- 3 months ago
- #thefutureisfemale
On this episode of #TheFutureIsFemale Melisa Idris speaks with Puan Siti Kamariah Ahmad Subki, Trustee and Managing Director of Yayasan Hasanah, which is the impact-based foundation of Khazanah Nasional. She is also a board member of Think City and INCEIF University. The Hasanah Forum 2025 will take place on 14-15 August 2025, with the theme, ‘Philanthropy That Listens: Bridging Intent With Intervention’.
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00:00Hello and good evening. I'm Melissa Idris. Welcome to The Future is Female. This is the show where
00:16we find the extraordinary in every woman. I'm delighted to introduce my guest today,
00:21Puan Siti Kamaria Ahmad Subki, who is a trustee and managing director for Yayasan Hassana,
00:27which is the impact-based foundation of Kazana National. She's also a board member of ThinkCity
00:32and NCF University. Welcome to the show. It's so good of you to join me. Lovely to have you here.
00:38Likewise. Okay, so Kamaria, maybe we can talk a little bit about your journey for the audience
00:43at home who would like to get to know you today. Talk to us a little bit about what drew you into
00:49the impact sector and also what has kept you here all these years. Thank you for that, Melissa.
00:57It's an honor and pleasure to be here. I grew up from a very humble beginning, a household that
01:04hail from Perak. Both my parents came from Setiawan, Perak, a small town. And so in the government
01:12flat that we grew up in, life was modest but really full of values. Early mornings, I remember
01:20I woke up very early, as early as 4 a.m. to help mom pack nasi lemak, make some of the best curry puff
01:27before going to school. And it's really through this that I learned grit and responsibility
01:34since a very young age. And I take pride that I can count really fast.
01:38To count the change? To count the change, to count the number of curry puffs that I have to make
01:44every morning or packs of nasi lemak that my mom and sister. And I was also responsible to make sure
01:50that everything is prepped down to the last plastic bag or tongs. So it made me super organized because
01:56I have to do all this before 6.30 a.m. So before going to school.
02:02Yeah. And so my parents couldn't give me big gifts, but they've always trained us to be
02:09rewarded for gifts for doing well at school or for good behavior, for praying five times a day,
02:16for fasting and then things like that. So this instilled deep appreciation for education and also
02:22compassionate support for others. And so it was really something that happened when I was 15,
02:31right after PMR exam at that time, where I received a scholarship. And it was really a stroke of luck.
02:39I found the advertisement lying on the desk at my school at SMK, Sultan Saludi Abdul Aziz Shah,
02:46InsyaAllah, a scholarship to attend College Yasin Sa'ad at that time. So I applied and then really I,
02:55when I got the letter, I got in and I realized that, wow, like someone paid attention to a girl
03:01from a humble beginning. And it was really at that moment, I realized just with one opportunity,
03:07one act of trust on my potential, a young girl at 15, and how that could completely alter
03:15someone's fate. My life path completely changed from that moment. And it sparked a lifelong belief
03:23that with the right support, right compassionate support, people can really thrive. And that gave
03:29me that hope that I needed. And from there on, social impact work and also helping others simply by
03:37being good to others in need became my belief forward. And I've since advocated for creating
03:46systems that on a daily basis and uplift people and trust in people's potential.
03:53Can I ask you what that actually entails? So I think a lot of people love the idea of doing your day job
04:01that impacts the world in a positive way, that changes the world for the better,
04:06and impacts people directly. But I think many of us don't quite understand what philanthropic work
04:12means, what social impact work really entails. Maybe you can talk to us a little bit about that.
04:17Yeah, philanthropy as a sector isn't just about giving. Giving is good. Goodness, kindness is all that is
04:26wonderful. But it's really about listening deeply. And that is a skill that comes from the heart. And to
04:33treat communities not as passive recipients, but as knowledge holders. And respectfully, for example,
04:41our orang asli community, they are problem solvers and leaders in their own right. So at Hasana,
04:49we've learned that real change truly happens when we are able to follow communities lead. And to speak
04:57with them, not over them. So that's, that's really important to us. And over the past decade,
05:03we've really championed the shift from simply giving and moving towards walking alongside communities.
05:10And we have real examples about this, which I will share later. But it's really about trust, power
05:15sharing, co-creating, designing solutions that last together.
05:19So can I ask you, when it comes to the social impact sector, did you have to adjust to the kind of
05:26the deep listening that you talked about, the proximity, the walking alongside communities that
05:35this type of philanthropy demands, that this kind of community-led philanthropy demands? I'm just
05:40wondering because, you know, in other sectors, in other industries, be it civil service or the corporate
05:46world, it's always processes and systems that dominate. But in the work, in social impact work,
05:53you have to put all of that aside and you have to listen. Was it difficult to adapt to that?
05:58Of course, in a very structured environment, we do have impact assessment framework, we have timelines,
06:05we have budget, we have proposals. All that is in place. And we do have a very strong governance
06:12structure, being a foundation of Kazana National, and it is public money. But it's not just all that. On
06:19top of that, it is also about the power of listening and putting your heart and soul where it really
06:25matters. And that becomes priority. I give you an example. For example, to us, it's really not just about
06:33it. It's a listening to and a way to surface what the community needs. And Kampung Sungai Tonggang,
06:39during the pandemic, a termia orang asli village, which is just outside of Ipoh, not far from my
06:45Kampung and Setiawan. But when the pandemic hit, many youth, many orang asli youth had to go to the
06:52city to find work. And in Ipoh, which is not far from town, it is heartbreaking to see young people
06:58leaving town because there's no livelihood because of the pandemic. And the Tok Batin told us, for
07:04them, when the youth go, it's not just about them using individuals. They will lose more than jobs.
07:13They will lose their cultural identity, being termia community in Ipoh. And these young people,
07:21they are the one carrying the flags of that community. So together with the Global Environment
07:26Centre or GEC, we've supported the village in building an eco-tourism site in their Kampung.
07:33And this is important because this is designed entirely with the community's wisdom. The Tok Batin,
07:38who's young in his 40s, was really holding our hand, our GECs together from where to build chalets
07:46without humming the lamp to using traditional materials such as bamboo to create a fully nature-based
07:51solution to tourism. So the local youth were then building together with GEC. And the result,
07:59the youth are returning because they know there are more interesting jobs in their community.
08:03Yes.
08:03And the Kampung has since become viral. Roads have been built. It won an award in Ipoh for sustainable
08:11development.
08:11Oh wow. Goosebumps when you said that.
08:14Yeah. And we're quite proud of them. And they themselves are proud of the achievement because
08:18it's really what community-led initiative meant. And they felt that they are the one leading the entire
08:26effort.
08:26I really love that story because the thought of listening to communities and what they want,
08:33because sometimes, especially with kind of CSR or these types of philanthropic, good-natured,
08:40but sometimes they tend to overstep. And there's a power imbalance when you hold the purse strings
08:47without really listening to communities. So talk to me a little bit about that. When you see well-intentioned
08:55efforts in the social impact sector, which sometimes fall short of turning into material change,
09:03where do you think they go wrong? And how does Yayasan Hassana avoid falling into that trap?
09:11Ever since being in this impact sector, Melissa, to be honest, I've been reminded many times that in
09:21this world, we all know that impact doesn't happen overnight. And that's a very important realisation
09:26from listening. And when we talk about social investment, we often slip into numbers, timelines,
09:34ROI, and that seems to be the narrative. And we forget the heart of it. We are investing in human
09:41potential. And humans are not robots. And at the same time, what takes time is really not just the act of
09:50making change-making. It's also bringing everyone on board into the journey. And this usually involves
09:57a lot of listening. And dialogue is not going to happen in a vacuum. And it's something that you
10:03constantly do on a daily basis to get everyone on board and align to the vision that you have in mind.
10:09So what I've seen since I've joined Hassana is that steady spirit of human spirit that drives change.
10:18So it's that one thing to change and make the world a better place on a consistent daily basis
10:24that really drives real change. And the kind that isn't always loud, but it's deeply powerful.
10:32Like a teacher staying after school, or a community leader holding space for others, or a mum making
10:39out at 4am on a daily basis, making sure that money comes in through the livelihood, such as making
10:46nasi lemak, making kuih curry puff. And that happens on a sustained basis over 40-50 years.
10:52And that's when you see a generation that thrives getting better opportunities, better access to
10:57schooling. And we see that everywhere, single mothers, single fathers, who are just trying to meet
11:02ends meet so that the next generation can have a better future.
11:05Well, that's very well said. You're right. It isn't always loud. It's not always the flashy,
11:12you know, that the flashy actions, the big gestures that make the most impact.
11:17You mentioned something quite interesting about mothers and, you know, teachers, women. I'm curious
11:25whether they, women changemakers are getting the visibility and the support in their social impact
11:31ecosystem in Malaysia. More often than not, there is a tendency to overlook work that is invisible,
11:41work that happens in the margins. Absolutely. And women have long shaped Malaysia's social impact space,
11:50naturally, and in ways that are consistent, community rooted, and deeply human.
11:57For example, I'm really proud of the work of Dr. Louisa Ponampalan of Marisat, who works with fishermen
12:03for sustainable fishing, imagining conservation and coastal resilience at Pulau Sembilan in Perak. So,
12:10their video on sustainable fishing have gone viral recently from our Hasana report.
12:16And so, to Izati of Teman Malaysia, for example, who's reimagining elder care with empathy,
12:23providing revolutionary companionship, friends to our elders who need company to go to hospital to buy
12:30groceries, for example. All that combining AI and technology. So, while providing opportunities for
12:37those who need it, they also put heart and soul in service of community. And we also have, for example,
12:45Abena, our young Kazana scholar, who wants to go deeper into inclusive policy. And we're three strong
12:50examples of this kind of women leading with both heart and strategy, the smarts and the hearts. So,
12:56what's heartening is also that more young women are stepping up to, both you and me, and there are more
13:05out there with, not necessarily with funding, with titles, and with flashy office and support, but
13:13they are there with vision, courage, and action. Doing small things in small communities everywhere.
13:23And social impact today is no longer the domain of one generation or one institution. You can't
13:29generalize or characterize that anymore. We're seeing women of all ages take the helm. Like
13:36artisans who are like 70-year-old, Ibu Ngot in Sarawak, for example, 92 years old and still waving the most
13:44beautiful tika mengkuang I've ever seen in my life. So, this social impact and women of all ages are
13:53showing that the key takeaway women changemakers are rising across generations and disciplines and more
13:59are coming up every day. And I hope from our show, more young girls dream to become changemakers when they
14:06grow up. I love that. I absolutely think that they are the linchpin and they've been doing social
14:12impact work before it became an industry, an entire ecosystem. All these projects, all these initiatives
14:20that you talked about from the orang asli to the aging community to sustainable fishing, all of that
14:27wonderful success stories. Are there initiatives that you think really captures what Yayasan Hasana is
14:35about that reflects not just the organization but maybe your core values as well? So, there is one
14:40initiative that deeply reflects Hasanah values in our work to protect Malayan tiger and being an animal
14:49rescuer myself and a huge cat mama. So, tigers are our national icon. It's on our Jata Negara and it's also
15:00on our football team, Harimau Malaya and yet critically endangered with less than 150 in existence.
15:11This really breaks my heart all the time and through Rimau, a conservation NGO for the Malayan tiger,
15:16we support Rimau who employs orang asli within the royal balloon community and led by the indigenous
15:24chahai community, forest original guardians. So, this isn't just a story about wildlife, Melissa. It's also
15:31about people-led, data-driven conservation that restores dignity and creates purpose in local
15:38communities. And rangers are trained to track tracks and also to install camera traps which are really
15:45important to make sure that we are able to track where our tigers are and also where the poachers are.
15:50And this kind of dangers are important for us to be really on top of all these things because
15:59protection of the central forest pine and many people do not know, may not be aware that Malaysia
16:05consists of 51 percent forest cover. But in the dense forest and the central forest pine that covers
16:12a huge part of Perak and Pahang, therein lies the poachers. And with these camera traps, as a result,
16:22with the help of our rangers, that we have reduced the number of snares and incidents by 95 percent in
16:29some of these key habitats. And it is really a powerful example how our community-led conservation work.
16:35that is also championed by Lara Arifin, really amazing Iron Lady, who's showing that female
16:46can lead a movement that is saving tigers in the country. And we always say, if you can't save tigers,
16:52what else can we save? So I really hope that we, Lara, who's speaking at our Harsana Forum,
16:59will really rally the entire social impact community and more to do more work for our tigers.
17:05I didn't know Yayasan Hassana was supporting or was backing Rimao's work because they've been doing
17:13great work for years. And it's really heartening to hear that you're supporting such a wonderful
17:17organisation. You mentioned Yayasan, the Harsana Forum. I wanted to talk to you about that.
17:23Tell me about this year's Harsana Forum. I particularly love the theme this year,
17:31philanthropy that listens. That's really resonated with me. Talk to me a little bit about why you've
17:36decided to, not just decided on this theme, but why in general is the Harsana Forum important?
17:44Why the need to bring together all these people? What can be accomplished at these types of
17:49gatherings that you think can't be accomplished in the field or, you know, in rooms, in discussions
17:57separately and not a kind of big gathering like this? Yeah. In an age where listening is so rare,
18:06listening is a gift. Listening is leadership. And so giving must evolve from just giving charity
18:15to listening. And this forum is about philanthropy that listens, as you said, where community voices
18:22shape policy and not the other way around. And what's different is that we know that a lot of
18:30conversations happen in closed door events and they stay in silos. And what we hope that the forum will
18:36open up spaces for unexpected collaborations to happen. New friends that you will meet that will then
18:42expand your perspective, your horizon and share sharing of resources and networks that enable
18:50good initiatives like Tiger Preservation to try further beyond borders. So we believe also that true
18:56resilience come from transparency, shared purpose and putting the rakyat at the center of decision making.
19:02So with this theme, we hope that voices that matter from marine biologists,
19:09artists, artists, social justice advocates to youth leaders are being put at the center so that we are
19:17able to spotlight their issues and so they no longer stay in the dark. And we also would like to make
19:24sure that global and regional perspectives are being brought into the fore with leading voices from
19:30across Asia, such as Helen Clark, Foreign Prime Minister of New Zealand. Yes, she's coming and
19:36she's so excited. Big name. Yes, yes. And experts from the World Bank to Masik Foundation and Ayala
19:42Foundation in Philippines. And to showcase that bold partnerships courageously can shape systemic change
19:49in the smallest of places and littlest of people. Yeah, it's these kind of spontaneous or serendipitous
19:57meetings, right, that can often change the trajectory of somebody's life. Like you finding that, you know,
20:04scholarship ad on a school desk. Yeah, it just takes one moment. So in the time that we have left,
20:12I am curious to know where you see the future. Like how do you see it heading? I mean, beyond the
20:18Hasana Forum aside and what wonderful things can material, can come out from that. But for the social
20:25impact scene, are you hopeful that we will move beyond this kind of Czech writing charity lens of
20:36philanthropy and move towards bigger addressing the more structural issues? If you could maybe change
20:44one thing about the social impact scene, right? It could be culture, it could be policy, it could be
20:52anything in philanthropy that you'd like to see changed. What keeps you hopeful? What would you like to
20:57see changed? I'm hopeful and also optimistic and I see a bright future ahead for philanthropic, Melissa.
21:06SRS Sanah marks our 10th year anniversary. It is 10 years. Yes, July 2015 and July 2025. And so this
21:13forum will be both a reflection and renewal of our commitment to build more just inclusive
21:18society, advancing Malaysia one person at a time across every layer of society. And what's beautiful,
21:26Melissa, we're seeing on a daily basis, change is already happening on the ground.
21:30Many of our nationwide projects actually started a decade ago from our series of 700 plus pilot projects
21:38nationwide. So the decade have seen a lot of change happening in pockets of society. Like I said,
21:48small people making small changes everywhere, consistently, is the comma, which then brings hope
21:54to many parts of society, to keningau, to soak planting halia and ginger. And some of these
22:01initiatives have become nationwide projects such as Program Anak Kita that is battling learning recovery
22:09and making sure that our kids can read, write and count. I cannot believe it's been 10 years already,
22:14my dear viewers. And what about you personally, if you know, for the women watching today, who think that
22:24they want to make an impact, they want to make a change in their own little corners of their worlds,
22:30what would you like them to hear from you today?
22:34I imagine you as my mother, my grandmother, my sister, and with so much hope for the future. And I know
22:42that sometimes you may feel that what, where can my humble curry puff go? But I can tell you that my life
22:51was changed from the humble curry puff that my mum makes every morning and the packs of nasi lemak that she had
22:57lovingly put together with the daun pisang with the hope that all her three daughters and one son
23:05would have a better future someday. And I believe that that by brighter future is possible for your
23:10daughters, for your kids, for your family. And so keep striving and nothing is too small to grow big someday.
23:18You can do this. Thank you so much for being on the show with me and also for all the work that you do
23:24in this and trying to make our country, our world a bit better. Thank you for the opportunity, Melissa.
23:29I really appreciate it. It was my pleasure. That's all we have for you on this episode of
23:33The Future is Female. I'm Melissa Idris signing off for the evening. Thank you so much for watching. Good night.
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