Yasmin Mahmood

CEO of Multimedia Development Corporation(MDeC)

“Through the government’s Information and Communications Technology (ICT) educational program 1BestariNet, we can connect an isolated rural school with a high quality urban school in KL to collaborate, share lessons plans and create a
virtual learning environment. Even mothers and grandmothers are getting engaged with the technology as they open the computer lab to the parents after school hours.”

In a career spanning thirty years, Yasmin worked her way up the corporate ladder in several multinational companies. She was General Manager at both Hewlett Packard and Dell Malaysia, Managing Director at Microsoft, and Executive Director at YTL Communications where she spearheaded a project to bring ICT to 10,000 schools in remote areas. As CEO, Yasmin is currently leading MDeC. She manages the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC Malaysia) aimed at boosting the ICT industry in the country and developing Cyberjaya as a global technology and innovation hub. In addition, MDeC oversees the Malaysian National Digital Economy Initiative which seeks to transform the nation into a digital economy by 2020. There goal is to encourage Malaysians—including the bottom 40% of the income pyramid—to become producers, not just consumers, of technology. Yasmin also champions women’s participation in the tech industry. In 2009, she was recognized as the Association of Computer and Multimedia Industry Malaysia (PIKOM) ICT “Personality of the Year” for her tireless efforts to promote gender equality.