Ida Thien

As the young CEO of Yayasan Tunku Abdul Rahman (YTAR), Ida serves the dreams of underprivileged Malaysian youths by providing the resources to unearth their hidden potential.

Her journey in higher education advocacy began in 2016 when she co-founded Closing The Gap, a two-year mentoring program designed to help under-represented students in navigate their post-secondary-school aspirations. Since joining YTAR in 2019, Ida has taken on various leadership roles, fulfilling the Foundation’s mission to forge brighter futures for Malaysia’s next generation. Among her many contributions, she has revamped and expanded the Tunku Abdul Rahman Scholarship into a comprehensive program focused on holistic development and leadership as well as introduced innovative upskilling initiatives in partnership with the private sector to create more opportunities for underserved youth.

Her impact has been vast to say the least. In her time at YTAR, the Tatler Gen.T honouree has positively impacted about 2,000 young minds and has helped raise 16 million ringgit in financial aid. With the goal of increasing awareness on the effects of financial, cultural, and social capital inequalities on life outcomes, Ida advocates for equity and empathy-based solutions to bridge the opportunity gaps in society.

To me, making an impact is an act of returning a goodwill that was once accorded to you to society. If we can all see that what we have today is more the result of privilege, luck and the wonderful people in our lives who have guided us to where we are, ‘making an impact’ will seem less like a intimidating service or sacrifice, and more like a day-to-day exercise of practicing gratitude and caring for a cause or person above yourself.