Dr Benedict Francis is an associate professor and consultant psychiatrist at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya. He graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya and was selected for the Brightsparks scholarship to pursue his Masters in Psychological Medicine at his alma mater, the University of Malaya. Subsequently, he completed a fellowship program in Aged Healthcare Services at St Vincent’s Hospital, Melbourne, in 2019. Dr Benedict is one of the research leads at the Psychological Medicine Research Unit and has been involved as principal investigator and sub-investigator for several international, multi-centre clinical trials including the ESCAPE-TRD, REMISSIO, ASPIRE, SUSTAIN-3, ROUTE 6, and CONNEX-2 trials. He has also published in several international and regional peer-reviewed journals and presented in international congresses. Dr Benedict has and continues to exhibit stellar leadership in his field. He was part of the Ministry of Health’s  National Advisory Board committee that drafted the guidelines for prescribing and dispensing Esketamine, a novel adjunct antidepressant treatment. In addition, he has been part of several steering commitees that paved new directions in mental health. For example, he was appointed to be part of the Southeast Asian steering committee to develop a patient decision aid for people living with schizophrenia. He is also part of the regional Asia Pacific steering commitee to develop a module for cognitive impairment associated with schizophrenia (CIAS). In 2023, he received the Excellent Service Award from the University of Malaya in recognition of his contributions. Dr Benedict is regarded as a Key Opinion Leader in the field of treatment resistant depression and schizophrenia and is a regular invited speaker at both local and regional events. He is actively involved in several associations at various levels. He is a life member of the Malaysian Psychiatric Association and a corresponding member of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology. He is also a member of the Asian College of Neuropsychopharmacology. He was inducted as Fellow of the Pacific Rim College of Psychiatrists.  Besides clinical medicine, Dr Benedict is keenly interested in the various facets of research ethics, particularly in the subfield of Neuroethics. He was recently awarded a scholarship under the auspices of the Fogarty International Centre of the United States National Institute of Health in collaboration with Johns Hopkins University, to pursue his Master's in Health Research and Ethics at the University of Malaya.

Dr. Zawawi Ismail is an Associate Professor and previously the Dean of the Faculty of Education, University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He received his Bachelor Degree in Arabic Language & Literature (Major), Shariah (Minor) from Yarmouk University, Jordan, Post Graduate Diploma of Education from International Islamic University Malaysia, Master in Arabic Education and obtained his Ph.D. in the field of Education from the National University of Malaysia 2008. His research interests include Arabic & Islamic Education Curriculum, Teacher Education, Muslim Minority Education,  and Quranic Language Education. He has published articles in international and national journals,  books and other publications. Dr. Zawawi has contributed a lot to society and he is also active in several NGOs and one of the founders of Yayasan As-Syafie which is focusing on developing Islamic Boarding School in Cambodia and other educational activities in Indonesia and Malaysia.      

Dr. Mohd Haniff Zainuldin is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Accounting, Faculty of Business & Economics, Universiti Malaya (UM), with over 15 years of experience in academia. He obtained his PhD in Accounting from the University of South Australia (UniSA) in 2015, specialising in financial reporting, Islamic banks, and ethics. He also holds a Master of Accountancy from Universiti Teknologi MARA (UiTM), Malaysia, and a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting and Corporate Finance from the University of Adelaide, Australia.Dr. Haniff plays a key role in professional accreditation and academic quality assurance. He has served as a Panel Assessor for the accreditation of accounting programs at Swinburne University of Technology Sarawak and Northern Kuala Lumpur International College. He is also an External Examiner for ACCA-accredited diploma programs and an External Course Reviewer for advanced diploma programs in accounting. In addition, he was the Liaison Officer for ICAEW-UM and a member of the ICAEW Strategic Credit Papers Committee, contributing to the integration of ICAEW-accredited courses into the Universiti Malaya’s accounting programs.His research focuses on environmental, social and governance (ESG), financial accounting and reporting, corporate governance, Islamic accounting, and Islamic banking and finance. Dr. Haniff has published extensively in high-impact journals such as Corporate Social Responsibility and Environmental Management, International Journal of Bank Marketing, and the Pacific-Basin Finance Journal. He has also been an active reviewer for prestigious journals, including Sustainability, Journal of Financial Reporting and Accounting, and Emerging Markets Review.Dr. Haniff has secured multiple external research grants, including funding from the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) for the development of ESG performance measurement models for banks in Malaysia, as well as grants from Universitas Indonesia and private funding sources, to explore ESG and sustainability issues in financial markets across Asia. His research contributions provide valuable insights into sustainable finance, ethical corporate governance, and the integration of Islamic principles in financial reporting.Beyond academia, Dr. Haniff actively contributes to the accounting profession through his advisory roles in academic accreditation and professional certification programs, ensuring high-quality education and industry relevance in accounting education.