About Us

Luk Wai Hong, William (“Luk”) was appointed to the Board of Directors (“Board”) of Eq8 Capital Sdn Bhd (“Eq8”) as the Chairman and an Independent Non-Executive Director (“INED”) on 12 April 2021 and subsequently was re-designated as a Non-Independent Non-Executive Director (“NINED”) on 1 November 2022.

He is also a NINED of Kenanga Investors Berhad (“KIB”), the holding company of Eq8 and the Chairman of its Investment Committee and a member of its Audit and Risk Committee.

In addition, he is also a NINED of Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad, the holding company of KIB and a member of its Group Board Risk Committee and Group Board Digital Innovation & Technology Committee.

He holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) from Concordia University, Montreal, Canada, a Masters of Urban Planning from the University of Michigan, United States of America (“USA”) and an Executive Fellowship awarded by the State of Washington, USA.

Luk is currently the Director of Investment of Cotton Tree Capital Ltd, of which he is the co-owner, with offices in Hong Kong and Singapore. He has more than twenty (20) years of experience in various capacities in the financial services industry, out of which eleven (11) years were spent in Deutsche Bank AG, Hong Kong and Singapore.

He began his career in 1989 as an Executive Fellow and Transportation Finance Specialist in the Office of Financial Management in the State of Washington. He later joined Lehman Brothers, Hong Kong as a Fixed Income and Credit Trader in 1993. After three (3) years, he joined HSBC Markets, Hong Kong for a year, before joining Deutsche Bank AG in 1997 as a Senior Associate Director and Senior Credit and Derivatives Trader. He then became Deutsche Bank AG’s Director and Head of Structured Credit Trading and Principal Finance Asia, a post he held until 2004.

In 2004 and 2008, Luk was appointed as Deutsche Bank AG’s Managing Director and Co-Head of Global Credit Trading and Principal Finance Asia, as well as Managing Director and Co-Head of Saba Proprietary Trading Group Asia, respectively. In 2008, he joined Pacific Advantage Capital, Hong Kong and Singapore, as its Principal and Portfolio Manager focusing on credits and special situations, before taking up the position of Director of Investment of Cotton Tree Capital Ltd in 2011.

Norazian Ahmad Tajuddin (“Norazian”) was appointed to the Board of Directors (“Board”) of Eq8 Capital Sdn Bhd (“Eq8”) as an Independent Non-Executive Director (“INED”) on 1 November 2022.

Currently, she is an INED of Kenanga Investors Berhad (“KIB”), the holding company of Eq8 and a member of its Investment Committee and Audit and Risk Committee. She is also an INED of Kenanga Islamic Investors Berhad.

In addition, she is also an INED of Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad, the holding company of KIB and the Chairman of its Group Board Risk Committee, and, a member of its Group Governance, Nomination & Compensation Committee, Audit Committee as well as Employees’ Share Scheme Committee.

Norazian holds a Bachelor of Science (Honours) in Mathematics from the University of Leeds, United Kingdom and a Master of Business Administration (Finance) from the Edith Cowan University, Australia.

She has more than twenty-five (25) years of experience in banking, with the last fifteen (15) years being in senior management, covering areas in Treasury operations, business and banking operations, risk management and support services. She has strong and varied experience in dealing with foreign exchange, international banking, investments, sales, customer and corporate relations, information technology, as well as asset and liability management.

She began her career at the Treasury Department in Bank Bumiputra (M) Berhad as a Senior Dealer before moving on to hold various senior positions at EON Bank Group, KAF Discount Berhad and Daimler Chrysler (M) Sdn Bhd.

Subsequently, she joined Bank Simpanan Nasional Berhad (“BSN”) in 2005 as Director in Chief Executive Officer’s Office and was promoted to Deputy CEO (“DCEO”) during BSN's re- organisation and continued to serve as its DCEO until she retired in 2010. During her tenure in BSN, she played a leading role in the transformation of BSN into a sustainable and profitable development bank.

From June 2008 to March 2010, she served as a Non-Independent Non-Executive Director of Prudential BSN Takaful Berhad and was appointed as a member of its Risk Management Committee and Nomination & Remuneration Committee.

On 1 August 2018, Norazian was appointed as the Chairman of Pacific & Orient Insurance Co. Berhad (“POI”), which is a subsidiary of Pacific & Orient Berhad, a company listed on the Main Market of Bursa Malaysia Securities Berhad. She served as an INED of POI since her appointment on 1 April 2015 until 29 April 2022. At POI, she also served as a member of its Nomination Committee, Remuneration Committee, as well as its Audit Committee and Risk Management Committee.

Puan Norazilla Binti Md Tahir (“Puan Nora”) was appointed as an Independent Non-Executive Director ("INED") of Eq8 Capital Sdn Bhd on 1 August 2024.

She is currently an INED of Kenanga Investors Berhad and the Chairman of its Audit and Risk Committee, and a member of its Investment Committee.

She is also currently an INED of Citibank Berhad, as well as Chairman of its Audit Committee and member of its Nominations and Compensation Committee and Risk Management Committee.

She is also currently serving as an INED of Genting Malaysia Berhad. In terms of her past notable appointments, Puan Nora had previously served as an INED of Bank Pembangunan Malaysia Berhad and its subsidiaries, until her retirement on 14 August 2024, as well as an INED of Etiqa Life Insurance Berhad until 1 May 2023. She was also an INED of Amanah Raya Berhad and AmanahRaya Trustees Berhad until 1 October 2022.

Puan Nora holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in Accounting from University of Stirling, Scotland, United Kingdom. She is a member of the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA) and a Fellow Chartered Accountant of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales (ICAEW).

She has more than twenty-five (25) years’ experience in financial management, notably in Financial Institutions and Capital Markets. Prior to her early retirement, Puan Nora was the Chief Financial Officer (“CFO”) of Cagamas Berhad Group of Companies (“Cagamas Group”). She spearheaded the financial leadership of Cagamas Group and was responsible for upholding strong financial management and governance while providing timely, accurate and reliable financial information and enhancing internal control.

Apart from Cagamas Group, Puan Nora held other CFO/Head of Finance positions at three (3) Islamic banking institutions, namely RHB Islamic Bank Berhad, Asian Finance Bank Berhad and the Al Rajhi Banking and Investment Corporation (Malaysia) Berhad.

Besides banking, Puan Nora is also experienced in fast moving consumer goods, having been involved in sales logistic chain management while at L’Oreal Malaysia Sdn Bhd and Universal Music Sdn Bhd.

Datuk Wira Ismitz Matthew De Alwis (“Datuk Wira De Alwis”) was appointed as a Non-Independent Non-Executive Director (“NINED”) of Eq8 Capital Sdn Bhd on 19 February 2021.

Datuk Wira De Alwis is currently the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Executive Director of Kenanga Investors Berhad (“KIB”) and a member of its Investment Committee. He also serves as a NINED on the Board of Directors of Kenanga Islamic Investors Berhad, Kenanga Trustees Berhad, Kenanga Digital Sdn Bhd and Helicap PTE Ltd as well as all subsidiaries of KIB.

Additionally, he has also on 7 January 2025, been appointed as a NINED of Kenanga Digital Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad, the ultimate holding company of Eq8.

As the CEO of KIB, he is responsible for the overall asset and wealth management business of KIB and its subsidiaries. He started his career as an Investment Analyst with a regional research and advisory firm, where he obtained vast regional exposure in Hong Kong, Philippines, Dubai and Singapore. He brings with him more than thirty (30) years’ worth of experience, expertise and several leadership roles in the fields of financial and investment management both regionally and locally. He joined KIB in June 2013 upon KIB’s acquisition of the ING investment management business in Malaysia, ING Funds Berhad, where he was the Executive Director and Country Head.

He is an alumnus of University of Cambridge, Judge Business School – ABSEP and has also attended the Advanced Business Management Program by the International Institute for Management Development, Lausanne, Switzerland. He holds an MBA and professional qualifications from the Chartered Institute of Marketing UK. He is also a Certified Financial Planner and Islamic Financial Planner. He has a Capital Markets Services Representative’s License from the Securities Commission Malaysia (“SC”) for fund management, investment advice and financial planning.

Datuk Wira De Alwis serves as the Chairperson of the Malaysian Association of Asset Managers, and is currently on the board of the Federation of Investment Managers Malaysia. He is also the Vice Chairman of the Institutional Investors Council Malaysia. He was appointed as a member of Bursa Malaysia’s Securities Market Consultative Panel (SMCP). He is also a member of the Joint Committee (Bank Negara Malaysia and SC) on Climate Change (JC3) and participates as a member of the Sustainable Investment Platform Steering Committee – Malaysia Sustainable Investment Initiative. Additionally, he holds the position of Investment Adviser for the Olympic Council of Malaysia’s Trust Management Committee.

He is a proponent of the industry’s talent development initiatives as a member of the Capital Market Graduate Programme Steering Committee (SC) and the Industry Competency Framework Advisory Panel for the Malaysian Capital Market project undertaken by the Securities Industry Development Corporation. He also sits on the SC’s Assessment Review Committee (ARC) – Fund Management.

Syed Umar Bin Abdul Rahman Alhadad (“Umar Alhadad”) was appointed as an Executive Director and Acting Chief Executive Officer of Eq8 Capital Sdn Bhd (“Eq8”) on 19 February 2021.

Prior to Eq8, Umar Alhadad was Head of Strategic Planning and Risk at Eq8’s parent company, Kenanga Investors Berhad (“KIB”) where his role revolves around the strategic setting and implementation of key initiatives whilst overseeing the risk management of the company. His previous role in the Kenanga Investment Bank Berhad group includes stints at Group Corporate Planning and Group Transformation.

During those period, Umar Alhadad lead multiple end-to-end M&A’s for the group with close to RM1 billion in transaction size, several license applications and council admission. He also steered the digital transformation of KIB.

Before being part of the Kenanga Group, Umar was in the media and advertising sector at Spafax, a WPP Group company where he spearheaded the Malaysian outfit. This was preceded by his employment experience on the rollout and support for digital surveillance system for bank branches.

Umar Alhadad is a graduate of Multimedia University, Malaysia in B.Eng (Hons) Electronics Majoring in Telecommunications and a Certified Financial Planner. He holds a Capital Markets Services Representative’s Licence from the Securities Commission Malaysia for fund management.

Ong Soon Chong (“Soon Chong”) was appointed as the Licensed Director / Executive Director of Eq8 Capital Sdn Bhd (“Eq8”) on 4 March 2025.

Soon Chong has over fifteen (15) years of experience in fund management and investment research. He currently leads the Passive Strategies, Exchange-Traded Fund (“ETF”) and Environmental, Social, and Governance (“ESG”) Investments at Eq8. His extensive expertise covers the management of various local and regional funds, including ETFs, ESG portfolios, equity mandates, and balanced funds.

Prior to joining Eq8, Soon Chong served as Vice President of Investment Research at ValueCAP Group in 2010 and was subsequently appointed as Senior Vice President / Portfolio Manager in 2015. In these roles, he managed a diverse range of investment portfolios across the Malaysian and ASEAN markets. His career also includes multiple roles in investment banking and big four (4) accounting firms.

Soon Chong holds a Bachelor of Accounting (Hons) from Multimedia University. He is a Fellow Member of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA) and the Malaysian Institute of Accountants (MIA). He also holds a Capital Markets Services Representative’s Licence from the Securities Commission Malaysia for fund management.