The foundation’s 20th anniversary celebration highlights its continued focus on developing capable, principled Malaysians who use their opportunities to make a difference.
Petaling Jaya, 11 September 2026 – For Yayasan Khazanah (YK), a scholarship is about more than academic achievement.
At its Awards Day 2026, the foundation marked 20 years of developing Malaysian talent, with speakers reminding scholars that their success will ultimately be measured not only by what they achieve, but by how they use their knowledge and opportunities to help others.
Trustee and Yayasan Hasanah Managing Director Siti Kamariah Ahmad Subki said the foundation was interested in more than the achievements of its scholars.
“We are also interested to understand and keen to see what kind of human being you will become along the way,” she said.
“Being human is far more important than many of the achievements and successes that you will obtain in your life.”
Building people, not just scholarship recipients
Trustee Tuan Haji Mohd Adam Mohd Said
For Trustee Tuan Haji Mohd Adam Mohd Said, this has always been central to YK’s purpose.
“It’s not about giving scholarship, it’s about developing leaders through the provision of scholarship,” he said.
Adam said YK looks beyond academic results when selecting scholars, with the foundation seeking individuals who combine competence with responsibility, integrity and a strong moral compass.
He described this through the concept of al-qawi wal-amin, which calls for both strength and trustworthiness.
Academic intelligence, he said, is a minimum requirement. What distinguishes YK scholars is what they do with that ability.
The foundation also recognises that not every student starts with the same advantages.
This year, 11 students received scholarships through the Khazanah Watan Equity Pathway, which aims to support students who may have had less access to resources such as computers, reliable internet or tuition.
For Adam, the scholarship also comes with a responsibility to society.
“Scholarship is an amanah, even through you, to the society,” he said.
“We look at what is the impact to the society that can be provided through the scholarship that we give.”
An opportunity to contribute
Guest of Honour, Syed Malek Faisal Syed Mohamad, Head of Renewable Energy Malaysia at Gentari
That impact can be seen through the experience of YK alumni.
Guest of Honour Syed Malek Faisal Syed Mohamad, Head of Renewable Energy Malaysia at Gentari, was a Khazanah-Cambridge Scholar in 2011.
His scholarship experience helped broaden his ambitions and eventually led him from the automotive industry into electric mobility and renewable energy.
“It didn’t just give me a master’s degree,” he said. “It changed the trajectory of my career, and more importantly, it gave me the opportunity to contribute to something bigger than myself.”
Syed Malek Faisal told the new scholars that receiving a scholarship should be seen as the beginning rather than the end of their journey.
He encouraged them to dream big and take action, continue learning and adapting, give back to others, and remember the people and families who supported them.
“The best way to repay the scholarship is not simply to become successful,” he said, but to use their knowledge to create opportunities for others.
Remembering the people around you
Siti Kamariah, Trustee and Managing Director of Yayasan Hasanah
For Siti Kamariah, making an impact does not always require a major achievement.
It can begin with how scholars treat the people they meet every day.
She encouraged scholars to speak to the waiters and waitresses who serve them, learn their names and ask about their lives, particularly those who have nothing to offer them in return.
Such moments, she said, are also part of what it means to become a good leader.
The message reflects YK’s wider approach to developing talent. Over the past two decades, the foundation has awarded close to 2,000 scholarships, with its scholars going on to contribute across different sectors.
Siti Kamariah, who was a Renong scholarship recipient about three decades ago, said the foundation’s legacy should not simply be measured by the number of scholarships awarded.
Its legacy lies in what its scholars go on to do.
“Twenty years of YK have been built by the scholars who came before you,” she said.
“The next twenty years will be shaped by what you choose to do.”
Celebrating 20 years of talent
This year, YK presented 101 new awards, alongside 46 High Achiever Awards and four Special Mention Awards.
The awards covered its three scholarship programmes: Khazanah Watan, Khazanah Global and Khazanah Lestari, supporting scholars from foundation level through to PhD.
The main award recipients included Hazwan Husain, who received the Khazanah Global Award; Dr Chandreshan Ravichandren, recipient of the Khazanah Watan Award; and Ahmad Firdaus Ahmad Kamal Baharin, recipient of the Khazanah Lestari Award.
Syed Malek Faisal was also recognised with the Alumnus Award.
As YK enters its next decade, the message from its trustees and alumni remains consistent: scholarships are an investment in people.
For the scholars receiving that investment today, the challenge is to turn their education and opportunities into something that benefits others.
As Siti Kamariah put it, the next chapter of YK will ultimately be shaped by what its scholars choose to do with the opportunities they have been given.
