Deputy State Secretary (Development), Datuk Dr Badrul Hisham Kassim, 54, has been appointed as the new Chief Executive for Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA), effective 1st of January 2022.
A meeting of IRDA Authority Members, chaired by the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakub, and the Menteri Besar of Johor, Datuk Ir. Haji Hasni Muhammad, recently agreed on the appointment of Dr Badrul Hisham as IRDA Chief Executive, to replace Datuk Ismail Ibrahim, who served as the agency’s Chief Executive for 12 years.
Dr Badrul has been a Johor State Administrative Officer since 1992, and his engagement with Iskandar Malaysia predates IRDA. He was recruited to Khazanah Nasional Berhad from the Johor State Economic Planning Unit (UPEN) in 2006 to help design the creation of Iskandar Malaysia.
Following that, he was directly involved in the release of the IRDA Comprehensive Development Plan (CDP) 2006-2025 as well as the Draft IRDA Bill.
He was appointed as the first IRDA State Commissioner after returning to the Johor State Economic Planning Unit (UPENJ) to coordinate matters with State ministries and agencies, including the approvals required at the State level.
From 2007 through 2014, he held the role of State Commissioner. During that period, Dr Badrul was involved in the Joint Ministerial Committee (JMC) between Malaysia and Singapore on Iskandar Malaysia.
He was formerly the Yang Dipertua of the Johor Bahru Tengah Municipal Council (now known as the Iskandar Iskandar Puteri City Council), which is one of Iskandar Malaysia’s local authorities.
Dr Badrul holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from Staffordshire Polytechnic, England, a Master of Business Management (MBA) from the University of Leicester, England and a PhD from the University of Glamorgan, Wales in the field of water management and privatisation.
He once attended Harvard Kennedy School in the United States for an executive course, and in 2016, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM) designated him as an Adjunct Professor.
Dr Badrul Hisham is said to be the most eligible candidate to lead IRDA, with experience in the UPENJ Division, land administration, and local authorities, as well as his involvement with Federal departments such as the Economic Planning Unit, Prime Minister’s Department (JPM), and Ministry of Finance (MoF), as well as knowledge of IRDA and Iskandar Malaysia since its inception.
