{"id":54,"date":"2017-01-15T16:45:30","date_gmt":"2017-01-15T16:45:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ieomsociety.org\/ieom2018\/?page_id=54"},"modified":"2026-08-27T18:35:06","modified_gmt":"2026-08-27T18:35:06","slug":"keynotes","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/ieomsociety.org\/malaysia2027\/keynotes\/","title":{"rendered":"Keynotes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Keynote Speakers
\n<\/span><\/strong><\/h1>\n
\n

Day 1<\/strong> – March 23, 2027<\/strong><\/h2>\n

10:00 – 10:30: Opening and Welcome Address – UTM<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n

10:30 – 11:30: Keynote I<\/p>\n

\"\"Dr. Chandra Anamirtham<\/strong>
\nSenior Vice President of Global Operations<\/strong>
\nWestern Digital
\nKuala Lumpur, Malaysia<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Dr. Chandra Anamirtham is Senior Vice President of Global Operations at Western Digital, where he provides leadership for global manufacturing and operations. He has more than two decades of experience in semiconductor and data-storage manufacturing, with senior leadership roles across the United States and Asia, including the Philippines, Thailand, China, and Malaysia. His expertise includes global operations, advanced manufacturing, operational excellence, supply chain, sustainability, and workforce development. He has also held senior leadership positions with HGST, a Western Digital company, and has served in industry leadership roles in the Philippines. In 2026, he was recognized as an ESG Visionary Leader at the Sustainability & CSR Malaysia Awards.<\/p>\n

\n

11:30 – 12:10: Keynote III<\/p>\n

\"\"Mohammad Afzal Alrabah Ayoub<\/strong>
\nHead of Manufacturing Engineering (Trim & Final)<\/strong>
\nProton<\/strong>
\nTanjong Malim, Perak, Malaysia<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Mohammad Afzal Alrabah Ayoub is a manufacturing engineering professional with more than 19 years of experience in the automotive industry. He currently serves as Head of Manufacturing Engineering (Trim & Final) at Proton, where he leads engineering strategy, production preparation, continuous improvement initiatives, and new model industrialization projects. He holds a Bachelor of Electrical and Electronic Engineering from Ehime University, Japan, and a Master of Science in Industrial Engineering from Universiti Teknologi Malaysia. His professional interests include manufacturing systems, production optimization, quality management, and automotive engineering.<\/p>\n

    \n
  • Professional Registration: Registered Engineer, Board of Engineers Malaysia (BEM)<\/li>\n
  • Key Expertise: Manufacturing Engineering, Production Management, Quality Systems, Lean Manufacturing, New Product Introduction, ISO 9001, VDA 6.3<\/li>\n
  • Professional Certifications: IRCA Lead Auditor ISO 9001\/ISO-TS 16949, Certified VDA 6.3 Internal Auditor, HRDF Trainer, SOIF Coach<\/li>\n
  • Languages: Malay, English, and Japanese<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
    \n

    12:10 – 13:00: Keynote II<\/p>\n

    \n

    Day 2<\/strong> – March 24, 2027<\/strong><\/h2>\n
    \n

    10:00 – 10:30: Keynote<\/p>\n

    \n

    10:30 – 11:00: Keynote<\/p>\n

    \"\"Dr. Wan Harun<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Dr. Wan Harun is an industrial engineer, corporate advisor, and transformation practitioner with over three decades of experience spanning manufacturing systems, business process re-engineering (BPR), and human capital development. He holds a PhD in Engineering Education and has served as an academic prior to transitioning into industry, where he has led transformation initiatives across multiple sectors including retail, operations, and organizational performance.<\/p>\n

    He is the originator of the Metanoia approach in corporate transformation \u2014 a disciplined shift in perception and decision-making that enables leaders to move beyond legacy thinking and respond effectively to decline, disruption, and complexity. His work integrates engineering principles with human insight (IQ, EQ, and SQ alignment) to restore clarity, rebuild leadership capability, and drive sustainable performance turnaround.<\/p>\n

    Dr. Wan Harun is currently advancing the concept of Professor-in-Practice as a bridge between academia and real-world transformation, focusing on redefining engineering education to develop not only competent problem-solvers, but adaptive system re-thinkers.<\/p>\n

    \n

    11:00 – 11:30: Keynote<\/p>\n

    \n

    11:30 – 12:00: Keynote<\/p>\n

    \n

    12:00 – 12:30: Keynote<\/p>\n

    \"\"Dr. Rechard Noor<\/strong>
    \nManaging Director, W-Tech Manufacturing and Fibretek Manufacturing<\/strong>
    \nGroup Managing Director, H&M Group<\/strong>
    \nResearch Associate, Nelson Mandela University<\/strong>
    \nChairperson, Community Chest of the Western Cape<\/strong>
    \nChairperson, Advisory Board Meeting, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Cape Peninsula University of Technology<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    Dr. Rechard Noor is a distinguished South African industrialist, academic, and community leader whose career spans over four decades of transformative leadership in the manufacturing and operations management sectors. He currently serves as Managing Director of W-Tech Manufacturing and Fibretek Manufacturing, and as Group Managing Director of the H&M Group\u2014an integrated portfolio of advanced manufacturing companies operating across composite materials, industrial coatings, and polymer technologies. Under his strategic stewardship, the Group has evolved from a struggling enterprise into a highly competitive and profitable industrial organisation.<\/p>\n

    Dr Noor holds a Doctor of Philosophy from Nelson Mandela University, where his research examined decentralised organisational systems, human capital development, radical transformation, and sustainability within advanced manufacturing environments. His scholarly contributions are anchored in bridging theory and practice\u2014linking strategic management and organisational innovation with the operational realities of industrial enterprises. His book, Radical Transformation and Sustainability for an Advanced Manufacturing Industry (2020), co-authored with Dr Oswald Franks, Prof Brink Botha, and Prof Bingwen Yan, has become a key reference in understanding transformative approaches to manufacturing resilience, human-centred leadership, and sustainable growth in emerging economies.<\/p>\n

    Over the years, Dr Noor has been instrumental in redefining leadership and operational excellence within South Africa\u2019s manufacturing landscape. His pioneering implementation of decentralised management systems and advanced human capital development models has consistently resulted in improved productivity, workforce empowerment, and long-term organisational sustainability. His work exemplifies how engineering management principles can be strategically aligned with social innovation to foster inclusive industrial growth.<\/p>\n

    Within academia, Dr Noor serves as a Research Associate at Nelson Mandela University, contributing to studies in industrial transformation and sustainable operations management. He also holds prominent governance and advisory positions at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology, where he chairs the Advisory Board in Operations Management and Industrial Engineering. In these capacities, he plays a crucial role in strengthening the interface between industry and higher education, ensuring that academic programmes remain responsive to the evolving needs of the manufacturing and operations sectors.<\/p>\n

    Beyond academia and industry, Dr Noor has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to community development and ethical leadership. As Chairperson of the Community Chest of the Western Cape and Chairperson of the Electronic Recycling Association of South Africa, he advocates for corporate citizenship, sustainability, and environmental responsibility. His leadership extends to various non-profit and sports organisations, reflecting his holistic view of leadership as a vehicle for social transformation.<\/p>\n

    Dr Noor\u2019s thought leadership has been featured on major media platforms including ENCA, Heart FM, Good Hope FM, and KFM, where he has shared insights on sustainability, governance, and energy efficiency. His professional journey\u2014from an apprentice fitter and turner at Murray & Roberts Engineering to the helm of a major industrial group\u2014embodies resilience, continuous learning, and visionary leadership.<\/p>\n

    Guided by his enduring philosophy that \u201ctrue transformation is not about politics or power\u2014it is about unlocking human potential and building organisations and societies that are ethical, sustainable, and people-centred,\u201d Dr Rechard Noor continues to inspire the next generation of engineers, entrepreneurs, and community builders across Africa and beyond.<\/p>\n

    \n

    12:30 – 13:00: Keynote<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

    \n

    Day 3 – March 25, 2027<\/strong><\/h2>\n

    10:00 – 10:30: Keynote<\/p>\n

    \n

    10:30 – 11:00: Keynote<\/p>\n

    \n

    11:00 – 11:30: Keynote<\/p>\n

    \n

    11:30 – 12:00: Keynote<\/p>\n

    \n

    12:00 – 13:00: Student Panel<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Keynote Speakers Day 1 – March 23, 2027 10:00 – 10:30: Opening and Welcome Address – UTM 10:30 – 11:30: Keynote I Dr. Chandra Anamirtham Senior Vice President of Global Operations Western Digital Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Dr. Chandra Anamirtham is Senior Vice President of Global Operations at Western Digital, where he provides leadership for global […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-54","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ieomsociety.org\/malaysia2027\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/54","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ieomsociety.org\/malaysia2027\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ieomsociety.org\/malaysia2027\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ieomsociety.org\/malaysia2027\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ieomsociety.org\/malaysia2027\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54"}],"version-history":[{"count":119,"href":"https:\/\/ieomsociety.org\/malaysia2027\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/54\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2631,"href":"https:\/\/ieomsociety.org\/malaysia2027\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/54\/revisions\/2631"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ieomsociety.org\/malaysia2027\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}