Datin Azleen Osman Rani
Datin Azleen Osman Rani was appointed as Director, Institute for Capital Market Research Malaysia (ICMR) in 2017, to help set up an independent think tank affiliate of the Securities Commission, Malaysia to study structural trends and developments affecting overall market development. Prior to ICMR, she was heading the research team of a buy-side investment house, ValueCap Sdn Bhd, where her core focus was on equity market strategy & outlook, ESG integration and thematic research. Her research interests now focuses on various topics which have risen in importance on the policymakers” agenda, including sustainable finance, financial inclusion, alternative financing and human capital development. In addition, as part of ICMR’s mandate to work closer with academia, she also sits on the Industry Advisory Board of Sunway University Business School. She graduated with a BSc in Economics & Accounting from the University of Bristol and a MSc in International Accounting & Finance from the LSE, UK.
Datin Aida Jaslina Jalaludin
Datin Aida Jaslina Jalaludin is the Associate Director of Research & Development at ICMR, responsible for the design and development of its research programmes with the aim of promoting intellectual discourse between stakeholders to ultimately shape the Malaysian capital market. With over 20 years of experience in economic policy making, capital market policies, business planning and process re-engineering, she was instrumental in the formation of ICMR, having worked on its conceptualisation as well as led the Project Management office to spearhead ICMR’s establishment. Prior to this she headed the management of the Capital Market Development Fund (CMDF), an independent statutory fund established to promote the development of the Malaysian capital market – a stint which gave her greater insights into the needs of the industry and rendered her better equipped for her role in ICMR. Before CMDF, during her tenure in the Strategy and Research Department of the Securities Commission (SC), she was responsible for research works to facilitate economic and capital market policy making as well as managed the SC’s strategic business planning process. Amongst others, her expertise was employed in the development of national economic plans and she played a key role in drafting the Capital Market Masterplan 2 together with several blueprints across the capital market. Previous work experiences include managing business plans and treasury operations at the Hong Leong Group as well as process re-engineering and business turnarounds for the various subsidiaries of PETRONAS, providing her with a strong understanding of company structure and operations. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Accounting and Finance from the London School of Economics and Political Science, UK.
Gopi Krishnan
Dr. Gopi Krishnan is an Associate Director at ICMR, with 15 years of research experience in capital markets and economics. His role in ICMR is focused on determining critical links between financial markets and economic growth and the development of macro and market analytics capabilities for ICMR. Prior to joining ICMR, Gopi was the Head of Macro, Financial Market and Analytics in ValueCAP. His team provided strategic support to the organisation through various investment tools and quants approaches to determine asset allocation according to expected business cycle models. He was also appointed as a Non-Independent Board member of VCAM Investment Committee (a subsidiary company of Valuecap) in 2017; in recognition of the need to incorporate views and feedback on the evolving global, regional and local economic and market developments into the strategic planning and direction for the investment team. Beyond his professional career, he has conducted research in the academic arena. His PhD thesis was on the “Dynamic Links Between Institutions, Innovation and Economic Growth” with a focus on the role of institutions and innovation in the economic development. He has published in various academic journals and book chapters in the area of economic growth and development policy. He possesses strong analytical skills, especially working with various econometrics and forecasting models. Before joining Valuecap, he was a lecturer at University of Malaya and Inti International College, Subang Jaya. Gopi Krishnan obtained his doctorate in Economics from University of Malaya in 2019.
Alea Nasihin
Alea Nasihin is the Vice President of Research and Development at ICMR, where she leads efforts on external engagement, partnerships, and thought leadership. Alea had previously spent more than ten years working on economic and capital market policy, first at the Securities Commission and subsequently as a Senior Analyst at ICMR. During her time at SC, Alea was also seconded to the Prime Minister’s Office, where she worked on socioeconomic and developmental policy, including the Federal Budget. Prior to returning to ICMR, Alea was the Senior Advisor & Project Manager at United World College of South East Asia (UWCSEA) in Singapore, where she worked on strategy, research, and communications. Alea’s research interests lie at the intersection of economics, social concerns, and broader global and cultural trends. She is an advocate for policymaking that takes into account the needs and experiences of all stakeholders to ensure more equitable and inclusive outcomes. Alea has an LLB (Hons) and an MSc in International Development, both from the University of Nottingham.
Lim Shea-Fee
Shea-Fee is ICMR’s Project & Operations Manager. She had 11 years of work experience as a consultant and an entrepreneur, after which she stepped out of the corporate world to focus on her young family. She joined ICMR as her career comeback role and looks forward to being part of the team bringing improvements to Malaysia’s capital markets that will lend to the development of the country and its people. Shea-Fee has a people-oriented nature and believes in the value of employee engagement and the importance of company and team culture. She was a consultant in Accenture Sdn. Bhd. for 5 years where she handled the functional and client-facing aspects of project management and system implementation work in the financial industry. After Accenture, she helped to start up and co-owned a recruitment company called Piceri Sdn Bhd which specialised in recruitment, profiling, matching and training of young professionals for industries like banking, consulting and telecommunications. Shea-Fee graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Economics from the London School of Economics and a Master of Science in Environmental Economics from University College London.
Nadhirah Ibrahim
Nadhirah Ibrahim is a Senior Analyst for the Institute for Capital Market Research (ICMR). She identifies as an analytical economist with experience in behavioural insights seeking to embed the element of human behaviour into informed decision-making for both consumers and investors. She is a strong believer that adding the behavioural finance perspective to the equation can help us to understand better how market agents will react. At ICMR she is looking to study why individuals do not always make the decisions they are expected to make and why markets do not reliably behave as they are expected to behave. Essentially, the more we understand and anticipate these behaviours, the better our policymaking will be. Prior to joining ICMR, Nadhirah has served four years at the Securities Commission (SC) Malaysia where she regulated the capital market with emphasis in retail investors. She was one of the founding members of SC’s Behavioural Insight Unit and also served as a Secretariat to Malaysia’s Financial Education Network (FEN), a national endeavour to improve Malaysians Financial Literacy and planning. Nadhirah’s most recent experience is with the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) as a Behavioural Insight Analyst conducting policy research on retirement solutions and financial literacy. During her tenure, she was heavily involved in publications related to financial literacy and also consulted on EPF policy redesign which embedded elements of behavioural economics. Nadhirah graduated with a Bachelor in Analytical Economics (Hons) from the University of Multimedia Cyberjaya (MMU).
Julianna Roslan
Julianna is a data analyst for ICMR, whose initial focus in on capital markets. She has 6 years of experience in capital market related research covering topics such as product development, investment strategies and the future trends of the fund management industry. Previously, she was involved in development of Exchange Traded Funds (ETFs) in Valuecap. She believes in the importance of quality education and sees her role within the team as that of delivering the right information to the right people. Being on the data team, she hopes to see ICMR becoming a reputable source of information not only for professionals, but also the public at large. To facilitate this movement into a more data-centric institute, she is currently expanding her capabilities into programming. Julianna graduated with a Bachelor of Economics from International Islamic University of Malaysia (IIUM).
Joe Liew Jiaxhen
Joe Liew is a Research Analyst at the Institute for Capital Market Research (ICMR). Motivated by his vast interest in macroeconomic, Joe is interested in exploring the research gaps in the Malaysian capital market from a top-down perspective. Prior to joining ICMR, Joe accumulated two years of experience in the Investment Division at Public Mutual. In his previous employment, he closely monitored economic developments in Malaysia, China, Taiwan and Singapore and produced insightful reports and forecasts for the consumption of the management as well as fund managers. Besides, he also performed financial market analyses, with specific focus on market movements in the stock, foreign exchange and commodity markets. Joe obtained a first-class honours degree in finance and investment from Tunku Abdul Rahman University of Management and Technology (TARUMT). To further strengthen his research capacity, Joe enrolled into Master of Data Science in the University of Malaya (UM) in 2021 and is currently in the final stages of completing his Master’s degree.
Dr. Ivy Hii Siaw Hung
Dr. Ivy Hii Siaw Hung is a Research Analyst for the Institute for Capital Market Research (ICMR). Her research interests lie in the broad fields of capital market-based research and financial behavior studies. Specifically, her research focuses on improving financial literacy and adopting desirable financial behaviours that will help in creating long-term financial security and stability, alongside enhancing capital market efficiency and vibrancy. To better understand the factors that affect individuals’ investment decision, at the same time to promote greater retail investor participation in the Malaysian capital market, her PhD thesis focuses on the “Determinants of Risky Assets Investment: An Extended Information-Motivation-Behavioural Skills Model”. She has published several research articles in peer-reviewed journals and conferences. She also serves as an editor and reviewer in several international conferences and indexed journals. Prior to joining ICMR, Dr. Hii was the Assistant Professor in the Faculty of Business and Management at Beijing Normal University – Hong Kong Baptist University United International College (BNU-HKBU UIC), China. She was also a lecturer at several colleges and universities where she taught courses related to finance, economics and business research methods. Before embarking her PhD, she has accumulated three years of experiences serving as a financial consultant in the United Overseas Bank (UOB) and CIMB Bank. Dr. Hii earned her Doctor of Philosophy (Economics and Finance) from Curtin University and Bachelor of Business (Economics and Finance) from Queensland University of Technology, Australia.
Sabreena Zahri
Sabreena Zahri is a Research Analyst for the Institute for Capital Market Research (ICMR). Geared with a passion for socio-economic wellbeing and uplifting vulnerable communities, her primary interests lie in social protection, financial inclusion, gender-transformative initiatives and income security for all. Prior to joining ICMR, Sabreena’s most recent experience was with the Employees Provident Fund (EPF) as a Social Policy Analyst, where she conducted policy research on social protection and old-age wellbeing. Within EPF’s Policy Advisory Section, she focused on enhancing the EPF scheme, contributing to the social protection framework as a key social security organisation in Malaysia. Her responsibilities extended to nurturing collaborations and strategic relationships with key stakeholders and policy makers. Previously, Sabreena served as an intern at Khazanah Research Institute (KRI). During this time, her work centered around inclusive and sustainable development, with a commitment to advancing gender equality and socio-economic empowerment. Sabreena is a graduate of KDU University College, where she earned her Bachelor's degree in Business (specializing in Economics). Her academic journey equipped her with a robust foundation in Behavioural Economics, which she continues to build upon in her professional endeavors.