Curriculum vitae
Principal Data Scientist, EPF, Google Developer Expert in AI, AWS Community Builder, HRDC Accredited Trainer, MBOT Professional Technologist (IT).
Summary
Principal Data Scientist at the Employees Provident Fund (EPF), Malaysia, since September 2026. Previously Section Lead for Data & Analytics (Data Engineering) at Roche Services (Asia Pacific), leading data engineers and data scientists across multiple Roche business units.
Google Developer Expert (GDE) in Machine Learning, AWS Community Builder in Machine Learning, HRDC Accredited Trainer, and MBOT Professional Technologist (Information Technology). Earlier roles include Senior Manager Data Science at BAT, Principal ML Engineer at ADA, Senior Data Scientist at ADAX, and Senior Lecturer and Deputy Dean (R&D) at Multimedia University (2001–2016).
Fluent in English, Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese, and Japanese. Ph.D. from Nagoya Institute of Technology, Japan, as a Japanese Government Monbukagakusho Scholar.
Industry experience
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Sep 2026 – Present
Principal Data Scientist
Employees Provident Fund (EPF), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Sep 2024 – May 2026
Section Lead: Data & Analytics (Data Engineering)
Roche Services (Asia Pacific) Sdn Bhd, Subang Jaya, Malaysia
Led a team of data engineers and data scientists delivering scalable data solutions. Drove design, development, and maintenance of data pipelines (ETL), data architecture, security, governance, and CI/CD best practices. Enabled advanced analytics including ML, predictive analytics, and BI across multiple business units.
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Jun 2024 – Sep 2024
Head of Data Strategy
Accuyield Sdn Bhd, Malaysia
Designed and implemented an enterprise data strategy roadmap, established data governance frameworks, built scalable data architectures (Apache Spark, Hadoop, AWS), developed Power BI dashboards, and implemented ML models for predictive analytics and football gaming prediction.
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Mar 2021 – Apr 2024
Senior Manager, Data Science, Data Science COE (RGM)
British American Tobacco (BAT) Malaysia, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Led a team of Data Scientists, Analysts, Engineers, and ML Engineers delivering Revenue Growth Management (RGM) solutions across European markets. Delivered 4 RGM solution levers: Assortment, Promotion, Pricing, and Trade Consumer Investment (TCI). Projects include Promotion Attribution Model (Switzerland), Assortment Optimisation Tool (Romania, Malaysia), Pricing Dashboard (Romania, Ukraine, New Zealand), and Pricing Simulator (New Zealand).
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2017 – 2023
Co-Founder & CEO
Coqnitics Sdn Bhd, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Co-founded and led an AI consultancy delivering machine learning and AI solutions to enterprise clients including Dell, MIMOS, and MAGIC.
Managed a team of AI engineers end-to-end: hiring, project delivery, technical architecture, and quality assurance.
Drove all business development activities, from client acquisition and proposal writing to contract negotiation and partnership building.
Selected as Top 10 in the inaugural Selangor Accelerator Program (SAP), earning an international roadshow to Shanghai, Hangzhou, and Beijing.
Pitched to major Chinese tech companies and accelerators including Alibaba, JD.com, and China Accelerator during the SAP China immersion program.
Built the company from inception, establishing delivery processes, pricing models, and go-to-market strategy for AI/ML consulting services.
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Apr 2018 – Sep 2020
Principal Machine Learning Engineer
Advertising Data Analytics (ADA), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Joined the founding team to incubate the machine learning practice, bringing together Big Data, Cloud, and ML/Analytics. Key deliverables: Deep Learning model for Facebook Image Ads CTR Prediction; Customer Segmentation and Personas from Mobile Apps Usage; CLTV Prediction for BIMA Cambodia; MMM POC for ClassPass Singapore; Customer Credit Score models for Akulaku and Adira Finance Indonesia; Media Attribution Model for FWD Thailand.
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May 2017 – Mar 2018
Senior Data Scientist / Head of Training
ASEAN Data Analytics Exchange (ADAX), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Trained 2 cohorts of the Enterprise Data Scientist (EDS) programme (42 days each) for Celcom, Pos Malaysia, TheStar, UMobile, Axiata, and Exabytes. Curriculum covered Python, ML, Statistics, Visualization, NoSQL, NLP, and Hadoop. Developed training material for the Data Star graduate programme and provided consultancy to Data Science projects with MDEC.
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Oct 2016 – Apr 2017
Senior Manager, Data Science
Nielsen Malaysia, Petaling Jaya, Malaysia
Attached to the Watch Department supporting TV, Radio, and Print media analysis. Developed customer segmentations and personas for TV viewers (Astro and Non-Astro) and print media readers across Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, and New Zealand. Conducted Factor Analysis, converted SAS analytical models to R, and assisted with Nielsen Digital Media Platform deployment in Japan.
Academic experience
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Nov 2014 – Feb 2016
Deputy Dean, Research & Development
Multimedia University, Faculty of Computing and Informatics, Cyberjaya, Malaysia
Developed workshops and programmes to drive research progress among postgraduate students, assisted in obtaining research grants, and bridged research collaborations between industry and academics.
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May 2014 – Sep 2016
Senior Lecturer
Multimedia University, Faculty of Computing and Informatics, Cyberjaya, Malaysia
Conducted lectures and research activities; supervised postgraduate students.
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Apr 2001 – Apr 2014
Lecturer
Multimedia University, Faculty of Computing and Informatics, Cyberjaya, Malaysia
Conducted lectures and research activities; supervised postgraduate students.
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1999 – 2001
Lecturer / Marketing Executive
PERNAS Hotel School, Malaysia
Responsibilities in lectures, general marketing including road shows, exhibitions, and LAN subject accreditations.
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1997 – 1999
Lecturer / Marketing Executive
Flamingo Institute of Further Education, Malaysia
Responsibilities in lectures, general marketing including road shows and exhibitions.
Advisory and examiner roles
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Dec 2025 – Present
External Industry Advisor
Quest International University (QIU), Remote
Industry Advisor for the Bachelor of Computer Science (Hons) programme, ensuring the curriculum remains relevant, future-ready, and aligned with evolving technology and workforce demands.
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Oct 2025 – Present
External Examiner Panel
Universiti Pertahanan Nasional Malaysia
Member of the External Examiner Panel for the Bachelor of Operations Research with Data Science programme, contributing independent academic and industry oversight to ensure programme quality and rigor.
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Jul 2025 – Present
Member of the Board of Studies
Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman (UTAR)
Board of Studies member for the Master in Artificial Intelligence (ODL Mode) programme. Reviewing curriculum design, programme structure, and learning outcomes to reflect current advancements in AI, data science, and digital technologies.
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Apr 2025 – Present
Industry Advisory Panel (IAP)
MAHSA University
IAP member for the Bachelor of Information Technology (Hons) programme. Contributing industry insights on digital transformation, data & AI trends, and industry-ready skill development.
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May 2016 – Jul 2024
Industry Expert Advisory Panel (IEAP)
Tunku Abdul Rahman University College (TAR UC), Greater Kuala Lumpur
IEAP member for the Bachelor of Computer Science (Hons) in Data Science programme.
Education
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Apr 2008
Ph.D. in Computer Science
Nagoya Institute of Technology, Nagoya, Japan
Japanese Government Monbukagakusho Scholar. Thesis: "Peer-to-Peer Live Media Streaming: Design and Implementation."
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Jul 2001
Master in Information Technology
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi, Malaysia
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Jul 1997
Bachelor of Science
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM), Bangi, Malaysia
Community roles
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2018 – Present
Google Developer Expert (GDE) in AI & Cloud AI
Google
Recognized expert contributing to the developer ecosystem through talks, workshops, and content creation on AI/ML topics.
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2022 – Present
AWS Community Builder, Machine Learning
Amazon Web Services
Sharing expertise on AWS ML services, participating in beta programs, and contributing to the community through blog posts and events.
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Nov 2025 – Present
UG Leader
AWS User Group AI/ML Kuala Lumpur
Leading the AWS User Group focused on AI/ML in Kuala Lumpur, bringing together practitioners, engineers, and enthusiasts to share knowledge on AWS AI/ML services and real-world applications.
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2018 – Present
Organizer & Speaker
Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning Malaysia (AIML.MY)
Co-organizing meetups, workshops, and study jams focused on AI/ML in Malaysia.
Technical skills
- Languages & frameworks
- Cloud & MLOps
- AI & LLMs
Selected talks and media
Speaker at PyCon Malaysia 2019 (keynote), TEDx UTAR, AWS Summit ASEAN, Google I/O Extended, Google Cloud Next Extended and many GDG and AWS community events. See all 88 talks.
- Astro Awani, Dialog Tiga Penjuru, "ChatGPT vs Bard: Hilang Kerja? Malas Fikir?" (Feb 2023)
- TEDx UTAR, Speaker
- PyCon Malaysia 2019, Keynote speaker
Honours and awards
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2016
1st Runner Up, MDEC National Big App Challenge 3.0
With Magzhan Kairanbay, Juv Chan, Kok Chon Hooi, and Jason Wee.
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2016
2nd Prize, Big Data Challenge, AngelHack 2016 Kuala Lumpur
With Magzhan Kairanbay, Juv Chan, Kok Chon Hooi, and Jason Wee.
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2015
Merit Award, MSC Malaysia APICTA 2015
Project: Multi-camera Autonomous Car Park Detection System using Low Powered Raspberry Pi.
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2015
Silver Award, 26th International Invention & Innovation Exhibition (ITEX 2015)
Project: Multi-camera Autonomous Car Park Detection System using Low Powered Raspberry Pi. Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, May 2015.
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2013
Bronze Award, PECIPTA 2013 (International Conference and Exposition on Inventions by IHL)
Project: Auto Tweeting Car Park Space Availability. Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre, Nov 2013.
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2007
Best Paper Award, International Conference on Internet and Multimedia Technologies 2007
"A Super-Peer based P2P Live Media Streaming System." Berkeley, San Francisco, USA. IAENG Publication, pp.639–647.
Languages
English, Bahasa Malaysia, Chinese, Japanese
Professional memberships
- HRDC Accredited Trainer
- Professional Technologist (Information Technology), Malaysia Board of Technologists (MBOT)
- Member, Institute of Electronics, Information and Communication Engineers (IEICE)
- Member, Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE)
- Member, Association for Computing Machinery (ACM)