Our Leadership

Board of Directors

YB Datuk Seri Dr. Haji Dzulkefly Ahmad
Minister of Health
YBhg. Datuk Dr. Mahathar Abd Wahab
Director-General of Health
With nearly three decades of service in the Ministry of Health, YBhg. Datuk Dr. Mahathar has held key leadership roles including Head of the Emergency and Trauma Department at Hospital Kuala Lumpur, Head of Emergency Medicine and Trauma Services, and President of the College of Emergency Physicians. Trained in the UK and Malaysia, he is widely recognised for advancing emergency medicine, trauma systems, and crisis response, and continues to champion innovation, integrated care, and workforce development to strengthen Malaysia’s healthcare system.
YBhg. Datuk Azah Hanim Binti Ahmad
Deputy  Secretary General of Health (Management)
Y.Bhg. Datuk Azah Hanim Binti Ahmad is the Deputy Secretary General (Management) at the Ministry of Health Malaysia, with extensive experience across the Ministries of Education, Finance, and Agriculture. She specialises in government procurement, international cooperation and policy development. She holds an MBA from Nanyang Technological University, a BA from Michigan State University and a Diploma from INTAN.
YBhg. Datuk Dr. Nor Fariza Ngah
Deputy Director General (Research & Technical Support)
YBhg. Datuk Dr Nor Fariza Ngah has held key positions such as National Head of Ophthalmology Service (2014-2023), President of the College of Ophthalmologists Malaysia (2018-2023) and other committees pertaining to clinical research and Ophthalmology training. By profession, she is an experienced Senior Consultant Ophthalmologist subspecializing in Medical Retina and Uveitis. Dr. Nor Fariza obtained her Master of Ophthalmology from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia and trained at Moorfield Eye Hospital, London.
YBhg. Dato’ Haji Zein Isma Bin Haji Ismail
Professional Actuary
Dato’ Haji Zein Isma Bin Haji Ismail has broad experience in the plantation, construction, energy, maritime and education sectors. He previously served as a UKM lecturer, Actuarial Manager at Malaysia National Insurance, and Consulting Actuary in the U.S. He spent nine years on the FELDA Board, chaired FELDA Marketing Sdn. Bhd., and held board roles with MARDI and UniKL Resources. He holds advanced degrees in actuarial science, mathematics and insurance/finance, and is an Associate of the Society of Actuaries, USA.

The Management

Dr. Akhmal Yusof
Chief Executive Officer

Dr Akhmal Yusof graduated from the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland in 1992. He practiced medicine in the public and private hospital for 10 years and later worked with the American International Assurance Malaysia as Medical Manager. Later in 2002, he leads the Medical Department in AstraZeneca Malaysia, Singapore & Brunei for 13 years where he gained extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry clinical research management, regulatory, medical and government affairs. He heads Clinical Research Malaysia (CRM) as Chief Executive Officer since 2015. Dr Akhmal Yusof is also a member the National Committee for Clinical Research and Board of Trustee National Institute of Biotechnology Malaysia.

Education: MBCh, BAO (National University of Ireland), LRCP & LRCS (Ireland)

Intan Munirah bt Mohd Murad
Head of Clinical Operations

Intan leads the Clinical Operations team and is responsible to design and implement strategies relating to Clinical Operations, ensuring smoothness of the study coordinator services and operational activities. In her previous role with CRM, she served as Senior Clinical Operations Manager, responsible for supporting the site operations team, ensuring quality deliverables and driving process improvement activities within the department and new project initiatives. Intan holds a bachelor’s degree in biomedical science from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia.

Zaleha Yusof
Head of Human Resources

Zaleha Yusof brings extensive strategic and operational HR experience across diverse sectors, including pharmaceuticals, high-tech, manufacturing and services. She has led major HR initiatives in business transformation, restructuring, mergers and acquisitions, organisational development and talent management. Known for her adaptability and partnership approach, she focuses on building effective organisations and developing high-performance teams. Zaleha holds a BA in Political Science (Policy Analysis) with a minor in Psychology from the University of Texas at Arlington, and a Postgraduate Diploma in Industrial Relations from MEF/ILO.

Yau Yit Huan
Head of Finance & IT
Yau Yit Huan completed his professional accountancy qualification from the Association of International Accountants (AIA), United Kingdom. He has 18 years of experience in accounting, Finance and auditing. Mr Yau joined CRM as Finance Manager in the year 2013 before being promoted to the position of Senior Finance Manager and subsequently as Head of Finance & IT.
Asha Thanabalan
Lead of Business Development

Asha Thanabalan brings over 13 years of experience in Malaysia’s clinical research ecosystem with Clinical Research Malaysia (CRM). Rising from Associate Manager to Lead of Business Development, she has led key initiatives including the Decentralised Clinical Trials Guidance Document and CRM’s ASEAN clinical research initiative. She also plays a pivotal role in the annual CRM Trial Connect Conference and guides the Business Relations and Corporate Communications team in elevating Malaysia’s profile in clinical trials globally. Asha holds a Bachelor of Health Sciences (Biomedicine) from Universiti Sains Malaysia.

Nurul Atiqah Abd Rahman
Manager, Legal & Regulatory Affairs cum PDPA Officer

Nurul Atiqah Abd Rahman is Manager, Legal & Regulatory Affairs cum PDPA Officer at CRM. She joined CRM in 2016 and has led legal, regulatory, and PDPA functions, contributing to contract management, compliance, and the Malaysia Decentralised Clinical Trial Guidance (2023). A two-time CEO Award recipient, she also lectures on medical research ethics and supports key organisational initiatives, including property acquisitions.