Meet Our HR Stars Awards Judges
We take the judging process of HR Stars Awards seriously, and that is why we have gathered a team of industry experts to evaluate the entries and select the winners. Our judges come from diverse backgrounds in human resources, with extensive experience and knowledge in various areas of the field. They bring a wealth of expertise to the table and are committed to maintaining the highest standards of fairness, impartiality, and transparency in the judging process. Get to know our esteemed panel of judges below.
For judging opportunities, please email
Ross P., Projects and Partnerships Director,
at hrstarsawards@chiefofstaff.asia
Razila is a senior HR leader with extensive experience in shaping people strategies within the healthcare and corporate services sectors. As Head of Human Resources at Qualitas Health Malaysia, she oversees end-to-end HR strategy, talent management, leadership development, and organisational effectiveness across a complex and highly regulated healthcare environment. She is recognised for her ability to balance business priorities with employee wellbeing, while building agile and sustainable HR frameworks that support long-term growth.
Throughout her career, Razila has played a key role in driving workforce transformation, strengthening leadership capability, and embedding strong governance and culture practices. Her expertise spans strategic workforce planning, performance management, employee relations, and change management, with a strong focus on aligning HR initiatives to business and clinical outcomes. She brings a practical, people-centric approach to navigating organisational change and enhancing employee engagement.
As a Judge for the HR Stars Awards Malaysia, Razila contributes a thoughtful perspective grounded in real-world HR leadership. Her experience in healthcare and corporate HR enables her to assess excellence in people practices with depth, integrity, and a strong understanding of impact, sustainability, and organisational value.
Anjali is a global HR and business leader with over two decades of experience across the IT services, food & beverage, and mining sectors. She currently serves as Sibelco’s Asia Pacific HR Director and Global HR Business Partner for strategic corporate functions, where she leads people strategy, organizational transformation, culture evolution, and leadership development across APAC and selected global functions. As a member of Sibelco’s Global HR Leadership Team, she also co-leads enterprise-wide initiatives in talent, culture, and organizational effectiveness.
Previously, Anjali held senior HR roles at FrieslandCampina and Nestlé, where she drove large-scale transformation, talent management, and diversity and inclusion strategies across APAC and Sub-Saharan Africa. A frequent keynote speaker and thought leader , she is widely recognized for her HR leadership and has received multiple regional accolades.
As a Judge for the HR Stars Awards Malaysia, Anjali brings deep expertise in building strong HR capabilities, shaping culture, and aligning people strategies with business goals. Her leadership experience across global and regional organizations enables her to evaluate excellence in human capital with insight and integrity.
Arulkumar Singaraveloo is currently the CEO of Malaysia HR Forum, a leading HR solutions provider in Malaysia. Malaysia HR Forum is also one of Malaysia’s fastest-growing HR platforms, with over 45,000 members.
Arul has taken on roles such as HR General Manager and Human Resources Director (Business Consulting Services) in large MNCs and PLCs. Arul’s expertise is in Industrial Relations, HR Operations and HR Business Partnership, Social Compliance, and Prevention & Elimination of Forced Labour practices. Arul also advises companies in HR restructuring and improving HR systematics and processes and has developed various tools and methodologies to improve HR processes and employs numerous tactical strategies to build a high-performance HR team.
You can find him highly involved in HR discussions and initiatives, continually looking for opportunities to innovate and improve the HR landscape in Malaysia. Additionally, he serves as a judge for the HR Stars Awards Malaysia, recognizing and celebrating the best in human resources practices.
Dr. Koh Ngee Loke is an accomplished Human Resources professional with extensive experience in managing HR functions across various industries. Currently, he serves as the Human Resources Director at Ultra Clean Technology (UCT), overseeing HR operations for three manufacturing plants in Malaysia and Thailand.
Dr. Koh’s career spans over two decades, starting with a 17-year tenure at Motorola, where he gained in-depth knowledge in Safety, Quality, Delivery, and Cost while leading production and operation teams of up to 400 members. He then transitioned to Sanmina, where he spent six years heading the Human Resources department. There, he honed his skills in Talent Acquisition, Compensation & Benefits, and Industrial & Employee Relations, managing an organization of 2,000 employees, including over 700 foreign workers.
In his current role at UCT, Dr. Koh focuses on areas of Industrial Relations, Employee Relations, Employees’ Compensation & Benefits, and Compliance. His responsibilities also include acting as the Responsible Business Alliances (RBA/EICC) Management Representative.
Dr. Koh holds a PhD in Industrial Sociology, a Master of Public Administration (MPA), and a Bachelor degree in Social Science (Hons) from Universiti Sains Malaysia; also a certified Train-the-Trainer (TTT) & Lean Six Sigma Yellow Belt. Based in Batu Kawan’s Industrial Park, Penang, Malaysia, he brings a wealth of knowledge and a passion for talent management, succession planning, employee compensation & benefits, and conflict resolution to his role.
Vaclav Koranda was born in the Czech Republic. He has more than 24 years of experience in the field of human resources, and got his first HR Director role at the relatively early age of 27. Since then, he has held several executive roles in the area of Human Resources, namely in the Information and Communication Technology industry, in Europe and Asia. For a significant part of his career his role also included regional responsibility, mainly for the region of Central/Eastern Europe. He also served as a member of the Sector Council for Information Technology and Telecommunications in Czech Republic. In 2022, he was named an Adjunct Professor at Taylor’s University in Malaysia, ranked as the no. 1 private university in Southeast Asia for three consecutive years, and among the top 1% of the most influential universities globally.
Vaclav holds a master’s degree in Work & Organizational Psychology from Charles’ University in Prague and is also a certified PRINCE2 Practitioner, Certified Human Resource Practitioner (CHRP) by MIHRM and a SHRM Senior Certified Professional. He is a member of the Malaysian Institute of Human Resource Management and Organization Development Network Malaysia, as well as the Malaysian Association of Certified Coaches. In 2018, he received a “CHRO of the Year” award from Employer Branding Institute in India. In 2019, he was named among “101 Global HR Heroes” by the World HRD Congress in Mumbai and received the HR Leader 2019 award from the Malaysian Institute of Human Resource Management. In 2020, he was named one of the most influential HR leaders in Malaysia.
Vaclav is passionate about the development of humans and technology, and their interactions, as well as related topics like digitization, future of work, performance management and reinventing HR in general. He is a regular speaker at major HR conferences and events around the world, has been featured in The CEO Magazine, and is a regular contributor to main HR media like ETHRWorld (from The Economic Times), Human Resources Online, People Matters, and others. In 2022, he authored a book “HR Digital Transformation”. In 2023, he published a book titled “Get Your Dream Job,” aimed at assisting job seekers of all ages in finding their ideal career paths. He also operates a free newsletter for job seekers under the same name.
Muhammad Hilman Rao Abdullah is a highly articulate, focused, and dedicated human resource leader with over 15 years of HR Generalist experience, making significant contributions to various multinational corporations. Currently serving as the Head Of HR East Asia at Alcon, he leverages his extensive background to align organizational goals with human resource strategies that promote high-performance cultures.
His professional journey includes key roles such as Human Resources Director at Nexperia, Global Head Of Human Resources at Carsem, Head Of HR for Group Human Resources at Peremba Malaysia Sdn Bhd, and HR Manager at Western Digital. These positions have equipped him with valuable expertise in human resource planning, policy development and implementation, employee relations, recruiting and hiring practices, personnel and organizational development, rewards and recognition, and performance management systems.
Muhammad Hilman holds a Master’s in Business Administration from the University of Southern Queensland and a Diploma in Business Administration from SEGi University & Colleges. Based in Kuala Lumpur, he is well-versed in legal aspects of human resources and has a proven track record in initiating cost containment strategies that result in significant savings.
He is recognized for his collaborative approach, serving as a strategic business partner to drive productive and proactive HR programs. His dedication extends to comprehensive understanding and application of labor and employment laws, including complaint investigations that prevent legal challenges.
Paul Howell is one of Asia’s most experienced business journalists covering workplaces and the HR profession in the region. With a media career spanning more than 20 years, and bases in Melbourne, Dhaka, Singapore, and Hong Kong, he is adept at building large-scale professional communities and empowering them with news, insights, and relevant analysis.
After leading the US-owned HRM Magazine in Singapore for more than 10 years, he launched Chief of Staff Asia in September 2021. This professional trade media brand for the digital age combines both online (website, socials, video) and offline (printed magazine, awards and live events) platforms to bring all of Southeast Asia’s HR professionals and best practice case studies together in one community.
Paul Howell is a permanent resident of Singapore, where he lives with his wife and two children.
