Shahril Hamdan brings in-depth experience having built a career with a tri-sector profile; in the public, private, and non-profit spaces. He brings with him extensive experience in public policy formulation and analysis, government and business strategy, and management consulting in industries and sectors which include oil and gas, energy and investment.
He formerly held the role of Economic Director in the Prime Minister’s Office and a member of the National Economic Action Council, being involved in the formulation and delivery of key economic interventions in the aftermath of the pandemic.
He spent 3 years as a consultant with McKinsey and Company, where he worked across Southeast Asia advising multinational clients across various industries. He later brought that experience over to running an actual business, when he was CEO of Destini Oil – a midsized oilfield services company.
He is currently the founder and Managing Director of Watchtower Advisory, a corporate advisory firm. Apart from the private sector, Shahril co-founded The Centre, a centrist think tank conducting research and proposals on public policy issues and was part of the management team at the education non-profit Teach for Malaysia.
Shahril is a former Visiting Fellow at the Rajaratnam School of International Studies, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore and co-host of ‘Keluar Sekejap’ – SouthEast Asia’s most listened to podcast on current affairs.
He is a 2023-2026 World Economic Forum Young Global Leader, having also been a member of the Southeast Asia Young Leaders Program cohort at the 2022 Shangri-La Dialogue by IISS.
Shahril studied economics at Manchester, and sociology at the London School of Economics where he was a Chevening Scholar.
