Zairil Khir Johari

Zairil Khir Johari is the State Executive Councilor for Infrastructure and Transport in the Penang State Government. He is also the State Assemblyman for Tanjong Bunga, a seat he won in the 14th General Election in 2018. From 2013 to 2018, Zairil was the Member of Parliament for Bukit Bendera, during which he was also the Democratic Action Party’s Parliamentary Spokesperson for Education, Science, and Technology.

From 2012 to 2016, Zairil headed the Penang Institute, a state-funded public policy think tank based in Penang. Under his leadership, the Penang Institute convened numerous international conferences and lectures, besides publishing the Penang Paradigm, a development blueprint for the state of Penang. He now continues to serve as a senior fellow of the institute.

In 2014, Zairil was selected as a global “Leader of Tomorrow” for the 44th St Gallen Symposium in Switzerland, an annual conference aimed at fostering inter-generational and inter-cultural dialogue between the decision-makers of today and tomorrow. In 2017, Zairil was chosen to participate in the prestigious UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s International Leaders Programme, an initiative that connects future leaders from emerging power countries. In the same year, he was also invited to attend the Young Political Leaders Programme by the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, as well as the Leaders in Governance Programme, which is the Singapore Civil Service College’s flagship course for senior public servants.