Dr. Ahmad Parveez is currently the Director General of Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB), effective 10th August 2019. He was appointed as Fellow of Academy Science Malaysia in 2016 and Member of National Biosafety Board (2018 – 2021). He sits on various other Boards; Board of Trustee of Malaysian Palm Oil Council (MPOC, 2019 -2020), Board of Trustee of Malaysian Palm Oil Certification Council (MPOCC, 2019 - 2021) and Board of Trustee of Institute of Malaysian Plantation and Commodities (IMPAC). Dr. Ahmad Parveez was previously the Chairman of Genetic Modification Advisory Committee under the National Biosafety Board (GMAC, 2010 – 2018). He is also very active in various professional societies including as the President of International Society for Oil Palm Breeders (ISOPB) and Chairman of American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS) Asian Section.

Dr. Ahmad Parveez was born in Taiping, Perak and obtained his secondary education at Sekolah Menengah King Edward VII, Taiping. He graduated with Bachelor of Science (UKM) in Genetics, Master of Science (UKM) in Molecular Genetics and a PhD (UPM) in Plant Genetic Engineering. He has 31 years of experience in Plant Molecular Biology, Genetic Engineering and Biosafety. He developed world first transgenic oil palm in 1997. His interest is in genetic modification of oil palm and biosafety of living modified organisms.

He has obtained a number of prestigious awards both locally and internationally. He has 15 patents filed and six of them have been granted. He has authored and co-authored more than 80 papers in refereed journals and more than 250 conference papers.

Fauziah Arshad is currently the Director of Economics and Industry Development Division, Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB). She started her career in 1988 at the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) and later joined the Palm Oil Research Institute of Malaysia (PORIM) in 1995 now the Malaysian Palm Oil Board (MPOB) after the merger with the Palm Oil Registration and Licensing Authority (PORLA) in May 2000. She was again seconded to the MOH for two years from 2011-2013 as Deputy Director of Standards and Codex.

Fauziah Arshad obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Food Science and Nutrition from the National University of Malaysia (UKM) and her Masters in Engineering Science from the University of Malaya (UM). She has wide experience in the areas of food safety and quality having served in the Food Safety and Quality Division of the MOH prior coming to MPOB. While at MOH and at MPOB, she is heavily involved in the development of international standards in the works of the Codex Alimentarius Commission and the Codex Committees particularly in relation to oils and fats and food safety and quality. Apart from that, she is also experienced in the technical promotional activities of palm oil and palm oil products and providing technical advisory services during her stint in the Technical Advisory Services Unit of MPOB. Prior to her current position, she headed the Sustainability and Socio-Economic Research Group working in the area of sustainability and socio-economics aspects of the Malaysian Oil Palm Industry.