The Wharton Gloabl Alumni Forum: Jakarta June 22-23, 2012 Knowledge for Action
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Tan Sri Dato' Dr. Zeti Akhtar Aziz, Ph.D.'78
Governor
Bank Negara Malaysia (Central Bank of Malaysia)

Wharton Speaker >> Biography

Dr. Zeti Akhtar Aziz was appointed Governor of Bank Negara Malaysia in May 2000. As Governor, she has a key role in the monetary policy formulation and implementation and in ensuring stability of the Malaysian financial system. She also oversaw the successful transformation of the Malaysian financial system into one of the most developed and resilient financial systems in an emerging economy. This also included spearheading the development of Islamic finance, domestically and globally, and participated in the efforts to enhance SMEs’ contribution to our economy. Dr. Zeti is also actively involved in shaping the future of financial co-operation in the Asian region and has been an important voice for the emerging economies in the international financial fora.
 
In promoting regional integration initiatives, Dr. Zeti chaired the Executives' Meeting of East Asia-Pacific Central Banks (EMEAP) Taskforce on “Regional Cooperation among Central Banks in Asia” to draw up the blueprint for future financial cooperation in the region. Dr. Zeti is a member of the South East Asian Central Banks (SEACEN) Board of Governors and the Chairman of the SEACEN Board of Directors. She is also a member of the Bank for International Settlements (BIS) Central Bank Governance Group since 2001 and is also one of the founding members of the BIS Asian Consultative Council.

In the area of Islamic finance, she has been actively involved in its development both in the domestic and international arena. Dr. Zeti chaired the Steering Committee for the establishment of the Islamic Financial Services Board (IFSB) and served as the IFSB Council Chairman for the 2007 term. She was also the Chairman of the international taskforce on ‘Islamic Finance and Global Financial Stability’ and the taskforce on Liquidity Management to develop a mechanism to facilitate cross border liquidity management. Dr. Zeti is currently the Chairperson of the International Islamic Liquidity Management Corporation Governing Board and the Chairperson of the IILM's Board Executive Committee. Dr. Zeti played a leading role in developing Malaysia as a centre for the origination, distribution and trading of Sukuks under the Malaysia International Islamic Financial Centre (MIFC) initiative. In 2002, Dr. Zeti led a team that launched the Malaysian global Islamic Sukuk, the world’s first Islamic Sukuk to be issued by a sovereign country.
 
Dr. Zeti remains deeply committed to the development of human capital talent in the financial services industry. This commitment resulted in the establishment of several institutions dedicated to human capital development namely The International Centre for Education in Islamic Finance (INCEIF) in 2005 and more recently in 2009, the Asian Institute of Finance (AIF) which was jointly established by Bank Negara Malaysia and Securities Commission Malaysia. The AIF in particular, is a unique entity that works closely with existing training institutes and serves as a platform for synergy and collaboration to build the competency and skills of financial services professionals.
In addition to the above, Dr. Zeti has been actively involved in enhancing leadership and strategic direction for the financial sector. In 2003, she was instrumental in setting up of the ICLIF Leadership and Governance Centre, an institution which provides a focused approach towards the leadership development and excellence in corporate governance in the financial services sector in Malaysia and the region.
 
Dr. Zeti had also served as a member of the United Nations General Assembly Commission of Experts on Reform of the International Monetary and Financial System, a high-level task force established to examine possible reform of the global financial system.
 
Dr. Zeti received her Bachelor of Economics (Honors) from the University of Malaya and her PhD from the University of Pennsylvania.

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