Ida Thien served as the CEO of Tunku Abdul Rahman Foundation, a national statutory body in honour of Malaysia’s first Prime Minister, with the aim of empowering and developing youth from under-represented backgrounds to become leaders of themselves, their communities and the nation. Her experience spans organisational leadership, strategic planning, programme design and partnership engagement - grounded in the mission of achieving an inclusive and just Malaysian society for all.
Her journey in higher education access and youth empowerment began in 2016 when she co-founded Closing The Gap Malaysia (CTG), a mentoring programme supporting students from underserved communities to pursue their higher education goals. CTG equips students with the skills, knowledge and confidence to navigate pathways that are often out of reach due to systemic barriers.
Through her work at the Foundation and CTG, Ida seeks to raise awareness on the limitations of meritocracy as a resource distribution philosophy and how unequal access to financial, cultural and social capital shapes opportunities and life outcomes. She advocates for more equitable and empathy-based approaches to addressing these gaps to ensure that all young people have a fair shot at success.
During her tenure, she introduced holistic programmes aimed at raising the capabilities of students from under-represented identities and backgrounds. At the same time, she galvanised over $5 million in partnership pledges with corporates, universities and philanthropic individuals to support the foundation’s mission of expanding equal opportunities to underserved young Malaysians.
Previously, she served with Teach For Malaysia, where she led efforts to strengthen alumni engagement and mobilise their impact across the education sector.
Ida holds an LLB from University College London and is an Acumen Malaysia Fellow (2020), part of a global community of leaders working to address poverty and create meaningful change through ethical leadership.
While my work often requires engagement at systemic and organisational levels, the most meaningful change happens at the human level. I witness this in the transformation of the students I serve, not only in their growing self-belief and tangible achievements, but also in how they are personally inspired to create change within their communities — a testament to how change creates ripple effects beyond the individual.Ida Thien