Leadership

Nadira Yusoff

PRESIDENT

Nadira Mohd Yusoff is the Chief Executive Officer of Nadi Ayu Technologies Sdn Bhd and co-founder of NATSB since 2002. She is also the lead architect for Nadi-Ayu’s products, merging both the business and market demands in ensuring the company’s and products’ growth and sustainability.

Being a graduate of Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) Skudai with BSc (Hons) in Electrical Engineering, Nadira nurtured her love for new technologies through her effort in establishing NatsysTM, a brand that has successfully been recognised as a Local Original Equipment Manufacturer (LOEM) of Microsoft which has more than 400,000 users in Malaysia, and has successfully penetrated the Asean market. NatsysTM was awarded the Best Local Brand by the Hardware Magazine in 2011.

She is currently the President for Women Entrepreneur Network Association (WENA) as well as the Managing Director for Girls in Tech Malaysia (GITM) and GREAT Women Malaysia. She also represents Malaysia as the focal point in the ASEAN Women Entrepreneur Network (AWEN). On top of that, she acts as one of the advisors for the Bumiputera ICT Entrepreneur Association NEF, and the deputy secretary of the Kluster Ekonomi for the Majlis Perundingan Melayu (MPM). Previously, she has successfully conducted the 1ASEAN Entrepreneurship Summit 2015 as the Co-Chairperson and Content Curator.

Nadira has received a number of awards including the Malaysian Outstanding Woman

Entrepreneur Award during the ASEAN Women Entrepreneur Forum 2015 (AWEF) and Most Innovative Company award at the NEF-AWANI ICT Awards 2011. She was also nominated for the Prime Minister’s Award for Women Entrepreneur in 2011 and was a Finalist for Great Women of Our Times Award by Malaysian Women Magazine 2012.

The icon has been featured in various entrepreneurship-related interviews and television programmes.

Besides that, she has been involved in various programmes and forums, locally and regionally, as speaker and moderator. Her involvement can be seen in the ASEAN Women Entrepreneurs and the New Regional Economy: Ready for Action! in Hanoi and Women Extraordinaire Forum 2014 in Kuala Lumpur, to name a few. In 2015, she was the lead programme curator for BAHTERA and 1ASEAN Entrepreneurship Summit 2015. In 2016, Nadira Mohd Yusoff was chosen by the U.S. Department of State to represent ASEAN women entrepreneurs in the International Visitor Leadership Programme from February until March and had recently moderated at the 12^th World Islamic Economic Forum in Jakarta during the “Restructuring SMEs and Improving Credit Access” session.

Her latest role was as the Chief Coordinator for the entrepreneurial programme, BAHTERA 2016 Edisi Utara, which was held at Sungai Petani, Kedah from 8 to 9 October 2016.

Nadira’s key responsibilities at WENA include government engagement, business development and marketing, group communications and public relations, and programme management.

Zaharah Abd Jalal

VICE PRESIDENT

A powerhouse in the government and corporate sectors, Zaharah Abdul Jalal has extensive experience serving under six ministries and 47 government-linked companies (GLCs) in various capacities. With her natural affinity for life-long education and a firm believer in the importance of sharing knowledge and wisdom, she continues to be involved in conducting courses in Communication, English for Specific Purpose and, Finance and Entrepreneurship. Zaharah also conducts and organizes Collegiate, Teens and Children Leagues Entrepreneurship Bootcamps, which emphasis on personal capacity development.

Zaharah is a certified HRDF trainer and has received numerous awards in recognition for her passion in promoting entrepreneurship. Notable recognition received include the Outstanding ASEAN Women Entrepreneur award and from Santander Bank-Wharton Graduate School, University of Pennsylvania, UK.

Zaharah is currently the Managing Director at MDEA Consultants (M) Sdn Bhd. As Vice President of WENA, she works closely with the sector heads and liaises with them on ongoing programmes and events. This include overseeing the membership drive campaign to bolster WENA’s resources and talent pool.

Yan Lim

HONORARY SECRETARY

Over the years working in advertising and PR industry, Yan Lim has had the honour to work with some of the brightest minds and boldest teams in Malaysia – helping both young and established ventures with PR and publicity strategies right from the start.

Known as the Public Relations Evangelist among the entrepreneurial and startup ecosystem, Yan continues to believe in empowering the entrepreneurial community by creating awareness on Public Relations. She conducts workshops and trainings for young entrepreneurs and start-ups to better understand the need of PR in today’s way of doing business and leverage on PR to create awareness about their businesses without creating a big hole in their pockets.

Yan began her career at the age of 19 in 2004 as a Customer Service Executive in Fuji Xerox to pay for her college fee. During the same time, she ventured into the world of entrepreneurship by opening a tuition centre – where she taught primary school kids English and Mathematics. With perseverance, determination and the support of the people around her, she managed to complete her study whilst working – fully funded by herself. An achievement that she is still proud of until today.

Moving into the Public Relations field, Yan helped Uptrend Network Sdn Bhd, a local Multi-level Marketing (MLM) company, establish its presence among Malaysians through PR and media relations. Yan went on to consolidate her team’s efforts with Uptrend Network and structured a global expansion for the company in several countries including Indonesia, China, Hong Kong, India, Bangladesh, Singapore, Thailand, Cambodia and the UAE with the establishment of Uptrend International Sdn Bhd.

After a few years in-house, Yan joined an established local PR agency before embarking on her exhilarating journey with another agency where she helped clients to create awareness on their companies and brands by leveraging on the conventional Public Relations as well as Strategic Communications. She successfully achieved the ROI and PR values targeted.

Yan’s forte would be strategic PR and publicity. Yan has experience in servicing clients from various industries such as FMCG, F&B, Telecommunications, Publication, Healthcare, Education, Retail, and Finance as well as for public personalities, amongst others, in developing successful campaigns and effective publicity solutions for them.

A firm believer in women empowerment, Yan continues her effort in accelerating women advancement by engaging and organizing networking events such as Winning Women Luncheon & iOli Dialogue where she brings together a group of inspiring and successful women to expand their knowledge on the latest industry knowledge, research, lifestyles, business strategies and practices through executive dialogues. Yan is also an active member of a few women NGOs and social enterprises.

Today, Yan is the Director/Co-founder of iOli Communications Sdn Bhd (social media & events management firm) and CEO of iOli PR Agency (boutique PR Agency). Both organisations champion women empowerment by facilitating paths for women to come back into the workforce (employees are encouraged to work at their own convenience for as long as it brings the desired results). Since its establishment in 2015, iOli PR has grown into a medium-sized agency and carries a nationwide network of clientele list.

A Public Relations practitioner, entrepreneur, writer, speaker, trainer and a mother of two, Yan Lim is also the founder of iOli Malaysia (a breastfeeding friendly clothing line www.iolimalaysia.com).

In her current role as WENA’s honorary secretary, Yan’s key responsibility is to establish local and international partnership. Together with the leadership team and committee members, she aims to establish WENA as a research centre for policy, data and advocacy.

Maznah Ariffin

HONORARY TREASURER

Maznah is a highly motivated individual with more than 25 years’ experience in managing organisation. She juggles key roles in several respectable and successful companies. She is the founder of Sooners Enterprise, a position she has held since 1989, co-founder and Managing Director of EF Training Centre Sdn Bhd, co-founder and manager at Rich Garden Landscape Supply and, the co-founder of Evergreen Event Management & Consultancy Sdn Bhd. Maznah is currently the co-founder and CEO of Enrich Focus Sdn Bhd.

A qualified and acknowledged expert in industrial landscape, Maznah is a certified trainer in the industry and conducts regular sessions for those who are interested in expanding their understanding and knowledge. She is a recipient of the ‘Jati Wanita’ award for successful women entrepreneurs organised by Pertubuhan Wanita UMNO.

As WENA’s honorary treasurer, Maznah’s tasks include overseeing WENA’s finances and collating feedback and comments from members. She also takes the lead in managing the learning development component and related activities.