DATO’ MOHD KHALIS ABDUL RAHIM is a senior human capital leader with over 27 years of experience across multinational corporations and government-linked companies. He has served as Group Chief Human Capital Officer at both Malaysia Aviation Group and Telekom Malaysia, where he led large-scale transformation initiatives and contributed to organisational turnaround and growth.
He played a pivotal role in the transformation of Malaysia Airlines, contributing significantly to the airline’s return to profitability in 2023. At Telekom Malaysia, he was instrumental during the decade-long Government-Linked Companies (GLC) Transformation Programme, helping the organisation emerge stronger following its demerger.
His career includes key HR leadership roles at Colgate-Palmolive, Freescale Semiconductor, and Western Digital, covering the full spectrum of human capital functions including culture and organisational change, talent management, industrial relations, and strategic workforce planning.
Throughout his career, he has left a lasting impact on the organisations he served. Colleagues and superiors alike describe him as a maverick, someone who is unconventional, innovative, and forward-thinking. Known for his ability to think outside the box, he consistently bridges strategy and execution with a deep commitment to both business outcomes and people development and well-being.
He was named Chief Human Resource Officer of the Year and won the HR Leadership Award at the 21st Global HR Excellence Awards in 2013. He was also recognized as among the 100 Most Influential Global HR Professionals at the World HRD Congress 2017.
He holds a Master’s in Human Resource Management from the University of Canberra, Australia, and a BSc (Hons) in Applied Psychology from Coventry University, UK and is a Certified Advanced HR Professional (CAHRP) and a Certified Business and Executive Coach.
Dato’ Khalis currently contributes to leadership development as an Adjunct Professor at Multimedia University and remains active in advising on human capital strategies at both operational and board levels.
