Hong Wai Onn
| Hong Wai Onn CEng, CEnv, FIChemE, FRSC, FMIM | |
|---|---|
| Native name | 孔偉安 |
| Born | 1981 Ipoh, Perak,Malaysia |
| 🏳️ Citizenship | Malaysian |
| 🎓 Alma mater | Universiti Malaysia Sabah Quantic School of Business and Technology |
| 💼 Occupation | |
| Known for | Circular economy promotion Sustainable development advocacy |
Hong Wai Onn (Traditional Chinese: 孔偉安; pinyin: Kǒng Wěi Ān) is a Malaysian chartered chemical engineer and chartered environmentalist known for his work in sustainable development, biomass valorisation, and circular economy advocacy.[1] He has been elected a Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) and the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC), and he also holds the title of European Engineer (EUR ING), a designation that recognises professional engineering competence and international mobility within Europe.[2]
Early life and education
Hong was born in Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia. He obtained a Bachelor of Engineering (Hons.) in Chemical Engineering from Universiti Malaysia Sabah. He later earned an Executive MBA from the Quantic School of Business and Technology, based in Washington, D.C., USA.[3]
Career
Hong has nearly 20 years of experience in the palm oil and biotechnology sectors, working across roles in production, engineering, applied research, process safety, and leadership. He began his professional career at Genting Plantations, the plantation division of the Genting Group. As of May 2025, he holds a position at Novonesis (formerly known as Novozymes).[3][4]
His professional focus includes the application of chemical and biochemical engineering to enhance industrial sustainability, particularly through converting agricultural biomass into value-added products to support emissions reduction and environmental goals.[5][6][7][8]
Professional involvement
In 2015, Hong co-founded the IChemE Palm Oil Processing Special Interest Group and served as its Chair until 2020. He remains an active member of its executive committee.[9] From 2018 to 2020, he served as the Honorary Secretary of the IChemE Malaysia Board during the period when Tuanku Zara Salim served as the Royal Patron.[10][11][12][13]
Hong currently serves on IChemE’s Learned Society Committee (since 2023) and was recently elected to the IChemE Congress, with his term beginning in June 2025.[14][15]
Hong contributed to the review and development of the Malaysian Sustainable Palm Oil (MSPO) 2.0 standards between 2019 and 2022.[16]
In 2024, he founded the Research Institute for Sustainable Excellence and Leadership (RISEL), a non-profit think tank based in Malaysia focused on sustainable development and leadership.[2][17][18]
Awards and honours
- 2019 Elected Fellow of the Institution of Chemical Engineers[14]
- 2020 Named a finalist for the Environmental Professional of the Year by the Society for the Environment[19]
- 2021 Admitted to the Freedom of the City of London[20]
- 2021 Inducted into the Malaysia Book of Records for authoring the longest memoir on palm oil milling[1]
- 2021 Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry[14]
- 2022 Elected Fellow of the Malaysian Institute of Management
- 2023 Recipient of the Knights Award for Rising Biochemical Expert[21]
- 2023 Awarded Best Intelligent Figure and Outstanding Leadership Talent by the National Consumer Action Council (Majlis Tindakan Pengguna Negara)[22]
- 2024 Inducted into the Malaysia Book of Records as the first Malaysian engineer granted Freedom of the City of London[20]
- 2024 Featured in the sixth edition of Britishpedia’s Biographical Encyclopaedia: Successful People in Malaysia and Singapore[1]
Philanthropy
In 2021, Hong launched a grant and award initiative to support emerging talent in the palm oil processing industry. The grant is designed to provide financial support for students and early-career engineers to attend relevant industry events, while the award recognises undergraduate research projects with potential contributions to process safety, efficiency, and sustainability. As of 2023, the program has supported 10 recipients.[23]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Malaysian double record holder honoured in Britishpedia's biographical encyclopaedia". The Borneo Post. 2024-12-26. Retrieved 2025-02-18.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "TVET grads will expedite automation of palm oil sector, says expert". Free Malaysia Today. 2024-02-16. Retrieved 2024-06-18.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 A Chemical Engineer in the Palm Oil Milling Industry. Amazon. 2020-08-19. ISBN 9789671818817.CS1 maint: Date and year (link) Search this book on
- ↑ "Shaping a sustainable future: Insights from WattMEC 2025". Heriot-Watt University. 2025-04-14.
- ↑ "Industry Stakeholders Call For Stronger Collaboration To Unlock Oil Palm Biomass Utilisation". Bernama. 2025-04-19. Retrieved 2025-04-28.
- ↑ "Malaysia Urged To Embrace Bio-based Economy In Palm Oil Sector ForGlobal Sustainability – Expert". Bernama. 2025-04-12. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
- ↑ "Oil palm smallholders urged to adopt tech to increase yield — plantation think tank". Ministry of Plantation and Commodities. 2020-12-17. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ↑ "12 External Evaluators for 3rd MJIIT Chemical Engineering Design Seminar and Exhibition". Malaysian-Japan International Institute of Technology. 2019-04-11. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ↑ "Palm Oil Processing Special Interest Group". IChemE. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
- ↑ "HRH Tuanku Zara Salim appointed Royal Patron of IChemE Malaysia". IChemE. Retrieved 2016-10-05.
- ↑ "Promoting the value of chemical engineers to Malaysia's Minister of Energy". IChemE. Retrieved 2018-09-13.
- ↑ "Chemical Engineers help Malaysia's Primary Industry Minister to make palm oil industry more sustainable". IChemE. Retrieved 2018-10-31.
- ↑ "New IChemE Malaysia Board visits Royal Patron". The Chemical Engineer. 2020-03-26. Retrieved 2023-02-18.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 14.2 "Learned Society Committee". IChemE. Retrieved 2025-03-18.
- ↑ "Congress election". IChemE. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
- ↑ "The MSPO Standards Revision Continues". IChemE. 2021-04-20. Retrieved 2024-04-28.
- ↑ "Transforming Africa's palm oil industry: The untapped potential of biomass valorization". Business Insider Africa. 2025-04-05. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
- ↑ "Geopolitics important no matter your field of study, students told". Free Malaysia Today. 2025-04-10. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ↑ "Outstanding Finalists Announced for the 2020 SocEnv Awards". Society for the Environment. 2020-12-28. Retrieved 2023-06-30.
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 "Hong Wai Onn Gets Recognized by the Prestigious Freedom of the City of London". IChemE. 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2021-08-28.
- ↑ "The Knights Award 2023 Honoured 70 Local & International Personalities & Companies For Their Outstanding Achievement!". World of Buzz. 2023-06-19. Retrieved 2023-08-28.
- ↑ "2022年杰出博智风云人物才智奖 – 孔伟安" [2022 Outstanding Talent Award – Hong Wai Onn]. China Press (in 中文). 2023-09-01. Retrieved 2025-05-01.
- ↑ "Society". Hong Wai Onn. Retrieved 2025-05-10.
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