Mr. Khoo Hock Aun
Ark Bio Sdn Bhd, Malaysia
Mr. Khoo Hock Aun graduated with a Bachelor of Science (Agribusiness) from Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang in 1978 and was a Nuffield Foundation Study Fellow in 1988 with the Science Policy Research Unit, University of Sussex, United Kingdom where he examined developments in biotechnology: the institutional basis for innovation, the role of government policy and the various approaches to commercialise and finance innovation in the field of life sciences.
He is Managing Director/Chief Executive Officer of Ark Bio Sdn Bhd, a regional biotechnology company focused on development of improved genetic material and mass propagation of planting material for jatropha curcas, other oil seed plants and organisms which can be utilized as feedstock for the biofuel industry. It also collaborates with research institutes on jatropha curcas agronomy, plant nutrition, farm mechanization, pest and disease management, precision agriculture as well as into alternative uses of the vegetable oil and its by-products.
He also leads the Cosmo Biofuels Group which is actively engaged in establishing jatropha curcas plantations, biodiesel downstream processing and trading activities in the Asia Pacific region. He is presently developing markets and partnerships for an oilseed-to-biodiesel supply chain based on the Group’s proprietary processing technology. He was Senior Advisor (Regional Strategy and Business Development) 2004-2006 for the South East Asia operations of D1 Oils plc. For the last three years he has developed a strategic interface with related Government agencies in South East Asia overseeing the policy for biofuels and renewable energy. He is also Advisor/Strategist for the International Jatropha Organisation.
From 1978 to 1983 he was Staff Writer for Malaysian Business magazine, published then by the New Straits Times Group of Companies and from 1983 –1985 was Head of the Market Research Department and Senior Executive for corporate planning in the Malaysian Overseas Investment Corporation Sdn Bhd; both positions required extensive professional research on economic, business and industry matters. He was subsequently appointed Executive Director of the National Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Malaysia from 1986-87 and concurrently held the position of Executive Director of the ASEAN Chambers of Commerce and Industry.
From 1989 to 1996, he was the Deputy Executive Director of the ASEAN Tourism Information Centre established by the ASEAN National Tourism Organisations. From 1996-1998, he was appointed the Executive Director of the ASEAN Business Forum; a regional association of corporations from South East Asia formed with the common objective of promoting intra-regional trade and business co-operation. From 1999-2004 he represented South East Asia on a global service platform for tourism e-commerce, was consultant to a company involved in multimedia advertising and was also Executive Director of the Association of the Computer and Multimedia Industry of Malaysia.