Dr. Surina Ismail
Group Head of Sustainability, IOI Corporation Bhd

 

 

Dr. Surina Ismail currently holds the position of Group Head of Sustainability, IOI Corporation Bhd. In this capacity, she is responsible for corporate sustainability which includes aligning the strategy and sustainability policies together with their implementation for the whole IOI Group (Plantation & Manufacturing Divisions).

Prior to this, she was the Global Director for Intellectual Property (IP) Management at Emery Oleochemicals where her main responsibilities include IP Strategy, Valuation & Portfolio Management. At the same time, she was also a Business Development and Operations Director for Emery Advance Material, a subsidiary company of Emery which specialises in the dispersion of Nanocarbon in Materials (she holds several patents in this field) and where she was responsible for developing the business strategy for their patented technology as well as oversee the operation’s side of this technology.

She holds a BSc. (Hon) Chemistry from Indiana University, MSc. (Polymer Organic) from University of Massachusetts and PhD. (Bio-organic Polymer) from University Akron, USA with past experiences in the academia working as a Research Fellow, Visiting Scientist & Assistant Professor in the USA before returning to Malaysia and entering the Industrial Sector. She joined Sime Darby Technology Center, a technical center focused in the field of rubber and tires, as Materials Testing & Analysis Manager cum Quality Manager. Later on, she moved on to UCB Asia Pacific, a leading multinational company in UV Coatings, as Technical Development Manager for Asia. She then joined KLK Oleo as R&D Director at KLK Oleomas, a major manufacturing company in the oleochemicals industry.

In Regulatory and Sustainability Matters, she has been involved in activities such as the Supply Chain Certification for RSPO, RSPO’s Trade & Traceability Committee as well as in the sub-working group in Oleo Derivatives, LCA as well as in REACH, GHS, etc.