JOHOR BAHRU, 14 July — In a landmark effort to strengthen international collaboration and elevate leadership excellence, Permodalan Darul Ta’zim (PDT), Universiti Teknologi Malaysia (UTM), and Harvard University convened a high-level strategic meeting today, signaling Johor’s growing ambition to position itself as a regional leader in governance, innovation, and economic development.

Held virtually at 10:00 AM MYT, the meeting brought together distinguished representatives from all three institutions. Among them were Fatema Z. Sumar, Executive Director of the Center for International Development (CID) and Adjunct Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School (HKS); Dato’ Ramlee A Rahman, President and Group Chief Executive of PDT; and senior academics from UTM including Professor Dr. Ahmad Jusoh, Associate Professor Dr. Mohd Effandi Yusoff, and Assistant Vice Chancellor Associate Professor Dr. Abdul Rashid Hussain.

This trilateral engagement builds on Johor’s strategic vision to enhance governance, develop human capital, and forge impactful global alliances. The collaboration traces its roots to 2023, when Dato’ Ramlee participated in HKS’s executive program Negotiation Strategies: Building Agreement Across Boundaries. That initiative expanded in 2025 to include three senior Johor civil service officers, underscoring the state’s commitment to cultivating world-class leadership.

In his opening remarks, Dato’ Ramlee emphasized PDT’s pivotal role in Johor’s transformation under the leadership of Menteri Besar of Johor YAB Dato’ Onn Hafiz Ghazi and the guidance of His Royal Highness Tunku Ismail, The Regent of Johor. He highlighted the urgency of preparing Johor’s civil service for the demands of the Johor-Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), which officially launched on 6 January 2025.

“The JS-SEZ is not merely a bilateral initiative — it is Johor’s gateway to regional leadership in innovation and investment. To unlock its full potential, we must anchor it with global expertise and cross-sector collaboration,” said Dato’ Ramlee.

Collaborative Policy Research & UTM’s delegation, led by Professor Dr. Ahmad Jusoh, Associate Professor Dr. Mohd Effandi Yusoff, and Assistant Vice Chancellor Associate Professor Dr. Abdul Rashid Hussain, contributed valuable perspectives on academic collaboration, knowledge transfer, and the development of regionally tailored leadership curricula. Their participation reinforced UTM’s role as a vital conduit between local governance and global academic excellence.

The Regent of Johor, His Royal Highness Tunku Ismail, has previously articulated his vision for a more professional and globally connected Johor Civil Service. “We want more JCS officers to be highly qualified. Johor will explore a new approach to provide professional courses in Johor by collaborating with Harvard University,” he stated on 6 May 2025.

Today’s dialogue marks a pivotal moment in Johor’s journey toward becoming a globally connected, knowledge-driven economy. By aligning its aspirations with institutions like Harvard and UTM, Johor is not only investing in its future, it is shaping a new model for innovative governance in Southeast Asia.