A pragmatic leader for complex change.

Summary

Hazwan Hussein is a Malaysian executive with experience spanning corporate leadership, strategic programme delivery and innovation ecosystems. His work focuses on translating ambitious strategies into practical execution, strengthening organisational capability and advancing commercially sustainable outcomes.

He currently serves as Chief Operating Officer of MARDI Corporation, the commercial arm of the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute. Alongside his executive responsibilities, he contributes to management education as an adjunct MBA lecturer and to professional development through alumni leadership.

Biography

Hazwan's career began not in a boardroom but on the shop floor. Between 2010 and 2016 he founded and operated small ventures in food and beverage, education, retail and lifestyle, handling business development, operations, finance and marketing first-hand. That experience shaped a practical, people-first approach to leadership that has carried into every role since.

In 2016 he joined Institut Keusahawanan Negara (INSKEN), running business coaching and high-performing enterprise programmes for Malaysian entrepreneurs. He moved to the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC) in 2019, where he led the establishment of Digital Enhancement Centres nationwide and authored the SME Digitalisation blueprint. He went on to manage Smart Automation and SME Business Digitalisation grant programmes and, as Head of Strategic Projects and Divisional PMO, oversaw catalytic projects across the Malaysia Digital promoted sectors.

Since November 2024 he has served as Chief Operating Officer of MARDI Corporation, responsible for corporate services (human resources, finance, corporate communications, ICT, procurement and assets) and the company's revenue streams in technology commercialisation, agri-training, agrotourism and MICE. In this role he has led work on the company's 2025–2030 transformation plan, an integrated performance monitoring framework, and partnerships that connect MARDI technology with financing and market access.

From 2025 to 2026 he also served as Project Director within the MAHA 2026 Secretariat under the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security, leading strategic partnerships, sponsorship and cross-agency coordination for Malaysia's national agriculture, horticulture and agrotourism exhibition.

Hazwan holds an MBA from the UKM Graduate School of Business and a Bachelor of Accounting from Multimedia University. He teaches corporate governance, risk management and boardroom dynamics to postgraduate students, and chairs the UKM-GSB Alumni Leadership and Fellowship Association (ALFA). Outside work he trains for endurance events, including duathlon.

Leadership principles

1. Clarity before activityA direction every team can act on is worth more than a long list of initiatives.
2. Structure makes good decisions repeatableGovernance, KPIs and honest reporting turn individual effort into institutional capability.
3. Trust is earned in deliveryAuthority comes with a position. Trust comes from consistency between what we say, decide and deliver.
4. Outcomes must outlast the programmeThe test of a partnership or a grant is what keeps working after it ends.

Opinions shared on this website and in Hazwan's personal channels are his own and do not represent the official position of MARDI Corporation, MARDI, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food Security or any other organisation with which he is associated.