Dato' Sri Idris Jala (born 21 August 1958) is a Malaysian technocrat. He served as the Minister in the Prime Minister's Department and as the chief executive officer of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu) from 2009 until 2015, the unit tasked with spearheading Malaysia's transition towards high income status by 2020. He was also a Senator in the Dewan Negara from 2009 till 2015. At present, he is the President and CEO of PEMANDU Associates, a global consultancy firm focused on public sector transformation and business turnaround.

Career

Idris is a transformation guru in turning around companies' performance through his Big Fast Results method and transformational strategies that are innovative, rigorous and relevant to today's demands. He has continuously delivered sustainable socioeconomic reforms which, in 2014, saw Bloomberg place him among the top 10 most influential policy makers in the world. Idris is also the Founder and Executive Chairman of The Global Transformation Forum (GTF), the world's singular platform for influential, global leaders to engage and share experiences and best practices on how to drive transformation. Prior to his government stint, Idris used to work for

Shell Shell may refer to: Architecture and design * Shell (structure), a thin structure ** Concrete shell, a thin shell of concrete, usually with no interior columns or exterior buttresses Science Biology * Seashell, a hard outer layer of a marine ani ...

. In 2005, the Malaysian government elected him as CEO of

Malaysia Airlines Malaysia Airlines ( Malay: ''Penerbangan Malaysia'') is the flag carrier of Malaysia, headquartered at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The airline flies to destinations across Europe, Oceania and Asia from its main hub at Kuala Lumpur Int ...

due to massive losses of the company. In February 2006, he announced the airline's business turnaround plan from a 9-month loss of US$400 million in 2005 to achieving a record profit of US$260 million in 2007. He served until August 2009 after successfully turning around MAS and was awarded the CAPA Airline Turnaround of the Year (2006). He was also voted as a Governor on the Board of IATA (

International Air Transport Association The International Air Transport Association (IATA ) is an airline trade association founded in 1945. IATA has been described as a cartel since, in addition to setting technical standards for airlines, IATA also organized tariff conferences tha ...

) in 2006. Before Malaysia Airlines, he spent 23 years at Shell, rising up the ranks to hold senior positions including Vice President, Shell Retail International and Vice President Business Development Consultancy, based in UK. He was appointed the CEO of Shell Middle Distillates (SMDS) Bintulu and Shell Sri Lanka. Both companies saw successful business turnarounds under his leadership.

Cabinet minister

In September 2009, Idris Jala was sworn in as a Minister in the Prime Minister's Department. Idris was appointed minister without portfolio in the Prime Minister's Department and chief executive officer of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu). As CEO of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit (Pemandu), the unit monitoring the implementation of the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) initiative, he assisted and reported to Koh Tsu Koon, the minister in the Prime Minister's Department who is responsible for national unity and performance management. Idris Jala was the first Orang Ulu to be appointed as a federal cabinet minister.

Personal life

Idris Jala was born and grew up in

Bario Bario is a community of 13 to 16 villages located on the Kelabit Highlands in Miri Division, Sarawak, Malaysia, lying at an altitude of 1000 m (3280 ft) above sea level. It is located close to the Sarawak-Kalimantan border, 178 k ...

Sarawak Sarawak ( , ) is a States and federal territories of Malaysia, state of Malaysia. It is the largest among the 13 states, with an area almost equal to that of Peninsular Malaysia. Sarawak is located in East Malaysia in northwest Borneo, and is ...

. He is a third out of four children born to Henry Jala Temalai and Lapu Sakai. He has an older brother, Rubin, an older sister, Garnette and a younger sister Elizabeth. He is a Kelabit from Sarawak and is a Christian. Idris is married to Pang Ngan Yue and has two sons. His father, Henry Jala Temalai, who is a former Kelabit Highland Pemanca, died on 22 March 2016 at the age of 84. He is one of the few non- Malay non-

Muslims Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...

to have been appointed to head a GLC. Idris does not fluent in Malay, but he can understand it. Though he was converse well in English, Idris still converse in Kelabit dialect. Since March 2024, Idris and his son, Leon holds a weekly podcast called ''The Game of Impossible''.

Honours

Honours of Malaysia

* : **

MY Darjah Jasa Negara - Order of Meritorious Service - PJN

Commander of the Order of Meritorious Service (PJN) – Datuk (2007) * : ** MY-PAH Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang - Grand Knight - SSAP

Grand Knight of the Order of Sultan Ahmad Shah of Pahang (SSAP) – Dato' Sri (2007) * : ** Commander of the Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak (PGBK) – Datuk (2007)

References

External links

* (archived) {{DEFAULTSORT:Jala, Idris 1958 births Living people People from Sarawak Kelabit people Malaysian Christians Malaysian businesspeople Malaysian bankers Malaysian chairpersons of corporations Malaysian chief executives Sarawak politicians Government ministers of Malaysia Members of the Dewan Negara Alumni of the University of Warwick Commanders of the Order of Meritorious Service Commanders of the Order of the Star of Hornbill Sarawak 21st-century Malaysian businesspeople 21st-century Malaysian politicians