Premesh Chandran
CEO, Malaysiakini

Premesh Chandran is the co-founder and CEO of Malaysiakini.com, the leading online media in Malaysia, reaching over two million readers per month in four languages (English, Malay, Chinese, Tamil).

Founded in 1999, Malaysiakini has won various international awards including from Asiaweek, Businessweek, International Press Institute, the Committee to Protect Journalism and Reporters San Frontiers. The site has also been featured in various books and journals for its independent journalism within authoritarian rule as well as its business model.

Premesh has been a democracy activist since his university days, taking up issues related to human rights and democracy in Asia. He has worked as a teacher, a labour researcher and as a senior writer at the Malaysian daily newspaper TheSun. Apart from Malaysiakini, his passions include science, social entrepreneurship and human rights. He holds a degree in Physics and a Masters degree in International Studies. He is also a recipient of two fellowships: the TED Fellowship 2010 and Asia Foundation’s Chang-Lin Tan Fellowship 2010 as well as awarded the advertising industry’s Media Personality of the Year in 2012.