Idris Jala


Idris Jala is a Malaysian politician and 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 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

Prior to his government work, Jala used to work for Shell. In 2005, the Malaysian government elected him as CEO of Malaysia Airlines 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. He was also voted as a Governor on the Board of IATA in 2006.

Cabinet minister

In September 2009, Jala was sworn in as a Minister in the Prime Minister's Department. Jala was appointed minister without portfolio in the Prime Minister's Department and chief executive officer of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit. As CEO of the Performance Management and Delivery Unit, the unit monitoring the implementation of the Key Performance Indicator 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. Jala was the first Orang Ulu to be appointed as a federal cabinet minister.

Personal life

Jala was born and brought up in Bario, Sarawak. He is the third child out of four children born to Henry Jala Temalai and Lapu Sakai Midang Aren. His father, who was a former Kelabit Highland pemanca and retired schoolteacher since 1989, died on 22 March 2016, aged 85.
Jala is a Kelabit from Sarawak and is a Christian belonging to the Sidang Injil Borneo denomination of Protestantism. He is married to Pang Ngan Yue and has two sons. He is one of the few non-Malay non-Muslims to have been appointed to head a GLC. Since March 2024, Jala and his son, Leon holds a weekly podcast called The Game of Impossible.

Honours

Honours of Malaysia