YTM Tan Sri Dato' Seri Diraja Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz

The Malaysian Red Crescent has never been more influential than under Tunku Puteri Intan Safinaz, daughter of Kedah's late Sultan Abdul Halim Muadzam Shah, who has elevated it from a traditional aid organisation into Asia-Pacific's leading humanitarian convener since becoming its first female Chairperson in 2018. With 29 years in public service, her military background that earned her the historic first-ever honorary maroon beret for a woman, she has channelled her command experience and royal platform into building a dynamic force for community resilience across Asia-Pacific.

In 2024, Tunku Puteri made history as the first woman from ASEAN to chair the International Conference of the Red Cross and Red Crescent in Geneva, elevating Malaysia's humanitarian stature on the world stage. That same year, the Malaysian Red Crescent deployed over 400 trained volunteers to 150 flood relief centres nationwide, delivering hot meals, psychosocial support and thousands of food packs to communities in Kedah, Terengganu and Kelantan.

When the Putra Heights gas pipeline fire struck in April 2025, she was there in evacuation centres, mobilising first responders to aid burn victims—reflecting her commitment to hands-on involvement rather than distant observation.

Beyond her humanitarian work, Tunku Puteri serves as Chancellor of Universiti Utara Malaysia and founded Yayasan Sultanah Bahiyah in 1996, a charitable foundation providing education, health and entrepreneurship support across Kedah. Her diverse leadership demonstrates how privilege wielded with principle and sustained commitment transforms nations. Her legacy ultimately rests on how many lives the Malaysian Red Crescent saves and how profoundly she advances women's leadership in humanitarian response.