/tmp/fwzfz.jpg Our Team – The Habitat Foundation

Our Team

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Management

Executive Director

JUSTINE VAZ
Programme Director

DR AHMAD ZAFIR ABDUL WAHAB

Executive Director

JUSTINE VAZ

Justine has led the Foundation since its establishment in 2017. She is responsible for setting the strategic direction and priorities of the organisation in close consultation with the Board of Trustees and Executive Committee. A geographer by training, she has degrees in Geographical and Environmental Studies and Human Geography from the University of Adelaide with a particular focus on community-based conservation, and environmental and social justice. Justine has over 25 years of experience as a conservation practitioner working in both urban and rural contexts in Malaysian Borneo and Peninsular Malaysia. Other areas of expertise include environmental policy, community-conserved areas, protected area management, and sustainable financing for PAs. She is a member of the IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas and is currently the global secretary of the Board of Governors for the Society for Conservation Biology.

Programme Director

DR AHMAD ZAFIR ABDUL WAHAB

Ahmad Zafir is the Programme Director of The Habitat Foundation and oversees the organisation’s conservation, research, education, and training components. A conservation biologist by training, and an experienced practitioner, he has spent the last 20 years working on wildlife conservation, particularly in relation to threats and challenges facing large mammals. His Master’s in Environmental Management focussed on wildlife management in protected areas, while his doctoral research dealt with understanding elephant behaviour in the Central Forest Spine of Peninsular Malaysia with the intention of mitigating negative human-wildlife interactions. Dr Ahmad has a keen interest in interdisciplinary and intersectoral approaches to conservation which is a philosophy that underlines the Habitat’s approach to all its programmes and initiatives.

Administration & Communications

Head of Administration

CASSIE LEONG

Head of Administration

CASSIE LEONG

Cassie is the Head of Administration at The Habitat Foundation and has been with the foundation since its establishment in 2017. She is responsible for all administrative matters and human resource management. Cassie holds a degree in Business Management from Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom. Her first project at The Habitat Foundation was to plan, organise, and coordinate the Penang Hill BioBlitz 2017 with other stakeholders to document the biodiversity of Penang Hill.

Team Leads

Conservation & Sustainability Team Lead

ETHAN PANG
Education Team Lead

LINGESHWARRY JEWARETHNAM
Foundation Initiative Team Lead

NAVENTHAN AHRASAN
Community Engagement Team Lead

AHMAD UZEIR

Conservation & Sustainability Team Lead

ETHAN PANG

Ethan is the Conservation and Sustainability Team Lead for The Habitat Foundation. An experienced zoologist, Ethan supports projects and foundation initiatives that deal with biodiversity research, conservation biology, regenerative agriculture, habitat restoration and innovations for sustainability. In addition to providing assistance with facilitation and stakeholder engagement, he also assists with spatial analysis and imaging, project documentation and communication through photography and videography. Ethan is also responsible for coordinating volunteer activities and research on the Bukit Kerajaan Research Trail within the forest reserve and assisting tertiary institutions in coordinating specialised field courses in the Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve. Ethan holds a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Otago, New Zealand and a Master’s degree based on his research on the Agile Gibbon (Hylobates agilis) population within Ulu Muda Forest Reserve, Kedah. He is a board member of the Malaysian Primatological Society. Outside of work, he spends time on his urban farm which is a proving ground for sustainability systems, waste reduction, and food self-sufficiency.

Education Team Lead

LINGESHWARRY JEWARETHNAM

Lingeshwarry is the Education Team Lead for The Habitat Foundation and is responsible for managing the Foundation’s education pillar. A botanist by training, she graduated from University Malaysia Sarawak with a degree in Plant Science and Resource Management. Her childhood passion for nature has evolved into an impactful career in environmental education and community engagement. In her six years with The Habitat Group, she has been closely involved in designing and innovating educational curricula and activities for students of all ages and strengthening collaboration with educationists in our Good Grounding Network. She works closely with government agencies, local institutions, and community groups to optimise learning about conservation and sustainability in conjunction with the Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve (PHBR).

Foundation Initiative Team Lead

NAVENTHAN AHRASAN

Naven is the Programme Manager for the Foundation and is responsible for overseeing all aspects of the Foundation’s Grants Programme, which involves administering a professionally managed and well-governed system for disbursing funding to deserving grantees and beneficiaries in alignment with the Foundation’s values and pillars. In addition to that, Naven plays a crucial role in handling all of the Foundation’s partnerships, collaborations, and special projects, ensuring that every single project and activity is running smoothly and communicated effectively. Naven graduated from Universiti Sains Malaysia with a Bachelor’s degree in Aquatic Biology. In his previous role with the Penang State Government, he coordinated environment-related events aligned with the Penang Green Agenda 2030 and sustainability strategies for Penang. He remains deeply committed to working towards sustainability-driven strategies to overcome current and future environmental challenges in Malaysia.

Community Engagement Team Lead

AHMAD UZEIR

As the Community Engagement Team Lead with the Foundation, Uzeir is closely involved in facilitating environmental conservation and education programmes that have a strong social component both in Penang and beyond. Uzeir has a Degree in Zoology from University Sains Malaysia and enjoys sparking public interest in nature and the need to adopt more sustainable lifestyles. In his previous role as an Environmental Education and Outreach Officer for the Penang State Government, he was closely engaged in running activities with community groups and NGOs to bridge the gap to create more sustainable communities. He is currently closely involved in project initiatives undertaken with local stakeholders and at nature gateways to the Penang Hill Biosphere Reserve. He is also supporting a major project with Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS to introduce appropriate sewage treatment technology to manage tourism-related water pollution in Temenggor Lake.  

Programme Team

Senior Programme Executive

AHMAD AMIR
Senior Programme Executive

LER WEI RONG

Senior Programme Executive

AHMAD AMIR

Amir is part of the Foundation’s communications team and is responsible for enhancing the visibility of the work being undertaken by project grant recipients and foundation-led initiatives led by the team. Amir is particularly skilled at project documentation using photography, drone imaging, and videography. An aspiring environmental filmmaker and storyteller, he strives to bring alive the wonders of nature in Malaysia together with the people and communities who are an essential part of this story. Amir has a Bachelor’s Degree in Bioresource Research (Sustainable Ecosystems) from Oregon State University. In 2022, he was selected to participate in the Young ASEAN Storytellers programme by ASEAN Center for Biodiversity and his finished work filmed in Ulu Tembeling, Pahang is exhibited virtually on that platform. More recently, he has been involved in photographing and filming the natural and cultural heritage of Wang Kelian in Perlis for a book and documentary project led by Roots and Shoots Malaysia.

Senior Programme Executive

LER WEI RONG

Rong is an experienced communicator who is passionate about advocating for nature conservation through storytelling. He manages the Foundation’s social media campaigns and online presence to enable environmental messages and stories from our projects and programmes to reach a wider audience. Rong has a background in zoology and completed his Bachelor’s Degree at Universiti Sains Malaysia. He is able to leverage off his fluency in Mandarin to develop compelling environmental education and science communication for the Chinese-speaking community. He has helped to translate The Habitat Academy Environmental Literacy Course and deliver the course successfully in Mandarin. In close collaboration with Galeri Mandarin by RTM TV2, Rong helped produce and narrate a series of episodes featuring Foundation-funded projects and initiatives. With previous work experience in broadcasting, he ran a three-month nature-focussed podcast on Mandarin web radio.