Reza Cockrell is the co-founder of The Habitat Penang Hill and The Habitat Foundation with his father, Dato’ Harry Cockrell. The Habitat Penang Hill, an environmental discovery centre that opened in January 2016, and its NGO arm The Habitat Foundation, were key in spearheading Penang Hill’s designation as a Unesco Biosphere reserve in 2021.

Cockrell is a self-confessed third-culture kid. Born in Saudi Arabia to a Malay mother and a mixed Caucasian and Chinese father, he was raised in Hong Kong before attending Johns Hopkins University to study international studies and economics, and the London School of Economics to study accounting and finance. He is currently managing director of the Pacific Tiger Group and chairman of its subsidiary PTG Food, a next-generation food company with a clear purpose of delivering growth by nourishing people with great food and wholesome nutrition while taking care of the environment.

Cockrell’s mother, Datin Rosna Yusoff, grew up in Penang and Cockrell considers the state his dual home town apart from Hong Kong. Because of this, a passion for the natural world and being a keen conservationist led to the development of The Habitat Penang Hill and The Habitat Foundation.