Judges

MTMA2021 will be judged by an esteemed panel of industry leaders and experts. The well-established judging panel will be unlike no other, as each judges is an expert in their own areas.

Mohd Daud Mohd Arif

(MHTC Chief Judge)

Mr. Mohd Daud Mohd Arif took office as the Chief Executive Officer of Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) on 5 April 2021. Previously, he served as the Senior Director of Tourism Policy and International Affairs Division at the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture Malaysia, and Lead Shepherd of the APEC Tourism Working Group. With 20 years of leadership, Mohd Daud brings a fresh perspective to Malaysia Healthcare’s growth, furthering the country’s vision to be the leading global healthcare destination.

Ms. Manminder Dhillon

(Head Judge)

Manminder Kaur Dhillon is the founder and CEO of Intelectasia and Supernewsroom, and the author of Public Relations for Startups, The Ultimate Playbook. With expertise in crisis communications, digital PR and media relations, she provides strategic consultancy services to billion-ringgit conglomerates, GLCs and the private sector. She is Malaysia’s top PR trainer, having trained hundreds of CEOs and public relations professionals locally and internationally.

Dr. Izzal Asnira Zolkepli

Dr. Izzal Asnira Zolkepli is a senior lecturer at Universiti Sains Malaysia. A recipient of the Malaysian Research Star Award (MRSA) by SCOPUS, she was recognised for her exceptional performance and contributions to the research field in Malaysia. She earned her doctorate in business studies from the University of Malaya, Malaysia with an emphasis on marketing, consumer and social media. She is now a full-fledged academic in the field of persuasive communication, with a focus on social media and audience engagement.

Haikel Fahim

Haikel Fahim is the Southeast Asia Region Head at Telum Media. He oversees the company’s operations across Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines and Thailand where they help to connect the needs of media organisations with stakeholders within the communications industry. Aside from his full-time role, Haikel also runs The Ironing Board Podcast where he discusses social issues with his guests, in hopes to create a more tolerant, inclusive, and kinder society. As a media and communications enthusiast, Haikel has worked in PR agencies across region, as well as in-house roles at global NGOs. His mission is to keep fostering good relations between media and PR consultants for improved outcomes for the wider media and communications industry.

Hanizah Hamzah

Hanizah Hamzah started her career in the broadcast industry since the Golden Age. She has been involved in a variety of projects and festivals – whether locally or internationally. Her career journey begun in RTM where she was a radio producer and TV presenter, soon progressively moved into her consultant role. Hanizah is currently the Head of Television at Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union since 2006, and she continues to play an influential role in its development and expansion. With this much of success in the broadcasting pool, she is currently looking for a new journalism voice that could positively impact the society and believes that this can be achieved through MTMA 2021.

Kiranjit Kaur

Kiranjit brings with her 35 years of experience as a professor and consultant in a large public university. She coaches individuals, helping them to recognize and develop their inner strengths to realise their full potential and aspirations in life. She assumed the natural role of life coach and counsellor to help people self-discover their talent, build their resilience, and move on to better opportunities. She strongly believes in her late father’s maxim that “with sound education and integrity, one stands second to none”. Her clientele includes young and middle-management executives, helping them address challenges faced in their career transition through self-discovery.

Shannon Teoh

Shannon Teoh has cut his teeth in print, web and wire agencies, covering everything from pop culture to politics, money to motoring in two decades of journalism. He took a one-year break from Malaysia news in 2009 after winning the Chevening scholarship to complete his postgraduate studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, focusing on political communication. After returning to Malaysia, he spent two years as an assistant news editor at The Malaysian Insider before moving on to become a local correspondent for Agence France-Presse and is now Malaysia Bureau Chief for The Straits Times. While the ability to string sentences together that make sense is crucial to journalism, he found that there's nothing more crucial in getting ahead in this field than resourcefulness in the face of seemingly unsurmountable obstacles.

Cristian Rahadiansyah

Cristian has worked as a journalist for 17 years, including 12 years as a travel journalist. During that period, he has written and edited 10 books, and is currently working on his 11th title —a biography of Joop Ave, regarded by many as the father of Indonesia’s tourism. In between reporting, Cristian regularly gives talks in various writer, photographer, and tourism forums. In 2019, he co-founded the Jakarta International Photo Festival (JIPFest). In the age of attention and information overload, Cristian sees the press carrying an even more crucial task, not only as the pillar of democracy, but also as society’s flashlight – highlighting the news that matters.

Keep an eye on this page for all updates on the judging panel for MTMA2021.

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