Youth Leadership Academy

YLA 2020

A brief summary of our YLA 2020 programme

Bajet Bento (YLA 2020 Winning Team)

Bajet Bento’s mission is to empower the underprivileged to achieve financial security and uplift lives through entrepreneurship and food.

During the course of their YLA run, Bajet Bento provided 1180 meals for children and generated over RM3.6k for underprivileged families. They were able to achieve this by selling over 500 bentos, gaining over RM5k in revenue. This could not have been possible without the support of additional support from their partners and volunteers. Within a short amount of time, they also found ways to utilize both online and offline marketing methods to reach new audiences.

The YLA 2020 cohort was greatly inspired by incredibly dedicated and passionate leaders in Malaysia

Mentors and Speakers

In 2020, we had the honor of having:

  • Amir Hamzah Azizan (CEO, EPF Malaysia)
  • Chee Mun Foong (CTO, MoneyLion)
  • Chen Chow Yeoh (Co-founder, Fave & Kfit)
  • Choong Fui-Yu (CEO, Kaodim)
  • Greg Blackwood (Chairman & Founder, Genuine Interest Ltd.)
  • Heidy Quah (Founder, Refuge For The Refugees)
  • Ida Thien (Co-founder & Lead, Closing the Gap)
  • Iqbal Ameer (CEO, Livescape)
  • Wong Wai-Seng (Senior Vice President, Khazanah)
  • Yuen Tuck Siew (CEO, Jirnexu)
  • Yuvha Dharshini (Senior Account Manager, Google)
  • Yvonne Yong (Head of Partnerships, MDEC)
  • Zaman Ahmad (CEO, MBSB/Cyber Security Firm)

The YLA 2020 Team

YLA Malaysia is organised and run by colleagues McKinsey & Company’s Kuala Lumpur office. The 2020 team is a group of passionate individuals who are excited to meet you and make the programme a fulfilling experience!

Shu graduated from Imperial College London with a Master’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering. Prior to joining McKinsey & Company, Shu worked in microprocessor semiconductors before moving into in Merger & Acquisition advisory in the telecommunications sector. He is passionate about blockchain technology, 5G networks and smartphones and consumer devices. In his free time, Shu practices mindful meditation, brews green tea and enjoys street photography.


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Shu

Opal graduated from the University of Sydney with a combined BCom/LLB degree (Hons.). Prior to re-joining McKinsey, Opal spent 6 years in SE Asia, Hong Kong and Taiwan, co-founding and managing multiple ventures (e.g., fashion e-commerce, food & grocery delivery, specialty coffee concept). He is passionate about digital & technology, including its application in achieving social outcomes. Opal enjoys spending time with his family, reading and watching shows.


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Opal

Cheng Ze Neo graduated from University College London with a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. Prior to joining McKinsey, Neo spent 6 years in banking and his last role was to lead the exponential growth strategy for a Global Bank. He has held multiple roles across business strategy, product management, expense optimization and financial planning & analysis. He is passionate about making an impact to business and the society. Neo enjoys doing community service and spending time with his family.


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Cheng Ze Neo

Boon Fei graduated from University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia with Master of Engineering science majoring in artificial intelligence. Prior to Mckinsey, he worked in oil and gas and technology companies, developed large scale digital transformation and operational excellence programs across multiple functions. He enjoys movies, music, reading and traveling.


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Boon Fei

Joy studied math and computer science at Princeton, but truthfully spent more of her college days cooking, taking art and education classes and dancing poorly. In her free time, she enjoys food-related activities with friends and family.


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Joy

Lily graduated from Taylor’s University with a degree in journalism from the University of South Australia. Prior to joining McKinsey, Lily worked as a lifestyle journalist with a luxury publication, specializing in feature stories and personality profiles. She is passionate about storytelling, especially ones that inform, inspire and uplift. She enjoys K-Pop (particularly BTS), video games, reading, indoor cycling and taking long walks in nature.


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Lily

Wayne graduated with a degree in Chemical Engineering from UNSW. Prior to joining McKinsey, Wayne was part of Khazanah’s graduate programme, then spent a few years in the upstream O&G sector as a field engineer before joining PwC as a management consultant. Wayne is passionate about leadership building, having experienced the benefits of a structured leadership programme early in his career. He enjoys classic rock and used to be an avid Dota 2 player.


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Wayne

Izmal graduated from London School of Economics (LSE) with Bachelor’s in Accounting and Finance. Then he pursued a post-graduate degree at Imperial College Business School. Prior to Mckinsey, Izmal was serving public sector clients in the banking industry. He is passionate about strategy and making differences where it matters the most. Outside of work, Izmal loves playing futsal and hitting the gym regularly – with the aim to keep healthy.


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Izmal

Crystal read Government and Economics at the London School of Economics, and then completed her Master’s degree in Education at the University of Cambridge. She is passionate about education and the creative arts, and worked on improving students’ happiness in schools via architecture and design through her research. Crystal is an avid foodie and traveller, and enjoys writing and performing music in her spare time.


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Crystal