Melisa Idris – Keynote Speaker

Prior to her foray into television, Melisa Idris was the host of ‘The Morning Run’, the morning drive-time show for BFM89.9, Malaysia’s only independent radio station. As a host, she facilitates discussion and debate about issues in finance, the economy, and governance.

Melisa has interviewed senior policymakers, corporate leaders and international newsmakers, including:

• Former Greek Finance Minister Yanis Varoufakis
• Nobel Prize winner Joseph Stiglitz
• Starbucks co-founder Zev Siegl
• Environmental activist Dr David Suzuki

Her fascination with news media began when she was attached to the Media & Foreign Newswires Division in the Malaysian National News Agency (BERNAMA). She later joined a leading Islamic finance publication as publishing manager and editorial coordinator.

Her passion for socio-economic affairs eventually brought her to BFM’s doorstep, and in 2011 she joined the station, sharing a common goal of building a better Malaysia by championing rational, evidence-based discourse as a key element of good policy decisions.

In her current role, Melisa Idris now spends her time speaking to newsmakers and tackling tough issues from across the country and around the globe.

She holds a Master in Journalism from the University of New South Wales, Sydney, and she is an Economics, Public Administration & Politics graduate from University Malaya.

In 2017, Melisa Idris was chosen to participate in one of the most prestigious fellowships in journalism, the Wolfson Press Fellowship at the University of Cambridge in the UK. There she spent an academic term as a Press Fellow, researching Post-Truth and the spread of ‘fake news’ and disinformation.

Among the topics of the panel discussions she has moderated, include:

• AI & Big Data
• Diversity & Inclusion
• Economic Outlook
• Entrepreneurship
• Finance Policy & Regulation
• Innovation & Future Trends
• Politics & Governance