KUALA LUMPUR, 22 October 2021 – The Malaysian Timber Certification Council (MTCC) has appointed Siti Syaliza Mustapha as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) effective 6 October. Siti Syaliza, who was MTCC Officer-in-Charge and Senior Manager (Forest Management), succeeds Yong Teng Koon who retired on 16 July. She is the first woman to helm the Council since it began its operations in 1999.
Siti Syaliza joined MTCC on 13 March 2012 after leaving her post as Director of Public and Corporate Affairs at the Malaysian Timber Council (MTC). She has extensive international experience, having represented Malaysia at various inter-governmental meetings pertaining to the International Tropical Timber Organisation (ITTO), Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna (CITES) and ISO/TC207 and a few other bilateral, regional and international meetings and conferences related to timber trade policies and market requirements, sustainable forest management and conservation. She was the elected Chairperson of the ITTO Committee on Economic Information and Market Intelligence in 2009 and was a member of the ITTO Expert Panel for Technical Appraisal of Project Proposals from 2010 to 2012. She is also an Advisor to the Geneva-based Programme for Endorsement of Forest Certification (PEFC) in the promotion of sustainable forest management and development of forest certification infrastructure in Southeast Asia.
She holds a Master’s Degree in Strategic Leadership towards Sustainability (Blekinge Institute of Technology, Sweden) and a Bachelor of Applied Science (Hons) (Environmental Biology) (Universiti Sains Malaysia).
The MTCC Board of Trustees and management team are confident that with her expertise and vast experience, Siti Syaliza is able to continue steering the Council towards achieving its vision for a nation that appreciates and internalises the full value and contribution of forests towards global sustainability.