Meet our 2023 ASEAN Youth Fellows

Abang is the Head of the Halal Enforcement Section in the Ministry of Religious Affairs. He shares his expertise in upholding Halal compliance and awareness as an adjunct lecturer in local universities. As a member of Unit Muraqib, Abang is involved in overseeing the successful implementation of the ministry’s strategic plans. 

Abang is Vice President 3 of the Council of Brunei on Social Welfare (Majlis Kesejahteraan Masyarakat), a non-government organisation that helps the less fortunate. He also represented Brunei as Head of Delegation of Singapore Brunei Youth Leadership Programme 2022, and was the Class Monitor for the 2nd cohort of the Young Executive Programme, organised by the Prime Minister’s Office for potential young leaders as part of the Civil Service Leadership Pipeline.

Haziq is a Content Designer at Al Muyassar Institute. He has dedicated more than a decade volunteering to cultivate effective leadership and elevate communities.

Awarded Top 10 Nominees for Youth Service Award 2020 and Majlis Belia Brunei’s Most Aspiring Youth in 2019, his intrinsic sense of purpose is fuelled through his work in guiding emerging youth leaders. His work at Persatuan Kemajuan Insan “Catalyst” youth mentoring programme has impacted thousands of Brunei youths.

In addition, he co-founded Sukarelawan Belia, a volunteering platform dedicated to assisting the Ministry of Health in COVID-related efforts. He also served as the vice president of the Brunei Youth Council in 2019 and 2020, attended the 36th ASEAN Summit as a youth leader and represented Brunei at Faithfully ASEAN and Interfaith Exchange in 2020.

Syahirah is a mental health professional with over ten years of experience. She is currently pursuing her master’s degree in clinical psychology at the National University of Malaysia. She was a mental health helpline advisor at Talian Harapan 145 and had worked as a public health psychologist at the Community Psychology Division, Ministry of Health in Brunei.

Syahirah values lifelong learning and enjoys collaborations with others to make meaningful social impact.

A proud working mother, a certified perinatal mental health specialist, and an alumna of the Young Southeast Asian Leadership Initiative - Women’s Leadership Academy 2021, Syahirah was the Co-founder and Content Strategy Lead for ‘Jaga Mama’ project, a project that supports mothers through perinatal mental health education and a group support network. She also co-authored a mental health e-book.

Penhleak is the General Manager at Raintree Development, the first creative office development in Phnom Penh that provides workspaces, research and education programmes that support the local economy. The project also includes tech education, diversity and inclusion initiatives and special development opportunities.

Outside of work, Penhleak is the Chairperson of United World College Cambodia, and the Founding Vice-Curator of the Global Shapers Community
Phnom Penh Hub, a network of community leaders under 30 with a mission to improve the state of the world.

Penhleak was awarded Cambodian Women in Tech Award (Community Organiser) by the Ministry of Post and Telecoms in Cambodia. She graduated from Skidmore College in New York with a double major in Economics and Management & Business and is an alumna of the United World College Red Cross Nordic in Norway.

Soliya is the Co-founder and CEO of Joonaak Delivery Co, the first local last-mile delivery service that has delivered a million packages to date.

He was selected as one of Cambodia’s three Fellows in the eFounders Fellowship programme jointly organised by Alibaba Business School and the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development. In addition, he supports startups in Africa and Asia under the GSMA Ecosystem Accelerator Innovation Fund.

As head of the media team and advisor for a youth-led campaign of the South East Asian (SEA) Games called ‘Beyond the Games 2023’, he elevated the international reputation of Cambodia during Cambodia’s first hosting of the SEA Games.

Sokhim is a Senior Technical Specialist for Policy at World Vision International. He actively engages with different key civil society organisations and government networks to promote child rights at the country level by addressing education inequality, children’s health and nutrition, and child protection.

Sokhim is a youth member of the United Nations Youth Advisory Panel, a youth advisory body of the UN Country Team in Cambodia.

He was awarded scholarships in Media Management (2011) and Sociology (2010) from the Royal University of Phnom Penh, and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Media Management.

Antony has a diverse background in Business Management, Information Technology, and Construction. Since 2011, he has established an ecosystem of engineering and sustainability companies and has been involved with numerous wastewater treatment projects and on the topic of digital literacy.

Currently, he is a Commissioner at PT. Nusa Aksara Teknologi, which aims to help Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in ASEAN engage in sustainability initiatives through digital technology. He is also a Country Representative for Indonesia at Sustainable Living Lab, a sustainability consultancy that strategises and implements innovation and technology to address the core needs of the 3P (Public, Private, and People) sectors.

Antony was appointed as the General Secretary of the Indonesia Artificial Intelligence Society, Permanent Committee of KADIN Sumatera Utara (Chamber of Commerce of North Sumatra) and was the chapter president of Junior Chamber International and Lions Club in Medan.

Firdha is the Assistant to the Economic Advisor to the President, Cabinet Secretariat, Republic of Indonesia. She leads and monitors national policy
programmes mandated by the President, such as a pivotal national initiative aimed at eradicating extreme poverty in Indonesia, to reduce it to zero percent.

Beyond her work, she volunteers and plays a key role in launching the Subsidised Home Ownership for Teachers programme.

Firdha graduated with a Master’s Degree from the University of Leeds, United Kingdom. She was part of Temasek Foundation – Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy (TF-LKYSPP) Southeast Asia Next-Gen Leaders Programme and was selected as a Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Fellow for the 2023 Public Policy Course in Vietnam.

Laksamana is the Co-founder and COO of Siklus, a clean-tech company focusing on decarbonising the retail industry by tackling the nexus of poverty and plastic waste in Indonesia through mobile delivery refill stations.

He was the Technical Advisor for Yogyakarta International Airport and supported the engineering management of the 1st tsunami-resistant airport in Indonesia.

With a heart to alleviate poverty through sustainable innovations, Laksamana co-founded Rise-Up Lab, a non-profit organisation which provided innovative sustainable energy solutions to the outermost regions in Indonesia.

He was a delegate for Y20 India 2023 and Villars Summit 2023. He graduated from University College London with a Master of Science degree.

Bayu is committed to making a positive impact on society, and is the Founder and CEO of Komerce, a tech startup in Central Java that aims to reduce unemployment by providing job opportunities and e-commerce skills training for rural youths. Komerce was featured on Forbes and is backed by Achmad Zaky, Founder of Indonesian Unicorn, Bukalapak.

He manages more than 100 full-time employees, conducts e-commerce skills training for 1,300 rural youths, and provides more than 500 job opportunities for them. Komerce has a vision to become an end-to-end e-commerce enabler for Indonesian SMEs.

He has received notable awards such as being the top innovator of the World Economic Forum and an impact award by Impact Collective Asia Pacific. He participated in the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) and was featured on Tatler’s Gen.T List Leaders of Tomorrow.

Ophakorn (Jim) is the Founder and Project Director of XM Technovator, a social enterprise specialising in digital transformation consultancy and youth development in tech-entrepreneurship skills.

Through his passion for technology, Ophakorn established multiple platforms such as Xiang Miang Lab, a youth digital talent community, and Makerbox Lao, a makerspace to empower young people to develop entrepreneurial mindsets and build innovative STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) projects for the community. He believes in the importance of creating a collaborative ecosystem and aspires to drive digital transformation in Laos to bring about positive change in the society.

He is an alumnus of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) and participated as a judge at the ASEAN Data Science 2022.

Souksaveuy is the Founder of Zero Waste Laos, a youth-led organisation that aims to reduce waste and promote sustainable living in Laos. She leads initiatives that raise awareness about waste reduction and management, as well as climate action, and implements practical solutions that promote a circular economy and zero-waste practices in Laos.

With a passion for the environment, Souksaveuy is involved in advocacy efforts to influence policy and regulations that support sustainable waste management practices in Laos. She has also established partnerships across government sectors, development partners, and private sectors.

Souksaveuy was awarded Women of The Future of Southeast Asia in 2022, in the ESG category.

Souliyo is a visionary entrepreneur who has reshaped Laos’ transportation landscape through his startup, LOCA. LOCA is Laos’ largest ride-hailing and
taxi company, with a fleet of over 700 cars and more than 100,000 users on its application. The company has continued to innovate, adding lifestyle features to its application such as Electronic Vehicle (EV) financing, EV Fast Charging and its own e-wallet, LOCA Pay. LOCA was featured in Forbes Asia 100 to Watch.

To date, Souliyo has empowered over 850 individuals by providing them with meaningful employment. His innovative strides have garnered him accolades like the ASEAN Business Award and Forbes Asia’s 100 to Watch list.

Wei Quan (Ryan) is currently a Government Affairs Specialist at Robert Bosch (South East Asia), where he develops advocacy strategies and collaborates with varied stakeholders to enable strong business development in the region. With a keen interest in the nexus between Governments, societies, and technology, he holds six years of experience in public policy research, development, and advocacy.

He was selected as one of two Malaysia representatives to the ASEAN Youth Advisory Group of the ASEAN Digital Literacy Programme and was also a Perdana Fellow to the Chief Secretary to the Government in 2015. Ryan graduated with a Master’s in Public Policy at the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy and a Bachelor of Laws at Cardiff University.

Darren is the Senior Research Officer to Yang Amat Berhormat (YAB) Menteri Besar Johor. Over the past five years, he has actively contributed to Johor’s youth community. He is also an Executive Committee member of the Johor Youth Council, where he contributes to policy making aimed at empowering youths.

Darren is passionate about community service and dedicated to shaping effective policies. He previously served as a Special Officer to then-Johor State Executive Councillor for Tourism, Youth, and Sports, Onn Hafiz Ghazi, from 2020 to 2022. During this time, he was the point-person on youth-related issues and was instrumental in the development of the Johor state Government’s strategies to engage the youth.

Eunice is the Employer Branding and Engagement Lead at Setel, where she shapes and nurtures the company’s employer brand within the Human Resource team. She is a dedicated professional with over a decade of corporate experience.

She is also the Co-founder & Chief Operating Officer of MalaysianPAYGAP, a movement advocating for wage transparency, an initiative launched to raise awareness about Malaysia’s existing pay disparities. She is passionate about economic equity and views her work with MalaysianPAYGAP as a critical part of her broader commitment to social justice.

Eunice graduated with a Master of Arts in Management Studies and Master of Business Administration from the University of Hertfordshire and INTI International University.

Qyira is the Co-founder and Education Director of #Undi18. #Undi18 is a non-profit organisation that actively engages politicians on all sides of the political divide to promote a youth-centric agenda and democratic reforms. It successfully reduced the minimum voting age in Malaysia from 21 to 18 years old.

Qyira is an active representative of youth voices and frequently engages in policy dialogue with elected officials, policymakers, and international organisations. She was nominated by the U.S. Embassy in Kuala Lumpur for the International Woman of Courage Award and was listed in Forbes 30 Under 30 for her work in social impact. She was also a delegate at the Future Leaders Invitation Programme and had represented Malaysia as a youth delegate in the International Youth Leadership Programme.

Ei Mon is the Co-founder of Teachers Empower Teachers - Myanmar and a teacher trainer at Mote Oo Education. As an esteemed educator and facilitator, she actively designs and conducts numerous professional development trainings focusing on various areas such as educational technology integration, teaching methodologies, and facilitation skills.

Additionally, Ei Mon plays a significant role in advancing civic education initiatives, nurturing active citizenship, and promoting community engagement. She is connected with educators and young leaders from Myanmar’s non-formal education sectors.

In 2018, she was selected to participate in the YSEALI fellowship program on civic engagement in Nebraska, Omaha. With her dedication to education and civic engagement, she continues to contribute significantly to the growth and development of Myanmar’s educational landscape and societal well-being.

Phyo Su Moe is a dedicated advocate for mental wellness and inclusion in Myanmar, and a student at Parami University. As an Associate Director of mental health services, she has been instrumental in providing essential emotional wellness services and training to diverse communities. Her establishment of Inclusion Journey showcases her commitment to empowering youth with disabilities through peer engagement and arts-based activities.

With over a decade in developmental and intellectual disabilities societies, Phyo Su Moe was a personal assistant and event coordinator which provided her with valuable insights into the challenges faced by youths with disabilities.

Currently pursuing Philosophy, Politics, and Economics, she aims to establish a social enterprise that enables intellectually disabled youths to explore creative fields through empathy and resilience.

Phyo Su Moe was a finalist in Falling Wall Lab Myanmar 2022, Symposium Accelerating Science, Technology and Circular Innovation in Southeast Asia and a fellow of the 2020 YSEALI Academic Fellowship. She represented Myanmar at the 22nd Session of UNCRPD in Geneva, Switzerland, and her participation in ChangemakerXChange in Singapore in 2019 further fuels her drive to promote inclusion and create positive change for disabled youth.

Tin Htar has been an active shaper since 2020 and is currently an outgoing curator of Global Shapers Community Yangon Hub. She worked on youth mentorship projects and led a fundraising project to support vocational training to refugee children from civil war regions. Tin Htar is also an active mentor in mentorship programmes of Wedu and SHEOwner Business Mentorship, which are focused on empowering Myanmar women to develop their personal and professional skills.

Besides her social voluntary work, Tin Htar is a full-time Senior Brand Manager from Unilever Myanmar with over 7 years of Brand Marketing experience, handling several beauty & personal care brands. She also provides pro bono business and marketing consultation to small startups in Yangon to scale up and structure their operations effectively.

Banjo has held multiple leadership positions, and is the youngest elected city councilor, currently in his 13th year in the public sector. He was also Barangay Councilor from 2018 to 2022, President of Youth for Peace from 2012 to 2013, and Vice President of San Jose City SK Federation from 2010 to 2013.

Banjo is involved in various non-government organisations. He is a volunteer life coach to many youths and has also been invited on many occasions as an inspirational speaker. Multi-talented, he is also an events coordinator, host, and singer. He wants to inspire the simple and the ordinary, and the not-so-rich young persons that their dreams are valid and that with the right opportunities, they can also maximise their potential and fulfil it.

Cris is an advocate of sustainability in fashion and empowering women artisans. She is the Founder and Creative Director of The Brave Story, a social enterprise that reduces textile waste and gives livelihood opportunities to local artisans.

During her years in the garment industry, Cris was invited to talk about her experiences in public forums and has volunteered to share her knowledge in community workshops.

She is also a contributing writer at Globe Telecom’s Go! Magazine, where she writes essays and articles on mindfulness, sustainability, pop culture and travel, as well as lists that promote local small businesses and creators.

Cris graduated with Honors from the University of the Philippines and represented her country as a Young Southeast Asian Leadership Initiative Professional Fellow 2023.

Ralph oversees enterprises across diverse sectors, including food, pharmaceuticals, real estate, and construction. He is the Chairman and President of Immuni Global Incorporated, a food, beverage, and pharmaceutical company dedicated to improving lives through natural healthcare solutions.

Concurrently, he is the Executive Vice President and Managing Director of Shireli Manufacturing Company and Executive Vice President and General Manager of Extensive Industries Corporation. These companies improve the quality of lives of Filipinos through health remedies and increased accessibility to mosquito-borne disease prevention resources.

He also holds multiple leadership positions in real estate and construction as Executive Vice President and General Manager in DG3 and as Chief Finance Officer in New Leyte Ever Hardware Company Inc.

His leadership has been acknowledged through prestigious recognitions, including the Global Filipino Executive of the Year Award from PwC Philippines and PLDT Enterprise at the Asia CEO Awards 2022.

Amalina is a product policy manager, responsible for crafting policies that keep users safe on TikTok. Prior to this, she was with S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS) as a counter terrorism expert advising various government agencies, and policymakers.

Outside of work, Amalina holds various leadership positions. She is the Vice- President of MENDAKI Club where she leads a group of volunteers to roll out community-wide programs focused on supporting youths’ career aspirations. Recently, Amalina has been appointed as the youngest Board Of Governors to the Board Of Governors of the Singapore International Foundation (SIF). Due to her active volunteerism in career readiness and youth empowerment, especially in inspiring young girls and women, Amalina is recognised as SG 100 Women in Tech 2023.

Yee Keow is a paediatrician from Singapore and is the Director of Division of Community Family and Child Health. She has also been the Mentor and Chief Organiser for Neighbourhood Health Service for Kids since 2018.

Yee Keow was awarded the Ministry of Social and Family Development Community Cares Award in 2019 as well as the Lee Hsien Loong Outstanding All-rounder Award in 2013.

Yee Keow is passionate about paediatric public health and acute emergencies, and hopes to improve the health and well-being of children and their families in Singapore, and in ASEAN countries. In her free time, she enjoys watching stand-up comedies and reading.

Delane has an unconventional career; from industrial design, co-founding an award-winning technology startup (Novelsys), to leading collaborative projects between industry and academia/research (Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD)-Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) International Design Centre (IDC), MIT Urban Risk Lab).

She also manages an innovation lab and facilitates high value conversations about technology and business for Chief level/Chief-1 executives of MNCs to design strategy, business launch and development at a regional level for KPMG and Johnson & Johnson.

Delane is currently the head of business development, partnership and pre-chain education efforts for Blocknative (Series A1) in the APAC region and volunteers her time as a mentor and design thinking facilitator to various programmes and projects.

Khairul (Khai), a Registered Psychologist in Australia and Singapore, specialises in Industrial and Organisational Psychology. He is a Senior Consultant in Change Management at Kantar Public, advising public and people sector organisations on change management, organisation development, and public engagement.

Khai also teaches the Master of Industrial Psychology programme at the
Singapore University of Social Sciences. He employs a collaborative approach, co-designing solutions aligned with client needs. Dedicated to evidence-based practice, he integrates the latest research. He is currently a Panel ofAdvisers to the Youth Court, Advisory Committee Member for both Youth Corps Singapore (YCS) and National Youth Fund (NYF), and the Chief Curator of Young ChangeMakers (YCM) grant.

Kah How is currently with the HealthTech team with Open Government Products (OGP) which supported the rollout of a patient care/case management system for medical social workers to all Public Healthcare Institutions in Singapore.

Before OGP, Kah How founded a GSV Top 200 EduTech Startup on a pro bono basis. He also started CareerContact, a ground-up initiative which aims to assist pre-university students in developing future-ready skills by pairing them with enterprises in Southeast Asia.

Kah How’s interest in Southeast Asia deepened when he worked as an investment analyst in venture capital in Jakarta as well as the Asian Development Bank (ADB) in Manila. He taught Economics for 4 years at Raffles Institution. He is currently working on String, a tech ecosystem builder focused on educators based in Singapore to increase exposure to tech and industry development for teachers and eventually students.

Preston is the CEO and Co-founder of Treatsure, Singapore’s leading app company offering surplus food from hotels and grocers, as well as sustainability events and experiences. He is also adjunct faculty for Sustainability Law at Singapore Management University (SMU) Law and Yale-NUS College.

In 2023, Preston was conferred the inaugural Impact Leader of the Year Award at the UOB-Business Times (BT) Sustainability Impact Awards 2023, a year after he was presented the National Environment Agency (NEA) EcoFriend Awards.

A graduate of National University of Singapore (NUS) Law and NUS Business, and a current Master of Environmental Management candidate, Preston has been featured in various media and conferences for his sustainability perspectives.

Sherman is the Co-founder of Happiness Initiative, a research-based social enterprise focused on accessible well-being skills. He leads the marketing and product development teams in the Happiness Initiative, bringing innovative ideas and products to life — such as the Happiness Film Festival, Let’s Unpack This card game and the Well-being Journal.

Sherman also sits on the steering committee of the SG Mental Well-being Network, a national committee which aims to build caring and inclusive communities in Singapore. In 2023, he also worked with the Singapore Kindness Movement to organise the Singapore Kindness Conference.

Harun is Consultant Psychiatrist and Medical Director of The Starfish Clinic of Psychiatry & Mental Wellness. He was recently appointed as a Nominated Member of the 14th Parliament of Singapore and is a council member of the National Youth Council (NYC). He is also the President of the Lembaga Biasiswa Kenangan Maulud, a 58 year old charity that supports educational bursaries and scholarships for students in need.

Currently, he is the Vice Chairperson of the Review Committee (Welfare Homes) under the Ministry of Social and Family Development, where he helps chair and guide case management discussions on psychiatric cases within the Homes relating to destitute persons.

He was voted as Most Inspiring Story as one of the 15 finalists of the Singapore Youth Award in 2019, and was part of the National Council of Social Services (NCSS) inaugural batch of 40-Under-40 promising leaders of the social services sector.

Ilyna is a Management Consultant and the Curator of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Community (Singapore Hub). Identifying strongly as a Global Citizen, she is committed to driving multisectoral and intergenerational partnerships to create positive impact in the global community. Her work largely involves topics related to sustainable production and consumption, hybrid security, international diplomacy/cooperation, youth empowerment, fair education and employment opportunities, and the digital economy.

Ilyna has rich experience in leading youth delegacy work and moderating discussions at various international conferences, including the UN Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty Conference and EU-ASEAN Youth Summit. She also serves as an active alumna within youth networks like the Asia-Europe Foundation (ASEF), Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI), and Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN) Youth.

Yuvan is a seasoned professional with almost a decade of experience bridging the worlds of business and government. He currently serves as a Public Policy and Government Relations country head in a technology company. Previously, he was a policy manager at the Economic Development Board (EDB) and has held various roles in risk, audit, and finance at Citibank.

Yuvan’s dedication extends beyond his professional pursuits, as he is deeply committed to nurturing youth leaders. He has invested nearly 20 years in developing their leadership abilities. Yuvan is currently a council member with National Youth Council (NYC), Families For Life (FFL) and Social Development Network (SDN). In addition he is an advisory committee member with Youth Corps Singapore (YCS), and chairperson of SINDA Youth Club (SYC). In recognition of his remarkable dedication, he received the Silent Heroes Award for Most Inspiring Youth in 2018 and was selected for the National Council of Social Services (NCSS) 40-Under-40 programme in 2021.

Ittikorn (Dhong) is the circular economy officer at JAIKLA, a pet food brand that aims to bring sustainability into the pet economy.

Inspired by the issues surrounding food surplus and food crisis, he sees an opportunity to upcycle discarded nutrients using insect larvaes and converts
them into high quality insect protein which acts as a protein source for pet products.

He is also recognized as the leader of tomorrow 2023 by Tatler Gen.T.

Sorrawut is an experienced leader driving entrepreneurship and social impact. He is the Director of Partner Relations at Thammasat University’s startup accelerator and the former Managing Director of Alumni Relations.

Sorrawut is the CEO of HandUp Network, empowering social organisations, and the Co-founder of Reviv, promoting sustainable lifestyles. He is an accomplished speaker on volunteering and capacity building in the social sector.

Sorrawut is an ex-Curator of Global Shapers Community, which fosters local solutions, and is committed to creating positive change through innovative
initiatives and community collaboration.