KEYNOTE SPEAKER 1
Ir. Ts. Hj Mohamed Haniffa Hj. Abdul Hamid
FASc, FIEM, FCIHT, ACPE, CWEM (Prof)
Ir. Ts. Hj. Haniffa holds a Diploma in Civil Engineering from University Technology Malaysia, B.Sc. (Hons.) Civil Engineering from the University of Glasgow, Scotland and an MSc in Public Health & Environmental Control Engineering from the University of Strathclyde, UK. A British Government’s Chevening and City Hall Scholarship holder, he served the City Hall of Kuala Lumpur from 1981 for 13 years as a Municipal Engineer working on many city infrastructures such as roads, drainage, amenities, earthworks, buildings, etc before opting out of the government service when sewerage services was privatised to Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) in early 1994. He was one of the pioneer local engineers to join the concessioner and continued to serve IWK for more than 25 years spearheading numerous firsts for the company local and abroad. He also assumed the tasks of Acting CEO at various occasions and retired as IWK’s Chief Operating Officer in late 2020.
Ir. Ts. Hj. Haniffa is a professional engineer and technologist registered with the Malaysian Board of Engineers & Board of Technologist and an ASEAN Chartered Professional Engineer. He is also a Fellow of Academy Sciences Malaysia, Fellow Institution of Engineers Malaysia and Fellow Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation. He was the first Malaysian selected by the British High Commissioner to undergo an intensive management and finance program at the Templeton College (Oxford University’s Business School) in 1997. Ir Haniffa’s main areas of expertise are in infrastructure developments, water & wastewater management, river & environmental management, corporate governance, and sustainable development. Haniffa is a member of various Professional Institutions which includes the Chartered Institution of Water & Environmental Management (UK), the International Water Association (UK), Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (UK), and a council member and ex-Vice President of the Malaysian Water Association. He continues to be engaged as an Adjunct Professor at UTM since 2012 and has been an Accreditation Board Member at Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM), London (UK) since 2020.
Ir. Ts. Hj Haniffa is currently an expert advisor to various organizations, universities and corporate bodies including a Board Director at Malaysia Rapid Transit System Sdn Bhd (MRTS), the developer and owner of civil infrastructure for the Malaysian section of Rapid Transit System Link (RTS Link) between Johor Bahru and Singapore. He is also Director of MRT Mutiara Sdn Bhd, the developer of Penang LRT project. Ir Haniffa is also a Senior Advisor (Technology & Innovation) at Minconsult Sdn Bhd, a leading engineering consulting firm in Malaysia. His key roles there includes specialist inputs on engineering excellence, business transformation strategies and enhancing circular economy perspectives. He is also the Chairman of Minconsult Advisory Council (MAC) overseeing technological enhancements. Haniffa continues to serve numerous public and private universities as a community industry advisory panel, a role he enjoys serving since 2001. He is still actively involved in water and environment management initiatives with the Academy of Sciences Malaysia and the Malaysian Water Association.
Ir. Ts. Hj Mohamed Haniffa Hj. Abdul Hamid
FASc, FIEM, FCIHT, ACPE, CWEM (Prof)
Ir. Ts. Hj. Haniffa holds a Diploma in Civil Engineering from University Technology Malaysia, B.Sc. (Hons.) Civil Engineering from the University of Glasgow, Scotland and an MSc in Public Health & Environmental Control Engineering from the University of Strathclyde, UK. A British Government’s Chevening and City Hall Scholarship holder, he served the City Hall of Kuala Lumpur from 1981 for 13 years as a Municipal Engineer working on many city infrastructures such as roads, drainage, amenities, earthworks, buildings, etc before opting out of the government service when sewerage services was privatised to Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) in early 1994. He was one of the pioneer local engineers to join the concessioner and continued to serve IWK for more than 25 years spearheading numerous firsts for the company local and abroad. He also assumed the tasks of Acting CEO at various occasions and retired as IWK’s Chief Operating Officer in late 2020.
Ir. Ts. Hj. Haniffa is a professional engineer and technologist registered with the Malaysian Board of Engineers & Board of Technologist and an ASEAN Chartered Professional Engineer. He is also a Fellow of Academy Sciences Malaysia, Fellow Institution of Engineers Malaysia and Fellow Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation. He was the first Malaysian selected by the British High Commissioner to undergo an intensive management and finance program at the Templeton College (Oxford University’s Business School) in 1997. Ir Haniffa’s main areas of expertise are in infrastructure developments, water & wastewater management, river & environmental management, corporate governance, and sustainable development. Haniffa is a member of various Professional Institutions which includes the Chartered Institution of Water & Environmental Management (UK), the International Water Association (UK), Chartered Institution of Highways and Transportation (UK), and a council member and ex-Vice President of the Malaysian Water Association. He continues to be engaged as an Adjunct Professor at UTM since 2012 and has been an Accreditation Board Member at Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM), London (UK) since 2020.
Ir. Ts. Hj Haniffa is currently an expert advisor to various organizations, universities and corporate bodies including a Board Director at Malaysia Rapid Transit System Sdn Bhd (MRTS), the developer and owner of civil infrastructure for the Malaysian section of Rapid Transit System Link (RTS Link) between Johor Bahru and Singapore. He is also Director of MRT Mutiara Sdn Bhd, the developer of Penang LRT project. Ir Haniffa is also a Senior Advisor (Technology & Innovation) at Minconsult Sdn Bhd, a leading engineering consulting firm in Malaysia. His key roles there includes specialist inputs on engineering excellence, business transformation strategies and enhancing circular economy perspectives. He is also the Chairman of Minconsult Advisory Council (MAC) overseeing technological enhancements. Haniffa continues to serve numerous public and private universities as a community industry advisory panel, a role he enjoys serving since 2001. He is still actively involved in water and environment management initiatives with the Academy of Sciences Malaysia and the Malaysian Water Association.
KEYNOTE 1 TITLE & BRIEF
Water & Wastewater: Research & Industry Needs – What’s Next?
As humans, we are keepers of all creation – which includes land, air, water, flora, and fauna. All Divine teachings and Prophets’ tradition covers the aspect to build and maintain a healthy and clean environment for all (including plants and animals) as willed by God Al-Mighty which must be devoid of any source of destruction, corrupt and mismanagement. Water (H2O) is also created by God Almighty and it is lodged into planet earth. All the four divine books – Torah (Musa a.s.); Zabur (Dawud a.s.); Injeel (Isa a.s.); and the Quran (Muhammad pbuh) specifically mentions the existence of Water and its essentiality for living. It is said in the Quran (23:18) – “And We sent down from the sky Water (rain) in (due) measure, and We gave it lodging in earth, and verily, We are able to take it away”. So as ‘Khalifah’ (mankind as the leader) on planet earth, it is our collective duty to manage, safeguard, explore, utilize, preserve, and ensure sustainability of this very important natural resource. Scientist had proven that the total quantity of water on planet earth had remained the same; it’s only the quality and the location that had varied over time due to transgression from the permissible norms causing pollution, climate effects, water stress, etc. Water is indeed central to life and must be treated as a religious, social, and economic good. It sustains our natural ecosystem, our human body as well as the key functions of civilizations ranging from agriculture to land development, power generation, industry, manufacturing, and water services. Although water is a Finite resource; it is also a Renewable resource very essential to all Lives. Often, the Alpha (start) of Water is the Drinking Water (What we Seek) – Pure, Desirable, Precious, Treated and Integral to Life. In contrast, the Omega (end) to Water is Used Water (What we Throw) – sewage, wastewater, storm water and all used water that is believed to bring disease, pollutes and harass the environment. It is this Alpha and Omega syndrome that needs to be changed to expand better utilization of water for all including putting water into the context of circular economy. With better understanding of water – it’s creation, divine command, science, technology, development and social acceptance, water can be better appreciated and conserved. This requires massive Water Revolution via Knowledge drive; Technology drive; and Incentives drive for future water sustainability.
Water lodged onto planet earth remains to be explored for beneficial usage for various purposes. Much of the saline water remains as future source water. Additionally, the currents and tides from these sea waters are great potentials for energy recovery. The same goes to water below the ground, swamps, and locked in the icecaps as potential water sources for beneficiary usage. Fresh water that falls as rain and drains down to the sea has potentials for harvesting, storage, and to be utilized for specific purposes. Coastal reservoirs are potential proven technology breakthroughs for this purpose. Water that floods land, villages, and towns should be better managed to be tapped as potential additional water source. Used water shall be properly managed for treatment and reuse. Hence there must be increasing scientific and technological advancements for practical, sustainable and climate resilient solutions in dealing with the water cycle. It is important to match divine teachings, science, technology, innovation, and creative financing to further focus on tapping the valuable water resources and recovery technologies that could produce reclaimed water, energy, power, nutrients, and materials which contributes towards circular economy for a climate resilient future. Moving forward, continuous holistic approach is essential to not only preserve the current ways on how we exploit water, but to also thrive further to unveil the hidden treasures within the water cycle which has great potentials for water extraction, usage, reclamation, and recovery of additional resources in the form of nutrients, materials, energy, power, etc. All aspects of the water mass balance need to be observed via holistic water management which brings along the economics of environment and sustainability.
This keynote address is to share some insightful facts of the issues above and to discuss on recent advancement in technologies to promote sustainable living for all communities. Vision and leadership are paramount ingredients towards the success of water management both at macro and micro levels. Water means life and water remains so very Fascinating!
KEYNOTE SPEAKER 2
Dr. Saifudin (Din) Abubakar
Director Corporate Lab, ExxonMobil Technology & Engineering Company
Dr. Saifudin (Din) Abubakar is currently the Director Corporate Lab in the ExxonMobil Technology & EMTEC organization, a position he has held in Singapore since 2024. Concurrently, he is also an Adjunct Professor at Nanyang Technological University. In 2022, he was also appointed as the ExxonMobil advisor for the Singapore Energy Centre, jointly founded by NTU and NUS.
Din joined ExxonMobil in 2007 and has taken on several Research and Technology positions in Singapore, Baytown in the U.S., and Shanghai, China. Prior to this position, he was the Global Strategic Portfolio Manager at the ExxonMobil Shanghai Technology Center.
Din received his PhD from University of Southern California in Los Angeles. With his R&D portfolio focussed on catalyst design and reactor engineering, Din has authored and coauthored over 50 patents across multiple fields.
Dr. Saifudin (Din) Abubakar
Director Corporate Lab, ExxonMobil Technology & Engineering Company
Dr. Saifudin (Din) Abubakar is currently the Director Corporate Lab in the ExxonMobil Technology & EMTEC organization, a position he has held in Singapore since 2024. Concurrently, he is also an Adjunct Professor at Nanyang Technological University. In 2022, he was also appointed as the ExxonMobil advisor for the Singapore Energy Centre, jointly founded by NTU and NUS.
Din joined ExxonMobil in 2007 and has taken on several Research and Technology positions in Singapore, Baytown in the U.S., and Shanghai, China. Prior to this position, he was the Global Strategic Portfolio Manager at the ExxonMobil Shanghai Technology Center.
Din received his PhD from University of Southern California in Los Angeles. With his R&D portfolio focussed on catalyst design and reactor engineering, Din has authored and coauthored over 50 patents across multiple fields.
KEYNOTE 2 TITLE & BRIEF
Technology Solutions for Energy Transition
Meeting the world’s ambitions for economic expansion and lower emissions requires the advancement and deployment of a broad set of technologies at scale. This presentation will explore a global outlook to 2050, including comparison of current trajectories to 2oC and net zero scenarios, with a focus on solutions required. The energy transition requires a wide range of technology solutions, many of which still need to be developed and scaled. For any given solution, multiple pathways are needed in order to take advantage of geographically varied resources. Engineering and science disciplines are critical to reducing emissions while enabling continued expansion of the global economy. Together with our key collaborators, ExxonMobil works to bring important solutions to scale.
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Dates