About Us

Irene Cheng May May (“Irene”) was appointed to the Board of Directors (“Board”) of Eq8 Capital Sdn Bhd (“EQ8”) as an Independent Non-Executive Director (“INED”) on 1 June 2026. She is also an INED of Kenanga Investors Berhad, the holding company of EQ8, as well as a member of its Audit & Risk Committee and Investment Committee.

Irene holds a Bachelor of holds a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) from the University of Wales, Cardiff, United Kingdom.

Irene is a seasoned Compliance Officer with over seventeen (17) years of experience in governance roles within regulated financial institutions, particularly insurance and takaful operations. She has cultivated a deep passion for enhancing corporate governance standards and fostering public confidence in the financial institution system.

In her previous role as the Chief Compliance Officer of Zurich Insurance Malaysia Berhad, she developed strategic planning initiatives that streamlined operations while ensuring compliance with regulatory requirements. Irene was a recognized leader with accolades from CEO Insight Asia. She has focused on promoting ethical conduct and transparency through strategic partnerships with stakeholders and governing bodies, including involvement with Sub Committee 2 of the Joint Committee of Climate Change (JC3).

She began her career as Legal and Compliance Officer at Allianz Life Insurance Berhad. 

Subsequently, she joined ING Insurance Berhad in 2011 as Compliance Manager, Enterprise Risk Management (“ERM”). During her tenure in ING Insurance, she played role as Compliance Manager and supported the Department Head in the establishment of an independent Compliance Function, enhancing visibility and capability. 

From November 2012 to August 2013, she served as a Vice President Compliance in HSBC Amanah Takaful Berhad, thereafter she joined and played a role as Head of ERM at Etiqa Insurance Berhad. She was spearheaded the establishment of the Enterprise Risk Management Function.

In December 2014 till April 2016, Irene was attached with AmMetlife Berhad as Head of Risk Management and she oversaw the integration process between Metlife and Amlife, streamlining policies and procedures, localizing risk management practices, and strengthening key relationships with stakeholders. From May 2016 to May 2019, Irene was the Head of Compliance at AXA AFFIN Life Insurance in Malaysia, She has successfully implemented and updated various compliance policies and procedures to ensure regulatory adherence and risk mitigation.

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”) is the Chief Executive Officer (“CEO”) and Executive Director of Eq8 Capital Sdn Bhd, the Kenanga Investors Berhad wholly owned subsidiary specialising in Exchange Traded Fund. As CEO, he oversees the overall aspect of the business while ensuring company’s health and productivity are steered towards a sustainable growth.

Over the years since 2010, Umar Alhadad has led multiple end-to-end M&A’s for the Kenanga group with close to RM1 billion in transaction size. His other experiences within the capital market industry include strategic planning, risk management, anti-money laundering and digital transformation.

Prior to Kenanga, he spearheaded the WPP Group company, Spafax Airline Network Malaysian outfit. This was preceded by his employment experience on the rollout for digital surveillance system for bank branches .

Umar Alhadad graduated with a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons) Electronics Majoring in Telecommunications. As a certified Financial Planner, he has in the past held the Capital Markets Services Representative’s Licence (“CMSRL”) in Financial Planning from the Securities Commission Malaysia. Umar Alhadad presently holds the CMSRL in 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.