidanren”), Deliberation Committee, an organization composed of major Japanese companies. In 2021, the company was awarded “SDGs Promotion Headquarters (Prime Minister) Award” at the 5th Japan SDGs Awards in recognition of its excellent efforts and contribution to the SDGs goals. In 1998 when Izumo was a university student, he participated in an internship program at Grameen Bank in Bangladesh and met Professor Muhammad Yunus. This experience motivated him to tackle worldwide malnutrition problems for human beings, especially children in poverty, and ultimately lead him to found the micro algae food company in 2005. Following successful business growth, the company launched “Euglena GENKI program” in 2014 where the company started distribution of “euglena” biscuits to school children in Bangladesh. Izumo is married and they have 2 children. He enjoys Japanese traditional culture, watching Kabuki play and having tea ceremony during his pastime. 

Dr. Muaz bin Mohd Zaini Makhtar is a senior lecturer in Bioprocess Technology Division at School of Industrial Technology, Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM). Currently he is a Deputy Director of USM Center of Innovation and Consultation (CIC) . He is also a Head of Sustainable Development Goals #15: Life on Land under Centre for Global Sustainability Studies (CGSS) in USM. Dr. Muaz’s core research interest are in bioprocess technology and bioconversion of waste, focusing on biological treatment technologies, microbial fuel cell (MFC) for waste treatment and recovery of energy, electricity. His enthusiasm and dedication towards his research works have been reflected in his achievements in winning numerous scientific invention awards in international exhibition; Gold Medal in International Conference and Exposition on Inventions by Institutions of Higher Learning 2019 (PECIPTA’19 & PECIPTA2022) and Gold Medal in Malaysia Technology Exhibition (MTE2020 & MTE2021) which both invention awards were MFC based projects. His active participation in scientific research has also been exhibited by being the recipient of multiple research grants in various disciplines sponsored by the government of Malaysia.

Prof. Ts. Dr Hidayah Ariffin is a Professor, Deputy Dean (Community and Industrial Relations) and Head of Biorefinery Complex at the Faculty of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences, UPM. She is also the Director of ZoepNano Sdn. Bhd., a startup company pioneering the nanocellulose commercialization in Malaysia. She graduated from Kyushu Institute of Technology, Japan in 2009 and obtained a PhD degree in Environmental Engineering. Her expertise is in Bioprocess Engineering, focusing on biopolymers and utilization of lignocellulosic biomass. Prof. Hidayah has invented multiple research products with 8 IP protection, of which 2 of the IPs have been commercialized to industry. She was recognized as one of the Top Research Scientists Malaysia (TRSM) 2022.

Chor Chee Hoe has just completed his MBA in the Asia School of Business, a collaboration between MIT Sloan and Bank Negara Malaysia. He is professionally trained as a licensed aircraft maintenance engineer and holds Aircraft Maintenance Engineer licenses from European Aviation Safety Agency and Civil Aviation Authority Malaysia. Prior to his MBA studies, Chee Hoe was in Firefly Airlines, simultaneously helming three roles due to his leadership skills; Head of Maintenance Support, Commercial Officer of MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul), and Technical Trainer. He expanded the MRO business to Indonesia, Bangladesh, and South Korea. He has also provided technical consultation services to a few airlines and helped a regional airline in South Korea set up its supply chain management system. Chee Hoe is passionate about environmental care and sustainability. Growing up as an asthmatic kid, he values clean air. He was always looking for an opportunity to innovate; and be part of the solutions to bring cleaner air and healthier environment to humankind. The technology of Qarbotech can help plants to remove more carbon dioxide from the air and generate more oxygen for us to breathe