OUR
PEOPLE
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Core Team
Tan E Hun
Executive Director
E Hun joined REFSA in pursuit of contributing towards Malaysia’s nation building agenda. She has been leading the team to identify universal issues that Malaysians care about, and to transform ideas into policies that make an impact.
E Hun spent more than a decade working in the private sector both as a practitioner and in the industry. She was a mergers and acquisitions tax consultant in London with a leading international professional services firm where she served a wide ranging portfolio of international clients from various industries. She later worked in the property development industry focusing on business development and sales.
E Hun holds a Law degree from the University of Leeds, UK and a Master’s degree in Management with Finance from the University of Bath, UK. She is also a Fellow Chartered Accountant with the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales.
Ivy Kwek Ai Wei
Research Director
Ivy joined REFSA as she believes in changing the society and instilling good governance by promoting inclusive and sustainable policy agendas. Prior to this, she was the Special Functions Officer to the Deputy Minister of Defence of Malaysia, Sen. Liew Chin Tong, in which she advises the Deputy Minister on policy matters and was involved in the drafting of the first Malaysian Defence White Paper. She has wide experience working in various policy advisory and governmental affairs roles for international organizations, including the United Nations Development Programme, the International Committee of the Red Cross, and in the diplomatic circle.
Ivy holds a MA in International Studies and Diplomacy from SOAS, University of London and a BSc (Hons) in Life Sciences from University of Malaya. She is also an alumna of the Young Southeast Asian Leaders Initiative (YSEALI) Professional Fellows Program by the US Department of State.
Raja Ahmad Iskandar Fareez
Communications Director
Iskandar brings in over 6 years experience in the media and communications industry specialising in public relations and strategic communications with a brief stint in the financial services sector. He joins REFSA as he believes that good public policy-making plays an instrumental role in shaping the lives of every citizen, especially the vulnerable and underserved communities. While he has a wide-ranging interest in various issues and policies, he is particularly passionate about the areas of information and media literacy as well as social mobility.
Iskandar holds a Bachelor Degree in Economics from the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra.
Darshan Joshi
Lead Researcher
Darshan holds a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from the University of New South Wales, and a Master’s degree in Public Policy from the University of Chicago. He believes that comprehensive and transparent data is a crucial component of the advancement of policymaking, and that think-tanks such as REFSA can play an important role pushing for progressive and forward-thinking legislation in Malaysia. While he maintains an interest in a wide range of public policy issues, his passion lies in the analyses of energy and environmental issues, viewing climate change as one of the most significant problems to face contemporary society.
Fakhrurrazi Rashid
Research Coordinator
Fakhrurrazi believes in the need for REFSA as a think tank to enhance policy debates. He believes that policy discourses in Malaysia needs to be backed by rigorous evidence-based research. He graduated from Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (UNIMAS) with a Bachelor’s in Politics and Government Studies, where he specialised in parliamentary studies and public policy. His main research interests are urbanization, political economy, and institutional reforms.
Raymond Kwan Say Hong
Researcher
Raymond graduated from Taiwan’s Shih Hsin University with Bachelor’s degree in journalism, and is a former investigative journalist of a Malaysian national newspaper. He is interested in socio-political issues and public policy. As an experienced journalist, he is able to carry out policy research in both quantitative (survey and data analysis) and qualitative (in-depth interview and focus group) approaches.
Raymond is also actively involved in various NGOs that work on youth development and community building. In April 2019, he was appointed as a chairperson of Penggerak Belia Tempatan in Kajang Municipal Council (MPKj) by the Selangor State Government.
Nik Mohamed Rashid Nik Zurin
Researcher
Nik Mohamed Rashid bin Nik Zurin is a Masters in International Affairs graduate from The Bush School of Government and Public Service, United States, specializing in East Asian Security, Institutions, and International Development. He previously served as Perdana Fellow to the Defence Minister of Malaysia, and Special Officer to the Deputy Defence Minister.
His current research interests are mainly in national security and military affairs.
Advisory Team
Chairman of Board of Trustees
YB Liew Chin Tong is the Chairman of REFSA since 2012, and currently serves as a board member of Penang Institute. He was the Executive Director of REFSA from 2007-2011. He was also the Executive Director of Penang Institute (previously Socio-Economic and Environmental Research Institute, SERI) from 2009-2012, and was formerly a Visiting Research Fellow at the Institute of Southeast Asian Studies (ISEAS), Singapore.
He has published numerous books and prominent academic journals focusing on political and socio-economic issues of the nation.
He is the current Deputy Defence Minister of Malaysia, appointed on 17 July 2018 after being sworn in as a Senator. He was first elected Member of Parliament for Bukit Bendera (2008-2013), and was subsequently the Member of Parliament for Kluang (2013-2018).
YB Liew graduated with a degree in Political Science and an honours degree in Asian Studies from the Australian National University, and holds an International Masters in Regional Integration from the Asia-Europe Institute, University of Malaya.
Frederik Paulus
Advisor, Economics and Finance
Frederik has a 20-year career in financial services, with a specialisation in risk management and compliance. He is well-versed in financial services regulation, from capital and balance sheet management to financial crime compliance, and how banks’ strategies need to adapt to this regulatory landscape. Further afield, he is fascinated by the interplay between policy-making and the real economy, as well as the social and political ramifications. Frederik writes a weekly newsletter focused on the intersection of economics, finance and technology, with a particular focus on privacy and tech regulation. He holds a Masters in Economics from the University of Antwerp and a Masters in Finance from London Business School.