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Biography
Dr. Khairil Ahmad is a political theorist and public policy leader with over 15 years of experience leading policy research, advocacy, and reform at the intersection of civil society and academia.
Khairil holds master's and doctoral degrees from the University of Essex, United Kingdom. His scholarly interests include public policy in the areas of development, social cohesion, and democracy and governance, critical and post-structuralist approaches in political theory, and the relationship between faith and politics. He has published widely on those areas and other politics and policy related topics in both scholarly and popular mediums. He has also been featured as an expert on various social and political issues in the media.
Since January this year, he has been serving as the Director of MySDG Centre for Social Inclusion, the policy think tank of the All-Party Parliamentary Group Malaysia on Sustainable Development Goals (APPGM-SDG). In this role, he leads APPGM-SDG's work in social and policy research, spearheading the translation of grassroots socioeconomic data into actionable policy insights for high-level engagement with parliamentarians, government ministries, and international bodies. Among his key achievements include co-authoring to the Peace and Partnership chapters of Malaysia's 2025 Voluntary National Review (VNR), providing SDG-informed civil society input into the 13th Malaysia Plan, and leading the writing team for the civil society-led ASEAN SDG-SSE Roadmap 2026-2030.
Previously, he was an industry track academic at Universiti Malaya's International Institute of Public Policy and Management (INPUMA), where he led the organisation's client-facing activities, delivering professional services including executive training and consulting. Prior to that, he served as Chief Executive Officer of The Centre, a Kuala Lumpur-based think tank, where he led a research team promoting centrist, evidence-based policy solutions in areas such as online hate speech management, drug policy and criminal justice reform, and gig worker social protection. He has also held full time academic positions at the International Islamic University Malaysia and UNM.
Khairil has been involved in several national policy committees and panels, including roles on the public hearing committee of the 2040 Kuala Lumpur Local Plan (PTKL2040) and the Ministry of Education's focus group for the upcoming Malaysia education blueprint. He is also currently an advisory board member of the Department of Political Science, International Islamic University Malaysia and external advisor of National University of Malaysia's political science and strategic and diplomatic studies programmes.
He is also a seasoned public policy trainer who designs and delivers programmes for a diverse range of local and international clients. His collaborations include, among others, distinguished bodies such as Malaysia's Public Service Department (JPA), National Institute of Public Administration (INTAN), Ministry of Health, Kelantan State Government, and the Development Academy of the Philippines.
With a proven track record of leading high-performing teams and forging multi-sector coalitions to influence policy, Khairil is professionally driven by the mission to forge a more just and inclusive society.