Nicole Thum

The Manager in Partnerships and Stakeholder Communication of Think City, Nicole Thum, has been driver of its success since she joined in 2014 as a programme executive.

In her preceding position as Manager in the Urban Mechanics department, Nicole specialised in grants management and space activation, leveraging on her business and finance background to helped Think City grantees develop sustainable business plans and implement impactful programmes. Among her notable projects is the development of the Jeti Lama Rain Garden, the first water sensitive urban garden in Butterworth and the UAB building in George Town, Penang, which is a catalyst to the new Creative Digital District of George Town. Now, in her latest position, her work focuses on establishing partnerships in the city-building space to further enhance local economic development.

Nicole’s passion for urban planning and collaboration has opened doors to summits and conferences such as the AVPN Global Conference in 2023 where she shared her hope that a sense of belonging and place pride will encourage Malaysians to join her cause in building a sustainable future. She has also participated in the highly competitive Young Southeast Asian Leadership Initiative’s Economic Development programme in the United States of America, and is on the committees of Placemaking Malaysia, Youth Division and Malaysian International Chamber of Commerce and Industries.

Good impact catalyses change for the bette  and everyone has a role to play to create an impact whether within their communities, city or country. All it takes is a vision followed by a set of actions to achieve that vision.