Dato’ Dr Ahmad Faizal Mohd Ferdaus, the President of the NGO Mercy Malaysia since 2009, started out as a volunteer at the international relief organisation. A specialist in internal medicine who wished to do more, he joined the Malaysian-based non-profit together with friends, a few years after the organisation made its high-profile relief mission to war-torn Kosovo to provide urgent medical and humanitarian relief.

After nearly seven years of being deployed for missions all over the world from Aceh in Indonesia and Syria to Palestine and Sri Lanka, and now one of the few old hands at Mercy Malaysia, Perdaus was appointed to take over the helm. Besides leading some of Malaysia’s biggest medical and humanitarian relief operations, Perdaus also practises medicine at KPJ Damansara Specialist hospital in Petaling Jaya.

He is focused on making Mercy Malaysia a sustainable relief organisation that will continue to do its work in the world long after he hands over the baton to his successor.