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PEOPLE

Core Team

Tan E Hun
Executive Director

E Hun pursues her interest in public policy through leading REFSA, a think tank that promotes social advancement in Malaysia. Together with the team, she is at the forefront of engaging with new, progressive ideas to reshape our economic and social policies and foster an equitable society.

Through her role, she focuses on developing and delivering policy, and in empowering local communities and the wider public. She commonly works with key stakeholders including parliamentarians, ministries, government agencies and civil society organisations to shape public policy discourse, and frequently participates in various focus groups, working committees and roundtable discussions.

Prior to joining REFSA, E Hun spent more than a decade working in the private sector, which informed her approach and understanding of cross-sectoral collaboration between the public, private and non-profit sectors.  

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.
Li Lian Lim
Deputy Director

Li Lian has over 20 years experience in the fields of economics, finance and entrepreneurship in Hong Kong and Malaysia. She combines a first-hand understanding of how business cycles, government policies and planning on the macro-level affect businesses and society on a micro level. Her work has involved research and macro-economic analysis of the economies of Greater China and South East Asia with implications for financial market and business investment decision-making. Her interests are in sustainable development and green growth at city, national and regional levels. She has a BSc Economics from London School of Economics.

Advisory Team

YB Liew Chin Tong
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.

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.

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