Malaysia is set to establish the Association of Sustainability Professionals (ASP), a new dedicated professional body to strengthen sustainability capabilities, standards and collaboration across industries by the end of this year.
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The initiative was announced at the Joint Committee on Climate Change’s (JC3) Journey to Zero Conference 2026 in Kuala Lumpur yesterday by its chairperson Raja Amir Shah Raja Azwa, who said the association is being set up to address the increasingly complex sustainability requirements, evolving regulations, reporting expectations and stakeholder demands facing businesses.
“As expectations under the National Sustainability Reporting Framework (NSRF) evolve, corporates will need sustainability practitioners who can help ensure their organisations are prepared to meet reporting expectations, manage risk, and translate these requirements into practical business decisions and credible strategies,” said Raja Amir, who is also the Chief Executive of HSBC Amanah Malaysia and Chief Sustainability Officer of HSBC Bank Malaysia.
He said the association has been incubated by the Securities Commission (SC) Malaysia and forms part of the sustainability priorities under the Capital Market Masterplan 2026–2030, which sets out the strategic direction for Malaysia’s capital market over the next five years, and is also supported by funding from the Capital Markets Development Fund, an SC-established fund that supports initiatives to develop Malaysia’s capital market.
He added that the need for a dedicated professional body became clear following a sustainability officers’ dialogue convened by the SC in April 2025, which brought together more than 50 sustainability professionals to discuss capacity needs, talent development, reporting challenges and a formal platform for collaboration.
Hence, the ASP will serve as a national community for sustainability professionals, while acting as a collective voice and sounding board on policy and market developments, according to Raja Amir. It will also seek to promote professionalism, ethics and excellence, and develop future-ready sustainability competencies.
A key focus of the association will be also to establish greater consistency in professional standards. Raja Amir said, ASP plans to recognise high-quality training and certification offerings and provide a reference point for sustainability competencies, as the field becomes increasingly regulated and technically demanding.
“The intended outcome is to professionalise sustainability practitioners, raise the credibility of the profession, and give organisations a trusted reference point when building their capabilities and talent pipelines,” he said.
Membership will not be limited to individuals with sustainability-specific job titles. The association is intended to include professionals in functions such as risk management, finance, operations, procurement and facilities management, among others, reflecting the growing integration of sustainability into business decision-making.
It is expected to provide members with learning and development opportunities, practical sustainability insights, cross-industry collaboration, certification pathways, as well as opportunities to contribute to thought leadership and policy dialogue.
The association will be led by an executive committee comprising sustainability leaders from sectors including banking, utilities, property, capital markets, manufacturing and professional services.
Alongside Raja Amir, Leo Pui Yong, Tenaga Nasional Berhad’s Chief Sustainability Officer, will serve as deputy chair, Angus Salim Amran, RHB Bank’s Chief Sustainability Officer, will be treasurer and Yasmin Rasyid, General Manager of Sustainability at Sime Darby Property Berhad, as secretary.
The announcement came as the two-day JC3 Journey to Zero Conference 2026 concluded its discussions on financing Malaysia’s climate and nature resilience at Sasana Kijang, Bank Negara Malaysia, which brought together policymakers, financial institutions, investors, businesses and other stakeholders to examine practical pathways to mobilise capital for the transition and resilience agenda.
The conference also saw the launch of the JC3 University Collaboration Programme, a strategic initiative between JC3 and Malaysian universities to strengthen collaboration in support of the country’s climate, nature, and sustainability agenda.
It’s currently partnering with six Malaysian universities, including Sunway University, Universiti Malaya and Universiti Tenaga Nasional to advance applied research, strengthen knowledge exchange, sustainability talent development and practical solutions for Malaysia’s climate transition.
The event also recognised recipients of the Climate Finance Innovation Lab Pitch-a-Thon and the JC3 Leaders in Action Awards for contributions and leadership in Malaysia’s climate and sustainability space.
