Professor Dato’ Elizabeth Lee Fuh Yen is Group CEO of Sunway Education Group (SEG). Under her leadership since 1992, SEG has developed from just one institution into a dynamic group of 20 entities, which include two Sunway International Schools (Kuala Lumpur and Johor), four Sunway Colleges (Kuala Lumpur, Ipoh, Johor, and Kuching), and the flagship Sunway University. SEG also hosts leading research, development and training centres involved in sustainability, leadership and strategy, technology, and global competitiveness. This includes the Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development, Sunway Centre on Planetary Health, and Sunway Innovation Labs (iLabs). SEG is currently home to more than 20,000 students from over 90 nations worldwide.
A Malaysian education industry veteran, Elizabeth has been at the forefront of education innovation, leading SEG to achieve many firsts, including the setting up of the first international branch campus in Malaysia and the championing of dual degrees (which catalysed Transnational Education, or TNE, in Asia). More recently, she’s been instrumental in the setting up of 42KL, a project-based coding school with no teachers, no entry requirements and no tuition fees, which aims to produce tech talent for the nation.
An educator at heart who immerses herself to students’ wellbeing, Elizabeth is the driving force behind SEG’s mission to provide a holistic and inclusive learning environment for all. She also leads SEG in its commitment towards achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).
Beyond her role with SEG, Elizabeth is a thought-leader in the field of private higher education provision and her role in policy-direction has been recognised by the government. She has served on the board of advisors of the National Higher Education Research Institute (IPPTN), a think tank under the auspices of the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia. She is a former member of the Malaysian Qualifications Agency (MQA) Council, having completed the maximum six-year term where she chaired the MQA Audit Committee, Investment Committee, and Senior Staff Promotion Committee while also serving as a member of the MQA Disciplinary Committee.
Beyond the education ecosystem, Elizabeth actively contributes to various social endeavours, NGOs as well as humanitarian causes. Elizabeth is currently on the Board of Trustees of MERCY Malaysia (Medical Relief Society Malaysia), an internationally renowned humanitarian organisation where she provides advice and support on widening access to quality education for those in need. She is also the sole Asian representative on the Going Global Partners Group (GGPG) under the British Council, and is alternate Chair of the 30% Club, a movement to increase women participation in public company boards, as well as the Razak School of Government (RSOG), a government-owned leadership development and training think tank.
Elizabeth is a recipient of several international and national awards which include the Leadership Commitment for Malaysia Award from UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific-Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEP), the Visionary Women Leadership Award by World Women Leadership Congress and Award (WWLCA), the Women Entrepreneur in Canadian Education by the Malaysia Canada Business Council (MCBC), the Malaysian Chinese Women of Excellence Award by Wanita MCA and Educationist of the Year by Sin Chew Education.
Elizabeth has also been invited to speak internationally at renowned-universities including Harvard Business School, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and University of Edinburgh. In 2021, she shared her views on Sunway’s sustainability journey at the 1st Cloud-Based University Development Conference hosted by the prestigious Chinese Association of Higher Education (CAHE). Most recently, Elizabeth address educators at the 2022 Going Global Asia Pacific Conference in Singapore. Notwithstanding her many international engagements, her most favourite events, in fact, are those with Sunway’s students, and she’s often seen spending time with them across Sunway Education Group’s many institutions.
Elizabeth holds a Master of Philosophy (MPhil) in Education from the University of Cambridge. She has been conferred with two honorary doctorates; the Doctor of Laws (Honoris Causa) by the University of Nottingham, UK and the Doctor of the University (Honoris Causa) by Victoria University, Melbourne. For her lifelong dedication and commitment in the field of education, she was appointed as Professor at Sunway University in February 2021 and bestowed the state title of Dato’ by His Royal Highness Sultan Nazrin Shah, the Sultan of Perak in 2022.
