39th Asia-Pacific Roundtable
The Asia-Pacific Roundtable (APR) is the signature international conference of the Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) Malaysia. At its core, the APR is a Southeast Asian conference discussing key issues impacting on Asia-Pacific. It is one of the region’s premier Track 2 gatherings, ranking among the world’s top 20 strategic-security focused conferences.
Convened by ISIS Malaysia, on behalf of the ASEAN Institutes of Strategic & International Studies (ASEAN-ISIS), a network of leading Southeast Asian policy institutes and think-tanks, APR regularly attracts more than 300 thinkers who engage in lively, frank and constructive conversations on issues shaping the security, stability, sustainability and prosperity of the region.
The APR brings together experts from across the region to explore the latest trends and developments. It aims to provide insights into how businesses and governments could navigate an increasingly complex strategic landscape.
Every year, the Asia-Pacific Roundtable brings together:
Speakers
Datuk Prof Dr Mohd Faiz Abdullah
Chairman, Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) MalaysiaDatuk Prof Faiz leads the institute’s policy development and Track-Two diplomacy, including through the ASEAN Institutes of Strategic and International Studies (ASEAN-ISIS) and the Pacific Economic Cooperation Council (PECC). He is also the Malaysian representative to the ASEAN Regional Forum Experts and Eminent Persons (ARF EEP) meeting and Co-Chair of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia Pacific (CSCAP). His diverse career spans media, law enforcement, education, corporate law and public interest litigation, as well as strategic and international affairs advisory to federal and state governments. He is the founding dean of Selangor Business School (UNISEL) and the author of books on jurisprudence, public policy and strategic management.
YB Senator Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz
Minister of Investment, Trade and IndustryTengku Zafrul Aziz is responsible for growing the country’s manufacturing industry and trade, as well as attracting investments. Since his appointment in December 2022, he has consistently pledged to make Malaysia more pro-business, pro-investment and pro-trade. He served as Malaysia's finance minister between March 2020 and October 2022 where he led the curation and implementation of eight stimulus and aid packages in response to Covid-19. Prior to his ministerial appointments, Tengku Zafrul was in the banking and financial sector for more than 22 years, specialising in investment banking, sustainable finance, change management and regional policy execution. Just before joining the government, he was the Group CEO and executive director of CIMB Group Holdings Bhd.
YB Tuan Steven Sim Chee Keong
Minister of Human ResourcesYB Sim is the Bukit Mertajam MP and was appointed to his current post in December 2023. He is a former deputy finance minister and deputy youth and sports minister. Prior to his election as member of parliament, Sim served as councillor in Majlis Bandaraya Seberang Perai, one of the largest municipal councils in the country. He also sits on the governing board of the Penang Institute, a leading public policy think-tank. He is the author of four books: The Audacity to Think: An Invitation to Rethink Politics; Being Malaysia; an anthology of Malay poems, Dalam Salju Ada Bunga (2018); and a contemporary sociopolitical critique of the Malay classic Hikayat Hang Tuah, Hang Tuah: Adiwira Bangsa. In 201, he was named a Young Global Leader of the Geneva-based World Economic Forum.
Arividya Arimuthu
Senior Fellow, Institute of Strategic & International Studies (ISIS) MalaysiaArividya specialises in WTO and EU laws and has more than 20 years’ experience in trade negotiations. She is a former senior director for strategic negotiations at MITI and chief negotiator for numerous high-stakes free trade agreement negotiations, including the CPTPP, for which she led the ratification and implementation for Malaysia.
Supporters
Event info
Date: 30 June-2 July 2026
Time: 0815-1700
Location: Grand Hyatt Kuala Lumpur
For queries, please contact apr@isis.org.my