Our People
The Board of Trustees, the Pillar Leaders as well as the Advisors who support and work tirelessly behind the scenes for The Datai Pledge.
Board of Trustees
Tan Sri Amirsham A Aziz
Chairman
Tan Sri Amirsham was appointed Chairman of Themed Attractions Resorts and Hotels Sdn Bhd (now known as Destination Resorts and Hotels Sdn Bhd) from 2015 to 2020.
He began his career with Maybank Group in 1977, holding various senior positions until 2008. He served as Maybank’s President and Chief Executive Officer for 14 years from 1994. He was appointed a Minister in the Prime Minister’s Department from 2008, in charge of the Economic Planning Unit and the Department of Statistics until 2009. He served as the Chairman of the National Economic Advisory Council from 2009 to 2011. He is currently the Chairman of Sunway Reit Management Sdn Bhd and a member of the Board of Wearnes-StarChase Limited in Singapore and is a Non-Executive Director at Hap Seng Plantations Holdings Berhad.
Dato' Paduka Ammar bin Dato' Shaikh Mahmood Naim
Trustee
Dato’ Paduka Ammar is the former State Secretary of Kedah, a position he held from 2018 to 2022. Prior to this, he was the Finance Officer of Kedah (2017 – 2018). He is currently a member of the Board of Northern Gateway Sdn Bhd and University Utara Malaysia, and previously served as a member of the Advisory Committee of T-REC for the Langkawi Development Authority (LADA). The accomplished Dato’ Paduka Ammar holds many awards, orders, decorations and medals (1999 - 2022), including Tokoh Amalan Baik Peraturan Peringkat Kerajaan Negeri 2021, Darjah Paduka Seri Setia Sultan Sallehuddin Kedah Yang Amat Dihormati, Setia Sultan Sallehuddin Kedah, Darjah Setia DiRaja Kedah, Jasa Setia DiRaja, Ahli Mangku Negara, Ahli Mahkota Kedah and Bintang Perkhidmatan Cemerlang Kedah. Member since 20 April 2023.
Lynette Yeow Su-Yin
Trustee
Lynette Yeow was a director of Destination Resorts and Hotels Sdn Bhd (formerly known as Themed Attractions Resorts & Hotels Sdn Bhd) (DRH), from 27 March 2015 to 31 December 2020. She has been a corporate lawyer since January 1995 and is a consultant at a law firm in Kuala Lumpur. Lynette is currently an independent non-executive director of Malaysia Building Society Berhad, CTOS Digital Berhad and TNB Power Generation Sdn Bhd. Lynette also served on the board of the Securities Commission Malaysia from June 2021 to June 2023. Together with her husband, SC Shekar, Lynette believes that we can all play a part in protecting our planet and the communities.
Arnaud Girodon
Executive Administrator
Arnaud Girodon is the Chief Executive Officer of Datai Hotels and Resorts Sdn Bhd and former General Manager of The Datai Langkawi (from 2014 to 2023). His years of leadership at The Datai Langkawi resulted in tremendous success, leading the resort from strength to strength, including the recognition of receiving many coveted international accolades.
He began his hospitality career in the United Kingdom and subsequently spent seven years in Dubai at the Jebel Ali Hotel & Golf Resort and Al Murooj Rotana Hotel and Suites, followed by eight years in Thailand and Vietnam for the InterContinental Group. His leadership at The Datai Langkawi included the 12-month closure of the resort for its first major refurbishment in its 25-year history. A few months after the opening in 2018, The Datai Pledge, his brainchild, was soft launched.
Stephanie Saw
Trustee
Stephanie Saw was appointed Group Managing Director & Chief Executive Officer of Destination Resorts and Hotels Sdn Bhd (formerly known as Themed Attractions Resorts & Hotels Sdn Bhd) on 2 April 2019. Prior to her appointment, she was a Director in the Investments Division of Khazanah Nasional Berhad.
She began her career with the Renong Berhad group and held various positions in operational and strategic financial control, corporate affairs and portfolio management. She then worked in strategy and corporate finance advisory and project management before branching out as a food and beverage entrepreneur in 2004. She returned to finance and investment by joining Khazanah Nasional Berhad in 2007. As Group MD & CEO of a key hospitality group in Malaysia, Stephanie has been resolute in her focus on aligning commercial strategies and operational initiatives with sustainability. Member since 18 March 2022.
Karina Ridzuan
Trustee
Karina Ridzuan is Director, Group Business Services, at Destination Resorts and Hotels Sdn Bhd (formerly known as Themed Attractions Resorts & Hotels Sdn Bhd). She oversees a portfolio of Group functions including Legal, Secretarial, Risk, and Human Capital. Karina joined Destination Resorts and Hotels Sdn Bhd (DRH), in 2011 as Senior Vice President, Legal & Secretarial and was promoted to Director, Legal & Secretarial in 2013. She started her career with Petronas and has spent more than 16 years working in legal, finance and intellectual property. Prior to joining DRH, she was the Chief Executive Officer of Dewan Philharmonic Petronas and Malaysian Philharmonic Orchestra.
Ambassador and Advisors
Juliet Kinsman
Ambassador, The Datai Pledge | Sustainability Editor, Condé Nast Traveller | Founder, Bouteco
For Condé Nast Traveller magazine’s first-ever Sustainability Editor, and Founder of Bouteco (a portmanteau of boutique and eco), there's nothing more inspiring than researching and sharing stories of positive impact.
Three decades as a journalist and a broadcaster, visiting the world’s most special places, has given Juliet Kinsman an unrivalled understanding of which of the world’s best hotels are most eco-friendly. Founding editor of Mr & Mrs Smith and an author of Louis Vuitton City Guides, to Juliet the real meaning of luxury is spending time in beautiful environments, which work hard to do environmental and social good. Her 2020 book ‘The Green Edit: Travel, Easy Tips for the Eco-Friendly Traveller’ is the ideal guide to making travel a stronger force for good.
As ambassador, Juliet is excited to raise awareness around our sustainability initiatives and showcase The Datai Pledge as a case study for how a luxury hospitality business can model positive-impact practices. Having met with Piet and Mark at the start of the permaculture journey, and been on industry panel discussions with Irshad, she is eager for more share in their expertise and knowledge. Appreciating the power of tourism to educate about conservation, Juliet hopes that by helping us open source our practices and partnerships, we can inspire more businesses to host guests in a way that does good for both people and planet.
Irshad Mobarak
Chief Advisor, The Datai Pledge | former Head Naturalist, The Datai Langkawi
The Datai Pledge is led by Irshad Mobarak, former Head Naturalist of The Datai Langkawi. Irshad is one of Malaysia’s most celebrated naturalists with over 24 years of experience in the field.
Irshad left a career in banking at Maybank for a calling in natural history. Throughout his career, Irshad has appeared in and contributed to many nature documentaries and insights for Discovery Channel, National Geographic as well as the BBC and TED Talks. Most recently, Irshad authored a nature guide as well as hosted a mini documentary series, both titled ‘Discovering Langkawi with Irshad Mobarak’. Irshad also owns a nature excursions company, JungleWalla.
Acting as guardian of Langkawi’s natural beauty, Irshad is active in his conservation, preservation and education initiatives and regularly provides lectures on sustainable tourism. His contribution to the preservation of Langkawi was honoured in 2007 with the ‘Amazing Malaysian Award’.
Piet Van Zyl
Advisor, The Datai Pledge | Sustainability and Closed-loop Specialist, Positive Impact Forever
Piet has been a hospitality industry sustainability practitioner since 1993, specialising in energy, water and waste optimisation.
Well-versed in international environmental management and professional standards, Piet is an EarthCheck Certified Auditor and Design Accredited Professional. He is passionate about inspiring people to have a positive impact on their environment and believes that there is always a better way to do things.
Piet began working with The Datai Langkawi in December 2017 during the resort’s renovations. With the target of zero waste to the landfill, many initiatives were realised including the Permaculture Garden for growing vegetables, fruits and herbs whilst taking care of organic waste; the Sorting Centre to separate waste and make it valuable; a water bottling plant; and The Lab, where guests can experience different ways to upcycle waste materials.
Mark Garrett
Advisor, The Datai Pledge | Permaculture Expert, Mark Garrett Permaculture
Mark Garrett is a permaculture lover and passionate about living harmoniously with nature.
He has dedicated his life’s work to creating low cost, sustainable ecosystems that benefit both the planet and the people who live and work in them. By observing nature and understanding how it operates, he creates low-carbon systems where energy is conserved by removing the need for fossil fuel. In this process, waste is turned into a useful resource, water is saved and re-used, vital minerals and nutrients in the soil are naturally regenerated and pests are controlled without using harmful chemicals.
These principles are the basic building blocks of permaculture and Mark has applied them to every project he has designed for more than 25 years. For The Datai Pledge, Mark designed the Permaculture Garden and provided training and guidance on permaculture principles to the resort’s team.
Matthias Gelber
Advisor, The Datai Pledge | ‘GreenMan’ Eco-speaker and Environmental Consultant
Matthias Gelber is a professional speaker and trainer on environmental and sustainability issues.
Hailing from Burbach-Lippe, a small German village surrounded by a vast forest, he developed a strong connection with nature from a young age and has been a passionate advocate of green living ever since. In 2008, he was voted the ‘Greenest Person on the Planet’ and currently lives in Malaysia, where he founded Eco Warriors Malaysia, a community movement focused on taking positive action to combat climate change.
Matthias has been a keen supporter of The Datai Pledge by training and educating the team through inspirational talks and advice on environmental and sustainability issues, with the belief that everyone needs to live in harmony with nature to preserve and treasure it for years to come.
Pillar Leaders and Team Members
Remi Giromella
Pillar Leader, Pure For The Future, The Datai Pledge
and Director of Quality Control and Improvement, Datai Hotels and Resorts
"It’s been over two years now since The Datai Pledge began its beautiful journey of conservation and sustainability. I am very proud to be leading the Pure For The Future Pillar with the support of a dedicated and passionate team who always go the extra mile. Our initiatives have developed well with some exciting achievements, but we’ve also seen some challenging times.
On a personal note, working on sustainability initiatives within a luxury hotel has always been a dream work experience for me. This, along with helping the community whilst minimising our impact on the surrounding environment, has been incredibly rewarding. I am looking forward to achieving zero waste to the landfill in 2021 and attaining another key milestone for the programme."
Mukhris Mahadzir
Pillar Leader, Fish For The Future, The Datai Pledge | Senior Marine Biologist, The Datai Langkawi
“For countless generations the oceans have been the source of livelihood for many civilisations around the world, and it is a travesty that they are not being looked after as they should. Fish For The Future aims to preserve the health of the oceans. Our programme takes into account the ocean’s interconnectedness with other surrounding ecosystems, and the impact that each makes on the other, specifically humans on the marine environment and wildlife. With all our efforts and initiatives, we hope that future generations will be able to reap the benefits of all that has been sown.”
Dev Abdullah
Pillar Leader, Wildlife For The Future, The Datai Pledge | Nature Centre Manager, The Datai Langkawi
“It takes more than being a passionate conservationist to make a lasting impact on the environment. More often than not, prioritising an environmental management system helps us ensure we remain methodical and focused. With the Wildlife for the Future programme and its many initiatives like tree planting, wildlife monitoring and building of the native tree nursery, and a lot of hard work with the team, we can continue to preserve and regenerate the undeniable beauty of the island.”
Tan Chin Wen
Pillar Leader, Youth For The Future, The Datai Pledge | The Datai Pledge Manager
"While wildlife conservation remains close to my heart, my experiences have broadened my understanding of the interconnectedness of sustainability. I am passionate about empowering young people to be at the forefront of a sustainable future and aspire to foster a generation that not only comprehends the environmental challenges we face but also takes informed, proactive steps towards creating lasting change. By integrating sustainability into educational programmes and hands-on experiences, we are equipping Langkawi’s youth with the skills and knowledge to drive meaningful change, ensuring that the ripple effects of their efforts extend to the wider community. I believe that by fostering a sense of responsibility and stewardship in young people, we can ignite a new generation of environmental champions dedicated to safeguarding our planet."
Zakwan Zamri
Assistant Manager, Sustainability, The Datai Langkawi
“It’s been really encouraging to see all the efforts of our sustainability initiatives start to show results, especially the reduction of waste to the landfill and our ‘no single-use plastics’ policy. In addition, guests have been very appreciative of our efforts and have often shared constructive suggestions to improve the programme. Together with my team, we always try to diversify the products that can be offered at the Permaculture Garden, and to increase our knowledge of agriculture and permaculture in particular.”
Norliza Selamat Din
Learning and Development Manager, The Datai Langkawi
“For me, there is nothing more special than seeing children grow up to be the best person they can be. As adults with different upbringings, environments and experiences of our own that we cherish, we are able to share these with them to help them learn, value and explore their true potential and shape a better world. At The Datai Langkawi, it is my duty to introduce all newcomers to our values and that begins with the care, appreciation and responsibility towards nature.”