Dato’ Ts. Dr. Shanmuganathan Palanisamy

CEO
Kontron Malaysia

Dato’ Ts. Dr. Shanmuganathan Palanisamy is a transformational leader with high interpersonal skills and passion for disruptive innovation with 34 years of experience. He is the current Kontron's Malaysia Chief Executive Officer (CEO). A versatile executive with vast experience in company vision, business strategy management, transformation restructuring, talent management, commercial application of technology innovation and risk management for sustainable performance, he managed to transform Kontron Malaysia from a manufacturing incline company to today's R&D CoE (Centre of Excellence) and a sustainable business organization. He also supports nation rebuild by accepting roles as Professor of Practice from the School of Management, Universiti Sains Malaysia, the E&E Productivity Nexus Chairperson for Strategic Initiatives Pillar 1 (E&E Value Chain) and Vice Chairman NSC 25/TC 11 (Innovation Management) under Department of Standards Malaysia. Recently, Dato’ Ts. Dr. Shanmuganathan Palanisamy has been appointed as Chairman of Malaysia Board of Technologists (MBOT) for the E&E Technology & Technical Working Group (TTWG).

Sivasuriyamoorthy Sundara Raja

Deputy Chief Executive Officer
(Investment Promotion & Facilitation)

A Business Administration graduate from the University of Malaya, Sivasuriyamoorthy Sundara Raja joined Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) in 1989 as an Assistant Director in the Food, Beverages and Chemical Division.

Over the last 35 years he had served in the Strategic Planning and Policy Advocacy Division, Investment Promotion Division and Incentive Coordination and Collaboration Office (ICCO).

Mr.Siva was posted to Germany twice to head MIDA’s office in Cologne (2006-2009) and Frankfurt (2013-2017). He was responsible to move MIDA’s office from Cologne to Frankfurt and to establish MIDA’s second office in Germany in Munich. As an overseas Director in Germany, Mr.Siva was responsible to attract foreign direct investments from Germany and the Benelux countries, namely Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg.

Throughout most of his 35 years career with MIDA, Mr.Siva was involved in various projects on Malaysia’s industrial development, such as the 2nd and 3rd Industrial Master Plans (IMP), 8th-10th Malaysia Plans, equity liberalisation of the manufacturing sector, formulation of investment incentives and policies, and empowerment of MIDA. Mr.Siva was also responsible for the coordination of the Study on Exit Strategy for Foreign Labour Intensive Industries, formulation of policies and guidelines for the establishment of Domestic Investment Strategic Fund (DISF) to accelerate the shift of Malaysian-owned companies in high technology industries, as well as the establishment of One Stop Centre and Business Travellers Centre for Short Term Business Travellers during COVID 19 Pandemic.

Mr.Siva was promoted as the Executive Director (Investment Promotion) on 1st November 2018 and moved to his current position as the Deputy Chief Executive Officer (Investment Promotion & Facilitation) effective 1st May 2021.

Dr. Hari Narayanan

CEO
Penang Skills Development Centre (PSDC)

Dr. Hari Narayanan has amassed over 35 years of experience spanning industry and academia. He spent more than two decades at Motorola Solutions, rising from a technical staff member to leading the R&D organization and serving as Managing Director for Penang operations. Dr. Hari transitioned to academia in 2019, joining APU as Senior Director of Organizational Development before assuming the role of Vice Chancellor in 2020 and later President in 2022. After leaving Motorola Solutions in 2018, he took on several leadership roles, including Chairman of the Board of Governors at USM. In January 2024, Dr. Hari became CEO of Penang Skills Development Centre (PSDC), focusing on talent development and positioning PSDC as a premier center for TVET graduates. He holds a Ph.D. in Mechanical Engineering from UMIST, UK and various professional accolades, including being a Chartered Engineer and Fellow of IMechE, IET and CMI. Dr. Hari has received numerous awards for his management, leadership, and contributions to the industry, including the Public Bank-MIM Senior Manager of the Year, Best CEO by MOHE for his contributions in the CEO Faculty program and an Honorary Doctorate in Engineering from UMP. He continues to contribute through the EPN platform by leading initiatives in enhancing the talent supply from universities specifically for the E&E industry.

Ramu Iyer

Micron VP

Leadership Profile

A Dynamic Operations & Leadership Executive with strong domestic and international P & L management experience in driving market share, revenue and profit growth. Possess expertise in both high tech and traditional manufacturing environments for multinational companies. Possesses talent for making rapid assessment of diverse situational challenges, developing solutions and providing the necessary leadership to achieve outstanding results.

Career Highlights

• 34 years of experience spanning across the EMS, Storage, Optical, and Semiconductor Wafer Fabrication industries covering leadership roles in General Management, Operations, Supply Chain, Quality, Engineering, and New Products Development.
• His semiconductor leadership roles include a wafer fab substrate start-up for the LED and RFIC industry, Recording Heads Technology, Suspension Development and Fiber Optics Transceivers.
• Recent EMS role was as a Vice President & General Manager of Sanmina-SCI Malaysia since 2014. He previously served as the VP & GM of another EMS company, Flextronics International, as the Global Operations and Supply Chain Leader responsible for Austin (Texas), Zhuhai, and Penang sites from 2007.
• Held the VP of Technology and Operations role for Aspocomp Thailand in 2005, a Finland based Printed Circuit Board Manufacturer.

Professional Certifications, Associations and Publications

• Board of Director, Talent Corporation Malaysia, a subsidiary of Human Resources Ministry
• Committee Member, Penang Skills Development Centre (PSDC)
• Total Process Control and Management-From Reliability, Stability, Traceability to Predictability (RSTP): A model to perform Package and Solder Joint Reliability Study, Process Qualification, e-SPC Manufacturing, and Prediction of Product and Process Quality, Dr. Paul P.E. Wang, Jorge Martinez-Vargas, Dinesh Gill, Ramamoorthy Ganapathy Iyer, and Dan Kauss.
• SMTA Best of Conference Paper Award 2003 and Proceeding of SMTA International Conference, Chicago IL, 9, 2003

Selvam Chinappan

NI

Selvam Chinappan has over two decades of experience in Electronic and Semiconductor manufacturing including expertise in Production Assembly, Testing, Supply Chain Management, Distribution, Logistics, International Trade Compliance, Warehousing Operations, Supply Demand Planning, and Business Solutions.

He has a proven track record of successfully guiding multinational companies to establish operations in Malaysia from inception to full operational capacity. This includes securing funding, permits, and policy adjustments through government relations engagements, building talent pipelines, developing next-level leaders, and implementing best-in-class industry practices to optimize manufacturing and manage supply chain resilience.

Since 2010, he has held various regional and global roles in operations, manufacturing, and supply chain management in NI. As the Managing Director of NI Malaysia and Vice President of APAC Manufacturing, Selvam manages NI's business operations in Malaysia and oversees NI’s manufacturing capabilities across the APAC region.

Selvam strongly advocates for fostering a fair and inclusive work environment, emphasizing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI). His leadership at NI Malaysia led to winning TalentCorp Malaysia’s Life at Work Awards (LAWA) in 2023, clearly demonstrating his dedicated endeavours to cultivate a culture of inclusivity in the workplace.

Outside of work, Selvam sits on the board of Penang Science Cluster (PSC), a non-profit organization committed to advancing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education in Malaysia. Selvam champions STEM education as he believes that bridging the industry and academia through STEM programs is important for nurturing the next generation of innovators and engineers to accelerate Malaysia’s pace of innovation as a digital advanced nation.

Loganathan Muniandy

Vice President and GM
Enovix Malaysia

Vice President of Operation, Managing Director and Dynamic Business Builder with a success record of 23 years in delivering sharp focus to achieve aggressive growth, profitability, and strategic business goals, capturing new business opportunities, aligning products with consumer preferences & market demands, and pioneering high levels revenue-building strategies for the organizations. Turned around companies, revitalized business performance, centralized global operations in German, China and Singapore, and repeatedly gained double-digit revenue and profit growth.

Repeatedly selected to champion turnaround, high-growth, and improvement initiatives that led to dramatic revenue growth, industry reputation, and market advantage. Expertise in sparking business, building revenue pipeline, and bagging a competitive edge that propels competitive advantage, explosive growth, and product distinction.

Escalated business progressively by architecting and effectuating the innovative business strategies, growth initiatives, innovative cost reduction, and operational efficiency. Served as a catalyst for peak financial performance and efficient business operations. Advanced business acumen in continually examining the business landscape, market trends, and competition to identify opportunities, formulate roadmaps, executing calculated moves to capitalize on untapped markets.

J Philip Vincent

Group Director
GSH Precision Technology

Mr J Philip Vincent, a Group Director & Co-Founder of GSH GROUP OF COMPANIES. He started his working career as a Auditor with DELOITTES and thereafter, ventured into Manufacturing Business at Bayan Lepas FTZ in Penang 1990 in contract assembly, high precision semiconductor toolings and engineering plastic injection molding with a workforce of 1500 covering 150,000sq ft production floor.

In 1997, he was instrumental taking this manufacturing operations listed on the stock exchange in Kuala Lumpur and thereafter, expanded his operations to China, India, Singapore,Thailand & Philippines to cater the global multinational companies.

His exposures ranges from High Precision Toolings for Semiconductor/ Wire Bonding/ Trim&Form/ Encapsulation/ Laser Mark/ AOI, Automation, Robotics & Cobots, Equipment Design, Manufacturing & Assembly, ERP, Machine Integration Systems. Recently, he established a Smart Manufacturing Floor adopting IR4.0/IoT/Robotic System to reduce the dependency on skill workers and was awarded 5 Star rating from SME Corp Bhd(MITI). The company has also received various other prestigious award over the years. He was also interviewed live by the ACCA UK for his successful industry journey. He has been a panel speaker locally & aboard on various industry related affairs.

He is also a Board Member of other manufacturing base companies in Malaysia, China, India, Singapore & Thailand. He is appointed as Advisors in many industry related associations in Malaysia, Singapore, India, China & Taiwan.

He is in the Advisory Panel of ISES-International Semiconductor Executive Summits APAC, Industry Advisory Panel in various Universities in Malaysia, Thailand & India.

He is a Adjunct Professor in BINARY UNIVERSITY Kuala Lumpur.

Sakthivel Narayanasamy

FOUNDER & CEO
SOLAR GALACTIC (M) SDN BHD

Mr. Sakthivel Narayanasamy or better known as Sakthi is the Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Solar Galactic (M) Sdn. Bhd. (Solar Galactic). His journey as an entrepreneur began with Galactic Advance Engineering (M) Sdn. Bhd. – a respected regional specialist in Industrial Automation and custom built machinery. He is also the Founder and Chairman of automation solutions firm, Quantum Computing Sdn. Bhd., which provides customised software to track & manage manufacturing processes.

Sakthi has been leading local and regional projects in diverse industries for more than 30 years. His work with industry leaders over the last two decades has paved the path to the founding of his companies which have now culminated with Solar Galactic. The progression to be a player in the solar industry has been a natural one through his in-depth experience of managing clients in the manufacturing industry and their struggles with power management.

Sakthi’s passion for engineering innovation has made him a man who constantly seeks opportunities to do things differently, changing the way we work. Entrepreneurship was the only answer for him and his business platform became the playground to initiate his engineering ideas. As his ventures and experience expand, he is now much focused on delivering sustainable technology for industrial and residential users. Emphasizing ESG adoption as a necessary step forward, he continues to advocate the need for more sustainable business measures driven by technology.

GAE and QC specializes in industrial automation and solutions for a variety of industries – Oleo- Chemical, Food & Beverage, Mining & Cement, Pharmaceutical, Paper & Pulp and Chemical and many more. Its clients include Barry Callebaut, Cadbury, Ansell, Lafarge, YTL, Saint Gobain, Liebherr, Carotino, Western Digital, Dutch Lady and Munchy’s. The companies have poised itself to become the driver of SMART FACTORY solutions in the era of Industry 4.0 with its range of Quantum Solutions

Mr. Sakthi has worked in several multinational company’s such as General Electric and Siemens. He was a Senior Systems Engineer in Siemens Malaysia before he founded GAE, QC and Solar Galactic. The international exposure and engineering best practices gained in these companies has contributed to his ability to develop and innovate automation solutions which are practical, sustainable, and scalable with a business focus.

Mr. Sakthi graduated from the University of Sunderland with a Bachelor’s Degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering with Management. He also holds additional professional certification for the ISA/IEC 62443 Cybersecurity Fundamentals Specialist certification and SEDA Malaysia Grid Connected Photovoltaic Systems Design Course.

Kalai Selvan Subramaniam

CEO
Infinecs Systems Sdn. Bhd

Kalai Selvan Subramaniam is a seasoned leader in the electronics and semiconductor industry with over 34 years of experience. He thrives on building high-performing engineering teams and establishing successful startups. Throughout his career, he's played a key role in setting up start-up teams to deliver valuable E&E engineering services, particularly in areas like semiconductor IC design and product development for leading electronics and semiconductor companies.

Currently, Kalai is the CEO and co-founder of Infinecs Systems Sdn. Bhd. This venture followed his experience as the General Manager of USains Infotech Sdn. Bhd. and his tenure as an Engineering Director at Intel Corp.. His career began at Motorola Semiconductors, where he spent over a decade working in Austin, Texas and Singapore.

Kalai then played a pioneering role in building the IC design capabilities for embedded and security memory SoCs at a Malaysian startup called My-MS. Following this, he spent over ten years at Intel Corp. in Oregon and Penang, holding various leadership and management positions.

Kalai holds a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) and a Master of Engineering from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM). He's a senior member of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and actively contributes to its Malaysian section and chapters. Previously, he served as Chair of the Malaysia IC Design Association (MICDA) and continues to participate in national electronics industry development forums and committees, particularly those focused on advancing the fields of semiconductor and electronics design. Kalai also lends his expertise by serving on the Industry Advisory Panels of several local universities. He has also held appointments as Adjunct Professor in Engineering and Business Studies at UTM, Universiti Teknologi Petronas (UTP), and Universiti Malaysia Perlis (UniMAP).

Priscilla Dawson

Branch Manager
Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MICCI)

Ms Priscilla Dawson joined the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Northern Branch (MICCI Northern) in January 2006. She was made Branch Manager in 2016. Priscilla is responsible for overseeing the needs and issues of MICCI Northern Members in Penang, Kedah and Perlis. She also works closely with the related Government Agencies to drive growth and new business opportunities, namely MITI, MIDA and MATRADE. This is apart from the various State Governments.

Priscilla has close to 20 years of experience with the Chambers and its many activities. She has made many contacts not only in the private sector but also with the various Government agencies. Originally educated in computer programming in Singapore, she then took up Business Management. Prior to the Chambers, Priscilla worked at the Penang Club for 11 years, and was their first and only female General Manager.

Dr. Nachiamei Ramasamy

GENERAL MANAGER, BUSINESS ECOSYSTEM DEPARTMENT NORTHERN CORRIDOR IMPLEMENTATION AUTHORITY (NCIA)

Dr. Nachiamei Ramasamy, known fondly as Dr. Nachi, currently serves as the General Manager of the NCIA’s Business Ecosystem Department. In this capacity, she oversees the strategic planning and execution of Business Ecosystem Development Programmes’ aimed at enhancing the competitiveness of local entrepreneurs and SMEs and upskilling the local communities to significantly contribute to the economic development of the Northern Region.

With years of expertise in designing and executing programmes that support the needs and ecosystems of industrial growth, as well as high-impact, strategic projects in the Northern Corridor Economic Region (NCER), Dr. Nachi has dedicated herself to the development of local entrepreneurs, or SMEs, for better and empower sustainable and competitive businesses, including penetrating into international markets. The areas of focus for these programme are product enhancement, marketing strategy, operation management, digitization, branding and labeling, business networking, financial management, and certifications etc.

Additionally, Dr Nachi is an expert, with has over a decade of hands-on experience running programmes that boost the employability of local graduates, school leavers, youth & women to match to the talent needs of the Northern Region's industries. Upon the completion of the upskilling and reskilling under "place & train programme," she was instrumental assisting these learners to secure job placement through successful engagement with companies from various sectors, including Smart Agriculture, Manufacturing, Advance Services includes of tourism, logistics, retailing, to name a few.

Dr. Vimi Ramasamy

Founder & CEO
Stravik Sdn Bhd

It is my pleasure to introduce a remarkable leader and visionary, Dr. Vimaleswari K. Ramasamy, fondly known as Dr. Vimi. As the founder and CEO of STRAVIK Sdn. Bhd., she has transformed business consulting by integrating data analytics and artificial intelligence, delivering exceptional value to multinational corporations and SMEs.

With over two decades of leadership experience, Dr. Vimi has a proven track record of driving transformative initiatives. Dr. Vimi made history as the first Malaysian female MD at IHS Markit, where she tripled the organization’s size and championed diversity and sustainability. At Intel, she led significant technological advancements and strategic growth initiatives.

She holds a PhD in Organizational Business Development & Gender and B.Eng (Hon.) in E&E Engineering from U.S.M, coupled with executive education at Harvard Business School.

As an Adjunct Professor at UNITAR, Dr. Vimi is recognized for her expertise in data analytics. She serves on several national advisory boards, highlighting her pioneering influence.

An award-winning leader and influential speaker, Dr. Vimi has delivered over 40 impactful talks on leadership, innovation, and diversity. She is dedicated to sustainability, empowering communities through skills development and coaching. Please join me in welcoming the transformative leader and visionary, Dr. Vimi!

Hemalatha Murugiah

CEO
INTI International College Penang

Hemalatha Murugiah is an accomplished and forward-thinking leader currently serving as the Chief Executive of INTI International College Penang (IICP). Her remarkable achievements and commitment to education have made her a driving force in the academic industry. Under Hemalatha's dynamic leadership, IICP has witnessed unprecedented growth. One of Hemalatha's notable achievements is her strategic collaboration with various industries to embed certification programs related to digitalization and niche technical skills into the curriculum. Her efforts have not only enriched the educational experience but have also secured significant annual funding from industries.

In 2023, Hemalatha launched a groundbreaking startup incubator in collaboration with notable organizations and agencies, providing a platform for INTI's community to foster entrepreneurship and innovation. Hemalatha Murugiah is a passionate advocate for STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) education. She has actively collaborated with state agencies and industries to organize and execute STEM initiatives across various institutions in Penang. In 2015, she had the privilege of serving as an internal committee member for the Laureate Award for Excellence in Robotic Engineering held in Mexico.

Beyond her institutional leadership, her active role as a committee member of the Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MICCI), representing the human capital and education council, highlights her commitment to shaping the future of education. Recently she has been awarded the 2024 Outstanding Corporate Excellence and Sustainability Leadership Award during the 2024 Global Economic and Strategic Outlook Forum in Kuala Lumpur and The World Distinguished Digital Entrepreneur Lifetime Achievement Award during the 2023 World Digital Economy & Technology Summit held in Penang.

Dr. Ragavan Krishnamoorthy

Managing Director
Steerix Sdn. Bhd.

Dr. Ragavan Krishnamoorthy earned his PhD from University of Malaya (UM) and Master of Science from University of Science Malaysia (USM). He is the Co-founder and Managing Director of Steerix and has been appointed as Malaysia Representative for International Academy of RWTH Aachen University, Germany, one of the top universities in Germany and Europe. He is responsible for the knowledge transfer in the field of Industry 4.0 from Germany to Malaysia. With Steerix, he specializes in providing Operational Technology (OT) solutions tailored to the unique needs of SMEs. He helps businesses and professionals to embark onto Digital Transformation journey, drive operational efficiency & productivity. He has 16 years of industrial experience in the field of radio frequency (RF), Internet of Things (IoT) and wireless design with Motorola Solutions, Intel Technologies and Steerix (Germany-Malaysia). He has successfully led and designed numerous transceivers for various number of products, mainly for commercial, low voltage high power radio products. He was technical lead of IoT design application, especially in RF and wireless (including WiFi, Bluetooth, Cellular and GNSS) design. He has participated in conferences, talks/seminars and delivered training on Industry 4.0, IoT Devices Application, RF & Wireless Technology and Electronics Design. He has published a few journals and conference papers in scientific publications. He has been certified as Chartered Engineer (CEng) by IET, UK. He has been appointed as Industry Advisory Panel (IAP) member at the Faculty of Engineering, Technology & Built Environment, UCSI.