Dato’ Akmal Arief Fauzi began his professional journey more than 30 years ago, in 1993. Since then, he has charted a unique and distinctive path and established himself as a visionary leader in Malaysia’s healthcare space. As the Group Deputy Chief Executive Officer at IJN Holdings Sdn Bhd and the Deputy Chief Executive Officer at Institut Jantung Negara Sdn Bhd (IJN) Malaysia, a leader in the field of cardiovascular and thoracic care, he plays a pivotal role in shaping the institution’s strategic direction, ensuring a culture of excellence, and driving continuous improvement and innovation. Dato’ Akmal has been an integral part of the institution’s successful growth and expansion story.
His remarkable ability to adapt quickly and adjust along the way, strategic thinking as well as his openness to others’ ideas, have been instrumental in his success. Dato’ Akmal, however, does not see success as a destination. “To me, success is a journey. Just like education or learning, it does not stop,” he says. “It’s still on going. And, after a certain point, we all have to think about new ideas, explore possibilities and look for new areas to excel.”
Professional Journey: From Accountancy to A Long Association with IJN
Dato’ Akmal is a Chartered Accountant and a Fellow with CPA Australia. After graduating with an accounting degree, he took the expected career path and joined an international accounting firm, gaining exposure in auditing of business and corporates. He then moved to the UEM / Renong Group of Companies, a Malaysian public listed, multinational conglomerate. His more than a decade-long tenure at the Group not only exposed him to critical areas of a business-like finance, strategic planning, corporate management, but also the multiple industry that Group is involved in. Whatever Dato’ Akmal learned and the experience he gained at UEM / Renong Group served as a solid foundation for his future.
In the initial years with the UEM / Renong Group, Dato’ Akmal was assigned to different functions, rotated amongst Group Companies involved in different industries and trained in leadership skills. He worked on special projects as well as in-house consultancy within the group. He was fortunate to also be hand-picked in ‘trouble shooting” underperforming subsidiaries and involved in turnaround exercises.
Dato’ Akmal has been in a leadership C-suite level for more than 15 years now in IJN. He says that he has seen IJN grow from a single business entity specialized heart center — to a group of companies. Under its umbrella, it now includes an investment holding company, a university college, a special purpose vehicle (SPV) for fund raising and a commercial pharmacy retail management amongst others, “Over the years, I have seen the organization build on its foundation and grow,” Dato’ Akmal says. “I have participated actively in projects and initiatives from the planning stage, all the way through being successfully implemented. To me, it has been a meaningful and fruitful period to be in an organization.”
He points out that one advantage of working at an organization for a reasonable tenure is that one gets to experience the breadth and depth of the organization, its people and its culture. This “intellectual property” (IP) has become useful in navigating the organizational forward without losing its purpose.
Dato’ Akmal points out that IJN does not measure success only in terms of revenue, financial gains or profits. “We talk about quality care, patient safety, customer experience and safe delivery of healthcare services,” as well as Environmental, Social and Governance and sustainability i.e. “balanced scorecard” in short. Other complementary initiatives like R&D, training and education are equally pursued vigorously. “All these are the aspects that ensure the organization’s sustainability.”
Three Great Achievements
Dato’ Akmal’s career is full of accomplishments. He has successfully planned, led and implemented several initiatives over the years. There were three achievements that he specifically remembers and takes great pride in. In 2004, IJN’s physical infrastructure capacity became insufficient and facing limitations “bottlenecks”, with insufficient beds, operating theatre, invasive labs etc. not forgetting the long waiting times. They wanted to serve more patients, treat patients better, improve customer experience, reduce waiting time provide better accessibility and improve delivery of care. Dato’ Akmal says that they knew they had to add more wards / beds / infrastructure, especially critical care beds, and build facilities like the International Patient Centre to attract Medical tourist. Dato’ Akmal played a crucial role in the Physical Expansion project which includes fund raising and devising the right corporate structure. He was instrumental in raising the necessary funds for it. Just in a few years, they added 170 beds on top of the 270 beds they had initially. “It helped to encourage more patient to experience IJN and provide accessible to more patients,” Dato’ Akmal says.
Another accomplishment that he considers his meaningful is the achievement of Environmental, Social, Governance (ESG) initiatives in particular in the aspect of environment. The organization has achieved 3 consecutive “firsts” in the area of Energy Management and energy efficient best practices. IJN has remarkable achievement by being the first hospital in Malaysia to achieve the 1 star rating in 2015, the first hospital in Malaysia to achieve the 2 star rating in 2017 and the first hospital in Malaysia to achieve the 3 star rating in 2019, recognized by Energy Management Gold Standard (EMGS) awarded by Asean Energy Management and Accreditation System (AEMAS) – A regional recognition body with the main purpose of managing and reducing energy consumption and carbon dioxide emissions in the Asean region.
Digitalization and embracing technology, for Dato’ Akmal, was also an important organizational milestone. Right after the COVID-19 pandemic, IJN won the prestigious Asian Hospital Management Award for adopting digital health technology with an integrated platform for patients and staff to combat COVID-19 in 2022.
Dato’ Akmal recalls that when the pandemic and “lock-down” hit the world, they had to keep the hospital safely running without interruption. Their main concern was how to ensure their patients, care givers and healthcare professionals safe and continue performing duties. “So, we developed an IT system internally to do surveillance and contact tracing,” Dato’ Akmal says. With the support of their IT system, they provided the necessary surveillance, prevention and to ensure patients’ safety during the pandemic. Dato’ Akmal says that they have continued to expand its formalities and improve their overall IT system.
In year 2023, the organization received more awards related to technology and smart hospital innovation, including “Technology Innovation of the Year for Malaysia” and “Smart Hospital Initiative of the Year”. In addition to winning these awards, IJN also gained recognition for its initiatives, especially the Electronic Medical Record Adoption Model (EMRAM) level 6 program end 2024.
A Group Deputy CEO’s Responsibilities
As the Group Deputy CEO at an investment holding company and provider of management services, Dato’ Akmal provides leadership, vision, ethical stewardship and strategic direction to Group operating companies, which includes IJN, the well renowned regional heart specialist Centre. Being a trained professional corporate person, Dato’ Akmal provided guidance in the Group’s corporate support function and corporate governance.
Apart from that, Dato’ Akmal is involved in other IJN Group subsidiaries/ initiatives as well, such as the university college. “I am also entrusted to be chairman of the Board of Governors of IJN University College he says.
Outside of work, Dato’ Akmal is involved in volunteer work in various NGO’s and is chairman of the Parents and Teachers Association at his children’s school. He is also the Chairman of his residents’ association and was a member of a think tank advisory group for a local international university. At this stage of his life, Dato’ Akmal shares that he is increasingly mindful on contributing back to society.
Motivation and Leadership Style
Dato’ Akmal’s motivation stems from empowerment. “Empowerment is a great motivator,” he says. “It is because everyone is a professional to me. They all are motivated to do well for both themselves and the organization.”
Dato’ Akmal is approachable and follows an open-door policy. Anyone can come to him and ask, “How can I do this or how can I do these things better.” He believes that no one knows everything, and it is important to ask questions and learn from others. He also makes sure to learn from people who are experts in a particular field.
“Personally, having being in a c-suite leadership position for the last 15 years, it has been a journey of continuous learning,” Dato’Akmal says. “You can’t avoid challenges and human resource issues in any organization. So, it is best to build systems foster a culture of high performance, prioritize and to set targets and achieve them together.” As a leader he is always there to guide and support them.
“Teamwork, trust, empowerment, and providing guidance are the core principles of leadership,” he adds.
What are the Plans for the Future?
Dato’ Akmal wants to continue inspiring people to give their best to the organization. According to him, one way a leader keeps the pace going and maintains the organization transformation momentum is by asking questions like, “How can we do things better? How can customer experience be enhanced? “How can we increase revenue or grow the business?” Or, what are the opportunities one can try to tap into?”
People are the “greatest asset” in an organization, Dato’ Akmal points out that the organization provides opportunities to its staff member to improve and be updated with the latest in the market. “Our staff team are provided with opportunities to be exposed to the latest technical know-how, latest technology and learn new innovative procedures and R&D” apart from other soft skills, again being the Global Centre of Excellence in Cardiovascular and Thoracic Care, IJN must continue to deliver what is expected by our stakeholder.
“And at IJN, innovation is always encouraged,” Dato’ Akmal says. He wants to see that continue.
Message to Aspiring Leaders
Dato’ Akmal advises aspiring leaders to work hard, instill self-discipline and have right attitude. He encourages them to learn as much as possible during their initial years. “When you step into a leadership position, it is a position of responsibility and accountability Dato’ Akmal explains. “You then have to do the right thing and make quality decisions and think strategically.
He also underscores the importance of having an open mindset. He points out that a leader must inspire their teams, create an environment of high performance and align teams towards a common goal. “Nobody knows everything. “So, it is good to discuss with team members, get more information, test ideas, brainstorm, and be open to solutions.” Coupled with integrity and self-discipline, young aspiring leaders should be able the navigate the journey of self-discovery and be a leader and excel in their respective areas.
